my bulk is making me fat!

[epzin]

to get the biggest possible size in muscle mass for my body (bulking until dec-jan), should i be worried about the incremental fat gains i'm making along with the muscle gains? i know im growing, but there seems to be a cloud of fat accumulating on top of my muscles nearly forcing them to lose their appearance. at the moment, im pretty much just trying to get my calories up, i dont count these, i just go by energy, and making sure i dont go hungry. i do eat according to what ill be doing, if im going to be more active throughout the day, ill eat more carbs, and decrease amounts during the day. lately, alot of times i dont watch these meals, convincing myself that i need the extra food to gain a good solid base of mass.

i was tired of the slow gains when i was eating cleaner, and decided to go the all-out bulk route for a while. strength keeps going up, so i think im doing something right.

 

[huskyguy]

It all depends on your present bodyfat percentage, when I bulk I try to start out as lean as possible, I seem to make the most gains in the 9 to 10 percent range. You will put on a bit of fat while bulking just do not let it get extreme. Keep your workouts intense, hard heavy squats and deadlifts should be the core of your program. It sounds like you have the right philosophy regarding your diet, the key is to make it work for you. As you strength goes up you should be also gaining muscle mass. Good luck to you and enjoy it bulking should be the best. I just started bulking again and I hope to continue throughout the winter.

 

[chidoks]

huskyguy, do you do cardio when bulking?

 

[sonis9]

you almost must put on some fat while bulking!! you have to over feed the machine. you can do light cardio 2-3 times a week 20 min. and not hurt your gains. it is also good for your metabolism, which will help from getting too fat!-good luck

 

[chidoks]

wouldnt cardio limit some of your gains? arent you burning off some of the calories you are aiming to take in? sorry if the question is kinda stupid...just never quite understood it

 

[huskyguy]

Too much cardio would limit your gains, but some is still a good idea to get your heart beat up, My cardio when I am bulking is hitting the heavy bag in our gym, sometimes I will jump rope for a ten minutes or so.

 

[Frosty]

How about sprints a couple times a week?

 

[Fyre]

Too much cardio would limit your gains, but some is still a good idea to get your heart beat up, My cardio when I am bulking is hitting the heavy bag in our gym, sometimes I will jump rope for a ten minutes or so.

Heavy bag is a great form of cardio, so is skipping

 

[Frosty]

Heavy bag is a great form of cardio, so is skipping

lol

*imagining Ronnie Coleman skipping around*

lol, sorry, I just found that thought amusing

 

[huskyguy]

Also remember when you are bulking 6 to 7 smaller meals are always better than 2 to 3 huge meals. The body reacts to feast and famine, it can either become an efficient furnace or great at storage--fat.

 

[epzin]

right now i do alot of campus-walking a lugging-books interval training. this seems to be a good source of cardio at the moment, untill i really want to strip the fat, ill keep this as it is. and the regular, stairs vs elavator, walk vs bus, etc. keeping the weights heavy, and eating a shit load of good food is the procedure im taking. i treat my body like a science experiment!! i seem to be getting there slowly. thanks for the input everyone. cheers.

 

[Mudge]

Count calories and macros every day, dont just eat like a blind man.

 

[rubberduckyo]

Count calories and macros every day, dont just eat like a blind man.

Ahhh..........someone finally said it.

Too many guys trying to bulk, and this is just my opinion, look at the major calories they need to get in each day and reach for the wrong stuff to fill that need.

I'm not saying this is your case, hun. Just make sure you're bulking diet is supplying you with the right balance of nutrients to grow.

Just for kicks go to fitday.com and plug in exactly what you eat for the next three days. It does all the calculations for you. You may be surpised (or not) but at the least it'd be a good starting point.

*edit* Oh! Please post your results so we can get a better looksee.

 

[krieg]

my bulking also made me fat.. i went from 15% bodyfat to almost 30%. But i did make big gains 35 pounds in 2 months. I'm still going strong and not planning to stop bulking. Should be through by the end of next April. My goal is 280 lbs. Cardio definately on my mind all the time , something needs to be sacrafised.