Seeking advice on cutting after bulking

[Pro]

Hey all!

I'm looking for more insight on a question. I have been asking people here and there and the answers aren't very precise.

I'm currently bulking up (12 more weeks to go) and I will cut after I'm done. Now I have read in the past that I should reach my desired weight and stay there for a while before cutting so I don't lose all that muscle quick 'n fast. So how long do I stay at my weight before I start cutting?

Please lmk, thanks in advance!

[df329]

maintain for about 4 weeks and then start cutting

i'm cutting and i ate this after the gym today

[Pro]

ah, sounds good man - thanks!

dude I gotta say, that looks pretty nasty! The burger looks ok but I'm a fan of Wendy's

Is that pop?? Shouldn't you be avoiding that stuff?

[df329]

ah, sounds good man - thanks!

dude I gotta say, that looks pretty nasty! The burger looks ok but I'm a fan of Wendy's

Is that pop?? Shouldn't you be avoiding that stuff?

chocolate milk shake

it's absolutely delicious... best food I've had in a long time!


it's from golden star

[poedua]

Hey all!

I'm looking for more insight on a question. I have been asking people here and there and the answers aren't very precise.

I'm currently bulking up (12 more weeks to go) and I will cut after I'm done.

Now I have read in the past that I should reach my desired weight and stay there for a while before cutting so I don't lose all that muscle quick 'n fast.

So how long do I stay at my weight before I start cutting? Please lmk, thanks in advance!

Just start ' cutting ' ( ) once you hit your target bulk weight 12 weeks from now - there's no need to wait.

[Pro]

Just start ' cutting ' ( ) once you hit your target bulk weight 12 weeks from now - there's no need to wait.

Hmm...interesting. Some people I talk to say it's good to acclimate myself at a weight level before beginning the cut. What can I do to minimize muscle loss?

[df329]

Hmm...interesting. Some people I talk to say it's good to acclimate myself at a weight level before beginning the cut. What can I do to minimize muscle loss?

i dont think it makes a difference, but eating wise it's a lot easier if you stop stuffing your face for awhile before cutting back even more

[Pro]

i dont think it makes a difference, but eating wise it's a lot easier if you stop stuffing your face for awhile before cutting back even more

true true
haha i'm really not looking forward to lowering my calories!! i love eating!!
now that i'm savage hungry right now, that combo you posted earlier looks a lot better than before!! mmmmmmmmmmm milkshake

[Petden]

I have a pretty good bulking meal plan I can post, I managed to gain about 15lbs in a little less than 6 weeks.

As for cutting, I would maintain it for a short period of time, 1 week should be fine, because that in itself will be cutting (as you wont be gaining weight) then slowly, and I stress slowly cut from there. If you cut too fast you will loose too much muscle and you will feel tired and much weaker than normal.

[Pro]

I have a pretty good bulking meal plan I can post, I managed to gain about 15lbs in a little less than 6 weeks.

As for cutting, I would maintain it for a short period of time, 1 week should be fine, because that in itself will be cutting (as you wont be gaining weight) then slowly, and I stress slowly cut from there. If you cut too fast you will loose too much muscle and you will feel tired and much weaker than normal.

Please post! I would love to see what is fueling you.

[df329]

I have a pretty good bulking meal plan I can post, I managed to gain about 15lbs in a little less than 6 weeks.

As for cutting, I would maintain it for a short period of time, 1 week should be fine, because that in itself will be cutting (as you wont be gaining weight) then slowly, and I stress slowly cut from there. If you cut too fast you will loose too much muscle and you will feel tired and much weaker than normal.

15 lbs in 6 weeks is a lot of water/fat

[LargeOne]

Alot depends on what stage your at or how much fat you have to loose and what your overall goals are.Do you want to look good on the beach or are you prepping for a contest? While training to gain as much muscle as possible or "bulking"a common mistake is eating as much of and any kind of food you want.Calories must still be clean and stay away from the junk food.You are trying to build muscle not cover it with layers of unwanted fat.Wendy's once a week might be fine but before you head there after the gym you might want to look into post workout sodium consumption and its effects.The list goes on but sodium is just one of the things you should cut back on.If nothing else for cardiovascular reasons as well.You wouldn't use garbage to build a house and then expect it to live in comfort would you?The same can be said for your body and nutrition.
If you can give me a few more details I might be able to help.

[poedua]

Hmm...interesting. Some people I talk to say it's good to acclimate myself at a weight level before beginning the cut.

What can I do to minimize muscle loss?

That sort of depends on what your body fat % is 12 weeks from now and how many lbs of that fat you want to lose and how quickly you want to lose it. That said, if you are trying to lose fat and you're losing a noticeable amount of muscle at the same time, then your diet is the primary suspect IMO - and it's likely out of whack in some way.

Assuming you maintain a reasonably balanced diet without too severe a caloire deficit, I'd think dropping something like 1 - 2 lbs of fat a week would a prudent approach to minimize any risk of muscle loss along the way. Again, it sort of depends on how quickly you want to lose the fat and how much fat you want to lose within whatever time frame you set for yourself.

A few questions............

- when the time comes 12 weeks from now to start losing fat, how will you go about tracking to see if your expected weight loss is due to a loss of fat or a loss of muscle - or both ?

- what is your present ( or most recent ) body fat % ?

- how will your strength training sessions change ( if at all ) once you start trying to lose that fat starting 12 weeks from now ?

[poedua]

I have a pretty good bulking meal plan I can post,


I managed to gain about 15lbs in a little less than 6 weeks.

You gained 15lbs in a little less than 6 weeks...........about 2.5 lbs of weight a week ..........for 6 weeks straight.

- How much of that 15lb gain was due to added fat and how much of that 15lb gain was due to added muscle ?

- How much did you weigh before you put on this 15 lbs anyway ?

[Mintmaster]

I've seen some pretty good arguments against the bulking/cutting approach to bodybuilding. When fat cells accumulate, they tend to divide and increase in numbers, especially around the gut. It's non-linear, so this happens in problem areas first. Then, when you burn the fat, those cells don't die; instead, your fat distribution changes, so compared to the your body shape before bulking, you have more fat in the gut and less elsewhere even if you get back to the same overall body fat %.

Muscle, however, doesn't behave this way, and all you can do is make each muscle fibre bigger. The best approach, then, is to just gain weight slowly, like maybe 10 lbs a year, keeping your BF at decent levels all the time by adjusting your caloric intake. As poedua suggests, it unlikely that much of your 15 lbs in six weeks is muscle.

Now, I haven't verified this myself, and even if I did it would be anecdotal. However, it makes sense. I see a lot of people who have a gut but are absolutely ripped everywhere else. You gotta think that they'd need to achieve 5% BF to get their trunk to look like a guy with more evenly distributed 15% BF.