Staying 5-6% bf dry while adding muscle

[Dancho]

Has anyone has had success staying in close to contest condition and add slowly muscle(we are talking a pound a month for example, not huge water bumps in weight)? Any tips? Or maybe you have to bump the calories a tad to really grow and eventually go to high singles? What are your experiences?

 

[Flex500]

Has anyone has had success staying in close to contest condition and add slowly muscle(we are talking a pound a month for example, not huge water bumps in weight)? Any tips? Or maybe you have to bump the calories a tad to really grow and eventually go to high singles? What are your experiences?

there is a lot to this question hard to answer without getting long winded. I doubt many are truly growing while staying at a legit 5-6%. You are talking leaner than most people on NPC national stages. And keep in mind 1 pure pound of unadulterated dry muscle a month is a shit load. Whether I "dirty" or "clean" bulk I'd take 12 pounds of muscle a year any day. That is a metric ton.

I do believe though you can absolutely, and unequivocally grow (and I actually think there are health benefits to it) at a lean bodyfat like an 8-11% bf. Look at John Meadows and a lot of the guys he trains. He is literally a walking billboard for growing lean and he used to do it the dirty way accruing a ton of bodyfat. On his website if you are a member you can see his "back in the day" diet and how he is now quite strategic to stay lean and grow.

From amateurs to pro's seems like many more are staying leaning while trying to go.

PRO's
-you won't look like a fat douche
-you generally eat better which in the end is healthier
-insulin sensitivity is usually higher
-dieting is much easier
-carry less bodyfat = overall healthier (usually lower bp and better blood markers)

Con's
-it's harder
-often people do this with more drugs (sometimes much more) which negates some of the above health benefits
-can lead constant second guessing when any fat or water is put on so food is pulled back too much and potential muscle gains are missed.


In the end it's a delicate balance. I mean look at Roman Fritz. Dude is a freak and stays crazy lean all year but Dave P. often talks about him needing to ease up and eat more but he doesn't want to put any fat on so he probably is sacrificing muscle. That dude is a pure freak though. In the offseason he looks like an anatomy chart.

 

[bill2]

Pretty hard to gain mass while staying shreded .... You need a good calorie bump to restart your metabolism and reset as to go at gain mode again....
If you have to be shreded you have to be prety much at maintenance level calories all the time which is not a good scenario for gaining mass ...



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[OutToLunch]

Sounds highly unlikely. Myth...

 

[GreenTLB6]

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

 

[snowpatrol]

I try to stay 10-12% while growing - it looks pretty lean

Under 8% sounds extremely unproductive, sacrificing a lot for vanity IMO

 

[concreteguy]

Do you really know what 5 to 6% even looks like? I think it can be done with elite genetics. But your average Joe isn't going to pull it off. Will take chems of all kinds.

CG

 

[asteelz]

Do you really know what 5 to 6% even looks like? I think it can be done with elite genetics. But your average Joe isn't going to pull it off. Will take chems of all kinds.

CG

x2.. 5-6 percent is VERY lean, and highly unlikely to be a state that you can hold for long periods of time, yet alone maintain while growing. Staying around 10% is feasible, and more conducive to gaining muscle.

 

[ikke 20]

Every Pro did in the beginning of there career the real bulk style. 12% fat minimum.

Nobody is getting huge Without dirty bulk.

 

[XstarchildX]

You really won't gain too much size at such a low body fat. That's EXTREMELY lean. If you look at a lot of the pro physique competitors, most of them stay relatively lean during their offseason. Why? Because they don't need to pack on a ton of lean mass and it makes prep easier for them. If you're looking to add some size to your frame, you'll have to get to a healthy level of body fat. This varies from individual to individual, but I would say somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-12% or so would be a good place.

 

[need4tren]

The only way I can see this working is all day is dieting all day low to no carb then using pre and post workout slin with a shit ton of protein with a decent intra drink (carbs Creatine glutamine ect)


Or be genetically gifted. Or be black

 

[concreter]

Sure it can be done...Just add more Primo!
A little GH and LR3 wont hurt either..lol

 

[landmarkchem.linda]

I try to stay 10-12% while growing - it looks pretty lean

Under 8% sounds extremely unproductive, sacrificing a lot for vanity IMO

X2, stay in 10-12% is pretty good looking

 

[concreter]

That attitude will get you 2nd place every time.
Next it is 12-15%, then your the Fat chick in the car next to you!

Keep lying to yourself that your not Vain, I do..

 

[Dancho]

Sure it can be done...Just add more Primo!
A little GH and LR3 wont hurt either..lol

in your pics you are very dry. i managed to grow well being 7%bf, but from semi dry i was wetter because of higher gh and test, i am thinking of low to no test to stay drier. i am niagara falls when it comes to holding water

 

[ubermensch]

I've seen it done, I've trained people who have but they just had the genetics to do it. Guys who the more you fed them the better they got. If a person has to ask if it can be done then chances are they probably cant. I doubt Phil heath has ever asked if there was any way a person can stay lean while bulking, to guys like that, its just how they grow.

 

[Fit2Serve]

Why would you want to do that?

I think that is a good question... I like to hover at 9-12% when wanting to grow and in "offseason" its relatively comfortable. basically eating clean mon-fri then sat and sun kinda eat how I want.

even at 9-12% ur gonna be leaner than like 97% of people. and will hopefully have an easier time growing... I just don't see anyone maintaining 5% or less unless GEARED UP or crazy genetics for being lean and crazy discipline.

I just don't see why anyone would WANT to do that lol. enjoy life for a few months....
-F2S

 

[swoll4life]

5% is really lean I don't know how to post pics but maby soneone can post pics of what a true 5% bf athlete looks like alot of people feel they are 6 7% bf and they are no where near that. But I usually stay lean while adding but it depends how strict I am with couting my macros and staying very consistent but I've never Ben 6% would b nice to get that low thou

 

[thethinker48]

5%?? Like a true 5 %?

John Meadows had a hydrostatic scan done around one of his competition peak weeks, and I think he came in around 4.6%.

Ever see what John looks like pre-contest? Even in the off season the dude looks like he's carved out of granite. So unless you're Roman Fritz, chase one rabbit at a time; for a man who chases 2 ends up catching none.

 

[trackstar19]

7--8.5% year round whilst slowly adding mass is possible IMO - easiest route would be lots of GH, tren, and pre-workout slin. I've done it a few times and had decent success. If you jack your IGF-1 levels up enough I believe it's far easier staying shredded and having your body really partition everything you're eating towards muscle building. (Okay, not 'everything' - but you know what I mean). Think the camel crew - they stay pretty shredded and I am assuming they're just on a fuck ton of pharma GH and incrilex. (And anabolic a/androgenics). I intend to try to grow into my next show via higher GH, high tren, and pre workout humalog. That + berberine and other things seems to be decently effective. Id argue doing the typical GH/test route and getting a bit watery and some fat is safer - less hard drugs involved. That's my guess why most guys do it that route. They save the hard DHT/tren blasts for prep