should i bulk or cut? need advice

[kim4fitness]

i want to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, would it be better to bulk and then shred, or shred and then bulk? i'm confused in which order to do it in.

[kim4fitness]

bump

[Gracehbd]

Don't know if there's a complex scientific answer, but I reckon bulk, then cut. That way you'll have a far higher BMR when you do the cutting, than if you do it the other way around. Everyone wants to cut at the end of a bulk anyway! But it's up to you, and depends on how comfortable you are with being any particular size before reaching your target.

[PremierGirl]

Im pretty sure the right way is to do a clean bulk then cut.

[kim4fitness]

thanks girls! do you know fo any good clean bulking articles on bb?

[PremierGirl]

havnt read up on any but try these

http://search.bodybuilding.com/searc...ption&filter=0

[kim4fitness]

thanks will check them out, found a good article by hugo rivera on a clean bulking diet will give it a go for a few weeks and find a good workout to go with it and see how it pans out. will keep y'all posted!

[kimm4]

If you're at 27% body fat now it makes no sense to bulk. Why would you want to add more fat to the fat you already have? You will end up having to bust your ass even harder when you go to lean out/cut.

You have a nice base to work with and guess what you got muscle under the fat trust me

Get on a solid plan to lose body fat, keep your lifting heavy to hold onto and gain some lean muscle in the process...yes it can be done!

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally Posted by kimm4

If you're at 27% body fat now it makes no sense to bulk. Why would you want to add more fat to the fat you already have? You will end up having to bust your ass even harder when you go to lean out/cut.

You have a nice base to work with and guess what you got muscle under the fat trust me

Get on a solid plan to lose body fat, keep your lifting heavy to hold onto and gain some lean muscle in the process...yes it can be done!

^^

This.

Unfortunately for females - 'bulking' and anything over about 22-24% BF = +++ fat.... partitioning just falls away rapidly beyond that point and you end up just creating a mess rather than muscle.

[kim4fitness]

so should i cut first to get my b/f down? i havent found any articles on here that have really helped. any suggestions?

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally Posted by kim4fitness

so should i cut first to get my b/f down? i havent found any articles on here that have really helped. any suggestions?

How long have you been training for?
How consistent is your training/ diet?
What sort of training/ diet have you been doing in the past?

^^
These will determine the best 'next step'.

If you have been training a while then 'recomping' is going to be slow and tedious... in which case you might see better/ faster results if you do a quick weight loss spell - eg: a few months (eg: 3-4) - then get back to buff-work. If you are lucky, you might get some residual muscle gains as well (depending on what you are doing currently).... But for this:
1. train HEAVY
2. eat ENOUGH to maintain muscle, but eat BELOW what you need so you lose weight
3. get enough protein and healthy stuff
4. rest
5. don't go crazy on cardio

If you have not been training for long - then you could recomp more easily, and if you were to simply sit around 'mid point' with regards to cals - then stick to a heavy/ good weights program + add cardio as required. Basically - see above, but with a bit more food and a bit less cardio.