Is cut or bulk just personal preference?
Catia335
Posts: 17 Member
I’ve been lifting for 6 months and started to do more reading about how to eat to maximize results. Then I came across about bulking / cutting? How do you know which one to do?
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You bulk when you're lean and ready to gain muscle (and fat). You cut when you're fluffy to lose the fat.4
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Ok! Thanks for reply. I guess I need to decide where to go from here! Maybe I’ll try to see if I can estimate my body fat tonight.0
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For a guy, you'd want to be around 10% or less BF before bulking...I'd say 12% tops, but I think that's pushing it. For one thing, when your lean, your hormonally primed to put on muscle...when you have more fat, you're just going to accumulate more fat. You're going to put on fat anyway, so you want to start off as lean as you can to maximize the length of your bulk before you need to cut the fluff.
IDK for a female...but I'd say likely sub 20% BF...Probably around 18% before bulking.2 -
I’m guessing according to that I may want to cut? I just don’t know my body fat percentage currently. I’m flexing in my profile pic so that prob doesn’t help. Lol0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »For a guy, you'd want to be around 10% or less BF before bulking...I'd say 12% tops, but I think that's pushing it. For one thing, when your lean, your hormonally primed to put on muscle...when you have more fat, you're just going to accumulate more fat. You're going to put on fat anyway, so you want to start off as lean as you can to maximize the length of your bulk before you need to cut the fluff.
IDK for a female...but I'd say likely sub 20% BF...Probably around 18% before bulking.
I'm usually between 16-18% when I start bulking.1 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »For a guy, you'd want to be around 10% or less BF before bulking...I'd say 12% tops, but I think that's pushing it. For one thing, when your lean, your hormonally primed to put on muscle...when you have more fat, you're just going to accumulate more fat. You're going to put on fat anyway, so you want to start off as lean as you can to maximize the length of your bulk before you need to cut the fluff.
IDK for a female...but I'd say likely sub 20% BF...Probably around 18% before bulking.
I'm usually between 16-18% when I start bulking.
ETA: OP, you look fantastic now.2 -
Wow 16-18%. Don’t think I’m that low?? Haha! Thanks! It’s def the best I’ve ever looked! Probably why I’m struggling trying to figure out where to go next ya know?0
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Kdyer242017 wrote: »Wow 16-18%. Don’t think I’m that low?? Haha! Thanks! It’s def the best I’ve ever looked! Probably why I’m struggling trying to figure out where to go next ya know?
You have visible abs which would indicate that you're pretty lean.4 -
Huh ok. Sorry if this is all basic stuff. I’m a mom of 3 kids 3 and under. I lift in my basement at night and just follow what I read online. But I’m not around other lifters ever so I’m pretty newbie to this whole world.3
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I would say you are definitely lean enough.1
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Kdyer242017 wrote: »Huh ok. Sorry if this is all basic stuff. I’m a mom of 3 kids 3 and under. I lift in my basement at night and just follow what I read online. But I’m not around other lifters ever so I’m pretty newbie to this whole world.
Visible abs are usually a good indicator of leanness. A guy will typically have visible abs at 10% or less BF...so a pretty good indicator that you could run a bulk cycle if you wanted to.1 -
Ok, good to know! I wasn’t sure if flexing counted! But that makes sense and makes me happy. Cuz I like to eat and I really want to keep progressing with my lifts! Thank you!0
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I would say if you feel lean enough..you can see visible definition, you don't feel like you have too many problem areas, and you are comfortable enough to put on weight, even some fat,.. then you are likely ready to bulk. I don't track my bodyfat% in terms of an actual number but I just know when I am lean enough.
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What does the mirror say?0
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Kdyer242017 wrote: »Huh ok. Sorry if this is all basic stuff. I’m a mom of 3 kids 3 and under. I lift in my basement at night and just follow what I read online. But I’m not around other lifters ever so I’m pretty newbie to this whole world.
OMG I'm so jealous. Honestly, your body is #goals for me!1 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »Kdyer242017 wrote: »Huh ok. Sorry if this is all basic stuff. I’m a mom of 3 kids 3 and under. I lift in my basement at night and just follow what I read online. But I’m not around other lifters ever so I’m pretty newbie to this whole world.
OMG I'm so jealous. Honestly, your body is #goals for me!
Well that’s the best compliment ever! Thank you!
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<Kdyer242017> What does your diet look like?0
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Well, she should know how to eat, whether she's cutting or lean bulking...2
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Well, she should know how to eat, whether she's cutting or lean bulking...
It would come down to personal preference as to the foods she picked.
Calories are what matter for cutting and bulking.
She doesn't mention her stats so there's no way to provide her with accurate calorie adjustments for each besides she didn't ask.
The foods she eats or way of eating she prefers is totally irrelevant to the question at hand.4 -
You're saying calories are calories?2
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I was replying to 100_proof_...3
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You're saying calories are calories?
Please rephrase your question as I don't want to misunderstand the point you are trying to get across.
Calories are calories?
My point is that the op didn't ask about what foods she needs to eat to cut or bulk. Cutting comes down to creating a caloric deficit. Bulking would need a calorie surplus. There's no specific foods to bulk. That's personal preference and opinion.
Opinions are like @$$holes , everyone has one. What you may like to eat during a cut will be very different from what I like to eat. Neither is right or wrong, just opinions. What is fact is that cutting comes down to creating a caloric deficit. However one wants to create that deficit is up them. There's no special cutting foods.
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Sure there are, you can't eat pizza and hamburgers and fries and sodas all the time and expect to get any kind of results, whether you're cutting or bulking...100_PROOF_ wrote: »There's no specific foods to bulk.
There's no special cutting foods.
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Sure there are, you can't eat pizza and hamburgers and fries and sodas all the time and expect to get any kind of results, whether you're cutting or bulking...100_PROOF_ wrote: »There's no specific foods to bulk.
There's no special cutting foods.
I don't recall anyone saying that you should... But actually, pizza and hamburgers are fairly balanced meals. Maybe a little extra veg for some micros, but nothing wrong with pizza and hamburgers. French fries are essentially carbs and fat which are still beneficial nutrients in the proper amounts. Soda, meh. Again, moderation.1 -
burgers are freaking great for cutting and bulking ... you get a whap load of protein, you get a decent amount of quick carbs which is a nice glycogen delivery after a hard workout and you get a good amount of fat
as for pizza .... its a little carb heavy even when you have a meat one ... so makes it somewhat harder to reach your protein goals on a cut, but a smaller portion and compensate with a protein shake or a chicken salad on the side and all is good.3 -
Hey all! Sorry was sleeping. I’ve been cutting. Trying to hit 1500-1800 calories a day. Even being in a cut, due to being a complete newbie, I have seen great gains in the 6 months I’ve been lifting! But now everything is slowing down and kind of stalling. That is why I was wondering if I should continue to cut at a calorie deficit and just try to maintain my lifts, or should I transfer into a bulk. I just didn’t want to go into s bulk too soon and wanted advice from others on when to switch.
I do eat pretty “healthy” as I believe it is important for health in general. But I do agree with the CICO as far as losing/gaining weight or bulking/cutting.3 -
In for pizza and beer! :drinker:3
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