Should I cut, bulk or recomp?

alexgibbo17

Hey, so I’m in a bit of a dilemma with what to do at the moment. I’m pretty new to training properly (less than 1 year) and I’ve definitely noticed some differences in that time but recently plateaued a bit in progress.

I’m 19 y/o, male, 6’2” tall, weight 196lb and I currently train 5 days a week (2 push, 2 pull, 1 legs). My current macros are 2200 calories (275g carb, 138g protein, 61g fat) which I feel is too low for my size but I feel like increasing my calories will just make me fat??

I’ve got a reasonable about of muscle but also a bit of fat that I’d like to lose while gaining more muscle.

What’s my best plan of actions?

Thanks in advance

PAV8888

How long have you been eating these macros at 2200 Calories and what has your weight trend done while you've been doing that?

Are you using one of the well known structured progressive training programs with weight management built in, or are you using a program you've devised?

sijomial

At 19 I would advise you to first optimise your training as you are in the golden years when a young man can make remarkable and swift progress. That you say you have plateaued indicates to be it's time to review your training.

Your descriptions are too vague to choose between a slow cut and maintaining weight but if your goal is to get leaner then don't bulk.

Your calorie level seems very low for your size and age - just for emphasis I'm 40 years older, 5" shorter and maintain 3,000-3,500!

Would expect you to be losing weight rapidly at that calorie level, which could explain your training plateau. If you aren't losing weight rapidly then would suspect your food logging accuracy is poor.
Your fat goal is on the low side and your protein goal is very low.

alexgibbo17

PAV8888 wrote: »

How long have you been eating these macros at 2200 Calories and what has your weight trend done while you've been doing that?

Are you using one of the well known structured progressive training programs with weight management built in, or are you using a program you've devised?

I’ve been eating these macros for about the last 2-3 months, I noticed fat loss more at the start but has dropped off a little bit recently, maybe because my metabolism has slowed right down??

And for training I just follow a Push/Pull/Legs split (Mon & Thur - Push, Tue & Fri - Pull, Sun - Legs)

alexgibbo17

sijomial wrote: »

At 19 I would advise you to first optimise your training as you are in the golden years when a young man can make remarkable and swift progress. That you say you have plateaued indicates to be it's time to review your training.

Your descriptions are too vague to choose between a slow cut and maintaining weight but if your goal is to get leaner then don't bulk.

Your calorie level seems very low for your size and age - just for emphasis I'm 40 years older, 5" shorter and maintain 3,000-3,500!

Would expect you to be losing weight rapidly at that calorie level, which could explain your training plateau. If you aren't losing weight rapidly then would suspect your food logging accuracy is poor.
Your fat goal is on the low side and your protein goal is very low.

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the vague description, in short I’m aiming to lose a bit more fat while at least maintaining my muscle mass.

And yes I did lose weight quite rapidly for the first month or so of eating at those calories but I expect my metabolism has probably slowed right down by now as a result??

Given I still have a fair bit of fat I’d still like to lose (fat levels around 20%) what would you recommend to do? And what should my calories and macros ideally be roughly?

sijomial

alexgibbo17 wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

At 19 I would advise you to first optimise your training as you are in the golden years when a young man can make remarkable and swift progress. That you say you have plateaued indicates to be it's time to review your training.

Your descriptions are too vague to choose between a slow cut and maintaining weight but if your goal is to get leaner then don't bulk.

Your calorie level seems very low for your size and age - just for emphasis I'm 40 years older, 5" shorter and maintain 3,000-3,500!

Would expect you to be losing weight rapidly at that calorie level, which could explain your training plateau. If you aren't losing weight rapidly then would suspect your food logging accuracy is poor.
Your fat goal is on the low side and your protein goal is very low.

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the vague description, in short I’m aiming to lose a bit more fat while at least maintaining my muscle mass.

And yes I did lose weight quite rapidly for the first month or so of eating at those calories but I expect my metabolism has probably slowed right down by now as a result??

Given I still have a fair bit of fat I’d still like to lose (fat levels around 20%) what would you recommend to do? And what should my calories and macros ideally be roughly?

alexgibbo17 wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

At 19 I would advise you to first optimise your training as you are in the golden years when a young man can make remarkable and swift progress. That you say you have plateaued indicates to be it's time to review your training.

Your descriptions are too vague to choose between a slow cut and maintaining weight but if your goal is to get leaner then don't bulk.

Your calorie level seems very low for your size and age - just for emphasis I'm 40 years older, 5" shorter and maintain 3,000-3,500!

Would expect you to be losing weight rapidly at that calorie level, which could explain your training plateau. If you aren't losing weight rapidly then would suspect your food logging accuracy is poor.
Your fat goal is on the low side and your protein goal is very low.

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the vague description, in short I’m aiming to lose a bit more fat while at least maintaining my muscle mass.

And yes I did lose weight quite rapidly for the first month or so of eating at those calories but I expect my metabolism has probably slowed right down by now as a result??

Given I still have a fair bit of fat I’d still like to lose (fat levels around 20%) what would you recommend to do? And what should my calories and macros ideally be roughly?

Pick a recognised program rather than a DIY routine.

Personally I would shoot for 1g per pound of estimated lean body mass for protein as a minimum goal.
0.4g of fat per pound of bodyweight, also a minimum.
Rest of calorie allowance can come from whatever suits you day to day.

Calories you need to work out for yourself - only you and the calculator you use knows your activty level and exercise. You haven't confirmed what your weight is doing now and that's the best guide to your real needs.
Only you know how inaccurate your food logging is - if it's not reasonably accurate your actual macro intake is also skewed.

PAV8888

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

See above for pretty good eating recommendations. don't forget to eat your fiber and a good 400g or more of vegetables and fruits a day!