How fat is too fat? (the offseason dilemma)

[Ocean cool]

I believe you should be consuming 500-700K cal above your maintenance.

Anything more will likely result in fat gain. Whats the point of gaining so much fat in the offseason when you have to loose it approaching a show / photo shoot / etc.

 

[thethinker48]

I believe you should be consuming 500-700K cal above your maintenance.

Anything more will likely result in fat gain. Whats the point of gaining so much fat in the offseason when you have to loose it approaching a show / photo shoot / etc.

[emoji52]

I'd be dead in one day with that much over.

I know what you mean [emoji13]

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[XstarchildX]

I think it's all about balance. The past year or so I've been nailing my macros 6 days a week and then having a non counting day. If I'm really hungry, I eat more. If I want pizza, I get it. If things start to get out of control and I'm gaining too quickly I pull back a little on my macros. Not gaining? I increase them a little. I go more on mirror and how I feel than the scale too now. As far as how I heavy I get over contest is debatable. I haven't competed since 2011 and I was natural then. Stage weight was 160 at 5'9 lol. And before you laugh at the weight, I won an Open division so I wasn't the smallest dude on stage . But now that I'm sitting just north of 200 and pretty lean, it's hard to say what my stage weight would be. I'm guessing 180-185.

 

[rmtt]

After going through what I have been through in the last 1.5 years....it's changed my whole way of thinking about the subject.

This last go around I lost a ton of weight....but I had a lot of time to do it in so it wasn't hard.

I figure that if I can't get back to a level of leanness that I want within 4-6 weeks...then I let myself go too far in the first place.

 

[Elvia1023]

I thought you can do a solid 30lbs in 6 months

I reached my goals easily on that. Don't forget I started when I had been off everything. Like I also had to explain to people at the start I wasn't necessarily stating 30 pounds of solid muscle. I meant 30 pounds whilst appearing the same sort of leanness but water in the right places (basically being on steroids) only adds to things. I actually changed my goal to 40 pounds and pretty much done it. If you look through that thread you will see I actually done it in a very short time. In fact if thethinker doesn't mind I can post pics in this thread?

I later realized that do I really want to carry on that way and get to say 270 pounds. The need to bulk is always in my head but I try to be more sensible. Although I will be bulking again soon but on trt only. Well maybe some hgh and pep tides but just low test for aas.

 

[rmtt]

I reached my goals easily on that. Don't forget I started when I had been off everything. Like I also had to explain to people at the start I wasn't necessarily stating 30 pounds of solid muscle. I meant 30 pounds whilst appearing the same sort of leanness but water in the right places (basically being on steroids) only adds to things. I actually changed my goal to 40 pounds and pretty much done it. If you look through that thread you will see I actually done it in a very short time. In fact if thethinker doesn't mind I can post pics in this thread?

I later realized that do I really want to carry on that way and get to say 270 pounds. The need to bulk is always in my head but I try to be more sensible. Although I will be bulking again soon but on trt only. Well maybe some hgh and pep tides but just low test for aas.

You are just too tall!

Or maybe it's that I'm just too short. Putting on that much weight for me would be a disaster...but you carried it out rather well from what I have seen.

 

[Elvia1023]

I think guys are getting mixed up as he is not stating he is going to get fat in the off season. Merely questioning how far guys go in regards to bf% when bulking. It's true far too many use bulking as an excuse to get fat and eat shit but there are also many who are too scared to get fat they limit their growth. Plus is someone has the mindset they want to be as big as possible what's the point in limiting that by not eating enough.

As CM stated you know your body and can see how you look and feel so know best. You know the answers to your questions but maybe just need some reassurance. Regarding other bodybuilders well you can't really go by what x pro is doing as they are completely different with different genetics. Although JM is not a good example as he competes at 212. Plus he values health so there is no need for him to get as big as possible as it just goes against him and he has to diet down hard to make weight.

I will say just use some common sense about other people too. Don't always believe what some pro's say about how they done things. If someone looks huge and lean all year and continues to improve the chances are they never come off. There are guys who a cruise to them is 1g test and 10iu hgh. You can usually tell who takes 2 steps forwards and 1 backwards and improves over the years that way.

As my earlier post stated there are 1001 variables. Many guy you may see who get massive and fast run a big cycle for 30 weeks straight. Others do 8 on 4 off 8 on etc. Some use 500mg and others use 5g. Some mutate but you later find out they are on 3g test and 2g tren. It's your own limits that dictate how fast the changes ar gonna come and that is in regards to food, drugs and training.

I think you are on a good path so just do what you have been doing and I wouldn't worry too much about pushing teh weight more as you are far from fat. I would be consistent then as BH posted diet down next year to see where you are at. Do what he stated though and there is no need to diet down to 5%... more 8% or so. Then of course rebound and reach new heights in size

 

[megarips250]

I'm trying to gains as much muscle as possible while staying as lean as possible durring my current off season protocol. 30-45 minutes of fasted Cardio in the morning and weight training in the evening. Mon-Sat =50g F ED 300g C ED 300g P ED. On Sunday I eat 20000 calories mostly from Burgers, pizza, Ice cream and cerial. This has been giving me amazing results. Aside from great strength gains my my physiques overall look improves. Fullness, density, striations, vasculartiy, etc. When saturday rolls around my body feels completly depleted. I train 4 days out of the week. Cardio stays in until Saturday.

 

[Elvia1023]

Thethinker48 I hope you don't mind me posting my pics in your thread but I think they may show what I meant in my post. The 1st month was a write off due to various reasons but I think I put on 30 pounds in the 1st proper month. In the end I put on 41 pounds. Obviously it's not muscle but if you can do it without your bodyfat looking like it shifted too much surely that is a success. I am 6ft 2 so things can be deceiving but I did get a lot bigger. I weighed 256 pounds in the last few pics. At the start I was off everything so that is a big factor.

 

[XstarchildX]

I think guys are getting mixed up as he is not stating he is going to get fat in the off season. Merely questioning how far guys go in regards to bf% when bulking. It's true far too many use bulking as an excuse to get fat and eat shit but there are also many who are too scared to get fat they limit their growth. Plus is someone has the mindset they want to be as big as possible what's the point in limiting that by not eating enough.

This is TOO true. I was guilty of this myself and really messed up a rebound post contest. It also tanked my hormones when I was naturally. Now I'm on TRT for life now lol.

 

[airman]

I reached my goals easily on that. Don't forget I started when I had been off everything. Like I also had to explain to people at the start I wasn't necessarily stating 30 pounds of solid muscle. I meant 30 pounds whilst appearing the same sort of leanness but water in the right places (basically being on steroids) only adds to things. I actually changed my goal to 40 pounds and pretty much done it. If you look through that thread you will see I actually done it in a very short time. In fact if thethinker doesn't mind I can post pics in this thread?

I later realized that do I really want to carry on that way and get to say 270 pounds. The need to bulk is always in my head but I try to be more sensible. Although I will be bulking again soon but on trt only. Well maybe some hgh and pep tides but just low test for aas.

Ha Ha... I was just bustin balls. I read your thread constantly, every update. (I pretty much read all the threads daily, just a lurker).

It would however be cool to see the comparison pics from start to 'peak'

 

[hilly2008]

I think people always look at this wrong they always quote or ask Dante n others the same question. What's to fat ? Am I to fat ? How much fat can I gain.

If looking at it this way your going to limit yourself at some point. I've seen Dante post examples of guys that were never 'fat' then some that were more or less 'fat' for us.

His best quote I saw was

'Do everything you can to limit fat gain while gaining as much weight as you can '.

Do this until you need to start prepping , feel your strength just won't increase no matter what n are getting injured etc, you feel uncomfortable in public in your clothes , you just can't look at yourself in the mirror.

I've always struggled with this. I was a fat kid. After my first show I ballooned up. I then binged n yo yo diet n probably had n eating disorder of sorts.

I had abs. I wasn't fat n it disappeared in days after the show. My head went.

Now I do stay in better shape but due to my body type my abs go first. Once I accepted this I allowed myself to get heavier but it still holds me back. Far to much.

Something I have learnt tho through my work with mysejf , friends , clients , nhs etc is you can eat a lot of clean food n not get fat. You can eat not a lot of shit food n get fat.

There are some that can't but for most the cleaner you keep it the better.




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[xman280]

Thethinker48 I hope you don't mind me posting my pics in your thread but I think they may show what I meant in my post. The 1st month was a write off due to various reasons but I think I put on 30 pounds in the 1st proper month. In the end I put on 41 pounds. Obviously it's not muscle but if you can do it without your bodyfat looking like it shifted too much surely that is a success. I am 6ft 2 so things can be deceiving but I did get a lot bigger. I weighed 256 pounds in the last few pics. At the start I was off everything so that is a big factor.

u look much harder and a leaner actually in last few pics, were u carb depleted in the 1st one?

 

[lntense]

We have very similar builds and are the same height. Solid gains in those pics!


One thing that sucks, to appear "big" in my eyes, I would need to be around 265-270. But currently I'm sitting at 230-235 and people think I'm big, but I don't at all. Being at that size I just know I would be miserable.


Did you have any issues when you got up past 250 at that leanness?

 

[Elvia1023]

u look much harder and a leaner actually in last few pics, were u carb depleted in the 1st one?

I came off all gear (done pct) after a long time on so my testosterone level was that of a 70 year old woman I think I had just started gear a few day before so I might have looked worst 5 days prior. The lighting isn't great but I was definitely leaner in the last pics than the start. I was much softer at the start. I don't want to fill his thread wiht my pics But I forgot to post a leg pic. I really struggle being 6ft 2 and I have long legs for my height but I train them brutally hard and whilst they are not great they are ok. I think this was about 1 month into my log...



My goals have changed though and I am not interested in being huge. I like a more classic physique type of look so my last upper body pic posted was this (complete shift)...

 

[Elvia1023]

We have very similar builds and are the same height. Solid gains in those pics!


One thing that sucks, to appear "big" in my eyes, I would need to be around 265-270. But currently I'm sitting at 230-235 and people think I'm big, but I don't at all. Being at that size I just know I would be miserable.


Did you have any issues when you got up past 250 at that leanness?

Tell me about it. I feel like I am walking on pencils now I have being doing low carbs and unable to train legs Although I am increasingly more comfortable with myself so that's only a good thing. There was actually no health issue or bad side effect at all. It's something I have felt for ages. I always liked classic physique type looks more. Then you see the freaks and think let's get as huge as possible but it's not something I really want. Nor would I be willing to do what it takes to be that way. Before anyone thinks does he think he could look like a freak... no not at all. I just mean get my body up to say 280 pounds... I would probably look shit too

I actually felt decent even though I put the weight on fast. I hadn't been that heavy before but had been close in the past so maybe that was a factor. I like being big but it doesn't stop does it so after 250 you want 270 and before you know it you are 40 and 270 pounds and setting yourself up for disaster. I am 33 now so still relatively young and far from super healthy but I do value my health a lot so I think I am on a better path now.

 

[lntense]

Tell me about it. I feel like I am walking on pencils now I have being doing low carbs and unable to train legs Although I am increasingly more comfortable with myself so that's only a good thing. There was actually no health issue or bad side effect at all. It's something I have felt for ages. I always liked classic physique type looks more. Then you see the freaks and think let's get as huge as possible but it's not something I really want. Nor would I be willing to do what it takes to be that way. Before anyone thinks does he think he could look like a freak... no not at all. I just mean get my body up to say 280 pounds... I would probably look shit too

I actually felt decent even though I put the weight on fast. I hadn't been that heavy before but had been close in the past so maybe that was a factor. I like being big but it doesn't stop does it so after 250 you want 270 and before you know it you are 40 and 270 pounds and setting yourself up for disaster. I am 33 now so still relatively young and far from super healthy but I do value my health a lot so I think I am on a better path now.

That's good that you realize that fairly early on. I'm in my 20s and I'm already done with tren and things like that, I want to be around for a little bit.

If it wasn't for the constant sweating and cardio suffering I don't think I would mind being bigger.

 

[bieberhole69]

That's good that you realize that fairly early on. I'm in my 20s and I'm already done with tren and things like that, I want to be around for a little bit.

If it wasn't for the constant sweating and cardio suffering I don't think I would mind being bigger.

The constant sweating is just a think across all athletes (although worse in muscular individuals)--body senses heat, has learned response, does the learned response quicker.

As far as the cardio...simple low intensity cardio 3x weekly will do wonders to the out of breath / health / etc.

 

[lntense]

The constant sweating is just a think across all athletes (although worse in muscular individuals)--body senses heat, has learned response, does the learned response quicker.

As far as the cardio...simple low intensity cardio 3x weekly will do wonders to the out of breath / health / etc.

Many well conditioned athletes barely sweat and have an extremely low resting HR. That doesn't seem to be the case with guys that use gear from what I have seen.

The biggest time it bothers me is during sex, the poor females getting drenched..lol

 

[bieberhole69]

Many well conditioned athletes barely sweat and have an extremely low resting HR. That doesn't seem to be the case with guys that use gear from what I have seen.

The biggest time it bothers me is during sex, the poor females getting drenched..lol

Well, muscle = metabolism so that has something to do with it, and gear does too I'm sure.

My RHR dropped 15 just from 6 weeks of low intensity cardio. Obviously endurance athletes are going to have a lot lower because of all the cardio they're doing-but it CAN be lowered quite a bit in bigger guys. Just most won't do the cardio...

Totally understand the drenched females. It's like I'm in the middle of a workout the second I start.