too much fat while bulking??

hey guys im having a slight problem here. ive added about 6 pounds already in my bulk but ive been adding too much belly fat. i guess that means im not bulking clean enough?? what can i do to "adjust" what i eat but still get alot of carbs, fat, protein and still gain wieght?

it could be a few things.

first I would check to see how much calories your actually taking in, your body has a maintenance level, when you exceed that and your training, you build muscle. If you feel like your putting on too much fat, you can drop the calories down a bit and keep track on a weekly basis, I.E check in a week again, keep adjusting as needed.

You may not be training hard enough. It may be an issue, ask yourself when you do train, could you be pushing yourself harder? could you be lifting more weight? could you be taking shorter breaks?

Its not always an eating clean or dirty issue, all though most of the time it is. You could eat 100% clean and still gain fat because your eating too much.

I think something you also need to take into account is the fastest way to put on muscle is to put on fat at the same time, but it all has to do with your comfort level of carrying around that fat for say 6 months while you put on muscle, and then spend 3+ months cutting it off.

its probably as simple as lowering your calories down a bit to still gain weight, but keep it primarily lean body mass. Remember to figure out your numbers, and adjust as needed.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

you could also do more cardio

YOU GOTTA EAT BIG, TO BE BIG!!

NASM certified trainer
NFPT certified trainer

Winter Bulk goal:245-250 by dec 31
Current weight: 235

thanks alot.. yeah i think its more or less im not training hard or long enough. u usually train for 30-45 mins on my break after school before i have to go back for swimming practice. maybe i should go back to the gym in the evening or push myself harder in those 30-45 mins. also, i think il stop my "eating anything and everything" method and watch myself a little more closely.

I hear a lot of guys in this forum drin up to a gallon of full cream milk when bulking. Thats a lot of milk. If your one of the guys that drinks a **** load of full cream milk, mayby switch to low-fat, also cut out any reformed carbs after 5pm. stick to greens, the greener the better.

Eating anything and everything is the worst idea. Nutrient timing, work harder, and do some cardio.

I see nothing wrong with a gallon of milk a day, though. Milk and eggs are like steroids.

i do cardio 3 days a week (swimming for 2 and a half hours) and one of my friends said that he blends eggs in his shakes... what do u guys think of that? is it healthy?

i mean you have a chance to get salmonella poisnoning

YOU GOTTA EAT BIG, TO BE BIG!!

NASM certified trainer
NFPT certified trainer

Winter Bulk goal:245-250 by dec 31
Current weight: 235

If your more interested about drinking a gallon of milk a day, run a search, GOMAD (Gallon of milk a day) online. You will find some good information, I did it while on the 20 rep squat program and I got some decent LBM results. A simple way to explain it is, when bulking you need good excess calories. Milk is a great way to get in about 2600 form one gallon and its good for you. So you drink a gallon of milk a day + eating other things you can see its relatively easy to get to 3.500-4.000+ calories a day for bulking.

Now there is a catch, one...while bulking you have to accept most of the time your going to gain some amount of fat...you can get rid of it while cutting anyway. You can minimize your fat gains if you wish by simply keeping track of measurements/weight and adjusting calories on a weekly basis. Possibly even adjusting your macro nutrients proteins/fats/carbs for the week.

u usually train for 30-45 mins on my break after school before i have to go back for swimming practice. maybe i should go back to the gym in the evening or push myself harder in those 30-45 mins. also, i think il stop my "eating anything and everything" method and watch myself a little more closely.

30-45 minutes is a great range for a workout, typically you dont want to go over an hour. Cortisol is not good for what your trying to accomplish.

I just meant that can you look back at your lifting and say your not slacking off and your really pushing yourself while your there.

I would invest some time to check out your diet first, ask yourself these questions...

Do I know how many calories I should be taking in?
Do I know how many calories past my maintenance level I am taking in?
Do I still eat fairly health foods, while meeting this criteria?
Am I eating 5-6 small meals a day? and really placing an emphasis on breakfast and pre/post workout nutrition?

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

Nm0ney34


If your more interested about drinking a gallon of milk a day, run a search, GOMAD (Gallon of milk a day) online. You will find some good information, I did it while on the 20 rep squat program and I got some decent LBM results. A simple way to explain it is, when bulking you need good excess calories. Milk is a great way to get in about 2600 form one gallon and its good for you. So you drink a gallon of milk a day + eating other things you can see its relatively easy to get to 3.500-4.000+ calories a day for bulking.

Now there is a catch, one...while bulking you have to accept most of the time your going to gain some amount of fat...you can get rid of it while cutting anyway. You can minimize your fat gains if you wish by simply keeping track of measurements/weight and adjusting calories on a weekly basis. Possibly even adjusting your macro nutrients proteins/fats/carbs for the week.

u usually train for 30-45 mins on my break after school before i have to go back for swimming practice. maybe i should go back to the gym in the evening or push myself harder in those 30-45 mins. also, i think il stop my "eating anything and everything" method and watch myself a little more closely.

30-45 minutes is a great range for a workout, typically you dont want to go over an hour. Cortisol is not good for what your trying to accomplish.

I just meant that can you look back at your lifting and say your not slacking off and your really pushing yourself while your there.

I would invest some time to check out your diet first, ask yourself these questions...

Do I know how many calories I should be taking in?
Do I know how many calories past my maintenance level I am taking in?
Do I still eat fairly health foods, while meeting this criteria?
Am I eating 5-6 small meals a day? and really placing an emphasis on breakfast and pre/post workout nutrition?

bolded.

if you gain fat easy, watch the carbs.

Read Creation's post about bulking from earlier this week.
People get fat primarily from bad carb choices when it comes to timing, type, and quantity.

Watch the carbs and make sure you're taking them in the right proportions. Do more cardio and make sure you are giving your 100% effort when doing your routines.

Get the Best Obliques

I've gained about 7-8 lbs. I would say that no more than 3 is muscle, 4-5lbs is fat. Though I have gotten stronger, and feel like i've made some muscle gains, my pants have gotten a bit tighter. When i gained 6lbs in a month of bulking, which was around 1-1.5lbs a week, probably 2/3rds or more was fat. I am going to go on a cut until after Winter Formal ( Dec 8th ), so i can lose some fat without losing muscle, then will go on another bulk but this time will try and only eat in a slight surplus where I gain .5lb a week. Funny how people advised me to "up my calories" when i was already gaining 1-1.5lbs a week, i guess they dont know realistically you wont gain more than .5lb of muscle a week.
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Digital Retoucher

I dont know who would tell you to up your calories if your already putting on weight and most of it is fat to begin with. Fat will come with most bulking, but minimizing it is an option if your willing to put in the work.

I would guess though, not knowing all your details. That your simply not training hard enough, if your putting on that much fat then I think your intensity in the weight room can be upped a notch.

also, depending on how many calories your taking in over your maintenance to begin with. it may be as simple as lowering your calories. and monitoring your measurements and progress on a weekly basis, making changes when necessary.

Know u didnt really ask, just putting that out there.

jager


I've gained about 7-8 lbs. I would say that no more than 3 is muscle, 4-5lbs is fat. Though I have gotten stronger, and feel like i've made some muscle gains, my pants have gotten a bit tighter. When i gained 6lbs in a month of bulking, which was around 1-1.5lbs a week, probably 2/3rds or more was fat. I am going to go on a cut until after Winter Formal ( Dec 8th ), so i can lose some fat without losing muscle, then will go on another bulk but this time will try and only eat in a slight surplus where I gain .5lb a week. Funny how people advised me to "up my calories" when i was already gaining 1-1.5lbs a week, i guess they dont know realistically you wont gain more than .5lb of muscle a week.
======================================
dial up internet access
Digital Retoucher

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

I bulk at about 2/3rds muscle, 1/3rd fat, and feel that is about the highest amount of fat anyone would reasonably want to bulk with (its higher than I would like, but I'm also 34).  If you're gaining too much fat, you really need to look at both the content & periodization of your meals and snacks. 

Also, one thing I didn't see mentioned, do you drink much alcohol?

This is an interesting article regarding calories in/calories out vs. macros:

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f15/metabolic-function-dummies-why-numbers-arent-all-there-291187/

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

His main point is right to a degree. Yeah the quality of your calories and what it is your having in excess matters. Dont know who would dispute that, but when it comes down to it you will NOT gain muscle without a surplus, so in the end eating crap food and getting over your daily maintenance is better then eating 100% squeaky clean but not eating over maintenance, purely for muscle gain.

Thats such a broad case though, and for nearly everyone it just doesnt come down to that. Most people just dont have the willpower to eat clean most of the time.

I dont agree with a few things though, seems like he is more opinionated then anything.

brihead301


This is an interesting article regarding calories in/calories out vs. macros:

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f15/metabolic-function-dummies-why-numbers-arent-all-there-291187/

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

I agree with you Nmoney.  I just thought it was an interesting read.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

oh i hope u didnt take that as pointed to you :P

just responding to the post the guy in the link made, haha my bad

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

 Most important thing, like others said... you really need to track what you eat so you can make worthwhile adjustments.  Otherwise you're just taking a shot in the dark. I wouldn't worry too much about macros now unless there's something terribly wrong with em.  IMO the main problem is just too many damn calories.  


Also, consider cutting out all refined sugars except during or just after after your workout.