Cutting vs. Bulking

[bigpoppadrew]

Hey bros, I am 6'0", 175 lbs, around 12-15% bf. I have pretty good definition except for my abs because my stomache has always been a problem for me. I want to lose the belly but I want to bulk up bigger as well, to like 190-200lbs. Would It be best to bulk up first then once I put on some weight do a cutting diet? Or should I try and get cut now then bulk up? Thanks for any advice you can give me.

 

[Hoffmeister]

Others may disagree, but I think it's better to cut first then bulk.

The lower your BF% when bulking, the higher the ratio of muscle to fat of added weight.

 

[bigpoppadrew]

Wouldn't you just put the fat back on during bulking though then have to get cut again? because to get big you need to eat big. How many calories should I take in for bulking? How many for cutting? keeping in mind my stats above.

 

[Hoffmeister]

Yes, you'll put fat back on. It's pretty much inevitable. The goal is to put on more muscle than fat.

Read through this article:

http://www.testosterone.net/articles/167app.html

References studies that show, when bulking, muscle is added as a higher percentage of total weight when you are leaner to begin with.

General rules of thumb are 10-12 cal/lbs for cutting, 14-16 cal/lbs for maintenance, and 18-20 cal/lbs for bulking. Get at least 1 gram of protein/lbs regardless. Get 20-25% of your calories from good fats (EFA's, nuts, fish oils, etc). Get your carbs from "clean" sources (oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice, vegetables, etc). Everyone is different, and the above calorie levels are just starting points. YMMV.

 

[Exodus]

dr squat has a good soloution to that

its called the zig-zag diet

zig for 5 days....... eat a high amount of good lean calories with a ratio of 60% carbs, 30% protein and 10% fat..... he recomended somewhere around 5000 calories.....(no that is not a misprint he said 5000)

then for 2 days you zag...... you cut that down incredibly....like eating the same exact foods.... just less...... 1750 to 2000 calories less..... yeah i know its drastic but it works

the theory is that you will gain 2lbs in the first 5 days.... 1 lb of fat and 1 lb of muscle.... then you cut then 1 lb of fat off with the 2 low calorie days.... but you keep the muscle...

now this doesnt work verbatium.....so dont expect to gain 52 lbs of muscle in a year...... look for somewhere around 20 to 30lbs..... it should also reduce your body fat to 10% or so..... give or take a %

try it..... it may be the trick you were looking for

 

[bigpoppadrew]

Thanks bros, http://www.testosterone.net/articles/167app.html helped alot
I think I am gonna stick to my plan of working out hard and eating right and try to add a few more lbs. Then I am gonna do some hard cardio and go on a cutting diet. I am thinking of doing this for 4-6 weeks? After that I will probably try an anabolic cycle to pack some beef on before I cut again. Sound like a good plan?