My 9 week bulk/cut cycle

Springfield1970

Hi All!

After having been cutting on and off all year for athletic reasons (I wanted to run faster for sprint triathlon and generally get a better strength to weight ratio), I decided to try out a bulk. It was a bit unplanned, but I was eating over TDEE and I thought I'd make use of it. I think winter setting in and generally being fed up of depriving myself kicked in.

I read that women can only gain .25lb muscle a week, and so I planned a .5lb gain of weight a week and that turned out to be 200 cals over my TDEE per day. I cut the cardio right down in case I catabolised the muscle (I train HARD and needed a rest anyway) and lifted HEAVY 3x per week all body. I had a week or two when the scales went flying up and have reined things in (alcohol, bmr possibly dropping from cutting cardio and stepping over my calorie goals-but it wasn't by much!) and decided to do two more heavy sessions and start cutting again on dec2nd-18th.
So I've stuck to it and ended with a 3lb gain half of which I reckon is muscle.

Now I want to cut that fat so I'm going to lift, do aerobic cardio and go 10% under TDEE and lose that 1lb of fat I reckon I've gained.

Then bulk again over Xmas and NY maybe do another few weeks.

If I get it right I will recompose my body by adding 1% of muscle and dropping 1% fat each 9 week cycle. Couldn't have done that without MFP.

What I'd like to ask you lovely people is this, is my plan for dropping that 1lb of fat the best way I can do it and preserve that hard won muscle?

I am female, 43, 127lb up from 124lb, approx 20% bf, 5'7" and with a TDEE Without/before exercise of 1750cals. I eat exercise cals back. I am preparing for triathlon and training starts 2nd week of Jan. Bulking won't be possible during training due to the cardio demands.

Thanks in advance!
Edited by Springfield1970 On November 30, 2013 8:21 am

Cortelli

Bump - I too am interested in responses from others who have done a reasonably rapid bulk / cut cycle.

Springfield1970

This topic is also called My Mini Bulk in the Gaining weight forum