Worried about excess skin once I finish bulking

[laser]

I've been doing starting strength and GOMAD for about for about 4 and half months now. I've raised my squat from 95 lbs 3x5 to 230 lb 3x5. Bench and press are still weak because I had injured my ribs doing bjj and didn't do upper body lifts for a month.

During this time, I've also increased my body weight from 135 to 180. I'm shooting for 220 before I stop GOMAD and cut the fat. My target is a lean 200 lbs.

In the course of bulking up, I've developed pretty severe stretch marks on my hips and legs, as well as quite a belly. The belly isn't squishy - its quite solid with no rolls - but it protrudes quite a bit.

Anyway, I'm worried that once I stop bulking and cut the fat, I'll be left with a bunch of loose skin. Is this a legitimate concern? Any suggestions on how to prevent/cope with this?

[gamedog]

I've been doing starting strength and GOMAD for about for about 4 and half months now. I've raised my squat from 95 lbs 3x5 to 230 lb 3x5. Bench and press are still weak because I had injured my ribs doing bjj and didn't do upper body lifts for a month.

During this time, I've also increased my body weight from 135 to 180. I'm shooting for 220 before I stop GOMAD and cut the fat. My target is a lean 200 lbs.

In the course of bulking up, I've developed pretty severe stretch marks on my hips and legs, as well as quite a belly. The belly isn't squishy - its quite solid with no rolls - but it protrudes quite a bit.

Anyway, I'm worried that once I stop bulking and cut the fat, I'll be left with a bunch of loose skin. Is this a legitimate concern? Any suggestions on how to prevent/cope with this?

I wouldn't think so. Now, if you got to be as fat as, say, Star Jones was before she had gastric bypass surgery, then you might have a problem.

[beast]

For fucks sake people, if you are chubby or fat, don't do gomad, its really for people around 8%bf who will grow into arounf 17% near the end of their progression. If you are 20% plus eat lots of meat and fats and no carbs other from fruit and veg and maybe the odd glass of milk before and after the workout.

Ps its a joke that you're not fatter, you did gomad for 4 months and your squat went from 95 to 230 around 135, you should have added 65 lbs to your squat in first two weeks, 10lbs 3 days a week, then 5lbs 3 days a week for 2 more weeks, so at least 100lbs in first month, ect. If you were squatting at least 365, bench 275, deadifting 405 for 5 you wouldn't be as fat.

Read and learn

http://startingstrength.com/articles...n_rippetoe.pdf

Everyone will agree we didn't start lifting to get fat

[RobertFontaine]

I did my initial kick at SS, skinny fat. 20% BF and weak like a little girl. I considered dieting down first but realized that there simply wasn't enough meat under the fat for it to be practical.

By the time I had been doing SS for about 4 months gomad was required just to keep from overtraining. The first 3 months regular appetite and good eating was adequate. After 18 months of SS I was advanced novice and fat. At that point I dieted for 20 weeks to bring my body fat down to about 14%.

There is more than 1 way to skin a cat but you do need to decide what you want to do and not try to lose and gain at the same time. Pick 1, set a goal and get there.

[Greg C]

For fucks sake people, if you are chubby or fat, don't do gomad, its really for people around 8%bf who will grow into around 17% near the end of their progression.

Beast, relax a little and read the OP's post again. At 135 original body weight, he was doing the right thing being on GOMAD to start. Try to reserve your flame sprays for those that truly deserve it if you must do so.

I've been doing starting strength and GOMAD for about for about 4 and half months now.

During this time, I've also increased my body weight from 135 to 180. I'm shooting for 220 before I stop GOMAD and cut the fat. My target is a lean 200 lbs.

Laser, sounds like you have a reasonable plan. Not sure what you height/age are, but I can guess pretty young (<23, right?) so I would say you are fine. The stretch marks are what they are - you grew fast. Keep doing the program. Think of them as a badge of honor.... or be a pansy and whine about them.

[jimuk80]

For fucks sake people, if you are chubby or fat, don't do gomad, its really for people around 8%bf who will grow into arounf 17% near the end of their progression. If you are 20% plus eat lots of meat and fats and no carbs other from fruit and veg and maybe the odd glass of milk before and after the workout.

Ps its a joke that you're not fatter, you did gomad for 4 months and your squat went from 95 to 230 around 135, you should have added 65 lbs to your squat in first two weeks, 10lbs 3 days a week, then 5lbs 3 days a week for 2 more weeks, so at least 100lbs in first month, ect. If you were squatting at least 365, bench 275, deadifting 405 for 5 you wouldn't be as fat.

Read and learn

http://startingstrength.com/articles...n_rippetoe.pdf


Everyone will agree we didn't start lifting to get fat

Can I just say that single article has cleared up so many questions I was struggling with, I'm a defo chubby at around 30% Fat (Yes i know, thats about the same as a pork pie) and didnt realise the extra calories were to create the right 17% environment and nothing more. I think you may have tried to explain this to me about a week ago but i didnt quite get it.

It all finally makes sense, tons of protein & veg with some carbs around training till I run the risk of getting skinny then adjust accordingly.

Thank you

[MazdaMatt]

30% Fat (Yes i know, thats about the same as a pork pie)

LoL

[laser]

Thanks guys,

A bit of additional info - I'm 5'10 and 26. When i was 135, I was at 8% body fat, so I think doing GOMAD right away was the right move. Currently, I'm probably about 20% body fat, but I find if I don't keep the GOMAD up, I have a hard time recovering enough to make a 5 pound linear progression each workout.

Robert, what % bodyfat where you at your peak before you cut down, and when you hit 14%, did you have to deal with loose/excess skin? I'm fine with the stretch marks (badge of honer and all that).

[ZKP]

To eliminate loose skin caused from all that cutting after a "Bulking" phase:

1) First, go to the raunchiest strip club you can find and get all that glitter shit all over you. Better if their tears are mixed in with it. Skin to skin contact with a stripper that outweighs you is a must for this to work.

2) Next (the next morning, without showering) smear cooking oil all over you and lie in a hot, sunny area from sun-up to sundown. NO fluids under 80 proof. Absinthe recommended.

3) As you lie there hating yourself and hallucinating from alcohol/wormwood along with the trauma from the night before remember that unless you gain a morbid (Fucking morbid, more than you will ever gain doing this unless you try to fuck it up bad) amount of body fat and then hold on to it for a long, long time(years), this is not going to happen to you. Try not to worry about loose skin you haven't grown yet. Good luck.