My lady bulking memoir (pic heavy)

progressnotperfection84

Bumping

giusa

OP will probably be able to give a better description as she has actually done it buy ill try anyway! Bulking and cutting are two different phases that you cycle because it's very difficult to cut fat and make decent muscle gains at the same time. Why? Because to cut fat you need to eat at a calorie deficit and to make muscle gains you need to eat at a calorie surplus. (note that beginners can make some muscle gains while lifting on a calorie deficit known as "newbie gains" but then it stops and it's not a huge amount)

For most of us, when you lift on a deficit (still important to do) you are only preserving muscle that's already there and not gaining. So the idea is to cut first to get down to an ideal BF %, and then go through a bulking phase by increasing your calories to a surplus to add on muscle size. Small fat gain is inevitable in this stage which is why you then go back to a cutting phase to get rid of any extra fat gain and still preserve the new muscle that was gained.

Each cycle can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months; it depends on the individual and their goals. You keep alternating these cycles to get to where you want to be and then you can maintain!

Thank you!