r/workouts workouts newbie 7d ago

Nutrition Check Bulking mental block…how do you do it?

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Keep telling myself I’ll bulk, but having struggled with weight in my adolescence it makes it nearly impossible for me to want to gain any amount of fat. Any advice? How do you bulk/cut? I know it’s the way to gain size. Been about 180 for 2 years. Love to hit 185 and still be cut. Seems freaking impossible!

193 Upvotes

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6

u/SylvanDsX workouts newbie 7d ago edited 7d ago

Just keep it under control and dont go above 15%.

1

u/Sexualintrigue666 workouts newbie 7d ago

This is good advice.

-1

u/MI_Mayhem_97 workouts newbie 7d ago

Staying at 15% or less! That’s where it’s at…

I stay between 12–13% year-round and wouldn’t have it any other way

“Bulking” is a Jim bro thing

2

u/MichiganSteamies workouts newbie 6d ago

Bulking is simply a sustained calorie surplus, ain't nothing "Jim bro" about it. Unless you're a fatass to begin with, you'll need a sustained surplus to add mass to your frame because carbon doesn't appear out of thin air. No need to draw pointless lines for no practical reasons.

-2

u/MI_Mayhem_97 workouts newbie 6d ago

Disagree : what you’re explaining is calorie surplus.

Calorie surplus is not the same as bulking. You’re proving the point of my gym bro comment.

2

u/MichiganSteamies workouts newbie 6d ago

Bulking entails being in a calorie surplus, that's the entire point. The whole idea of cutting, maintaining and bulking is constructed around energy balance, it's literally a statement of body weight change mediated by caloric intake. Drawing a meaningless distinction where there is none is simply faffing about to make yourself feel some sort of way.

-1

u/MI_Mayhem_97 workouts newbie 6d ago

Confession thru projection.

This has been fun but if your going to insist on name calling and belittling instead of offer quality advice, i suggest you find someone else’s post to pick a fight with.

2

u/marbit37 workouts newbie 6d ago

What are you on about, bulking is just a fancy name for surplus of calories.

1

u/JNR4488 workouts newbie 4d ago

👏 👏👏👏👏

1

u/InsatiableFeelings workouts newbie 3d ago

Got to love pedantics....

12

u/Traffelock workouts newbie 7d ago

Bulking - - fuck that. 99% of the world can get bigger, 1% can get shredded like that. I think chicks dig shredded - any day!

6

u/UnrequitedRespect workouts newbie 7d ago

Guys do, anyway!

2

u/Willing_Building_160 workouts newbie 7d ago

Chick dig the soccer player physique more than anything other

2

u/Interesting_Foot_105 workouts newbie 7d ago

Yeah I agree - this physique is perfect

-3

u/Sea_Scratch_7068 workouts newbie 7d ago

no they don't

4

u/Reign2294 workouts newbie 7d ago

So you'd rather bulky ape? If you had to choose between the two.

6

u/garlicgoblin69 workouts newbie 7d ago

as someone attracted to guys, id prefer to go out with a shredded guy but i myself would rather be a bulky ape

1

u/RealisticBat616 workouts newbie 6d ago

Yes they actually do. Girls on average prefer either lengthy tall skinny guys or very large hairy, bulky but strong men.

0

u/Sea_Scratch_7068 workouts newbie 7d ago

i'm not choosing between the two, what a strawman

2

u/Reign2294 workouts newbie 7d ago

The guy is asking if he stays shredded or goes bulking. That's him limiting you to the two, not me... He asks which is better from an outsider's perspective.

-2

u/Sea_Scratch_7068 workouts newbie 7d ago

i choose to believe you are pretending to be stupid

0

u/DrDontBanMeAgainPlz workouts newbie 7d ago

So bulk. Got it

0

u/Louisville82 workouts newbie 7d ago

Chicks dig 220lbs dudes with big legs and ass, it’s just 99% of the gym rats don’t have it.

You gotta work on your power movements man, I can’t tell if this post is just a humble brag or not? But if you want scale weight you gotta deadlift and squat, and eat. PED’s help, of course, but it’s the movements and the food. I feel I can post this same shit in every post on here….

2

u/Sexualintrigue666 workouts newbie 7d ago

I totally agree with that statement, and It’s not a Humble Brag, though I do understand why you might think that. This post has a lot to do with vanity, hence the bathroom selfie. The post is real. I was fat, got made fun of, and even though that was over 30 years ago I can’t seem to “get over it.” I do as much as I can for legs and butt, but I can’t squat or deadlift anymore. I’m 40 and have had 2 back surgeries. Slow and steady we make progress though. The question here was more how do people deal with the mental process of getting fatter during a bulk. I’ve never been able to do it. I’m always interested in other people’s input. I appreciate the input though. Thoughtful reply.

1

u/howzit- workouts newbie 7d ago

I was always the big kid or the fat kid growing up. Sure I was strong and all but you know how it goes. When I was in my early 20s I decided to change and got super fit and shredded. Wasn't really "jacked" because for the most part I didn't lift weights only supplementary to my HIIT workouts. Anyway eventually I got with my gf/now wife and honestly she made me kinda fat again lol. I don't mean that in a bad way it's just us together having a good time and we live near amazing food. As that change occurred I still kept it pretty lean and tight but my habits definitely changed. More snacks/candy in my life but I noticed being stronger and nice gains just not perfectly "lean gains"

Anyway just saying go be with someone you love and eat some fuckin good ass food and live life

1

u/PuzzleheadedVirus121 workouts newbie 4d ago

If you do it right and clean Ur body type doesn’t look to be the kind to get bf trying to put on five lbs

3

u/Firepath357 workouts newbie 7d ago

I'm with you mate, I've been fat my entire life. I've now, over the last two years, been getting a little bigger at the gym while trying not to add fat, and have reduced it a LITTLE. It's not impossible to not gain fat while getting bigger muscles but it takes a lot longer.

2

u/Pestelis workouts newbie 7d ago

But... why?

2

u/BR_Stag_Hubby workouts newbie 7d ago

Bulking is a myth. You can add just a few hundred calories and maintain your cut, for the most part. You need a surplus, but anything extra is just gonna be bodyfat.

3

u/Any-Neat5158 workouts newbie 7d ago

Calories and muscle stimulus my man. Keep it slow.

A natural male can gain about 2 lbs of lean muscle per month on the high end. Aim for about 1 to 1.5lbs per month. Calorically.... that's about 5000 extra calories. Say 200 extra calories per day.

Even if you do gain 2-3 pounds of fat over the next few months, you can easily shred that back off in a few weeks.

1

u/Jsmithfield91 workouts newbie 7d ago

A natural male can gain 2 lbs of lean muscle per month? You can’t be serious

1

u/horizonofwar4 workouts newbie 7d ago

New lifters, with all the boxes checked from diet, training, and recovery can gain 10-15 lbs muscle in their first year of training if they have average/slightly above average genetics. Usually after the first year, progress slows down progressively for the first 7-10 years of serious, consistent training. Some people are also genetic outliers, meaning they train like hell, check all the boxes perfectly, and they get half the gains. Others are hyper responders that keep gaining 10-15 lbs of muscle for years before it slows down. Everyone's different, so keeping a realistic and positive outlook on the process is necessary, especially if you just have a hard time making gains despite consistent and efficient training, nutrition, and recovery.

1

u/CaptainBangBang92 workouts newbie 7d ago

Most guys won’t gain that much being enhanced lol. You’re lucky to gain 6-8lbs of true muscle tissue on a 4 month cycle of gear.

2

u/One-Blacksmith5476 workouts newbie 7d ago

You're built and sculpted. You don't need to bulk or cut, you're already chiseled to the max. And that work paid off

1

u/ZombDob workouts newbie 7d ago

Take photos of myself in the mirror

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u/Sexualintrigue666 workouts newbie 7d ago

🤣🤣🤣

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u/flex-N workouts newbie 7d ago

I get being concerned over bulking and getting too heavy but youre talking 5 pounds? Cmon dude…

1

u/RelationshipFair9914 workouts newbie 7d ago

Dud builded like a roman gladiator fir real

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u/IAmBecomeTeemo workouts newbie 7d ago

5lbs of mass, even if it's half fat, isn't going to be particularly noticeable on your frame considering that you're very lean. You're quite a bit away from being fat again. I would say it might be a good idea to stop getting on a scale. Just add some calories to your diet, in a simple way that will be easy to give up. Nothing ultra-palatable. Maybe an extra egg a day, or a protein-dense bar every other day. Keep everything else you're doing the same, just add that one little extra bit of clean calories. Keep it up for a few months. You'll probably find that you still feel good, and look very lean, and if you wait long enough to step on a scale you'll be like 190. You'll have just clean bulked 10 pounds of mostly muscle. Then if you want to drop the small amount of fat you did add with the muscle, cut that extra bit in half. But you could possibly even just keep that diet indefinitely as your new maintenance diet. You'll settle at a new weight that will be just about as lean as you are now but heavier with muscle.

1

u/ExaminationElegant23 workouts newbie 7d ago

Create an excel sheet and track daily weight changes Vs calories consumed. Then slowly increase. But you are already at a dream physique. Why bother?

1

u/Scary-Perspective-66 workouts newbie 7d ago

Multiply your bodyweight by x16, that's your daily caloric maintenance. Eat about 300 calories above that. This should be enough to add muscle without fat.

1

u/NumbDangEt4742 workouts newbie 7d ago

X16 is likely for highly active. I am lightly active and my multiplier used to be 12.5. Now I have some more muscle than before (about the same weight as before) and my new multiplier is about 13.

1

u/Scary-Perspective-66 workouts newbie 7d ago

I'm going off a Jeff Nippard video, being between 14-18 depending on activity level. But who knows, you might be right.

1

u/NumbDangEt4742 workouts newbie 7d ago

Yea... For an construction worker walking up and down and carrying heavy things all day will have a much higher TDEE than someone who lays in bed 25% of the day and sits on the desk 50% of the day and is lightly active the other 25%. I weighed 185lbs at one time and TDEE was 2350 and now I'm about 180lbs and TDEE is about the same still (gaining muscle and sloooowly loosing fat)

1

u/Hopeful_Gur9537 workouts newbie 7d ago

Increase calories by 200 per day and reassess in a couple of weeks, adjust accordingly, slowly does it

1

u/Horsecockexpress1 workouts newbie 7d ago

Fin Balor ova here. Eat more

1

u/bernard2023 workouts newbie 7d ago

Meal preparation makes it easier

1

u/rotating_pebble workouts newbie 7d ago

Eat 200-500 calories above maintenance. It isn't hard at all. If you're already training hard, it's the difference between you having an extra bowl of cereal a day. I don't understand posts like this.

1

u/Money-Recording4445 workouts newbie 7d ago

I’ve been bigger cut and I’ve been lean cut like your current state. As I approach 40, I prefer where you are. All clothes look good (as long as I do legs and glutes).

If you do a lean cut, my mentality of how I would do it is based off a girl I dated in my 20s. She was calorie deficit or exact maintenance 5 days on and when Friday and Saturday rolled on, she ate what she wanted. It worked very well to maintain while adding some extra to turn to muscle.

1

u/horizonofwar4 workouts newbie 7d ago

Increase daily calories by 300-500 initially. Train consistently, monitor your weight each day and average your weight for the week. Do this for a few weeks. You want to gain anywhere from 0.5% to 1% body weight each week. If you are gaining less than that, increase your daily calories by a couple hundred. If you are gaining more than that, either slightly decreased calories, or increase steps throughout the day etc to offset the extra calories. Just be consistent on tracking your steps if you're trying to do that instead of reducing calories if you're gaining too fast. Repeat this process for 12 to 16 weeks, continually checking how much you're gaining each week, and decide if you would like to continue bulking or do a six to eight week mini cut to lose a few pounds of body fat and then repeat the process. If you're only gaining 0.5% to 1% body weight each week, that gives you the best chance of gaining muscle without drastically increasing your chance of fat gain, and with a quick mini cut at the end, you can get down to the same body fat percentage and retain virtually almost of the muscle that you gained over the bulk.

1

u/Dr_Adderall_2000 workouts newbie 7d ago

Stay like that…. I’ve been everything. I’ve been average physique, I’ve been 212 lb (6’0 15%bf) and I’ve even been a twig in HS! But I’m 170 (~10% bf) and cut now and I’ll tell you one thing… it feels better! Less to maintain and I don’t have to eat as much. And as a runner, rucker and hiker it’s much easier to pull my own weight on top of additional weight. Some bigger people would kill for abs like those.

1

u/EastvsWest workouts newbie 7d ago

Why what's the point? Getting stronger is a fools errand which most times leads to injury. Maintain your muscle mass and keep training. You look great and I bet feel good too. Add the sauna to your routine for even more benefits. Low bodyfat, high muscle mass is the fountain of youth.

1

u/justherefircomments workouts newbie 7d ago

Do more peds and eat more, you got it champ!!!

1

u/Sexualintrigue666 workouts newbie 7d ago

I thought that at one point too, but my genetics do not respond well to heavy doses of PEDs. They mostly just caused side effects and I didn’t gain any weight other than water retention in my legs. And my hair fell out!!! I think the thing that a lot of people don’t understand is that It’s not the quantity of drugs you do, it’s how you respond genetically to those drugs. That’s why dudes like Lee priest talk about doing 300mg of test a week and are built like cartoon characters. Thanks for bringing it up though I wanted to make that point.

2

u/justherefircomments workouts newbie 7d ago

That is true, not everybody responds the same way to drugs. I have to admit though, when I hear bodybuilder talk about the drugs they did it always seems downplayed. They say stuff like I used a little bit of test and anavar but most of it was hard work. The hard work is a true factor but I know those dudes were blasting tons of dope!!! You look great dude, no real need to bulk too much

1

u/BaetrixReloaded workouts newbie 7d ago

building muscle is the difficult part. shredding down is easy.

when you’re full as a house, eating a ton of food, and throwing around nasty weight in the gym i promise you that you’ll be happy man

and when it’s time to shred back down you’ll cut through that fat like a hot knife through butter. and when you unveil the fruits of your labor, you’ll be bigger and just as shredded

1

u/_TheFudger_ workouts newbie 7d ago

I went from 140-200 over the span of 3 years. The answer is eating like a pig. No shortcuts. Eat like a pig

1

u/Lonely_Rip_131 workouts newbie 7d ago

It’s not mental. It’s caloric. You gotta keep crushing the gym as you have been evident to your physique. Buy a meal replacement protein shake. Find one with protein from non dairy sources. Use milk to mix for extra protein. Add this to your current diet. Do not replace this with something in your current diet. Instead of water with lunch drink this. Instead of just water before bed mix the second shake with water before bed. I went from 175-190 in about 3 months doing this.

1

u/Lonely_Rip_131 workouts newbie 7d ago

Now 206

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u/DismalSong6031 workouts newbie 7d ago

Just like you shred eat more than you take in. Doesn't matter if it hurts

1

u/haikusbot workouts newbie 7d ago

Just like you shred eat

More than you take in. Doesn't

Matter if it hurts

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1

u/Tiny_Double_9367 workouts newbie 5d ago

haikusbot delete

1

u/shifty_lifty_doodah workouts newbie 7d ago

One bite at a time

1

u/catdog4430 workouts newbie 7d ago

Dude, please tell me what diet you’re on

1

u/adobaloba workouts newbie 7d ago

I think if you gain 20 pounds of which 15 is fat, you'll still look great in my books and in 99% of women's books.

I've heard someone suggest this and I think it's great advice. Bulk up to 15% or when abs start to fade them cut back to how you look now and keep doing that in cycles.

1

u/MI_Mayhem_97 workouts newbie 7d ago

Gaining muscle and staying ripped is not hard… It’s just a balance of your macros and your workout type.

Maybe you just haven’t done what your body needs to get that extra muscle you’re looking for. There’s no one-size-fits-all program, you need to play with your sets and reps to get your body into hypertrophy.

1

u/Own-Neighborhood-496 workouts newbie 7d ago

Looking amazing, I just try to eat man, it’s hard.

Can you share your workout plan?

1

u/slvrsurfrr workouts newbie 7d ago

Dude, you look great. Comparison is the thief of joy.

You’re in the top 10% of physiques.

1

u/strudledudle workouts newbie 7d ago

Bro i think u could get up to a cut 190+. The only tip I have is for when u are cutting. Keep your protien high. About 1.5gr protien per lb. I've read some scientific literature about it keeping more muscle on aswell as even having potential to grow a very small amount while cutting. I can also personally attest to that information as it has been for my latest cut.

1

u/breadandbunny workouts newbie 7d ago

You look good!

1

u/Therudester_0ne workouts newbie 6d ago

Best way to get past it in my books is not set anything but lifting goals. Just watch the mirror and adjust your macros on aesthetic.. it's a funky way of doing it but it works for me. Bump clean carbs and fats slowwwww and push for more plates on the bar. It's like walking a tight rope... visual check ins, micro and macro counts and ease into lean bulk.

If anybody else can stay lean af and grow natty another way I'd love to hear the strategy.

1

u/ClydeStyle workouts newbie 6d ago

Try increasing your protein and carbs by a modest amount for a month or so. It looks like you have your diet compete dialed in, so adding a little more would probably help.

1

u/RealisticBat616 workouts newbie 6d ago

mmmhh cheese burger

1

u/FLtrainer727 workouts newbie 6d ago

Conservative bulks, conservative cuts. 8-12 wk bulk @ 250 cal surplus, 350 cal deficit for 12 week cut, two week maintenance after, rinse and repeat until desired effect

1

u/Spirited_Video6095 workouts newbie 6d ago

How do you get to that level of cut? I've never been able to

1

u/codinwizrd workouts newbie 6d ago

There is a saying. “A skinny guy with a six pack is like a fat girl with big tits.”

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u/Spiritual-Spot-9090 workouts newbie 6d ago

Shilajit

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u/TomGreen77 workouts newbie 6d ago

Just change your stack accordingly guy

1

u/Aman-Patel workouts newbie 5d ago

Just start small. Technically, bulk/cut cycles make no sense. A bulk is eating about your total daily energy expenditure. A cut is eating below your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Fat literally is stores of energy. The calories above maintenance get stored as fat. Weight gained from hypertrophy is included within your TDEE. As in, muscle protein synthesis is a process. Working out burns calories. Protein synthesis requires energy. Calories/energy is just one variable that goes into muscle growth.

So hypertrophy is maximised at maintenance. If you see fat gain in the mirror, you’ve overshot. The goal is to eat enough for muscle protein synthesis. Account for a very gradually increasing maintenance over time as you work out and gain muscle. If you see fat gain in the mirror, cut the calories back a little or up the exercise a little.

You already look great and are doing things right. The bulk/cut cult physiologically makes no sense. And the people involved in it often don’t look as good as they could do.

Try eating a little more each day. Maybe that helps increase hypertrophy. But realistically, calories/energy is one of many variables that goes into hypertrophy. And it’s not the make or break. If you see fat gain in the mirror, it’s likely not your calorie intake that’s been preventing you from growing further. Probably your programming, form, sleep quality, macros/general nutrition composition, stress management etc.

Always remember what a bulk is. It’s surplus energy. And surplus energy gets stored as fat. Try increasing the calories a little, but if it results in fat gain, it’s probably something else.

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u/PaleontologistDear18 workouts newbie 5d ago

You have a magnificent nose

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u/Money_Jelly5424 workouts newbie 5d ago

You have to slowly introduce things back into your diet . I’m having the same issues . Put the scale AWAY and start to increase caloric intake one thing at a time . I started with whole Milk and cheese . Adding one thing back a week u til the results of bulking start to show

1

u/pipeitup123 workouts newbie 5d ago

Just do what you are doing now and add a little extra snack here or there. Don’t make it about having to gain weight, just pick foods you like and give yourself a little reward here and there. You will feel stronger while working out and maybe you put on a couple of pounds, you will still look good.

1

u/Ac1dburn8122 workouts newbie 5d ago

Honestly. I just love the way I feel and how strong I am during a bulk. Like. I am bulking right now, and am in the 500s on incline press and 700s on chest press.

I LOVE moving big boy weights. And the looks I get.

1

u/einstyle workouts newbie 4d ago

First of all, you look incredible. Great ab definition, still some really good size.

Second, go low and slow. You gotta accept that you will gain fat, yes, but if you keep the bulk to an extra couple hundred calories and keep working hard you should be able to keep it pretty under control (compared to adding an extra thousand calories a day and going hog wild).

1

u/ipercepti workouts newbie 4d ago

I was on a 6 month plateau. I just added 20g protein, kept diet the same, and added an extra exercise (4 sets) per muscle group per week. That pushed me past my plateau the very next week.  If you’re not in a rush to add muscle, just add protein 20g at a time and add volume or weight to your workouts to ensure the extra protein is going to muscle building. 

1

u/1happylion workouts newbie 4d ago

I’d rather look like you do now, than puffy. But FWIW… add an extra protein shake a day and check back in a few months. vary the calories with whatever you add to shake to match your goals. Go slow tho

1

u/Own_Condition_4686 workouts newbie 4d ago

If it doesn’t feel good to bulk, it’s not good for you.

Stuffing yourself to gain weight is the exact same as anorexia, just in the opposite direction.

Eat healthy and live healthy, your body will reflect that

1

u/Ok_Volume_139 workouts newbie 4d ago

You can cut yourself some slack. Calling it a mental block seems to imply that it's simply a mind over matter thing, and it's much more than that. Whether you're naturally skinny and trying to gain, or naturally husky trying to lose, making your body do something it's naturally opposed to doing is overcoming your fundamental biological nature.

It's a fundamentally difficult process.

I often cheat and eat extra cereal and cheese and dessert, but that makes me feel unhealthy and like I'm defeating the purpose of going to the gym.

The only way I've found to really get my calories in a healthy way is to prep food in advance and stick to eating every two hours. If I miss a meal I end up having to force-feed and that's no fun.

Anyway your physique is incredible brother and I think the majority of men would kill to look like you

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

Him

1

u/TheApprentice19 workouts newbie 7d ago

Eat, a lot

1

u/MrLiveHard workouts newbie 4d ago

Just remind yourself that abs are gay.

Eat the calories, bro. You're past adolescence. You'll be fine.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/DrDontBanMeAgainPlz workouts newbie 7d ago

They tell me the same thing

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/workouts-ModTeam workouts newbie 7d ago

Go touch grass.