Should I bulk or cut?

[brazilian10]

Stats: 22yo 5'11 160 lbs, don't know my bf% so I'm posting a pic below. Little about me, I've been working out on and off since I was 18. Unfortunately a year and a half ago I was involved in a car accident which broke my jaw, wrist and ankle..so I couldn't hit the gym (or eat properly) for a little over a year and caused me to lose all the muscle I had (went from 170 lbs to 145 lbs) and got skinny fat **I was in the best/ideal shape of my life prior to the accident, had good amount of muscle yet was defined...

I don't remember how many calories I ate or what I did, hit my head so hard in the accident causing me to forget lots of things :**. Four months ago after gaining some weight mostly fat this time, I decided enough is enough so started at 155 lbs..going back to the gym, lift heavy and bulk. After three months into the bulk I noticed I was adding some muscle but also getting FAT went up to 170 lbs(although nothing like the 170 lbs I was before, the pounds this time were mostly coming from fat), therefore started cutting for one month at 1500 cals and now I'm down to 160 lbs. However, these past three weeks I have not been able to lose anymore weight!!! I feel like my metabolism has gotten a lot slower too...

In conclusion, My goal is to shred as much body fat as possible, then CLEAN BULK because I want to minimize fat as much as possible. Is that a good idea? I'm so overwhelmed, don't know where to start!? I used to know so much before, knew my body to the t, knew the exact amount of calories I would have to eat to reach my goals but now I'm so lost and confused, feel stuck. Help me please 0:-)

Here's the pic

[ironbeck]

I just think you need to keep working out, I think you have potential to grow natty.

[Bio-Active]

I just think you need to keep working out, I think you have potential to grow natty.

This keep training natty and try to clean bulk

[brazilian10]

So you guys think I should bulk, natty of course lol....Could I bulk for two months with hopes of gaining 6-8 lbs of muscle, then cut for one month? Has anyone tried relatively short bulk/cut cycles with success?

[Bio-Active]

So you guys think I should bulk, natty of course lol....Could I bulk for two months with hopes of gaining 6-8 lbs of muscle, then cut for one month? Has anyone tried relatively short bulk/cut cycles with success?

it doesn't happen that fast and if your eating is clean you should be able to put on some quality weight and still be pretty lean. Bulk for a couple months and see we're your at

[brazilian10]

I thought it was possible to gain 1 lb of muscle per week?

Also Just calculated my TDEE using the Katch-McArdle formula and it gave me a maintenance level of 2645 cals...But, Isn't that too much just for maintenance? Or does it sound reasonable for someone of my stats and activity level?

**I'm gonna start a AllPros three day full body workout program and do 30 min cardio sessions 2x a wk.

[Bio-Active]

I thought it was possible to gain 1 lb of muscle per week?

Also Just calculated my TDEE using the Katch-McArdle formula and it gave me a maintenance level of 2645 cals...But, Isn't that too much just for maintenance? Or does it sound reasonable for someone of my stats and activity level?

**I'm gonna start a AllPros three day full body workout program and do 30 min cardio sessions 2x a wk.

1 pound of muscle is a lot i know you can loose one to two % bf each week but putting on a pound of muscle a week is something different. You could gain a pound of weight ew though.

[hellomycognomen]

I thought it was possible to gain 1 lb of muscle per week?

Naturally the most you could hope for is 1lb lean muscle mass per month if you're lucky, young in age, doing everything perfect, and are a new lifter.

[gearbox]

Definitely bulk. You do not have a base yet but with proper nutrition is will come quickly.

[brazilian10]

Bulking it is guys! So does 2645 cals for maintenance reasonable for a guy my stats? I'll be running it at (protein/carbs/fat) 215g/246g/68g which is 35%p--40%c--25%f. What you guys think?




Keep in note that I'll be doing full body workouts 3 x a week and swimming 2x a week for 30 mins. Also how effective are full body workouts in terms of building muscle and keeping fat gain to a minimum?

Thanks in advance!

[brazilian10]

1 pound of muscle is a lot i know you can loose one to two % bf each week but putting on a pound of muscle a week is something different. You could gain a pound of weight ew though.

You're right, started reading more about it and its only possible to build .25 lbs of quality muscle per week, natty of course

[AngryNR3C4]

Bulking it is guys! So does 2645 cals for maintenance reasonable for a guy my stats? I'll be running it at (protein/carbs/fat) 215g/246g/68g which is 35%p--40%c--25%f. What you guys think?




Keep in note that I'll be doing full body workouts 3 x a week and swimming 2x a week for 30 mins. Also how effective are full body workouts in terms of building muscle and keeping fat gain to a minimum?

Thanks in advance!

I think 2645 is too much for maintenance, they seem more like your clean bulking cals.
I'd eat at them for 2 weeks at least. Go for 2-3 lbs gains per month (0.5-0.75 lbs per week).
If you don't gain enough, eat 100 cals more. That should be enough for a clean bulk.
I could be wrong, in that case either lower or increase calories, depending on the outcome.

[brazilian10]

I think 2645 is too much for maintenance, they seem more like your clean bulking cals.
I'd eat at them for 2 weeks at least. Go for 2-3 lbs gains per month (0.5-0.75 lbs per week).
If you don't gain enough, eat 100 cals more. That should be enough for a clean bulk.
I could be wrong, in that case either lower or increase calories, depending on the outcome.

Thats exactly what I was thinking, 2645 cals seem way too high for maintenance, but then again I used supposedly the most accurate formula (Katch McArdle) in figuring out calories? I'm so confusedd.

Another thing that throws me off from hoping the bulking band wagon and read many times is that it is best to start a bulk once you've cut down to 10-12% bf.. Currently I'm at 15% bf so wouldn't it be smarter to lose bf% and then start a clean bulk? Has anyone tried this with success? and How long does it usually take to go down bf percentages? With diet and workout in check of course..

[hellomycognomen]

Thats exactly what I was thinking, 2645 cals seem way too high for maintenance, another thing that throws me off from hoping the bulking wagon is that I read many times that it is best to start a bulk once you've cut down to 10-12% bf.. Currently I'm at 15% bf so wouldn't it be smarter to lose bf% and then start a clean bulk? Has anyone tried this with success? and How long should I expect to go down to 12% bf with diet?

According to Savvas Kyriacou owner of Muscleworks Gym London, there is no such thing as bulk and cut, there is only muscle and fat. Find your TDEE and add 3-500cal per week, that should be plenty.

[brazilian10]

According to Savvas Kyriacou owner of Muscleworks Gym London, there is no such thing as bulk and cut, there is only muscle and fat. Find your TDEE and add 3-500cal per week, that should be plenty.

LOL plenty enough to get me FAT. Jk, but I tend to gain fat/weight very easily (happened to me last time I bulked) so this time I'm trying to be more meticulous about figuring out the amount of calories I should consume. Like I said according to the Katch MacArdle forumula my TDEE is 2645 cals so if I wanted to bulk I should go up to 3145 cals? O.0 that's scary high

[hellomycognomen]

LOL plenty enough to get me FAT. Jk, but I tend to gain fat/weight very easily (happened to me last time I bulked) so this time I'm trying to be more meticulous about figuring out the amount of calories I should consume. Like I said according to the Katch MacArdle forumula my TDEE is 2645 cals so if I wanted to bulk I should go up to 3145 cals? O.0 that's scary high

No that is not what I said, TDEE + 3-500cal PER WEEK, so around 2687-2716 cals daily. Its only a very small increase that is all that is needed naturally.

Just round it out to 2700 cals daily that should be fine.

[brazilian10]

Found a better way to calculate my maintenance calories by multiplying my LBM x 15.

160 lbs x .15 (bf%)= 24
160-24= 136 LBM
136 X 15= 2040 maintenance cals.

Now, 2040 cals sounds A LOT more reasonable ^.^

[Myers]

Found a better way to calculate my maintenance calories by multiplying my LBM x 15.

160 lbs x .15 (bf%)= 24
160-24= 136 LBM
136 X 15= 2040 maintenance cals.

Now, 2040 cals sounds A LOT more reasonable ^.^

That would be a maintenance with no activity right?

[VegasBody]

I think U should just start experimenting with your body
Like do an 1800 cal a week and see how your body responds
Then go up or down from there until u have it down perfect

[Mr. Small]

Top of my head, the 2700 cals per day would seem right. But monitor your bf levels and weight to see what way you are reacting.

[brazilian10]

No, 2040cals with activity... I workout 4-5x a week. Joined a masters swimming program that gets together MWF for 1hr30mins and I also hit the weight room and do full body workouts 2x a week (I try and lift heavy to preserve muscle).

What's worrying me is that since I started swimming a week ago I lost NINE lbs, I'm down to 151 lbs and I'm scared most of the weight lost was muscle mass .....I definitely want to hold on to the little muscle mass I have that's for sure.

Could someone please shed some light? I don't want to keep on losing anymore muscle, my goal is to be as lean as possible for the summer. In other words, want to slowly lose bf% while preserve muscle mass.

[AngryNR3C4]

Would worry me too, if I was on a huge deficit. If you've been eating at 1500, just stop.
Eat more food, so you lose fat slowly and prevent losing muscle. For your goals, I think it's best to eat at maintenance or slowly bulk.

[brazilian10]

Would worry me too, if I was on a huge deficit. If you've been eating at 1500, just stop.
Eat more food, so you lose fat slowly and prevent losing muscle. For your goals, I think it's best to eat at maintenance or slowly bulk.

So far I've lost one lb in a week by eating 2040 cals (down to 150 lbs). I'll stick with this caloric number for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

Also do you guys think 204 grams of protein is too little during a cut? I'm aware increasing protein is essential, especially during a cut to prevent muscle loss.
(Take in mind I weigh 150 lbs)

[Mr. Small]

Can you post a new pic up.

2000 cals p/w would put you in fat loss zone, especially if you are swimming also.
190g protein is not too much either.

[brazilian10]

Can you post a new pic up.

2000 cals p/w would put you in fat loss zone, especially if you are swimming also.
190g protein is not too much either.

Being in a fat loss zone is exactly what I'm aiming for. My summer goal is to shred as much bf% while preserve the little muscle I have lol.

Because I incorporated swimming 3x a week I decided to slow down the weight-loss by bumping up my caloric intake to maintenance => which is 2040 cals per day [204g p/179g c/57g f]

All in all,
1) Hows my micro split? Is 204g enough protein taking into acct my stats and that I'm cutting?
2) Are full body workouts 3x a week effective in preventing muscle loss during a cut?

Heres the pic, just took this one yesterday

Thank so much in advance guys!

[Mr. Small]

204g of protein is good
3x a week is fine if you do about 9 to 10 sets per body part per week. Some might have different views on that, but that is a starting point.

You should post your training routine on the relevant section for the pro advise?

[SEOINAGE]

You'll be fine. I doubt you are going to lose another 9 lbs the following week. Not to mention fluctuations in water weight and glycogen storage, sounds like you are getting pretty depleted, it won't keep happening, you might feel a bit weaker in this state. There are some things you can do to help, shift some calories around, move some carbs from your non lifting days over to your lifting days around the lifting. But you don't have to complicate things more if you don't want to, but this can help with performance with your weight training.

We also can't evaluate your #2 without knowing what you are doing. It certainly is possible for 3x a week full body work outs to prevent muscle loss, I mean you could even do this every third day, which ends up being even less than three times a week, depending on what you are doing.

[brazilian10]

You'll be fine. I doubt you are going to lose another 9 lbs the following week. Not to mention fluctuations in water weight and glycogen storage, sounds like you are getting pretty depleted, it won't keep happening, you might feel a bit weaker in this state. There are some things you can do to help, shift some calories around, move some carbs from your non lifting days over to your lifting days around the lifting. But you don't have to complicate things more if you don't want to, but this can help with performance with your weight training.

We also can't evaluate your #2 without knowing what you are doing. It certainly is possible for 3x a week full body work outs to prevent muscle loss, I mean you could even do this every third day, which ends up being even less than three times a week, depending on what you are doing.

My workout routine is the fullbody ALLPROS workout which I got from bodybuilding.com and it consists of seven compound exercises:

-Squats (4x8)
-Incline Bench Presses (4x8)
-Bent-Over Rows (4x8)
-Overhead Barbell Presses (4x8)
-Stiff-Legged Deadlifts (4x8)
-Barbell Curls (4x8)
-Calf Raises (4x8)


**For the first set of each exercise I do a lite warm up with 25% of my work sets weight. For the second set, I do a medium warm up with 50% of my work sets weight. And then the last 2 work sets with the same weight (heavy). So in other words out of the four sets, only two of them I'm actually lifting heavy. **

~Furthermore, this workout program runs on a five week cycle as follows:
1st week do all 4 sets for 8 reps.
2nd second week do all 4 sets for 9 reps.
3rd week do all 4 sets for 10 reps.
4th week do all 4 sets for 11 reps.
FINAL week do all 4 sets for 12 reps.

1)What do you guys think of the workout routine?
2)Are two sets of heavy lifting per exercise enough to help me maintain muscle mass?
3)Could someone please help me guesstimate my bf%?

THANKS :-)

[SEOINAGE]

I don't see anything that would indicate a loss of muscle from doing that. Volume is a bit low considering two work sets and it is full body, but it might be a good thing as frequency is high and you will be in a deficit, and it might help you to make your progression schedule week to week. If you were to do more volume then I would make sure to get more carbs in prior to lifting to help, but I think it looks decent.