Should I bulk up or cut??? really can't decide i have picture

[RareGhost]

I am 5'9, Before my cut i was 187 lbs last week of December and now I am at 174 lb as of today. I bulked up for about 7-8 months but i overdid it and gained more fat than necessary which is why I also lost more weight as well so i could get rid of excess weight. I dont really have much of a gut but now when i flex I can feel my abs a lot and see them. But not at all when i am not flexing. Im guessing i just don't have a built up enough core....

The first photo is of me at 187 lbs....

The second photo is of me at 174 lbs.... NOT flexing...

The third photo is of me at 174 lbs and I AM flexing.....

Should I continue my cutting to lose a little more fat?? maybe like 5 more lbs to 168-169?? I want a six pack really bad but something tells me I should put on some more serious muscle mass before I do that what do you guys think>??



THE LAST PHOTO IS BEFORE I STARTED LIFTING ---- I DONT KNOW HOW TO LABEL THEM BEFORE I POST. so sorry....

[Diamhea]

Your gut looks worse at the lower weight... strange.

You need to cut, you are around 18% bodyfat and you should get 15% max, then lean bulk. The "six pack" look you are seeking requires a certain amount of lean mass to look good, I'm not sure if you are there yet, but might as well find out.

Cut.

[stphnssh]

Like Daimhea said, you might as well keep losing weight. If you want abs, you will need to lose probably about 15lb pounds which will put you around 160ish. You wouldn't look bad when you get there, but you would need to get new cloths unless you like extremely loose fits.

[Luke753]

It all depends on how you want to look and your comfortability with your body fat. I prefer to get to a sixpack then slowly gain weight, then lose the fat.

I did the same thing you did and gained too much fat since I read articles about how you should bulk, but honestly you'll just look bad with a lot of fat and then you have to get rid of it all and end up at the same place you'd be if you slowly gained muscle. I learned to slowly gain muscle from Frank Zane, but this is less than 5 lbs. a year. It's a small amount, but in 10 years that's 50 lbs. and probably the biggest one could be naturally.

Most people underestimate how much fat they need to lose to get to a sixpack. It looks like about 20 lbs. for you.

[RareGhost]

Your gut looks worse at the lower weight... strange.

You need to cut, you are around 18% bodyfat and you should get 15% max, then lean bulk. The "six pack" look you are seeking requires a certain amount of lean mass to look good, I'm not sure if you are there yet, but might as well find out.

Cut.

well i think i was flexing in my 187 lbs photo...lol.... sorry for the confusion...

[RareGhost]

It all depends on how you want to look and your comfortability with your body fat. I prefer to get to a sixpack then slowly gain weight, then lose the fat.

I did the same thing you did and gained too much fat since I read articles about how you should bulk, but honestly you'll just look bad with a lot of fat and then you have to get rid of it all and end up at the same place you'd be if you slowly gained muscle. I learned to slowly gain muscle from Frank Zane, but this is less than 5 lbs. a year. It's a small amount, but in 10 years that's 50 lbs. and probably the biggest one could be naturally.

Most people underestimate how much fat they need to lose to get to a sixpack. It looks like about 20 lbs. for you.

What you do is exactly how i want to do it. Get a shredded 6 pack, and then do a slower clean bulk so I can have gained some really good gains by say November. If i put up my photo before i started working out you'd be like holy **** lol.... big diff

[RareGhost]

Your gut looks worse at the lower weight... strange.

You need to cut, you are around 18% bodyfat and you should get 15% max, then lean bulk. The "six pack" look you are seeking requires a certain amount of lean mass to look good, I'm not sure if you are there yet, but might as well find out.

Cut.

check out my 4th picture.... see how far i have come. I think i would look maybe decent at around 160 lbs

[RareGhost]

It all depends on how you want to look and your comfortability with your body fat. I prefer to get to a sixpack then slowly gain weight, then lose the fat.

I did the same thing you did and gained too much fat since I read articles about how you should bulk, but honestly you'll just look bad with a lot of fat and then you have to get rid of it all and end up at the same place you'd be if you slowly gained muscle. I learned to slowly gain muscle from Frank Zane, but this is less than 5 lbs. a year. It's a small amount, but in 10 years that's 50 lbs. and probably the biggest one could be naturally.

Most people underestimate how much fat they need to lose to get to a sixpack. It looks like about 20 lbs. for you.

check out my 4th photo and see how far i have come i think i would look pretty decent at 160 lbs like you said

[Diamhea]

check out my 4th picture.... see how far i have come. I think i would look maybe decent at around 160 lbs

Oh, well that changes things a bit, that pic wasn't there before.

Lean bulk, IMO. You don't have enough muscle mass to warrant cutting more. Arms need more size, etc.

[RareGhost]

Well that,photo was me at 135 lbs... before I started working out

[RareGhost]

I want more size of course but i don't want to gain more fat I want to have as little body fat as i can allow myself to get to right now

[jlsnyderTypeR]

Should I continue my cutting to lose a little more fat?? maybe like 5 more lbs to 168-169?? I want a six pack really bad but something tells me I should put on some more serious muscle mass before I do that what do you guys think>??

You said it best here ^^ so if you want nice physique w/abs, my suggestion is stop worrying about bulking or cutting for now. You need to put all your effort for the next several years into building muscle, and if you play it right, you'll be where you want to be before your 30.

[RareGhost]

You said it best here ^^ so if you want nice physique w/abs, my suggestion is stop worrying about bulking or cutting for now. You need to put all your effort for the next several years into building muscle, and if you play it right, you'll be where you want to be before your 30.

Play it right as eating the right kinds of food? My maintenance is 2700 right now so i should go up to 3000 a day? i kinda have a small gut right now and i just really hate having one I want to get rid of it and if i bulk up more it will get bigger...

[juggernaut74ia]

OK - you're confusing me with the timeline....

4th pic was "Before"
1st pic was "After Bulk"
2&3 are current pics "After post-bulk cut"

Do I have that right?

And you gained 50+ lbs in a 7 month bulk? Yeah, that's way too fast.

Assuming I have the above correct, IMO you need to cut about another 15-20 lbs of fat off and then re-assess. Take your next bulk much much slower.

[jlsnyderTypeR]

Play it right as eating the right kinds of food? My maintenance is 2700 right now so i should go up to 3000 a day? i kinda have a small gut right now and i just really hate having one I want to get rid of it and if i bulk up more it will get bigger...

If you want to get rid of your gut, I would not recommend eating at a surplus, and yes, I mean eating the right kinds of food, in a timely manner throughout the day. So, IMHO, if you are training hard, and including abs multiple times a week, you should start to see reasonable development in the next few years w/out all these silly weight fluctuations.

[RareGhost]

OK - you're confusing me with the timeline....

4th pic was "Before"
1st pic was "After Bulk"
2&3 are current pics "After post-bulk cut"

Do I have that right?

And you gained 50+ lbs in a 7 month bulk? Yeah, that's way too fast.

Assuming I have the above correct, IMO you need to cut about another 15-20 lbs of fat off and then re-assess. Take your next bulk much much slower.

YES you are correct... and yes i gained that much in 7 months lmaoo.... thats what i meant by I started hitting cardio 3 times a week burning about 250-300 calories each time and i lost 14 lbs in about 2 months while keeping all my strength up. it worked but it also showed me how much i screwed up my bulk and that I could have been much bigger by this point and it sucks its like i have to almost start over....

[RareGhost]

If you want to get rid of your gut, I would not recommend eating at a surplus, and yes, I mean eating the right kinds of food, in a timely manner throughout the day. So, IMHO, if you are training hard, and including abs multiple times a week, you should start to see reasonable development in the next few years w/out all these silly weight fluctuations.

thank you your honesty. I just want to be able to show my abs and still be able to see them a little bit while/after i bulk so i can keep my body in check. I think i want to go with what juggernaut said... I know i haven't made serious mass just yet, but i want to be able to not have to cut for a long time after I lean bulk...especially since i get impatient lol

[RareGhost]

Also if you say i need to build muscle without worrying about bulking or cutting how do i do that when you're supposed to be in a,surplus to grow aka bulking

[Diamhea]

You confused the hell out of most of us with the timeline of the pics.

If you choose to bulk, aim for a moderate surplus (~500kcal) over your maintenance, that will minimize fat gain.