Bulking and Cutting

mamitosami · November 2011

This question is twofold:

When bulking, typically how long does this phase last? Months? And cutting, weeks? (I realize this can be a complicated question, because everyone wants to bulk and cut at different rates) So, say I have 27% body fat, and want to be around 18-20%, every day not just for an event.

And when you are finally 'cut' to your satisfaction, say not competition cut, but everyday (?!) cut, can you find a maintenance range of calories and exercise and stay there, or do you have to continue the bulk and cut cycles, like, forever?(!).

Do these questions make any sense?!

SergeantSunshine_reused · November 2011

Bulking lasts for months. Building muscle takes a long time unfortunately. Then cut to satisfaction. Gotta have a summer body right ;D

I have a feeling I will bulk/cut for quite sometime. Always wanting to improve!

taso42 · November 2011

I think 3 month cycles are pretty common (bulk 3, cut 3, repeat). Also using bf% rather than time is another approach. Like cutting till 9% then bulking till 14%, and repeat (those bf% numbers would need to be converted to reasonable female numbers).

I think once you hit an area you are satisfied with, if you eat at maintenance and continue to work out, you should be able to maintain pretty steadily (i.e., no longer have to do the bulk/cut cycle). At this point I imagine you would be a master of your body, so if you did need to make little tweaks from time to time, it should be pretty straightforward

I'm currently in a pretty non-rigid bulk phase myself (read: just eating tons and lifting heavy and with focus on steady improvements). I haven't really put any parameters on it. This is my first time at it. Was just planning to stick to it "for a few months", and then go back into a calorie deficit. Curious to hear what the more experienced peeps have to say.

DannyMussels · November 2011

For guys who wanna get noticably big, it'll last years. You can bulk for a few months, but the results won't be as good as 1year+.

Once you cut to where you wanna be, unless its SUPER lean, you should be able to maintain at that. some fitness and figure girls I talked to (who have normal jobs, and are at a normal/average weight) said they'll take about 4 months to get to a competition physique. So they'd go from a normal woman (not ripped) to super-lean in a few months. They also don't maintain at that lean. They eat more, workout less and fill out a little more.

You'd have to keep up with weights if you wanna keep your muscle after you reach where you wanna be. But for the most part, once you get there its less 'try to get big, try to get small' and more routine workout sessions, goal being to keep muslce and not get any bigger.

I've done 6 month bulk/cut cycles, moslty cause I wanna be lean and cut around summer, halfway through the summer i start bulking through winter, right now I'm about 25lbs more then I was at my skinniest this year. By next summer I'll probably (hopefully) lose 20+lbs. I'm more curious to see what I'll look like now, more muscular, bigger, stronger at the same weight I was at the start of this year. I should be leaner (less fat) and larger (more muscular).

Either way, make sure you document it, write down lifts so you know you're making progress.

Acg67 · November 2011

Everything is dependent on the person there really is no standard for how long a bulk can/will last, although Guru points out 2 common approach with a set time period ie 12 weeks or until you reach x bf%. Same with a cut, it depends on how much fat you have to drop and what kind of deficit you want to run.

As for maintaining your bf% once you're comfortable with it, i suppose that depends on how lean you get, super low levels of bf% (single digits for males, under 15%ish for women) are harder to maintain then slightly higher levels of bf%

the reason for cycles is that you will gain some fat on a bulk and lose some lean mass while cutting and it is a long drawn out process to recomp, so it usually takes a few cycles to get that look you may want

stubsy1968 · November 2011

I can only speak from personal experience and am cerainly no expert. I would obtain a BF% test & continue to cut until you reach your goal weight. Once you reach goal do another BF% test to see where you are and make a decision as to where you want to be. You can then continue to cut or start the bulk process if you want more lean muscle.

This seems to have worked for me (so far). You need to find what works for you nutritionally, exercise-wise and also take into consideration sustainability of this lifestyle.

Good luck!

Kathy

mamitosami · November 2011

This is really great help you guys. I am documenting my lifts so I can see my progress. I have the motivation and the drive. Now all I need is the patience!

I realize it's different for everyone, but it's interesting nonetheless to hear a range of answers and the process that you mentioned Kiwi. That was a similar timeline I was working toward as well.

And Stubsy, you mention sustainability, which is exactly why I mentioned the 20% bf range, it's higher and seems maintainable, although, ideally I would like to be lower. This is all new territory for me and I'm willing to where I can go with it. I raised my calories a few weeks ago and got quite plump (for having maintained at the exact same weight for 7 months!) and freaked out! So, there, already, shows my impatience with the process. I only recently read that a little fat comes with the bulking phase.

Thanks to everyone's who's responded thus far. I will keep checking in to hear more responses. I had no idea how complicated this was... I have a healthy new respect for bodybuilders!

Rae6503 · November 2011

I plan to bulk every winter and cut every spring forever.

Johnny_Castle · November 2011

your question is great
no you don't have to cut and bulk forever...you bulk and cut until you're happy with your body...I think it's important to go through both phases VERY SLOWLY. If you go too fast without patience you will lose too much muscle when cutting and gain too much fat when bulking...I recommend cutting or bulking at 0.5-1 pounds a week...you can use your stats to calculate how long it will take...and when you get to where you want to be you eat at maintenance.

mamitosami · November 2011

I plan to bulk every winter and cut every spring forever.

This makes a lot of sense.

Jessicaruby · November 2011

bump i had the same question. this bulking is really hard. people look at me like im crazy when i tell them it is harder to eat more!!! i just started bulking so am thinking of bulking till about febuary and then cut? im not sure. i guess you will need to bulk for a while and then cut after a few months too see where you are at and then reassess. is my understanding correct?

Rae6503 · November 2011

I plan to bulk every winter and cut every spring forever.

This makes a lot of sense.

I think straight maintenance would get boring and I'd back slide. I need a goal. I don't like to run, I don't have time to play rugby anymore. I think "body building" will be my ne thing for a while. And I'll probably only gain 2-3 pounds of muscle each winter anyway. Plus lose a pound while cutting. So that's 10 pounds of muscle in 5 years.

Bulking and Cutting

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