When to bulk?

bredbin

So I am 6 ft 4, in June I was 257 now I'm 223. I am pure skinny fat. By next summer I would preferably like to add a little bit of muscle and potentially be down at 200 lbs. Any tips or thoughts on it?

Cheers peeps.

viceversah

Id say lots of cardio, and when I say lots, I mean at least 20 minutes a day of steady cardio, along with regular weight training. If your fairly knew to fitness then bulking and cutting shouldnt even be in your vocabulary. Just simply eat what you have been eating, or even perhaps a little more with the additional cardio, and you will see results.

waldo56

You shouldn't be thinking about bulking until you've got visible abs.

Bulking = calorie suplus and gaining fat along with muscle.

The metabolism raising effects of more muscle are grossly overstated.

Take advantage of your noob strength gains while cutting down the first time. Whe you switch over to bulking then you should be strong enough to actually gain some muscle.

bredbin

Thanks for the replies.

FullOfWin

Well some people would say cut down to 10-12% bodyfat and then bulk. Some people would say don't bother cutting if you have nothing to cut down to. I would recommend eating at maintenance or slightly below until your lifts stall and then evaluate and decide at that time. Here is a ton more info http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686963-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners

LuluProteinFueled

You shouldn't be thinking about bulking until you've got visible abs.

Really? I would tend to politely disagree. If you bulk before goal, yes you'll obviously add a little fat, but if you're prepared to live with that then you're a step ahead before cut.

I would put it down to personal preference.

Yanicka1

Well you can cut but if you have nothing to cut to.....why bother? Perso, I cut for 2 years and was still not happy with the results. I am now bulking and while it is hard to see the scale go up, I know that is what I need to do in order to have the results I want. I just wish I didn't wait that long.

mmapags

Well you can cut but if you have nothing to cut to.....why bother? Perso, I cut for 2 years and was still not happy with the results. I am now bulking and while it is hard to see the scale go up, I know that is what I need to do in order to have the results I want. I just wish I didn't wait that long.

This! If you don't have much lean mass now, why lose some more in order to try and rebuild it? Build some, cut away the fat, rinse and repeat.

DavPul

You shouldn't be thinking about bulking until you've got visible abs.

Bulking = calorie suplus and gaining fat along with muscle.

The metabolism raising effects of more muscle are grossly overstated.

Take advantage of your noob strength gains while cutting down the first time. Whe you switch over to bulking then you should be strong enough to actually gain some muscle.

WAT??????

Tricep_A_Tops

Bulk now!!

Tricep_A_Tops

You shouldn't be thinking about bulking until you've got visible abs.

Bulking = calorie suplus and gaining fat along with muscle.

The metabolism raising effects of more muscle are grossly overstated.

Take advantage of your noob strength gains while cutting down the first time. Whe you switch over to bulking then you should be strong enough to actually gain some muscle.

WAT??????

???????????????? Strong enough to actually gain some muscle??

raj83168

Same here, i've been trying to cut my midsection fat, and its impossible to lose it. I decided to bulk up instead, but that didnt give any definition. *stuck*

DavPul

You shouldn't be thinking about bulking until you've got visible abs.

Bulking = calorie suplus and gaining fat along with muscle.

The metabolism raising effects of more muscle are grossly overstated.

Take advantage of your noob strength gains while cutting down the first time. Whe you switch over to bulking then you should be strong enough to actually gain some muscle.

WAT??????

???????????????? Strong enough to actually gain some muscle??

Oddly enough, that's the one part that I understood. Sounds weird but I know what he means. It's only about 50% correct tho.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I once read a really good article about this, but now I can't find it. This one is okay.

http://truehealthandfitness101.blogspot.com/2012/04/anorexic-ripped-is-not-same-as-swoll.html

You don't want to be this guy, or i hope you don't:

bigknight78

If you want to put on lean mass, then lift weights. Big heavy compound lifts.

The stronglifts 5x5 programme is a great place to start. Very straight forward to follow, and will deliver results.

Lifting weights will increase your muscle mass, which will help you get that more muscular look you are going for

ilovedeadlifts

it depends on your goals.

if you want to be bigger, go ahead and bulk.
if you want to be skinny with a 6 pack and no muscles, then cut.

DaveRCF

I once read a really good article about this, but now I can't find it. This one is okay.

http://truehealthandfitness101.blogspot.com/2012/04/anorexic-ripped-is-not-same-as-swoll.html

You don't want to be this guy, or i hope you don't:

What a ridiculous comment! If you look carefully (for example his traps) the guy is actually in pretty good shape. But to link a blog with the title "anorexic ripped" is beyond the pale.

DaveRCF

So I am 6 ft 4, in June I was 257 now I'm 223. I am pure skinny fat. By next summer I would preferably like to add a little bit of muscle and potentially be down at 200 lbs. Any tips or thoughts on it?

Cheers peeps.

If you are able to maintain your current weight but add muscle and reduce body fat over the next year, that would be a significant accomplishment, although probably doable for somebody your age. But...you need to hit the gym. The muscle doesn't just happen.

You may also find that the next 20 lbs will be harder than the first 30 but don't dismay. Steady, consistent workout routines while eating healthy and drinking less beer are the way to go. Take it from somebody who's been there.

Yanicka1

I once read a really good article about this, but now I can't find it. This one is okay.

http://truehealthandfitness101.blogspot.com/2012/04/anorexic-ripped-is-not-same-as-swoll.html

You don't want to be this guy, or i hope you don't:

What a ridiculous comment! If you look carefully (for example his traps) the guy is actually in pretty good shape. But to link a blog with the title "anorexic ripped" is beyond the pale.

Oh come on......I have bigger pecs than this guy!!!!

DaveRCF

I once read a really good article about this, but now I can't find it. This one is okay.

http://truehealthandfitness101.blogspot.com/2012/04/anorexic-ripped-is-not-same-as-swoll.html

You don't want to be this guy, or i hope you don't:

What a ridiculous comment! If you look carefully (for example his traps) the guy is actually in pretty good shape. But to link a blog with the title "anorexic ripped" is beyond the pale.

Oh come on......I have bigger pecs than this guy!!!!

Easy to focus on the pecs. The guy just doesn't have a beefy build. But I see well developed obliques and the biceps are fine as well. After all, the guy isn't pumped and posing, he's just standing there.

waldo56

You shouldn't be thinking about bulking until you've got visible abs.

Bulking = calorie suplus and gaining fat along with muscle.

The metabolism raising effects of more muscle are grossly overstated.

Take advantage of your noob strength gains while cutting down the first time. Whe you switch over to bulking then you should be strong enough to actually gain some muscle.

WAT??????

???????????????? Strong enough to actually gain some muscle??

Oddly enough, that's the one part that I understood. Sounds weird but I know what he means. It's only about 50% correct tho.

Strong enough to gain some muscle.....

If you are squatting say 0.75x BW for example, unless you look like a competitive marathoner, your are so neurologically inefficeint with your strength that you aren't strong enough to really work your muscles all that well. When you are in the noob gains area, able to make rapid session to session strength gains on a linear progression, you're muscles aren't really getting worked as well as you think they are. The gains come fast and furious whether on a surplus or deficit diet-wise. It is only once you get strong enough to start really accounting for fatigue, where lifts begin stalling, that you are working your muscles with high enough neural effiency to really start packing on mass at an efficient rate.

Here's a good article by Lyle McDonald on why you should diet down first.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/initial-body-fat-and-body-composition-changes.html

Basically, muscle gain is most efficient in the 10-15% BF area. Above and below that a greater % of your surplus tends to go to fat.

The shortest distance between point A and B, when fat loss and muscle gain is the goal, is to lose most of the fat first before beginning to eat for muscle gain.