Cutting/Bulking confusion

[belial8321]

Hey guys, Just a quick question -

I am happy to admit i know little about a bodybuilding diet

I want to ultimately gain great muscle size but without getting to bulky and losing definition -

I have heard about cutting and bulking but i am confused, - cutting is supposed to be losing the excess calories, carbs and fat from your diet yea? (citation needed plz) - the idea of which is to burn your BF% down and make you look more defined, but my question is, cutting those 3 elements i mentioned above, does that affect my muslce building potential, i have heard that to gain muscle mass i need to eat tonnes :( so confusing,

I am currently on these supplements

- Whey Protein Powder Isolate
- L-Carnitine 750mg Caplets
- Creatine Monohydrate 750mg Caplets
- Mega Vitamins - Ultra High Dose Vitamin Supplement

Thanks,

Jamie

[belial8321]

Oh and at the moment my chest is lacking behind, is cutting going to reduce the speed i can build mass onto it?

[andrerox80]

if your goal is to gain muscle, you have to eat at a surplus (and lift heavy, of course). bulk. you don't want to eat at a deficit and cut. and you don't necessarily need to eat tons. you eat a little above maintenance and then reevaluate and adjust from there, as you gain and things progress.

[oregonchick76]

Oh and at the moment my chest is lacking behind, is cutting going to reduce the speed i can build mass onto it?

Probably.

Cutting is to reduce fat. Cutting requires a caloric deficit.
Bulking is to gain muscle. Bulking requires a caloric surplus.

If you want to gain muscle, you have to eat more than you are burning and lift heavy.

If you want to lose fat, you have to eat less than you are burning and still lift heavy, although during a cut you will probably not gain much strength and may actually lose some strength/muscle mass due to the deficit.

That is why people cycle between cutting and bulking. You rarely gain exclusively muslce, and you rarely lose exclusively fat. So you focus on one goal at a time. Bulk up, get too fat, cut some.

[oregonchick76]

Hey guys, Just a quick question -

I am happy to admit i know little about a bodybuilding diet

I want to ultimately gain great muscle size but without getting to bulky and losing definition -

I have heard about cutting and bulking but i am confused, - cutting is supposed to be losing the excess calories, carbs and fat from your diet yea? (citation needed plz) - the idea of which is to burn your BF% down and make you look more defined, but my question is, cutting those 3 elements i mentioned above, does that affect my muslce building potential, i have heard that to gain muscle mass i need to eat tonnes :( so confusing,

I am currently on these supplements

- Whey Protein Powder Isolate
- L-Carnitine 750mg Caplets
- Creatine Monohydrate 750mg Caplets
- Mega Vitamins - Ultra High Dose Vitamin Supplement

Thanks,

Jamie

You don't eat "tons" on a bulk. A woman can only gain about 1lb of muscle PER MONTH. That's under the most optimal conditions. That is only .25 lbs per week, so you only need a caloric surplus of like 250 per day at the most.

Bulk to gain muscle. Eat a slight surplus, lift heavy.
Cut to lose fat. Eat a slight deficit, lift heavy.

Generally speaking, a person will not gain muscle during a cut, unless they are a newbie and doing everything right.

Always keep your protein around 1g per lb of bodyweight, whether cutting or bulking.

[hieronymous]

You are fairly light for a guy your height from a BB perspective. You may just want to concentrate on bulking at this point.

Don't be tempted to only train your chest and forget your legs.

[belial8321]

So you reckon i should bulk before cutting? i already lost 12lbs since i started :P

and hieron - my legs are massive by proxy :P i cycle everywhere! i mean like 25 miles a day sometimes, my quads are huge XD

[belial8321]

Lmao i just realised i put this in female bodybuilding .. when i am male, oh well, the concepts are the same i assume?

[hieronymous]

Lmao i just realised i put this in female bodybuilding .. when i am male, oh well, the concepts are the same i assume?

Yep, they are. Cycling legs - nice. :) lol