Cut or Bulk or Neither?

kaiser07

This is a little controversial, but just wanted some views on the subject. I understand that to gain muscle you need to be in a state of surplus calories, and to cut you need to in defecit. And generally understand the Principle of Cutting and Bulking. But, and i,m sure this one comes up a lot, can you do both at the same time? i.e. Increase Muscle Mass, whilst losing fat. Take for example someone who does am Cardio,on empty,to burn fat. In the earlier part of the day he has completed a fat burning phase,and obviously feeding himself correctly to a point later in the day, where he does his weights session. Is he not then looking to increase muscle mass? So, the question I,m asking is, is it possible to do both cut and bulk in the same day?

Tall

Hi Kaiser,

erm... the short answer is yes and no.

You can increase muscle whilst not increasing fat too much, but it would be slower progress than bulking and then cutting.

You cant cut and bulk in the same day tho... thats like saying you can diet for 2hrs before going to a party...

Hope that helps?

crazycal1

if youre natural and not an advanced trainer i reckon a lean bulk is the way to go.

einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know.

www.extremenutrition.co.uk

Tall

What would you define as a lean bulk Cal?

Rianabol

Hi Mate!

I from experience am an easy gainer of fat even on the smallest increment of calories, due to obesity issues as a child. It will depend on ur body type to begin with, hardgainers find it hard to put on weight even tho they may consume 4000Kcals a day and lard asses like me get fat on 3000kcals without supplementing cardio and maybe using pharmacology like clen or T3 which can speed up a sluggish metabolism. IMO eat about 3500kcals a day from clean foods and see how u go. it is important to eat clean to minimise fat gain trust me I used to eat pizzas and burgers till i was 245lbs now i sit at 200lbs and happy albeit missing the shxt i used to eat lol.

R

kaiser07

Hi Guys here is my slightly ammended current routine, I,m not sure where exactly it's gonna take me. Hopefully a Cardio fitness will be good, and also build some good lean muscle.
Day 1

45 Mins Cardio before breakfast.Indoor rowing @ 65% MHR,followed by 3 x 30 Bicycle Crunches



Day 2
45 Mins Cardio before Breakfast. Indoor Rowing @ 65% MHR

(pm)Trap Bar deadlifts 3 x 8
Chins 3 x 8
Bent over barbell row 3 x 8
Barbell bicep curl 3 x 8
Trap Bar Shrugs 3 x 8

Day 3

45 Mins Cardio before breakfast. Indoor Rowing @ 65% MHR, followed by 4 x 30 Bicycle crunches.

Day 4
45 mins Cardio before breakfast. Indoor Rowing @ 65% MHR

(pm)Incline barbell bench press 3 x 8
Flat dumbbell bench press 3 x 8
Standing military barbell shoulder press 3 x 8
Barbell Skullcrushers 3 x 8

Day 5

45 Mins Cardio before breakfast.Indoor Rowing @ 65% MHR, followed by 3 x 30 Bicycle Crunches.


Day 6

(No Cardio,Phew)

(pm)Barbell squat 3 x 8
Barbell Lunges 3 x 8
Hamstring Curls 3 x 8
Standing calf raises 3 x 15

Day 7

Rest!

TBH at 45 yr old this is hurting, especially the early morning Cardio.lol. I'll give it a few months and see where it takes me.I'll keep you posted

Tall

Hi Kaiser,

Thats alot of Cardio!

Someone more experienced than me will prob be able to confirm but I wouldn't do that much cardio whilst trying to bulk.

I dont know what everyone else thinks but I'd give yourself 2/3 rest days per week, or maybe just do 15mins cardio on those days and drop the cardio down somewhat on the other days too.

What is your diet? Diet is a *huge* part as is not overtraining/getting enough rest.

Why are you doing deadlifts and then stiff leg deadlifts?

I'd also bring in some back hyper-extensions too as you need to keep your back and abs built equally.

kaiser07

Cheers for the feedback, I,d scrapped the Stiff leg Deadlift, but forgot to alter it in my change of routine. Now doing Hamstring Curls instead, hope that's ok? Re the Cardio, I was kinda advised to down the 5 days a week Cardio to get the fat off. I,m hovering around the 17-18% ish, with too much fat hanging around the usual Tummy,Hips area. So need to get rid of that first I Guess. My Diet I think is good, but I appreciate that Could be pushing the Cardio hard, borderline overtraining. Thanx for the feedback anyways......

Tall

How often are you eating?

Try and eat every 2/3 hours to keep your metabolism going - 6 'small' meals per day. Alledgedy this targets tummy fat first tho not 100% sure if i beleive it (search google for webmd and 3 hour diet / jorge cruz i think it was under).

17% isn't a bad amount of body fat mate, but body fat scales are a load of rubbish generally. --Cal, did you say your body fat was 22% last time you checked??

Barbell twists and reaching-down-your-side-with-a-dumbbell (insert real name <here> ) are good for the old love handles.

Personally I'd also vary the cardio - bring in some cross trainer. But thats mainly cos I *hate* rowing

Post your diet up - people should be able to give you a few pointers.

crazycal1

what Rianabol said sounds about right

walking is great for fat burning and all i do.

i find my body falls apart if bulking(hitting PB`s)so i`d drop cardio when it affects your training.
unfortunatley for me i have to drop all cardio more than i`d like...
lol getting old.....

einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know.

www.extremenutrition.co.uk