Bulking?

[Swag]

Fairly new to all of this and seeking some advice, preferably from someone who's done this before and has a decent knowledge like Lord Oink.

What kind of calorie intake would you say would be efficient?

What kind of diet do you follow, I see a lot of people suggesting 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat.

What kind of foods are best to stick to such as complex carbs and what should I stay away from

What kind of schedule would you use at the gym and how long to work on each muscle for that day. And what about "Less is more" when bodybuilding?

How often do you recommend I weight myself?

Anything else I should know?

All help appreciated :]

( No flamey ty )

[Steroids]

3k+ calories.

stay away from white bread/pasta/rice, always make sure its wholemeal/brown. good bulking foods are the obvious meat/eggs. nuts/other dairy products are also very good for bulking but should be thought more carefully about when it comes to cutting.

i assume you know about working different muscle groups on different days etc but in terms of how long to work the muscle on the designated day, most people stick to - 5 exercises for the larger muscler groups (chest/back/legs/shoulders). 3 for arms etc.

doesn't really matter when you weigh yourself, you're not going to "plateu" as a begginner. weigh yourself every few weeks just to check the steady weight gain.

supplements - most arn't needed for you but get on a high calorie/carb protein shake.

in terms of diet, its not all about protein, low gui carbs are protein sparring and are very much needed.

this was a very good topic by Kofte that I have just edited abit and you should read it all as most points are key. -

Just want to put this out here, so you guys don't make the same mistakes I did when I first became interested in aesthetics/lifting; this mistakes are common and most likely you've done one or more of these in the past.

1. The Six Pack:

When I first started my routine basically looked like this:

-10 minutes ab routine on ground

-10 minutes more crunches

-10 minutes more crunches

-10 minutes weighted crunches

-20 minutes other body - workout done.

2/3ds of my workout was devoted to my core because I believed a six pack was the answer to everything. Although, I got a six pack because my diet sucked and my body fat was low enough, my body was tiny.

What you should do: Fit a reasonable amount of time for abs on a day of a split (or 2 days if needed - I do it on my back day), and focus on movements such as planks and hanging leg raises. Most of your compound lifts throughout the week will hit your core, so don't think you are neglecting them.

2. Fear To Gain Weight:

I was honestly scared to lose my six pack, which I look back to and it wasn't even defined. To go anywhere in lifting, you have to put that fear away because to get big you need to get mass, which brings me to the next point:

3. Hitting Your Macros:

In my case I wasn't hitting my macros at all, despite being heavily active I ate around the normal macros of what a nonathletic adult consumes. Therefore I wasnt gaining weight or muscle at all and reached a stagnant point where I felt a loss of motivation because my lifts were going nowhere. Over the course of a few years of hitting my macros (which i eat around 4000ish) I gained weight gradually until I am at the 165ish where I am now. Find a macro calculator online and add 500 calories or deduct 500 calories depending if you are bulking or cutting.

4. Lifting Big:

Light reps for definition is shit, don't do it. Basically lift big or go home. Don't sacrifice your whole form, but find a weight that pushes your body to where you aren't comfortably doing 3 sets of 10 without a struggle. You will see great changes everywhere in pushing your muscles to lift bigger.

5. Neglecting Compound Lifts

In compound lifts I basically mean Bench, Squat, Dead lift. All of these use large portions of muscles in your body, but many people dont do them. Research the form online and watch videos and if needed ask assistance at the gym, you arent truly lifting unless you do these in my opinion.

6. Not Having a Routine:

Self explanatory, if you dont have a routine and jump from place to place, you wont get results. Look for a routine online, Steroids has linked a good site on many posts(www.muscleandstrength.com), if you dont have a routine already, go get one. I personally do a four day split (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)

[Tango_Oscar]

roids covered it, need any help on supplements just pm me in irc.

[Tom (Rendition)]

Eat 5 times a day instead of 3.

[I Meleed I]

Two words my friend...

Starting Strength. (Check my sticky for details)

[Kofte]

Eat 5 times a day instead of 3.

It doesnt matter, you can eat all your cals in one meal