# Bulking, and excuse to get FAT?



## Tatyana (Jan 29, 2006)

*Are bulking diets an excuse to get FAT?*​
Yes2333.33%No4666.67%


----------



## Tatyana (Jan 29, 2006)

After some thought and having now been lean (10%) to a 'fattie' (25%) in the last 12 months, I have a few thoughts on the diets of you lads.

1. Bulking diets are just an excuse to eat like a pig and get fat in about 75% of cases

2. A lot of lads use the BBing diet as an excuse not to eat their fruit and veg

Actually, the 'cutting' diet is a load of poo too most of the time.

I have been tracking weight and body fat percentages, and in all honesty, as far as I can tell, I put on more muscle when I am in the 'lean' or athletic zone for women.

And my abs ARE showing.

How about just eating in a healthy way 95% of the time?

x

x

x

T


----------



## DB (Oct 31, 2003)

i think u should always be able to see an outline of abs all year round!!

so that would mean about 12%BF max imo


----------



## the_gre8t_1ne (Apr 18, 2005)

Im with the penut head on this, tho i never had abs, so i juss pile on the KFC!!


----------



## Captain Hero (Jun 13, 2004)

I have noticed that I am still leanish and packing on muscle too, I know what you are saying Tat. I dont think I have ever been more than 15% bodyfat to be honest! I have gone from 10 stone to 11 and a half stone and kept roughly around the same bodyfat without eating too much crap.


----------



## Tatyana (Jan 29, 2006)

DB said:


> i think u should always be able to see an outline of abs all year round!!
> 
> so that would mean about 12%BF max imo


That is the bodyfat for men, for women it would be under 20%

x

x

x

T


----------



## Tinytom (Sep 16, 2005)

WTF?

I have been saying this for the past year.

Thanks for finally catching up Taty LMAO:love:


----------



## RAIKEY (Jun 30, 2005)

i think once you've been so low on BF its hard to get fat again,...even if the guilt angle keeps you clean...

i was happy to chow down on anything last year,....

but now, if i cant see the abs i aint a happy bunny,....and the lean gains are easier to moniter if you keep a stable lowish BF,.....

all the "i put two stone on during my last cycle/bulker!!" comments are a bit out there IMO,.....

2 stone in WEIGHT yeah ! but only a few pounds of good stuff.......

being HEAVY no longer hold an interest for me, unless its lean weight,...


----------



## Tatyana (Jan 29, 2006)

Tinytom said:


> WTF?
> 
> I have been saying this for the past year.
> 
> Thanks for finally catching up Taty LMAO:love:


Just backing you up Muscles.

I think the penny dropped when Keyser said he was going on a bulking diet this fall.

I was inspired after your last post on my comp prep.

I don't think a BBer diet should change all that much on or off season. Just slightly more food off season, and you can 'cheat' a bit more

x

x

x

T


----------



## Captain Hero (Jun 13, 2004)

Tatyana said:


> Just backing you up Muscles.
> 
> I think the penny dropped when Keyser said he was going on a bulking diet this fall.
> 
> ...


there was a much bigger post on this same subject a while back Tat, but I cant remember what it was called!


----------



## bigdaftjoe (Nov 21, 2005)

i dont feel qualified to answer


----------



## Jay 69 (Mar 4, 2006)

I'm lean as well not sure of my bf% but i'm puttin on muscle to, when i started training just under a year ago i was 11stone and now i'm 14stone.I've never been able to put body fat on god knows i've tried so instead of eating loads like most of you guys i just try to eat the right stuff to make me grow.Maybe i could of put more mucsle on if i had of eaten more?.But i'm happy with my progress and will keep doing what i'm doing untill its slows to a halt.


----------



## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

I agree, bulking when higher % bodyfat equals some muscle and fat.

Bulking when really lean is more muscle and less fat.

Cutting when fat equals more fat loss and less lean muscle.

Cutting when lean equals same fat loss and muscle loss.

John Berardi(sp) did a study on this, quite the impressive read.

Guys that want to bulk should cut first.

Article apon request.


----------



## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

lean bulk all the way-

15% tops.

lol keyser on a bulker!


----------



## Stanco (Jan 7, 2007)

To me, bulking up means to gain muscle by any means. If that means to put on a bit of fat then thats it. I don't think anyone wants to itentially wants to put on fat.


----------



## Spangle1187 (Jul 27, 2006)

From my perspective ( and I am on a bulking cycle at the moment), I tend to eat more meals without salad and veg and go for the carbs and protein. I also can be a bit of a pig esp on cheat days when I think that I have not consumed enough cals. I do try to make up for this with veg/salad meals but not enough so I suppose that it could be seen as a excuse to get fat, but....my bf% which I dont know the number is not too high. I eat a lot of fruit, well bananas.

When I am inbetween cycles, my workout routine changes and I have more cardio days so that brings down my bf%. Oh no, maybe to a degree I do use it as a way to eat too much. Diet review coming up!


----------



## scott134 (Jan 31, 2007)

I remember reading somewhere that keeping your BF down to a decent level, below 15% keep testosterone levels higher, which would lead to better gains when lean than when when fat.


----------



## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

scott134 said:


> I remember reading somewhere that keeping your BF down to a decent level, below 15% keep testosterone levels higher, which would lead to better gains when lean than when when fat.


Correct, this is because the aromatase enzyme resides primarilly in belly fat.

More aromatase, more estrogen, more estrogen, less test (to a point).


----------



## CraigE18 (Dec 9, 2007)

DB said:


> i think u should always be able to see an outline of abs all year round!!
> 
> so that would mean about 12%BF max imo


I'm Glad I've found this thread.

I know its been a while and sorry for bringing it back up but I've been confused lately as to what 'Bulking' actually involves.

This is exactly the reason why i have been worried about a 'Bulking' diet. I'm pretty lean now. About 12% BF. I've been thinking whether it is worth bulkingup a little. i dont really have any idea. I'l post up a picture soon and see what everyone's opinion on the matter is. In all honesty, I'm pretty happy with what I'm got, but then there's the days where I wish I was a bit bigger.

Anyway, to the point - if I was to go on a Bulking diet, would this mean losing my definition and how much would it roughly increase my BF%..


----------



## Chris4Pez1436114538 (Sep 3, 2007)

I personally think that bulking diets are a good thing IMO as it helps put on size and muscle mass if done properly, HOWEVER bulking diets should not be an excuse to eat crap and then think oh its ok i am on a bulking diet as then the only thing you will be gaining is BF!

I think if you want to "BULK" what you should do is still eat clean but increase your daily calorie intake with all your macro's e.g Protein, Carbs, and also Fats this way you will be sure to add mass and "BULK" up

But hey thats just my opinion!!!!!!!


----------



## CraigE18 (Dec 9, 2007)

So basically - if i choose to bulk up, the only thing I will be adding is Muscle. No BF?

Sorry if I seem a bit Dim-witted, I just don't want to put on any fat whatsoever.


----------



## Chris4Pez1436114538 (Sep 3, 2007)

No TBH m8 when ever you increase your calories there is a chance that you will put on BF however a dietitian(sp) for a professional BB told me this if its true or not i don't know but he said the way to bulk is increase your calories, if you eat more you will obviously get bigger, however if you start putting on BF then the thing you have to do is drop your carbs a little, if you are losing weight up your carbs, if you are at the same weight e.g no more BF or muscle mass then again increase your carbs!

However it is important to know your initial BF and to be able to have it taken correctly by someone who knows how to do it, with skin calipers if you can!

Its all a game of trial and error, but the beauty of it is if your already a low BF then you will be able to notice BF more easy than someone with a higher BF count than you, which means if you do start to put it on by dropping your carbs but maintaining your protein high you should lose it again!

does that make sense?


----------



## CraigE18 (Dec 9, 2007)

Yeah that makes perfect sense bud. Thanks for the input.

Sorry about the late reply...I got caught up in the 'daps progess thread'. Its taken me this long to read it since my last post.


----------



## Chris4Pez1436114538 (Sep 3, 2007)

lol no worries m8, don't be afraid to play around with it TBH if you gain a little BF you can always lose it by doing an extra bit of cardio!


----------



## CraigE18 (Dec 9, 2007)

Thanks again Chris.

I think i'm going to have to experience some trial and error. But anything that brings results its good for me.

Anyway I'm off. 01:45 

Take it easy man


----------



## Chris4Pez1436114538 (Sep 3, 2007)

and you m8 let me know how you get on!!!!


----------



## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

The higher percentage of bodyfat will allow this person to cut and lose less muscle than the person that has low bodyfat.

The person with low bodyfat will put on more muscle than the person with higher percent of bodyfat when bulking.

If you are 12 percent then by all means do a clean bulk.

If you are 22 percent then by all means cut first before a clean bulk.


----------



## Tall (Aug 14, 2007)

hackskii said:


> The higher percentage of bodyfat will allow this person to cut and lose less muscle than the person that has low bodyfat.
> 
> The person with low bodyfat will put on more muscle than the person with higher percent of bodyfat when bulking.
> 
> ...


^^^^ Totally agree assuming BB'ing is the goal.


----------



## Guest (Jan 8, 2008)

All out bulking builds the monsters look at Trey Brewer, its all well and good to say lets stay lean but chances are the words arent coming out of a super heavys mouth.


----------



## Warstu (Oct 14, 2007)

I will keep this 12%bf rule after my first cutting phase


----------



## wogihao (Jun 15, 2007)

If you want to make it out of the middleweights you need to do some serious ofseasion bulking. True a string vest isnt a option in that phase but then are you training to impress the women (or men) or doing it to compete its a big change in perspective.

Im not saying go crazy but its unrealistic to make good gains in the ofseasion on a low bodyfat after a certain point.

Your going to have the odd freak now and again but for the majority there still following the bulk/cut aproach that served generations of bodybuilders well in the past.


----------



## warren (Jun 16, 2008)

At the moment i would class my self as bulking but i still eat very clean, no shi-te foods , but at the same time i have not lost any body fat. i have always been around 14-15% cant remember being less or more really.

even bulking tho i would be on a downa to put on a load of fat so i voted no. but im a newbie and dont knw if my opinion counts lol

im hopeing once i do a cut and lower my bf the next time i bulk i wont go anywhere near 15% but maybee maintain at about 12%.


----------



## YetiMan1436114545 (Dec 7, 2007)

Bulking defo aint an excuse for me to get fat. I lost 6 stone I dont wanna put it all back on. Eating good clean food for like 14-16 weeks then cutting is what im doing!!!


----------



## Slamdog (Jun 11, 2007)

YetiMan said:


> Bulking defo aint an excuse for me to get fat. I lost 6 stone I dont wanna put it all back on. Eating good clean food for like 14-16 weeks then cutting is what im doing!!!


and it emphasised previous posts that stated bulking is a waste of time if you are carrying too much fat. you did end up over doing it.

i have no intention to bulk... i've been bulky too bloody long.. i'm not going to add extra weight now...


----------



## Rebus (May 22, 2006)

DB said:


> i think u should always be able to see an outline of abs all year round!!
> 
> so that would mean about 12%BF max imo


Totally agree and i always try to. My off season diet is just more of what i eat when im dieting 90% of the time. As in dieting i have a cheat meal a week but sometime allow myself a reasonable clean cheat meal for a 2nd one. I think the only major difference for me other than amounts is the fact that if i want something as an extra, something like a bit of a cookie, or some toast, flapjacks etc i will allow myself to have them. Just a bit more relaxed.


----------

