Seeking Advice for First Bulk!

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

Hello everyone! I’m extremely interested in doing a 10 month bulk/cut (8 month bulk, 2 month cut), and I need you help! I’ve been lifting for about 6 years, and I can honestly say I don’t have much to show for it. I’m currently the heaviest I’ve been all my life, but I want more.
Here’s a little about myself.

Height - 6’2" (74 in/188 cm)
Weight - approx. 195-200 lbs (approx. 88-91 kgs)
Body Fat - approx. 15%
Flat Bench Press 1RM - 225 lbs
Squat 1RM - 365 lbs
Deadlift 1RM - approx. 350 lbs

^^All of these stats are as of last week.^^
/Here’s my goals/

Weight - 215 lbs (97 kg)
Body Fat - 6-9%
Flat Bench Press 1RM - 300 lbs
Squat 1RM - 450 lbs
Deadlift 1RM - 500 lbs

I’m wanting to begin this bulk on March 1st of this year, get up too around 230-240 lbs in 8 months, then begin a 2 month cut starting on November 1st, and end around New Years Eve at 215 lbs.
And that’s where y’all come in. I need as much advice and as many tips as y’all can give me.
I’m looking for:

  • The ideal foods for bulking and cutting (such as types of foods, meal plans, diet plans, etc.)
  • The ideal supplements for bulking and cutting (Which are best for bulking and gaining size, strength, and mass?/Which are the best for cutting fat but keeping size and strength?)
  • The Ideal workout regiments (Should I do complexes, Squats and Milk, Smolov Squat Program, etc)
  • How many times a week I should workout, how should the workouts be split up? etc
    *On a small note, I would like to also work on my running. I have to do a timed 3 mile run as part of my PFT, with 18:00 minutes is a perfect score, and I’m recently ran 20:20 a few weeks ago. So My question is would it be better to work on that as I’m bulking or cutting, and what are some of the best ways to increase run time?

I’ve been doing my research and haven’t found anything finite I guess you could say, and my buddy who is working on his degree in Kinesiology recommended this site very highly (Plus bodybuilding.com kind of seems like the deaf leading the blind on some subjects)
So any and all help will be greatly appreciated, and I thank you all in advance!

Stay motivated and Semper Fidelis.

2

I’m 6’2" also, and I used to weigh 190ish but I thought if I bumped it up to 210 I’d look better, then realized it’s gonna be 230.

3

Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.

4

[quote]Reed wrote:
Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.[/quote]
I second this question. Unless gear is used, or you have arms that are a foot long with incredibly short femurs there is either a lack of depth (couple inches high), poor form for the deadlift, or some imbalances.

5

[quote]Reed wrote:
Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.[/quote]

Of all the things to pin point…lol. Who cares?

6

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:
Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.[/quote]

Of all the things to pin point…lol. Who cares?[/quote]

I agree, i think 6 years of lifting and a 225 bench is more worrying. Unless there is an underlying injury

7

OP I think the reason no one has given you any real advice so far is because your question is veeeeryy broad and vague. You’re basically saying “I want to get bigger and stronger and leaner, what should I do?” I’ll say a few things though:

Training: It seems your goals are both physique and strength related. Are you more concerned about getting muscular, while also getting strong, or more concerned about getting your main lifts up, while also getting more muscular? They will go hand in hand, but whichever one is more important to you can be focused on. If you’re in the “getting stronger while also getting bigger” boat, I would recommend something like 5/3/1 with a bodybuilding/BBB template. If you’re more in the “getting bigger while also getting my main lifts up” boat, I’d recommend a good bodybuilding split, with some more emphasis on the main lifts. Here’s a lot of examples of good bodybuilding splits, but there are hundreds: http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/do_this_routine_instead_of_that_dumb_one

Diet: This is very individualized, and you’ll have to see what works well for you. But there are some things that are generally good for everyone: Eat a lot of good foods, get a good amount of protein at each meal, and put more of an emphasis on carbs pre and post-workout. As far as actual calories, choose an amount that you think will allow you to gain weight, and listen to your body. If you are adding (mostly) good weight, great, keep it up. If you aren’t gaining anything, add 300-500 calories/day and reassess. If you are gaining weight too fast and an unacceptable amount of it is fat, eat less and reassess.

Supplements: Protein, creatine, fish oil are generally all good, but keep in mind that these SUPPLEMENT a good diet.

Running: If you want to get better at running, run. Can work on this while you’re bulking and while you’re cutting, just keep in mind on days you do run you will be burning those extra calories.

By the way, you’ve already been training 6 years and your goal is basically to gain 30 pounds of muscle and lose 15 pounds of fat in the next 10 months. I don’t like to say things are impossible, and obviously everyone is different, but don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t quite work out that way, and you can certainly still make lots of good progress if you get your diet/training in order.

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[quote]Marzouk wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:
Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.[/quote]

Of all the things to pin point…lol. Who cares?[/quote]

I agree, i think 6 years of lifting and a 225 bench is more worrying. Unless there is an underlying injury[/quote]

Well his squat, DL, and bodyweight are also relatively low for 6 years of training. Lots of people train for years without getting huge results for various reasons. There’s nothing unusual about that, and that’s why he’s asking for advice. It could be 6 years of on and off brocep curls for all we know. It is a little odd, though, that his squat is higher than his DL, considering his height and weight. Unless the OP happens to be the odd tall guy who’s built for squatting, maybe there’s form issues (e.g. depth) with the squat.

9

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:
Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.[/quote]

Of all the things to pin point…lol. Who cares?[/quote]

Lol I care that’s why I asked.

10

Do 5/3/1. If you’re set on making sure to work each body part twice a week, you can do that on 5/3/1. Just design your assistance accordingly. For instance:
On squat day, make sure to get some quad dominant and posterior chain dominant assistance. Also do some abs.
Same on deadlift day.

On Bench day, do incline bench for assistance to work the shoulders as well. Do some back exercises like rowing or pullups.
On Press day, do a close grip bench press and some back.
Work in arms at the ends of the upper body workouts if you feel like you need them.
Calves at the end of the squat or deadlift day (or both), if you feel like you’re lacking.

This is just an example. Not doing 5/3/1 because you don’t think body parts get high enough frequency is not a good reason.

Also, check your squat depth.

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[quote]Gmoore17 wrote:
By the way, you’ve already been training 6 years and your goal is basically to gain 30 pounds of muscle and lose 15 pounds of fat in the next 10 months. I don’t like to say things are impossible, and obviously everyone is different, but don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t quite work out that way, and you can certainly still make lots of good progress if you get your diet/training in order.[/quote]

^this. If we could just eat more to get infinitely bigger, we’d all become Ronnie Coleman (or Reg Park) eventually.

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[quote]Reed wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:
Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.[/quote]

Of all the things to pin point…lol. Who cares?[/quote]

Lol I care that’s why I asked.[/quote]

but it’s less than a 5% difference!

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All I read was… ‘I didnt bother to read any previous posts, but I want to be baby fed everything’. C’mon people, do some research!

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[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:
Why is your squat higher than your deadlift.[/quote]

Of all the things to pin point…lol. Who cares?[/quote]

Lol I care that’s why I asked.[/quote]

but it’s less than a 5% difference![/quote]

Haha I know I don’t know why I just ask it everytime I see it… you know kinda like how Chris always asks exactly what some one ate the day before. Just makes me wanna know.

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Ok, first things first. I am of Swedish descent, so I have crappy genes lol. Here’s a quick breakdown of my 6 years of lifting:
0-2 years (age 16-18): Last 2 years of high school, on JV football team, so they didn’t really care about us, wasn’t really able to advance
2-4 years (age 18-20): First three semesters of college, was more interested in partying than working out (only did lifting to look good, not get bigger), had a few surgeries (tonsils and knee) and one illness that hospitalized me (tonsillitis with mono)
4-6 years (age 20-22): Had almost 5 straight months of training for the Marine Corps (boot camp

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And Just to clarify, i freaking suck at dead lifting and (for some reason) amazing at squatting. And I always make sure I get the proper depth by doing box squats

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[quote]semperfi32 wrote:
I am of Swedish descent, so I have crappy genes lol.
[/quote]

Which is why so many great strongmen come from Scandinavian countries???

Seriously, best rule of thumb is to never say this and never believe it. If you’re not making progress, re-examine your training protocol and determine if you could improve your diet or lifestyle, change your workout routine, etc. You probably won’t know really what your genetic potential is like for a long time.

Even if you have crap genetics, they aren’t all-compassing. Nature vs. nurture right? Unless you have a muscle-wasting disease, the majority of your results in lifting are influenced by factors that are under your control.

18

[quote]semperfi32 wrote:
Ok, first things first. I am of Swedish descent, so I have crappy genes lol. Here’s a quick breakdown of my 6 years of lifting:
0-2 years (age 16-18): Last 2 years of high school, on JV football team, so they didn’t really care about us, wasn’t really able to advance
2-4 years (age 18-20): First three semesters of college, was more interested in partying than working out (only did lifting to look good, not get bigger), had a few surgeries (tonsils and knee) and one illness that hospitalized me (tonsillitis with mono)
4-6 years (age 20-22): Had almost 5 straight months of training for the Marine Corps (boot camp [/quote]

This is NOT the same as training for 6 years. More like…what…5 months consistently?