Say I am currently consuming 4500 - 5000 kcals a day - even on rest days and I have finally started to notice a fair amount of fat gain. I have been eating this many kcals for about 10 weeks and have gained close to 18 pounds, most of which is muscle. All lifts have gone up dramatically.
I have read about people shocking their body during a bulking phase by cutting kcals in half for about two weeks to get their body back into absorbing everything that they take in. I especially read that people that are experiencing a bit more fat gain than wanted do this for a two week period then get right back on a bulk at an excessive caloric level.
no need to do anything rash, if you are experiencing fat gain at an unacceptable rate, then simply reduce your calorie intake such that you are still progressing in the gym (i.e. your lifts are going up) but you aren’t putting on so much fat. remember, the simplest way to solve a problem is almost always the best way.
You can introduce some gpp work to help keep the fat gain down too. Even if you just sit at maintenance levels for awhile. Nothing drastic, just something to burn off a few cals.
GPP work, eh? I ride my bike daily to class up and down hills all day long, so I don’t think a lack of cardio is the problem. I feel like the bulk has hit a plateau and something drastic needs to happen to jump start it - thus my proposition to cut calories in half to provide a shock to my body.