Is a caloric surplus necessary?

**juggernaut** · 08-23-2007, 08:50 PM

I'm at 16% bf. I've decided to try and put on 12 lbs of muscle (albeit with some expected fat) inside of 6-8 months.
My thinking is this: I believe I am okay with the amount of macro nutrients that I am currently taking in (45% protein, 35% carbs-mostly clean, 20% fats).

I believe I can make substantial gains by cutting out the (5) 45 minute cardio sessions that I currently do, trimming them down to 3 HIIT sessions. My training will consist of a Bill Starr 5x5 routine (strictly compounds with 1-2 assistance exercises). I might plan on increasing my protein and fats, and keep my carbs only eaten at breakfast, pwo and pwo (an hour later), the rest of my diet will be protein and greens. I only cheat once a week, and may a second cheat meal as needed.

My metabolism is generally slow, and if I eat a large amount of carbs, I retain it as bodyfat.

So the question to this long winded statement is do I really need an extravagant amount of calories and if so, how much? For the last 4 years of competing, I have been hellbent on keeping my weight down and using what I have. Now, I am a bit tired of this "package" I own and want to improve it without becoming a fat f*ck.

**Nigeepoo** · 08-24-2007, 08:44 AM

"Is a caloric surplus necessary?" To gain weight, yes.
"do I really need an extravagant amount of calories...?" No. If your caloric surplus is too large, a lot of the weight that you gain will be body-fat weight. Therefore adjust your food intake so that you gain weight slowly (1/2 pound a week on average, say) to keep your body-fat gain low.

**juggernaut** · 08-24-2007, 08:52 AM

hey nige, where have you been?!!!
So, if I only reduce my cardio, is that allowing for a decent gain of muscle tissue?

**largepkg** · 08-24-2007, 08:57 AM

Your goal is very realistic and no you won't need to eat in an extreme calorie surplus but as you already know you do need a minor surplus. Will dropping your cardio do it? Only time will tell but I think it's worth a shot given your concerns about retaining fat.

**NeilPearson** · 08-24-2007, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by juggernaut

hey nige, where have you been?!!!
So, if I only reduce my cardio, is that allowing for a decent gain of muscle tissue?

Maybe... drop the cardio and monitor your weight for a couple weeks. Then add or subtract a couple hundred calories depending on how fast or slow the weight gain is

**Nigeepoo** · 08-24-2007, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by juggernaut

hey nige, where have you been?!!!

I'm keeping a low profile while I sort out some major personal problems.

Originally Posted by juggernaut

So, if I only reduce my cardio, is that allowing for a decent gain of muscle tissue?

Like Neil says, maybe. The weight training & HIIT should encourage muscle gain. The HIIT should also keep body-fat gain down.

**juggernaut** · 08-24-2007, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Nigeepoo

I'm keeping a low profile while I sort out some major personal problems.
Hope things turn out alright
Like Neil says, maybe. The weight training & HIIT should encourage muscle gain. The HIIT should also keep body-fat gain down.
I just need to implement this beeatch. I think I over think too much.

Is there anything else I should add or use? I am currently using creatine mono and was thinking about using a ph, but need to be very careful since the federation I belong to frowns on this stuff.

**juggernaut** · 08-24-2007, 02:40 PM

I'm still thinking:
Bill Starr's 5x5 routine (Bill Starr - Glenn Pendlay 5x5 - Periodized Version, Dual Factor Theory,) would be fine for this as far as training goes, right?

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