When Does The Bulk End?

derek · April 29, 2008, 1:54am

Just out of curiosity, who likes it when girls look at them because they can easily tell you work out but maybe likes it almost more when their boyfriends look at you (in envy, I’m hoping)?

I know some will tell me that’s a moronic question to ask but some will be just vain enough to know what I mean.

I almost hate that I posted that but what the hell!

Anyway, to complete my thoughts, to me, I want to be big enough that you can clearly tell (in clothes) that I work out while staying lean enough to be attractive to the opposite sex.

JJ13 · April 29, 2008, 12:26pm

I am definitely vain (vein!) enough to answer… let me just go fix my hair first…

Ok…

I just like it when the girl checks me out, i tend to look at her direct in the eyes with a smouldering gaze (rotflmao!) and then look away, without looking at the guy.

For the last part of your post, i always wanted that too, and depending on your base structure, it will come quickly or not. I have a slim build, so larger amounts of muscle look more obvious, where a 6’6" bloke with 20-25% BF year round could hold twice as much muscle and you’d not see it.
I got compliments in clothes around the 2-3 year mark i think, but that was just people who know me, now i often attract attention from strangers. I know it is abundantly clear i lift seriously, i get both sexes looking at the moment, i am not totally sure why TBH… i cant tell if the guys want to beat me up or what? Probably!

But i am not massive, no-where near. 185lbs at 5’8". Not massive at all. But the most i ever have BF wise is 14%.

(BTW, i lived in MA all last year, my wife is from there, where bouts are you?"

Joe

JJ13 · April 29, 2008, 12:32pm

[quote]mr popular wrote:
How you can make statements like “the bulk ends when you are too fat”, or “I once bulked up to 20% bodyfat!”

I thought it was common sense that the point of a bulk was to gain MUSCLE.

Have you people actually been trying to gain FAT?

Of course you are going to increase your bodyfat while bulking, but if you are gaining muscle your bodyfat PERCENTAGE shouldn’t be increase by that much.

To answer the original question, the bulk ends when you have built enough muscle and it’s time to shed the fat to show what you’ve created.

~Brian[/quote]

Have you seen lee preist or ronnie coleman in the off season?

It is necessary to gain fat when gaining muscle, but as a natural (i am not) you must make sure that the fat you do put on is only upto a certain level, or the extra muscle you gained will be lost through dieting. With a nonnatural athelete it is a little easier to keep muscle on a diet to lose a larger amount of fat, as the anabolics help tremendously to keep it, while the thermogenics/thyroxine helps to strip the fat.

Mr popular, do you compete? if so are you natural? i doubt you are. Neither am i, but i understand the difference in diet and training that causes. You do not seem to.

Joe

JJ13 · April 29, 2008, 12:38pm

[quote]Epimetheus wrote:
I haven’t done cardio in months. It’d probably be a good idea, but I’ve got a tough enough time getting in the gym 4 times a week as it is. I think it’s due to the extra weight i’m carrying around. It’s probably only about 10-15 extra lbs, but that’s still enough to be noticeable aesthetically and aerobically.

5000 cals a day might have affected my cardio if they were clean cals, but i’m eating primarily fatty foods, like bacon, sausage, burgers, etc, so I’m never really completely full. [/quote]

Unless you are on the Anabolic diet (i really hope so!), i bet you are putting on about 2lbs of fat per 0.5lb of muscle, if lucky!

If you are getting that much calories, and that much protein and fat (which are recognised to delay gastric emptying and increase feelings of satiety), then why are you hungry? Are you eating carbs too?

If you are on the anabolic diet, maybe reduce the saturated fats and include some nice oils instead, normalise with that diet for a while, which should help to give a slightly better body comp. then do your cut… if ready.

Joe

derek · April 29, 2008, 5:01pm

[quote]Joe Joseph wrote:
(BTW, i lived in MA all last year, my wife is from there, where bouts are you?"

Joe[/quote]

East Bridgewater, near Brockton and about 40 minutes south of Boston.

Yeah, I’m 6’-2" and am working my way back up to 260 (with any luck) by the Fall. In the warm weather we’ve been having, I’ve been working out without my shirt (I own my gym and work out ALONE btw) and I can see my abs, not clearly mind you but I can see them so I’m happy with that. I also gained 5lbs this week alone drug-free and can still see my abs at about 240lbs or so. Gotta love that!

drummerofgod89 · April 29, 2008, 5:28pm

[quote]derek wrote:
Joe Joseph wrote:
(BTW, i lived in MA all last year, my wife is from there, where bouts are you?"

Joe

East Bridgewater, near Brockton and about 40 minutes south of Boston.

Yeah, I’m 6’-2" and am working my way back up to 260 (with any luck) by the Fall. In the warm weather we’ve been having, I’ve been working out without my shirt (I own my gym and work out ALONE btw) and I can see my abs, not clearly mind you but I can see them so I’m happy with that. I also gained 5lbs this week alone drug-free and can still see my abs at about 240lbs or so. Gotta love that![/quote]

I’m not that far behind you, I think. I’m not sure. I am 6’2" also. I can somewhat see my top abs at 250 while flexed (18% BF), so at 240 or so, I think I’d see them a little more, but I still would by no means have a 6-pack. I will have to diet down to about 220 - 225 to be 8% BF. What’s your BF % like?

derek · April 29, 2008, 5:58pm

[quote]drummerofgod89 wrote:
What’s your BF % like?[/quote]

I am now approximately 12-14% but of course I’m guessing. I know that when I stand away from my mirrors, I see a big size/width differential between my chest and my abdominal region which shows I’m on the right track.

I’ve been as low as 9% (calipers), low enough to know I have an 8-pack in there and well above 15% depending on what I’m doing and more importantly, where my head is at the time.

I don’t see myself wanting to get very far into the single digits, ever, my strength and size seem to suffer too much to make it enjoyable.

My female clients seem to like me bigger and not as lean as the opposite. My wife says she doesn’t care what % I’m at but she acknowledges that I’m happiest being strong and moderately lean than any other condition I’ve been in and I’m kind of a chameleon that way. I can be whatever I want (within reason) but definately have a preference.

Knowing I can eat the amounts of food I can eat has a lot to do with it as well, I cannot lie.

drummerofgod89 · April 29, 2008, 8:18pm

[quote]derek wrote:
drummerofgod89 wrote:
What’s your BF % like?

I am now approximately 12-14% but of course I’m guessing. I know that when I stand away from my mirrors, I see a big size/width differential between my chest and my abdominal region which shows I’m on the right track.

I’ve been as low as 9% (calipers), low enough to know I have an 8-pack in there and well above 15% depending on what I’m doing and more importantly, where my head is at the time.

I don’t see myself wanting to get very far into the single digits, ever, my strength and size seem to suffer too much to make it enjoyable.

My female clients seem to like me bigger and not as lean as the opposite. My wife says she doesn’t care what % I’m at but she acknowledges that I’m happiest being strong and moderately lean than any other condition I’ve been in and I’m kind of a chameleon that way. I can be whatever I want (within reason) but definately have a preference.

Knowing I can eat the amounts of food I can eat has a lot to do with it as well, I cannot lie.[/quote]

Cool, we most likely are pretty similar in body type then. What body parts are your strengths? Most of my muscle mass is in my back and legs. My arms and chest aren’t quite as big as the rest of my body in ratio. How about you?

As for bodyfat, I never want to drop below 6, or maybe even 8 for that matter. I think aesthetically that 6 - 8% or so is the best area. Though I do not plan on being anywhere in that range until I am relatively satisfied with my size, which I’m not. My current size and BF goal is 260 at 8% BF, which I am hoping to reach before college ends.

derek · April 29, 2008, 10:29pm

Best bodyparts… Well my Quads are soon to be blowing up. They are very easy for me to get huge-to the point of overpowering every other body part.

My use of the IronMind hip belt squat and my vertical leg press followed by bottom position squats will have my quads out pacing literally everything else. I’ve spent the last few YEARS not really training them except for the stimulation of box squats and whatever they get from cleans and snatches which isn’t much.

I have pretty long muscle bellies and short tendons throughout my body so I’m very lucky in that sense.

Bodybuilding is (again) a new stimulus to my body so I’m looking forward to see how I’ll look when I actually train and eat for size and not Highland Games etc. or odd strengths like I have for the last several years.

My biceps grow very well from back work but I’ll be doing Bi’s and Tri’s once per week anyway. My chest fills in at the clavicular portion pretty well so my pecs wont look like boobies.

Like I said earlier, my quads are the only stand out (or will be).

Now that I wrote all those glowing descriptions about myself, I am now feeling even MORE pressure (in a good way) to fulfill it all.

I’m not going to let my age (37) deter me from getting to be the biggest form of myself I’ve ever been.

LiveFromThe781 · April 30, 2008, 1:03am

ummm why dont you just do some light cardio if you find yourself getting too high? do whatever works for you as far as keeping on a bulk so long as youre not getting sloppy. i think you can go all year long being 12% especially if youre a guy whos going to look better at 12% or so versus being 8% with hardly any real muscle. i dont reccomend 12% because i think its a magic number i just think its a good place where you can make solid gains and not look like shit while doing so.

JJ13 · April 30, 2008, 11:27am

[quote]drummerofgod89 wrote:
derek wrote:
drummerofgod89 wrote:
What’s your BF % like?

I am now approximately 12-14% but of course I’m guessing. I know that when I stand away from my mirrors, I see a big size/width differential between my chest and my abdominal region which shows I’m on the right track.

I’ve been as low as 9% (calipers), low enough to know I have an 8-pack in there and well above 15% depending on what I’m doing and more importantly, where my head is at the time.

I don’t see myself wanting to get very far into the single digits, ever, my strength and size seem to suffer too much to make it enjoyable.

My female clients seem to like me bigger and not as lean as the opposite. My wife says she doesn’t care what % I’m at but she acknowledges that I’m happiest being strong and moderately lean than any other condition I’ve been in and I’m kind of a chameleon that way. I can be whatever I want (within reason) but definately have a preference.

Knowing I can eat the amounts of food I can eat has a lot to do with it as well, I cannot lie.

Cool, we most likely are pretty similar in body type then. What body parts are your strengths? Most of my muscle mass is in my back and legs. My arms and chest aren’t quite as big as the rest of my body in ratio. How about you?

As for bodyfat, I never want to drop below 6, or maybe even 8 for that matter. I think aesthetically that 6 - 8% or so is the best area. Though I do not plan on being anywhere in that range until I am relatively satisfied with my size, which I’m not. My current size and BF goal is 260 at 8% BF, which I am hoping to reach before college ends.[/quote]

How long are you at college, because from the numbers you put up earlier and just now, you intend to put on 35lbs of lean mass and lose 25lbs before college.

250lbs 18% = 45lbs fat. Leaves 205lbs LBM
260lbs 8% = 20lbs fat. Leaves 240lbs LBM
so, you need to put on 35lbs of lean muscle and lose 25lbs of fat to be 260lbs with 8% fat.

An achieveable goal for your bodytype it seems, (jesus for me to be 260lbs with 8% BF it is highly unkiley to ever happen even with a couple of grams of test i would imagine!) but maybe a little premature?
I am not trying to nit pick you, i just realised this and wanted to show you the actual facts of your goals, wondering if you had thought about it in this particular way?
As even in 3 years this is some hefty gains. Plus at those stats, you would just need to diet down another 4-8 weeks and you could compete at a high level… You dont look that big in your avatar?!

Joe

JJ13 · April 30, 2008, 11:31am

[quote]derek wrote:
Best bodyparts… Well my Quads are soon to be blowing up. They are very easy for me to get huge-to the point of overpowering every other body part.

My use of the IronMind hip belt squat and my vertical leg press followed by bottom position squats will have my quads out pacing literally everything else. I’ve spent the last few YEARS not really training them except for the stimulation of box squats and whatever they get from cleans and snatches which isn’t much.

I have pretty long muscle bellies and short tendons throughout my body so I’m very lucky in that sense.

Bodybuilding is (again) a new stimulus to my body so I’m looking forward to see how I’ll look when I actually train and eat for size and not Highland Games etc. or odd strengths like I have for the last several years.

My biceps grow very well from back work but I’ll be doing Bi’s and Tri’s once per week anyway. My chest fills in at the clavicular portion pretty well so my pecs wont look like boobies.

Like I said earlier, my quads are the only stand out (or will be).

Now that I wrote all those glowing descriptions about myself, I am now feeling even MORE pressure (in a good way) to fulfill it all.

I’m not going to let my age (37) deter me from getting to be the biggest form of myself I’ve ever been.[/quote]

Absolutely not!! I intend to be at my biggest between the ages of 30 and 40! At 40 i intend to be a fully jacked, 220-230lbs @ 6-8%!! Toss ya caber over that one!! (sorry, i couldnt help it mate! )

Joe

drummerofgod89 · April 30, 2008, 2:37pm

[quote]Joe Joseph wrote:
drummerofgod89 wrote:
derek wrote:
drummerofgod89 wrote:
What’s your BF % like?