Who has it easier? Bulkers or cutters?

JDMarlowe

As someone who is just starting to look into buidling muscle after a large weight loss, I just wish I could understand a portion of what all this means!!! Sounds like becoming a rocket scientist would be easier to understand.... WOW....
O_o

darrensurrey

Been thinking more about this.

For an ecto - the problem with cutting is that you're more likely to lose that hard earned muscle as much as you're going to lose fat unless you're really strict with your protein intake (my mistake last year, really). Bulking to build muscle is going to be tough in terms of muscle size but you won't gain as much fat (my experience this year). Maintaining for an ecto is going to be much easier than for an endo, though.

For an endo, cutting is tougher and you'll have to do more exercise, bulking will be easy to build muscle but you'll gain more fat. Maintaining is going to be harder as too many fun days out will push the scales in the wrong direction then you'll have to think about a mini cut.

Yes? No?

darrensurrey

As someone who is just starting to look into buidling muscle after a large weight loss, I just wish I could understand a portion of what all this means!!! Sounds like becoming a rocket scientist would be easier to understand.... WOW....
O_o

You don't have to worry about it - just eat healthy foods and keep your protein levels up while lifting right.

Fithealthyforlife

Been thinking more about this.

For an ecto - the problem with cutting is that you're more likely to lose that hard earned muscle as much as you're going to lose fat unless you're really strict with your protein intake (my mistake last year, really). Bulking to build muscle is going to be tough in terms of muscle size but you won't gain as much fat (my experience this year). Maintaining for an ecto is going to be much easier than for an endo, though.

For an endo, cutting is tougher and you'll have to do more exercise, bulking will be easy to build muscle but you'll gain more fat. Maintaining is going to be harder as too many fun days out will push the scales in the wrong direction then you'll have to think about a mini cut.

Yes? No?

I read on a great website (Bodyrecomposition) that people who tend to gain muscle quickly in a surplus are the same people who lose it more readily in a deficit, and that fat gain and muscle gain are correlated, and so are fat loss and muscle loss. And people who gain slowly hold onto it better and tend to more readily burn fat. It all comes down to "P-ratio". So it's all hormonal. Again, there really is no "ecto" or "endo", because it has nothing to do with bone structure or bodyfat percentage of the untrained person. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/calorie-partitioning-part-1.html

Also, one thing that seems true is that everyone, regardless of how many calories you need, has to be gaining some fat, no matter how small an amount, in order to gain muscle too. This is all hormonal, and I haven't studied it much yet, but it makes sense.

darrensurrey

Oh. :laugh:

ilovedeadlifts

I personally think cutting is easier. It just requires not stuffing your face and eating with a little common sense.

Bulking on the other hand required me to force feed myself.

solarpower03

I personally think cutting is easier. It just requires not stuffing your face and eating with a little common sense.

Bulking on the other hand required me to force feed myself.

This

eric_sg61

Bulking can get out of control and sloppy. Also, bulking can become addicting when the strength gain are skyrocketing. Cutting can be a psychological challenge when losing weight happens first in the extremities A perma-bulker might think he's losing all his gainz.

bokchoybaby

Since I've not done my first bulk yet I feel like I understand cutting a lot better. There was a time when I would have said dieting scared me and was filled with all these impossible variables but I think those days are behind me now. If a cut isn't working quite as expected I feel like I know what to tighten up to get the results I expect. Bulking not so much.

Also, a lot of the cardio I do is to help improve my focus (ADHD) and decrease anxiety. Unfortunately, 15 minutes of HIIT or a 30-minute run don't really do much in that regard. However, I suspect I may have do cut back more than I'd like in order not to end up in a food coma during a bulk because I already consume quite a few calories to keep myself at a moderate deficit. I don't even want to think about the numbers for a small surplus. Lastly, I'm probably going to be pregnant or breastfeeding for a few more years to come. I suspect trying to bulk while breastfeeding will pose its own challenges in terms of calorie consumption.

SideSteel

Posted my previous reply from my phone but I'm going to ramble a bit.


I find that bulking can be hard to maintain control over. I'm also not as "good" at it. I don't have any appetite issues typically, but it's a bit harder to manage the rate of gain and keep it around the "slot" you'd prefer to stay in. Now if you're the type that just opens up the flood gates and does a fatty-bulk then I could see that being much easier.

Even when you DO control your rate of gain on a bulk, you're still eventually going to look/get fatter, and for some people this can be a challenge to deal with. On a cut, I think you're more "rewarded" with the appearance changes your body goes through. They also happen faster.

Bulks are also very long whereas cut phases (for people who get to the point that they are bulking and cutting in a rotation) tend to be shorter. You can also start a cut with some aggressiveness.

Gym performance and not constantly thinking about food are good bulking benefits obviously.

So overall, I PREFER bulking because I get way more food (3400 cals and 450+ cho currently) but I find cutting easier to execute.

Fit_Content

Bump to read later

blessybuva

I think bulkers definitely have it easier. I'm a cutter, and even though I eat enough at the end of the day I'm always craving something I can't have, e.g. a piece of bread wit nutella on it! that just isn't something that I have room for in my diet now, and it's one of many things I've cut out in an effort to finally lose all the weight I gained. Bulkers eat alot more calories than cutters do, how can that be harder? It can't
I used to be really athletic, I was very dedicated to kickbox, I was even suposed to go to the European championship but just days before it I was involved in a motorcycle crash. The fact that I couldn't go back to professional sport is probably the main reason I started over eating and gained about 40lbs of extra weight. My muscles are still definitely 'big', just hidden under fat.

JohnMatrix

It sounds like an ectomorph vs endomorph. IMO ectomorphs have it easeir since they can damn near eat whatever they want when they're bluking. Endos still need to keep the diet relatively clean or risk putting on excess fat while bulking. But I'm an endo so it could just be "grass is greener" thinking.

I will admit, I do like the fact that putting on muscle isn't that difficult which would cause some ectomorphs to give up.

I have to agree with this. Bulking is FAR easier. You have to do less (relatively speaking) than those cutting. I have to watch what I eat and do two hours of cardio a day, 3 on Saturdays to just maintain my weight, never mind lose any. I could eat myself silly on any given day and put 15 pounds on eating clean without even trying if I wanted. That would simply entail, more food, less cardio and more sleep. Sounds like win/win to me.

prairiewalker

One who can look on his/her side of the fence and see the green grass has it easiest :flowerforyou:

SideSteel

For those assuming bulking is easy, have you done it intentionally (not talking about gaining weight recklessly, I'm referring to a strategic bulk where gains are tightly controlled)...?

robabob3

I dream of one day going through a bulking phase.......... but for now I cut and lift 6 days a week to maintain my strength, whilst attempting to lose the many many kilograms of fat I have to lose.

Snow3y

It sounds like an ectomorph vs endomorph. IMO ectomorphs have it easeir since they can damn near eat whatever they want when they're bluking. Endos still need to keep the diet relatively clean or risk putting on excess fat while bulking. But I'm an endo so it could just be "grass is greener" thinking.

I will admit, I do like the fact that putting on muscle isn't that difficult which would cause some ectomorphs to give up.

What? rofl no. Just because one is an ectomorph does not mean they can eat whatever they want and they all have fast metabolisms.

strikerjb007

Bulking is not hard at all. Eat a ton of food and get fat as hell.

Now LEAN Bulking is HARD. Especially if you are doing it in a controlled manner. It's almost like forcing yourself to eat. And we are not talking burgers and fries here. Nutritious foods are heavy on the stomach. And it's very hard for me because it takes obcenes amount of food to gain weight. That's just my metabolism.

Fithealthyforlife

Bulking is not hard at all. Eat a ton of food and get fat as hell.

Now LEAN Bulking is HARD. Especially if you are doing it in a controlled manner. It's almost like forcing yourself to eat. And we are not talking burgers and fries here. Nutritious foods are heavy on the stomach. And it's very hard for me because it takes obcenes amount of food to gain weight. That's just my metabolism.

I hear ya. When I first started, I adjusted from eating a deficit (~2300 cal per day but I never counted so don't know the exact number) to over 3000 cal per day now (I count them). Initially it was a tough adjustment. What I found was that feeling hungry or full wasn't reliable. I could eat until hunger was gone and still had to eat more to meet my goals. But on the flip side, the feeling of "full" was about the same eating 2300 per day versus 3000. Then over a few weeks, it became easier as I adjusted. First, the amount of food which seemed like a lot mentally started to seem normal. And my hunger adjusted...now I can easily eat 3000 calories a day most days, and sometimes still get hungry and have to eat over my targeted surplus. The thing that's still hard for me is on days when I do a lot of cardio (landscaping). I can burn 600 calories in an hour and a half of lawn mowing, and it also kills my appetite, so on those days when I have to eat 3500 calories on a shaken up stomach, it can be challenging. I've found the best strategy is eating solid foods divided into 5-6 meals a day, and eat until beiing on the verge of feeling full. The trick is to not overeat and get stuffed. If I do that, it'll kill my appetite for the whole day. I occasionally cheat with deserts, but not very often. My macros are usually right on target without even trying...good eating habits, I guess.

Fithealthyforlife

I think bulkers definitely have it easier. I'm a cutter, and even though I eat enough at the end of the day I'm always craving something I can't have, e.g. a piece of bread wit nutella on it! that just isn't something that I have room for in my diet now, and it's one of many things I've cut out in an effort to finally lose all the weight I gained. Bulkers eat alot more calories than cutters do, how can that be harder? It can't
I used to be really athletic, I was very dedicated to kickbox, I was even suposed to go to the European championship but just days before it I was involved in a motorcycle crash. The fact that I couldn't go back to professional sport is probably the main reason I started over eating and gained about 40lbs of extra weight. My muscles are still definitely 'big', just hidden under fat.

Overeating (with lots of protein) is probably the next best thing after strength training for holding onto muscle mass. It's really not a big deal to have to diet, whereas if you'd lost all the muscle by undereating, you'd have to build it up again (and just eating enough doesn't do that as you know!). Mass building workouts are work!

alyhuggan

If I had to I would be more than happy eating 6k calories+, I hate cutting haha!

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Given that I have been eating at a surplus, and on many days a large surplus, for about 2 months now and have weighed in at a 1 pound net LOSS, I say bulking is harder and cutting is easier for me.

I didn't have much difficulty gaining fat when I got fat, but putting on muscle and eating at a surplus after I dieted down to 120 pounds of nothing is proving to be a *****.

Unknown

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Fithealthyforlife

Given that I have been eating at a surplus, and on many days a large surplus, for about 2 months now and have weighed in at a 1 pound net LOSS, I say bulking is harder and cutting is easier for me.

I didn't have much difficulty gaining fat when I got fat, but putting on muscle and eating at a surplus after I dieted down to 120 pounds of nothing is proving to be a *****.

You're not eating a surplus yet, techincally for your exercise level. :-) Keep slowly upping your calories. That's the only eplanation I can think of. You may need a few more (50-75).

btw, I'm the opposite. My body hates fat gain. Muscle comes easier. Case in point: I stopped lifting for a week and a half due to my landscaping schedule. I kept eating my surplus. Gains just halted due to lack of exercise. Scale didn't go up any more despite still eating the same amount (over 3000 cal per day). Have a feeling I'll be able to cut (if I ever have to) by eating at maintenance and doing some cardio to rack up a slight metabolic deficit.

Fithealthyforlife

One who can look on his/her side of the fence and see the green grass has it easiest :flowerforyou:

Yeah, speaking of the other side of the fence and grass being greener, I always see threads on this site where formerly very athletic women gained weight due to whatever reason. And then all they have to do is some lifting, some cardio, and go on a slight deficit for 8 months, and they inevitably turn their 26-inch flabby thighs into rock-hard 23-inch ones by cutting...and they can squat 200 lbs within like 6 months. And then you've got us skinny guys here with our 20-inch thighs, who just started lifting, and we want that muscle those women have!

The_Enginerd

I bulking. I have more energy and feel less hangry and cranky.

I do wish I had an easier time putting on muscle though. I am jelly of some of this lifting stats of others.

justjenny

Bumping for later.

JNick77

Here on MFP, many people are on a one-time program that takes a year or two, and then maintain after that. As far as starting stats, on one end, you've got your skinny, underweight men and women lacking muscle who have to eat a surplus and gain weight while working out. I belong to this group due to having eaten at a deficit for a long time without realizing it.

And on the other end, you've got your formerly athletic, chubby men and women who ate at a surplus and still did enough exercise that they bulked without realizing it, and have copious amounts of muscle lurking under their fat as a result.

Both groups end up at the same point by lifting and sticking to their diets...the builders build muscle and gain a little fat along with it.

The dieters burn off most of their fat and retain most of their muscle in the process, revealing what they had all along.

Both look similar and look great in the end.

But who has it easier? Or another way to say this, is what's easier when you only have one phase to go through...bulking or cutting?

If you take Willpower out of the equation making all things equal I would honestly say that bulkers have the harder job. Bullking requires eating a TON of food.

1. Eating becomes a 2nd job and is not easy or enjoyable. Caveat... eating clean to minimize fat gain during a bulk is not easy. If you eat tons of crap then it's not that hard.

2. Because you're eating so much more you spend that much more time in the kitchen cooking and prepping food.

mantium999

I am presently trying to bulk, while my wife is trying to cut (which of itself creates problems, haha). I am inclined to think that bulking is harder, from the standpoint of in the same amount of time, she has made much more noticeable progress toward her goal than I have toward mine.

funforsports

I personally think bulking is harder. Trying to gain lean mass is difficult especially when you are an active individual. I was eating 4,500 calories at the end of my last bulk. Lots of money for that food and it sucks force feeding yourself.

That being said, bulking is definitely more fun. Seeing your lifts increase drastically and not worrying about going out to dinner from time to time makes the force feeding worth it.