cycling bulking and cutting

[ah0907]

i was reading an article the other day and it was about doing bulk cycles for two weeks followed by a 2 week cut and then sterting the cycle over. now i understand their reasoning for this article and it brought up some strong points. im thinkin about giving it a go for a couple months into summer to try to put on some more lean mass. what do you guys think?

also waiting for my package from nutra to arrive this morning cant wait, this is ridiculous haha like a little kid getting a new toy

[doingwork30]

Well bulking and cutting is the standard, most effective way to bodybuild, I don't know about two weeks each though, imo it would be more efficient to do longer cycles for each.

[R1balla]

where did u read your strong points at? im curious

[ah0907]

it was on findarticles.com or something like that i was just googling bulking or something like that and i saw this article about a two week bulk followed by a two week cut then repeat. the point of the article is what stuck out to me..how long does the anabolic effect of overeating last? overeating brings insulin resistance can blunt gh with a high enough carb intake. and eventually you'll be gaining less muscle and more fat which can decrease test...just so you know this is what i read not what i believe... so you follow your two week caloric surplus with a two week cut to "re-prime" your anabolic hormones and reap more benefits for the overeating period and also decrease the amount of fat you put on....idk if this is true may work may not....its a theory i read anyway but i just wanted to see if anyone else had heard or read anything about this?

[spezzy]

I read this somewhere as well. I was thinking about starting it soon.

[ah0907]

ya i was gonna give it a go for a couple months to see how effective it is, if i decide to im gonna record my results on here

[Nitrox]

the point of the article is what stuck out to me..how long does the anabolic effect of overeating last? overeating brings insulin resistance can blunt gh with a high enough carb intake. and eventually you'll be gaining less muscle and more fat which can decrease test...just so you know this is what i read not what i believe... so you follow your two week caloric surplus with a two week cut to "re-prime" your anabolic hormones and reap more benefits for the overeating period and also decrease the amount of fat you put on....idk if this is true may work may not....its a theory i read anyway but i just wanted to see if anyone else had heard or read anything about this?

I think there is some merit in discussing shorter bulking/cutting diet cycles but all the theory is kinda lame IMO. BB writers love to theorize on what happens with nutrition and hormones and then publish articles without any evidence.

From my experience, change in insulin resistance is proportional to caloric intake. I have an advantage being diabetic - I know how much insulin is in my system (although I would still rather not be diabetic). So a lean bulk will not cause the effects theorized in the article as much as a 'dirty' bulk. Conversely, a gradual cut will not cause as many negatives as one that is more aggressive.

So basically, if you are taking a gradual approach to your goals, I don't there is much benefit to doing shorter diet cycles.

[R1balla]

im gonna actually try this starting today. not for the insulin reasons and stuff. im doin it so im not super lean 3 months out of the year and "fat" the other months. but im gonna do it in 4 week cycling

[CrazyChemist]

may standard has always been bulking sept.-feb.; maintenance march/april; cutting may-june; maintenance july-aug

if you try 2 week cycles please post how it goes for you. i'd be interested to know.

[R1balla]

im doing a bulk right now (started monday) and will continue until May 2. Cut starts May 3 until June 3 then a clean bulk for the summer with cardio (keep fat at a minimum but add muscle mass). If you want me to post a thread on my updates I will or I will post on here on Sunday, May 2

[ah0907]

if you dont mind, could you post a general outline for your clean bulk? im starting my 2 week bulk cycle on monday, i'll post beggining stats when i start, im gonna be doing a 5/3/1 style workout, i took a long break from training and after reading the ebook on 5/3/1 i feel it has a lot of potential for helping me re-gain my strength back quickly

[R1balla]

wake up: my own personal weight gainer. about 1k cals, 50g carbs, 75g protein.
30 min later: 8 boiled egg whites, a bowl of oatmeal with a fruit bowl
snack 1 hour later: almonds/walnuts/peanuts with a few slices of turkey deli meat
lunch:two chicken breasts with veggies and pasta
2 hrs till training snack: P&J sandwich with almonds and green tea
oatmeal 1 hr before training with no sugar
pre workout: coffee
TRAIN
Post workout: Shake with 5g of creatine mono
Dinner: Chicken/steak/fish or any meat with potatoes/veggies/pasta/...etc
bed time: another shake with a side of 5 scrambled egg whites and two whole eggs

i try to follow this as closely as i can

[CrazyChemist]

good luck bro