How much should I bulk to gain muscle? How much to eat?

[SSAlexSS]

Hello all!


Winter is coming and people are quitting from the beaches. As the beach season is over, people now focus on the next beach season and how to gain some additional muscle to gain even more recognision....


ok enough.... strait to my point

1) How much should a natural beginner eat? I want as much muscle as possible, and I can sacrifice my appearance for a while.

I have a small problem

If I eat relatively little then I would stay lean. But I might not be able to gain muscle at all.

IF I increase my calories quite a bit (through clean food ofcourse) to get more muscle, I will start gaining fat... I know that many pros a pretty fat and flabby in the offseason so they could get those calories to build muscle..

But being natural gives me doubts... WIll I be able to loose all that flab and have those muscles still in place?

reply please! Thanks!

 

[HarmsWayBC]

here's the deal basically......

-eat roughly 20 cals per pound of bodyweight (ie, if u weigh 150 lbs, eat 3000 cals)

-eat between 1-1.5 g of protein per pound of bodyweight (ie, if you weigh 150, eat 150-225 g of protein, coming from protein powders, chicken, beef, fish, milk, eggs, ect..)

-get the rest of your calories from complex carbs such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, wheat bread, and so forth....

-don't be afraid to eat some fat from meats and grains, but stay away from butter, mayo, and other bad fats.

You will put on some fat and some water, but if you lift 3-5 times a week, you will gain much more muslce than fat, especially if you are already lean...

remember that most of the weight you gain is water, so you may not be able to see your abs, but it's most likely water retention, not body fat.

Eat clean, and don't be afraid of cals as long as they are good food choices to feed your body.

 

[diamonddiceclay]

just eat high protein and carbs from oatmeal,rice,potato-if you lift often enough you will not get fat-just avoid junk food

 

[SSAlexSS]

just eat high protein and carbs from oatmeal,rice,potato-if you lift often enough you will not get fat-just avoid junk food

\
thanks.

What about SOy Milk?

I drink lots of it for my protein needs... is it good?

or it sucks???

reply please!
thanks

 

[diamonddiceclay]

soy is bad for men because it hampers muscle gain-go with lactaid

 

[bigmanosu]

hey everyone
i am also currently bulking and i had a question for all of you experts out there. i just finished my summer cutting diet where i ate extremely strict 6 days a week and had a cheat\splurge day the seventh day. On this 7th day, i would go overboard piling in nothing but icecream and junk, and it never effected me. the six pack was always there, despite me being the EASY gainer i am. now my question is how often can i splurge\cheat on a bulking diet in an effort to not add large amounts of fat. i eat about 3500 clean calories a day, and am shooting for a pound a week. and i am having no trouble gaining, but i still want to have ice cream once and a while.
thanks for the help guys


bigmanosu

 

[javaguru]

It's hard for me to make more than general comments because everyones metabolism is specific. I would suggest you maintain a food log. Start by determining your maintenance level, basically how many calories you are burning to maintain your weight and then adjust your calories base on your goals. Since you're bulking I would increase calories by 10% over maintenance to start with and continue to increase them slowly until you start gaining. You'll want to keep track of your BF % as well as weight to determine if you're gaining too much fat and need to lower the calories. Since your caloric requirements will change constantly based on your development this has to be a committment for the rest of your bodybuilding life, if you want to make consistent improvement. The three most important dietary considerations are IMO, sufficient protein intake(minimum 1g per lb), proper amount of calories, and sufficient EFA's. Obviously, you will require a food log to really keep track of the first two requirements.

 

[bigmanosu]

hey java, i see you are from toledo ohio, can i ask what gym you work out in and maybe give some info about yourself, i am also from toledo although i am living in columbus right now

bigmanosu

 

[skinnyfat]

When you bulk, how much water weight do you typically put on? How long does it take to lose those lbs?