Sorry I’ve accidentally made the mistake of READING TOO MANY FRIKKIN ARTICLES.
So I’m asking the T-Nation readers to simply answer the questions after looking at my stats.
Age : 18
Weight : 165lbs
BF : 23%
Goals : Purely Aesthetic (Yup I’m That Vain)
1)Should I be Carb-Cycling or Bulking?
2)And could someone please give me a goal size, by which I mean a goal weight and bodyfat I should look to achieve!!!
If I was to give an idea for what I wanted to achieve than the link below is a good image of what exactly is my Dream Physique!
So are you saying if I eat normal consistently go to the gym for 6 months I should see great gains? I have been on and off with the gym for the last 2 years and when I started I weighed 126lbs. I evidently ate a lot of crap! s
I have been bulking for the past few months and whilst I only weigh 165lbs, Summer is around the corner and with the fat I’ve gained around my stomach through the bulking phase I went through I’m wondering whether it would be smarter for me to either
A) (Carb-Cycle) Lose the fat, I’m only doing this for the Aesthetics!
or
B) (Bulking) 165lbs! You have no business with cutting fat keep eating loads, lifting loads and sleeping loads! You’ll look better in the summer just simply being bigger.
If you’re 23% bodyfat (what gave you that idea?) and your goal is to be skinny and not particularly muscular, just get on a diet (start by not eating pure crap, save carb cycling for later) and lift weights 3-7 days a week.
Do starting strength, westside for skinny bastards or whatever SOMEONE EXPERIENCED came up with and eat real food for the next year. Simple as that.
[quote]Boots2Asses wrote:
Sorry I’ve accidentally made the mistake of READING TOO MANY FRIKKIN ARTICLES.
So I’m asking the T-Nation readers to simply answer the questions after looking at my stats.
Age : 18
Weight : 165lbs
BF : 23%
Goals : Purely Aesthetic (Yup I’m That Vain)
1)Should I be Carb-Cycling or Bulking?
2)And could someone please give me a goal size, by which I mean a goal weight and bodyfat I should look to achieve!!!
If I was to give an idea for what I wanted to achieve than the link below is a good image of what exactly is my Dream Physique!
first realize that you wont be able to implement everything you read all the time. pick something. try it. put the rest of the information in your back pocket for later.
and carb cycling and bulking arent mutually exclusive. you can do both.
low carb/ high fat/high protein on non-workout days
medium carbs/ high fat/ high protein on most workout days
high carb on leg day
carbs arent the end all and be all of reaching surplus calories.
@JFG, So are you saying for the summer I should always keep a top on because this gut ain’t looking as pretty as my face?? I’m joking but my point stands I live in Brighton England on the South Coast, Swimming and Beach parties are the life of it all so you can understand my hesitancy in packing on more fat!
@Kakno and Zeppelin0731, My height is 5ft 7inches and I measure my bodyfat by using calipers and the charts that you get with the calipers. I understand these things are like a couple of percentages either way so lets say I’m 20-25% bodyfat if it helps. I also wonder does stretching help you grow or is all that program to grow nonsense not helpful at all and if anything a scam as its purely genetics. I understand it’s common the want to grow and I have time still to grow but I want to maximise my chances of getting to atleast 5ft 10 which is average height in my eyes.
@actionboy What would you say is exactly medium carbs. Is medium carbs carbs for Post-Peri and Breakfast carbs??
[quote]JFG wrote:
You have been bulking for two months… Comeback after a year.
The fat you have is from BEFORE bulking.
You will nt reach your goal for this year. Think long term here.
Get on a program, eat healthy and get some sleep. You will reach your goal, but consistency is key.
cheers[/quote]
@JFG, So are you saying for the summer I should always keep a top on because this gut ain’t looking as pretty as my face?? I’m joking but my point stands I live in Brighton England on the South Coast, Swimming and Beach parties are the life of it all so you can understand my hesitancy in packing on more fat!
[quote]kakno wrote:
If you’re 23% bodyfat (what gave you that idea?) and your goal is to be skinny and not particularly muscular, just get on a diet (start by not eating pure crap, save carb cycling for later) and lift weights 3-7 days a week.
Do starting strength, westside for skinny bastards or whatever SOMEONE EXPERIENCED came up with and eat real food for the next year. Simple as that.[/quote]
@Kakno and Zeppelin0731, My height is 5ft 7inches and I measure my bodyfat by using calipers and the charts that you get with the calipers. I understand these things are like a couple of percentages either way so lets say I’m 20-25% bodyfat if it helps. I also wonder does stretching help you grow or is all that program to grow nonsense not helpful at all and if anything a scam as its purely genetics. I understand it’s common the want to grow and I have time still to grow but I want to maximise my chances of getting to atleast 5ft 10 which is average height in my eyes.
[quote]actionboy wrote:
first realize that you wont be able to implement everything you read all the time. pick something. try it. put the rest of the information in your back pocket for later.
and carb cycling and bulking arent mutually exclusive. you can do both.
low carb/ high fat/high protein on non-workout days
medium carbs/ high fat/ high protein on most workout days
high carb on leg day
carbs arent the end all and be all of reaching surplus calories. [/quote]
@actionboy What would you say is exactly medium carbs. Is medium carbs carbs for Post-Peri and Breakfast carbs?? Thanks for the help by the way. Much appreciated!
[quote]Boots2Asses wrote:
I obviously am lifting weights![/quote]
165 at 23% BF is something like 128 pounds of lean mass so obvious might be a stretch.
[quote]
A) (Carb-Cycle) Lose the fat, I’m only doing this for the Aesthetics!
or
B) (Bulking) 165lbs! You have no business with cutting fat keep eating loads, lifting loads and sleeping loads! You’ll look better in the summer just simply being bigger. [/quote]
Option C.
You don’t need to go to extremes. Just eat healthy and lift with intensity and consistency.
[quote]Boots2Asses wrote:
Oh okay thanks mate, I do appreciate it even though I have to bare with the whole condescending overtone [/quote]
I also offer sarcasm as an alternative service but you seem to genuinely want to make progress so I thought patronization was the was to go:)
As for your questions, I have seen you write on T-Nation questions that usually involve some form a research but you fall short in patience. I would recommend long term planning combined with goal setting. In your current scenario you are coming into summer a little heavier then you would like to be. In the long term you want to me muscular and lean so which should you accomplish first? I have seen in done both ways so I have no definite solution for you.
I have, however, seen people bulk for two months then diet for two etc. etc. and make zero progress. In short, find a plan and stick with it for AT-LEAST 6 months. When it comes to adding mass you will need far longer, maybe 2-3years. That is why I recommended eating healthy, and working out with consistency and intensity. You will probably even lose fat over time while adding lean mass with that solution.
And bonus, if you forget about the fat for now and add lets say 40 pounds of lean mass over the next year or two the same amount of fat will be a smaller percent of your total weight.
medium carbs are less than high but more than none lol. if you eat 100g of carbs on your low carb day and 500g on a high day, id say medium is about 300g. but im just pulling these numbers out of my ass. it depends on how many total calories you eat in a day.
I’m joking but my point stands I live in Brighton England on the South Coast, Swimming and Beach parties are the life of it all so you can understand my hesitancy in packing on more fat!