THE BULK IS ON ! RENO v HIIT MAN

[Doug Miles]

It's been a little over a week that I have been working on my 3 goals, so I thought I would grade myself on my progress:

Goal #1: get 8 hours of sleep each night
Grade: F
Comments: I am getting about 6 hours

Goal #2: add cardio
Grade: F
Comments: not getting enough sleep in order to get up earlier

Goal #3: increase lifting weight each workout
Grade: B
Comments: this is one thing I have been able to do

I won't lose sight of these goals because I feel they are the difference between an ok bulk and a great bulk.

Pics tomorrow. I better get the wide angle lens out. But not for the muscle, for my gut.

[HIIT MAN]

Well. Its Thursday all ready, where do the days go to?

Tuesday was day off and Wednesday, I had the day off work and workout didn't happen. I feel really annoyed with myself. I did go for a 3 mile run in the evening just to get some cardio done and blow away some cobwebs. However, I have tomorrow off, so I will definitley be working out in the morning and will fit one more workout over the weekend.

My weight this morning is 158lbs, so weight is creeping up very slowly. Having said that I feel like I am adding mass, I feel bigger and definitely notice the traps, shoulders and arms and chest getting bigger, in fact I have added an 1/4 inch to arms and chest! The one thing though is my waist has definitley thickened. I know Reno, you have told me not to worry about this too much, but I must admit I really want to stop the bulk and cut back now as all ab definition has just about disappeared and I feel like a bloater and look like it too, especially below the bellybutton. I HATE IT!!!! I seem to have a little bit of chest fat reappear on the left side of my left pec. Most annoying too.

Cut now or keep bulking?! A Dilemma. I know if I keep bulking and adding mass I can cut the fat later, but I dont know how I will look by January. I am very careful that the cals I have are as clean as possible. I am just amazed how quick my stomach has greeted the extras. Maybe my problem is that I have cut out Cardio to virtually nothing, instead of my usual 3/5 runs a week. I have been worried that too much cardio would prevent my mass build, but perhaps I have gone too far and need to keep some cardio than just the one or two runs a week.

I think I need to revaluate by Cardio routine.

Hope you lads are doing OK, when are you doing pic updates as I need to get them sorted. Is it today or next week? (Listen to the man, who neglected for weeks.Ha Ha )



HIIT MAN

[Reno_1ted]

People think that when bulking they need to have an EXCESS of calories. Cutting is a deficit, maintainance is your maintaince level and thus bulking needs an excess of calories. Bulking = Eating more. I dont buy into this. Bulking = Building LBM. Pure and simple. To build LBM, you must lift and have the fuel to lift, and recover and repair and grow, and have the fuel to do that. I think when bulking, you should aim for MAINTAINANCE. What ???????

Yup. And heres why. Now, i dont mean normal maintainance, as in taking in what you need to preserve the mass you have and not gain any BF. What im refering to is BULKING MAINTAINANCE.

Think to yourself why you are taking in extra cals while bulking ?

Keep thinking. Why eat more....

I can see two reasons.

To allow your body the extra energy to lift more and to give your body enough fuel to rebuild muscle. If you are able to do both of these things, then thats all the calories you need. Why take in any more then that ? I cant see a reason. And if you do take in more then that, you will gain fat. Because your eating more cals then your burning off. And if your body isnt making use of the extra calories you have got, again you will gain fat. The idea of a bulk is to take in more cals, but to BURN OFF MORE CALS AS WELL !!!!!!!!! Your taking in more energy, so that you have more energy to burn off more energy. If normal maintainance is 2400, then that means your buring off 2400 a day. What im saying is that if your going to take in 2900, then you have to burn off 2900. And by utilising the extra calories to help you lift more etc etc, then you will promote overload, which will promote muscle growth, which will expend the other cals. So if maintainance = taking in what you burn off then bulking = maintainance as well.

Taking the first reason for eating more, you have to make sure you are USING this extra energy you are taking in. If your doing the same level of work in the gym that you were on a cut, then why eat more ? No reason. You may push yourself just as much on a cut, but you can do more with more cals, lift more, push yourself that bit further, workout more etc. Look at your workouts and see whether your doing more, and thus making use of the extra calories you have. If your not, then why bother taking in those extra calories. If your not using them, they will just add fat.

Secondly comes mass building itself. Repair and growth. The extra cals you consume will help maximise growth. But for maximum growth, you need maximum overload. If your not overloading the muscles, they wont be prompted to grow, and so all the extra protien you just ate wont be used as well as it should. If your causing the same overload as you were on a cut, then why expect your muscles to need more cals to repair. Again it comes back to training harder. If you train harder, then you will maximise overload, which in turn will maximise growth, which will then require the extra cals your taking in.

Your problem isnt caused by the bulk itself. If your gaining fat, pure and simple, your either eating too much or not burning enough off. I assume you worked out (even roughly) what your bulking cals would be based on what your cutting deficit was. But your actually burning less cals now then you were on your cut, as you no longer run much! So already your math is out. So you can either start running again or eat less. Personally, id start running again. LBM wont suffer if your eating enough. Also, you need to make sure your hitting your workouts and not missing them. If you cant get to the gym, ajust your cals accordingly. Why eat more if your going to burn less ? If your not going to use the extra cals for lifting, and if your not lifting your not going to use the cals for repair and regrowth, then think to yourself, why bother eating more ?

If your gaining fat, your eating more then your buring off. You want to eat only what you need to give you enough energy at the gym to promote maximum overload on the muscles, and to repair and grow as much as possible. Maintainance. Eat more cals to allow yourself to burn more cals. Thats it. Dont eat more then you need to do that. There is no reason to make massive BF gains on a bulk. You will gain some, because finding the exact bulking maintainance level is impossible, and its better to be a BIT over then under. But so long as your around it, BF gains should be minimum.

Dont quit the bulk. Start running, lift as much as possible, make every rep count, push yourself, allow yourself time to recover, and if your STILL gaining BF gains, reduce your cals, because eating more then you need to maintain a bulking state is pointless.

Sorry for long post, but felt my theory would help both you and Doug.

[HIIT MAN]

Thanks Reno,

Very helpful and I think I may need to put in some extra cardio and assess cal intake esp. on non workout days.

[Doug Miles]

Reno, awesome post. I had a post all ready to submit when I saw yours. I was just going to tell HIIT not to quit (hey, cool rhyme).

I know my problem is that I went into this bulk thinking, great, the holidays are coming, and I can eat anything I want. I think I was giving in to all the urges I have felt over the past 8 months. I have cheated more frequently, and also when not planned. That is a very dangerous thing to do, I know. Because I can easily slip into a pattern of bad eating.

As far as what you said about a bulk actually being a sort of maintenance, I never thought of it like that. But it makes perfect sense. I have increased the amount of calories I am burning by a lot, but I have increased my calorie intake even more. Hence my fat gain. I am ok with some fat gain because I actually enjoy cutting (I am already looking forward to cutting after this bulk). Cardio is the key for me also. As soon as I can begin this, I will have no problem. I just need to do it.

I think we posted pictures 2 weeks ago today. So I will be posting mine later on tonight in order to keep it consistent. Also, my workouts are better knowing that I will be showing pics. Kind of keeps me accountable.

[wayne]

so, pics today or what reno???

[Reno_1ted]

My dad has the digital camera, and is not home from work yet, and i am going out soon. So may have to be tomorrow. Sorry.

[slush_puppy]

Reno, that was a great post. What you said makes a good case for cardio being a non-essential part of a bulking phase, which I was never really clear on. I'd assume you'd want all of your "over-BMR" calories going towards lifting energy and recovery. Burning extra off during cardio seems like a waste of time, unless you really love cardio (not me). I'm going to bookmark that post and come back to it again when I start my own bulking journey.

[wayne]

reno you make a good case for not doing cardio while bulking if you just control your caloric intake but I keep cardio in simply because when i start my cutting phase its not as hard to up my cardio and plus i want to keep my heart healthy while i take in a little more calories than what i should be because of bulking. But i mean if you arent worried about your stamina when you go to start your cutting then thats fine. PS i only do cardio about 3 times a week

[Doug Miles]

Well, here's my Thursday pics. Not really much visual change, except for the fat I've managed to add. It might not be evident in the pics, but my arms, chest, and traps feel like they have grown somewhat in the last 2 weeks.

We're in our fifth week now, and I am starting to get tired. I'm wondering if maybe I should take a week off lifting and clear my head a little. I could also focus on cleaning up my diet, and using some of the time I would have been lifting to do some cardio.

[Reno_1ted]

Man your arms are HUGE !!!

I dont notice much BF gains from 2nd to 3rd photo.

I see mass gains for sure, traps are looking bigger to. All in all doug my friend, good job.

[Reno_1ted]

Originally Posted by wayne

reno you make a good case for not doing cardio while bulking if you just control your caloric intake but I keep cardio in simply because when i start my cutting phase its not as hard to up my cardio and plus i want to keep my heart healthy while i take in a little more calories than what i should be because of bulking. But i mean if you arent worried about your stamina when you go to start your cutting then thats fine. PS i only do cardio about 3 times a week

Point isnt not to do cardio per se. Im doing cardio on this bulk. The main thing is to ajust your cals to represent the level of work your doing. If you DO drop cardio while bulking, remember that you are burning less calories, and so your bulking maintainance will be lower.

[slush_puppy]

Doug, that's amazing progress in 4 weeks! I agree with Reno that I don't see any real fat gain either. There's not too much difference between weeks 2 and 4, but I think your triceps look bigger. All in all, when you lay out the pictures like that and compare beginning and end, it is a world of change, especially in your arms, shoulders and particularly your back. I wish I had definition in my back like that. In just 4 weeks, too. You are definitely on the right track, wonderful progress!

BTW, I really like the lighting of your week 2 pictures. Whatever the lighting conditions were for those pics, I think you should do the same for the next set.

[Doug Miles]

Thanks for the comments guys. I must be hiding the fat well, because it's there. I feel bigger (muscle wise), and I'm happy so far. Remember though, the 2nd and 3rd pics above are pumped (post workout) while the 1st is not. I've added over 6kg (14 lbs) in total. I don't think I will really know the breakdown of fat to muscle until I cut back down again.

Slush, as far as the lighting goes, I wish I knew what I did there also. Actually I think it's more the camera settings than the lighting. I am taking the pics using a manual setting and an external flash, but I should have written down the settings each time.

[Reno_1ted]

External flashes dont bring out definition and are not ideal for photos where you want to see every line and muscle and contour of the body.

Overhead lighting is best for this. Side lighting works well to.

[HIIT MAN]

Ok Lads, and to all you members out there..

Quick update:

Things are doing fine after Renos excellent thread. Got to grips with the Cals. intake and revaluing my cardio routine.

Weighing 163lbs/ up 9lbs since Oct 1st, so slowly and surely. Definitely feeling and looking bigger. Chest just under 42" and biceps touching 14 almost!! Waist a little thicker. 31.5" BUT MUSN'T PANIC......

I am confident that another month will beef up the pecs and arms and the cut that follows...., well Reno, that really will be a challenge to see!!!!!

Take care fellow pumpers of iron!!!!


HIIT MAN

[Reno_1ted]

Update

Hey,

Well, weekend was good. Had a few cheat meals, but to be fair, im not all that fussed. The main thing is that i got lots of rest, and didnt get too drunk saturday night, and so have been feeling perky today.

I have stopped on the creatine, as i am no longer feeling any added benifit. Time to get rid of it from the system and start again in a few weeks. I must say it is a supp that for me works wonders for a few weeks, but then my body seems to ajust to it very fast and the effect goes. Thats just how it goes for me anyways.

I have eaten perfectly today (although have been VERY full), and tonights back and bi's session went like a dream. I managed 6 reps on seated cable rows at a PB weight and best of all the form i held was brilliant. Also upped my deadlifts to. Biceps went well also.

Hoping for a good strong and focused week this week.

Hope you guys are doing well.

[HIIT MAN]

Well

Plans to go to the Gym Monday night went tits up!!!!

What domestic duties weren't calling when I got home aren't worth mentioning.

However I was not to be deterred and at 9.30 I had a good hour traps/shoulder workout at home, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Upright Dumbell Rows
Lateral Arm Raises
Shoulder Presses
Arnie Presses
Scarecrows

Shoulders feel powerful today. :db: Cardio tonight (a usual 30 minute run.) I have decided to do another 10k in December to keep up my endurance and it will help control too many cals during this bulk, overall feeling good and definitley feeling bigger!!!



HIIT MAN

[Reno_1ted]

Update

First off, i need a haircut.

Second off, i need to get back on the sunbeds. Looking a bit pale. Although that may be tiredness, as working in a new job and bulking really takes it outa ya !!!

Last night was chest and tri's and was f**kin awsome. Bashed out all my max weights in good rep ranges with good form, upped my cable cross overs, and generally felt strong. After my PWO shake, i tipped the scales at just shy of 12 stone. Of course thats food weight from the day, but considering ive been off creatine near a week, and eating well so far this week, thats pretty good. I feel bigger, and i definatly feel stronger.

The abs have finally started to fade. I have accepted it, but it is hard, as everyone knows. However, the increase in size overall makes up for it, i like looking big, and besides, who sees the 6 pack in winter anyways. Theres hardly chance to show it off in summer over here in the UK !!!

I weighed in at 11 stone 6 this morning. Thats 8lbs up on my start weight and minimal fat gains. Some gains. But not too much. So im happy to report im adding mass. And im happy that i am still making lifting progress despite coming off the creatine.

I doubt i will be playing rugby this weekend, as i have a bad groin. Its a weird injury, as it doesnt hurt till i run, then the more i run, the more it hurts, until it just aches. After running, it goes stiff and hurts. This worries me more then a general strain. If i just pulled it and it went, and it hurt to walk like normal, then it would just be rest up, and recover and all is well. But with this, i have rested it all this week, i only played half a game last week, so its had plenty of rest, yet it is still occuring. I know if i rest it properly it will be fine, but its so tempting to play because it only aches, it doesnt actually hurt. But i think maybe without resting it, it will get worse, or possibly become cronic, which in the long term is going to be worse. The thing at our club is, people rope you into playing and make you feel bad for resting an injury. You get comments about it. Thing is, i have been at every match this year bar one which i missed through being in spain. Ive travelled 1 1/2 hours away with a team of only 11 (should have 15!), ive only missed 2 weeks of training since the summer and i train hard at the gym. Im enjoying playing. They cannot say im not dedicated, but even when i rang up to tell them i was not availiable, between the selecting commitee and a friend i play with, they have still managed to get me to put my name down for the match. Which pisses me off. Especually when said friend phones you and starts giving you shit about not playing. Ah well. Rant over.

Have a good thursday dudes, ill catch ya later.

[HIIT MAN]

Hey Reno,

Dont forget Samson , he got his haircut and lost all his strength! Ha Ha

Great workout last night, Legs and Abs. Actually, despite my fear of b/f gains, my abs seem to be showing a bit more, maybe they are growing and starting to bulge a bit. I am determined to see a six pack next Summer....



Everything just great. Take care lads.

Hey Doug are you about?



HIIT MAN