Bulk or Cut

Training
21

You will likely look better by bulking, but its up to you. If you feel like you’re too soft then you’re just going to be miserable if you bulk up anyway cause you’re always going to be thinking that the whole time. Do whatever makes you happiest with your appearance.

That said, it looks like you’re completely relaxed in that photo so you’re not likely as fat as you think. I’d guess if you flex you’d have some good definition. At your level of development, that’s going to be the case for unless you’re incredibly lean or you gain a decent amount of muscle.

22

At 5 10 when wearing normal clothes just to look like even lift you will need to get to 170ish. I say clean bulk to there and then evaluate, also get on a properly orgainised 5x5 routine like madcow or texas method

23

OP Read these again:

[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:

[quote]relevant wrote:
And I have to much fat to bulk. Your point is?[/quote]

Kid, if you’re going to post asking for advice, don’t get snippy when the answers aren’t what you want to hear.

If you want to cut…then cut, it’s a free country. Nobody here can FORCE you to do anything.

You came to a site populated by guys that list weights. Surprise, surprise, the answer to a skinny-fat “Whdt should I do?” in this environment is ALWAYS going to be “gain some muscle.”

But here’s the rub: you don’t have to get FAT on a bulk. Imagine your body with ten more pounds of solid mass on it by summer time (this is absolutely possible). That WOULD be noticeable. No, you won’t look like the cover of Muscle and Fitness overnight, but let me tell you a little secret: this board is littered with guys who have been lifting since you were in kindergarten, or younger, and most of us don’t look like that either.

Now here’s another thing:

If you want to look good for the girls…the answer doesn’t lie in “bulking” or “cutting” - but rather in a good personality, sense of humor, confidence. And something cool like playing guitar. Chicks love a guy that plays the guitar.

So don’t base the bulking/cutting decision on “getting girls” because ether answer is probably neither one of those.[/quote]

[quote]cparker wrote:
Dude dont worry about cutting for the next few years, you weight 150lbs. I get that you want to look good and everything but cutting isnt the answer, work your way up to atleast 210-220 before you think about cutting. For reference, from 2011 to now I went from 195-275 and am just now doing my first cut.[/quote]

These guys are right. Even if you don’t want to get up to 200+, work on adding 20-30lbs and then doing a small cut (getting rid of -excess- body fat, not cutting to six pack abs).

But you probably won’t listen. I started as 5’10 145-150lbs years ago. I am still only 170lbs with a little fat (12-15%). I have only just realized over the past few months how much time I have spent spinning my wheels and wish I consistently ate more.

24

What the hell would you cut too?

25

Cut or bulk? If I were you I’d start exercising and eating well.

26

[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:
Eating well and training consistently will give you a “beach bod”. No need to classify it as a bulk or cut because with how untrained you are, you will likely be losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously, but it seems as though you have made up your mind before making this thread. [/quote]

This.

27

[quote]Reed wrote:
What the hell would you cut too?[/quote]

This.

28

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Cut or bulk? If I were you I’d start exercising and eating well.[/quote]

This.

29

I decided that I will not cut but I wont bulk either. I’m going to eat at maintenance and just focus on better nutrition and progressing with the weights. After a couple of months, I will reassess the situation and stick with one, hell I probably will eat in a slight surplus. Thanks for the input and I apologize if I came across as an arrogant, close minded guy. Truth is I didn’t want to bulk because I used to be really fat a long time ago, I don’t ever want to have to go through with being fat again. So again, thanks for the advice,

30

[quote]relevant wrote:
Thanks for the input and I apologize if I came across as an arrogant, close minded guy. Truth is I didn’t want to bulk because I used to be really fat a long time ago, I don’t ever want to have to go through with being fat again.[/quote]

And nobody said you’d have to. Eat clean food with quite a bit of protein and gauge your progress by how strong you get on the basics - nothing else will make a bigger difference. One you can squat 225x8 and bench 175x8 (I picked fairly low numbers but they’ll be a start), you WILL look different.

31

If you’re going to recomposition at least search through the available plans for doing so and pick one.

32

At your age, don’t, don’t, don’t cut your calories below what has been your maintenance. Stick with at least what has been maintenance and to cut if you wish to do so, increase the intensiveness of your weight training rather than cut calories. And if there’s obvious room for improvement of quality of diet, improve it.

The way your age is relevant to this is you’re going to have permanent lifetime advantage from the growth you get now. Don’t shortchange it by being restrictive.

33

[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
At your age, don’t, don’t, don’t cut your calories below what has been your maintenance. Stick with at least what has been maintenance and to cut if you wish to do so, increase the intensiveness of your weight training rather than cut calories. And if there’s obvious room for improvement of quality of diet, improve it.

The way your age is relevant to this is you’re going to have permanent lifetime advantage from the growth you get now. Don’t shortchange it by being restrictive.
[/quote]
Thanks for the advice, I’m eating more foods now and just hit some PRs this week, feels great.

34

[quote]blue9steel wrote:
If you’re going to recomposition at least search through the available plans for doing so and pick one.[/quote]
I’m currently eating at a 20% surplus on training days and a 20% deficit on off days, I ate this way throughout last week and I monitored my weight, I only gained 0.2 lbs last week

35

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:
Eating well and training consistently will give you a “beach bod”. No need to classify it as a bulk or cut because with how untrained you are, you will likely be losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously, but it seems as though you have made up your mind before making this thread. [/quote]

This. [/quote]
just so we are clear, I didn’t make up my mind before starting this thread. I had people tell me to bulk, to cut, or to just eat better foods altogether and not worry about cutting or bulking. I’m going with recomp for now, then I’ll reassess in a few months. I want to improve on my lifts as well.

36

Well, good luck man.