Bulk or cur for more defined abs

patrickrea2002

Hi everyone this is me topless I’m 5,9 and 140 pounds, I want to be able to see my abs more defined in any lighting as well as being able to see the third row of my abs
Do I cut my calories and do some cardio to reveal the third row of my abs
Or bulk my calories to get them more defined ?

sardelsa

I know you have posted this before, but based on your stats and photo I would spend some time bulking to build muscle. Keep in mind you won't be revealing the abs at that point but over several cycles (if done correctly) you will build more muscle base which will show more and more each time you bulk and cut.

In terms of seeing all the rows of abs that will depend on genetics and how you build muscle

patrickrea2002

So take my time bulking and building some muscle then cut
How do I know when is the right time to decide when to cut

patrickrea2002

And I know to bulk I need to be doing compound lifts but how many calories should I be eating around this time?

sardelsa

Enter your stats into here and set to gain 0.5lb per week or 250cals above maintenance.

Follow a progressive lifting program.

Make sure you are getting 0.8-1g per lb bodyweight protein.

Bulk until you feel happy with your size or your fat gain is getting too much. You are very lean so you will probably have a ways to go, usually 6 months to a year if you do it slow and steady.

patrickrea2002

So I need to bulk till I’m happy with my muscle mass or too big then cut to get lean with muscle mass
I will be eating 2500 cals a day
And eat 140 lbs of protein a day

steveko89

patrickrea2002 wrote: »

So I need to bulk till I’m happy with my muscle mass or too big then cut to get lean with muscle mass
I will be eating 2500 cals a day
And eat 140 lbs of protein a day

Depending on how much you're working out (and assuming the 2002 in your profile indicates you're 17? Heck I'm getting old...) that 2500 may be closer to maintenance level than +250. I definitely agree with Sardelsa (per usual, she certainly knows her stuff) that +250 would be the most you'd want to eat to bulk slowly in an attempt to minimize fat gain, but you may end up needing slightly more calories than 2500 based on the calculator I favor (TDEEcalculator.net), again depending on activity level. Monitor your weight and adjust your calorie level accordingly. +250 should put you on track to gain 0.5 lbs/week. Simply put, if you see you're gaining faster than that, drop your calories a little; if you're not gaining enough, bump it up. I find it's best to weigh daily (consistently under the same circumstances) and use a weekly average which will smooth out any scale volatility.

NOTE: 140 g/day Protein, not lbs. Make sure you're getting sufficient fats too (30% is RDA)

Keto_Vampire

Another vote for slight bulk. Age appears to be in that still growing height & "raging" with hormones phase where you probably will have a hard time getting fat despite surplus

patrickrea2002

I put gaining 0.5 lbs into here and it’s telling me 2500 so should I add 250 to that
Lift 3 times a week doing compound excursizes and eating 140 g of protein ?