I am sorry bro I did not specify, I am not in my 40's I am only 27 years old but with that said it just reinforced my point 10 fold. It IS harder for you to cut down, it IS easier for you to hold more fat in your abdomen - damn, everyone knows as we get older everything just gets more difficult. If you are in your 40's and are @ 8%bf clearly you must 1) know what you are doing and 2) look very good ... with that being said, why ruin that and look like a pudgy jersey shore dude who only cares about if he's bigger than the guy next to him lol. I garentee you if you blow up like a balloon you really wont give a shit what the scale says, because no one else will either - right? I did a "lean bulk" I didn't watch my cals as much as I watched my carb intake - this may differ from person to person because I am not a HUGE eater per say. I started at around 6% BF and gained 12lbs over the course of 10-12 weeks. Now that may not seem like a lot, but I am only 5'7 on my best days and have more of a runners build, so it is a lot for me, especially all said in done my abs were still visible. IF I DO A CYCLE, its 1 per year, basic stuff. So most of my "cutting" and "bulking" has always been done naturally to be honest.
My suggestion. Start at 8%, you know what you are doing so increase whatever you need to increase to grow, get to around 10/11/12/13/14% and maintain there for a while - while still looking good!
+12lbs after a "lean bulk" - Started at 6% shredded and
ended up there, whats that, around 10%? Is it worth losing
what I worked so hard for to be a little bigger? I was as strong
as an OX and still looked pretty good.
http://i62.tinypic.com/6sgvt1.jpg
Agree, make sure you track your carbs too. Too much fuel with no where to go = lets store for the after party! lol