How slow should I be gaining weight when bulking?

how old are you?

Unless you're a teenager I'd think you would want to stay around 2 pounds a month, but it's going to vary from person to person so just take pics and adjust up or down based on how you look. I use an app called shapez that allows you to compare progress pictures pretty easily. I came out of a 7 month cut in October and did about two months of reverse dieting and went into a 400-500 calorie surplus in January. I've only gained 7 pounds since I finished the cut in October and my scale tells me my bf has gone up but the progress pics tell me I'm doing it right. You cant really trust those scales. I could possibly go a little faster but I'm not in a hurry. Every 5 weeks or so I'll cut for 3 days just to keep my body from getting to adjusted to the surplus. I also notice when I drop protein/fat a bit and up my carbs I'll start adding pounds quickly (possibly from water rentention) so thats another variable you can play with to see what works for you.

Late 30’s

Lol no. You end up having to cut. 3-4 months is all I usually do. Assuming you’re natural, eventually you will get near your genetic limit and bulking/cutting cycles are pretty futile.

I usually eat pretty freely from September to February, cut feb to may, and maintain until September

ETA: they say maybe 1/2 of your surplus goes to muscle, the other 1/2 fat. once you start getting over a certain body fat percentage it starts to tip more towards fat storage.

1 lb a week and a daily 500 calorie surplus (3500 a week) is a good rule of thumb. yes, you will gain some fat while bulking, nothing you can really do about it. but if you keep your protein intake high (daily grams = body weight or 1.5x body weight for the best results) you will gain mostly muscle and you can always cut the excess fat you gain after the bulk is over.

Some great stuff. Thanks guys. Yeah I’m up 13 pounds over about 10 weeks. I’m getting bigger but my gut is now getting bigger also. Eating clean is very hard. I’m hitting my macros but it’s not usually with clean carbs and fats. I’ll go another month or two then shred it. (Cutting I’m good at)

Wait, you were a 142 lbs at 5'10 and in your late 30's? No matter what advise you get, genetics is your main problem if you call it that. Sounds like you are naturally skinny which a lot of people would like to be. If you are good at cutting, then eat calories. You will get the bad with the good but that should not be a problem for you.

just look to add 2 lbs or so a month. I would highly suggest using the carbon or avatar diet apps to do this though.

quote:

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155 lbs
5’ 10”

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Man, wata problem to have

Im 38.. 5'7 158 "not fat, but not lean" its a daily chore to not be a fat slob. Metab slowed down so much last 5 yrs + shoulder injury limits the gym.. enjoy eating baw lol