Need some advice: Should I cut or bulk first?

[kravlionheart]

I am a 24 y/o, 5"4 female, weighing ~124lbs and 20-21% body fat, UK 8.
(See Photos)

I want to gain muscle and lean out but stay a similar size. I'm currently following CUT by Natacha Oceane and would say her training style/physique are the direction I'd love to go in. She recommends essentially a long, slow bulk (increasing 100 cals every few weeks/when you feel ready) but I'm not sure if I'm lean enough to start this process?

Up until now I've spent the last 8 months committed to training, a mixture of martial arts/functional training and 2-3 weight sessions each week. Roughly 5-6 hours of intense exercise a week. I've seen some physical and strength progress over the months but not as much as I would have liked or expected, but I believe it's down to not tracking calories or macros. Guess I have been intuitively eating around maintenance.

Because of this I'd prefer to go into a regular bulk/cut cycle to see more effective results but as this is completely new to me, I'd really love some help getting started. Am I lean enough to begin bulking or should I get to a lower body fat% first? How long do females tend to bulk/cut for, as I know building muscle can be a longer journey for us.

Would really appreciate any help going forward!
X

[Partyrocking]

I would bulk for about 6 months and then cut for 3 months. Repeat as much as necessary.

You can lose fat faster than you can build muscle, so I would aim to gain 2lbs/month when bulking and try to lose 1lb/week when cutting. This way, you should be able to change your body composition without having huge fluctuations in weight.