Can anyone look at my bulking and cutting results and advise?

[Blackmambar]

Hi,

Every few months or so I have a scan done to see the amount of fat and muscle I have gained/lost.

Most recent readings include:

Date Weight Fat Fat % ATM ATM %
06-Sep-13 215.16 41.58 19.32% 103.092 47.91%
26-April-13 195.36 29.788 15.25% 96.778 49.54%
19-March-13 201.3 34.584 17.18% 99.22 49.29%

Basically as you can during the process of cutting I lose fat and muscle, and when I bulk I gain muscle and heaps of fat. Then when it comes back to cutting I lose the muscle that I struggle to gain and it simply goes in and endless cycle and start from square one.

What do I do?

This isn't the first time, this always happens and I never progress.

[Adam_david]

I have found (now this is just me) bulking is a waste of time. Unless u are taking AAS maybe. Bc of what u mentioned. U take in mass amounts of calories. Build some muscle but put on ALOT of fat and when u cut u have to work overtime to burn of the fat but at the same time u lose ur muscle u busted ur butt to gain. Keep in mind that ur body builds muscle only so fast (outside of supplements or drugs). It can only use X amount of extra calories each day to build muscle. The rest goes to fat. So if ur body uses 300 calories over maintenance level to build muscle and u take in 1000 calories over maintenance level then 700 goes to fat. I believe a lb of muscle is about 800 calories where a lb of fat if 3500. The leaner u r the more anabolic ur body is so after u pack on fat on top of fat. U gain fat easier and muscle less easy. I found it beneficial to do a SLOW bulk over the course of about 6 or 7 months. U build more muscle And less fat where as If u notice more fat coming on u can adjust and burn it off easier. Then cut 3 to 4 months and u will have a very minimal amount of fat to lose This way it's easier to lose the fat an u keep more muscle in the long run. Plus there are studies that prove a fat cell will only swell approx 6 times its normal size then it splits creating a new cell after this happens over and over u r making it easier to get fat bc the cell never go away. They only shrink. So a to many bulk cycles could screw u up in the long run. A quote I read says "the easiest way to stay lean is not to get fat in the first place". Hope I was helpful. Like I said. This is what works for me.

[Blackmambar]

Hi Adam,

Thanks for the detailed response. What your saying makes perfect sense and it is something I have also begun to think to myself...

In your opinion, do you think the 6pounds of muscle that I did put on could still have been achieved had I only consumed the minimal amount of calorie surplus?
Perhaps if I wasn't eating so much I wouldn't have put on so much fat but at the same time maybe muscle gains would have halved?

What do you think I should do from here? Should I continue to bulk but cut my calories and do it slower, or am I to fat now and cut down first then try bulking again slowly?

[Adam_david]

I personally will NEVER bulk like that again. As far as the same amount of muscle as a bulk? Idk it's very possible if u do it over a longer period of time and take in ENOUGH calories not TO MUCH it will help to use creatine and maybe some test booster. But even if u didn't put on the same amount but u didn't lose all u gain in a massive cut u r still on top. I'd rather gain 2 lb of muscle and keep it than 6 lbs and lose it (but increase the rate that I gain fat from now on). On another note. Not sure how old u r but as u age u will gain fat easier any way as ur metabolism slows. If u increase the rate u gain fat now by adding more fat cells. This could be a big problem in the future.

[Adam_david]

There is an online calculator u can use to find out ur personal caloric intake for muscle gain, maintenance, and cutting