Anyone cutting after a bulk?
Replies
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latestarter75 wrote: »I’m deep into a cut been in prep for 25 weeks with 5 weeks to go, I did do a comp about 5 weeks ago so cut for 20 weeks for that one, I prefer a slow cut to limit the chance of muscle loss,my training changes in prep from DC style training off season to Fortitude style in a prep, I didn’t do any cardio for last comp but it’s been added in for the upcoming one as first one was qualifier next one is the main goal. Feel free to fire any questions my way
Oh wow that's a long cut, how much weight do you drop in that time? I thought I had a slow cut!
I was 97kg before my cut and 87kg on stage so very slow0 -
latestarter75 wrote: »latestarter75 wrote: »I’m deep into a cut been in prep for 25 weeks with 5 weeks to go, I did do a comp about 5 weeks ago so cut for 20 weeks for that one, I prefer a slow cut to limit the chance of muscle loss,my training changes in prep from DC style training off season to Fortitude style in a prep, I didn’t do any cardio for last comp but it’s been added in for the upcoming one as first one was qualifier next one is the main goal. Feel free to fire any questions my way
Oh wow that's a long cut, how much weight do you drop in that time? I thought I had a slow cut!
I was 97kg before my cut and 87kg on stage so very slow
That isn't too slow. Mine is more half that
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latestarter75 wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »@latestarter75 wrote: »I’m deep into a cut been in prep for 25 weeks with 5 weeks to go, I did do a comp about 5 weeks ago so cut for 20 weeks for that one, I prefer a slow cut to limit the chance of muscle loss,my training changes in prep from DC style training off season to Fortitude style in a prep, I didn’t do any cardio for last comp but it’s been added in for the upcoming one as first one was qualifier next one is the main goal. Feel free to fire any questions my way
How do you track progress... Calipers, dexa, BF scale, weight, ffmi?
And what's your daily deficit?
Wow that's like 1/2 a year of cutting...
Thanks in advance... I appreciate it!
I use a combination of the mirror and scales to track progress and take pictures in the same lighting every Friday morning.
Off season calories peaked at 7300 a day and gradually dropped through prep, they were 4000 a day before my qualifier and now 5 weeks out from the Universe I’m down to 3400, I will then reverse diet back into higher calories after this comp and into an off season
Thanks man! I would gain hella too much weight eating that many calories lol...
How many calories are you burning each day, or rather...
What's your caloric deficit at in the middle of your cut?... 500, 250, more?
Thanks again0 -
I would say on a normal day over 500 but I’m part of skip hills approved trainers program so I use a form of loading called skiploading on myself and my clients,so I will skipload once a week on those days my calories are much higher so are carbsMr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »latestarter75 wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »@latestarter75 wrote: »I’m deep into a cut been in prep for 25 weeks with 5 weeks to go, I did do a comp about 5 weeks ago so cut for 20 weeks for that one, I prefer a slow cut to limit the chance of muscle loss,my training changes in prep from DC style training off season to Fortitude style in a prep, I didn’t do any cardio for last comp but it’s been added in for the upcoming one as first one was qualifier next one is the main goal. Feel free to fire any questions my way
How do you track progress... Calipers, dexa, BF scale, weight, ffmi?
And what's your daily deficit?
Wow that's like 1/2 a year of cutting...
Thanks in advance... I appreciate it!
I use a combination of the mirror and scales to track progress and take pictures in the same lighting every Friday morning.
Off season calories peaked at 7300 a day and gradually dropped through prep, they were 4000 a day before my qualifier and now 5 weeks out from the Universe I’m down to 3400, I will then reverse diet back into higher calories after this comp and into an off season
Thanks man! I would gain hella too much weight eating that many calories lol...
How many calories are you burning each day, or rather...
What's your caloric deficit at in the middle of your cut?... 500, 250, more?
Thanks again
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latestarter75 wrote: »I’m deep into a cut been in prep for 25 weeks with 5 weeks to go, I did do a comp about 5 weeks ago so cut for 20 weeks for that one, I prefer a slow cut to limit the chance of muscle loss,my training changes in prep from DC style training off season to Fortitude style in a prep, I didn’t do any cardio for last comp but it’s been added in for the upcoming one as first one was qualifier next one is the main goal. Feel free to fire any questions my way
Are you natural or have you ever been "enhanced"? In another thread you aren't clear but it sounded like you said that the time from your initial cut to "reveal what you were working with" to your first contest was 3 years - no cutting, just a bulk. What were your starting stats and what are your stats now? Height, Age, Weight, etc. Keep in mind, I'm not making any type of judgment - it's just that training, diet and bulking are different between the two "camps". You also were bulking in excess of 7K calories, "clean" with a total body weight of under 215? How on earth did you accomplish this without adding nothing but fat. I'm also trying to get my mind around how much volume that would probably be. You are obviously at a very advanced stage of development - a stage where muscle gains are measured in fractions of a pound per year.
Good luck at the Universe! Post pics from the comp and let us know how you did.
Anyhow: Personal Update - down to 198 now (5 weeks in). 2 pounds under goal, but still not yet hating my life. I estimate probably 13% BF. Will drop to 195 while I still have momentum... wife just went grocery shopping and bought me all my "bulking" munchies. She thought I was done... so much temptation. rofl1 -
Okay so my cut is officially, a recomp
My running has improved, I've gotten stronger... And I think I can see a little extra size and definition, although the loose skin makes it so incredibly hard to tell...
Regardless I feel great so I'ma just keep doing what I do.5 -
Oooh, tired today...3 weeks until comp...intensity still up...volume down, one day less weight training this week....update...
Sept 10th - 166.6 lbs
Oct 6th - 164.2 lbs
Oct 14th - 161.4 lbs
Oct 19th - 163 lbs (expected water weight gain)
Oct 27th - 161.8 lbs
Hit my old squat one rep max for two good reps the other evening and pb'ed the yoke today for 20m, loads of heavy lifts today...so strength holding and going up slightly in deficit...will stop cut next Sunday which is penultimate heavy event day before deload/comp week...
Hope everyone is doing excellently : )
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Update:
Start 212 lbs
end week 1: 209
end week 2: 204.5
end week 3: 202
end week 4: 200.8
end week 5: 198.6
end week 6: 196.8
... and one day later back up to 198.8
I don't usually have massive fluctuations up but there you go. The diet gods just know that I was going to end my cut at 195 and decided to throw a wrench into the mix. lol
I'm looking forward to getting back into an anabolic state again - but I'm NOT looking forward to the bloat that comes along with it. My food pot belly really gets me down during a bulk.
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Ok... cutting done. I hit 195 and celebrated by eating a bunch of carbs yesterday. It was only a little over 300g but included a lot of salt too. I didn't even hit 3K calories but woke up 5 pounds heavier at 200.2# ... rofl. Anyhow, that was the plan. I knew that I'd put 5 of those pounds back on almost immediately, just didn't think in one day.
This is how I ended my cut and is as about as lean as I like to be. I think it's a good compromise between looking good without a shirt and looking like I lift in clothes... and more importantly, my joints feel the best at this level and higher.
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Awesome @jseams1234 you look great!1
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Update, another week of cutting after this...then comp.
Sept 10th - 166.6 lbs
Oct 6th - 164.2 lbs
Oct 14th - 161.4 lbs
Oct 19th - 163 lbs (expected water weight gain)
Oct 27th - 161.8 lbs
Nov 2nd - 160 lbs2 -
My wife bought cookies last weekend and at days end I lost control and ate like 1000 calories worth. Then Halloween and those Reese's pumpkins were just calling to me! Regardless, I had my lowest scale reading today since 2015 at 195.8 lbs (could have been a scale malfunction or water loss). Also, I hit a PR at the bench this week by matching the 3x5 weight I hit earlier this year when I was 15 lbs fatter. Oh yeah! Deadlift and squat still down but seem to be on the upswing.2
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Awesome @jseams1234 you look great!
Thanks!
I was looking at some of my progress pics - as I don't see much difference between this cut and the last (except 5 pounds heavier) and was a little startled by the difference from my start a couple of years ago and now. I'm glad I took them even though at the time I felt silly for doig it.
I do still have a long ways to go... I have a particular look in mind. I'm still dubious I can achieve it at my age but I'm gonna keep trying.
Start weight - about 180 but very "skinny fat". I'm actually holding in my gut and trying to flex my abs.
two months into it and thinking - "getting buff!"... rofl
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I am officially finished with this cut ! (how many months later??). I am about 11.5lbs down from my start weight, I've been cutting since May, so about 6 months. Now I am going to transition to maintenance and hang out there until I figure out my next steps. I think if I had a bulk planned I would have been more motivated to get the cut done quicker to start massing again, but I am not so I just took my time.
Here is my chart (from Libra, trend weight app)
Keep up the great work everyone! I will still pop in here to keep up with those still cutting
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I am officially finished with this cut ! (how many months later??). I am about 11.5lbs down from my start weight, I've been cutting since May, so about 6 months. Now I am going to transition to maintenance and hang out there until I figure out my next steps. I think if I had a bulk planned I would have been more motivated to get the cut done quicker to start massing again, but I am not so I just took my time.
Here is my chart (from Libra, trend weight app)
Keep up the great work everyone! I will still pop in here to keep up with those still cutting
Nice work @sardelsa - pretty linear progress. Pretty cool you can do that without logging. I'm terrible at estimating my intake. I either eat way too little or way too much.
I'm actually taking it easy this time and slowly raising my calories. I'm not jumping into it immediately. I'm up to 3K right now, which is still probably technically a "cut" as my maintenance is around 3.5K... but it feels like I'm eating a ton. I'm slowly ramping it up to maintenance - but I want to be very careful this time around as I don't think I'll be able to gain nearly the same amount of lean mass as previous bulks. I'm going to try it much slower this time around and that's a bit new for me.
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jseams1234 wrote: »I am officially finished with this cut ! (how many months later??). I am about 11.5lbs down from my start weight, I've been cutting since May, so about 6 months. Now I am going to transition to maintenance and hang out there until I figure out my next steps. I think if I had a bulk planned I would have been more motivated to get the cut done quicker to start massing again, but I am not so I just took my time.
Here is my chart (from Libra, trend weight app)
Keep up the great work everyone! I will still pop in here to keep up with those still cutting
Nice work @sardelsa - pretty linear progress. Pretty cool you can do that without logging. I'm terrible at estimating my intake. I either eat way too little or way too much.
I'm actually taking it easy this time and slowly raising my calories. I'm not jumping into it immediately. I'm up to 3K right now, which is still probably technically a "cut" as my maintenance is around 3.5K... but it feels like I'm eating a ton. I'm slowly ramping it up to maintenance - but I want to be very careful this time around as I don't think I'll be able to gain nearly the same amount of lean mass as previous bulks. I'm going to try a much slower this time around and that's a bit new for me.
Thanks @jseams1234 . I used to log back in the day, but eventually got fairly calorie aware and use my weight trend to adjust my intake.
Sounds like a great plan. You have a great base, so a slow bulk is good to add those finishing touches to your physique.1 -
Oh and I wanted to add, I am about 3lbs up from my starting weight before my bulk. Doesn't seem like a lot, but I look and feel that much better. Also have to take into consideration how I bulk, with more focus on certain areas it won't show as much. Normally after a cut I feel too lean, too scrawny, my glutes seem flat.. this time around I feel just right. I don't need to put on more mass right now, very happy with my progress. Finally, after 4 years. Patience, consistency and hard work pays off.10
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@Sardelsa, that graph is a thing of beauty... my trend is not so aesthetically pleasing and altogether too flat because I'm just not diligent enough with how much I eat. I haven't taken pictures in a while (because I'm also awful at doing that) but I'm down 2.5-3 lbs from when I last did in September, but still higher than I want/need to be to be able to justify maintenance and/or lean bulking. About one month out from baby joining us, which isn't helping my stress levels. His room is painted, furniture assembled and the Mrs. has gone to plaid as far as nesting is concerned. I did upgrade my workout stuff when Titan was running a 10% off sale a few weeks ago. I was due to upgrade my barbells from the CAP/Fitness gear bars that came with my plate sets so I ended up finally getting a full squat rack to go with the two new barbells and I'm really liking it so far.
Ideally I'd get down to ~10% BF which would be 170-170.5ish doing some extrapolation based on that last skulpt reading in September. By that same math 11% would be 172.5-173 which I feel like is a much more realistic goal to hit by 12/8 at this point in the game (176.1 by trend as of this morning)0 -
Thanks @steveko89 !
Hey, progress is progress right. You have a lot going on, wishing you all the best with your new little one!! Remember to give yourself a break, it is a tough time, especially the first few months.
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Thanks @steveko89 !
Hey, progress is progress right. You have a lot going on, wishing you all the best with your new little one!! Remember to give yourself a break, it is a tough time, especially the first few months.
Thanks, @Sardelsa. I feel like I'm barely keeping my *kitten* together (or as together as I get it) as it is. Can't decide if it will be better or worse once he actually gets here.1 -
So do you try and use fasting or spacing out when you have your meals to cut? Or simply play with your macros? Sorry if you've mentioned it but it's a long thread and I couldn't read it all.0
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So do you try and use fasting or spacing out when you have your meals to cut? Or simply play with your macros? Sorry if you've mentioned it but it's a long thread and I couldn't read it all.
I think everyone has their own tricks, for me I calorie cycle, so I have lower calories on rest/less intense days, higher calories on heavy lifting and weekends. I also keep protein high, and try to keep calories lower from after breakfast to dinner. Oh and lots of espresso !3 -
@draelsaid, not sure to whom your question is directed but I'll share my methods/experiences. I dabbled with IF around this time last year and didn't find that it made it any easier/harder to hit my calories, just created some general consternation on weekends ("what do you mean you aren't eating breakfast? It's Sunday?" from my wife). I generally stick to 1g/lb total body weight out of preference. I'm aware of the studies that support 0.6-0.8g/lb but it makes the math easier and since I have a pretty poor track record of actually cutting I'm assuming any extra protein isn't harming muscle synthesis with my net effect being a wide-band recomp. When/if I ever get to a good place to lean bulk I'll probably stay around the same place protein-wise. Currently my target works out to a 45/30/25% (P-F-C) split. At +200/day over TDEE I'd probably flip it to about a 25/30/45% split at the same protein level.2
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Thanks for your responses @sardelsa and @steveko89.
See the thing is, I interpret resting days as recovery days, and I fact, because my program is different (I do 5x5 simply because I don't have time in my life to spend more time in the gym) my lifts during the week are heavy. I'm close to 200kg on deadlift (440lbs I think??) and I squat half that. So on my rest days I'll eat 3 times a day and eat alot (6000 calories easily but it feels forced, I've never liked breakfast) and on most other days I won't have breakfast simply because I don't feel hungry. Because I'm almost keto, my body composition and weight don't fluctuate when I do this. Eating 6000 calories of fats and protein is not the same as eating 6k calories of carbs and protein. Carbs bloat me up badly and I can instantly see my veins disappear on my arms for example due to the amount of fat I've stored from the carbs. My body just doesnt like carbs.
You could say I use intermittent fasting as a general life rule, and I'll make sure I sync my eating windows with daylight (when the sun is out) as a bare minimum if I don't intermittent fast, to ensure I keep to my circadian rhythm in terms of nutrition. I like eating big and not often, so this seems to suit me. If I ate more often I'll become an elephant because 'I pop I just can't stop' when it comes to food.
However, with all that being said, my weight has stayed around 90kg for the last 3 months and although I'm getting stronger, my fat % has gone up and down based on the week I've had. I'm just not sure it's going down after all. You could say I do 'bulk/cut' cycles just like you guys, just over a few weeks, rather than a few months. I'm trying to bulk and lose fat at the same time, and while I think it's working, I have to keep reminding myself to stay patient!5 -
@draelsaid I would focus on one thing at a time.. bulking for a few weeks then cutting, it's not as optimal and you are more likely to spin your wheels.. it's not enough time to build any significant muscle then you cut and you are basically taking two steps forward and two steps back. Muscle growth is slow and takes months.
What are your stats and bodyfat%?1 -
draelsaid I would focus on one thing at a time.. bulking for a few weeks then cutting, it's not as optimal and you are more likely to spin your wheels.. it's not enough time to build any significant muscle then you cut and you are basically taking two steps forward and two steps back. Muscle growth is slow and takes months.
What are your stats and bodyfat%?
You've done phenomenally well...
A perfect slow cut... I wish I had that kind of consistency lol...
Gives us all something to chase
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@draelsaid I would focus on one thing at a time.. bulking for a few weeks then cutting, it's not as optimal and you are more likely to spin your wheels.. it's not enough time to build any significant muscle then you cut and you are basically taking two steps forward and two steps back. Muscle growth is slow and takes months.
What are your stats and bodyfat%?
I'm 190cm and I weigh 90kg. I think my body fat is around 15-18%, just comparing body shots with other men, but that's a guess because I don't know how to reliably measure it. The 'grabbing the fat on the waist' idea with tongs doesn't check out with me.0 -
@draelsaid I would focus on one thing at a time.. bulking for a few weeks then cutting, it's not as optimal and you are more likely to spin your wheels.. it's not enough time to build any significant muscle then you cut and you are basically taking two steps forward and two steps back. Muscle growth is slow and takes months.
What are your stats and bodyfat%?
I'm 190cm and I weigh 90kg. I think my body fat is around 15-18%, just comparing body shots with other men, but that's a guess because I don't know how to reliably measure it. The 'grabbing the fat on the waist' idea with tongs doesn't check out with me.
With your stats I would probably focus on cutting a bit more vs trying to run small bulks.0 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »draelsaid I would focus on one thing at a time.. bulking for a few weeks then cutting, it's not as optimal and you are more likely to spin your wheels.. it's not enough time to build any significant muscle then you cut and you are basically taking two steps forward and two steps back. Muscle growth is slow and takes months.
What are your stats and bodyfat%?
You've done phenomenally well...
A perfect slow cut... I wish I had that kind of consistency lol...
Gives us all something to chase
Thank you @Mr_Healthy_Habits ! Very slow and steady but I got there 0 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »draelsaid I would focus on one thing at a time.. bulking for a few weeks then cutting, it's not as optimal and you are more likely to spin your wheels.. it's not enough time to build any significant muscle then you cut and you are basically taking two steps forward and two steps back. Muscle growth is slow and takes months.
What are your stats and bodyfat%?
You've done phenomenally well...
A perfect slow cut... I wish I had that kind of consistency lol...
Gives us all something to chase
Thank you @Mr_Healthy_Habits ! Very slow and steady but I got there
That's how it's done tho.. The best way
I've gained about 5lbs in the last month since we welcomed a new baby girl in to the home and I've been off work...
However I did get a fair amount stronger too
But I've already dropped like 2lbs since going back to work 3 or 4 days ago so we'll see what happens over the next month
Crazy thing is, I'd swear I was in a fair deficit the whole time0
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