First a little background. I’m a 46 year old mother of three. In mid-June, I started lifting weights with good results. I was able to take my body fat from 24% to about 18%. Now that I can see what I have to work with, I want to bulk (focus on adding muscle mass).
My plan is to gradually increase my calories from 200-300 below TDEE which is where I’ve been the last month, to TDEE, then eventually ~200 over TDEE. Increasing my daily calories by about 150-200 a week at a time. I’ve not been able to find much about bulking for women. I don’t think it’s much different than men, but I’m not sure. So any advice would be appreciated.
I plan to continue my strength routine which is a full body routine done four times a week based off of the Strong Curves and Starting Strength Programs. Basically it’s all the compound exercises of SS with some of the glute specific exercises of SC.
My macros are 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat. I practice 14/10 intermittent fasting, and my diet is pretty clean by choice. I plan to start taking a casein protein powder at night, and also start taking creatine. Any other recommendations or advice will be greatly appreciated. I’m particularly curious about cardio and any tips for minimizing fat gain. Fat burners are something I’m curious about, but I don’t want to mess up my metabolism.
I’m attaching photos taken in the last few days to show where I am now. Thank you in advance.
