Hey everyone, i’ve been searching through the forums and articles around here and the info seems pretty legit so i thought ide ask if anyone has ever used a mini cut during a mass gaining phase and if so how long into the gaining phase before i start to cut? I have just ended my cutting phase using the “Carb Cycling Codex” by Christian Thibaudeau which worked very well at retaining lean mass and cutting fat while eating at 2500 calories on my moderate days.
The article states that i can use it to gain clean mass as well but I am wondering if carb cycling would be enough to keep fat gain to a minimum or if I need to do a mini bulk some time in to keep my BF levels in check? Oh yeah and I am starting off slowly (250 calories above maintenance) if that makes any difference.
Here are my current Nutrition Stats:
To Maintain:
High Days: 2
kcal: 3250
carbs: 260g
Moderate Days: 2
kcal: 3000
Carbs: 205g
Low Days: 3
kcal: 2500
Carbs: 150g
To Gain:
High Days: 2
kcal: 3500
carbs: 270g
Moderate Days: 2
kcal: 3250
Carbs: 215g
Low Days: 3
kcal: 3000
Carbs: 160g
P.S.: I try to stay as clean as possible and I train 5 days a week( Monday: Upper Body Push/Bench Press Based, Tuesday: Lower Body/Squat Based, Wednesday: Upper Body Pull/Rowing based, Thursday: Lower Body/Deadlift Based, Saturday: Heavy lifts/Lagging body parts), Tabata sprint variation(article by John Romaniello) six days a week, 3/30 min. moderate pace runs(about 3-3.5 Miles)
Body Weight: 150lbs
BF: 7-8%
Goal Body Weight: 165 Lean
Goal Allowed BF: 10%
Any help and input would be appreciated 
The determining factor here is going to be how big a surplus of calories you allow. A slower bulk may result in less fat gained but also take you longer. Personally I wouldnt bulk and cut too often or quickly. You need to spend a significant amount of time in each to make any real progress.
I would continue with the carb cycling as it is very effective. IMO if I was bulking (will be soon!) I would do what your doing (plus Intermittent Fasting 16/8 which I already do) but add a full 24hr fast every so often if I felt like body fat was creeping up too high. This way you could continue bulking for a longer period of time without having to resort to a full cut.
Ok thanks for the reply, but would a surplus of about 250 calories a week be sufficient for clean mass with little fat gain? And when should i stop going up?
250 extra calories A DAY would probably get you started, but depending on how your metabolism works you may find its not enough. Try it and see. If you havent gained anything after 2 weeks add more calories. Continue in that style from there.
When to stop gaining is a personal opinion. Id venture to stop when you are very uncomfortable with excess fat or you arent gaining much strength but heaps of fat (here Id be wondering if I was putting enough effort into training and/or just eatting wrong)
OK thanks, i think that i will go slowly by adding 250 calories a week depending on how much weight i gain(maintenance 3500 calories next week), i’m guessing the old 1 pound a week should be a good reference point
[quote]CannonG-H777 wrote:
OK thanks, i think that i will go slowly by adding 250 calories a week depending on how much weight i gain(maintenance 3500 calories next week), i’m guessing the old 1 pound a week should be a good reference point [/quote]
A pound a week should be fine for you. Just dont make the mistake of thinking larger jumps is more progress. Its most likely just more fat! (:
btw you do mean 250 extra calories a day, correct? Not just an extra 250 total for the week, which would do very little if anything?
Yes 250 calories added to every day, so about a 1,750 calorie increase per week until i gain more than a pound a week than i’ll stay there for a while until i begin to plateau. Then i’ll go up again until i feel i am gaining more fat than muscle as you described earlier.
Sweet. Bookmark this thread and keep us updated as you go.