Should i continue to cut or start too bulk

[AK49er]

My question is, if i want to be lean and ripped then bulk up, when do i stop cutting ?? i still have a little fat on me around my waist line but not much, i have cut about 50 lbs already. I also have lost some muscle mass while cutting and dont want too loose anymore mass.

[bogus83]

You've got it backwards. Unless you already have a lot of muscle mass, cutting will just make you skinny. You want to bulk until you have a decent amount of muscle, then cut to get rid of the fat that's visually obscuring it. If you're REALLY overweight, I'd suggest cutting until your bodyfat is in the low 'teens at least, then bulk, then cut for that "ripped" appearance.

[mrkotfw]

Man, I have this completely backwards as well.

[bogus83]

Not sure if srs?

I started at about 60 pounds overweight, so I wanted to get rid of a good amount of my fat before bulking. But I don't see any point in (me) cutting to sub-10%, because the idea of cutting is to reveal your physique, right? If you have no muscle definition to show off, you'll just be a skinny dude. So I figure I'll lose most of the weight, build up some muscle, then cut so it can be seen.

It's just the way the original post was phrased. "I want to be lean and ripped". If you don't have any muscle, you'll just be "lean".

IMHO, of course.

[mrkotfw]

Not sure if srs?

I started at about 60 pounds overweight, so I wanted to get rid of a good amount of my fat before bulking. But I don't see any point in (me) cutting to sub-10%, because the idea of cutting is to reveal your physique, right? If you have no muscle definition to show off, you'll just be a skinny dude. So I figure I'll lose most of the weight, build up some muscle, then cut so it can be seen.

It's just the way the original post was phrased. "I want to be lean and ripped". If you don't have any muscle, you'll just be "lean".

IMHO, of course.

iamsrs

This seems like this is going to be almost impossible. I lost nearly 80 lbs, now I have gain? What would you say about cutting with a considerable amount of protein every day (190g) for my weight? I of course am lifting.

IMHO? Are these not facts?


Can we get some facts. I'm very confused and I feel like I'm totally heading down the wrong direction here!

[bogus83]

I added "IMHO" because people love to jump on others on this forum if they think their information is better. And if you state a fact that someone else thinks they can disprove, god help you. :P

Think of it this way. If you woke up in the morning and found yourself at 9% bodyfat, with EXACTLY the same amount of muscle that you have now, do you think you'd look "ripped"? If the answer is yes, then great, don't bulk. If the answer is no, see my post above.

It's a FACT that if you cut to extremely low bodyfat levels but don't have any muscle mass you will just be scrawny. The part that's my opinion is the order in which to cut and bulk. I would prefer to cut to somewhat lean, then add muscle, then cut again. Other people strongly believe that you should bulk and build up your core muscles first, then cut. In reality, it's a matter of preference which depends on your immediate goals. If you can tolerate adding mass without losing the fat first, bulk first! If you absolutely must be lean, cut first!

[gbardahl]

stats (height, weight...) would help answer your question or a pic. But most people would benefit putting on mass unless they want to cut down to 150 pounds.

[mrkotfw]

stats (height, weight...) would help answer your question or a pic. But most people would benefit putting on mass unless they want to cut down to 150 pounds.

Goal: To cut & build muscle, 10% BF. Aesthetics: pretty much this: (click me).

Stats: 169 lbs., 5' 11", 23.6% BF. See my avatar feelsbadman.jpg

Edit: http://img683.imageshack.us/i/gf2i6.jpg/

[ejthomp]

Without establishing body fat percentages, this disagreement is senseless.

The first thing we should establish is that gaining more weight with body fat at 20% and above is probably not a good idea. Odds are the fat will just get fatter. If your body fat is 20% and above, you really should lose weight....first...before doing anything else.

Second, it is silly for someone with little muscle mass to cut below 10% body fat. They turn into stick men. They should cut body fat to between 10 and 15% and bulk from there.... being careful to never let their body fat percentage go over 15%. At some point in time, when they are happy with their muscle mass, they can cut to sub 10%...if they ever want that.

For everyone in between (average muscle mass, average fatness), the goal should be to stay under 15% body fat while bulking and cut to a lower body fat percentage when you feel like it.

[gbardahl]

mrkotfw, congrats on the progress.....you need to put mass on bro. if you want to look like that guy in the pic he probably bulked up to like 225-230 and cut down to 200 and stays lean. your pretty much as tall as me...put on 20 good pounds and lift hard and you'll look good (no homo)

[mrkotfw]

Without establishing body fat percentages, this disagreement is senseless.

The first thing we should establish is that gaining more weight with body fat at 20% and above is probably not a good idea. Odds are the fat will just get fatter. If your body fat is 20% and above, you really should lose weight....first...before doing anything else.

Second, it is silly for someone with little muscle mass to cut below 10% body fat. They turn into stick men. They should cut body fat to between 10 and 15% and bulk from there.... being careful to never let their body fat percentage go over 15%. At some point in time, when they are happy with their muscle mass, they can cut to sub 10%...if they ever want that.

For everyone in between (average muscle mass, average fatness), the goal should be to stay under 15% body fat while bulking and cut to a lower body fat percentage when you feel like it.

Thank you for your reassurance. That's why I was worried about bulking. I'm at 23.6%

I'm going through 'starting strength'

[mrkotfw]

mrkotfw, congrats on the progress.....you need to put mass on bro. if you want to look like that guy in the pic he probably bulked up to like 225-230 and cut down to 200 and stays lean. your pretty much as tall as me...put on 20 good pounds and lift hard and you'll look good (no homo)

Thanks.

Bulk -> Gain muscle mass -> cut

Damn, I feel like I have to start over again... How extreme should the bulking be? I'm consuming 2350 calories every day...

[MichaelRobert]

You should figure ot what your maintenance calorie intake is (How many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight) then add about 500 cal. you also need to make sure you consume at least 1g protein for every lb of body mass. Just a guess, but at 169lbs you probably don't need to many more calories to gain weight.

Whatever you do, don't forget the protein. You won't build much muscle without a steady intake of protein.

[0RLY]

Goal: To cut & build muscle, 10% BF. Aesthetics: pretty much this: (click me).

Stats: 169 lbs., 5' 11", 23.6% BF. See my avatar feelsbadman.jpg

Edit: http://img683.imageshack.us/i/gf2i6.jpg/

If you have been lifting for a while then you might want to revisit your lifting routine and intensity because I don't see much (any) muscle mass on you. You should be able to cut where you're at and also build up at least some muscle. Personally I would cut more while lifting HARD, then work on putting on mass.

[mrkotfw]

If you have been lifting for a while then you might want to revisit your lifting routine and intensity because I don't see much (any) muscle mass on you. You should be able to cut where you're at and also build up at least some muscle. Personally I would cut more while lifting HARD, then work on putting on mass.

You should figure ot what your maintenance calorie intake is (How many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight) then add about 500 cal. you also need to make sure you consume at least 1g protein for every lb of body mass. Just a guess, but at 169lbs you probably don't need to many more calories to gain weight.

Whatever you do, don't forget the protein. You won't build much muscle without a steady intake of protein.

0RLY, that image is when I first joined bodybuilding.com. I just had my second session yesterday. I'm going through 'starting strength'.

MichaelRobert, I'm consuming close 170.0-190.0g of protein. The TMF (software) said 2500 is my maintenance. I'm currently consuming 2350 cals.

[0RLY]

0RLY, that image is when I first joined bodybuilding.com. I just had my second session yesterday. I'm going through 'starting strength'.

Ah, okay. I read that you had lost a bunch of weight already so I didn't know if lifting was part of that.

As Bogus83 said, it's up to you what you want to do. But since you're just starting out lifting, you can definitely put on some muscle mass while simultaneously losing fat. Because of this, I, personally, wouldn't worry about eating excess calories and bulking at this point. I would just eat at around maintenance, or a little less, and lift hard. If you put in a reasonable effort and keep your diet right, you will get some good results that will include both fat loss and muscle gain. Once you get to a point where you think you're too thin, then consider bulking. But that's just my opinion -- if you are okay with your current body fat and are more interested in gaining size now (it is true that this will take longer than reducing body fat), then you can concentrate on bulking.

[mrkotfw]

Ah, okay. I read that you had lost a bunch of weight already so I didn't know if lifting was part of that.

As Bogus83 said, it's up to you what you want to do. But since you're just starting out lifting, you can definitely put on some muscle mass while simultaneously losing fat. Because of this, I, personally, wouldn't worry about eating excess calories and bulking at this point. I would just eat at around maintenance, or a little less, and lift hard. If you put in a reasonable effort and keep your diet right, you will get some good results that will include both fat loss and muscle gain. Once you get to a point where you think you're too thin, then consider bulking. But that's just my opinion -- if you are okay with your current body fat and are more interested in gaining size now (it is true that this will take longer than reducing body fat), then you can concentrate on bulking.

Thanks. I'll keep at it then. I'll loose a good amount of BF then decide to bulk if I find myself too skinny. I'm eating close to my maintenance and lifting (fairly) hard. I just started out so I'm not lifting too heavy. I'll be adding weights every six days by 25 lbs or so.

Thanks everyone