Hey all. First of all, I started reading this forum about 2 months ago, and I wanted to tell you how excited I was to find it. I've been "dieting" (low-refined-carb, decent protein, almonds/walnuts/fish oil and low fat) and "working out" for about a year now, trying to trim down a bit. I've lost about 12 lbs (from 168 down to 156) and put on just a bit of muscle. 5'8" and small/medium build. I joined a gym near work and head over there a few times per week during lunch. When I first joined, I paid a trainer way too much- got some use out of it such as basic form on a lot of accessory motions.

So, since finding the site and opening my eyes, I've been reading and learning and learning and reading, and have been on Rippetoe (thank you, Rippetoe starting strength FAQ) for the last month or so, making much larger lifting gains than I had been in the past. Shut myself up and squatted and all that (found the one good trainer in the gym for feedback on form on the squats, deads and rows, though these boards and links to videos helped a ton as well). 50g whey, 5g creatine pre-workout, banana immediately post. I've been playing beginner's middle-field and losing fat and putting on some muscle, and now I'm ready to start bulking.

Here comes the question- I've been reading almost every sticky and recent thread on here about a bulking diet, which I'm going to follow. I'm not trying to get huge, just put on some good lean mass, I'd be very happy with 1-2 lb/week LBM. I've already added on dips, tri extensions, pullups/chinups, abs, etc. and still able to add on the core movements. For bulking, should I stick with intermediate Rippetoe 3x a week? I'd prefer to, since 3x a week is my sweet spot for being able to get in to the gym. Am I missing out out lost gains with the bulking diet by sticking with this lifting routine?

Apologies for the long post, and a big "thank you" to all of you on these forums who share your knowledge and experience (and make this shit fun).