Weight lifting and leather jackets

[Americanaaa Mark]

Does anyone here weight lift and is knowledgable about the human body?

What measurements tend to change and stay the same after bulking a cutting?

I've been bulking (weight lifting and taking in high calories) for about 3 months and my chest size has went up a few inches. Since then my snug fitting Aero is now super snug in the chest and a bit in the shoulders.

When I cut the fat should I expect it to fit a bit better?

Does anyone have any advice or how I should expect my collection to fit me if I keep bulking at a reasonable pace?

How do you size your jackets when you're lifting?

 

[JDelage]

I suspect that when you cut you'll loose a lot more in your chest than in your shoulders, so yes, it will fit better. Eventually, you might find that most of the clothes that fit you shoulder wise are a bit or very loose in the torso.

 

[Americanaaa Mark]

I suspect that when you cut you'll loose a lot more in your chest than in your shoulders, so yes, it will fit better. Eventually, you might find that most of the clothes that fit you shoulder wise are a bit or very loose in the torso.

I see, so some of the added inches in my chest are fat deposits from bulking and it should go down a bit when I cut?

 

[ProteinNerd]

I'll give my opinion as an ex-gym manager and personal trainer (very long time ago now). It's a very complicated topic and it depends if you are a new, intermediate or advanced lifter.

Also depends how much total weight/ how long your bulk is going to be.

Bulking and cutting imo isn't very effective for "most" natural trainers. Works great if you are on steroids but not so much if you aren't. You just lose too much muscle during the cut to make it worth it. If you are on gear, you can keep virtually all your gains despite absurd calorie deficits.

As a natural trainer you spend half the time basically looking stocky and the other half miserable on a really low calorie diet.

If you have an objective look at anyone recommending bulking and cutting these days, they are on testosterone and more.

Personally I found most people are happier on a mild calorie surplus (250-300 calorie surplus), you can look decent at around 12% body fat and still gain (albeit slowly) some size.

Which measurements will change depend on your body fat distribution patterns and what body parts you are working out.

I also found bulking and cutting sucks for trying to dress in well fitting clothes, for the exact reasons you are asking about.

Just my opinions.

 

[ton312]

i had typed a response but read what @ProteinNerd wrote first. What he said. Exactly what he said!

 

[Carlos840]

Not really the same situation, but i do BJJ and lift, and have to cut weight to compete. I usually walk around 6'2 180-185lbs, and pre comp will cut to 170-175lbs.
I think it is a very personal thing. Everyone stores weight differently, and everyone packs muscle on differently.
For me the difference between 185 and 170 lbs is minimal as far as clothing fit goes, as i store fat very evenly all over my body.
Some people might store it more in the gut, or chest, or legs, and experience a real change in how their clothes fit.

Basically, it's a question you are going to have to answer yourself, as no one but you knows how your body works and reacts to weight gain/loss.

 

[Americanaaa Mark]

I believe fat deposits quite a bit around my waist, gut and chest.

I plan to bulk until I'm over 200ibs and then would like to slowly cut so I'm hovering around 200ib with 12-14% body fat.

 

[ButteMT61]

Yup, it all depends.
There's weights for strength, and weights for bulk - not always the same and quite often not.
My son in law is competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and is an ex-football player (college, briefly NFL) and is in the best shape of his life. Stronger than ever before.
He's an inch shorter than I am, but pics of him even in high school vs today are amazing. He can probably double what he did across the board from football days, but I'd wager he's 30% trimmer, almost no body fat.

Me, when I lose weight - mostly from dieting - I lose my torso fat. IF I were to add the proper weights, etc., I'd gain in the shoulders, chest and arms, but not massive amounts as I like to train for strength and duration. Bulk, IMO, goes bad faster when you fail to live up to your goals...

OTOH, if you're serious about transitioning now, I'd wait on a good jacket until you're settled. I lost a lot of money, but happily, when I did this some years back...

Good luck.

 

[Americanaaa Mark]

To clarify, I am strength training

 

[TREEMAN]

I'll give my opinion as an ex-gym manager and personal trainer (very long time ago now). It's a very complicated topic and it depends if you are a new, intermediate or advanced lifter.

Also depends how much total weight/ how long your bulk is going to be.

Bulking and cutting imo isn't very effective for "most" natural trainers. Works great if you are on steroids but not so much if you aren't. You just lose too much muscle during the cut to make it worth it. If you are on gear, you can keep virtually all your gains despite absurd calorie deficits.

As a natural trainer you spend half the time basically looking stocky and the other half miserable on a really low calorie diet.

If you have an objective look at anyone recommending bulking and cutting these days, they are on testosterone and more.

Personally I found most people are happier on a mild calorie surplus (250-300 calorie surplus), you can look decent at around 12% body fat and still gain (albeit slowly) some size.

Which measurements will change depend on your body fat distribution patterns and what body parts you are working out.

I also found bulking and cutting sucks for trying to dress in well fitting clothes, for the exact reasons you are asking about.

Just my opinions.

x2....

 

[Carlos840]

Yup, it all depends.
There's weights for strength, and weights for bulk - not always the same and quite often not.
My son in law is competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and is an ex-football player (college, briefly NFL) and is in the best shape of his life. Stronger than ever before.
He's an inch shorter than I am, but pics of him even in high school vs today are amazing. He can probably double what he did across the board from football days, but I'd wager he's 30% trimmer, almost no body fat.

Good luck.

Completely agreed! Before i started BJJ i used to lift every day, was 195lbs low body fat and most people would have called me athletic.
Started training BJJ daily, stopped lifting on a daily basis, lost a good 10lbs, but i am much stronger, much fitter and overall much more athletic than i ever was before.

It's not all about how much you weight, it's about functional strength...

(unless your goal is just to be big!)

 

[ButteMT61]

Here's a great example of his journey. And this is not even today - I think this is from last fall - he's in even better shape now...older and stronger and smaller on the right.

 

[ton312]

Bulk, IMO, goes bad faster when you fail to live up to your goals...

This is absolutely true...especially as you get older. At 43 I'm the strongest I've ever been and can easily out preform my former 22 year old NCAA athlete self in the weight room (I was a diver but endured very rigorous weight room and dryland workouts as part of my training). These days I don't notice tremendous changes in my body, regardless of how I train (strength vs endurance). What I do notice is wild and rapid strength loss if I'm not consistent.
After my athletic career ended I trained to look good...these days it's more about feeling good!

 

[Carlos840]

"Old man strength" is real...

 

[Monitor]

I think this is how my IRL friends feel when I talk to them about what makes a good leather jacket, not having a clue wtf am I on about. But it's interesting!

 

[Worf]

Ahem. When I started I was 350 of some muscle but more fat, I'm now 272 of more muscle and significantly less fat. I've worked out (weights and walking) throughout the process. For me the biggest problem areas are my upper arms, biceps and chest. There are jackets that still fit me but where the problem before was gut, it's now those other areas. There are some jackets where the arms chest and sleeves fit fine but now the body is so big I have to see about getting them taken in. The "athletic fit" poses the same problem in suits as well that's why many designers make what they call "athletic fit suits", broad at the shoulder and chest but narrow in the waist.

Worf

 

[ton312]

believe fat deposits quite a bit around my waist

I believe beer deposits quite a bit around mine. Mainly the hoppy variety, unless it's really cold, then its porters and stouts

 

[Gromulus]

I was a competitive (amateur/local/state level) bodybuilder for many years and went through the same bodyweight cycles in my younger days. In the "old days", the common practice was to bulk up in the off-season then cut for a contest...typically over a span of three or four months. This seems to work somewhat better when you are younger. As you age, it becomes a bit harder to cut the fat without losing too much (muscular) size and strength.
As ProteinNerd points out, things work very differently for "equipped" athletes. When taking AAS, GH, etc, it is easier to cut the fat while still maintaining a high percentage of muscle and strength.

For most people just trying to stay in shape (as well as true "natty" competitors) a better strategy is to maintain a lower bodyfat percentage (approx 10 - 14%) year-round (or in the off-season if you compete in bodybuilding). Most male bodybuilders these days compete at a bodyfat percentage n the 3 - 5% range, hardly practical for "normal" year round condition. Powerlifters, although still somewhat lean, maintain higher fat levels.

As you lose fat you will lose some strength and size. An aesthetic appearance is based on symmetry and proportion rather than just overall size. For example, when I was "bulking" I weighed in the neighborhood of 210 - 220# (at 5'7") in the off-season. I would compete around 185 - 190. My chest/back and waist measurements were approximately 50" and 34" respectively in the off season. As I dieted and lost weight my chest/back decreased to 48" but my waist dropped to 29". The "taper" (ratio of chest/waist) at contest time was much greater than in the off season and the difference in appearance was very obvious.

I summary, I would strive to maintain a bodyfat level in the 10 - 14% range year round rather than do the bulk/cut thing....unless you are competing in bodybuilding. If you are higher in bodyfat than try to slowly lose fat and gain muscle (as well as strength) while still maintaining the same weight range. You will be able to maintain a workable wardrobe and your pocketbook will also thank you! In this day and age (especially) it is hard enough to find acceptable "off the rack" clothing for an athletic physique, much less for a "variable" weight.

 

[ButteMT61]

... I would strive to maintain a bodyfat level in the 10 - 14% range year round...

Thanks Gawd I'm tall...haven't seen those numbers in eons.

 

[Gromulus]

Thanks Gawd I'm tall...haven't seen those numbers in eons.

Tell me about it! I am almost 59 and despite "eating clean" year round and working out 6 days per week, I cannot easily get down <13% in bodyfat these days.

Interestingly, most of the top pro (Mr Olympia level) bodybuilders these days are around 5'5" - 5'9" and compete at bodyweights in the 240 - 265# range! Even the 212# class guys are usually around 5'3" - 5'5". It is very unusual to find tall top ranked bodybuilders these days. Even top powerlifters are short. Ed Coan (arguably the greatest powerlifter of all time) was 5'6" and competed in the 220# class. His totals were usually higher than 240# and some 275# lifters! In the 90's "Captain" Kirk Karwoski squatted >1000# at a bodyweight of 275# at 5'7".