Questions About Bulking/Cutting

heresmyinsidevoice

Hey everyone! I'm on a new road to bodybuilding. I've been bulking and lifting heavy for a little over three months. So far, I am able to see some great results - definition in my arms, back, chest and legs - but along with some muscle gain, there's also some extra padding which I'm not so gung-ho about.

I read conflicting information about this quite often, especially with the heated debate of abstaining from as much cardio as possible during the bulking phase for fear of whittling away at that hard-earned muscle. Some say to continue with cardio, up to 30 minutes a day, 5 to 6 days a week.

Fellow MFPeeps into bodybuilding - what are some of the techniques you incorporate for a steady gain of muscle while keeping fat reserves at bay? How long do you devote to your bulking/cutting phases?

abadvat

From a -10% to a +10% are in some cases the "safe" areas to loose weight (slowly) and save the muscle gains to grow (slowly) and keep the fat level on track. This are general guidelines but the best way is to trial and error on yourself.
Either use a mirror or else measure weight + fat every 2 weeks and see how much you are growing (muscles and fat wise) and take it form there.

Time for bulking / cutting once again - depends on you. What are your goals? how big you want to get?

heresmyinsidevoice

Thanks for your response, abadvat. I've been going by what I'm seeing in the mirror primarily, and my instinct tells me at this point to incorporate a couple more days of cardio along with my strength training days to even out my gains. My metabolism and body structure seem to be that of a mesomorph, so I know I'm capable of putting on the weight in fat relatively steady if I'm not doing enough cardio.

I somewhat figured that the old adage "listen to your body" was the way to go, but it's nice to hear it from someone else.

JoeySpanoli

First let me start off by saying I'm no expert but I'll just throw my two cents in here. Like you said its best to just listen to your body and see how you react. You definitely should be doing cardio during a bulk. Now that does not mean do some high intensity 5 mile runs everyday but do just enough to keep your caridovascular endurance up. It will help combat that unwanted fat gain and will keep you lean while putting on muscle. Walking incline on a treadmil for 30 minutes or doing some HIIT two to three times a week is great. As far as the length of a bulk, I personally would dedicate atleast 6 months to a year. You can't be afriad of gaining a little fat during that time because in the long run you'll see all kinds of gains. Again this is just my personal advice.

abadvat

I'd say to *kitten* your goals - you want to get big or you want to keep / get good shapes without affecting too much your jeans size?

Case 1 - eat - grow and then cut gradually.
Case 2 - drop your bulk and to maintenance (or very close to it). You will still grow - slowly but surely.

steve0820

I'd say to *kitten* your goals - you want to get big or you want to keep / get good shapes without affecting too much your jeans size?

Case 1 - eat - grow and then cut gradually.
Case 2 - drop your bulk and to maintenance (or very close to it). You will still grow - slowly but surely.

I agree with this. My scenario was Case 2, I was pretty much at maintenance, and growing very very slowly, 0.5-1lbs a month, now I switched it up a little, eating above, and my gains are better, I know I will add a little fat during this process, as my nutrition isn't as "clean", but its the sacrifice that is needed, if I want the gains quicker. Both will achieve your goal, just 2 different path.

RoyalMoose11

I have an interesting get up here. After loosing 100 lbs by Jan 1 I went to maintenance for a month than bulk until now. Once I hit that -100 I started heavy lifting. I've been the same pant size and shirt size since then and have had a lot of definition. Kicker is that I was training three days a week beyond lifting for a half marathon (which I ran today). I think the high cardio concurrent with the lifting was a big reason why I saw gains but no big fat increase.