I plan to do an 8 week bulk
I don't believe in the 3,500 calories for bulk rule, I believe that if your body has necessary nourishment and it can repair wounds, it can more than easily build muscle. I do believe in rich intake of protein before and after workouts though.
So, I'm about 7.5-8% bodyfat right now and I'll only go up to a maximum of 10-13% bodyfat by the end of the bulk so I won't have much cutting to do by the end of it anyway.
I don't either, it should all be caculated on your BMR and how clean your diet is,! HOWEVER! Age and training also should be taken into consideretion.
Calculate Your BMR
Your BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function. We use about 60% of the calories we consume each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing.
Other factors that influence your BMR are height, weight, age and sex.
Step one is to calculate your BMR with the following formula:
Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
Please note that this formula applies only to adults.
Calculate Activity
Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:
If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent
Add this number to your BMR.
The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than this result.anddo the opposite in order to gain.
As you lose weight or Gain Weight, you can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.