Hey all, 35 here 185. I need help putting together the right macros fkrna 8nweek bulk. I am trying to gain some size and then cut down jan5th for 8 weeks. Attached is my current pic. What bf would you say I am.  I am currently doing 185x18 for calories, protein 275, fat 87 and carbs 315.  Am I approaching this the right way? 

Based on your pics and as a rough guess, I would say 20-21% body fat. You really should get your body fat down in the 12-15% range before you even consider bulking. Right now you are carrying too much body fat such that any size you gain will be more fat than muscle as you will need to be running a caloric surplus of 250-500 calories. The reason this occurs is because muscle tissue is active tissue and burns calories even at rest. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn which means caloric surpluses will be used for muscle gain not fat storage.

If you are 185Lbs at 20% body fat for example, then you have 185 x .8 = 148lbs of lean mass (muscle). If you were 175 at 12% body fat, then you would have 175 x .88 = 154Lbs of lean mass (muscle). That is a 6 Lb difference. You will therefore be burning more calories each day at 175Lbs and 12% body fat than at 185Lbs at 20% body fat.

John

Team when using the meal planner I am getting mized results see left side versus right side of same page with same inputs.

I agree with John that you'll be best to cut some weight first. Now keep in mind you will likely lose some muscle, but as long as you keep your training intense (which you will definitely do with the 5-Day split), and keep your protein high then we can preserve as much muscle as possible.

Also remember that because you're not a beginner, it will be more difficult to gain mass when cutting, but that's OK, if you stay in a slight calorie deficit that will help you maintain the majority of your mass.

I would start with the number on the left that you got from the @mealplan page (2600 calories) and work down from there. Best to start a cut as high as you can and then reduce it as you plateau. These might be good starting macros...

Protein: 230g

Carbs: 180g

Fat: 105g

Total Calories = 2585

Thoughts? By not dropping carbs to 150g right away, that gives you an easy 100 calories you can cut back later, and it's always a good idea to keep fat loss slow to help reduce any muscle loss.

Hey man totaly appreciate the reply and will go ahead and start today with you and JOhn's advice. I was confused by the two differetn numbers so thanks for the direction. I usyally use MFP but I will use this platform and provide some feedback. I am all about being a part of team so I will be as active as I can hoping this platform takes off. Good job!! I started day 1 of of the 5 day split. Pretty intense and loved it!!!

Happy to help bro! Glad to have you as part of the community and can't wait to see your progress! Enjoy the program and keep us updated! 💪 ðŸ˜ 

Hi everyone! I am on a cut currently but my wife doesn’t feel like I should lose more weight once I reach 195. But I wanna look a little more shredded. I am around 18 to 19% body fat and 5’11. I want to lean bulk to pop my muscles more so when I go back to 195 lb I have a more leaner look. Should I ramp up to a cal surplus of 250 to 500 calories or just when I decide to start bulking should I just eat 250 to 500 more that day? I’ve never actually bulked before as I always tried to lose weight.

Well when you are bulking, you want to be in that surplus each day. But if you're not going to start your bulk yet, then there's no need for you to increase your calories just yet. What's your current weight with 18%-19% bodyfat?

My current weight is 198 lb. I would like to go to 190 but my wife feels like I’d be too small. So I figured I would start bulking the week after I reach 195. Seems silly to me. I would like to get to 14 to 15% but happy wife happy life they say.

So you should go down about 1-2% if you drop another 3lbs, because if you've been cutting for a while you should have gotten rid of most of your water retention already (hopefully). So you would be close to the 15% mark.. but I guess you do have to keep the wife happy, I know the feeling! haha.

But maybe you could compromise.. if you cut down to 190lbs, then bulk back up to 195lbs with little to no added fat? Then you're both happy? 😁 

Hahaha yeah! I definitly give that a go. I am pretty excited to try bulking properly. hoping to make those lean gains!!!! Thanks Scott, this site is the best!

Haha nice @jalves, lean gains are definitely the way to go!! And thanks man, I'm so happy everyone is enjoying the site so much!! 😁