REVscene Automotive Forum - View Single Post - Two year controlled bulking

Oleophobic · 03-24-2018, 03:33 PM

Hi guys,

I made this post two years ago and thought, since I got really lean, I was in an excellent position to slowly build muscle over the next two years and actually seeing results assuming I didn't obscure any visible gains by gaining too much fat.

Fast forward two years and I've gone through two cycles where I went from 140lbs-->153lbs ----> 140lbs ---> 153lbs ----> 140 lbs (currently)

-I worked out consistently (3x/week mainly upper body incorporating compound movements like bench, dead, pullups, and isolation)
-I gain fat pretty easily and both times I got to 153 lbs, it was pretty much all fat. When I got back down to 140 I looked lean and the same as when I started

I thought perhaps it's genetics (asian, 5'7) so I also decided to get my testosterone checked and the results show:
18.0 nmol/L which was in the reference range they gave me of 8.4-28.8 nmol/L.
It doesn't say whether this was total or free test but I believe it's total.

Can someone confirm my beliefs that this test essentially says low testosterone is NOT the problem since it's in the middle of that range?

If so, WTF am I doing wrong?

I've honestly been working out for 5 years total--the 140lbs starting point was the first time I got that lean and have tried pure strength as well as moderate strength/hypertrophy routines.
I'm honestly not even a noob knowledge-wise: I've followed bodybuilders on youtube over the years, listened and read a lot of Lyle McDonald and Eric Helms' podcasts/articles so I know the general rules for building muscle losing fat (i.e. 2-300 cal surplus when bulking with moderate-to-high protein and focus on PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD in the gym; when dieting, at least 1g/lb protein, keep intensity/strength up, 500-700 cal deficit, etc.)

I haven't done high volume (4-5x week routines as I've always been pretty sore out of the gym on 3x/week and many gurus seem to say it's for steroid users since recovery is less of an issue). Perhaps I need to start doing 4-5x/week given nothing else worked?

03-24-2018, 03:33 PM	#1
Oleophobic xxx Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: vancouver Posts: 1,406 Thanked 777 Times in 247 Posts Failed 58 Times in 27 Posts	Two year controlled bulking - WTF am I doing wrong? (NOT a trollpost) Hi guys, I made this post two years ago and thought, since I got really lean, I was in an excellent position to slowly build muscle over the next two years and actually seeing results assuming I didn't obscure any visible gains by gaining too much fat. Fast forward two years and I've gone through two cycles where I went from 140lbs-->153lbs ----> 140lbs ---> 153lbs ----> 140 lbs (currently) -I worked out consistently (3x/week mainly upper body incorporating compound movements like bench, dead, pullups, and isolation) -I gain fat pretty easily and both times I got to 153 lbs, it was pretty much all fat. When I got back down to 140 I looked lean and the same as when I started I thought perhaps it's genetics (asian, 5'7) so I also decided to get my testosterone checked and the results show: 18.0 nmol/L which was in the reference range they gave me of 8.4-28.8 nmol/L. It doesn't say whether this was total or free test but I believe it's total. Can someone confirm my beliefs that this test essentially says low testosterone is NOT the problem since it's in the middle of that range? If so, WTF am I doing wrong? I've honestly been working out for 5 years total--the 140lbs starting point was the first time I got that lean and have tried pure strength as well as moderate strength/hypertrophy routines. I'm honestly not even a noob knowledge-wise: I've followed bodybuilders on youtube over the years, listened and read a lot of Lyle McDonald and Eric Helms' podcasts/articles so I know the general rules for building muscle losing fat (i.e. 2-300 cal surplus when bulking with moderate-to-high protein and focus on PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD in the gym; when dieting, at least 1g/lb protein, keep intensity/strength up, 500-700 cal deficit, etc.) I haven't done high volume (4-5x week routines as I've always been pretty sore out of the gym on 3x/week and many gurus seem to say it's for steroid users since recovery is less of an issue). Perhaps I need to start doing 4-5x/week given nothing else worked? Last edited by Oleophobic; 03-24-2018 at 03:41 PM.