Should You Bulk or Cut?
Happy Sunday, everybody. Hope you’ve been living it up and getting some solid training in. It’s time for another Q&A.
This time, it’s a question that haunts lifters day and night from around the globe – male or female:
“Should I bulk or cut?”
You’re new to lifting or have been lifting a little while but are skinny fat.
Skinny fat:
You look lean in clothes but when the shirt comes off, you’re shaped like a pear and have scrawny arms with a pudgy belly.
This isn’t an easy position to be in, so I know how you must feel and why this question means a lot to you.
After all, you have to bulk to gain muscle, right?
But you’re afraid to bulk and gain even MORE fat.
And even though you’ve made the commitment to hit the gym like a beast and get your nutrition down, you look in the mirror and are unhappy with your appearance, and being “patient” and accepting that you’ll have to look like this even LONGER while you toil away in the gym is a terrible feeling.
With that in mind, let me clear up the confusion for you based on what research shows and my experience over the last 10 years has shown me.
I’ve seen tons of fancy diagrams and such out there about how to arrive at the answer, but honestly: it’s not that hard. The answer is simple.
Should you Bulk or Cut?
Let’s cut to the chase. Should you bulk or cut?
If you are a male above 15% body fat or a woman above 23% bodyfat, then you should CUT while following a solid training and nutritional program.
For reference, this is usually the stage where you don’t have any hint of abs at all, even when flexed. It’s just soft and washed out.
Everyone else should go on a massing phase.
Why do I say this?
1. You can gain muscle in a deficit
Surprise.
This literally happens in research and real life all over the place.
The bros will tell you it can’t be done, but with a structured training routine and proper nutrition*, you will recomp (add muscle while losing fat) and slap on size while still cutting down.
This is more prevalent the higher your body fat percentage and the more of a beginner you are, but since this is a question beginners with less than a year of proper lifting usually ask, you’re good to go in that department.
If you don’t know the evidence-based, practical way to make your best gains, get my book, Architect of Aesthetics.
2. You’ll look and feel better
Why are you lifting weights in the first place?
To improve your body composition aka for aesthetics.
So if the end goal is to be lean with muscle, let’s get as close as we can right away. After all, if it were up to you, you would snap your fingers and transform your physique in an instant.
Being at a leanness level that you’re comfortable with will motivate you and make you feel better about yourself when it’s time to get into a bit of a surplus to start packing on size.
In my experience, most people who want to get fit and aesthetic are much more concerned with getting lean than getting jacked. Their priority is abs and having some definition – not looking like the Hulk. And being lean will actually make your muscles look BIGGER due to the increased definition.
This is also why I say you need to get your style game on lock asap also.
Once you decide you want to be the best-looking version of yourself as possible, get going on all of it! You don’t have to wait to reap the benefits.
I’ll drop more posts on that in the future, but for now, check out the fashion section in the book.
3. Cutting is quick
Lastly, cutting is quick.
If you’re a little too fat for your liking, you can diet it off within a few months and then go about your business.
As I’ve said before, it may take you 6 months to gain 6 pounds of solid muscle, but you can lose 6 pounds of FAT in 6 weeks. There is simply no comparison.
Cutting is not a life sentence, so even if you have that nagging fear that you’re missing out on gains, it won’t be for very long, and it’s not like you’re going to quit lifting.
Should you Bulk or Cut? The Verdict.
So there you have it.
If you don’t know whether you should bulk or cut, just remember this article and determine which camp you fall into.
More often than not, cutting should be your choice.
Best of luck with your physique goals. For more reading once you’re cut and ready to add some serious size:
- Do You Need a Calorie Surplus to Build Muscle?
- Do You Need a Calorie Surplus on Rest Days?
- Top 5 Bulking Mistakes
For more on the art and science of building the ultimate physique, get my book, Architect of Aesthetics. There’s a big sale going on now so don’t miss out.
If personalized, 1 on 1 coaching is what you need for evidence based training and nutrition, make me your coach today while client spaces are available.
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