lean bulking

[LKQSJH]

So i have decided in July to start my attempt at a lean bulk. I have yet to do this succesfully so hoping for some pointers. I am decently lean to start this time so hoping that will help. Current macros (this is average over last 3 weeks) is 277p/155c/64f. I have been skiploading approx 12 hours every Sunday and have made good progress. I have just hit a point where i am not really progressing on any lifts and don't want to drop my cals anymore since i'm not competing this year getting any leaner seems like a waste of time/effort.

Was thinking as a starting point to add about 60g carbs either pre or post workout. This is too much or too little? Should i drop protein a tad and up the carbs even more (some say since carbs are protein sparing you don't need as much protein)? Drop back length of my skipload? I know everyone is different and i am going to have to play with the numbers just looking for any suggestions or advice. I just don't want to go to much too quick and end up packing on unneccessary fat.

[anabolic2k]

Change 1 thing at a time is my 1st bit of advice!

And IMHO the 1st thing to change should be extra carbs in the post workout feed!

So add in your extra 60g of carbs to your post workout feed (personally i would use a solid carb source rather than a liquid source but thats just my personal preference) and there you have and extra 240cals on training days.

Do this for 2 weeks and keep your eyes on the mirror and weigh yourself once a week only! And dont forget the scale may move up simply because your holding a little extra water/glycogen!

Stew

[dice77]

If you wait until September I'll start with you. I have a tendency to eat more cals and drink more beer during football season.

Something I'm pretty sure I did wrong last year was up my carbs daily AND keep my Skipload 12 hrs plus. I don't think I needed it to be that long but it was too damn good to stop :-)

Now I do feel I have more size this summer (esp arms) and I'm much leaner so those added cals did help put on some size and strength. Probably just could have come out of it a little leaner.

[MachMood]

First thing I would do is drop the skipload and bump up daily carbs. At this point you don't wanna be in a position to need a skipload. I like the idea of adding carbs in PWO as a start, what time of day do you workout

[LKQSJH]

Change 1 thing at a time is my 1st bit of advice!

And IMHO the 1st thing to change should be extra carbs in the post workout feed!

So add in your extra 60g of carbs to your post workout feed (personally i would use a solid carb source rather than a liquid source but thats just my personal preference) and there you have and extra 240cals on training days.

Do this for 2 weeks and keep your eyes on the mirror and weigh yourself once a week only! And dont forget the scale may move up simply because your holding a little extra water/glycogen!

Stew

This is right on with what I was thinking. Will start with adding 60g worth of rice and see how it goes. I have already decided not to worry about making the scale move because that's a sure fire way for me to get fat. Do you up the fats at any point of a bulk or just increase carbs/protein?

[dice77]

This is right on with what I was thinking. Will start with adding 60g worth of rice and see how it goes. I have already decided not to worry about making the scale move because that's a sure fire way for me to get fat. Do you up the fats at any point of a bulk or just increase carbs/protein?

Whoa whoa whoa...stop the clock! You are going to drop your Skipload and add...rice? Sounds awful!!!!

[LKQSJH]

If you wait until September I'll start with you. I have a tendency to eat more cals and drink more beer during football season.

Something I'm pretty sure I did wrong last year was up my carbs daily AND keep my Skipload 12 hrs plus. I don't think I needed it to be that long but it was too damn good to stop :-)

Now I do feel I have more size this summer (esp arms) and I'm much leaner so those added cals did help put on some size and strength. Probably just could have come out of it a little leaner.

Football season is my favorite time of the year but so easy for me to over do it while on the couch most of the day!

First thing I would do is drop the skipload and bump up daily carbs. At this point you don't wanna be in a position to need a skipload. I like the idea of adding carbs in PWO as a start, what time of day do you workout

Most days I workout during my lunch hour. I work a desk job so I am can eat about anytime I want. I was thinking I may drop the skipload in place of a single cheat meal. That is something I will have to figure out for sure. Wish I had the extra funds to hire skip now because I feel like I'm in a great position to grow but with the wife outta work and a newborn it's just not gonna happen.

[dice77]

Football season is my favorite time of the year but so easy for me to over do it while on the couch

I hear ya!
I usually:
-Skipload on Sundays. Can you think of anything better than football and Skiploading?

Or

-train early on Sundays. Cardio is 12ish so I can watch pregame on the treadmill. Get home just in time to make last minute fantasy line up changes.

Then the Eagles anally rape me. Used to it though...

[homonunculus]

So i have decided in July to start my attempt at a lean bulk. I have yet to do this succesfully so hoping for some pointers. I am decently lean to start this time so hoping that will help. Current macros (this is average over last 3 weeks) is 277p/155c/64f. I have been skiploading approx 12 hours every Sunday and have made good progress. I have just hit a point where i am not really progressing on any lifts and don't want to drop my cals anymore since i'm not competing this year getting any leaner seems like a waste of time/effort.

Was thinking as a starting point to add about 60g carbs either pre or post workout. This is too much or too little? Should i drop protein a tad and up the carbs even more (some say since carbs are protein sparing you don't need as much protein)? Drop back length of my skipload? I know everyone is different and i am going to have to play with the numbers just looking for any suggestions or advice. I just don't want to go to much too quick and end up packing on unneccessary fat.

What mistakes have you made in the past?...

Have you up til the last three weeks been DROPPING kcal to lose fat (and if so, for how long)?...

-S

[LKQSJH]

Whoa whoa whoa...stop the clock! You are going to drop your Skipload and add...rice? Sounds awful!!!!

Yea might have to rethink that. Sounded better in my head than it does now rereading it!

[dice77]

Yea might have to rethink that. Sounded better in my head than it does now rereading it!

LOL. #ricesucks

[LKQSJH]

What mistakes have you made in the past?...

Have you up til the last three weeks been DROPPING kcal to lose fat (and if so, for how long)?...

-S

A lot of my problem is i dont know what i screwed up last time but just didnt end up with good results. I read so much about post show rebounds last year after my show I upped the cals and lifted as heavy as I could. Bulked from July until Dec. Weighed in for show at 172 and bulked to about 210. Still looked decent but got pretty soft. I thought 40 lbs over stage weight was plenty good and thought I should have solid gains in that. Now I'm baselined at about 188 and feel like I would be right back to 172 again if I tried to get on stage this year. So I feel like I wasted a year gaining then losing fat and gained no real ground. I don't remember exact macros from bulk but i was up high enough that when i started my cut in Jan I started at about 300p/300c/120f and slowly dropped cals and upped the cardio to where I am now.

Here are a couple pics. The blurry one is only one I can find from my bulk and the other 2 are from last week. For some reason will only let me post one pic at a time.

[LKQSJH]

Current

[homonunculus]

A lot of my problem is i dont know what i screwed up last time but just didnt end up with good results. I read so much about post show rebounds last year after my show I upped the cals and lifted as heavy as I could. Bulked from July until Dec. Weighed in for show at 172 and bulked to about 210. Still looked decent but got pretty soft. I thought 40 lbs over stage weight was plenty good and thought I should have solid gains in that. Now I'm baselined at about 188 and feel like I would be right back to 172 again if I tried to get on stage this year. So I feel like I wasted a year gaining then losing fat and gained no real ground. I don't remember exact macros from bulk but i was up high enough that when i started my cut in Jan I started at about 300p/300c/120f and slowly dropped cals and upped the cardio to where I am now.

Here are a couple pics. The blurry one is only one I can find from my bulk and the other 2 are from last week. For some reason will only let me post one pic at a time.

Thanks for the pics. (Such a rare thing these days!!! LOL)

So, what has been your progression up until now when you've baselined at 188. I'm trying to figure out what you've been doing, why you are stalling now and if you can just apply that strategy (if it's been working) as much as possible to continue making good progress.

(You've opened this thread up to any and everything, which can be good, but if you've got a wheel in the making that's been rolling, why re-invent another one if you can can just round that one off and continue to move forward? )

-S

[Dirkmoneyshot]

Like Scott said I don't know if anyone of us can give absolute advice because this is so open ended with regards to training, diet, and supplements and what you have been doing and where you think you want to go next.

But to keep it simple in regards to what you have been doing cause from your pic it looks like your doing fine starting to add a little bit of carbs 25 to 50g every week or two until you start to notice a spill over with your bf and dropping them back down a tad followed with cycling back up and down is something to think about. No need to immediately add back a ton of carbs at the onset. You would also be suited to probably increase your protein intake an extra 25 to 50g above what your doing now as well.