Hey guys, this is more of a question of total caloric load I assume. I'm going into a bulking phase right after my graduation on Sunday. Right now I'm 6'0 185 lbs, about 9-10% BF. My diet's pretty well squared away right now, I only have BF as high as I do because my weight doesn't really matter for my sport, so I'm pretty loose about eating sweets and stuff before bed. But assuming I fix that and eat completely clean, how much fat should I be gaining per lb of muscle? And how much poundage per week is a good indicator that I'm getting a good ratio? I'll be going the 5x5 lifting plan, and cutting way down on my cardio (I'm a varsity rower, until Sunday that is, so we do tons of cardio). Hopefully that's enough info for some kind of educated guess. Thanks!
Eat lots of food for like a month and workout all the time. After a month is over, weigh yourself. If you didn't get stronger, but you got heavier, you ate too much. Or you didn't lift enough weight.
I'm not really looking for a "go away noob" answer. I post here plenty, and I know the basics of bulking. But last summer I definitely gained a bit too much fat, so a reasonable guess as to how much lean weight I can put on per week would be helpful.
lol 9-10% is not high! You must be used to being lean dude. Most people will put on a lb a week when they bulk. Depending on your "genetic potential" (ie when your reach a weight where your body stops wanting to put on muscle as quickly) you will probably end up 60% muscle and the rest fat.. Unless you bulk REALLY slow, which is eating only about 500cals above maintenance, then you'll put on more lean muscle and less fat, but the progress is slow, 1/2 of muscle every two weeks. that being said, you're an athlete and you practice a high intensity sport. Given your height, i'd say you could get 200lbs no problem, and not have a lot of fat.
You cant just guess that. There isn't an answer to give. A "go away noob" answer is the answer. If you gained too much fat last time, eat less than you did then, but still more than you ate when you cut...
Thanks, exactly the answer I was looking for That's a bit slower than i would have expected, so I'll be patient with it and just focus on upping my strength. And thanks to Joshetc too, I realize a lot of people come in with similar questions.
you just need to up your calorie intake just keep the food clean. Putting on lean weight is not as easy as it sounds to increase lean mass you must increase muscle mass.
I'm on John Berardi's Massive Eating program and I'm gaining 2lbs/week (been on it for 6 weeks so far). I don't look any fatter, but the muscle is showing. So, as 'anti_clwntwn' is saying - it differs from person to person.
