How to bulk, but not get fat

What program are you doing? What do your calories and macros look like? How close are you tracking everything I.e weighing your food and logging?

Yep, simply being on the right program is more important than bulking. Your height and weight are fine for strength.

Ive been tracking everything I eat for 3 months. 5'11", 31, 226lbs 23% bodyfat. At this point i know for a week.

2100 cals = 1.5ish lbs weight loss

2300-2400 = .9ish lbs weight loss

2700ish cals = maintenance

I joined Avatar Nutrition and this lined up with their suggestions straight away.

Im taking in 2300ish cals, 198 pro, 211 carbs, 78 fat. Give or take 10%. Losing fat slowly still feel strong as shite.



I typed all that to say that you need to track what youre eating, your weight, how you feel lifting and recovery, rough bodyfat%(nothing will be super accurate, just use the same method to track trends) etc etc

As far as a growth inducing program, I'd suggest 531 boring but big.

Calories are important to get bigger but honestly, I'd focus on knowing what you are doing currently as opposed to upping it immediately. Take a couple of months to do the program and see how that progresses and to see how your calorie requirements change.

I'd put you about 2300-2500 calories now with what you said.

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Have about 4 different weekly programs from an old trainer

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Make sure to stick with a program and don't quit on them.

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Have about 4 different weekly programs from an old trainer

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this is prolly one of your problems. pick a routine from LINK

I suggest the greyskull or 531 building the monolith or boring but big, but all these programs are good programs. Greyskull with the burpee challenge. LINK

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I do not log my macros and that is a problem. I measure in my head the carbs and protein. About 200p, 200c, don't calculate the fats

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This is your biggest problem. You need to weigh and track everything for 2 weeks, then adjust.

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Care to recommend one for muscle growth specifically. Probably only want to bulk for 3 months.

General question: What would happen if you only ate like 100 carbs a day and like 300 grams of protein a day? Could muscle grow? From my knowledge, carbs=energy (okay 50 before a lift, 50 at lunch), protein=muscle building blocks(1.5g per pound? okay 280 ish grams a day?). Tell me how I'm wrong. What's the least amount of fat I could put on in a 3 month bulk (hoping to gain around 2 pounds muscle a month(is that reasonable)).

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For you bulking macros I would do this based on a 3 day a week workout schedule.

Don't bulk. Cut and keep trying to develop strength (lift heavy) while decreasing body fat. Sure some days you wont be able to lift as much or your lifts will decrease but as long as the intensity is there you will be fine. Once body fat levels are low enough to your like <12%, just start slowly eating more. Reap the strength benefits with a new found physique. When you see that little pudge coming back, cut back on calories or carb deplete once in a while. You will probably know your body very well since you will have already completed a cut. That experience is worth more than the discussion about doing it.

From what I have read on here a lot of these guys are chasing maximal strength. While achieving max natural strength is fun and mentally rewarding, I mean I love the feeling myself. But once you get to that level, you start to realize it is all about health and aesthetics, well I did.

Chasing PR's all your life will leave you broken. Some people will trade that and accept it because to them it gives life meaning. I think once you can squat 2x bw, bench 1.5 bw, and dead 2.5 bw then you have reached maximal strength, anything after that is a pointless endeavor in my opinion. I have traveled down that road and this is my observations in retrospect.

I don't even think that he needs to cut. Keep at maintenance and just up the amount he lifts. He'll eventually get muscle.

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Don't bulk. Cut and keep trying to develop strength (lift heavy) while decreasing body fat. Sure some days you wont be able to lift as much or your lifts will decrease but as long as the intensity is there you will be fine. Once body fat levels are low enough to your like <12%, just start slowly eating more. Reap the strength benefits with a new found physique. When you see that little pudge coming back, cut back on calories or carb deplete once in a while. You will probably know your body very well since you will have already completed a cut. That experience is worth more than the discussion about doing it.

From what I have read on here a lot of these guys are chasing maximal strength. While achieving max natural strength is fun and mentally rewarding, I mean I love the feeling myself. But once you get to that level, you start to realize it is all about health and aesthetics, well I did.

Chasing PR's all your life will leave you broken. Some people will trade that and accept it because to them it gives life meaning. I think once you can squat 2x bw, bench 1.5 bw, and dead 2.5 bw then you have reached maximal strength, anything after that is a pointless endeavor in my opinion. I have traveled down that road and this is my observations in retrospect.

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Really good post.

You need to cut. 20% is too high to worry about gaining more mass. Try and get down between 12-15%, then worry about putting on mass. Then, you'll be leaner when you do finally bulk.

Find your daily caloric maintenance for your body weight and add 500 calories a day to it. You should gain around a pound every week or two on top of your workouts. Try and get 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Make sure you are hitting all the main bodyparts with compound lifts and achieving progressive overload. Squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, bench press, etc.

ETA: also, anytime you bulk you will gain some fat, there's no way around it. The key is to limit these fat gains and try and gain as much muscle as possible while already being lean so you don't look fat.