Do not bulk unless under 20% BF???

[gcarey3678]

What are your opinions on this "rule of thumb" that I have come across several times.
I am currently cutting and have been since mid January but do not think I'm going to make it to below 20% by June which I was hoping to be the end of my cut.
I don't think it will be beneficial for my long term goal of muscle building to cut for more than 6 months. My plan was to transition into a bulking phase that I'm planning on lasting for at least 6 months. I'm to a level of leanness that I am overall OK with now, of course there are some areas that seem more stubborn (My lower 1/2) but I have lost about 13-15 lbs on this cut and am pretty happy with the results so I'm thinking it's time to make the switch over... just curious about others opinions on the 20% or lower OK to bulk/ over 25% need to cut "rule"

[LunaLifts]

It's nonsense. Some people can't get below 20% without becoming underweight. Not many people have access to an accurate way of measuring bodyfat anyway. Under 20% is pretty lean (usually considered athletic-lean), for most people there's not much point going that low until you've built the muscle you want first, you and up having to give up that definition, and leanness again to bulk. For some people that's a hard thing to sacrifice once you've gotten there. If I remember right from when it's been brought up before, it's not so much a "rule of thumb" as one jackass trainer guy who said it based on no real evidence.

Just go by your healthy weight range, don't cut to underweight, don't bulk to overweight. Find a ~15lb range you're comfortable with gaining in (even if you do a slow 6 month bulk for 8-12lbs, I say 15 just in case you want to go bit longer, or you have higher months, doesn't hurt to have wiggle room, but it's up to you).

[Partyrocking]

There's an assumption that if you bulk with too high of a body fat, you will have poorer nutrient partitioning and will put on more fat than if you started your bulk from a leaner position.

1. There's little to no empirical evidence this is true.

2. If it is true, we don't know at what body fat percentage these factors are actually relevant. People assume 10-15% for males and I guess 20-25% for females, but this is all conjecture. It could be much higher. Greg Nuckols for example is not convinced that people need to be "that lean" to build muscle efficiently.

I personally wouldn't start a bulk if my bf% was over 25%, but that's more for vanity purposes/motivation than a conviction that I wouldn't be able to build muscle.

[ironwill2008]

What are your opinions on this "rule of thumb" that I have come across several times.
I am currently cutting and have been since mid January but do not think I'm going to make it to below 20% by June which I was hoping to be the end of my cut.
I don't think it will be beneficial for my long term goal of muscle building to cut for more than 6 months. My plan was to transition into a bulking phase that I'm planning on lasting for at least 6 months. I'm to a level of leanness that I am overall OK with now, of course there are some areas that seem more stubborn (My lower 1/2) but I have lost about 13-15 lbs on this cut and am pretty happy with the results so I'm thinking it's time to make the switch over... just curious about others opinions on the 20% or lower OK to bulk/ over 25% need to cut "rule"

Rather than using some arbitrary limitation put out by some unknown internet denizen, you should evaluate your own condition and how it might relate to your specific goal.


What is your mirror telling you to do?