total inches | Project Bulk

Day 76

Weight: 132.0 lbs.
Workout B: 18 minutes, 29 seconds; next: Workout A on Nov. 21
Total inches: 122.0
Protein: 132 g (7 g over target)
Calories: 2,026

The first half of November has been very steady. Too steady.

calories 11-15

Calories through Nov. 15

Maintaining 2,000 calories a day (down from 2,500) has kept me at between 132 and 134 pounds. No significant gain, similar to the first 2 weeks when I didn’t track calories. (Protein intake has remained the same throughout all of Project Bulk.)

weight 11-15

Weight through Nov. 15

Naturally, my growth in total inches (arms, legs, waist, hips) has also flattened.

total inches 11-15

Total inches through Nov. 15

Starting tomorrow through the end of November, I am bumping slightly to 2,100 calories a day. I’d rather have slow gain with more muscles than fast gain with excess fat.

The workouts have been fairly static, with no dramatic improvements. I seem to be stuck on a couple of the lifts. One way I’ve beaten the lack of progress is switching the order of the exercises, so I can at least try every other attempt.

I’m probably going to switch to kettlebell swings twice a week in December, just to see if it’ll bulk up my arms faster, which have grown about 0.6 inches each since Day 1.

Even after two-and-a-half months, I own the routine. The routine doesn’t own me.

Day 8

Weight: 123.6 lbs.
No workout today
Total inches: 116.3
Protein: 119 g (1 g over target)

I can’t detect patterns over a day. But over a week, maybe.

The first indicator of progress is gaining weight. “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links] suggests shooting for an increase of 2.5 pounds a week, and I’ve gained 1.8 pounds in the first week.

I trust my digital scale for accuracy and consistency. I weigh myself each morning right after waking up. I can increase my poundage with some minor adjustments to my daily menu. No need to track calories yet, just eat more protein and food in general.

Who knew the easiest part would be gaining weight? But this indicator shows that I don’t have any physiological defect such as the so-called “leaky gut syndrome,” which would make it far more difficult to gain weight, even with bigger meals.

The second indicator is murky: total inches, my combined measurements for my arms, legs, waist and hips. It has increased from 113.6 inches to 116.3 inches, jumping 2.7 inches.

I’m not putting as much faith in this number yet, because my tape measuring skills are so-so, and the individual measures have jumped back and forth daily. In theory, more muscle will mean a higher total inch count by the end of the month.

Let’s hope it’s not simply a giant increase in my waistline. No Cartman “beefcake” results, please.

Eric Cartman, Weight Gain 4000

Beefcake?

The third indicator is my collection of workout data. But at this early stage, I’ve completed Workouts A and B only once each, and failed to complete reps on Workout A once. Not much to go on at this point.

The telling sign will be a steady increase in lifting weights and completion of target reps. I’m guessing it may take an entire month — eight workouts in all — to gather enough data.

A pattern is emerging. These three indicators will help determine its shape.