BF % - How long to bulk and cut

charlieaulert

This weekend I measured my body fat percentage using the ‘Yuhasz skinfold test’ & my body fat comes out at 10.33%. From pictures I’d say like to say maybe 11/12%. I have 14 weeks left until my holiday & still uncertain on how long to bulk then cut for. I’d like to add some size before cutting, but unsure on the period of time. I’d like to try and reach about 10%, possibly slightly below 10% by 14 weeks. Can anyone recommend the best time frames to do so?

And to review the test, I’d say it’s reasonably accurate; both me and my mate did the test and the results would suggest a difference in body fat % between us both was realistic.

Jams009

How much do you weigh?

McCloud33

It's going to come down to how heavily you want to bulk ant cut. If you're doing an "eat everything in sight" bulk, than you're going to need to allow more time for the cut back down (4 weeks bulk, 10 weeks cut). If you go with a more controlled bulk or "clean" bulk where you figure out your TDEE and then add 250-500 cal/day, than you can probably split it pretty evenly down the middle (7bulk/7cut or 6bulk/8cut).

HamsterManV2

Are you happy with your abs? If so, maintain. If not, cut some more. You have 14 weeks before holidays, and I assume you want to be lean and ripped for then. That way, you can also eat whatever you want on the trip and hop on to a bulk right after. win - win.

Alternatively you can do a short bulk and short cut - 6 weeks bulk, 6-8 weeks cut. Up to you!

charlieaulert

Jams009 wrote: »

How much do you weigh?

72kg. 5ft 8.

Jams009

charlieaulert wrote: »

Jams009 wrote: »

How much do you weigh?

72kg. 5ft 8.

Cool, so this is how I like to come up with a rough plan:

72kg at 12% gives you 8.6kg of fat 63.3kg of lean mass.

Since you're pretty lean already let's say you want to cut at 0.75lb / 0.4kg per week. (-400cal deficit)

Since you want to stay lean lets say you limit bulking to 0.5lb / 0.2kg per week. (+300cal surplus)

In order to keep it simple I assume that 100% of weight loss is fat, and 50% of weight gain is muscle (it isn't really but this is just to get a rough idea).

So bulking for 7 weeks at 0.2kg per week would give you a total of 1.4kg gain, 0.7kg (50%) of which is muscle and 0.7kg is fat.

So after 7 weeks you'd be at 73.4 kg with 9.3kg fat and 64kg lbm. That puts you at 13% bodyfat at the end of 7 weeks.

Then cutting for 7 weeks at -0.4kg give you a total loss of 2.8kg, 100% (ish) is fat.

Which would put you at 70.6kg total, 6.5kg of fat, 64kg of lbm. Which is 9.2% bodyfat.

I like to make an excel spreadsheet and play about with the numbers until it looks about right

However, this is a VERY rough guide, just to give you a starting point, and it assumes ideal conditions. In my experience bulking is always a little dirtier than we think it’s going to be, and a cut is never 100% strict. Since you’re going on holiday and being lean seems like a bigger priority to you, I’d probably bulk less and cut more, say 5 weeks bulk, 9 weeks cut just to be safe– it’s better to hit your goal early and need to maintain for a week or two, than to get to two weeks before the holiday and realize you won’t have time to reach your goal. Or I might even just cut now and then recomp/maintain up to the holiday, losing a month of bulking isn’t a big deal.

Hope that helps.

StealthHealth

Top quality work from @Jams009 !

I'd echo that you should try to get the cut over and done a couple of weeks before going on holiday. My experience of dieting/cutting up to a holiday is that I have a tendency to overeat (and drink) during the first few days. Whereas, when I've maintained before going away my eating is more controlled and "normal" during the holiday.