Gaining Muscle While Losing Fat VS. Cutting/Bulking Phase

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  • besttherapyisexercise
    besttherapyisexercise Posts: 4 Member
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    My bro is a trainer to the stars and athletes, he says this: lift weights to increase your metabolism and then burn more fat during cardio, and you can't bulk yourself up unless you are actually doing specific things to do this (muscle gainers etc..) Calories in and calories out, that is about as basic as it gets. Also, women should always lift weight for bone density.
    :)
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    well. you need a calorie surplus to gain muscle and you need a calorie deficit to lose fat. You can't have a surplus and a deficit at the same time. I think it's possible to gain a very small amount of muscle on a slight deficit but only if you're a beginner.

    I was "bulking" but I got a little carried away with the eating over maintenance thing. I took it as "OMG!! Food! Yay!" And I got a little too fat. So now I'm "cutting" but I haven't been lifting because my gym membership expired *cries* I need to get a new one at a different, cheaper gym... I'll probably do that this weekend and start back up again. So yeah, this bulk/cut cycle of mine was wildly unsuccessful.
  • forwesgar13
    forwesgar13 Posts: 56 Member
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    Bump for when my head quits spinning awesome info
  • wolfpack77
    wolfpack77 Posts: 655
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    You can only do both when you first start lifting. After 3-4 months you must choose one or the other. Bulking and cutting is not a myth nor are most people who do it putting on tons of fat or "eating crap." When bulking people who know what they are doing put on a minimal amount of fat, and they only bulk to mid teens or so (men) bf% before cutting back down. People who are scared to gain any fat gain muscle more slowly or not at all.

    Oh, also yes absolutely people lift while cutting. They lift exactly the same as when bulking but with the understanding that their ability to add weight to their lifts may stall or even drop a bit. Below is a link to get you started on proper lifting.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686963-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners

    Good advice.

    You don't have to get fat while bulking. The key to a successful bulk is being very in tune with your body. This will take some experimentation, but in time you will find your caloric "sweet spot" that keeps the gains coming while minimizing fat. No doubt you must be in surplus to make gains, but how big this surplus is varies from person to person.

    Your body can only build so much muscle so fast (again, highly individual) so overdoing your bulk is not to your advantage since having a lot of excessive calories doesnt necessarily translate into bigger faster gains. If you're putting on more than a couple percentage points of body fat over the course of a 2 or 3 month bulk, you're eating too much.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    Definitely add in strength training. It will help preserve/add muscle mass.

    Cutting/bulking is a myth, and most body builders using this method are putting on a lot of fat and eating a lot of crap for no good reason. It's certainly not a good idea for long term health.

    :laugh: Yes, clearly bodybuilders have no clue how to put on muscle. :noway:
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    Cutting/bulking is a myth, and most body builders using this method are putting on a lot of fat and eating a lot of crap for no good reason. It's certainly not a good idea for long term health.
    Who told you that? Unless you're a bodybuilder or fitness model yourself, I will take this as a nonsense advice.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Bulking & Cutting is not a myth. I did one myself and had great results in both strength and muscle gain, that I would not have got through just maintenance.

    You need a surplus to gain muscle and a deficit to lose fat which is why people concentrate on one or the other. As a beginner, I would just recommend a small deficit if you have weight/fat you want to lose still and with enough protein and a good lifting program you may gain a little muscle (newbie gains). Even if you don't though, you'll still preserve a lot more muscle than by not lifting.

    After a while, you may find bulking/cutting more effective. You don't have to get fat at all, although some of the gain will inevitably be fat. Unless taking some form of help you can't really gain 100% muscle, but by keeping the surplus reasonable you can keep the fat gain to a minimum. I gained 16lbs in 6 months on a fair surplus - BF% said that was around 6lbs muscle, 10lbs fat and water. People eating a ton and getting fat is generally because:
    1) They like bulking / extra food and want to enjoy it while they can.
    2) They want to ensure the most muscle gain they can.
    3) They want to ensure as much strength gains as they can.
    4) They find it easy to lose fat after (men have an advantage here, especially with more muscle)
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I don't have time to read the comments, so I'm just commenting so I can check in with it later.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
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    Bump! Great questions :)
  • Eandretta96
    Eandretta96 Posts: 119
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    At best what I would recommend is doing a recomp which I think does work. Get to the body fat you are satisfied with and then slowly raise your calories up to maintenance. Then just lift. Try to keep cardio minimal and eat more on the days you do cardio.
  • Eandretta96
    Eandretta96 Posts: 119
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    Yeah I've seen people put on like 20 lbs in like 2 months. Kind of like the dreamer bulk haha.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Thanks guys. I think I'll add in 2-3 days of heavy lifting to help preserve my muscle and then after I lose a bit more fat will add more lifting days and focus more on that.

    Now I just need to do it. Weights bore me to death, but I'll admit it's SO rewarding.

    Stick with this excellent plan and ignore everything else. And 3 days is fine; no need to add extra days in the future. 6 days is not 2x as good as 3 days. Do your weights, do your cardio, watch your diet. Rinse, repeat.

    If weights are boring you're doing it wrong. 100s of routines with tons of ways keep mix it up and keep it challenging and engaging.

    Ignore all the ridiculous back and forth about noob gains, cutting while bulking, etc. Ignore the forums. And whatever you do, DON'T read any of those articles. Do your weights, do your cardio, watch your diet. For what your current goals are, it works every time.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    Yeah no need to learn things and become more informed.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Now I just need to do it. Weights bore me to death, but I'll admit it's SO rewarding.

    That's kinda weird. Have you thought about trying higher/more difficult weights? There's no way weights should be boring, it is extremely strenuous and time flies by like crazy. If you're doing it right anyway.
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    Now I just need to do it. Weights bore me to death, but I'll admit it's SO rewarding.

    That's kinda weird. Have you thought about trying higher/more difficult weights? There's no way weights should be boring, it is extremely strenuous and time flies by like crazy. If you're doing it right anyway.

    I think it was because when I was lifting I was doing the same exercises/machines every time and I just got bored. It was cool when I could up the weights though, but often times I would skip out early cause I'd be bored. I lifted heavy and aimed for 8-10 reps. Maybe I just need to switch it up, or maybe I just like cardio more.
  • LifeIsNotADressRehearsal
    LifeIsNotADressRehearsal Posts: 745 Member
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    Bump
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Go with the bulking/cutting phase as it is not realistic to expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. It might be possible but not in any significant way and it would be incredibly slow. Lift the same as you always do while you cut.

    Personally I would recommend adding 20-30 minutes of cardio after your lifting session and leave days off to recover and grow. 3-4 days is plenty. You might be able to do more depending on your workout split but with an upper/lower or full body plan 3-4 days is enough.



    Believe me I wish it was possible to gain muscle while cutting. I have been in a small calorie deficit for a whole year and lifting the whole time. I have gained very little, if any, new muscle. Maybe there is something different I could have tried but like most others have said it is not a realistic approach.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Yeah no need to learn things and become more informed.

    Informed is good. Misinformed, confused and frustrated by a bunch of scooby articles is not good.

    These forums, while full of good information and well meaning posters, often devolve into shouting matches between various factions arguing over minutiae instead of just telling the OP to get out and do. I read a lot when I started out. Generally, I found lifting was more effective than reading.
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    Yeah no need to learn things and become more informed.

    Informed is good. Misinformed, confused and frustrated by a bunch of scooby articles is not good.

    These forums, while full of good information and well meaning posters, often devolve into shouting matches between various factions arguing over minutiae instead of just telling the OP to get out and do. I read a lot when I started out. Generally, I found lifting was more effective than reading.

    Well said. On that note, i'm off to the gym.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    Thanks guys. I think I'll add in 2-3 days of heavy lifting to help preserve my muscle and then after I lose a bit more fat will add more lifting days and focus more on that.

    Now I just need to do it. Weights bore me to death, but I'll admit it's SO rewarding.

    Stick with this excellent plan and ignore everything else. And 3 days is fine; no need to add extra days in the future. 6 days is not 2x as good as 3 days. Do your weights, do your cardio, watch your diet. Rinse, repeat.

    If weights are boring you're doing it wrong. 100s of routines with tons of ways keep mix it up and keep it challenging and engaging.

    Ignore all the ridiculous back and forth about noob gains, cutting while bulking, etc. Ignore the forums. And whatever you do, DON'T read any of those articles. Do your weights, do your cardio, watch your diet. For what your current goals are, it works every time.

    Great advice!

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