Bulk or Cut and bf estimate? (pics)

[intrepid93]

Title. Feeling like a FA and was considering on doing a high protein mini cut at 1500 cals or so till Christmas (or until satisfied). Maybe get down to 160 or so? Definitely too fluffy thats for sure; sick of being fat.

Stats:

5'6 172
S: 225x5
B: 185x5
D: 205x3
C&J: 115x3


Also could someone embed the pics please? Thank you all.

[LiftingHabits]

Bulk for winter I'd say. Get ripped for summer.

[intrepid93]

Bulk for winter I'd say. Get ripped for summer.

Think so? I mean I am deff not strong or huge by any means whatsoever, but I feel a bit round. I was thinking maybe dropping 10lbs and bulking till April some time? Also what bf do you put me at?

[LiftingHabits]

Not the right person to ask about body fat % haha, Yeah I think so since everyone is wearing hoodies nobody really pays attention to extra weight during winter.

[OregonBBinc]

probably somewhere around 22% but thats a very rough estimate. its high for not being a big strong guy no offense. id say just start fresh and cut. just cut hard, lose the weight fairly fast and start over, you dont have enough muscle to worry about losing it. idk how long youve been training, but you really need to dedicate yourself more before you go on a bulk. no point in bulking if your not maximizing the benefits by not training and eating right.

[intrepid93]

probably somewhere around 22% but thats a very rough estimate. its high for not being a big strong guy no offense. id say just start fresh and cut. just cut hard, lose the weight fairly fast and start over, you dont have enough muscle to worry about losing it. idk how long youve been training, but you really need to dedicate yourself more before you go on a bulk. no point in bulking if your not maximizing the benefits by not training and eating right.

true, thx for the honesty. Im thinking of around 100g of protein a day and 1500 cals. i don't want to regress on lifts, in fact Im going to see if i can gain strength on my cut. jus prob gonna keep reps low and relatively low volume higher frequency training.

[intrepid93]

shameless bump on advice.

[jeffl1980]

probably somewhere around 22% but thats a very rough estimate. its high for not being a big strong guy no offense. id say just start fresh and cut. just cut hard, lose the weight fairly fast and start over, you dont have enough muscle to worry about losing it. idk how long youve been training, but you really need to dedicate yourself more before you go on a bulk. no point in bulking if your not maximizing the benefits by not training and eating right.

This^^^

[intrepid93]

This^^^

i agree with him, but why cut hard and lose fast and risk losing lbm? like why lose weight fast just to be a smaller version of myself with a similar bf? i don't want to lose weight on my lifts either.


EDIT: Especially because I am only 5'6. Like a lean 155-165 could be pretty decent aesthetically.

[Trankuility]

Bulk. Start a cut around April. You're wasting time if you cut now, imo.

I'm 5'6 as well. I have fat I want to lose too but continuing to bulk and will start a cut in April.

At 5'6, a lean 155-165 would not just be "decent". We would look HUGE.

[intrepid93]

Bulk. Start a cut around April. You're wasting time if you cut now, imo.

I'm 5'6 as well. I have fat I want to lose too but continuing to bulk and will start a cut in April.

At 5'6, a lean 155-165 would not just be "decent". We would look HUGE.

in that case maybe one more bulk/cut cycle is due? Im nearly 20lbs over 155 so maybe it is time to cut? go to 160 bulk back to 170 and do a short cut before summer?

[Freak0nALeash]

probably somewhere around 22% but thats a very rough estimate. its high for not being a big strong guy no offense. id say just start fresh and cut. just cut hard, lose the weight fairly fast and start over, you dont have enough muscle to worry about losing it. idk how long youve been training, but you really need to dedicate yourself more before you go on a bulk. no point in bulking if your not maximizing the benefits by not training and eating right.

Sorry to hijack but cann somebody give me a bf% estimate as well? 5'10 weigh 176lbs, Squat 315x5, Bench 245x2, DL 315x2...Also based on my pics, should i be bulking or cutting to get a good v shape going cause i'm sick of my hips sticking out like in my front relaxed picture

[intrepid93]

bump

[pMbeast]

I'm guessing 18-20%. I'm gonna go against some of the previous advice and say cut. If you bulked now, you'd put on some muscle but you would be a fatty right before summer and you'd be going on a loooooooong cut. If you cut down to 12ish now, you'd be thin before summer and with a SLIGHT caloric surplus (250ish), you'd be adding on some quality muscle all summer long. Also, don't cut fast like someone suggested. You'll lose LBM and crash your metabolism. Both of which will destroy your goals and make this take longer than it has to. You didn't gain the fat overnight. Don't try to lose it overnight either. Good luck brah.

[emaytee]

21-22%... if you have the willpower to cut during the holidays, do it. Otherwise bulk.

[intrepid93]

I'm guessing 18-20%. I'm gonna go against some of the previous advice and say cut. If you bulked now, you'd put on some muscle but you would be a fatty right before summer and you'd be going on a loooooooong cut. If you cut down to 12ish now, you'd be thin before summer and with a SLIGHT caloric surplus (250ish), you'd be adding on some quality muscle all summer long. Also, don't cut fast like someone suggested. You'll lose LBM and crash your metabolism. Both of which will destroy your goals and make this take longer than it has to. You didn't gain the fat overnight. Don't try to lose it overnight either. Good luck brah.

thanks. think i can actually get my lifts to go up through out the cut?

[Freak0nALeash]

I'm guessing 18-20%. I'm gonna go against some of the previous advice and say cut. If you bulked now, you'd put on some muscle but you would be a fatty right before summer and you'd be going on a loooooooong cut. If you cut down to 12ish now, you'd be thin before summer and with a SLIGHT caloric surplus (250ish), you'd be adding on some quality muscle all summer long. Also, don't cut fast like someone suggested. You'll lose LBM and crash your metabolism. Both of which will destroy your goals and make this take longer than it has to. You didn't gain the fat overnight. Don't try to lose it overnight either. Good luck brah.

Thanks, cutting is the better option for me also because i'm playing rugby until late may/early june so i don't want to lose my speed. Just to clarify, by cutting, along with some lat work, do you think I will get a better shape to me, more of a v shape? I know my hips aren't naturally HUGE but they are wider than most and i just get annoyed by it.Wait was that for me or intrepid?

[pMbeast]

thanks. think i can actually get my lifts to go up through out the cut?

Typically no but you should get your strength back very quickly when you transition back to bulking.

Thanks, cutting is the better option for me also because i'm playing rugby until late may/early june so i don't want to lose my speed. Just to clarify, by cutting, along with some lat work, do you think I will get a better shape to me, more of a v shape? I know my hips aren't naturally HUGE but they are wider than most and i just get annoyed by it.Wait was that for me or intrepid?

That was for the OP. Make your own thread

[Freak0nALeash]

Typically no but you should get your strength back very quickly when you transition back to bulking.



That was for the OP. Make your own thread

Point well taken

[intrepid93]

I feel like Im weak enough pound for pound i can increase. How long do you suggest i cut?

[pMbeast]

I feel like Im weak enough pound for pound i can increase. How long do you suggest i cut?

Only you can really answer that. It depends on your goals. After all, if you just want to be a big monster and don't care what your bodyfat% is, you should just bulk. The problem with bulking now is that if you start at 20% and end at 25%, when you do decide to cut, it's going to take you 6 freaking months or longer if you do it right (slowly).

[intrepid93]

Only you can really answer that. It depends on your goals. After all, if you just want to be a big monster and don't care what your bodyfat% is, you should just bulk. The problem with bulking now is that if you start at 20% and end at 25%, when you do decide to cut, it's going to take you 6 freaking months or longer if you do it right (slowly).

good point. think a recomp is out of question?

[YarsRevenge]

I'm guessing 18-20%. I'm gonna go against some of the previous advice and say cut. If you bulked now, you'd put on some muscle but you would be a fatty right before summer and you'd be going on a loooooooong cut. If you cut down to 12ish now, you'd be thin before summer and with a SLIGHT caloric surplus (250ish), you'd be adding on some quality muscle all summer long. Also, don't cut fast like someone suggested. You'll lose LBM and crash your metabolism. Both of which will destroy your goals and make this take longer than it has to. You didn't gain the fat overnight. Don't try to lose it overnight either. Good luck brah.

This

[intrepid93]

so are my already happy lifts doomed to regress?

[OregonBBinc]

I'm guessing 18-20%. I'm gonna go against some of the previous advice and say cut. If you bulked now, you'd put on some muscle but you would be a fatty right before summer and you'd be going on a loooooooong cut. If you cut down to 12ish now, you'd be thin before summer and with a SLIGHT caloric surplus (250ish), you'd be adding on some quality muscle all summer long. Also, don't cut fast like someone suggested. You'll lose LBM and crash your metabolism. Both of which will destroy your goals and make this take longer than it has to. You didn't gain the fat overnight. Don't try to lose it overnight either. Good luck brah.

i didnt mean starve himself when i said cut hard. i just meant cut aggressively. i would be eating more than 100g of protein like you previously stated op, you will def lose more lbm than you care to at that amount. and this is coming from a guy who is all about bulking up so that should say something. op doesnt have very much lbm to worry about thats my point. benching 185, please take this as constructive criticism but isnt exactly a lot so if you train right even with a hard cut your not going to lose much off those numbers. for that exact reason is why i dont agree with people saying bulk. at a certain point in bf% you just shouldnt be bulking anymore, and hes pushing that limit, but its all in a matter of opinion. imo his strength isnt that high so what are you sacrificing aesethetics for if it isnt for strength? for example, im probably around your bf% but im way more solid and im 5 10 235. and im about to go on a cut in about a month, shooting for 2 pounds a week for 2 1/2 months. if i lose enough bf% ill have enough time to bulk a little more before i need to cut again for summer. its all about keeping everything in check and being relative to your goals.

[OregonBBinc]

Sorry to hijack but cann somebody give me a bf% estimate as well? 5'10 weigh 176lbs, Squat 315x5, Bench 245x2, DL 315x2...Also based on my pics, should i be bulking or cutting to get a good v shape going cause i'm sick of my hips sticking out like in my front relaxed picture

your probably around 12% or maybe lower, very lean none the less. i see no reason to cut in the middle of winter. if your trying to build up your frame the only way to do so is eat more and train hard. build up those shoulders and hit pull ups hard itll help with that v taper.

[intrepid93]

final bump

[intrepid93]

also any routine recommendations for the cut?