Lost 22lb of fat in 3½mo. But how long to gain 35lb of muscle?

[Big G]

I posted this is another forum but no-one's replying and I really do need some advice... Hopefully someone will be kind enough to help.

Here goes...

I'm starting my first ever bulk in 6-8 weeks (I'm excited!). I know it's a way off yet, but people are already asking me what I hope to acheive. The problem is, I'm not sure what is possible and what is an unrealistic expectation/goal. If you'd be kind enough offer me some advice I would be very, very grateful.

I'm an accountant, so I'm nerdy about numbers (Forgive me!). As such, I've set myself the goal of one day weighing over 200lb and having my bodyfat at around 10%. Nice round numbers, huh? Anyway...

At the moment I'm at around 11% bodyfat (having dropped from 19% over the past 3½ months) and plan to be 8-9% by April. I currently weigh 172lb (Down 22lb), but in April I'll probably be more like 160-165lb. That's not much weight for someone 6'2" tall, I know. I'm kind-of thin. Not herion-addict skinny, but athletic looking. Well proportioned. Muscular(ish), but lean.

So... here's the thing...

(1)

How big can I get? What is realistic?

I'm going to be eating right, not drinking alcohol, sleeping 7-8 hours and bustin' ass at the gym 3-4 days a week. I'm going to tear my muscles up, reduce cardio (or eliminate it - I need advice on that too) and I'm going to eat, eat, eeaatt! I've made friends with several big guys at the gym and I know already that they'll be a great help to me in the months to come. Advice/Form etc... I'm in good hands (I think!).

(2)

Can I realistically plan on bulking for 6months wthout getting overly fat? Or maybe even through the end of the year?

I don't want to get fat, but I know some fat is going to come. That's why I cut so lean before getting started. I'd kill myself if I got to 20%bf (well... you know what I mean). If anything shakes/wiggles on my body when I brush my teeth or use a hammer I can't stand it. That shit is disgusting. It bugs the hell out of me. I'd have to cut calories and start running again if it got like that.

(3)

Could I possibly get to 200lb and 10%bf by spring next year? I'm guessing "No!" but anyway...

If I bulk from Apr'07 through December then cut again Jan'08-April is there any chance that I'll get anywhere near my goal? I understand I'd probably have to be 220lb in December so that I could lose 20lb Jan-Apr so that I'm left at 200lb at the end. This all sounds like a lot to me, but I've lost 22lb fairly quickly and, if fat falls off that fast, how fast can muscle arrive?


Like I said, this is my first bulk. I'm excited, but I'm naive about these things. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
G.

 

[Yanick]

35-40lbs of muscle in 6 months is not gonna happen naturally. Depending on your experience, genetics, work ethic and consistency in the gym you'll gain anywhere from 10-15lbs of pure muscle. Thats just a guesstimate, but without AAS you're not going to come close to gaining 30lbs (of muscle) in 6 months.

 

[Big G]

...in 6 months... you'll gain anywhere from 10-15lbs of pure muscle.

That's fine, I guess. That'd put me around 180-190 this time next year with 9-10% body fat. That's much better than 165(ish)lb anyway.[/QUOTE]

...without AAS you're not going to come close to gaining 30lbs

AAS? Illegal, body-fucking, steroids?

ONE OTHER THING... Can I bulk for a year (rather than 6mo), build 30lb(ish) over the year, then cut? Or will I be hugely fat by that point too? How long do most people bulk before cutting again?

I told you this was my first bulk!

 

[tucker01]

At 33 10-15 lbs in 6 months might be a lot, depends on your past and Genetics. Also in order to gain 10-15lbs expect to gain some bodyfat. You will have to be taking in excess calories, it is only natural that some will be stored.

 

[Big G]

Yeah. That's the reason I cut for almost 6months before geting started. I'm 11% now. I plan to be 9-10% by April 1st, and that's when I start bulking.

How little (or how much) fat would come with 10-15lb of muscle if I'm careful; 5lb? 10lb maybe?

 

[Yanick]

You can bulk for however want you'd like to. Stop when you feel like you're getting too fat or when you reached your goal, there is nothing set in stone. I want to emphasize, once again, that those numbers are just guesstimates based on the fact that you're probably a new trainee and will be consistent with your diet and training. Another quick thing is that muscle gain does not occur linearly, so, hypothetically speaking, if one gains 15lbs in 6 months that does not mean that one will gain 30lbs in 12 months. The human body does not work that way, the more muscle you have the harder it is to gain more muscle. There are natural trainee's out there who would jump for joy if they gained 5lbs of muscle in 1 year.

 

[Yanick]

At 33 10-15 lbs in 6 months might be a lot, depends on your past and Genetics. Also in order to gain 10-15lbs expect to gain some bodyfat. You will have to be taking in excess calories, it is only natural that some will be stored.

Yes i agree with you that mine was a rather generous guesstimate. I just figured new trainee with all the ducks in a row etc.

 

[Big G]

And anyway.... Like I said earlier...

(a) Can I bulk for a year (rather than 6mo), build 30lb(ish) over the year, then cut? Or will I be hugely fat by that point too? How long do most people bulk before cutting again?

(b) When I bulk, should I reduce cardio or eliminate it? And, if I have to just reduce it, how much should I do? I heard anything less than 20mins was a waste of time, but I'm guessing my every-other-day 1hr 5-mile-runs won't be necessary. My new friends at the gym are pretty big (6', 235lb, 10%bf). They don't do cardio at all but, like I said, they're pretty big, so they're probably burning mad calories just scratching their ass!

Thoughts?

 

[tucker01]

And anyway.... Like I said earlier...

(a) Can I bulk for a year (rather than 6mo), build 30lb(ish) over the year, then cut? Or will I be hugely fat by that point too? How long do most people bulk before cutting again?

Sure you could, it will depend on a lot of factors... How clean your diet is, your work ethic, how many calories in excess you are consuming, Genetics.

(b) When I bulk, should I reduce cardio or eliminate it? And, if I have to just reduce it, how much should I do? I heard anything less than 20mins was a waste of time, but I'm guessing my every-other-day 1hr 5-mile-runs won't be necessary. My new friends at the gym are pretty big (6', 235lb, 10%bf). They don't do cardio at all but, like I said, they're pretty big, so they're probably burning mad calories just scratching their ass!

Thoughts?
Cardio is fine

Inserted.

 

[Yanick]

And anyway.... Like I said earlier...

(a) Can I bulk for a year (rather than 6mo), build 30lb(ish) over the year, then cut? Or will I be hugely fat by that point too? How long do most people bulk before cutting again?

You can bulk for however want you'd like to. Stop when you feel like you're getting too fat or when you reached your goal, there is nothing set in stone. I want to emphasize, once again, that those numbers are just guesstimates based on the fact that you're probably a new trainee and will be consistent with your diet and training. Another quick thing is that muscle gain does not occur linearly, so, hypothetically speaking, if one gains 15lbs in 6 months that does not mean that one will gain 30lbs in 12 months. The human body does not work that way, the more muscle you have the harder it is to gain more muscle. There are natural trainee's out there who would jump for joy if they gained 5lbs of muscle in 1 year.

(b) When I bulk, should I reduce cardio or eliminate it? And, if I have to just reduce it, how much should I do? I heard anything less than 20mins was a waste of time, but I'm guessing my every-other-day 1hr 5-mile-runs won't be necessary. My new friends at the gym are pretty big (6', 235lb, 10%bf). They don't do cardio at all but, like I said, they're pretty big, so they're probably burning mad calories just scratching their ass!

You're new friends are probably juice bags with good genetics so don't pay attention to what they are doing. You can reduce your cardio a bit if you feel that you can't pack away enough kcalories to put you in a surplus with all that activity but because you seem very nervous about fat gain i wouldn't eliminate it altogether as some will help with limiting fat accrual.

 

[Big G]

Damn! 5lb in one year. WTF!? That'd suck.

The friends I've made at the gym have been doing this stuff for 5-7 years and they're just huge. One guy, like I said, is 6', 235lb and 10%bf. He's all natural (or that's what he says. And, I believe him). He looks great. I wouldn't have any problem at all with working towards that for the next five years. But 235lb(then)-165lb(now)=70lb(to go). And, 70lb(to go)/5lb(per yr)=14 years! Christ! I don't want to wait that freakin' long!

 

[Big G]

And, again... AAS? What's that? Steroids?

 

[tucker01]

Yes steroids.

 

[Big G]

Cardio is fine

"Cardio is fine!" Surely you're not advocating 4 hours running 15-20miles a week for a bulking program!?

 

[tucker01]

"Cardio is fine!" Surely you're not advocating 4 hours running 15-20miles a week for a bulking program!?

No obviously not, that wouldn't really be productive to the bulk you are trying to obtain now would it

But 1-2 cardio sessions a week 20-30 mins is fine.

 

[Big G]

1-2 cardio sessions a week 20-30 mins is fine.

Kewl! Mondays and Fridays doing 20minutes cardio is like being on vacation!

Bring on the food! I feel a bulk coming on! This time next year they'll be calling me "The Incredible Bulk(er)!"

OK... I'm calming down now.... Deep breaths... Deep breaths...

 

[Tahoe]

Is a 3 mile walk bringing a heart rate to 95ish considered cardio? Or is Cardio running, cycling where your heart rate is 140ish?

 

[Big G]

Is a 3 mile walk bringing a heart rate to 95ish considered cardio? Or is Cardio running, cycling where your heart rate is 140ish?

Tahoe - My gym hooked me up to a computer, strapped a mask on my face and made me walk progressively faster and faster on a steeper and steeper incline. They told me my Anabolic Threshhold (AT) and another measure called AB (I forget what that was now). The results, although probably approximate, showed me how many total calories and how many fat calories I was burning at any given heart rate. I call "cardio" running between 135-145 because i want to burn fat. To another man (with similar stats), intending to increase his AT, "cardio" would probably mean running at 150-160. i.e. It's just a term for cardio-vascular activity in general.