bulking or shredding first?

foxyhotgal

Hi

I'm 5 foot 4 and i weigh about 135 llbs at the moment. My aim is to get a fitness models figure (high aspirations i know!) i have the training routine sorted but i'm confused about what i should be eating. At the moment i still have a bit of a belly so is it best to eat low cals and get rid of that first or is it best to bulk first and then shred???

Icedancer94

I'm also curious about this!

AeolianHarp

Hi

I'm 5 foot 4 and i weigh about 135 llbs at the moment. My aim is to get a fitness models figure (high aspirations i know!) i have the training routine sorted but i'm confused about what i should be eating. At the moment i still have a bit of a belly so is it best to eat low cals and get rid of that first or is it best to bulk first and then shred???

Whether you're a fitness model or a regular joe, you would eat the exact same things.

Now, whether you should bulk or cut (shredding sounds weird) depends on your BF%. I recommend around 17-22% because this is a good range where nutrient partitioning will be optimal. Go too high and then calories may potentially go more towards fat while going too low then you may experience some hormone issues that could effect maximal muscle gain. It's just a guideline, though, but I don't recommend starting higher than 22% and it would be okay to start out lower. So let's say you start at 17%. Once you bulk up to 22% you would cut back down to 17% and rinse and repeat. If you plan on doing a contest, I would give yourself a lot of time to cut since the process is long and very difficult.

Your diet should be fairly high protein, decent amount of carbs, and moderate fat if you're bulking. I've seen recommendations for around 1g/lb of LBM for women, which is a good place for protein. After that, you'd take around 0.35g-0.5g/lb and that is your fat intake. The rest of your calories would be however you want but carbs would be the more intelligent thing to fill it with.

What you should eat makes no real difference but obviously be smart. Keep a diverse diet but don't shy away from desserts and such. If you're eating your recommended intake of fruits and veggies then go ahead and eat some "junk." It won't kill your progress.