Body fat while bulking

[Jonathan]

I heard someone say yesturday that most people when they try to bulk,the first time they see their BF% go up or they lose sight of their six pack they freak out and start cutting again.I can tell you that is TRUE.Ive watched my BF go from 15/16% up to 18/19% while ive been bulking.And it is freaking me out a little .I am bulking clean no doughnuts or crap like that.Lots of cottage chese and lean meats (i think its the Muscle milk adding the fat).....anyhoo my question is -what is a desent body fat % for someone that is bulking?

Thanks
JP

[mvp]

All depends. Different bf% looks different on different people. Average 13 -15% is the best bf I've seen.

And yes, I'm with you on your comment about they lost def. and 6-pack and start freaking out. I'm one of those people. I've been bulking since June. I've gained over 30 pounds. Does it feel good? Yes. Does it look good? Not so sure.

If you would like to gain weight here is a home-made weight gainer that doesn't involve so much fat that I've tried and it works.

Add Whey - Banana - Oats - Milk. Mix it up in your blender and enjoy.

[Jonathan]

13-15%BF seems low for a person bulking.Whats your BF now that youve gained 30 lbs??

[Chris]

I've said this before, but your question bears the response.....A lot of people get all worked up and confused over the whole bulking/cutting idea. It obviously comes from competitive bodybuilding where you have to get incredibly lean for a competition. But, if you don't have to do that and don't compete, there is no need to go through those phases. Because most competitive bodybuilders in their "off-season bulk" stage are still much leaner than the average gym guy. So for someone not competing doing a bulking phase will likely only mean putting on excess fat.

I personally think following the same approach every day year round is the best choice unless cutting for a show or shoot or whatever. If you take in too excess of calories you will add unwanted bodyfat and it will take you that much longer to shed it when the time comes. If you restrict too much as you would when getting ready for a show, you will certainly cost yourself the ability to add as much muscle. Instead I would recommned staying lean by eating clean year round. What works best will always work best, there's no need to have high and low carb days. A high protein, moderate carb, and low fat diet will always work best with high GI carbs & fast digesting protein in small frequent meals following your workout withen 3 hours, then low GI carbs and slower digesting protein throughout the rest of the day with plenty of fiber. That gives your body the nutrients and muscle glycogen it needs post workout for fast energy recovery, then gives consistent energy throughout the rest of day to allow yourself to pack on muscle without adding unwanted bodyfat. Then it's just a matter of learning the quantities that suits you.

You can and should be able to put on size while still maintaining a good condition, albiet not a competitive condition. Hope that helps

[mvp]

My body fat is 17%. But I'm not sure Jonathan as I took a online bf& test. I scored 17% on different tests, I feel though that I have a high bf% for someone as small as I am from my physique, in which I will be posting pics sooner or later.

It's actually 38 pounds now though, hehe. I'm up to 168. I'm dying to reach 190.

Like Chris said above though ^, it's what you feel suits you. I personally would like to be around 14%.

[Jonathan]

Thanks Chris and MVP for the help.From the scale today it looks like im gonna be at 17% for a while and thats cool,and my wieght is up a solid 5-6 pounds to 145 now from 138-140 on the 14th of January (see my blog for scale pix)
**I had the height wrong the first few times and my BF was like 15-16%,but when I fixed that it's sat between 17-18%.
But thanks Chris for getting it in perspective for me,thats a more level headed approach that I think would suit the average person.

Peace