amp if one were to bulk, would they need to cycle carbs? im just asking as im bulking and take in about 400g each day of carbs. is that too many?
my intakes are usually (using today as an example)
123g fat 30%
415g carb 42%
237protein 26%
There are a couple of ways to ballpark an estimate of calories for bulking - including carbs - IMO. One way is to simply calculate your ' maintenance calories ' and add 20% to that. Or, take your present weight and multiply it by anywhere from 25 - 30 calories per pound of bodyweight. As for your macro-nutrient allocation, there is no hard and fast rule for the proper nutrient allocation for protein, carbs and fat for bulking , though some guidelines seem referred to more often than some others. I'd just lock into a given protein and fat guideline of your choice based on however your ' bulk ' maintenance calories are calculated and then simply plug for your suggested carb intake.
With regards to guidelines that seem referred to more often than some others The rule of thumb intake for protein ( that's already been mentioned ) and mass gain ( at least for most gym rats ) that you see most often is 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight . Recommended fat intake is usually cited as anywhere from 25% - 35% of of your daily maintenance calories. In this context , if it were me, I'd then simply plug for carbs. So, for example, here is one possible approach....
1. Figure out your ' daily maintenance calories to bulk ' using either the Harris formula ( here's an on-line calculator ) plus 20% or 25 - 30 calories per pound of bodyweight, or some other way......
2. Figure out what the calorie equivalent of approx. 1 gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight is ( 1 gram of protein is 4 calories ). That is your protein target for the day.
3. Target your fat intake to be 25% for now ( you can bump it higher if you like ) of the ' daily maintenance calories to bulk ' number you get from the Harris or other formula.( 1 gram of fat is 9 calories )
4. Subtract the fat and protein calories calculated above in 2) & 3) from your ' daily maintenance calories to bulk ' and you're left with a ballpark estimate of the carb calories you need ( 1 gram of carb is 4 calories )
Generally speaking though, when it comes to macro-nutrients, I find a Carbs ( 60% ), Fat ( 25 % ) and Protein ( 15 % ) ratio is a good all-purpose
starting point. Beyond that , you usually have to tweak things a bit between protein and carbs to accommodate any specific protein targets you may have set ( i.e 1 +/- gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight ).
