[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by Oleophobic

Damn that's an impressive pic!
The more I think about this and from reading your responses, the more I'm realizing it is my training that is lacking.



This is so sad, I agree I might have to treat myself as one....



I have to respectfully both agree and disagree. The numbers from that calculator are very similar to the numbers I used when I dieted/bulked (except I had used a 'sedentary' setting because I have an office job). That meant ~2000 maintenance and 1400-1500 calories when dieting. This takes into account working out 3x a week. The thing is, this worked for me. I have zero problems dieting and losing ~1 lb / week (because of discipline, not because of genetics ). I have progress pictures and everything and essentially have it down to a science. I had dieted on 1800-2000 calories in my initial stages and quickly found I was not losing weight. That was how I ended up with the magic 1400-1500 number.

I realize your 3000 calorie number is also just an estimate and one must adjust for how one's body responds. I guess perhaps I'm just wary of eating too much because I put on fat very easily. When I bulked from 140lbs to 153lbs both times, I was eating anywhere from 2200 to 2600 calories. Over 8 months my weight would creep up to to 153lbs and it would be all fat.
The solution can't be that I'm not eating enough. Starting to realize I can't "get away" with eating too much because my training is extremely lacking.



Agreed. I used ratios to keep things simple but yes when I tracked the breakdowns (myfitnesspal) and could tell you exactly what I ate.

100% agree and I'm realizing it's likely my training.



Haha, I am pretty much like you. I hovered at 160-165lbs ~23-25% body fat since university. When I look at past pictures (both topless as well as when out with friends), compared to my current ~12% body fat self, it's a HUGE difference and I honestly never want to go back there LOL. My face was puffy and round, moderate stomach, big thighs.

I'm male (obviously) but my fat distribution is very much like that of a female's (i.e. lower body is where fat tends to get stored). This really sucks as when I'm at 17%+ bf the proportions start looking off and my pants immediately feel tighter around the thigh area.

I am happy to bulk to 180lbs but as you said, only if the training is right and I'm putting on at least 50% fat/muscle. Currently, it's 100% fat so continuing to 180 would be a disaster unless I fix the problem, which thanks to you guys, it sounds like I just need to grow some balls and do higher volume.

My ideal physique is 160 lbs at 10% body fat. For a 5'7 guy, that's impressive and huge for my goals. This is essentially what it would look like for me:
https://www.instagram.com/p/7KOYeEGR...by=daniel.lvgt
I've seen this dude in person a couple years back when he was a personal trainer at the gym I went to and in person, it was a very impressive physique and nobody (in person) would say he looked small.

That's my goal and I'm motivated as ****.

Skinny, your 195 lbs physique with visible abs is freakin impressive. On paper, people might say "anything under 200lbs is not huge" but in person, DAMN that's huge.

I'm actually glad you're just taking in the info being given to you, and not just taking it for absolute truth. It shows you're willing to try out and learn rather than just follow along.

Calorie intake is a general guide, but I think a lot of smaller people don't realize how much eating it takes to put on lean mass. People are so afraid to get a bit fat, that they end up barely able to gain muscle either.

I know for me it takes a much higher deficit to lose weight than it does a surplus to gain. That's another topic though, maybe once you start cutting I can share those experiences

I agree with mike that a pure bulk is not really necessary for most people, and a 'lean bulk' over a longer period of time is better. This is especially the case if you're sensitive to fat gain.

Get your training sorted out and see how it goes. The routine I shared is good because it can be altered to suit your needs. I actually changed it around to give myself 2 chest days for a while, as my chest was severely lacking (as you can see in the pic). Since my chest caught up, I now do 2 back days.

I always do 2 leg days (one overall leg day and one deadlift day). However I injured my back in December and have been unable to deadlift until very recently

Definitely don't neglect legs

Just remember I can't stress this enough, that you need to be progressing constantly. No matter what the scale says, no matter how much food you're eating. If your weights or reps aren't increasing, you aren't actually gaining anything. You're maintaining (which is fine sometimes if that's your goal). If you're not progressing, most likely you're not eating enough. And remember, some lifts you don't want to progress too much in weight, or other parts take over. This is usually the smaller muscle groups that you hit with isolation work.

Also Halo's not trolling, just oversimplifying a lot He used to be super pinner and is now fucking ENORMOUS and strong. His advice is not to be ignored. I know you resisted that part of my advice, but Halo agrees: Get those calories in!