[quote]Chickenmcnug wrote:
Konstantine wrote:
Keep it simple my friend, don’t use the scale as a basis of progres, use the mirror instead.
That seems like a fatloss tip to me. I would understand your point were I trying to cut. That would be a different story entirely.
When bulking you need to know if you are gaining weight. How am I supposed to know if I am gaining weight without using a scale? If I gained 1lb in a week, its not really that noticeable. If I was to go by the mirror I would eat so much that I felt like crap, I would gain like 5lbs in that one week(with a higher % of fat). The other possability would be that I would actually gain weight, maybe a lb or two, but i wouldnt’ look that different and I would get discouraged and quit. I need to scale to tell me if I am gaining weight or if I should take in more calories.
Just my opinion on the matter.
[/quote]
Your opinion is right. I generally weigh myself very regularly when gaining. If you aren’t gaining weight, there is no reason to believe you are somehow gaining tons of muscle. The other guage is your strength. Both of those should be going up. When dropping weight, I will generally weigh myself less often. I go more by the mirror and, lately, the measuring tape along with strength levels. If my strength suddenly drops like a stone, OBVIOUSLY, I am dropping weight too fast or reducing my calories too much.
[quote]Chickenmcnug wrote:
To tell you the truth, I am debating on whether to continue the bulk and try to go beyond 200. I understand that at my height(6’1") that I should probably realisticly be around 200lbs(i think).
I guess I will have to make that decision when the time comes, by how I see myself in the mirror and If I am happy with it.
I have a few reasons to stop the bulking process though:
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Summer will be comming around and I enjoy hitting the beach and boogeyboarding. I would like to have a beach body.
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I was feeling sluggish and lethargic some days from eating so much that I was always digesting food. Recently I think my stomach has expanded and I am capable of packing away a lot more calories. So this one isn’t that big of a deal anymore. I am, however, looking forward to eating a bit less.
-
I think my weight is shooting up faster than my strength. I have been getting great strength gains. But i think it might be beneficial to maintain my weight and wait till my strength gains plateu again. If I were to do this, I would assume that when I resumed bulking in the fall my weight would probably shoot up quickly.
What do you guys think? When It comes down to it, I have a good feeling that I will still want some more muscle mass. Should I continue the bulk since “the train is rolling”? Did my 3rd point seem like a good idea?
This is probably a question I should ask when I get there. I am looking too far into the future. The main thing is to concentrate on my weekly goals until then.[/quote]
I can’t stand the idea of people dieting down just for summer before they get anywhere close to their goal. Why not be more realistic and plan for next year? How close to a “beachbody” do you plan on getting before the goal is to gain again? No one jumps into bodybuilding and goes from average to “mag cover model” in months. It takes years of work. Beyond that, did you just mention something about what your weight is “supposed” to be at 6’1"? At my height, my weight is “supposed” to be about 185lbs. I think I am a tad past that. Those numbers are based on sedentary people, not people who make it a prime directive to gain more muscle mass than average.
In the end, you will do what you want to do, and everyone has the goal of walking around the beach and turning heads. You need to decide if you have even made enough progress to make that happen, especially if you lose some in the process of dieting.
Hi,
Can any one tell me whats the best advice for homostasis for a newbie like me? I started my first ever bulk about 4 months ago, gained too much wieght too quickly a fair amount has gone round my mid section,I gained 30lbs in 16 weeks.
I still Want to keep bulking till march (im chubby now so I might as well 
but at a lower rate of gain about 1lbs a week of weight tops rather than the 2lbs a week I have been.The question I have is what should be done before I cut? should I still hold onto my weight fat and all for 6-8 weeks before I shed the lard?
P.S Been eating clean 90% of the time while bulking.The reason iv’e been gaining too much weight was due to over estimating my daily kcal needs.Iv’e dropped this by about 500kcal a day so as to try to only gain a maximum of lbs a week now.
[quote]Dobermann wrote:
Hi,
Can any one tell me whats the best advice for homostasis for a newbie like me? I started my first ever bulk about 4 months ago, gained too much wieght too quickly a fair amount has gone round my mid section,I gained 30lbs in 16 weeks.
I still Want to keep bulking till march (im chubby now so I might as well but at a lower rate of gain about 1lbs a week of weight tops rather than the 2lbs a week I have been.What should be done before though befire I cut? should I still hold onto my weight fat and all for 6-8 weeks before I shed the lard?
[/quote]
I think you missed several posts in this thread. Most beginners shouldn’t be cutting to begin with to any major degree (aside from periods of dropping calories or increasing cardio to stop hitting full on “fatness”).
You will risk losing much of what you spent any time gaining. Yes, gaining weight too fast can lead to excessive fat gain. Again, this doesn’t mean you now have to literally diet to make changes, especially as a beginner. Reducing overall food intake, continuing to work for size and strength could very often help reduce any fat gain.
Also, what are your stats? What is your waist measurement, height, and weight? How old are you? Very often, a newbie’s perception of the changes his body goes through when gaining are a little inaccurate.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Dobermann wrote:
Hi,
Can any one tell me whats the best advice for homostasis for a newbie like me? I started my first ever bulk about 4 months ago, gained too much wieght too quickly a fair amount has gone round my mid section,I gained 30lbs in 16 weeks.
I still Want to keep bulking till march (im chubby now so I might as well but at a lower rate of gain about 1lbs a week of weight tops rather than the 2lbs a week I have been.What should be done before though befire I cut? should I still hold onto my weight fat and all for 6-8 weeks before I shed the lard?
I think you missed several posts in this thread. Most beginners shouldn’t be cutting to begin with to any major degree (aside from periods of dropping calories or increasing cardio to stop hitting full on “fatness”).
You will risk losing much of what you spent any time gaining. Yes, gaining weight too fast can lead to excessive fat gain. Again, this doesn’t mean you now have to literally diet to make changes, especially as a beginner. Reducing overall food intake, continuing to work for size and strength could very often help reduce any fat gain.
Also, what are your stats? What is your waist measurement, height, and weight? How old are you? Very often, a newbie’s perception of the changes his body goes through when gaining are a little inaccurate. [/quote]
Hello and thanks prof,
Well im 28 6.1ft weight as of today 230lbs.Waist at a guess 37-38".Given that I want to be as big as I can (Im a ronnie fan It’s not that im shy or even bothered by being “fat” or not having a chiseled mid section if it will help me reach my goals.Rather I put my pic up on another board and guys pointed out that I had gained too much fat and had overeached in my bulking efforts.
Question I have for you prof is whats the best course of action from here?
[quote]Dobermann wrote:
Hello and thanks prof,
Well im 28 6.1ft weight as of today 230lbs.Waist at a guess 37-38".Given that I want to be as big as I can (Im a ronnie fan It’s not that im shy or even bothered by being “fat” or not having a chiseled mid section if it will help me reach my goals.
Rather I put my pic up on another board and guys pointed out that I had gained too much fat and had overeached in my bulking efforts.
Question I have for you prof is whats the best course of action from here? [/quote]
I would slightly drop calories and continue gaining (possibly adding 2 to 3 days of cardio just to slow overall weight gain). Your waist is not that out of hand, especially at your height. If most guys new to weight lifting saw many bodybuilders in the off season completely bulked up, many would claim they had “over-reached in bulking efforts”.
But that’s just me as someone with a goal of actually standing out significantly in a crowd.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Dobermann wrote:
Hello and thanks prof,
Well im 28 6.1ft weight as of today 230lbs.Waist at a guess 37-38".Given that I want to be as big as I can (Im a ronnie fan It’s not that im shy or even bothered by being “fat” or not having a chiseled mid section if it will help me reach my goals.
Rather I put my pic up on another board and guys pointed out that I had gained too much fat and had overeached in my bulking efforts.
Question I have for you prof is whats the best course of action from here?
I would slightly drop calories and continue gaining (possibly adding 2 to 3 days of cardio just to slow overall weight gain). Your waist is not that out of hand, especially at your height. If most guys new to weight lifting saw many bodybuilders in the off season completely bulked up, many would claim they had “over-reached in bulking efforts”.
But that’s just me as someone with a goal of actually standing out significantly in a crowd.
[/quote]
Thanks Prof,
Great Thats what I though i’d do,iv’e dropped kcals by about 500-600 a day so far, cardio was at 3x15 mins week now @ 3x20mins.Lol about the over-reaching reminds me of that pic of lee priest eating his KFC!!!
And im with you on “standing out significantly in a crowd”
I’ll shoot for 0.5-1lbs week now and keep growing.
Thanks’ again prof
For Those of you who were reading this thread, I just wanted to post a little update.
Tuesday 2/7/06 I weighed in at 187.6lbs naked(in the morning after piss).
My weight gain has slowed down significantly, but I believe I am taking in a lot less calories now.
School started and I am having a hard time juggling everything, but I am still gaining. And thats the important part.
I believe I should hit the 190 mark by Tuesday the 21st. If I do, I will post some before and after pics up in the picture forum:)
A little update.
I am 195lbs right now. I have had a lot of changes in my life in the last 8 months. I had to shift my concentration to other areas of my life. But I am still working on bettering myself.
I look alright at 195lbs. But I still think I am too skinny. My new goal is to hit 210# in the next 6 months. That is a little over half a pound weight gain a week.(0.67lbs/week)
Reaslistically I could probably hit that goal in half the time, but I want to take things a bit slower and concentrate a little more on strength and conditioning rather than pure aesthetics.
I came the the conclusion during this time that I would hold all progress pics until I hit a weight that is visually stunning for my frame. I have a ways to go and I am happy making the journey.