Proposed diet for bulk

[Mags]

Hey guys.

I'm looking to start a bulk in the next month or so. I've not been training for the last two months (and won't be returning until April at the earliest), so have only been eating maintenance calories and focusing more on protein than carbs.

Please have a look over my proposed diet and give me any pointers as to what to add, takeaway or alter. Cheers.

Meal 1:
150g oats with 60g Whey protein in 300ml semi-skimmed milk
1x75ml shot of olive oil

Meal 2:
Three egg scrambled egg wholemeal bap

Meal 3:
One chicken breast in wholemeal roll.

Meal 4:
One chicken breast in wholemeal roll, two apples, small bunch or grapes.

Meal 5:
2xtins of tuna, 150g oats with 300ml semi-skimmed milk

Meal 6:
Post-training whey protein shake in 600ml semi-skimmed milk
1 apple

Meal 7:
Dinner - Spagetti Bolognase / Omelette, new potatoes, peas, carrots, broccoli / Salmon fillets, new potatoes, peas, carrots, broccoli.
1x75ml shot of olive oil

Meal 8:
Protein shake

 

[Built]

What are your maintenance calories?
What is your current bodyfat, roughly?
What macros will this translate to?
How will you be training?

 

[Mags]

What are your maintenance calories?
What is your current bodyfat, roughly?
What macros will this translate to?
How will you be training?

Hey Built.

Cheers for the prompt reply.

Anyway, here are my ansers to your questions. I'm guessing they're not going to be of much help, though.

At the moment, I'm on about 3000 cals. These comprise mostly protein cals with low carbs as I'm trying to hold onto muscle and am not doing any exercise (apart from two 20-minute walks each day to and from the train station - which doesn't count much). I understand this isn't great as I usually comsume approx. 5000 cals each day when bulking. I've lost a bit of size, but nothing too drastic (I feel more 'deflated' rather than smaller if that makes any sense).

As for body fat, I have no idea, sorry. I still have clear abs (not as defined as in my photos, though) and fairly good vascularity in my arms and traps.

Macros: when bulking I get in around 300g of protein ED. When off, I still try and get in that much, but in truth it usually drops to around 250-270g ED (as I'm not training I miss the post-workout shake). That usually means my carbs and fats make up the remainder of the 4500-5000 cals. I always used to pack in as many carbs as possible, as even on a bulk I rarely put on any fat and I train heavy, 8-4 reps, so thought even an excess would help me from over-training nutrition-wise. I've not been very good with working out my fat intake. I make sure all my foods are low in unhealthy fats and supplement with Cold Liver Oil, EFAs and cook everything with olive oil. And I recently began adding a shot of the stuff to my diet each day after reading how you said it was a valuable addition to any diet. I thought the combination of those fats would cover my bases as such.

Training wise, I'll be training four to five times a week. I train chest, back and legs on their own, but shoulders with calves, and tris with bis. I find my abs get a good enough workout from deads, front squats and the like.
For the first month, I'll be going light, 8-15 reps to get my body used to training after a three-month lay off, then will be getting back to heavier 6-8 rep ranges.

Hope this helped.

Cheers.

 

[Built]

Well, you seem like you are fairly lean so a higher carb paradigm is probably a good idea for you. Not sure why you want to eat so frequently but if it's comfortable for you, go for it.

You may wish to increase your saturated fat intake - I don't see much in your diet although the monos from olive oil are always a good idea. Nothing wrong with your food tasting good - I'd have the OO in a salad or on veggies; bocconcini and tomatoes, that sort of thing.

How come you've been off your training - were you injured?

A whole month of 8-15 seems excessive but you know your body. I'd just ease into the lifts rather than sticking to such a high rep range for a month, but perhaps talk to p-funk about that one. Your split seems odd to me. What on you lags - or are you fairly symmetric?

 

[Mags]

Actually, you raise a good point (well, many good points). The only reason I eat so frequently at the moment is because I'm up early (5.30am) so I found myself eating more over the day. When things go back to normal, I probably won't have so many hours in the day as such, so a few of the meals I've mentioned will probably be merged together or changed. And although I count them as 'meals', two protein shakes (one after training and another before bed) obviously aren't difficult to squeeze in. The above eating pattern is quite different from the one I usually have. I tend to cram more calories into fewer meals. I think this works better for me, so maybe I'll try and revert back to that way of eating when I bulk.

As for sat fats, I usually drink roughly three pints of semi-skimmed milk over the day (through shakes and with cereal) - would that provide enough? Every now and then, I'd add a few hundred mil of full-fat milk to my post-workout shake for extra cals. Worth continuing with that? As for my tastes, I have the blandest palette ever, so what I eat now - although basic and boring - is tasty enough for me: I'm not a fan of ice cream, cakes, chocolate, sweets and fast food etc. Weird, right? With the summer approaching, I'll be eating a lot more salad, so will add olive oil to that, too.

Regarding my time off, I wasn't injured (although after my cycle of 1-Andro, my body was happy to have a break from going so heavy). I got a new job at the start of this year. I'm up at 5.30am and commute into London, and don't get back home till gone 8pm in the evening. Now I'm committed as they come, but by the time I get home/to a gym, it would be nearer 9. The if I train for an hour or so it's getting on for 10-half 10. Getting home, eating dinner and then making my lunch for the next day would mean I wouldn't get to bed much before 12. And getting up at 5.30am, for me, means getting to bed much earlier than that. To be honest, it's sucked not being able to train and I'm itching to get back, but the job is priority for the moment, and, like I said, my body hankered for a rest. If all goes to plan and I pass my three-month probational period, I'll move back into London again and get back into training.

How come the rep ranges were excessive? To be honest, I was thinking that going lighter for higher reps would be the ideal way to get my body back in the saddle while lowering the risk of injury. Do you think it's best to keep at around 10/8/6 reps but just not go nuts on the weight then?

Concerning my lagging parts, I guess my legs, chest and calves are my weaker areas (no surprise), but they are by no means too bad, either. Nothing blatantly stands out as bad. Of course, there is always room for improvement . I'm fairly well balanced, I'd say. My back and shoulders are the more dominant muscle groups, but not freakishly so. One of my tris is a bit smaller than the other, but not too bad it's hugely noticeable. Everything seems to go well together - they just need to be bigger!

Here is my current training regime (I've always put my weaker areas at the start of the week when I'm freshest):

Mon - Chest
Tues - Quads/Hams
Wed - Triceps/Bis
Thurs - Shoulders/Calves
Fri - Back.
Sat - Rest
Sun - Rest

If I miss a workout, it's usually a Friday night. 'Back' therefore moves to Thurs and I drop shoulders (as nothing - even not training them - seems to shrink them).

Cheers.

 

[Built]

You may be right with the rep ranges - I don't recommend higher rep ranges to novices because they are more likely to see their form go to shit, but you're not a novice and this may very well be a good way to get your joints and ligaments prepared for the work to come. Check with p-funk to be sure though.

Saturated fat: try buttering your veggies. You get more nutrients out of veggies when you eat 'em with fat anyway, and besides, butter's delicious.

Your chest and legs are lagging, and yet you only train both of these once a week. Hardly makes sense.

You ever looked at my split? You may find the added frequency for legs and pushing will help you coax new growth. Got Built? » Baby Got Back

 

[Mags]

Thanks for the feedback, Built. I'll try and up my sat fats a little, then.

As for the training split, nice set-up. I might implement elements of it into my next programme (mainly the training legs twice a week part).

Cheers.