Experts, why bulking and cutting separately?

[LoneTree]

I have been reading about 'bulking' and 'cutting'.
What I don't understand is that why can't you do both at the same time? Why can't you eat sensibly so that you gain lean muscle and not fat?
If eating less is going to decrease muscle gain, then while cutting, it is going to decrease the muscle mass.
Does anyone know the theory or wisdom behind it?

 

[Mammoth2500]

You could attempt to do both but the process would be a slow harsh one.
There is different diets for bulking and cutting.

During bulking you want a high carb diet because while weightlifing you burn up muscle glycogen very quickly and if you fail to replace it every day by eating high carbohydrate foods, your glycogen stores quickly diminish. Within about three days of a severe carbohydrate cutback, your muscle glycogen will be almost totally depleted.
Glycogen is your primary energy source for weight training and high-intensity
exercise, so this explains why your energy will be low and your workouts will suffer when you don’t eat many carbohydrates.

While cutting most bodybuilders go on a low carb diet. If they did not do this they would not be able to reach the 3-5% bf range. Now you ask why do they go on low carb if they may affect possible gains? Well here are some advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:
-Reduced carbohydrate, high protein diets are highly thermic,
-Reducing carbohydrates and increasing protein controls insulin,
-Reducing carbohydrates decreases glycogen forcing your body to use more fat for fuel,
-Reducing carbohydrates and increasing protein reduces water retention, giving you sharper, more detailed muscle definition.

Disadvantages:

-Very low carbohydrate diets are difficult to stay on,
-Weight/fat re-gain is almost inevitable,
-Very low carbohydrate diets can be unbalanced and lacking in essential
nutrients,
-Very low carbohydrate diets may be unhealthy,
-Very low carbohydrate diets can cause your energy levels to crash,
-The weight loss on a very low carbohydrate diet can be deceiving ( most is lost from water and muscle)
-Low carbohydrate levels affect your mood and mental state,
-Low carbohydrate diets may cause muscle loss - why? When glycogen stores are severely depleted through dietary restriction, your body can also burn protein for energy, converting muscle tissue into glucose through a process
called gluconeogenesis.

Any questions?

 

[Anybody]

Why can't you eat sensibly so that you gain lean muscle and not fat?

I think most people find that doesn't work as well as you would hope.

 

[LoneTree]

If you eat 250gm of protein every day, that would be 1000 calories.
You can have rest as mostly carbohydrates. You can have at least 300 gms of carbohydrates.
It will serve both purposes.

 

[glover]

If you are not a competitive bodybuilder you do not have to go through the yo yo bulk cut cycle.

 

[Mavy]

THis is very simple, and not so much a macronutrient issue. Listen carefully.

To build muscle you need to be in a calorie surplus.
To loose bodyfat, you need to be in a calorie deficit.
Its very difficult to walk both up and down hill and the same time ... wouldnt you agree?

One of most peoples peoples biggest mistakes (including mine) ... is trying to do both at the same time. Try to have a clear goal of what you are trying to accomplish (either loosing bodyfat while maintaining muscle, .. or building muscle), or trust me ... you will end up going no where, and find yourself very frustrated. You need to have a clear goal defined like this, and stick it.

If you have a high BF to start with, I would suggest dieting down to a lower bodyfat, and then start to add muscle mass, in a more lean and clean way.

Mavy

 

[Mavy]

On another note. I am not saying this is entirely impossible. People new to working out can notice both, same with when you are completely dialed in and using steroids .. and even then this does not last for a long time, and is counter productive.

Keep this in mind....

KEEPING your muscles while dieting ... is a great achievement. Being in a calorie deficit, is a very catabolic state. You are doing good if you are only loosing BF while dieting, and not lean tissue.

Mavy

 

[karachi183]

It's either or or maintaining which also is different. You yourself have to determine what it is you want.
winter=bulk (gain size) which also may be some fat
spring=cut (cut fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible)
summer=maintain! (not gaining or cutting or loosing) eating just enough

 

[Makavelli]

I agree with most of the comments above. Dieting is catabolic in nature and bulking is anabolic in nature. They are opposites. Now one can increase muscle mass and lose fat at the same time, but only for a limited time and only during certain periods of time. For example if one has been off AAS for several months and then gets back on while dieting for the first 6-8 weeks, one will gain muscle and lose fat. After that one will continue to lose fat, but no additional muscle will be built. There are exceptions to this rule, but most on here will never experience it because they don't use high doses. Kevin Levrone is a great example of a genetic freak on high doses that would grow during the whole pre contest diet. He's the exception not the rule.

 

[Demonix]

I didn't understand the differance either until I did a couple cycles. My first cycle I tried the bulk/cut thing. Tried eating clean and moderation and wasn't really going no where with the strength. My first cycle I pretty much just got leaner and some minor strenght gains.

Second cycle I went all bulk - nice strength gains so far. I feel a little fat but no big deal I will cut and lose some water wait when I am done.

AAS isn't magic, to gain the strength you got to eat - a lot.