Is getting a gut a normal part of bulking?
[quote]pa902 wrote:
Is getting a gut a normal part of bulking?[/quote]
Short answer, in a way, yes. It depends on what you mean by “gut”. Seeing as this is in the beginner’s forum, I have seen many newbies who were underweight to begin with think that simply having a full stomach meant they were fat. The goal is not to gain tons of body fat.
It is simply understood that in the act of gaining the most muscle you can, some body fat will come with it. The true goal, however, is to gain much more muscle than body fat.
You eating well and feeling slightly full or bloated doesn’t mean you are “fat”. It simply means you finally ate well. This concept seems to be hard to grasp for many teenagers.
Im new to T-Nation and have only been lifting for about a year. just before the summer started ( febuary) i went on a fairly low carb high protein medium fat diet, drank noting but water and green tea did simple full body weights 3x a week and intense hill running or sprint training 3x a week. i started 13st with good strength(due to manual labour) but with a big fat belly and a 34 inch waist.
By the end of the summer i was 11.75st with an increase in strength and espeicially speed and cardio abillity. I also had a 31inch waist.
Problem is… I play rugby, and im not sure if your aware but rugby players are pretty big( im getting to the point slowly. ) even though i was faster and stronger, during close quarters i was less effective then when i had been 13st.
I decided to bulk up. im halfway through my bulking phase and im just about 13st with more muscle and strength than before but with nearly the same amount of fat and a 33 inch waist. Basically i dont look good with my top on. i dont look bad, i just dont look good. so the obvious thing if your vain ( not sying that any of you are ) is to bulk in the summer.
This is obvious information to an experienced lifter, But seeing as this is the Beginer section i thought i tell people my experience just in case it helps.
And by summer, he meant winter.
-Fireplug