Am I ready to start bulking???

[tgreaves]

I am a 26 year old male, 5'8" tall and weight 208 pounds with a waste size of 35".. I have a larger frame but have been doing alot of cardio and went from 251 pounds with a 42" waist down to what I am now..

Is it time for me to start bulking yet or should I loose even more weight before doing this..

Im not sure on this but I feel that I am on the verge of loosing too much weight, I can kinda see my ribs now and most surely see all the muscles in my legs, chest, arms,,,basically everywhere..

A bodyfat calculator showed me that I am at about 14% bodyfat or so..

Any input on this would be great.. I am currently doing 1hr of cardio 3 days a week at 70%-80% mhr and doing some minor lifting afterward.. I eat about 1500 or so calories a day and usally burn 1300 calories or so 3 days a week at the gym, not including what I burn throughout the day..

 

[ironman512]

i might be wrong but it sounds like ur not getting enough calories maybe up it to like 2000 or 2200 and u could probably loose a few more pounds or if u really wanna go n start bulking

 

[myCATpowerlifts]

Holy shit, you are starving!

 

[Emma-Leigh]

I am a 26 year old male, 5'8" tall and weight 208 pounds with a waste size of 35".. I have a larger frame but have been doing alot of cardio and went from 251 pounds with a 42" waist down to what I am now..

Wow - that is a huge achievement!! 40 pounds and 7" off your waist is amazing!! Congatulations!

Is it time for me to start bulking yet or should I loose even more weight before doing this..

Ok - well that depends mainly on your BF (bodyfat %). If your BF % is still a way above about 15% then I would not "bulk" - anything above about 15% means your gains will be less ideal (more fat gains, less lean mass gains).

As you say you are 14% then you could bulk - but it doesn't leave you a lot of room - I would get down to ~10-12% and then concentrate on adding mass.

Actually - I find 14% a little hard to believe given your stats... Where did you get this done??

Im not sure on this but I feel that I am on the verge of loosing too much weight, I can kinda see my ribs now and most surely see all the muscles in my legs, chest, arms,,,basically everywhere..

At 208 I find it hard to believe that you are 'too skinny' at 5'8. That is pretty respectable... Do you have pics?

Any input on this would be great.. I am currently doing 1hr of cardio 3 days a week at 70%-80% mhr and doing some minor lifting afterward.. I eat about 1500 or so calories a day and usally burn 1300 calories or so 3 days a week at the gym, not including what I burn throughout the day..

Ahhh... This is the problem.
1. Weight training should become your focus - "minor lifting" is going to be doing nothing for retaining your muscle mass. Still do 1 hr of cardio, 3 days a week but then on 3 other days (at a different time) do a session in the gym. A full body workout would be fine. If you check out this thread here it gives a great outline into putting together a routine

2. You are not eating nearly enough... Your growth hormone, leptin, thyroid hormone etc etc are all going to be rock bottom (which would, if you bulked, make your gains even less ideal!!)... I strongly suggest you slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) increase your calories to a more respectable level. Start by increasing to 1650 for 1-2 weeks... Then go up to 1800 the next two weeks and then increase to 2000 for the few weeks after that... That is the minimum I would recommend you eat (and that is a MINIMUM - technically speaking, 2400 would be a much healthier level to eventually reach).

In this, you want to keep your protein high (aim for ~250g) and make sure you get your healthy fats too (fish oils, olive oil, avocado, almonds, peanut butter, walnuts, linseeds).

Then add some vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains too so your carb content is enough for your requirements....


If you do this, your lean muscle will become much healthier (muscle requires energy to live and grow) and you will LOOK 100 x better...

 

[juggernaut]

I woulndt "bulk". I'd repartition my meals and emphasize more protein and complex carbs. Ease off the sweets, but dont go nuts. Allow a cheat once in a while. Get a lots of fats (fish oil and flax mainly).

 

[juggernaut]

about cardio-try HIIT training three times a week, and dont go to hour for cardio. I think thats overkill. Keep at 1/2 hour if you dont want to do HIIT. Concentrate on the big lifts too.

 

[tgreaves]

Thanks for all the help.. Im going to check at the gym that I am at and see about getting a bodyfat test done so I can see exactly where I am at..

I always though that you needed to eat alot less calories until your nearing your goal bf% and then slowly add before bulking..

I still do lift but im not eating enough to get any bigger.. I have gotten bigger but not all that much at all..

It does feel good to drop all the weight, sucks to go shopping again but ill take that..

 

[Tough Old Man]

Thanks for all the help.. Im going to check at the gym that I am at and see about getting a bodyfat test done so I can see exactly where I am at..

I always though that you needed to eat alot less calories until your nearing your goal bf% and then slowly add before bulking..

I still do lift but im not eating enough to get any bigger.. I have gotten bigger but not all that much at all..

It does feel good to drop all the weight, sucks to go shopping again but ill take that..

Do what Emma says to do. you can't go wrong with her advice. It's top notch

 

[tgreaves]

I was reading your post emma..

Would drinking protein shakes help fill the protein gap that I have?
Also when is the best time to eat all of this stuff.. Basically I try to eat fruits everyday, I eat a meal replacement bar for breakfast..

If I am going to make my main focus weight lifting, when do I do cardio? Its hard for me to go to the gym 6 days a week but if I do need to do that then I will but would rather workout 3 days a week..

What about doing hard lifting first and finish up with 1/2 hour of cardio?

Also should I start increasing my calorie intake even though I am still cutting fat? Also using this diet for all the time that I have I fell great and dont feel like I am starving myself what so ever..

 

[juggernaut]

Eat oatmeal for breakfast...not thw packaged crap but the Old Fashioned oats. Couple that with 20-40 grams of whey and youre set. Dont forget the multi (any multi will do)

Do cardio right after your weight training. If youre trying to bulk-I'd skip cardio altogether or keep it light-as in twice a week tops to get great gains.

If you increase cals, do so in 250 cal increments of CLEAN FOOD only. No processed crap. Stay away from MRPs when upping cals and use brown rice/oatmeal/or yams with a protein source and some flax or fish oil.

 

[tgreaves]

Eat oatmeal for breakfast...not thw packaged crap but the Old Fashioned oats. Couple that with 20-40 grams of whey and youre set. Dont forget the multi (any multi will do)

Do cardio right after your weight training. If youre trying to bulk-I'd skip cardio altogether or keep it light-as in twice a week tops to get great gains.

If you increase cals, do so in 250 cal increments of CLEAN FOOD only. No processed crap. Stay away from MRPs when upping cals and use brown rice/oatmeal/or yams with a protein source and some flax or fish oil.

Youll have to forgive me, im still kinda new.. Im guessing multi is multi vitams right? Whats MRP's? What form does flax and fish oil come it, im guessing its an oil from the name?

 

[juggernaut]

multi=yes; mrp is a meal replacement pack; flax comes in both oil and caplet-get the oil-its doesnt taste bad-if you opt for fish oil, get the caps and have about 5-10 grams a day.