Getting comfortable with weight gain during off season/ growth phase

[qbkilla]

Reading your post it sounds like you've spent alot of time at higher bf, id assume what I would refer to as a permabulker. If that is true, and your not happy with your arms, do you think a surplus or adding fat and bodyweight will help? Isn't that essentially what you've always done, is bulk?

Ever consider its your training? How has your arm training changed to try and bring them up? Have you tweaked frequency, volume, even to the extreme? Ever did mountaindog training? How is your mind muscle connection for triceps? I think I mentioned this in another thread, unless your truly lean How can you be sure your arms are actually lagging? I feel like anyone l...except those with narrow hips...would look to have smallish arms at 12-15 because the torso/gut/distention from so much food will make them look small relative to your physique.

Even if you do bulk and add lbm and lbm and fat, they may not look bigger until you cut the fat. And if you don't maintain that new weight setpoint and quickly cut...they may shrink bqck down.

 

[Thor65]

I don’t know you so take this with a grain of salt. If I was 15+% I definitely wouldn’t be pushing food regardless of my age. Thts just me though.

 

[theway]

Man, with all due respect, I’ll be honest with you. At your age, don’t even think about pushing bodyweight. Seriously. That time is gone. Off-season for you does not mean eating in a big calorie surplus.
At most: maintenance calories or a very small surplus. That’s it. You should aim to keep body fat as low as possible all year round and protect your insulin sensitivity.
And what do you want to do? Push weight? For what? To create chronic inflammation in your body?
Because pushing bodyweight hard, eating huge amounts of calories, chasing crazy numbers on the scale that is inflammation.
And at your age, your body will not tolerate that well. You have to accept reality. You are not at the stage of life where you can “push things” anymore.
You started bodybuilding very late, so some things are simply not realistic for you. You are not a 20-year-old guy. You’re not even 30. You’re over 50.

Think about that.

And Luki, isn’t this basically how most bodybuilders grow nowadays staying lean? For example, if you’re at 5% body fat, slowly moving up to 8–10%(5% marge) can be enough to gain serious size. However, for older lifters, it might be wiser to stay around 7–8% and keep the surplus smaller, say 200 kcal and not like 500kcal. like you said.

 

[massephase]

Shifting th focus more towards training performance is what I do. You still want to keep the mirror in mind, but be a little more emotionally detached from it than you would be coming out of a cut - after a diet you tend to get very emotionally invested with your look.
While gaining (I understand, you have been adviced not to do it, I am just answering the question) I would look more towards training performance and how you feel (you want to feel good and strong, sleep well, digest well, low stress).

Having done a heavy bulk where you got a little fat helps, provided that you ended up significantly larger. You learn that it's just part of the game.

 

[buck]

As a 65 year old person that has been obese all my life, according to the medical society/government as my BMI is over 30. And weigh the same now as i did in grade school when i was much shorter and less muscular than i am now. Was the 2nd fattest kid in my class. Who later stood on BB stages feeling fat even though i was easily as lean as anyone. I understand about not being comfortable with numbers on the scale going up. Or the lookin the mirror, especially after a show. Taking emotions out and just looking at how things are is a challenge. Growing or i should say regrowing muscle later in life can be done without bulking. I quit seriously bulking after a few times when i was younger. Slow consistency works. Training , diet and rest, Decided to priorities my arms a while back and people make more comments now about them. My weight has not gone up to any real degree. And my midsection is down.

 

[Dboy71]

Who in there right mind want to push when there 50?! Wtf you ain’t got it no more . Go take a nap

 

[Swifto]

Who in there right mind want to push when there 50?! Wtf you ain’t got it no more . Go take a nap

Strong first post. Not your first rodeo is it?

 

[romo]

Who in there right mind want to push when there 50?! Wtf you ain’t got it no more . Go take a nap

You would be surprised how many here are over 50. And would run circles around you.

 

[gauge22-v2]

Today anyone don’t build mass the way people did 15-20 years ago. Nobody runs a sloppy off-season anymore. Nobody carries tons of water or excess body fat.
Yes, there are guys like Blessing and a few others who get really heavy and fat in the off-season. But are they doing it to make the best progress? And are they actually making the best progress? No. Most of the time they just like to eat, and off-season is an excuse for eat to much.
No serious athlete goes into a huge calorie surplus in the off-season + the older you are, the more you should focus on staying healthy all year round.
And what does that mean? - Don’t increase inflammation so water retention and body fat to much

Gaining 1.5-2 kg of pure muscle in a year is already a big result. If you’re doing that after the age of 50, that’s massive progress.
So honestly, I think you’re just a bit unrealistic about what kind of progress is actually possible.

Hahah....I used to eat 3 big macs, XL fries, XL Orange drink (most calories), and a sundae from Mcds in the 1990s during bulking (get fat) season

 

[hawkmoon]

@luki7788 and others are right, but perhaps I can speak as someone older than you who has competed on and off since 1988.

You can make improvements, but they will be tweaks and tunes.
I did make good gains in my 40s, but in my 50s it's detail work and working on fixing problems. I eat maintenance most of the time. My stage weight has been at the top of light heavies for 37 years.
The difference between me and you practically speaking is I attained and held that for decades, I'm not trying to build it from scratch. I also realize your in MP and the thresholds are lower, but still...new tissue is a lot of new stress.

As older guys we are more mature than the young guys who say "fuck it, I'm gonna die huuuuge!".
We know you most likely won't die. But you may very well have impaired heart or kidney function that makes the rest of your life pitiful and miserable.

Be moderate in all things.
Enjoy more competitions with your son.
Do it for fun, not to "wow" anyone - including yourself.

 

[killinit8]

I guess there's a give and take. Some dudes make a bulk phase all about any calories they can get. Why? If you keep the calories clean(ish) you will still put on size with limited fat gain. Yes fat is going to happen but it doesn't need to be an enormous amount. This shit ain't a race

 

[Communion]

The Lee Priest offseason is a thing of the past for most.

 

[Mufasa123]

Already covered extensively esp extreme side goal to pack on muscle at max (ie older you get the less your body tolerates rapid weight gain and water retention).

Go slow, moderation - modest surplus. Measure, weigh yourself. See how it goes. Add a bit more when needed. You are older but newer to this. Everyone has a "gain zone" where they can gain muscle well and not blow up bodyfat and ruin insulin sensativity. Find yours and then slow/steady calorie excess management. Training, anabolic and food dialed in will do it. Eventually you'll need to add food again and again as muscle increases and needs increase. BF% should hold in range. When it doesn't and food isn't the answer...increase dose then back to food usually is but that's a ways out most likely.

Just find your range and keep it. You won't be sloppy, you just won't be stage look. Above all enjoy the process/road/journey - it's most of life as destinations are short lived.

 

[qbkilla]

I guess there's a give and take. Some dudes make a bulk phase all about any calories they can get. Why? If you keep the calories clean(ish) you will still put on size with limited fat gain. Yes fat is going to happen but it doesn't need to be an enormous amount. This shit ain't a race

When I was younger and believed in "eat big get big' I bulked from 143 to 247 from about 2002 to 2007. Ate progressive, high protein, all clean food, got stronger (bench went from 135 to 255 for 5 sets of 5 before tearing pec)...had a few cuts in but I did just what the internet told me...tuna oats olive oil natty pb chicken. I was 255 but looked like a 5'10 nfl center lol. So in my case....most of that clean food turned to fat...on 750mg test in my 20s...even though it was clean food. I just out ate my muscle building potential and most of those clean calories went right into my fat cells...I looked terrible

 

[killinit8]

I guess there's a give and take. Some dudes make a bulk phase all about any calories they can get. Why? If you keep the calories clean(ish) you will still put on size with limited far gain. Yes fat is going to happen but it doesn't need to be an enormous amount. This shit ain't a rac

When I was younger and believed in "eat big get big' I bulked from 143 to 247 from about 2002 to 2007. Ate progressive, high protein, all clean food, got stronger (bench went from 135 to 255 for 5 sets of 5 before tearing pec)...had a few cuts in but I did just what the internet told me...tuna oats olive oil natty pb chicken. I was 255 but looked like a 5'10 nfl center lol. So in my case....most of that clean food turned to fat...on 750mg test in my 20s...even though it was clean food. I just out ate my muscle building potential and most of those clean calories went right into my fat cells...I looked terrible

Yea there is definitely a line that once crossed it goes right to fat. Its finding that balance enough to build mass but minimal fat. Which is definitely not easy. If I was rich I'd hire a coach, but im poor so fuck it

 

[killinit8]

I guess there's a give and take. Some dudes make a bulk phase all about any calories they can get. Why? If you keep the calories clean(ish) you will still put on size with limited far gain. Yes fat is going to happen but it doesn't need to be an enormous amount. This shit ain't a rac

Yea there is definitely a line that once crossed it goes right to fat. Its finding that balance enough to build mass but minimal fat. Which is definitely not easy. If I was rich I'd hire a coach, but im poor so fuck it

Bro, on point. I need a rich wife so she can pay for me to get jacked and be a trophy husband

 

[Cerberus777]

It's interesting you say this. I'm 58 and am presently in the best BBing shape of my life, and I expressed to my coach that I wanted to do a push phase in 2026 and try to put on 10 pounds of lean mass. He told me that my goal should be a health phase after this cut (just about finished, went from 235 to about 200 and kept my muscle), and to hold this present condition throughout the next year.

I guess I'm a little disappointed because while 200 and 7-8% is a good look, I think that 215 at 7-8% is a better look. I got the feeling that he thinks that at my age, any significant growth is over, or should be for health reasons. Or are you saying to simply reduce expectations and instead of trying to put on 10 pounds I should set a goal for 2-5 pounds?

If you want more size. I don't think anyone is telling you not to do it. But if you put on 25lbs. Or 5lbs. Your net clean weight will be similar so be careful with big jumps. Almost everyone here is to heavy to live to 100. Add in gear ect. As an older guy. I kmow the sudden weight gain will cause higher BP RHR ect 200lb at 5'6" has minimal impact. I love being 225lb. But need a lot more stuff to stay healthy. im slowly trying to get 205. And see if if goes well.

 

[Massive G]

Bro, on point. I need a rich wife so she can pay for me to get jacked and be a trophy husband

Why are you quoting yourself?

 

[killinit8]

Why are you quoting yourself?

I dont know how that happened lol