88% to finish my goal, but should I stop and bulk?

[GuKre]

I posted a while back, I began cutting weighing at 185 lbs (84kg), 5'7 (1.74m), and got measured at 25% body fat with a 37.4" waist (95cm). (30yr-old)
Got down to what I am now, 167 lbs (76kg) and got measured at around 17-18% bf, with 33.85" waist (86cm).
My initial goal was to get down to 74kg, or at least less than 15% bf.

I did it on around 1700-1800 kcals a day, always striving for a high protein daily intake (over 1g of protein per lb). And fit carbs and fat ratios differently, as long as I stayed inside those calories.
I lost a good 1lb-2lb per week, though the last 2 weeks it has been plateuaing a bit (less than 1lb).

Anyway, the dilemma as always, keep on cutting or bulk?

I have had no problems in dieting, I like what I eat, the ammount, I like to see the scale go down etc.
One problem right now, has been some decreased energy while working out and stalling in how much I can lift. As, e.g., the 1st set I make it 12 reps, but the 2nd, 3rd, I can make it much less, sometimes half of the 1st (getting a good 60-90s rest).

I am feeling so much better with a tshirt on, now that I lost some of my belly fat, and the thought of trying to bulk and gaining it again is bad, though I, for sure wanna pack on muscle, specially on my pecs and shoulders cause I've got nothing going on there.

I would like to be in a much better shape by July, and I don't really know how to go about it.

What do you think?

[TheUnderdog83]

Congratulations on your progress. You’re right where I was at when I stopped my first cut last year. I also cut from 185 to 165 (I’m also 5’ 7”) and although I still had some fat to lose my strength was suffering and I couldn’t stand it any longer. Fast forward 8 months and I’m now in my second cut weighing 173 this morning (with a goal of 160). I look better today at 173 than I did last year at 165 from the extra muscle. I say bulk now and next time you cut down to 165 you’ll feel better about it. Aim for only 2-3 pounds of gain per month and you won’t put on too much fat.

As a side note, I almost always take longer than a 90 second rest between sets, especially on the heavy compound lifts.

[JackMan017]

I'd finish that last 12%. I agree with you in your 17/18% bf estimate. I think if you got down to about 14/15%, that would be optimal. You're not too far off. Then after that get back up to maintenance, maybe slightly more?, get your strength back up and allow yourself to grow with more food. Allow yourself future cut cycles where you can cut down with more mass, aka where the hard work starts to really pay off. Bodybuilding takes time, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Just be focused everyday like you're doing.

[sunsean]

For your short term goal of July, I agree it's okay to finish your cut and lose some more body fat. No, you will not look like a bodybuilder, but I think that will make you look "better" in July than bulking and putting on very little muscle in that timeframe. After that though you should definitely focus on building some muscle in the long-term.

And obviously you should be lifting all through your cut. Try to focus more on higher weight/lower rep compounds to maintain strength, or even build strength if you're a newb. You don't need to be dong 12 reps, especially during a cut.

[GuKre]

I'll try and get down to 14-15%, for the next months. Though I don't think those 4-5 pounds left will be enough to go down those 3-4% body fat.
I guess it would take much more than that.