to cut or to bulk 1st that is the question??

[ik4ndy]

Ok so in terms of cutting or bulking should you cut 1st and get down to a low BF% around 12% before bulking or vise versa.. alot of people have said you should start of cutting (forum search) though would you look too thin if you cut before bulking.. logical speaking i mean wouldn't you try gaining muscle then start a cutting cycle so you can appear "toned" or "ripped"?

Whats everybody's opinion??

[BigE77]

If your in decent shape now and not on the soft side if you know what i mean;bulk,bulk,bulk and im under the impression your not on the heavy side definitly bulk and then cut up!

[freebirdmac]

You do not want to be 12%. That is too low to be healthy. Getting to around 16-18% is probably a more reasonable goal. Many women can go even higher and still look great.

If you're already close to or at/below a good weight for your height, then you'd like to build mass first. Losing bf without having the mass underneath won't accomplish much. You'd just get smaller but look the same. If you're above a good weight then you can lean out first. But it doesn't mean you have to.

I think this whole idea of leaning out first is based on people overdoing the cals on a bulk. You have to expect some fat gains on a bulk, but it does not have to be much. A few pounds isn't a big deal. Gaining 10+ pounds of fat is unnecessary.

With your stats I'd go for muscle gains for the next 6 months.

[FenderMia]

Like they've said, it's probably best for someone in decent shape to bulk first then to cut. It's easier to take away the fat when you have more muscle and are in better shape.

[Jen_K]

Sorry, but this post confuses me even more! I have lost around 30lbs, and my body fat is around 23%. I am lifting as heavy as I can, and consistently. Should I diet to lose more body fat before adding muscle, or have I cut enough to start building? Thanks .