I love the idea of bulking, but I think for some of us it’s too easy to fall into the “size king” mentality. Ideally I would follow the 90% rule, but living at home this past year made it too easy to gain 30 lbs in 4 months without caring how much of it was muscle. I was big, but not strong enough to justify it. I think some of us need to be more careful. I don’t care if I get up to 16% body fat again, the trouble is that 16% becomes 22% in a hurry, and it’s hard to admit it when you’re there.
I know now that I can get a lot stronger without having to eat freakish amounts of food. I’m moving to the slow and steady approach.
And for the record, I’m taking the Dan John approach to fat loss–all out war. I love eating, and I love eating good, whole food. I want to get back to eating over maintenance. I just have to make sure I don’t fall into a rut and justify eating shit.
Good to see I’m not the only weirdo who leaves out peanut butter with the spoon stuck in it. Hell I never even put the cap back on until I’m done with the jar.
liking this thread so far fellas…shit…the fact is until weve got enough muscle to qualify us as strong beasts that the average motherfucker would be scared of and the ladies believe can hold down the fort…keep fucking eating…your abs mean shit if you cant bench, squat or deadlift a respectable weight…at least here or anywhere in the lifting world… get strong…and get there the most efficient way you can…eat up man slut.
Liking this thread too, especially since a majority of us are college students.
I cut down recently to about 160 from 178. why, in retrospect im not really sure. It cleaned up my diet but damn am I lean. I retained alot of muscle (to the point where some people guess im around 180) but the other day I got a new suit and the lady, as she’s measuring me, goes “now do you work out, are you athletic?”
::SMACK::
shit internally floored me. I mean I look good but im trying to put on muscle here. time to eat damnit. not shit though, and im glad alot of you are down with this. you can bulk, but at our age where we are somewhat active outside the gym, 18-24, and we are surrounded by “cheat meals” we can eat alot of clean food, drink on the weekends, bend the “diet” rules a bit, and still gain with relative leanness.
LionsPride Im glad you had that realization and i commend you for leaving all that program shit behind. do whats good for YOU
Its funny about a month ago my kines class had a guest speaker on eating disorders. She got into the eating disorders for men. I forgot the name of I think it was megarexia and it was thinking you were small or not strong enought and eating too much. I was thinking hell yea I have that times ten.
[quote]Lowery38595 wrote:
Its funny about a month ago my kines class had a guest speaker on eating disorders. She got into the eating disorders for men. I forgot the name of I think it was megarexia and it was thinking you were small or not strong enought and eating too much. I was thinking hell yea I have that times ten. [/quote]
According to Dave Tate and matt rhodes, its called BIGOREXIA. god Lowery, get your shit straight. haha, kidding.
but i think the biggest thing people dont realize is that by eating A LOT, you stay anabolic, and that can actually LOWER your bodyfat % while gaining muscle. I’ve gained about 12 pounds since september, and my abs are actually BETTER.
Actually, the thought of cutting is starting to scare me! My goal was to put on about 18 lbs in six months. I’m coming up to my fourth month and I’m up 13 pounds. Pretty much right on track (slightly ahead)…however, once I hit my sixth month I’ll probably just keep going.
I want to see how long I can keep progressing. The thing is, I’ve kept my eating pretty constant throughout. I’m guessing it’ll slowdown soon to the point where I’ll need to start eating even more to progress any farther. I’ll see then where I’m at and what I want to do next. However, I’m thinking I need to go at least a full year before I even give cutting or anything like that a thought.
good post lions. i’m a ballplayer as well, and it’s funny to me how “ripped” guys with abzzz like nomar always are hurt, and the guys you listed stay away from the DL. makes you wonder.
[quote]ericbyrnesjr wrote:
good post lions. i’m a ballplayer as well, and it’s funny to me how “ripped” guys with abzzz like nomar always are hurt, and the guys you listed stay away from the DL. makes you wonder.[/quote]
hahah yeah exactly…Nomar is probably a strong guy and obviously an athletic freak in baseball terms…but Chicks dig the long ball…You think those Balco players were eating low-carb when they swoled up…no sir. I am finding that the more food I eat, moreso junkfood…the more motivated I am in the gym to lift harder and heavier to make me feel like I earned the food…not just eating shit to be a slob…I also have been doing sprint work on the ballfield near campus and walking in the park…so I am still burning cals…that is until I hit up the cafeteria ice cream machine…Talk about a PUMP
For a while I also was determined to keep my abs…trouble was, I never got over 175 or so. Now at 190, and bulking to 200 and beyond, I really don’t care all that much. Abs are still visible, but if and when they disappear I won’t be worried, I know I can get them back. Size and pure strength; those are hard to get. Abs…anyone can have those.
[quote]Digity wrote:
Actually, the thought of cutting is starting to scare me! My goal was to put on about 18 lbs in six months. I’m coming up to my fourth month and I’m up 13 pounds.
Pretty much right on track (slightly ahead)…however, once I hit my sixth month I’ll probably just keep going.
I want to see how long I can keep progressing. The thing is, I’ve kept my eating pretty constant throughout. I’m guessing it’ll slowdown soon to the point where I’ll need to start eating even more to progress any farther. I’ll see then where I’m at and what I want to do next. However, I’m thinking I need to go at least a full year before I even give cutting or anything like that a thought.
[/quote]
Yea its funny when I started in high school at six foot 150 I was thinking I would be big at 170 I told myself I would stop then. I am now 30 pounds past that and I feel I still need another 30 pounds maybe more.
I’m 24 and have been at/around 190lbs since I started college (fresh year i went from 150-180) and really haven’t had any major change in myself physically…so after graduating i decided to cut. not much; but i went from 195 to 179. I’m pretty lean right now (between 10 & 13%).
I have been at Maintenance for a long time; about 3+mo due to work, and am ready for a change!
Keeping my current Split Workout that I have put together myself b/c I know what works for me. I have taken my current diet and added CARBS! and OIL!
I’m finally able to look at myself and say:
“I look good; time to bulk and get massive!”
I’m at 182 right now (6’-1") and plan to get myself to 195-8ish. Its summer, and I plan to do all sorts of fun stuff outside (running, rollerblading, hiking etc…) as well as (hopefully) some MMA training again!
I will be a big strong 198lb motherf*cker!!!
Once my back feels strong enough I will get back to the compound lifts: Deadlift, Squat, Bench, Overhead Press. And I will be very strong at these lifts again.
I also plan to beat my previous Deadlift PR (525) by at least 50lbs.
Here’s to being bigger, stronger and faster then the rest of the world!!!
yeah…that is true… i mean I cant really talk becuase I have never truly bulked until now…but I love food and lift hard, so its not going to waste…and if your an athlete…scouts love size…just as long as the strength rises with the weight…time will tell.
[quote]Natural Nate wrote:
One thing I don’t get is people saying “I’m going to bulk for x months”.
Why not just steadily bulk for x YEARS? I have no plans to go back and forth.[/quote]
Word. A lot of newbs say this, as if bulking and cutting are night-and-day equals. Even top competitive bodybuilders don’t spend as much time cutting as bulking, and if you aren’t big yet, forget about it!
If you’re scrawny today, and you wanna look as impressive as possible in 5 years, spend the next 4 and 1/2 bulking up!
Agreed…its funny how the mind plays tricks on you too…I of course want to get bigger but just when I start packing on mass…the subsequent water/fat gains make me feel fat and in reality the gains were quality and I prematurely ate less. Silly.
