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When to cut when to bulk

bellamy7900

New member
Hey all , been wondering for awhile. When do people decide when to cut/bulk.
Currently in a cut.to loose the last of my love handles but as I get down in weight I'm realizing I'm going to have to get alot lower than anticipated. About ten pounds lower. Ultimately I would like to get around 190 pds. And not have love handles. Currently 175 . Should I try to get rid of the love handles then put on muscle or put the muscle in now and cut the fat last .
Literally have no idea which route is best
 
Depends. After doing this for over 20 years, dirty bulking is never a good idea. Clean bulk I like to do in winter months because I also run hills and am outside training for Mud Runs, etc. i Clean bulk for a good 3 months. Then start a slow cut. Beware absolutes! Have goals, but evaluate weekly and make SMALL adjustments.
 
bellamy7900 said:
Hey all , been wondering for awhile. When do people decide when to cut/bulk.
Currently in a cut.to loose the last of my love handles but as I get down in weight I'm realizing I'm going to have to get alot lower than anticipated. About ten pounds lower. Ultimately I would like to get around 190 pds. And not have love handles. Currently 175 . Should I try to get rid of the love handles then put on muscle or put the muscle in now and cut the fat last .
Literally have no idea which route is best
Click to expand...


question --- are you natty or no?? this makes a huge difference.

I've been doing this a long time as well ... and have always believed that if you are already within 15-17% bodyfat - AND are looking to get bigger - you should spend the majority of your time achieving your gains. like a year or two - if that's what it takes, literally. unless you are using peds - more than likely you are going to lose muscle once you hit deficit phase. I see more people wasting time, monoey, and their health by trying to do both (lose fat and gain muscle). it can be done -- but requires a diet and drug regimen most folks simply cannot adhere to.

you have to remember - your body always wants to "return to the norm" - so until you create a new "bigger more muscular norm" of which takes time... you simply return to where you were before. its more complicated than that -- but think you get it.

again - I am older (48) and blast and cruise - and I spend 8 months out of the year (sept-april) refining muscularity. bulking.but I do it slowly that I don't blow up and make things super difficult on myself when it comes to cut time. by slowly -- I mean proper drug protocol, and eating cleanly - but always in a surplus - not too worried about gaining some fat. I am bulking afterall. I cut into summer - then resume back in sept.
 
Thanks for the replies. Natty here. My plan was a 300 over maintance with tr1umph xgels and alphamaxx-xt for 8weeks and then switch out alpha for Abe or something for the last four
 
bellamy7900 said:
That would leave 2-3 months to loose a bit of the fat I gain before summer
Click to expand...

not a bad plan --- I was going to mention not going too heavy on the surplus cals. 300 is about what I had in mind. taking it a step further - make most of those 300 surplus cals protein based and it will serve you even better. food sources are always the best - but it can be as easy as two extra 150 cal protein shakes per day.
 
bellamy7900 said:
Hey all , been wondering for awhile. When do people decide when to cut/bulk.
Currently in a cut.to loose the last of my love handles but as I get down in weight I'm realizing I'm going to have to get alot lower than anticipated. About ten pounds lower. Ultimately I would like to get around 190 pds. And not have love handles. Currently 175 . Should I try to get rid of the love handles then put on muscle or put the muscle in now and cut the fat last .
Literally have no idea which route is best
Click to expand...

If you began cutting and your original goal was to lose body fat, then I would stick to that for now. If you begin bulking and you still aren't happy with your bodyfat levels, it will be a challenge mentally to gain weight and not be uncomfortable. I would recommend sticking to your plan and continue to lower your body fat until you have met your original goal.

This will also make bulking easier. Beginning a bulk at a lower bodyfat will allow you to assess your weight gain more accurately. I wouldn't stress being underweight either, if you're just beginning don't be frustrated by being "too light".

I would give the cut another 4-6 weeks and see where you are from there. Then consider doing an 8 week lean bulk with the stack you've mentioned above. Using Tr1umph, Alphamax XT, and X-gels would be a great stack for a lean bulk - its one of my favorite stacks. After an 8 week lean gaining period, you could then reassess your goals and see what direction you want to move. Chances are that if you've cut to a bodyfat you're happy with, and you stack strict with your lean bulk and stay honest with your nutrition, you probably won't need to cut again for the summer
 
I would say, like someone did above, to go ahead and get lean. This makes your bulking much easier to assess how much fat you are putting on while in a calorie surplus.
 
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