Regarding lean body mass (LMB) gain vs. fat gain when bulking or overfeeding, I’ve heard the anecdotal 70/30 ratio suggested more than once. Of course this assumes “clean eating” and heavy strength work.
A few weeks ago I purchased a Bodymetrix Personal ultrasound (so far I love it!) and decided that putting the 70/30 rule to the test would be a good first experiment with it. For three weeks, I combined my usual strength workout with overfeeding of at least 500 calories per day. I tried to make these “clean” calories, but it IS the holidays so cheats happened…
Raw Weight Gain: 6.5lbs
Fat Gain: 4.4lbs
Ratio: 33/67
Ok, so my ratio was reversed. I definitely got stronger in terms of weight lifted (added 25lbs to my deadlift and finally broke the 500lb ceiling, yeah!) but I gained more fat than LBM. Why?
I suspect that my current body fat percentage (which implies something about my metabolic condition) has something to do with this. Most of these anecdotes are for very lean men around 12% body fat. I was a fair bit higher than that even when starting so I think this is the explanation. With the experiment and holidays over, I intend to get myself down close to that level (while maintaining strength – no cheating with easy regains!) and then I’ll try this experiment again and see if I achieve a better ratio.
