1 year progress--slow bulk or keep cutting?

[forcajovem]

In short, I managed to be consistent for the most part of the past year. I finished a much-needed cut after going up to 160 lbs, 20%+ body fat.

I went down to 135 lbs. After my weight stabilized as I went back to eating at maintenance, I slowly started adding on weight (gain of 0.5lbs a week).

After a couple of months, I'm now at 145 lbs. I don't look as skinny as before. I've only attached the current, relevant pictures of me at 145 lbs.

My question is--do I continue a slow bulk at a sensible rate for a few more months? Or is my body fat, as seen in the pictures, too high?

Also, I have a thinner than average bone structure, so I'm naturally lighter by the numbers than most (while skinny at 135, I did not look like a skeleton).

Please be as brief as you'd like to be with your feedback.

Much appreciated!

[CommitmentRulz]

What workout are you following? What do you bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press?

[DyingAtheist]

Whether your body fat is too high or not is up to you and your preference for how you look. However based on your pic I'd say if you kept cutting down you wouldn't have a great base, and it's probably worth just continuing the lean bulk.

[dipatel13]

What is your height?

[forcajovem]

What workout are you following? What do you bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press?

Push, pull, leg days. 4 workouts a week. I haven't focused on strength as much recently, but I think my numbers are fine for these lifts. Decent standard anyway. I can bench press my weight comfortably, do two plate deadlifts, 1.5x bodyweight squat comfortably, etc.

Whether your body fat is too high or not is up to you and your preference for how you look. However based on your pic I'd say if you kept cutting down you wouldn't have a great base, and it's probably worth just continuing the lean bulk.

Thanks for your feedback.

I was thinking of adding another 5 pounds over the next 2 months, and then reassessing then. Is this a good plan, or should I be thinking even more long term?

What is your height?

I'm 5'8. I have a small bone structure though, so at my LBM and body fat percentage most guys my height will weigh 10 lbs heavier.

[dipatel13]

PPL workout, but only 4 days per week? How does that work out? PPL is meant to be run 2x per week which means 6 days in the gym so you're hitting everything twice per week. With your current split, it's likely you're not getting adequate frequency.

At 5'8 and 145lbs, you don't really have the mass to cut. Might try eating around maintenance and getting on a better lifting plan.

[unplugged]

Def keep lean bulking in a controlled surplus and lifting heavy. You don't have near the base to support a decent cut yet. You need to continue to add muscle slowly for another year at least and then consider cutting

[forcajovem]

PPL workout, but only 4 days per week? How does that work out? PPL is meant to be run 2x per week which means 6 days in the gym so you're hitting everything twice per week. With your current split, it's likely you're not getting adequate frequency.

At 5'8 and 145lbs, you don't really have the mass to cut. Might try eating around maintenance and getting on a better lifting plan.

I do PP more frequently than L, because I play sports on other non-lifting days so I don't hit the lower body as much. My lower is sufficiently developed anyway. I've always felt upper's lagged behind.

Meaning, I usually hit PP at least 3 days a week, so I'll hit push twice one week, pull once, and vice versa the next.

Hope that clarifies things. Might not be perfect, but I'm definitely hitting several body parts more than once a week.

[forcajovem]

Def keep lean bulking in a controlled surplus and lifting heavy. You don't have near the base to support a decent cut yet. You need to continue to add muscle slowly for another year at least and then consider cutting

Will do, thanks.

Lastly, what would you say is my body fat % approximately at the moment?

I'll keep to a controlled surplus, but I hope I'm able to keep my body fat % under control as much as possible as my weight goes up.

[skelooth]

Keep cutting, why stop now? You're so close to being lean!

[dipatel13]

I do PP more frequently than L, because I play sports on other non-lifting days so I don't hit the lower body as much. My lower is sufficiently developed anyway. I've always felt upper's lagged behind.

Meaning, I usually hit PP at least 3 days a week, so I'll hit push twice one week, pull once, and vice versa the next.

Hope that clarifies things. Might not be perfect, but I'm definitely hitting several body parts more than once a week.

It's far from perfect and it's hindering your goals to have a bad lifting routine. Fix your routine unless you're satisfied with suboptimal results from your efforts.

Go here and read the stickies and pick a properly designed routine: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8

[forcajovem]

Keep cutting, why stop now? You're so close to being lean!

I'm still conflicted. I'm trying to weigh my options the next few days before coming to a decision.

The way I see it, can either continue down this lean bulk path now, gaining ~1-2 pounds a month for the next 8-12 months, or lean out as much as possible over the next 3 before doing that.

The issue was that I was cutting (off and on) for so long that I got tired of it. A whole year. I had to take at least a month or two break. For that at least it was worth it.

[dipatel13]

I'm still conflicted. I'm trying to weigh my options the next few days before coming to a decision.

The way I see it, can either continue down this lean bulk path now, gaining ~1-2 pounds a month for the next 8-12 months, or lean out as much as possible over the next 3 before doing that.

The issue was that I was cutting (off and on) for so long that I got tired of it. A whole year. I had to take at least a month or two break. For that at least it was worth it.

As I said above, you don't have the muscle mass to support a cut. You're already at a low weight for your height. You need to focus on building muscle mass right now.

[unplugged]

Keep cutting, why stop now? You're so close to being lean!

Really?? Negged for telling someone at 145lbs to cut. I mean seriously that is just bad bad advice.....

[forcajovem]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Does anyone have an estimate as to where my body fat % is currently?

[skelooth]

Really?? Negged for telling someone at 145lbs to cut. I mean seriously that is just bad bad advice.....

Dude has man titties. Your broscience is ridiculous.

OP's BMI is 22.

Your BMI is
22.0
Normal (18.5 to 24.9)
A normal adult weight for this height is between 121.7-164.4 lbs


He can lose PLENTY of weight. Going on a "slow bulk" is not going to make him lean, not matter how much this forum rotted your perception of reality. Next you'll be telling him to cut on 3,000 calories and how he'll never lose weight if he doesn't reduce his cardio to 10 minutes per month. :eyeroll:

So instead of telling him to lose the last 10 lbs, you just tried to sabatoge him with bull**** bro science.

[juggernaut74ia]

Eat at, or every so slightly above maintenance and hit the gym hard.

And fix your posture - which is the only reason your side pic looks as bad as it does.

[jb_alphamale]

I bet that after this the OP is going to be even more confused. LOL!!!

Dude has man titties. Your broscience is ridiculous.

OP's BMI is 22.

Your BMI is
22.0
Normal (18.5 to 24.9)
A normal adult weight for this height is between 121.7-164.4 lbs


He can lose PLENTY of weight. Going on a "slow bulk" is not going to make him lean, not matter how much this forum rotted your perception of reality. Next you'll be telling him to cut on 3,000 calories and how he'll never lose weight if he doesn't reduce his cardio to 10 minutes per month. :eyeroll:

So instead of telling him to lose the last 10 lbs, you just tried to sabatoge him with bull**** bro science.

[OneDayForward]

How about this. Eat healthy, lift weights. Repeat. Dont worry the scale. Pick a program, stick to it, keep a journal. There should be no talk of cutting or bulking. Just my 2 cents

[Adare1]

I'm going to chime in and add to others by asking a couple of simple questions.

Do you want to look lean fast, or do you want to looks muscular?

If you want muscle, begin a lean bulk...now.

If you want to look lean, you need to continue on your cut and ensure you're hitting the gym hard, getting the right amount of nutrition for proper recovery to maintain muscle mass. For a year's worth of training on a cut, your body composition suggests that either your diet's not in check, or you're not going hard enough.

Like others said, building muscle might be the path of least resistance at this point, since it will fill out your frame a bit more. But if you want like a 'six pack', you'd want to cut further and tighten up your nutrition, go harder in the gym... Even incorporate some HIIT for faster results :v)

[unplugged]

Dude has man titties. Your broscience is ridiculous.

OP's BMI is 22.

Your BMI is
22.0
Normal (18.5 to 24.9)
A normal adult weight for this height is between 121.7-164.4 lbs


He can lose PLENTY of weight. Going on a "slow bulk" is not going to make him lean, not matter how much this forum rotted your perception of reality. Next you'll be telling him to cut on 3,000 calories and how he'll never lose weight if he doesn't reduce his cardio to 10 minutes per month. :eyeroll:

So instead of telling him to lose the last 10 lbs, you just tried to sabatoge him with bull**** bro science.

Yea... normal by who's standards? In case you haven't noticed this is a BODYBUILDING site and where did I use bro science? I am sure other's will chime in here but I think most would agree that cutting at his stats would not be the best move. How may I ask is my advice sabatoging him? If he keeps the surplus small he shouldn't add much fat and will be in a 100x better position to cut when he actually has a decent foundation. If he cuts without the base, he will appear skinny as hell not to mention make gaining muscle much harder. With that being said I apologize for my previous post as that was uncalled for and rude however in this case you are still wrong.

[forcajovem]

To say I'm confused at this point would be an understatement, lol.

I definitely appreciate the different opinions, though.

I know losing fat is easier than building muscle, which makes me think maybe I should do a hard cut for 3 months, before dedicating the entire Fall and Winter to adding mass. Maybe the issue I've had with adding muscle is that I've never dedicated a long enough timeframe for it. This could be a solution.

What would you guys say is a reliable estimate for my body fat %, based on the front picture? I'm aware a have a bit of APT as seen in my side pic, so front would be a better judge.

[Adare1]

To say I'm confused at this point would be an understatement, lol.

I definitely appreciate the different opinions, though.

I know losing fat is easier than building muscle, which makes me think maybe I should do a hard cut for 3 months, before dedicating the entire Fall and Winter to adding mass. Maybe the issue I've had with adding muscle is that I've never dedicated a long enough timeframe for it. This could be a solution.

What would you guys say is a reliable estimate for my body fat %, based on the front picture? I'm aware a have a bit of APT as seen in my side pic, so front would be a better judge.

This conforms thoughts I was having. You have been slowly losing fat over time on a deficit, but your natural mucle mass doesn't show due to the inconsistency of your lifting schedule. You can A. Start cutting for x period of time while lifting more regularly to get a 'leaner' lower bf% physique, but not muscular kind of look. Or you can go for the man-mode look and B. begin clean bulk right away, fill out your form... have an easier time around on your second cut.

B. is what I recommend for the simple reason that you dont seem committed enough to the gym, despite the fct that you lift. How often did you go to the gym per week?

This is all up to u. A lot of people here are gonna say bulk bulk! Depends what u want ... if you don't lift heavy enough and build out some natural muscle mass you're going to look like skeletor 3 months from now at your current rate /style of cutting.

[forcajovem]

This conforms thoughts I was having. You have been slowly losing fat over time on a deficit, but your natural mucle mass doesn't show due to the inconsistency of your lifting schedule. You can A. Start cutting for x period of time while lifting more regularly to get a 'leaner' lower bf% physique, but not muscular kind of look. Or you can go for the man-mode look and B. begin clean bulk right away, fill out your form... have an easier time around on your second cut.

B. is what I recommend for the simple reason that you dont seem committed enough to the gym, despite the fct that you lift. How often did you go to the gym per week?

This is all up to u. A lot of people here are gonna say bulk bulk! Depends what u want ... if you don't lift heavy enough and build out some natural muscle mass you're going to look like skeletor 3 months from now at your current rate /style of cutting.

I'm committed to the gym, even if my pictures show otherwise. I lift weights 4 times a week, and play sports/do cardio 1-2x a week. The problem has been my nutrition, and the fact I've alternated endlessly between these cycles. Needless to say, I've learned my mistake.

The silver lining in this situation is that my physique is actually noticeably better than it used to be. In other words, the last time I was at my current weight (145) I has even less LBM and slightly more body fat then.

I'm definitely avoiding the "bulk, bulk" approach because I'll just get fat from it. But if I were to add 2 pounds a month for the next 4 months, would that be a feasible way of adding a bit more mass before leaning out? This is what I'd ultimately like to do. But I'm worried that my current body fat is too high (someone please confirm this if you could).

[DyingAtheist]

I'm committed to the gym, even if my pictures show otherwise. I lift weights 4 times a week, and play sports/do cardio 1-2x a week. The problem has been my nutrition, and the fact I've alternated endlessly between these cycles. Needless to say, I've learned my mistake.

The silver lining in this situation is that my physique is actually noticeably better than it used to be. In other words, the last time I was at my current weight (145) I has even less LBM and slightly more body fat then.

I'm definitely avoiding the "bulk, bulk" approach because I'll just get fat from it. But if I were to add 2 pounds a month for the next 4 months, would that be a feasible way of adding a bit more mass before leaning out? This is what I'd ultimately like to do. But I'm worried that my current body fat is too high (someone please confirm this if you could).

That's where I'd go with it, lean bulk aiming to gain 2 pounds a month and build yourself a better base to cut down to. It might take more than 4 months though, probably will.

[LPD11]

I'm committed to the gym, even if my pictures show otherwise. I lift weights 4 times a week, and play sports/do cardio 1-2x a week. The problem has been my nutrition, and the fact I've alternated endlessly between these cycles. Needless to say, I've learned my mistake.

The silver lining in this situation is that my physique is actually noticeably better than it used to be. In other words, the last time I was at my current weight (145) I has even less LBM and slightly more body fat then.


I'm definitely avoiding the "bulk, bulk" approach because I'll just get fat from it. But if I were to add 2 pounds a month for the next 4 months, would that be a feasible way of adding a bit more mass before leaning out? This is what I'd ultimately like to do. But I'm worried that my current body fat is too high (someone please confirm this if you could).

Hey man, from the pictures it just doesn't look like you have much muscle to begin with. I'm just being honest and that is gonna be the basis on what you should do and what I am basing my advice on. I'm your height too and 145lbs is pretty light. I would suggest eating at maintenance or slightly above where you are gaining 1.5-2lbs a month (2lbs max) until you hit about 155-157lbs. You need to be hitting the gym HARD during this time. Get on a proven program (there's a bunch in the stickies) and stick with it. Once you hit that weight you can re-assess and see if you want to cut. You gotta know that this **** takes TIME. Start thinking in terms of months and years for where you want to be.

[forcajovem]

Hey man, from the pictures it just doesn't look like you have much muscle to begin with. I'm just being honest and that is gonna be the basis on what you should do and what I am basing my advice on. I'm your height too and 145lbs is pretty light. I would suggest eating at maintenance or slightly above where you are gaining 1.5-2lbs a month (2lbs max) until you hit about 155-157lbs. You need to be hitting the gym HARD during this time. Get on a proven program (there's a bunch in the stickies) and stick with it. Once you hit that weight you can re-assess and see if you want to cut. You gotta know that this **** takes TIME. Start thinking in terms of months and years for where you want to be.

I think this is the way to go. Before you posted this I had in mind 155lbs as my upper limit. I'll work hard in the gym and be diligent with my nutrition over the next few months to try and have the best body composition by the time I'm 155lbs.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it should also be interesting to see how my build compares then to my past pictures of 155lbs (in the middle of a cut). I think at that point I'll be able to see significant progress for the first time.

[unplugged]

I think this is the way to go. Before you posted this I had in mind 155lbs as my upper limit. I'll work hard in the gym and be diligent with my nutrition over the next few months to try and have the best body composition by the time I'm 155lbs.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it should also be interesting to see how my build compares then to my past pictures of 155lbs (in the middle of a cut). I think at that point I'll be able to see significant progress for the first time.

Yea man absolutely! It will take time but you will be much happier with the result then if you cut now. I am pleased to see you agree with us now

[forcajovem]

^ For sure.

Thanks to everyone again for the feedback.

[jb_alphamale]

Good luck and report back in few months!!

^ For sure.

Thanks to everyone again for the feedback.