female bulking question!!

diyadiamonds
diyadiamonds Posts: 74 Member
Hello ladies!

Quick question, I am currently on a bulk and 150 pounds at the moment . I am 5'6.

I was wondering what a good weight is to start my cut? ( this will be my first cut)
I'm in the UK so we are in winter for another 3 months, I was wondering if I should carry on bulking, and then start my cut in January.

Also, should you bulk and cut the same if you are not competing?

Thanks :)
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Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you don't have a goal weight???
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    edited September 2015
    I'm on a bulk too yay - I work out when to cut by time 8 weeks bulk w/hypertrophy borderline strength & 4 weeks endurance w hiit,plyo
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    As a female you probably want to stop bulking around 25-27% body fat.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I'm on a bulk too yay - I work out when to cut by time 8 weeks bulk w/hypertrophy borderline strength & 4 weeks endurance w hiit,plyo

    so you bulk for two months??????
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I'm on a bulk too yay - I work out when to cut by time 8 weeks bulk w/hypertrophy borderline strength & 4 weeks endurance w hiit,plyo

    so you bulk for two months??????


    Yeah with gradual increase of calories /macros
  • diyadiamonds
    diyadiamonds Posts: 74 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    you don't have a goal weight???

    As I said it is my first bulk so unsure of what weight I should start cutting!
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    edited September 2015
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
  • diyadiamonds
    diyadiamonds Posts: 74 Member

    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    edited September 2015
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    It's all about trial and error anyway, you just have to see what's going to work best for you
    I've literally only just started I love to eat everything lol taking it all in whilst I can :-(
    How's it going so far?
    & my measurements are around the same as you I'm 5'5 and 66kg but I put on weight quickly

    But so I don't put on too much fat I'm going to incorporate one day of slow density cardio
  • diyadiamonds
    diyadiamonds Posts: 74 Member
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    It's all about trial and error anyway, you just have to see what's going to work best for you
    I've literally only just started I love to eat everything lol

    What calipers do you use? I'm getting mixed reviews on the ones I want to buy :/
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    I've used pretty basic ones - have a look on amazon @ reviews & my protein sell some too. Any should work fine as I'm assuming you have low / average body fat
  • diyadiamonds
    diyadiamonds Posts: 74 Member
    I've used pretty basic ones - have a look on amazon @ reviews & my protein sell some too. Any should work fine as I'm assuming you have low / average body fat
    thank you

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I'm on a bulk too yay - I work out when to cut by time 8 weeks bulk w/hypertrophy borderline strength & 4 weeks endurance w hiit,plyo

    so you bulk for two months??????


    Yeah with gradual increase of calories /macros

    why only two months?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    you don't have a goal weight???

    As I said it is my first bulk so unsure of what weight I should start cutting!

    Ok - but before bulking you should have a goal weight in mind, like I want to gain ten pounds or 15 pounds etc, etc.

    I am running my second bulk right now and my goal is to get to 190 and then cut down to 180 and see how i look and go from there…

    My point is that these things should be thought out in advance….I would not suggest bulking to a certain body fat % unless you are planning on testing that with a dexa scan, as calipers are not very reliable.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    edited September 2015
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At a minimum you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    edited September 2015
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on

    i am sorry but no one bulks for one month that is ridiculous.



  • diyadiamonds
    diyadiamonds Posts: 74 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    If you are going to run a successful bulk, I would highly recommend AT LEAST 12 weeks. Look at this this way if you are gaining .5 pounds per week, over a three months period that is six pounds. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle gain, which is generous for a female, you are looking at three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat gained. If you cut that down to two months, you are looking at four pounds gained, which translates to two pounds of muscle and two pounds of fat....

  • diyadiamonds
    diyadiamonds Posts: 74 Member
    Very
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    If you are going to run a successful bulk, I would highly recommend AT LEAST 12 weeks. Look at this this way if you are gaining .5 pounds per week, over a three months period that is six pounds. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle gain, which is generous for a female, you are looking at three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat gained. If you cut that down to two months, you are looking at four pounds gained, which translates to two pounds of muscle and two pounds of fat....

    Very true. Cheers pal
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on

    i am sorry but no one bulks for one month that is ridiculous.



    Everyone is different u don't know my starting point or finishing point my training programme or what I plan to do after that there's no right or wrong it's trial and error And u can only speak for your own body thanks.
  • _Bropollo_
    _Bropollo_ Posts: 168 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    Over here on a 9 month bulk like "sup".

    Realistically though OP, you should bulk until your body's p-ratio (calorie partitioning ratio) starts to favor fat storage over muscle fiber synthesis.

    For guys, the ratio become unfavorable after 20% bodyfat. This isn't exact because genetics play a role also, it's a rule of thumb mostly. For females, I believe the cutoff is 25% bodyfat.

    This is the most time-economical approach. Once you hit the "ceiling", then you cut down to 15% (10% for males). If you cut lower than this, your body will have a tough time dropping fat without losing large amounts of muscle. It's especially important for females to take a gradual approach to cutting, because you can only build muscle at half the rate that guys do.

    This is bulk-cut cycling in a nutshell.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on

    i am sorry but no one bulks for one month that is ridiculous.



    Everyone is different u don't know my starting point or finishing point my training programme or what I plan to do after that there's no right or wrong it's trial and error And u can only speak for your own body thanks.

    so you are going to bulk for one month and maybe put on two pounds...so .75 pounds of muscle and 1.25 pounds of fat...why???

    yes, everyone is different but that does not change the fact that bulking for a month is ridiculous and spinning your wheels.

    so what you are going to bulk one month, and then cut the next month, and then bulk again, and cut again ...??

    that makes no sense, and you really should not be recommending that to OP as it is not accurate or helpful advice.
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on

    i am sorry but no one bulks for one month that is ridiculous.



    Everyone is different u don't know my starting point or finishing point my training programme or what I plan to do after that there's no right or wrong it's trial and error And u can only speak for your own body thanks.

    so you are going to bulk for one month and maybe put on two pounds...so .75 pounds of muscle and 1.25 pounds of fat...why???

    yes, everyone is different but that does not change the fact that bulking for a month is ridiculous and spinning your wheels.

    so what you are going to bulk one month, and then cut the next month, and then bulk again, and cut again ...??

    that makes no sense, and you really should not be recommending that to OP as it is not accurate or helpful advice.

    I never said that Loool
  • blissalexandra
    blissalexandra Posts: 37 Member
    edited September 2015
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on

    i am sorry but no one bulks for one month that is ridiculous.



    Everyone is different u don't know my starting point or finishing point my training programme or what I plan to do after that there's no right or wrong it's trial and error And u can only speak for your own body thanks.

    so you are going to bulk for one month and maybe put on two pounds...so .75 pounds of muscle and 1.25 pounds of fat...why???

    yes, everyone is different but that does not change the fact that bulking for a month is ridiculous and spinning your wheels.

    so what you are going to bulk one month, and then cut the next month, and then bulk again, and cut again ...??

    that makes no sense, and you really should not be recommending that to OP as it is not accurate or helpful advice.

    I never said that Loool

    you never said bulk for a month ...really?
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    If you are going to run a successful bulk, I would highly recommend AT LEAST 12 weeks. Look at this this way if you are gaining .5 pounds per week, over a three months period that is six pounds. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle gain, which is generous for a female, you are looking at three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat gained. If you cut that down to two months, you are looking at four pounds gained, which translates to two pounds of muscle and two pounds of fat....

    I'm going to be bulking soon & that's pretty good info. I was going to try and bulk for about 4-6 months I don't know if that's good or not :/ gonna be strange eating a lot more and seeing the scale go up again too
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    If you are going to run a successful bulk, I would highly recommend AT LEAST 12 weeks. Look at this this way if you are gaining .5 pounds per week, over a three months period that is six pounds. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle gain, which is generous for a female, you are looking at three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat gained. If you cut that down to two months, you are looking at four pounds gained, which translates to two pounds of muscle and two pounds of fat....
    This. Plus, and I may be unique here, but the first 4 weeks of my bulks are always useless. My weight jumps around like crazy at first, and doesn't stabilize until about 4 weeks in. If I tried a 2-month bulk, it would be one month of crazy fluctuations (water, glycogen, extra food in my system, etc.) and one month of actual progress.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Samm471 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    If you are going to run a successful bulk, I would highly recommend AT LEAST 12 weeks. Look at this this way if you are gaining .5 pounds per week, over a three months period that is six pounds. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle gain, which is generous for a female, you are looking at three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat gained. If you cut that down to two months, you are looking at four pounds gained, which translates to two pounds of muscle and two pounds of fat....

    I'm going to be bulking soon & that's pretty good info. I was going to try and bulk for about 4-6 months I don't know if that's good or not :/ gonna be strange eating a lot more and seeing the scale go up again too

    After reading your posts, I feel like you and I have the same goals and might even start around the same time. I'm hoping to do November-March.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    AliceDark wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    If you are going to run a successful bulk, I would highly recommend AT LEAST 12 weeks. Look at this this way if you are gaining .5 pounds per week, over a three months period that is six pounds. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle gain, which is generous for a female, you are looking at three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat gained. If you cut that down to two months, you are looking at four pounds gained, which translates to two pounds of muscle and two pounds of fat....
    This. Plus, and I may be unique here, but the first 4 weeks of my bulks are always useless. My weight jumps around like crazy at first, and doesn't stabilize until about 4 weeks in. If I tried a 2-month bulk, it would be one month of crazy fluctuations (water, glycogen, extra food in my system, etc.) and one month of actual progress.

    this too ...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Samm471 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    It depends on you n how quickly u can put it on (N muscle at that) people bulk anything from 1-6+ months if u monitor your fat gain (callipers r good) Then u can determine how much muscle you actually put on
    iv been bulking for just over a month now. I aim for 0.5-1 pound weight gain every week. Planning on maintaining 8 weeks into my bulk for 4 weeks and then start my cut! Gutted that soon enough I won't be able to eat as much

    ok, why are you only going to bulk for two months? At the minim you should run a bulk or three months….

    It takes your body about two to three weeks to adapt to changes so how can you get any appreciable progress in two months???

    I put on weight really easily, planning on bulking 8 weeks and then seeing how I look from there and then if I need to I will bulk for another 4 instead of maintaining. As a female I am already struggling with being a bit bigger then I used to so mentally its really frustrating but I know it will be good for me in the end.

    Btw I appreciate your input, one of the ladies I train with Also told me to do a 12 week bulk.

    If you are going to run a successful bulk, I would highly recommend AT LEAST 12 weeks. Look at this this way if you are gaining .5 pounds per week, over a three months period that is six pounds. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle gain, which is generous for a female, you are looking at three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat gained. If you cut that down to two months, you are looking at four pounds gained, which translates to two pounds of muscle and two pounds of fat....

    I'm going to be bulking soon & that's pretty good info. I was going to try and bulk for about 4-6 months I don't know if that's good or not :/ gonna be strange eating a lot more and seeing the scale go up again too

    I would recommend having a goal weight in mind and since this is your first one plan on running it for three months and see if you hit your goal weight at three months and/or how you feel. You will be amazed at how much better your feel in the gym and how much more energized your lifts are.

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