Is it possible to add muscle efficiently without getting the sumo-look?

Cerberus · 07-18-2006, 02:46 PM

topic, to bulk or not to bulk? I've dieted down quite some weight this year and I DO NOT feel like getting all fat again, at least not as I was before... I want to add some mass but at the same time not add too much width on my waist consisting of fat..

**str8flexed** · 07-18-2006, 05:16 PM

one of my favorite things to do to stay lean while adding muscle is cyclical dieting

I "bulk" in a caloric surplus of 500 above maintenance for 4-6 weeks then cut for 2 weeks in a 500 kcal/day deficit. This takes advantage of the metabolic swings that occur from changing things... ie you are very anabolic after a cut b/c your insulin sensitivity is very high and it is very easy to lose fat when you start cuttting after a bulk because leptin, T3, etc cutting hormones are all elevated.

-Layne

Cerberus · 07-19-2006, 04:03 AM

I've found that counting calories is very hard, to exactly know your energi expenditure for a whole day needs a lab or something. I know there are a equations and such that give a decent digit to stay on while dieting but It's still very hard..

**str8flexed** · 07-19-2006, 11:20 AM

best way to find your basal metabolic rate is not an equation... it is to track your caloric intake and see how your weight responds... weighing yourself every morning and then at the end of the week taking the average of those weights and comparing them to the average of the following weeks weights.

-Layne

digink · 07-25-2006, 01:45 PM

Layne I tend not to count calories, rather I pay attention to the numbers of carbs/pro/fat I get in everyday. Im assuming this can easily be applied to this also, rather then changing your calories just differentiate between your carb/pro/fat ratio for a cut to bulk, correct?

**str8flexed** · 07-25-2006, 06:22 PM

if you are counting pro/carb/fat you are counting calories by default bro

digink · 07-26-2006, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by str8flexed

if you are counting pro/carb/fat you are counting calories by default bro

I understand that the pro/carb/fat numbers in the nutrional facts ultimately = the calories when you multiply them by their respective quantity(4/4/9), but what I was asking was do counting the calories themselves really make a difference? I personally think it is more effective to count the macronutrients as the calories, for me atleast, are sort of an empty number.

**str8flexed** · 07-26-2006, 10:25 PM

well the caloric balance determines how much weight you gain/lose but the pro/carb/fat breakdown of those calories in large part determines how lean that weight is