To bulk or not to bulk?

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lucy_ac
lucy_ac Posts: 13 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi guys - needing some advice. I'm 5'3 and currently hovering at around 53kg. I'm wanting to start building more muscle but I'm unsure if I'm in the right position to start to bulk or not. My current BF% is around 25% and I read up that you shouldn't start to bulk until you're at 20% but I've been cutting for so long it just seems unfeasible that I'll get there. I definitely have some stubborn stomach fat which I'm struggling to move, just unsure whether I need to work on getting rid of that first?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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Replies

  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
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    Given your weight and height I think a recomp (eating at maintenance while lifting) or a very lean bulk would be most appropriate. Being right in the middle of the "normal" bell curve you don't have that much extra weight to play with. This approach would let you add some desired size and then cut down to close to this weight with a leaner BF%.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    If you want to continue to lower your bodyfat and build some muscle you could also recomp as mentioned, this can be slow but it is another option if you don't want to gain weight. You can reassess in a few months and then decide if you want to go for a bulk.

    That's what I suggest. Just remember the key word is 'slow'. Recomp takes a stupidly long amount of time, and people get discouraged. I did it for over a year and managed to do just that, gained a bit of muscle and either maintained or lowered my body fat by percent or two. The end result though was that I gained weight. Body fat went down slightly over that year, but I gained muscle, and hence some weight. This was about 8 months ago. I then started a slow bulk, gained more muscle, more weight, and some body fat. So now it's time this fall to work hard at cutting back the body fat. The thing I liked most about recomp was that the calories I was eating (maintenance plus exercise calories) made it easier to perform better at the exercise I was doing. I was faster at running and had more endurance. But since I started cutting at about 1000 to 1500 calories deficit a week my speed is slower, and my endurance is down. It's all about calories, and how they fuel the body.

    Either way you look great as is, and you can, as others here have mentioned, go either way you want. When I was about where you are now, I slowly (over the course of six weeks or so) increased to maintenance and made sure I ate back my exercise calories (and did my best to calculate them accurately) and then stayed at that calorie level for about a year. I intend to do another year of that once I get back down to ~10% body fat again this winter. I think I was happiest in recomp.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    If you are really set on bulking but don't feel lean/comfortable enough..another option is to take a diet break, a good 2 full weeks... then continue cutting. I will say though, you may not be super happy with your body composition at the end of your cut, but if you are planning to bulk that is ok.

    In the end it really depends on your comfort level and goals. Whatever direction you chose, just keep in mind it is going to take a lot of time and commitment.
  • lucy_ac
    lucy_ac Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks for the input - I think I'm most likely going to recomp, not sure I'm mentally prepared for the inevitable fat gain that will come from a bulk. Quick question though, from your experience on a recomp, did you calorie cycle or stick to standard maintenance calories every day and did this make any difference to your outcomes?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    lucy_ac wrote: »
    Thanks for the input - I think I'm most likely going to recomp, not sure I'm mentally prepared for the inevitable fat gain that will come from a bulk. Quick question though, from your experience on a recomp, did you calorie cycle or stick to standard maintenance calories every day and did this make any difference to your outcomes?

    Good idea on recomp. Just realize it takes lots of patience as the changes come slowly. I've never calorie cycled when recomping so I don't know if it would make any difference. Probably not though if you are getting adequate protein and your training performance is fine. Some cycle to improve performance in the gym but, other than the odd day here and there, my gym energy and lifting performance is always good. So, I use the KISS approach (Keep It Simple Stupid). :D
  • Muscle_for_Fitness
    Muscle_for_Fitness Posts: 2,198 Member
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    Based off of your pics, I agree with either the re-comp or start a very slow bulk. A re-comp might be the easier method mentally and once you get a good handle on it, you may try a slow bulk. If you are fairly new to lifting and using a progressive lifting program, you could see pretty good results from doing a re-comp alone.
  • MassarDv
    MassarDv Posts: 76 Member
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    Honestly don’t waste time cutting . Muscle gain takes time . Determine the target goal weight for your height and keep lean bulking which is .5 pound per week .Once you reach your goal start cutting ( slow cut ) until your happy .

    It’s so unfortunate that many people don’t recommend bulking for people who want to look bigger than they are. Bulking first and cutting next is the best way to achieve results faster .
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    MassarDv wrote: »
    Honestly don’t waste time cutting . Muscle gain takes time . Determine the target goal weight for your height and keep lean bulking which is .5 pound per week .Once you reach your goal start cutting ( slow cut ) until your happy .

    It’s so unfortunate that many people don’t recommend bulking for people who want to look bigger than they are. Bulking first and cutting next is the best way to achieve results faster .

    It is also a way for someone to get super uncomfortable with the gain, potentially gain more fat if their bodyfat is higher and make them more likely to quit early. Not to say OP can't bulk yet but since she seems uncomfortable with more fat gain bulking will only make that worse. I took that into consideration.

    Fast results is not always the goal here, in fact when it comes to body composition changes I would recommend slow and steady for best results.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    lucy_ac wrote: »
    Thanks for the input - I think I'm most likely going to recomp, not sure I'm mentally prepared for the inevitable fat gain that will come from a bulk. Quick question though, from your experience on a recomp, did you calorie cycle or stick to standard maintenance calories every day and did this make any difference to your outcomes?

    Calorie cycling is more of a preference thing.. you may get some advantage if you do high carb on lifting days from a performance standpoint but from my experience, i haven't seen people make faster improvements by doing do.

    With that said, if it helps you increase your lifting volume and/or improve recovery, than it may provide an advantage to you. Essentially, more lifting volume = greater muscle growth potential.

    The most important factor is finding a well structured liftint routine that will support your goals and hit the body parts you want to focus on.

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