My First Real Bulk

[austinfrench5]

Hey guys, Im 20 years old, 6 foot and about 195. Im looking to go on a serious bulking phase right now. Ive been lifting since i was about 16. only serious for about a year now. Im taking a creatine and a test booster. I am also drinking xtend amino acids and drinking a whey proetin immediately after the gym and a caseine shake before bed. Using jack3d as my preworkout. My main goal right now is to just eat as much as i possibly can and start doing low reps with heavy weight at the gym.

My gym schedule goes:

M- Back
T-Chest
W-legs
Th-arms
F- off
Sat- Shoulders/traps
Sun- off

I have a few general questions and would love to hear any advice you guys have. Thanks guys!

1. How many calories/carbs/protein should i set as my daily goal?
2. Is fast food such as an angus burger from mcdonalds or a pizza that bad when your bulking or can it be beneficial?
3. How much cardio if any should i be doing?
4. SHould i be eating carbs before bed? if so, how many?
5. SHould i shorten my workouts? right now they are about an hour 15 to an hour and a half max
6. Should i be doing deads and squats more than once a week?
7. I have had a bad knee so ive always done squats on the assisted rack. Should i be doing them on the free weight rack instead?

 

[ntornado]

Here is what I think but others will probably have different advice. First switch your shoulders day with back day and do deadlifts on back day if you aren't already.

1. How many calories/carbs/protein should i set as my daily goal?Eat as much as you can whilst ... see next question
2. Is fast food such as an angus burger from mcdonalds or a pizza that bad when your bulking or can it be beneficial? Try and follow the 90/10 rule. Eat 90% clean 10% junk.
3. How much cardio if any should i be doing?Limited cardio IMO
4. SHould i be eating carbs before bed? if so, how many?No idea, cottage cheese is good before bed though.
5. SHould i shorten my workouts? right now they are about an hour 15 to an hour and a half max Does that include warm ups? If not then cut it down to an hour and step up the intensity.
6. Should i be doing deads and squats more than once a week?See above. I like squatting twice a week but I know its not for everyone.
7. I have had a bad knee so ive always done squats on the assisted rack. Should i be doing them on the free weight rack instead?What are you doing to strengthen your bad knee? Hard to answer this without more info on your knee but I would stay away from the smith machine or whatever you are using and do free squats. Start light and work your way up

 

[JComp]

Track your calories for a normal day what you eat, then add 500-800 calories extra to that. The only way to gain is to eat more than it takes to maintain. And most people say squatting 2 days a week is a must.

 

[gaijininjapan]

I bulked on the Starting Strength program, and squatted 3x a week. no problem.