Cut or Bulk?

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 21:28

Hey guys recently started a new diet and routine, but after posting on muscletalk regards to my diet I was inforemed maybe I should cut before I bulk, What do you guys think?

This what happens when I bend over

Whats you opinions, no one on muscletalk is replying!

DanH84 · 12 Jun 2008 at 21:48

what's your goal?

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 21:54

Bigger muscles and to lower my bodyfat to around 10-12% but not sure what it is at the minute.

DanH84 · 12 Jun 2008 at 21:58

lets put it another way. why do you want bigger muscles and lower bf? sport performance? vanity? decided to get into bodybuilding? all are good reasons but how quickly do you want to achieve?

for instance if you want to look good in clothes and want it as soon as possible then you should cut down (while keeping up the weights) as flab over muscle still don't look good. if however you have a holiday booked next year and just want to look great for that without giving a damn about what you look like now then feel free to do a clean bulk and cut down 3-4 months before the due date.

Morba · 12 Jun 2008 at 21:59

ok, first thing is to find out your current bodyfat%, weight, height and some tape measurements - arms, chest, waist, neck, thighs, calf.

then you can really start to think bulk or cut :]

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:02

DanH84 said:
if however you have a holiday booked next year and just want to look great for that without giving a damn about what you look like now then feel free to do a clean bulk and cut down 3-4 months before the due date.

This one, definitely, I may go on holiday at some point this year (doubt it) so yes bulk and then cut when I reach my desired size.

Morba, how do i find out my bodyfat %, my gym doesnt have any calipers!

Rob

marl · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:06

i'd say cut first.

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:16

marl said:
i'd say cut first.

I'm thinking this maybe be the best thing to do, afterall, if I lost some bodyfat I maye be happy with my appearance at the end of it and therefore not want to bulk anymore. Such a dilema, I have been bulking for a good 3 to 4 weeks and kind of researched mainly bulking now I'm going to have tom completely change things!

Rob

Killa_ken · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:22

WHat are your current lifts like?

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:27

Killa_ken said:
WHat are your current lifts like?

To be honest my gym isnt the most equipped and I don't appear to be the strongest human being but some thing along the lines of this:

Flat Chest Press (Dumbells) 27.5kg dumbell so 55kg

Military Press (Dumbells) 17.5kg bumbell so 35kg

Deadlifts (dumbells) 27.5kg dumbell so 555kg

Squat (dumbells) 22.5kg so 45kg

Quite poor really and yes the gym doesnt have a barbell, hopefully joining a new gym at the start of july after i get paid!

DanH84 · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:32

sometimes you can get too wrapped up in cutting or bulking. if you haven't trained much before then sometimes it's far better to set out to lead a healthier lifestyle and let your body go from there. heavy compound lifts, some intense cardio spells for 15-20mins an activity that is fairly phsyically taxing but interesting (sport etc) plenty of water and rest and cleaning up your diet using common sense (carbs from wholegrain sources unprocessed meats lots of fruit and veg no junk). that is in my opinion much better for someone just starting out to aspire to rather than to cut or to bulk.

DanH84 · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:33

at least you do some good exercises.

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 22:35

Yer thats great advice Dan, My current diet consists of a meal every 3 hours, never miss breakfast. Heres a quick run through:

8:00am

2 slices brown toast, 4 egg whites and 1 yolk scrambled.
100g oats
protein shake: bannana, 250ml milk, 50g whey and some flavouring.

9:45am fruit - apple

11:00am

2 slices of brown bread and a chicken breast

12:30pm fruit - orange

2:00pm

Chicken breast and 100g rice(brown or bismati)

3:30pm fruit - orange

5:00pm

140g pasta
120g tuna
mixed together in a tomato sauce

post workout (roughly 7:00pm)
50g whey in water

8:00pm

Chicken breast
200g baked beans or rice or potato

11:00pm

100g Cottage cheeese

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 23:05

So is there anything wrong with that diet as an overall healthy diet?

DanH84 · 12 Jun 2008 at 23:07

looks pretty ok. not a veg fan i take it?

ardy89 · 12 Jun 2008 at 23:15

haha no, dnt really like salads at all, could that be a downfall, I love fruit on the other hand. I'm going to adjust the diet slightly then continue with my weight training and just add some cardio into my rest days, early morning before I have eaten. Hope fully gain muscle and loose fat!

Rob

DanH84 · 12 Jun 2008 at 23:35

good luck, eat your greens. train hard and you'll be fine.

A2Z · 13 Jun 2008 at 04:39

Morba said:
ok, first thing is to find out your current bodyfat%, weight, height and some tape measurements - arms, chest, waist, neck, thighs, calf.

then you can really start to think bulk or cut :]

i dont really see what relevance any of this has - all he needs to do is look in the mirror - if he thinks he is too fat then cut, if he is happy with his fat levels then bulk

ardy89 · 13 Jun 2008 at 08:23

Yeah, I am happy with my fat levels, I used to be 16 stone so now that i'm under 13 I'm very happy, I'm going to carry on with my diet as I have only been doing it for 3-4 weeks, same with the routine, although I will be adding in more cardio.

Rob

Freefaller · 13 Jun 2008 at 11:02

Personally I'd do a mixture of good cardio but with some heavy/medium-heavy weightlifting with a good routine. I wouldn't bother initially with a cut or a bulk (then again I don't really do it) - get a decent routine start hitting the weights/gym relaly seriously, keep some level of cardio up. However the more you develop muscle the easier it will be to lose fat in the long run - you don't have to put on that much bodyfat to "bulk" you can develop good lean muscle if you eat well, sleep well and train hard.