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Anonymous
/fit/, I want a more thorough explanation of this "bulking & cutting" stuff.

I read through a lot of stuff and gathered that during the bulking phase I eat more calories and protein more often while lifting to get bigger. this increases in muscle mass *will* be accompanied by increases in FAT. this season will then be followed by a cutting season, where I still lift but do more cardio and cut back on the calories. this will cut the fat and leave me (at least comparatively) buff.

is this correct? how long should each season last? any tips on how to maximize the effects for both? I'm pretty much just starting out so I'm focusing on bulking, should I worry if I'm a little flabby (I was a little before)?
>> Anonymous
You have the right idea. The length of phases really depends on the kind of program you're following, but they usually run around 3 months.

If you're a little chubby to begin with, it's not a bad idea to start with the bulking phase, since having extra muscle makes the cutting phase easier.

The main thing to keep in mind is it is very difficult to both gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Train for one at a time, you'll make gains faster that way.
>> Anonymous
so should I incorporate ANY cardio during a bulking season? how much? should I do HIIT or distance (1-3 mi) running?

also, how much should I look to eat during a bulking season? just any excess, or like x% more than I normally would? and as for exercises, should the bulking season be mostly strength training and the cutting season be mostly endurance?
>> Anonymous
First of all, only fatties need to bulk and cut. If you're naturally skinny or a hard-gainer, there's no need for it.
>> Anonymous
>>204441
No cardio during bulk, unless you're willing to eat even more.
As for calories, it depends on your preferences and your metabolism; some people will gain muscle with as little as +500kcal, some people only with as much as +1000kcal (or +20% or + 30% or +whatever).
>> Anonymous
>>204479
yes, I am a hard-gainer. should I not be doing this? then what should I do?
>> Anonymous
>>204479
Everyone needs to bulk and cut. Even ectos will find themselves growing fat, if they eat enough to build muscle. Muscle and fat go hand in hand: one is added with the other; and unfortunately, both are also lost together. Bulking and cutting is done so that the most muscle is added during the bulk and the least lost during the cut, but there will be loss. Few bodybuilders do not bulk and cut, and those are the unimpressive ones.
>> Anonymous
what time of nutrition stuff should i take? whey and such?
>> Anonymous
>>204484
You can do cardio during bulking if you feel your cardiovascular system isn't up to par. I'd stick to intervals if you do decide to do cardio.

You wouldn't do cardio to lose weight during bulking, you do it to keep you're heart and lungs strong.
>> Anonymous
>>204508
Trust me dude, the fat gained isn't even noticeable if you're an ecto.
>> Anonymous
>>204522

Everybody must bulk and cut if aiming for perfection
>> Anonymous
>>204522

OP here. I'm not a complete ecto, just more of an ecto than a meso. huge calorie surpluses *will* make me fat, just not very fat. anyone have a link to a book or chart that says how many calories and protein I should take? some google links put the numbers up to 7200 calories and 165 g protein daily. that that sounds like too much (I weigh 163 and, like I said, have some flab on my stomach and chest).
>> Anonymous
>>204538

Cut down to 10%-8% bodyfat and then bulk up to 18%-16% bodyfat. The cycle is based on your results, not on set time periods, unless you actually compete in shows.

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

That will give a fairly good idea of BF. It puts me at 17% which looks about right: slight love handles and the definition between my delts is starting to smooth out and vanish. Forget the rest of the website, btw--this is a convenient implementation of a well-regard measurement method used by the Navy, but the rest of the site is odd.

How much protein? Lots. Try 200g. There really is no such thing as too much, but definitely too little. For calorie totals at 165 lbs, try 3200 calories, unless you really are an ecto...
>> Anonymous
You eat 500 calories more than your BMR, and go up from there to see when you gain weight (a hard gainer would need more, obviously). You typically want to eat clean, but a lot. Bulk staples include oats, tuna, chicken, brown rice, cottage cheese, and some other stuff. You could also dirty bulk, but you have a tendency to gain more fat than muscle.

Then, with a cut, you make a deficit to your BMR, and do more cardio than you did during your bulk (you need to do SOME cardio in bulk, but not much is necessary). You still lift a lot obviously, but you're looking towards doing a good amount of HIIT, and LISS some days. By the end of cutting, you'll usually have a lower bodyfat% than you did before you bulked, with a ton of muscle.
>> Anonymous
>>204565
it says I'm at ~20% body fat right now, but my muscle mass is small. I'm assuming I just keep going with it anyway like>>204234said and wait till I can move heavier weights, then try cutting.
>> Anonymous
>>204616
You could. Most people psychologically just need a small period of muscle growth to get started, so an initial bulk is often recommended. Just remember that bulking is a diet, not a splurge: eat clean and don't go too far.

20% BF hardly makes you a fatass, but don't go farther than a few more percent.

If you wanted to cut right now, well, you could go crazy and lose weight very recklessly, because you have very little muscle mass to waste away. That is what the johnstone fitness guy did: dropped huge amounts recklessly and then built it all back up as mostly muscle.

So, cut or bulk, but either way, you're now on a careful diet. Train hard. Good luck.