Timing and variety are important when it comes to fitness and weight loss.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight requires diversity and this is why the positive effects of various eating plans don’t have longevity unless shuffled around, according to an international study on 14 different diets, published in The BMJ.
For success, athletes and gym-goers need to be resolute, patient, and be prepared to go through different stages in the fitness process.
In the bulk vs cut debate, there is a right time for each phase, which we will discuss in this article.
With correct planning, strategic periods of weight gain and loss are important to maximize muscle gain while also staining lean.
Bulking vs cutting
Bulking Basics
A bulking diet promotes muscle gain and focuses on nutrient- and calorie-dense foods and leads to a calorie surplus. During a bulking period, it is important to eat more calories while also lifting weights to maximize muscle gain.
- Exercise: Weight Lifting with progressive overload
- Calories: Surplus (Eat more calories than your body needs)
- Macros: High protein intake (Above 1g per pound)
- Meals: 3 Meals + 2 Snacks
Cutting Basics
In a cutting period, the objective is fat loss. This means fewer calories are consumed and there is more cardio needed along with a combination of weight-lifting.
- Exercise: More cardio, less weight lifting.
- Calories: Deficit (Eat less calories than your body needs)
- Macros: Focus on lower carbs. Keto diet is a good option to cut fat.
- Meals: Try intermittent fasting, eating 2 meals a day.
Periods of bulking and cutting are needed for steady body recomposition, a healthy weight loss approach that focuses both on fat loss, muscle gain, and the building of strength.
Case studies
The question everyone usually has is…
Can you actually gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?
Body recomposition has been the focus of various human studies, including one published by the National Library of Medicine where 24 athletes were asked to complete four weekly resistance training sessions while cutting calories from their diets, aiming for a weekly weight loss of 0.7 percent.
It was found that the athletes lost weight and fat but gained lean body mass.
A number of studies published by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition show that body recomposition is possible.
One study, examined the results achieved by 24 overweight police officers who were put on a calorie-restrictive diet for 12 weeks. During this time, the participants lost 2.5 kilograms in weight, showed a loss of body fat but also increases their strength capacity and showed lean muscle mass.
Another study by Paoli, put eight elite-level gymnasts on calorie-restrictive diets while being asked to perform challenging exercises. After 30 days, the participants lost both body weight and fat mass while modestly increasing their lean muscle mass.
Achieving body recomposition
The goal of body recomposition, also known as recomping, is to lose fat but also gain muscle at the same time.
Added benefits include building strength and increasing the metabolic burning of calories throughout the day.
Body recomposition requires both periods of bulking and cutting and is particularly viable for people who carry excess body fat or those who have taken a break from the gym for a few months.
This is because the bodies of those with less training experience will view the weight training as a new stimulus for their body, and thus be more sensitive to it.
Hence, someone new to weightlifting will gain muscle faster than those who have been training for longer.
By increasing muscle mass, you also look leaner. This means that people with muscle mass look different from those with less muscle at the same weight because fat occupies more space.
Furthermore, those with less muscle have a lower Base Metabolic Rate (BMR), burning fewer calories at rest.
Bearing this in mind, those who don’t have muscle mass may end up gaining weight as soon as they stop eating a calorie-restricted diet.
Some tips for body recomposition:
- Eat less calories. Studies have shown that the best chance of enjoying the optimal benefits of body recomposition is by losing 0.7 per cent weight per week;
- Consume protein. Nutrition is a key component of body recomposition, and this means following a calorie-restrictive diet but also ensuring that a sufficient amount is also eaten or else muscle mass will be lost rather than fat. Aim for 30-35 per cent of calorie intake to be from carbohydrtes, 30-35 per cent from protein and 30-40 per cent from fats;
- Train. Weight-lifting helps increase strength capacity while cutting body weight, making this the optimal exercise, according to studies.
Procedure to follow
1. Identify your body fat percentage
When wondering whether to bulk vs cut, the novice should look at their body fat percentage.
- Skinny: Below 14% body fat percentage. The recommendation will be to bulk since there isnt much fat to lose. This means you will need to add more calories, weight lifting and increase protein intake.
- Fat: You are above 20% of body fat. Here it is better to cut some fat before beginning to bulk. The problem is that if you start tu bulk at this stage, more fat will also come. The only way to avoid this is doing a lean bulk. The term lean bulking is when you increase muscle without fat, and this is very hard to do because your diet will be very strict.
- Skinny Fat: Toss a coin and chose one. The truth is this is a weird place to be in which either cutting or bulking will do more good than staying at your current status. We do recommend to always cut first if you have lose skin. This will hellp you see your abs quicker during your bulk.
2. Define weekly goals
If your body fat percentage told you to cut…
You should try to lose 1% lbs of body fat a week.
If you are 200 lbs, try to lose 2 lbs a week until you reach your goal. To do this you need to have 500 – 750 calorie deficit a day.
If you body fat percentage told you to bulk..
You should be trying to gain 1% lbs of muscle a month.
We will use 186lbs as a starting point and we will round up 1% to 2lbs. This means you should try to gain 0.5 lbs of muscle a week.
Bulking should be done gradually, and requires only a small surplus to maximize muscle growth otherwise there will be excessive body fat gain.
It would be a mistake to overdo it, and it is not necessary to increase your daily calorie intake by even 500 extra calories as this would end up as fat, particularly as you get more advanced.
The trick is to optimize muscle growth while minimizing fat gain.
The additional amount of calories varies according to level:
- Beginner lifter: aiming approximately for around 300 surplus calories per day.
- Intermediate lifters: at 200-250 calories per day.
- Advanced lifters: with only 100-150 additional calories per day.
Seasons most conducive to bulking are times we tend to naturally gravitate towards food, such as during the fall and winter.
3. Measure changes and make necessary adjustments
Track your progress and look if you are achieving your goals.
In case you are not, is it because you are eating too much, not exercising enough, you didn’t count calories accurately, not enough protein?
This is a trial and error phase where you will need to learn constantly and improve where is needed.
It is recommended to alternate between bulking and cutting for two to three months. In this way, you’ll build muscle and then cut down to get rid of fat.
Regardless of this recommendation, the important thing to do is to keep going until the desired results are achieved.
Final Thoughts
Factors that determine the speed and success of the process include genetics, nutrition, hormones, and the quality of the training.
It is important to be patient and consistent.
A slow process is important for more durable results and to prevent stretch marks and loosening of skin caused by rapid weight fluctuations.
Dont worry, you´ll get there in no time.
Oh, and take pictures to see your before and after!
