Bulk/Cut

[Trops]

I'm trying to see if I have this correct. Any suggestions from people who have done this with success is very welcomed.

When trying to maximize muscle gain and fat loss, I've heard that you alternate between a cut program and a bulk program. A cut program you will be in a calorie deficit with an emphasis on burning calories mostly with cardio. A bulk phase you are in calorie surplus with a good amount of protein and workouts should be emphasizing muscle gains.

First, is this pretty much it, or is it much more complicated? Also, how do you decide when you should switch from one to the other?

 

[Steve]

I'm trying to see if I have this correct. Any suggestions from people who have done this with success is very welcomed.

When trying to maximize muscle gain and fat loss, I've heard that you alternate between a cut program and a bulk program. A cut program you will be in a calorie deficit with an emphasis on burning calories mostly with cardio. A bulk phase you are in calorie surplus with a good amount of protein and workouts should be emphasizing muscle gains.

First, is this pretty much it, or is it much more complicated? Also, how do you decide when you should switch from one to the other?

That's sort of it. Bulk and Cut are just stupid terms for building muscle and losing fat respectively. The general idea is it's hard to do both simultaneously (pretty much impossible to any appreciable extent with trained, not fat people). So the best option is to focus on one factor at a time.

When you bulk, you add as much muscle as possible while avoiding as much fat gain as possible. Then you cut in an effort to lose the fat you gained when you bulked while maintaining as much as the new muscle as possible. On and on it goes.

A few things about what you said specifically above:

1. You said, " A cut program you will be in a calorie deficit with an emphasis on burning calories mostly with cardio."

When you cut, you don't *need* to do cardio. The emphasis is on fat loss. How you lose said fat is really up to you.

2. You also said, "A bulk phase you are in calorie surplus with a good amount of protein and workouts should be emphasizing muscle gains."

Protein requirements actually go up when you're in a caloric deficit opposed to a surplus. Adequate protein is important in most any case when it comes to body comp but when you're in an energy shortage... having a pool of extra aminos in your bloodstream is a good thing relative to muscle maintenance.

 

[Carthonn]

Personally right now I've been cutting. I do zero cardio and have been losing fat. Been about a year now actually of doing that. Takes a lot of discipline.

 

[Steve]

I generally do little cardio when I cut too. But I've done it various ways. It all depends on whether or not I feel like being extremely strict with the diet or not.

 

[Trops]

Right, I understand that the idea of cutting is to lose fat while trying to maintain muscle. How you do that involves a good weight lifting to burn those calories.

So how does one decide to stop bulking and start cutting?

 

[Steve]

The weight lifting isn't there to burn calories for the most part at all. It's there to signal muscle preservation.

So how does one decide to stop bulking and start cutting?

There are not hard rules on how or when to stop. Personally I bulk until I a) feel as if I'm getting too soft or b) want to start cutting down for a particular time period or occasion.

 

[Trops]

Thanks, I thought it was probably something like that.