Anyone cutting after a bulk?

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Replies

  • alexmose
    alexmose Posts: 792 Member
    Also, where tf is @cupcakesandproteinshakes??
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    alexmose wrote: »
    Anyone else ever half-*kitten* a bulk b/c they like their abs? For example, some days I have bulking calories, other days I do maintenance calories.

    That's like a really slow/lean bulk or recompbulk, nothing wrong with that. Visual results (both fat and muscle) will be slower but it can definitely less scary and more gradual
  • watts6151
    watts6151 Posts: 887 Member
    Day 1 of lean bulk not going exactly to plan

    It’s currently 9.30 pm and I’ve still got over
    2500 cals to hit maintenance and there’s no crap in the house 🙄
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    watts6151 wrote: »
    Day 1 of lean bulk not going exactly to plan

    It’s currently 9.30 pm and I’ve still got over
    2500 cals to hit maintenance and there’s no crap in the house 🙄

    Ohhh no. You might have to pretend you are on "Chopped" and get creative in the kitchen, or get take out! Or else try again tomorrow :p
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
    alexmose wrote: »
    Anyone else ever half-*kitten* a bulk b/c they like their abs? For example, some days I have bulking calories, other days I do maintenance calories.

    I can't speak to that but I can say I excel at half"kitten" cutting where I end up net recomping for years...
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    @sardelsa from that pic I would never have guessed those were 3 baby abs. Looks like a fit teenagers abs.

    Great job!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    KHMcG wrote: »
    @sardelsa from that pic I would never have guessed those were 3 baby abs. Looks like a fit teenagers abs.

    Great job!

    Thanks! Although hopefully after this cycle I look less like a teen and more built ;)
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I think I'm finally getting somewhere.

    zh74jj9um42y.jpg

    Left 40 weeks pregnant, right 11 months postpartum

    Honestly getting my body composition back after this third baby has been insane. I'm still not there since I'm definitely going to have to run a bulk/cut to get some mass back but that's ok it's all about the process :)

    You were so cute pregnant! I was a huge blob.
  • oliverwnc
    oliverwnc Posts: 69 Member
    bioklutz wrote: »
    I am cutting. I am really starting to feel burned out though. I increased my calories a little and am hoping it will help. This article just showed up in my e-mail and I thought it was pretty interesting. If the increase in calories doesn't do it for me I may try something similar - maybe 3 weeks of cutting, 1 week of maintenance.

    https://www.muscleforlife.com/diet-breaks/

    100% - try it. Great for mental and physical health. Absolute game-changer for me.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
    August was a bit of a net zero. Started off going gangbusters but adherence quickly waned and a few high carb and calorie days kept my trend high for the past two weeks. Workouts have been pretty consistently good, Decided to vary rep ranges throughout the week as straight hypertrophy training was getting a little stale. Sleep could be a little better but it’s largely temperature-driven; it’s cold enough overnight for the cats to be cold and want to snuggle but not cold enough for me to not get hot when they do.

    Pleasantly surprised by both the scale and skulpt this morning at 172.6 and 11.1% BF. The work travel that was planned for last week got rescheduled for the end of next week and another trip is on the books for the following week. Looks like I’ll be driving for the second one so I can at least throw the bowflex DBs in the rental car if the hotel gym isn’t going to be open. Hope everyone is doing well.

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  • Mr_Healthy_Habits
    Mr_Healthy_Habits Posts: 12,588 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    August was a bit of a net zero. Started off going gangbusters but adherence quickly waned and a few high carb and calorie days kept my trend high for the past two weeks. Workouts have been pretty consistently good, Decided to vary rep ranges throughout the week as straight hypertrophy training was getting a little stale. Sleep could be a little better but it’s largely temperature-driven; it’s cold enough overnight for the cats to be cold and want to snuggle but not cold enough for me to not get hot when they do.

    Pleasantly surprised by both the scale and skulpt this morning at 172.6 and 11.1% BF. The work travel that was planned for last week got rescheduled for the end of next week and another trip is on the books for the following week. Looks like I’ll be driving for the second one so I can at least throw the bowflex DBs in the rental car if the hotel gym isn’t going to be open. Hope everyone is doing well.

    vecsm58yxva3.png
    2n9chasj6but.png

    I so which I could get mine to work properly... No battery and it takes forever to actually read... Maybe I'll try the chisel, or wait for the new Amazon watch 🤷🏽‍♂️
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member

    I so which I could get mine to work properly... No battery and it takes forever to actually read... Maybe I'll try the chisel, or wait for the new Amazon watch 🤷🏽‍♂️

    FWIW the chisel is way better than the OG with the onboard screen. Reading still takes a little longer than I feel it should but there's always the option to hit the check mark once you get a number if it's taking it's time filling the bar. I did a full scan (24 sites) in <10 minutes this morning.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    August was filled with getting back on the diet train (post a 10 day vacation). Started at 174, and now at 165 and was keto most of it. My low weight to date is 164. I definitely feel and look leaner so there is some possibility i have gained some mass when i have overfeed days.

    This month I plan on running TKD as an experiment to see if i improve recovery and gym performance... Or maybe self justification to have my favorite Halloween candy. Either way it's a win. So i consume 30g of carbs pre workout and then lunch or dinner after workout which will be high protein keto.

    Started PT for my back/glute issues. Turns out my glute max was overpowering my glute med and was causing some additional stress. So in my new lifting block, i added additional accessories for gluten med activation.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Oh I have been busy. I am still cutting, just tightening up the edges now. Hope to transition to maintenance soon then hang out there until we move to our new house and have the gym setup. Hopefully October or latest November.

    Progress isn't too bad. I am officially one year postpartum (how is my little guy one already I don't know!) I feel like my physique is around where it was before bulk #3, so not too bad but I did lose a bit of progress. (I'll attach the photo so it doesn't take up the whole screen :D )

    Still trying to decide if I want to do a quicker (6 months) or slower bulk (1 year) this time. I would gain 12-15lbs for both, the slow bulk I would do a mini-cut in the summer. But bulking in the summer scares me so I might just stick to option one.

    Hope you are all doing well .
    Anyone else getting ready to bulk in the fall?? Maybe I'll start a new thread for that one :)
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    @sardelsa looking great. I'm in recovery. The arm is getting better but it's slow. I've decided at the end or recovery I'm going to use shock/impact therapy to remove rhomboid scar tissue I've had since I was 18. We will see....