As I observe more and more JSF members attaining their goals (mostly fat loss), a growing number of us are now maturing into that next phase......the bulk

Just like our fat loss journey was an ongoing education, I find myself now looking to educate myself in the art of bulking. So many questions...so few answers... :p

To that end, I thought I would start a thread specific to educating one another on bulking related topics. (since Schteevie is apparently AWOL)

I intend to update this post with some links to topics of interest on bulking on an ongoing basis, and hope others will do the same.

"Here's to Bulking 101"

Chapter One.... How much muscle can I expect to gain .....and how long will it take ??? (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki2.htm)

Chapter Two .... How much should I eat ? (http://www.bodybuildingpro.com/gainleanweight1.html)
Good article with some practical guidelines for starting your program. Eating enough, but not too much is the name of the game.

Chapter Three ... Progressive Overload...Good or Bad ?? (http://www.thepumpingstation.com/techniques.html)

just nifty! thanks for the links.....im curios to see what others replies are, i cant get enough info! :tucool:

Me too. Would it make sense to have a bulking section next to "Weight Loss"? Doesn't seem to fit in anywhere cleanly.

Here's my plan of attack. I want to do a slow bulk/maintenance phase. Previously, I consistently lost ~1lb per week at 2300 cals. So if a pound a week comes from a 500cal/day deficit, adding 400 should get me close to maintenance. I figure it's best to find my equilibrium before trying to add mass.

So that's why I've been trying out 2700 calories. I will post my chart, but I seem to be hovering around 180lbs, with the trend line pointing upward -- not flat like I expected. Anyhow, I love being able to eat more, although my already higher grocery bill is getting even higher.
:d_eek:

Me too. Would it make sense to have a bulking section next to "Weight Loss"? Doesn't seem to fit in anywhere cleanly.

Here's my plan of attack. I want to do a slow bulk/maintenance phase. Previously, I consistently lost ~1lb per week at 2300 cals. So if a pound a week comes from a 500cal/day deficit, adding 400 should get me close to maintenance. I figure it's best to find my equilibrium before trying to add mass.

So that's why I've been trying out 2700 calories. I will post my chart, but I seem to be hovering around 180lbs, with the trend line pointing upward -- not flat like I expected. Anyhow, I love being able to eat more, although my already higher grocery bill is getting even higher.
:d_eek:

Sounds like the correct plan.

From my calcs using my current weight, my body can only use about 220 calories a day for muscle building....so it's useless to have a 700 calorie surplus, as some of the articles have suggested.

You're right. First step is " Know your maintanence level.

It's even more important when you get to the "cut", where you're
jeopardizing all your hard work, if you f- it up.


The more I learn about this cut and bulk stuff, the more importance I give to the principle of slowly bringing cals up and slowly bringing them down.

Guess there's no simple answer....it's a process.

Here is my latest weight chart. Would've preferred a flatter trend line to start, but it actually looks like a decent bulking rate to me. Somewhere around .3 lbs every week.