I'm buying new jeans and I'm not sure if I should keep the waist size where I am right now or go up a few sizes?

If I bulk 10-15lbs over the year and then cut my bodyfat, would my waist size be the same?

Ok I want to include my personal opinion here at the top and then I will try to answer your question:

Bulking and cutting in cycles is something I am strongly against with natural lifters. As a natural bodybuilder I see no point in putting on tons of fat and a tiny bit of muscle, and then cut down back to where you were. Instead I suggest that you stay in a clean bulk, gain muscle in a natural slow way without gaining fat. Bulking is only usefull if your bodyfat is to low and thus becomes unhealthy. Or if you are a pro bodybuilder on gear.

Bulking creates fat cells that never go away, thus making you more exposed to gaining excessive amounts of unwanted fat later in life.

If you still chose to bulk / cut then I will have to say that your waist will likely become bigger with time because you have created more fat cells. However this will not happen with a single cycle (keep in mind I am not talking of own experience as I never bulk / cut I am on a permanent clean bulk).

Totally agree @William_Steinset!

Why bulk if you just have to then burn all that fat away? The point about it creating fat cells is one to be really aware of.

@getbiggetlean if you gain weight, it is possible some of that weight and size will be in your waist, whether you bulk properly (lean) or just add weight and fat.

But if you eat clean, it will be very minimal size - maybe an inch or two AT MOST.

Have you seen Scott's video on bulking?

William,

If you plan on doing a traditional "bulk" regiment, then you will gain bodyfat and the predominant area for fat storage in males is around the waist. As the other posters have highlighted, you will need to plan accordingly in regards to your wardrobe. If you then do a "cut", your waist should get smaller as you burn off stored body fat.

John

Its better to go with the LEAN bulking. Bulking with too many bodyfats and then you cut back to where you were is just a waste of time. LEAN bulking is very slow in progression but in here, you are building more on muscle without fats ( if you eat clean most of the time). Many people I know just want to BULK but they are building more fats than muscle. And besides stored fats is so hard to eliminate =)

I didn't mean I was going to dirty bulk, I was thinking about a clean bulk the whole time, but I am looking to bulk 20lbs on top of my current weight,

How much weight can I reasonably gain per month on a 'clean bulk' eating good, nutritious foods?

Yeah, that is a good video. I recommend everyone to watch it.

Depends. How long have you been training?

Did you see the table Scott put in the video? That should give you a rough idea of how much lean mass you can expect to add per month.

William,

The general rule of thumb for an average individual with average genetics and who trains without drugs is anywhere from 10 - 30 pounds in the first 2 years of lifting (so a max of 2.5 Lbs a month) to 2-5Lbs a year when you get to be my age. If you clean bulk, you must be patient as the gains will predominately be slower when you eat real clean and look to gain lean mass. That being said, everything you gain will be lean mass so no fat will need to be lost so your waist size should stay the same thru the gaining process.

John

Yes I watched the video, and I've seen the table,

20-25 lbs first year

10-12 lbs second year

2lbs third year

1lbs fourth year

I guess my confusion lies in where, I'm currently at a bodyweight of 150lbs, but I'm looking to hit 170lbs or 180lbs by following Scott's lean gains of eating 250 cal - 500 cal surplus,

I thought the table above was just to calculate muscle?

My ideal weight is 170lbs to 180lbs range, but eating 250cal to 500cal surplus, I don't know how much weight I'll gain each month? That's my question cleared up if it makes any sense?

William,

At the end of the day, there is no definitive answer. You just need to lift and eat and see how your body responds. If you are putting on quality mass fairly quickly each month, then your meal plan and training are spot on. If you are not or you hit a plateau where growth slows down, then your meal plan or training needs to be tweeked. The human body is truly unique for each individual and how each person responds to training is a role of the dice of genetics coupled with proper eating and proper training. As such, there is no way to give an accurate answer to your questions - just guesstimates based on the average population. Don't sweat it too much and just assume your waist size should stay relatively where it is today (if you truly do lean gains) and you will get as close to your ideal weight as possible if it truly is meant to be 170-180Lbs. If you "only" grow to 165Lbs but are lean and strong, that is still a commendable achievement. You need to remember your body decides what its ideal natural weight is not charts or statistics on the internet just like your body decides how low it wants to go in relation to bodyfat before it fights you tooth and nail to keep what it has. :-)

John

The table is to calculate muslce, you're right.

Are you looking to add 20-30 pounds of lean muscle? Or just 20-30 pounds?

Do you expect to increase your body fat percentage, or leave it as it is?

Again, the speed at which you put on LEAN MASS will be determined quite a bit by how long you have been training. This is how it could look, but is not a guarentee:

If you have just started, you can potentially add 20-25 pounds over the next 12 months (About 1.5-2lbs per month). Year two you are looking at about 1 pound per month, third year about 0.2lbs per month and for the fourth year onwards maybe 0.1lbs per month.

Remember, this is if you are training AND eating properly. You will no doubt reach your goal weight faster if you add significant amounts of fat, but if you then shred that fat your weight will go back down.