Hi, everyone!
I am in an interesting situation. Last summer I did some cutting and lost about 20 lbs. (My waist in August was 32 - 33 inches)
In August I injured my shoulder and it healed until December, but I really started working out just 3 days ago.
The problem is - I have lost some muscle (for example 1.5 inches on arms) and GAINED FAT at the same time (and gained 3 inches on Fat)
The question is - since I have barely move (been a couch potato for this whole time from August), I think I can LOSE FAT AND GAIN MUSCLE at the same time due to muscle memory.
To sum up: In a period of 5 months I have lost a lot of muscle and gained 3 inches on my waist all the time doing ZERO physical activities.
Should I start cutting or should I bulk a little?
I ask because I have seen my friend in a pretty similar situation 1 year ago and he started bulking andregained lost muscle and lost some fat as well…
I wouldn’t break it down in terms of cutting and bulking. That’s something that professional bodybuilders do because they are trying to achieve elite amounts of muscle mass while being exceptionally lean.
Since I started working out in September, I’ve lost and 1.5 inches off my waist and put on lots of muscle. I started at about 205-210lbs (depending on the day) and am now in the 225-230 range. I think the thing to keep in mind if you want to gain muscle while losing fat is that you’ll probably gain weight. But if your waist is getting smaller then you are heading in the right direction.
[quote]Silyak wrote:
I wouldn’t break it down in terms of cutting and bulking. That’s something that professional bodybuilders do because they are trying to achieve elite amounts of muscle mass while being exceptionally lean. [/quote]
I AGREE. Eat maintenance calories for a few weeks, train hard, and see what happens.