Should I be eating more calories?

[dunksworth]

I'm a newbie here so I apologize if this question has been asked time and time again, but is necessary for me to have an increased calorie diet if I'm already at my ideal body weight? I'm trying to bulk up right now and I know that in order to bulk up you need to increase your calorie intake, but I'm already kind of chubby and I'm afraid that if I eat more then I'll just end up gaining more fat.

[Vido]

If you want to bulk up, you need to increase your caloric intake. If you're already chubby maybe you want to consider a brief cut before you begin your bulk.

[dunksworth]

So if I were to do a brief cut, would that involve doing cardio regularly? The problem with this is that I work out at home and don't have a cardio machine nor can I go jogging outside because my neighborhood isn't very safe and it's also too cold up here in canada.

But I'm not all that chubby anyways (I'm 5'7 165lbs, I don't know my bf%, and I have fair amount of muscle). I'm really just wondering if can still bulk up without gaining too much weight (I'd prefer to stay under 170lbs).

[ryuage]

if wanting to limit fat gain, i would increase calories slightly maybe 200-300 over maintenance... shoot for that 170 in the span of 2 months and you should be good to go.

[dunksworth]

Would making only slight increases in my caloric intake be enough to get significant muscle mass gain though?

And is it possible to gain bulk without gaining weight? Because I'm already at my ideal body weight.

Thanks

[Rex]

Would making only slight increases in my caloric intake be enough to get significant muscle mass gain though?

Yes. Significant over time. Calories are units of energy. You want to take in enough energy to allow your body to do all of its normal functions, plus enough energy to synthesize new muscle. The easiest way to ensure that you're taking in enough energy is to slowly gain weight. Fat is just stored energy. When the body has excess energy it is stored as fat. So if you're "storing energy" (gaining fat), that means you certainly have enough energy to make new muscle.

So what are trying to do? Maintain your bodyweight / fat levels or gain muscle? Gaining muscle typically means gaining fat too. It's just the way the body works.

[Vido]

And is it possible to gain bulk without gaining weight? Because I'm already at my ideal body weight.

"Ideal" according to whom?

[ryuage]

probably according to the height weight chart his doctor told him about

[dunksworth]

So what are trying to do? Maintain your bodyweight / fat levels or gain muscle? Gaining muscle typically means gaining fat too. It's just the way the body works.

Well I was wondering if it was possible to gain muscle mass without packing on the extra pounds/fat but I'm guessing it's not possible. So I'll follow the advice of making only slight increases in caloric intake.

"Ideal" according to whom?

Well considering I'm only 5'7 and have a very small frame, 165lbs is more than enough bodyweight. And a few of my friends who have the ideal body, imo, and are around my height weigh anywhere from 150lbs to 160lbs. But if you feel that weighing more than 170 for my height is okay than feel free to let me know because maybe I'm worrying too much about my weight when I shouldn't be.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I really appreciate it.

[ryuage]

there are people here that are 5'7 200+ lbs... so i dunno you tell me =\

[dunksworth]

there are people here that are 5'7 200+ lbs... so i dunno you tell me =\

Whoa.... Well for sure I don't want to be THAT big. I know this guy who looks huge at 5'9 170lbs, so being 200+ is way too much for my liking.