I know this is pretty unbelievable - but I measured myself with calipers, and my body fat is 20%, and I weigh 157 pounds.
I was already bulking for 2 months - gained a lean 8 pounds. Now, I'm thinking of cutting down to 8% body fat, and then bulking up again.. what do you guys think? I realize if I cut right now, when I reach 8% body fat I will be around 140 lbs.. is this a good idea?
Majority of my fat is on my chest, stomach, and I'm guessing my face.. can I cut?
Current lifts:
Squat - 190
Bench - 135
Deadlift - 210
Standing Press - 105
Pendlay Rows - 135
I'm restarting rippetoes at a lower weight than the above, so I was wondering if I could cut.. losing 2lbs/week.
Pics of me are on the second page of my log near the end.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...3682401&page=2
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Thread: Bulking at 20% body fat..
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10-11-2007, 11:46 AM #1
- Join Date: May 2007
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Bulking at 20% body fat..
Last edited by CrazyIndian; 10-11-2007 at 12:05 PM.
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10-11-2007, 12:01 PM #2
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10-11-2007, 12:05 PM #3
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10-11-2007, 12:07 PM #4
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10-11-2007, 12:13 PM #5
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10-11-2007, 12:14 PM #6
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10-11-2007, 12:17 PM #7
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10-11-2007, 12:19 PM #8
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10-11-2007, 12:26 PM #9
- Join Date: Jun 2007
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definitely cut first. And im sorry but i have a hard time believing that those 8 pounds you put on were lean if youre eating pizza, dairy queen, snickers ice cream bars and m&m's. Cut down to about 10-12% bf then do a CLEAN bulk to whatever goal you may have after that
Last edited by Cheekz; 10-11-2007 at 01:40 PM.
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10-11-2007, 12:32 PM #10
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10-11-2007, 12:33 PM #11
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10-11-2007, 12:34 PM #12
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10-11-2007, 12:35 PM #13
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10-11-2007, 12:36 PM #14
- Join Date: Jul 2007
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On a more serious note, as long as we're discussing judging body fat by eye sight heres a rough guide I got from somewhere or other (probably true) but at the end of the day who cares what number you assign to it what matters is what you look like in the mirror.
1. Full House = No visible muscle definition. Bodyfat level = over 20%.
2. Hard = Some muscle separation appears between delts and upper arm. Abs are still not visible. Approx. bodyfat level = 15-19%
3. Cut = More muscle separation appears particularly in the chest and back, outline of the abs begins to appear slightly. Approx. bodyfat level = 12-14%
4. Defined = Muscle separations get deeper in the arms, chest, legs and back, and abs appear when flexed. Approx. bodyfat level = 10-12%
5. Ripped = Abs are clearly visible all the time, vascularity in arms is prominent, chest and back separation is obvious, and face is starting to appear more angular. Condition can be held indefinitely. Approximate bodyfat level = 7-9%
6. Shredded = Striations appear in large muscle groups when they are flexed. Vascularity appears in lower abdomen and in the legs. Condition can be held for several days with careful dieting. Approximate bodyfat level = 5-7%
7. Sliced = Muscles and tendons begin to appear in the face when chewing, striations appear everywhere and vascularity appears everywhere. Bodyfat levels are close to 3% and subcutaneous water levels are near 0. Condition can only be held for a few hours at a time. Not a healthy condition to stay in due to lower water level.
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10-11-2007, 12:40 PM #15
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10-11-2007, 12:41 PM #16
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10-11-2007, 12:43 PM #17
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10-11-2007, 12:44 PM #18
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10-11-2007, 12:59 PM #19
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10-11-2007, 01:03 PM #20
- Join Date: May 2007
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definitely cut first. And im sorry but i have a hsrd time believing that those 8 pounds you put on were lean if youre eating pizza, dairy queen, snickers ice cream bars and m&m's. Cut down to about 10-12% bf then do a CLEAN bulk to whatever goal you may have after that
I had pretty good strength gains so I find it hard to believe that most of it was fat. Maybe 2lbs or so, but not the majority.
Thanks for the advice though, I will definitely cut.
Is 2lbs/week healthy? I was thinking to either do that for 2-3 months or just do the v-diet.
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10-11-2007, 01:28 PM #21
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10-11-2007, 01:34 PM #22
You have at least added muscle and lost fat on the progress pic in your profile. I would say that you should go for clean eating: less carbs, more proteins and fat, consume a big majority of your calories and carbs after workouts. Do heavy-ass lifting 3-5 days a week. Use compound movements and some intensifying additions (supersets, complexes, but not exaggerate). If you are willing to; do HIIT 1-3 days a week. (for example 8-12*20seconds all out sprints)
Good luck
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10-11-2007, 01:42 PM #23
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10-11-2007, 01:49 PM #24
- Join Date: Jun 2007
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Strength doesn't mean its not fat. And i do not agree with that ratio, because it will make a difference, small as it may be. You can slack on the diet if you want, its your choice, but dont expect to get ripped if you dont try as hard as you could. Diet will make all the difference.
Last edited by Cheekz; 10-11-2007 at 01:56 PM.
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10-11-2007, 01:54 PM #25
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10-11-2007, 01:57 PM #26
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i'm about 18% and i'm bulking. i plan on cutting once i start 5x5 for a month to try and lose 8lb. if i were you i would just get to 14/15% once you gain some more muscle. having a belly doesn't really bother me though, i don't take my shirt off much haha
Powerlifting log: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172662011&page=1
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10-11-2007, 02:03 PM #27
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10-11-2007, 02:10 PM #28
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10-11-2007, 02:19 PM #29
- Join Date: May 2007
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Having a belly really bothers me.. my waist size is like 34!!!
I wanted to lose most of my body fat so that I could clearly see the type of results that I was getting while I was on rippetoes.
The reason I ate a little dirty was because I was already fat - I really didn't have anything to gain by eating completely clean.. I don't think I really gained that much fat anyways. Besides, this was my first time trying to diet in college. Was pretty rough but I have everything covered now...
So back to my question - is 2lbs a week of fat loss a good goal, or too much? If it's too much, I think I will just do the velocity diet, because I'd like to spend as little time as possible cutting.
My plan while cutting is to do rippetoes 3x a week like I have been.. with all the accessory work. Maybe some HIIT at the end of each workout. Is that good? Probably a 1700 calorie diet. With tons of protein, moderate carbs/fats.
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10-11-2007, 02:24 PM #30
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