Recomp Diet + How to Bulk Correctly?

Hi everyone!
This is my first post here :slight_smile:

Im going to do small Introduction part.
Im 21 years old, 160cm and currently 50kg.

So, I finished my first season in bikini fitness and im now doing recomp diet, atm macros 140c 150p 40f. Lifting 5-6x in a week. Daily activity mostly about 1700kcal (measured with polar and this is with weight training). Used to be overweight so should be really careful with adding i guess…

Im trying to lean bulk and improve myself but as i finished season, month ago, i see no progress at all. I guess i need new training routine cause my body is already used to old things. Currently cut out all the cardio, which has started to show by gaining fat aswell.

Routine is 2x shoulders (one with chest)
2x back (divided to upper and lower)
2x legs (mostly glute dominant)
Sets of 3x12,10,8 pyramide scheme and 8 exercises in a day
No cardio, but trying to be active, unfortunately i have sitting job.

Shall i or shall i not add some cardio?
What kind of cardio it should be to promote gaining muscle mass?
Should i add some supersets, dropsets anything new?
What could be new possibilities to change my routine?
Still in a deficite, how fast or slow should i come through it? Is it possible to gain while still in deficite?

Thank you for any kinds of advice :slight_smile:

Hi there liisaest.

Oh, we’re very similar in size. I had to make the metric conversions. You’re 5’2" and about 110 pounds.

There aren’t a lot of bikini/ figure women who post here regularly, and I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer your question. One month isn’t a lot of time to notice big changes in muscle gain, but do you mean that it’s been one month since your contest and you’re having a hard time gaining weight back? Have stabilized weight one month post contest?

If you don’t mind, I’m going to tag some of the guys here who have competed and are familiar with post show nutrition, or have experience training women. @robstein, @The_Mighty_Stu, @BrickHead, @EyeDentist @joshbenjamin @Lonnie123

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At the risk of seeming like a perv, my first suggestion is that you post pics from your last comp, along with current pics. (As it happens, you’re the same age as my daughter, so no worries on that score.)

Your calories are currently at ~14/lb/d, which may be a touch high for a petite female, especially one coming off of a prep diet a month ago. (And if you’re gaining weight, you are not in a deficit.)

Do you plan to continue competing in Bikini? If so, gaining significant muscle may not be to your competitive advantage (unless you are very, very thin). Again, pics would help.

And to anticipate: Yes, I suspect your training regimen needs tweaking.

Finally, to clarify: What do you mean by “I see no progress at all”? Are you referring to your strength levels, or appearance, or ?

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How long has it been since your season has ended? Did you make adjustments to your diet immediately? You say you already see fat gain, but is it really fat, or are you simply returning to “not-contest” shape?

I’d be very curious to see pre-contest, contest, and current pics if you could provide. I’ve worked with a pretty good number of female competitors over the years.

S

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You are always takin care of us! You need a happy mother’s day from T Nation :hugs:

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Hey, thank you. I’m feeling pretty blessed to have all my kids home.

Have a nice weekend, Guns.

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My dogs are with me because I abandoned them to go grocery shopping. My fur babies are rescues and codependent as heck. :hugs: