Bulk/Cut vs eating at maintenance, long term.

[SideSteal]

Hi!

Does anyone know of any studies that have been done that show bulking+cutting is any faster or slower than eating at maintenance levels?

Based on my previous experience I'm convinced the former is a much more efficient method but I'm wondering if any studies have been done.

Thanks!

EDIT: I figured this was obvious but maybe not: Goal is to gain muscle and maintain or even reduce bf%.

[adamg8504]

I'm in for answers... I am thinking the latter is better for the average person who doesn't care about huge gains in a short amount of time.

[Jorge0886]

I agree with Adam.

I would think the second option would be better for someone not trying to compete, wishing to stay healthy and improve their health & physique over time.

[DanDabinsky]

I agree with Adam.

I would think the second option would be better for someone not trying to compete, wishing to stay healthy and improve their health & physique over time.

agreed with tim. I think u gotta be realistic if u set ur goals to high it will be harder tpo acheive them.

[SideSteal]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Anyone else have any opinions or links to any studies on it? From what I gather, the general consensus is that bulking/cutting is more efficient in terms of hitting a goal in a specific time period, but I'm wondering if this is accurate...

Shameless bump.

[whitely]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Anyone else have any opinions or links to any studies on it? From what I gather, the general consensus is that bulking/cutting is more efficient in terms of hitting a goal in a specific time period, but I'm wondering if this is accurate...

Shameless bump.

bro science warning : THIS IS MY OPPINION FROM EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD AFTER HITTING THE GYM FOR FEW YEARS, AND NOT THE KNOWN OR STUDIED FACT

Maintenance is a myth my friend. If u hit maintenance calories once in a lifetime it would be like winning a jackpot. When your body weight stays roughly the same that means ur one day eating below and other day eating above your calorie requirement, even if it would, in extremes, meant that ur eating just few calories up or down. If you're eating below your calorie requirements your body will not produce new muscle mass. If you're eating above your calorie requirements your body will have something it can use for other purposes than keeping you alive, and it MIGHT build muscle mass. That's why bulk is a safe bet. It doesn't have to be mega bulk, calorie sufficit can be rather small, but keep it on the positive side and it will pay in results. Never think about maintenance again.

[retiredrunner]

bro science warning : THIS IS MY OPPINION FROM EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD AFTER HITTING THE GYM FOR FEW YEARS, AND NOT THE KNOWN OR STUDIED FACT

Maintenance is a myth my friend. If u hit maintenance calories once in a lifetime it would be like winning a jackpot. When your body weight stays roughly the same that means ur one day eating below and other day eating above your calorie requirement, even if it would, in extremes, meant that ur eating just few calories up or down. If you're eating below your calorie requirements your body will not produce new muscle mass. If you're eating above your calorie requirements your body will have something it can use for other purposes than keeping you alive, and it MIGHT build muscle mass. That's why bulk is a safe bet. It doesn't have to be mega bulk, calorie sufficit can be rather small, but keep it on the positive side and it will pay in results. Never think about maintenance again.

Sounds reasonable to me. A fair surplus is a good bet.

[rich503]

Studies? Hell no man. There really are no bodybuilding studies. The vast majority of the studies (which BTW are usually grossly underpowered) are on the general population. The anti-bro science people read the abstract on pubmed and cite it as "proof" before calling any anecdotal data-people "bros." Very little work is aimed at this population.

Bodybuilding is one area that I think should rely on anecdotal data more than peer-reviewed literature...the reason being that literature is so incomplete.

[Tommy W.]

You can only build so much muscle per month no matter how much you eat. Way too many cals while bulking only make you gain fat and necessitate a cutting phase where you take time away from any building.....so... a slow bulk may get you from 180 to 190 in 3 or 4 months with mostly muscle or a "fast" bulk will get you to 200 in 3 months. then you take a month to diet off the fat then you're at.....190....in 4 months. Plus you have to go low cal and who the eff wants to do that.

2 to 300 cals over maintenence max. If you're older or reaching your genetic max for building muscle then that may even be too much as gaining a pound of muscle per month will be a stretch.