Bulking and cutting

[Kozikman]

started lifting bout 2 months ago. I was 152lbs and 5'11 when i started and now i'm at 170lbs, body fat is roughly at 12%. I gained about 18lbs fat/muscle but i'm still skinny as hell, i want to put on mass. I eat roughly 3000-3500 cals a day, no junk food. unless its my cheat day and i'll have some McD's. I know 2 months isn't long enough to see major changes but i wonder if i'm doing this whole bulking thing right. A friend of mine is only 155lbs and he's massive, me on the other hand, im scrawny imo.

my routine is:

Workout A:
Squat - 3 x 5
Bench - 3 x 5
Deadlift - 3 x 5

Workout B:
Squat - 3 x 5
Military Press - 3 x 5
Rows - 3 x 5


Week 1:
Monday: A
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: B
Thursday: Rest
Friday: A
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest

Week 2:
Monday: B
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: A
Thursday: Rest
Friday: B
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest

Should I keep doing this routine? or switch it up?

My goal is to reach 185lbs then start to cut. Problem is, I have no idea what diet and routine i should follow for cutting. suggestions and comments would greatly be appreciated.

[dandia89]

imo i think you need one or two more sets for each exercise.

[s_havinga]

I'll wait for A790 or Darkane to charm in but for one, 18lbs in two months is a lot of weight to put on. I don't think there is anything to complain about with that.

Personally I like your routine, It's about as baisic as it can get but all good solid compound lifts.

finally I am pretty sure you need to up your calorie intake a lot if you want to bulk. 3000 calories isn't much. I am not an expert on this but I would guess you should be 4000+ clean calories / day. Eat lot's of nuts and meat. Just my opinion but I am sure some of the other guys will give you some more educated answers.

[James Winz]

Keep the routine. You will keep growing.

[Darkane]

Don't fix anything if it's working.

As long as the lifts are going up, and scale weight is going up keep doing what you're doing.

When you're ready to cut do this: http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/destroying_fat_war_room_strategies_to_maximize_fat_loss

[lint]

Looks like Starting Strength, but your deadlifts should be 1x5. Are you following the program as outlined in the book? Or are you putting bits and pieces together? You didn't mention GOMAD so I'm assuming that you're not following the book.

Starting Strength isn't a bulking routine in the common sense. It's a strength building routine, hence the name, with size (hypertrophy) as a secondary benefit. If you're looking for a true bulk routine, you should probably switch to something else.

Oh and did you perchance read my thread here? (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/284965/the-only-workout-info-you-will-ever-need/). Particularly #10?

[anhsicun]

Originally posted by Darkane
Don't fix anything if it's working.

As long as the lifts are going up, and scale weight is going up keep doing what you're doing.

When you're ready to cut do this: http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/destroying_fat_war_room_strategies_to_maximize_fat_loss

that some good stuff, i was looking for some more outta the box then the regular traditional wieght training and this was just the right thing.

u got anything on gaining mass?

[acmilano]

Originally posted by dandia89
imo i think you need one or two more sets for each exercise.

+1

it's surprising what 4 sets instead of 3 will do. i had great results increasing my sets to 4 while lifting heavy.

[mdeluxe]

Originally posted by acmilano


+1

it's surprising what 4 sets instead of 3 will do. i had great results increasing my sets to 4 while lifting heavy.

agreed, most people arent even warmed up after 3... I would do at least 5. Work outs look short so adding on a few more sets wont make a difference IMO

[A790]

If it's working, keep at it, but I don't think there's enough volume there for long term growth. Also, what are you doing for accessory lifts?

I started with a starting strength routine that was GREAT for establishing a baseline that I could develop from. I followed it religiously for about 6 months, lost a bunch of fat, gained a bunch of muscle. In February I'll be majorly switching about my routine, but that's beside the point.

Do you find the workout to be a big challenge, or is it relatively easy for you?

Are you getting enough protein (1.5g/lb)?

Are you doing any warm up exercises?

[lint]

lmao, not enough volume. who writes down warm up sets when describing a routine?

[wintonyk]

Originally posted by s_havinga
I'll wait for A790 or Darkane to charm in but for one, 18lbs in two months is a lot of weight to put on. I don't think there is anything to complain about with that.

Personally I like your routine, It's about as baisic as it can get but all good solid compound lifts.

finally I am pretty sure you need to up your calorie intake a lot if you want to bulk. 3000 calories isn't much. I am not an expert on this but I would guess you should be 4000+ clean calories / day. Eat lot's of nuts and meat. Just my opinion but I am sure some of the other guys will give you some more educated answers.

You are right about the calories. They should easily be up around 4000.

I used McGraw Hill Perspectives in Nutirition Textbook and have a template made in excel.

Using a height of 1.80 m and wt 77 kg age 20 and a physical activity equivalent of 1.25 which equates to moderate active

Moderately Active: Most persons in light industry, electrical, carpentry and building trades (excluding heavy laborers), many farm workers, soldiers not in active service, commercial fishermen, housewives/househusbands without mechanical appliances. If you have an office or driving occupation (see Lightly Active category), you may have to average 1.5 to 2 hours of exercise per day (like jogging 5 to 6 miles/day) to be "Moderately Active."

I found that you would need about 3250 calories to supports that mass and accommodate exercise. So in order to gain you need a surplus for muscle growth. 500-600 calories per day surplus will allow gain muscle at a reasonable rate. It is fairly rare to gain more then 10 lbs of muscle in a year, it is possible but rare.

For those of you interested in the formula for yourself:

Males 19 and older
EER = 662 - 9.53 x age + [PA x (15.91 x Weight +539.6 x Height)]

The PA is as follows:
Sedentary - 1
Light Active - 1.11
Moderate Active - 1.25
Very Active - 1.48
Extreme Active - 1.6

[s_havinga]

Wow, that calculation seems high. It says I need between 3687-3950 cal/ day to maintain my weight using these stats

Age: 24
Weight: 99kg
Height: 1.95m
PA: 1.25-1.35

Well maybe thats not to far off. I am losing weight and probably consume around 3000 cal /day so thats a pretty decent deficit I guess

[wintonyk]

Sometimes it does seem a little high, but that could as result of overestimating our activity level. Very few people fit into the category of very active. Here is a breakdown of all the PA categories.

Sedentary: Sometimes under the care of someone else. Resting metabolic rate plus a factor for minimal activities - playing cards, watching TV, reading, etc.

Lightly Active: Most students, office workers, and professionals; lawyers, doctors, shop workers, teachers, drivers, lab workers, playing a musical instrument, housewives/househusbands with mechanical appliances, unemployed persons. This includes eight hours sleep and 16 hours of sitting or standing. Three of the 16 hours must include light activity (walking, laundry, golf, ping pong) and one hour must be moderate activity (tennis, dancing, walking briskly, aerobics, etc.).

Moderately Active: Most persons in light industry, electrical, carpentry and building trades (excluding heavy laborers), many farm workers, soldiers not in active service, commercial fishermen, housewives/househusbands without mechanical appliances. If you have an office or driving occupation (see Lightly Active category), you may have to average 1.5 to 2 hours of exercise per day (like jogging 5 to 6 miles/day) to be "Moderately Active."

Very Active: Full time athletes, unskilled laborers, some agricultural workers (especially peasant farming), forestry workers, army recruits and soldiers in active service, mine workers, steel workers. This level requires moderate intensity activity for most of the work day or exercise comparable to running 9 to 13 miles/day.

Extremely Active: Lumberjacks, blacksmiths, construction workers, heavy manual digging, rickshaw pullers, and coal mining. Moderate to high level of physical activity for most of the work day or exercise comparable to running 14 to 17 miles/day.

So to be moderate active you have to be doing 1.5-2 hours on average per day. It would be much easier to assume you would do between 10 and 14 hours of exercise per week.

For myself a brief period I worked as a rickshaw puller. And do you ever realize how much energy your body needs. Those 4 months I did that grocery bill nearly tripled to 300/week. Average just a shade over 5000 calories per day to maintain.