How do I know if I should bulk or cut?

If your goal is to gain muscle and strength and you aren’t concerned with gaining a bit of fat in the process, a bulk may be a good choice. On the other hand, if you’re looking to lose fat and maintain muscle, a cut may be more in line with your goals.

Should you cut or bulk at 15 body fat?

If you’re between 15–20\% body fat, you might be a bit fatter than you’d like, and so cutting is certainly an option. That’s a healthy body-fat percentage and it’s a perfectly good place to bulk from. So it’s entirely up to you. If you want to be leaner, cut.

Should I bulk or cut 18 body fat?

Always bulk if you are close to or below 8\% or 17\% body fat for men or women, respectively. Always cut if you are close to or above 18\% or 28\% body fat for men or women, respectively. If between 8-18\% (men) or 17-28\% (women), you can choose either, depending on how lean you want to be in 2-3 months’ time.

How long should my first bulk be?

When looking to gain weight during a bulking phase, I like to think about a bulk lasting 8-12 weeks for most first timers (however this could be longer — I have done 16-week bulks plenty of times).

Can scales accurately measure body fat?

Body fat scales are not very accurate at estimating a person’s body fat percentage. However, they may provide a rough idea of how much fat a person has in their body. Together, body fat scales and BMI can give a general indication of a person’s health.

Is creatine good while cutting?

Creatine can help support and protect your muscles during cutting by bringing water into your muscles. This helps boost and preserve muscle fibers from damage. That’s also why drinking plenty of water during cutting is important. It protects muscles from breakdown or injury from dehydration during your cutting cycle.

Should you bulk or cut to lose weight?

If you are underweight, you should bulk. If you are overweight, you need to cut; however, the less training experience you have, the more likely it is that you will gain muscle simultaneously as you lean out (though you’ll lose weight overall).

What is the difference between ‘bulking’ and ‘cutting’?

Note that: ‘Bulking’ = weight gain (typically the goal is muscle gain with minimal fat gain – i.e. a ‘lean bulk’or ‘clean bulk’– although not always) ‘Cutting’ = weight loss (ideally fat loss, not muscle loss)

What percentage of body fat should you bulking at?

» Bulking phases are best capped at 20\% because past this point, the risk to health increases and I’d advise not bulking if you estimate yourself to be 16\% body fat or above. — You want enough uninterrupted time to gain a meaningful amount of muscle before you need to cut.

How long should you bulk before cutting?

I recommend that people bulk for a minimum of five months before cutting so that the muscle-building process isn’t interrupted before a measurable amount of progress is made. There is no maximum time frame, but I recommend people don’t exceed 20\% body fat for health reasons. Most physique-focussed trainees will choose to stop bulking before this.