Is bulking and cutting really just a myth?

VictorianoAOchoa

http://scoobysworkshop.com/bulking-and-cutting/

Springfield1970

I like Scooby's calculators, and he has a point about overweight people not bulking.
That's why it's really important to get down to low body fat before a bulk.
I tried recomping and didn't get anywhere for a year or two.
I cut to under 15% body fat for a running experiment I was doing on myself to find my racing weight.
Then I bulked for a few months, meticulously watching calories and lifting progressivly heavier.
After a slow cut a hot butterfly emerged.
I went from over 30% body fat and a typical 40 year old woman kind of stooped look to a perky 15-18%.

Cutting bulking and cutting worked for me. I'm just an ordinary Mum, ok at lifting.

heybales

What's the perspective and purpose?
It could be for the right person - as that article seems to point out.

But obviously on face value it's not a myth - or it couldn't be accomplished by all those doing it.

Are there other ways that are slower without the big weight changes - sure.

sijomial

Clearly not a myth as it's a tool successfully used by many.
But there are certainly loads of myths that have grown around the processes of cutting and bulking as it's morphed from a niche activity/technique for bodybuilders into being mainstream

Do agree with the general tone of the article that cut/bulk cycles are over-promoted these days. My opinion is that it's a useful tool for highly trained individuals with advanced physique goals but isn't appropriate for everyone.
When you see people no specific physique goals beyond looking a little better being told to cut/bulk it's really gone too far! Advice needs to be in context of the individual's circumstance, capabilities and goals.

A better written and more balanced article (Scooby tends to be very prescriptive....) is from Bret Contreras:

https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/

RoxieDawn

Clearly is not a myth. Just look at the thousands of MFPer's here in the community that have successfully pulled this off. Once you get to know some of the MFPer's here they go into bulks and cuts all through the year.

I think for the sake of the article and it being said in the very beginning, that starting a "bulk" (first, before a cut)whilst in an overweight state may not be teaching an overweight person nutritional education and balance. If an overweight person does not learn how to control the diet part of bulking it just leads to being more fat and not learning to control their body fat levels/loose weight. Making cutting not impossible but difficult.

I think this article is titled incorrectly and should not be called Bulk and Cutting Myth IMHO.

Scooby tends to imply and inforce his point of view which I see it as being one sided.

VictorianoAOchoa

sijomial wrote: »

A better written and more balanced article (Scooby tends to be very prescriptive....) is from Bret Contreras:

https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/

Those examples for a bulk look like they either took a very long time to make that change or were on roids. Especially the first guy (no offense).

Again, I'm not arguing that bulking/cutting isn't right for the right people. It just seems to be a phrase that has caught on with people who are nowhere near that appropriate stage. Bulking means adding muscle and fat. Cutting means losing fat and maintaining or building muscle. Both are related to calories and what goes in them (fat, protein, carbs, etc.)

With the right diet you can gain muscle and lose or maintain (if healthy %) fat. That should be the goal. I'm just saying, I've put on no (if minimal) body fat while gaining muscle the past year. My body tells me when enough is enough. Because I follow a strict diet I don't get any unnecessary fat.

cwolfman13

Just because something may not be appropriate for some or even many doesn't mean it's a "myth"...maybe Scooby doesn't know what that word means. And the article talks about not advising overweight/obese people to bulk...well, no *kitten* sherlock...and frankly, I've never seen that.

The people I tend to see doing bulking and cutting cycles tend to fall into one of two categories...they're either skinny (and sometimes even underweight) and they want/need to put on some mass or they're people who have very specific goals that justify the means. Also, the people I know who are doing this don't just "pig out"...they follow pretty strict diets and eat at very modest surpluses. They also start very lean and I've never seen one of my friends doing a legitimate bulk cycle put on so much fat as to be at an unhealthy BF%...when they start their cut, they're still at a perfectly healthy BF% and frankly, they're usually at what would be a pretty good BF% for most people just trying to be fit. I don't know anyone who's done a bulk cycle who's just blown up and become over fat.

There are probably a lot of people who don't understand how to do a bulk and I agree with the article in that a beginner should put their focus on nutrition and good programming and not worrying about bulking and cutting...but again, the people I know who do this aren't beginners and are pretty well versed in nutrition and how to do this properly.

Myself, I've only done one intentional cycle as basically an experiment...I went from about 10% BF to 15% BF and then cut...it wasn't a big deal and I didn't become this huge fat guy or anything. Personally, it's not for me and ultimately doesn't jive with my other goals but it was still a worthwhile experiment and I did put on some nice mass that I'm comfortable with aesthetically...but yeah, I wouldn't go so far as to call bulking and cutting a "myth"...that just doesn't even compute with me.