Bulking or Cutting?

Ok, I am just getting back into training after a really long break. I trained alot in high school then for whatever reasons stopped. I am now getting back up to speed with a consistent three day a week program, that I have been doing for about 5 weeks now.

So as I approach a crossroads which direction should I go first? Bulk or Cut? I am definetely a little on the soft side. 5’11" 220lbs I am an endomorph so I have a good genetic base. I have a couple of cycles of Mag-10 which I was thinking of starting in the weeks to come. I have adjusted my diet and am changing according to my progress. I have lost about 3 lbs in a 10 day span due to the introduction of cardio into my routine.

So which route should I go? Should I take the cycle and bulk or should I cut? I am leaning towards the cutting side first, but the urge to get big is always there. Any advice would be appreciated. I don’t want to hurt my chances of seeing results from my training because I am going about things wrong. Thanks in advance for any help!

It depends on your overall goal. Do you want to be shredded? To want to be massive? Do you want to make your friends look bad everytime ya’ll play ball? You must have a big goal in which you have small goals that lead to it.

Vit T

Great question, I am sure many T-men that frequent this site can relate to this. According to Charles Poliquin you should always get to a acceptable bodyfat percentage first, then worry about adding muscle. Hope this helps.

How long is “a really long break” exactly? If it’s been years you’ll likely lose fat regardless of the route you choose, just from the resumed training. However, I think it’s almost always better to cut first.

John Berardi had some interesting data on this a while back. It basically showed that when you “bulk” while already pretty fat, you gain too much fat in the process: more fat than muscle. Most people who choose to do a mass phase when they’re already too fat regret it and often quit to diet halfway through their plan. So it’s better to drop the fat first.

There’s a lot of debate about this, but I say MAG-10 and 4-AD-EC is for periods where the main goal is mass gains. Yes, taking it when dieting can prevent muscle loss and maybe help you build muscle too, but so can Red Bands and HOT-ROX, plus they have other benefits for dieting (faster fat loss, reduction in carb cravings etc.) Many people also report increased hunger when on a prohormone - not what you want when dieting.

So, my advice is to lose some fat first (using Red Bands if you want a helper.) Then hit the mass phase with the MAG-10. I just like prohormones for mass phases only.

About 5 years with a few two or three month spurts of gym time.

I did go get my bf tested and I am runnin at 23%, so I think you all have convinced me to do cutting first.

I researched a few cardio routines to implement into my training and found a few things that Chris Thibadeau said melt fat away(400m sprints,IBUR) So we’ll see how I progress. Until my bf comes down I think I will wait on the bulk.