General question re. weight loss/bulking

prattiger65

General info, I'm 47, male and 6'0" 185lbs. Body fat is @ 20%. I don't have a goal weight in mind, but more so a goal body. I am not in a particular hurry because this truly is a lifestyle change. My BMI is just in the healthy range, but I still have a fair amount of fat. I am currently doing stronglifts and also doing c25k with my wife. Now to my question. At what point would it make sense to start bulking/cutting? I understand that this is a process that takes time. Also, I have no aspirations to have a body builders physique, I just want to be fit. Lastly, what would a good healthy body fat % be? Thanks for any and all opinions.

Sarauk2sf

Rule of thumb is usually at about 10% body fat. If you have a lower LBM than average then it should be a bit higher.

Check the points at the end of this article:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

For non-contest prep folks:

"Males should be ~10-12% body fat before even considering going on any kind of ‘bulk’ (fatter trainees can usually gain some muscle while losing fat with a basic recomposition plan; this is beyond the scope of this article). For a female, this would be roughly equivalent to 19-24% body fat.

SideSteel

Rule of thumb is usually at about 10% body fat. If you have a lower LBM than average then it should be a bit higher.

Check the points at the end of this article:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

For non-contest prep folks:

"Males should be ~10-12% body fat before even considering going on any kind of ‘bulk’ (fatter trainees can usually gain some muscle while losing fat with a basic recomposition plan; this is beyond the scope of this article). For a female, this would be roughly equivalent to 19-24% body fat.

^ Just adding in/paraphrasing: Let your physique guide you a bit on this one. If you just don't have enough LBM to keep cutting (for example, arms/legs start to look small/skinny before you start seeing abs) then you may just have to bulk a bit sooner.

prattiger65

Thanks for the replies. Good info in that article Sara. I have lost 37 pounds so far, but I still have a way to go. I still don't really have macros discipline yet, so I am working on that. I really appreciate the time and effort you both put into helping others! My question is answered, you can lock this now if you like.