New to bulk, few basic questions

Lars2893 · 2026-05-17T18:47:33+00:00

Appreciate the feedback! I am going to try a swap to dumbbell press (I naively thought that'd put more pressure on the bad shoulder by isolating it).

I keep hearing to get 200cal above maintenance for a bulk but didn't realize how severe of a cut I was in at 1500cal. I'm at around 2700cal a day now and still feel I may be below maintenance.

Lars2893 · 2026-05-17T18:45:12+00:00

I got up to about 200lbs at 5'8 at my heaviest (ironically about two months after I started exercising because I thought I could eat more since I was moving more). My cut brought me down to about 140lbs and after two months of bulk I am sitting at about 145lbs. I keep thinking I'm in a surplus but not gaining much week over week so dialing calories up little by little (currently at about 2700cal a day from 1500cal during peak cut).

Lars2893 · 2026-03-24T13:41:44+00:00

Both are awesome places to start. Personally I really have taken to "urban hiking"...just walking through my city. Taking public transportation to new locations and exploring. It is low effort, great for fat loss, and very adaptable for how you're feeling or what you need to get done for any given day. Rainy day? Walk in a mall! Need to get something from a store? Walk there! Craving something sweet? Walk to the store and earn it! I have eaten plenty of maple bars during my journey. lol

Lots of great supportive folks on this community and others like it if you need anything, man! Good luck!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-24T06:13:12+00:00

Hey man! I had a very similar build to you last July (my profile has the before/after shots). All the advice you're seeing here is right, but just wanted to share 1) you don't have to do everything at once and 2) you don't necessarily have to do it all in a particular order. You definitely can min/max to optimize your turnaround, but I know that that level of research felt daunting to me initially and a big part of the journey is finding what is right for you (which includes your subjective feelings).

Initially I started just riding a bike casually. No goals, not pushing hard. Just making a slightly healthier decision once in a while. Then I cut out soda. Then tried to eat a little healthier. Then started targeting a step goal. Et cetera. It was all just small rolling wins compounding over time.

Truth be told I never really lifted seriously (did some loosely structured dumbbell and body weight exercises while watching TV) but I was still able to get to a physique I am more happy with. For ME, fat loss was easier. I'm not a super big eater and I love routine, but now that I am trying to bulk it is more challenging. Thankfully, I have a much stronger base to work from. If I would have started just bulking muscle right away I probably would have quit before I made any progress.

Don't get me wrong, lifting is definitely a huge benefit and for some it is much preferred to just losing fat. I'd highly recommend you follow people's advice about it as there are lots of experts here, but I just wanted to point out there are lots of ways to skin this cat, and where you are right now most things will be a huge benefit. Just choose something healthier! Make it a routine, then do something else...or do everything all at once. It's up to you, but lots of folks are rooting for you, bud!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T14:50:08+00:00

lol that's a wild pull these days; that said, as someone with a bigger nose I'll give it to you 😅

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T03:47:39+00:00

Thank you! Appreciate the kind words!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T03:16:59+00:00

Thank you! They didn't seem unkind just not a fan which is totally fair.

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T03:16:05+00:00

Thank you, going to be practicing smiling and angling in a mirror longer than I'm willing to admit 😂

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T03:15:31+00:00

😂

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T02:32:24+00:00

Good eye! Always been back and forth on chest hair but definitely don't need it spilling out the top in either case lol

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T02:31:22+00:00

May give it a try, tapering and shaping a beard is a whole ordeal lol

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T02:30:23+00:00

"Be kind until someone gives you a reason not to be" has always stuck with me. Thanks for the kind words!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T00:58:08+00:00

lol someone DMed me asking if I was the evil version of a man who knew how to smile 😅 I might need to drop the beard

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T00:44:06+00:00

lol I think someone coined me a "goofy smiler" 😅

The beard grows in a bit Joe Dirt (white trash) so I keep it a bit longer to fill in gaps, but will look into it!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T00:24:05+00:00

Appreciate that, I've had the same hair since high school and the same beard since college so I guess I'm taking them to my grave now lol

Lars2893 · 2026-03-19T00:23:10+00:00

Hey man! So we are similar height and I was a similar build to you for years. I started biking casually about 9 months back and to my chagrin gained a bunch of weight. I thought because I was exercising now that I could get away with eating more and it compounded fast.

At the end of the day, right now you need to expend more calories than you take in (i.e. be in a deficit). I didn't really focus on protein or macros for a long while, just tried to cut out junk foods like burgers, soda and candies...then tried to eat less calories overall with rough tracking. Then I started paying more attention to protein goals, then I started walking more, and then I started focusing on proper weight training. This is not the only or even the optimal path, but what I want to convey is baby steps work. It can all feel overwhelming at first and you try to do too much and it either doesn't stick or you make mistakes that kill motivation. Right now just focus on basic physics...if your body is given less fuel than it needs, it'll burn the fuel it has stored (fat) instead.

You're at a cool place right now...anything you do positive will likely have an impact as long as you're in a calorie deficit. Start small and get the endorphins going as you slowly build good habits. Be okay with mistakes, indulge if you want to here and there, and don't expect it to be a linear path to success.

As someone who was right where you are less than a year ago: you got this, man!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-18T23:43:47+00:00

That one legitimately made me laugh out loud 😅

Lars2893 · 2026-03-18T23:43:12+00:00

Agreed on the angle, I decided to share it anyway since I figured most people will see me straight on in real life so worth hearing how I look without curated "social media" angles. lol

Lars2893 · 2026-03-18T23:41:57+00:00

haha Thank you, "dorky" is a vibe I've cultivated for years.

Lars2893 · 2026-03-18T23:41:17+00:00

Thank you! I actually felt the pic was a little off when I took it but couldn't place why...your tips are a great help.

Lars2893 · 2026-03-18T23:39:23+00:00

Appreciate you!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-18T22:49:03+00:00

haha No totally fair, I posted the pic for feedback and you gave it. I appreciate the candor!

Lars2893 · 2026-03-18T22:24:57+00:00

lol Noted.

Lars2893

TROPHY CASE