Author Topic: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?  (Read 4237 times)

dj181

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how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« on: April 16, 2013, 06:06:00 AM »
at the moment i'm sitting @ sub-7, so now i want to shift gears and gain muscle while not gaining fat or possibly even losing more fat along the way

i was eating roughly 1500-1800 cals per day for the last few weeks and it's brought me down to sub-7, so i'm thinking that i could keep this 1500-1800 base most days of the week and then having a higher cal day, say something like 2500-2800 cals roughly once every 3 to 5 days

so i'm curious if anyone else has tried this or if they know anything about it?

does lyle mcdonald or any other "diet guru" speak about this?

any thoughts, ideas or links would be appreciated

thanks dudes :)

Mr Nobody

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2013, 07:28:14 AM »
What you are speaking of is a "modified" cheat day every 3-5 days. Thats ok but total calorie intake for the week is what you have to calculate.

dj181

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2013, 07:32:22 AM »
What you are speaking of is a "modified" cheat day every 3-5 days. Thats ok but total calorie intake for the week is what you have to calculate.

not exactly, coz i know that 1500-1800 cals puts me in a fat-loss state but now since my bodyfat is very low (ie. sub-7) i want to stay this low while adding lean muscle tissue so i figure optimum cals for this would be bout 2400-2500 daily, but i was thinking that it might be better to stay @ 1500-1800 most days and then jump to 2800-3000 every 3 or 4 days (ie. cycling cals)

Mr Nobody

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2013, 07:35:24 AM »
I just keep things simple diet 6 days a week and cheat anything I want one day it just easier to keep track like that.

dj181

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2013, 07:38:52 AM »
so you're saying that i can stay @ 2400-2500 6 days a week and then have a cheat day?

Mr Nobody

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2013, 07:43:47 AM »
so you're saying that i can stay @ 2400-2500 6 days a week and then have a cheat day?
I would around 2200 or so a your size then just eat whatever want once a week, I mean dont "blow" it up like eating 2 pizza's or something but just want until basically satisfy the hunger.

dj181

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2013, 07:50:09 AM »
yeah, that's a good idea, start at 2200 and see how it goes from there and then adjust cals accordingly

so i guess that i can buy some 2 liters of coke now ;D ;D ;D

Rudee

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2013, 07:47:40 PM »
My yearly "get ripped for summer" diet has always been based around lots of ground bison and broccoli, and some flax oil for fats, with plenty of water.  I do a carb refeed every 4-5 days comprised of white rice and sweet potato.   Boring as fuck, but it does the job every time.

BigCyp

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #8 on: April 18, 2013, 03:10:32 AM »
at the moment i'm sitting @ sub-7, so now i want to shift gears and gain muscle while not gaining fat or possibly even losing more fat along the way

i was eating roughly 1500-1800 cals per day for the last few weeks and it's brought me down to sub-7, so i'm thinking that i could keep this 1500-1800 base most days of the week and then having a higher cal day, say something like 2500-2800 cals roughly once every 3 to 5 days

so i'm curious if anyone else has tried this or if they know anything about it?

does lyle mcdonald or any other "diet guru" speak about this?

any thoughts, ideas or links would be appreciated

thanks dudes :)

Pics or it didn't happen / isn't happening  ;D

dj181

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #9 on: April 18, 2013, 03:22:23 AM »
Pics or it didn't happen / isn't happening  ;D

ask mr. n, njflex, or boraccho just how ripped i am :)

btw, this isn't me... well, at least i hope it ain't ;D ;D ;D


Mr Nobody

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2013, 03:25:41 AM »
ask mr. n, njflex, or boraccho just how ripped i am :)

btw, this isn't me... well, at least i hope it ain't ;D ;D ;D

dj181 is ripped I'll let him post any pics to verify. I have seen them.

BigCyp

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2013, 06:53:17 AM »
ask mr. n, njflex, or boraccho just how ripped i am :)

btw, this isn't me... well, at least i hope it ain't ;D ;D ;D



PM me brosko.

dj181

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #12 on: April 18, 2013, 07:22:22 AM »

animal1991

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #13 on: April 21, 2013, 10:37:51 AM »
Let's say you must eat 2500 calories/day to maintain your weight or do a "recomp"

I would structure it like this:

Weekly calorie budget: 2500 x 7 = 17500

Let's say you workout 4x a week:

Monday: workout 3025 calories
Tuesday: workout 3025 calories
Wednesday: off 1800
Thursday: workout 3025
Friday: workout 3025
Saturday: off 1800
Sunday: off 1800

So essentially your still eating 17500 calories a week, but your eating more on workout days and less on off days.

You could even fast on one of your off days, meaning you can eat even more on workout days.

dj181

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Re: how do you cycle cals to gain muscle while staying lean?
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2013, 03:42:34 PM »
Let's say you must eat 2500 calories/day to maintain your weight or do a "recomp"

I would structure it like this:

Weekly calorie budget: 2500 x 7 = 17500

Let's say you workout 4x a week:

Monday: workout 3025 calories
Tuesday: workout 3025 calories
Wednesday: off 1800
Thursday: workout 3025
Friday: workout 3025
Saturday: off 1800
Sunday: off 1800

So essentially your still eating 17500 calories a week, but your eating more on workout days and less on off days.

You could even fast on one of your off days, meaning you can eat even more on workout days.

that's basically what i'm thinking about man, and i usually have my biggest meal about 2 hours BEFORE the training session instead of loading up on cals after the training session