I want to start my bulk soon but want to reach about ~10% bodyfat. I still lack a lot of muscle , I know . What kind of bothers me is that my abs are not visible unflexed, but I think thats rather due to that I never trained them directly, I dont know.
Lighting is not the best, normally i am vascular in my arms. I am 6’2 and at the moment at 205 pounds. I am also depleted on those pics, havent been refeeding yet. So first of all an estimation of my bodyfaf % would be nice, and I also would like to hear some opinions what you would do know if you were me, although I can foreshadow the ‘EAT’ posts right away
I myself am not the greatest at estimating. I think you might be 12%. Hopefully those with highly trained eyes–like zraw or Stu–can chime in here, for you and because I want to get better at handling the body too.
Looking forward to how you’ve been handling your plan.
You are already lean, if I was you I would focus on gaining muscle. With a little more size you would look really really good. A slow controlled gaining phase would serve you best since you se concerned about leanness. Add 300 to 500 calories to your diet while eating 200 to 300 grams if protein per day. If you are not gaining muscle with that then bump it up another 100 to 200 calories and re asses.
[quote]Smashingweights wrote:
You are already lean, if I was you I would focus on gaining muscle. With a little more size you would look really really good. A slow controlled gaining phase would serve you best since you se concerned about leanness. Add 300 to 500 calories to your diet while eating 200 to 300 grams if protein per day. If you are not gaining muscle with that then bump it up another 100 to 200 calories and re asses.[/quote]
Yes.
How many calories are you currently eating daily? What are the macro %?
140g carbs, 260g protein 80g fat and approx 2400 calories.On days i dont workout i cut 40g carbs and some fat being at 2000 caloriesm[/quote]
IMO…your daily calories at at ‘rock bottom’ & you are plenty lean. Your challange is going to be gradually adding the calories back in.
[/quote]
I agree with BlueCollar, you are at the lower end of the caloric apectrum. If you are trying to gain muscle, which in my opinion should be your goal, you need more calories. A conservative estimate for calories when gaining is 13-15 calories per pound. That would mean you should be taking in roughly between 2,700 and 3,000 calories a day.
Your protein intake looks fine to me but you could always bump it up to 300 which is as high as I think you would need to go at this time if you are natural and split up the rest of your calories between fats and carbohydrates. No one but you knows how your body responds to carbs and fats so you will have to play around with your macros. Some prefer higher carbs while others prefer to load up on fats. There’s more than one way to skin a cat right?
140g carbs, 260g protein 80g fat and approx 2400 calories.On days i dont workout i cut 40g carbs and some fat being at 2000 caloriesm[/quote]
Depends on how patient you are. Add 200 cals/week to your diet and you would very likely stay just as lean as you are and be eating a substantial amount more in no time.
Yeah ive already done that. Although I added back the cals a little bit faster. I think during the course of the last 10 days or so I increased carbs by 600 , so every 3-4th day 200 cals more, consisting of carbs. So at the moment I am at my maintenance level ( 2800 on off days ). Keep in mind I did refeeds every week, so my metabolism shouldnt be slow at all. How long do you think should I stay at my maintenance level before I eat with a surplus again ?
[quote]rewind wrote:
Yeah ive already done that. Although I added back the cals a little bit faster. I think during the course of the last 10 days or so I increased carbs by 600 , so every 3-4th day 200 cals more, consisting of carbs. So at the moment I am at my maintenance level ( 2800 on off days ). Keep in mind I did refeeds every week, so my metabolism shouldnt be slow at all. How long do you think should I stay at my maintenance level before I eat with a surplus again ?[/quote]
Long enough until you feel your progress in the gym start to slow down or stall…or energy levels. Wait until your body tells you it needs it. You’re doing very well for yourself and taking a moderate approach. It’s good to see. Keep up the good work.
