I am 6’ tall, 175 pounds and about 11 - 12% body fat. I was wondering if it would be better to try and bulk up or try to get leaner? If you don’t have alot of muscle (like me)should you try and get your BF% in the single digits or bulk up then go on a cutting phase? I would like to be leaner but I don’t know if I can achieve the results I want to achieve because I don’t have alot of muscle. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Sounds like you’re fairly ectomorhic already. I’d say go with the bulking first.
John Beradi states in one of his “appetite for construction” articles that if you start w/ 22 lbs. of fat on a bulking cycle, than you’ll be a certain point. You have to go read it again, b/c I forgot whether this amout of body fat (which you currently are at) puts you at the 50/50% mark or the 70/30% mark for Muscle/Fat Gain. Check it out.
Dude, gain lean mass first.
Bulk up. Your body fat won’t hjump up too much more. Plus you always have to cut after the bulking so just get huge and worry about the fat later.
I’m kind of in the same boat… I’ve tried to lean out before, and gotten pretty close to where I’d wanted to be… but people start telling me how sunken my face looks and stuff, and I break down and start eating big and training hard again. I put on a little too much fat and get confused where to go… Would you guys say get up to about 215-220 and then start cutting? I’m skinny, but I have no problem at all eating huge amounts of food.
I seem to remember that from a recent issue, gains will mirror the current composition that you have. I think I agree. If you are at a bodyfat level that you are comfy with, I think its bulk up time. If you want to become a little more lean, then get to that level first. Anyone seem to think this is true?
i’d say don’t worry about getting lean right now… because it will be obviously easy for you to do… just try to put some weight on… eat good foods…a ton of good foods !!..and a pizza once a month won’t kill you… shoot for about 220 maybe… workout hard and get strong…
Just to add to something Kyle alluded to.
J.B. had a VERY interesting “Appetite For Construction” (Issue #167; July 27, 2001)in which this question was addressed based on some very interesting research findings and John’s own experience. I would recommend that everyone read that particular article, but the following was J.B.'s conclusion:
“…the basic principles remain. When dieting, the leaner you get, the less your calorie deficit should be or else you’ll lose more LBM than necessary. And, when bulking up, your best bet is to start lean, as most of the weight you gain will be LBM. If you start fat, much of your weight gain will be fat gain.”
Based on where you are, Mike, I agree with everyone else; You should be able to begin a bulking cycle without getting much leaner. Single digit BF% are not nessessary to begin.
HOWEVER; with that being said, all of us should watch the changes in our Body Composition closely, whether we are bulking or working on becoming leaner.
I just wanted to add that a ROUGH cut-off appears to be about 15% Bodyfat.
In other words, lean down to below 15% bodyfat prior to beginning a bulking phase.
Can one start a bulking phase at a higher bodyfat percentage? Of course! But what the research suggest is that the higher the total fat you begin with, the more your gains will be fat as opposed to LBM gains.
Kewl stuff…!
I agree with this feedback. At this point, I can only see three advantages to cutting now. Firstly, it’s often (though not always) a more intense experience than bulking, and as a result, you learn more about your body’s reactions and tolerances. Secondly, it’s the end of self-deception, in that you find out how much muscle you truly have. Finally, you are priming yourself for a rebound bulking phase that may be more productive than starting from 12%. (But, as discussed, 12% just isn’t that fat to prohibit some good gains in an overfeeding / hard training environment.)
But, advantages aside, and considering your numbers, it’s probably too soon. If you’re 12% now, a shredded 6% would put you around 163 lbs. At six foot, that’s too light for most people (around this forum, anyway). If you’re near water or plan to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors, shirtless, leanness is more rewarding. But in street clothes, you will probably look unremarkable – to put it diplomatically. 12 per centers tend to dream about their abs coming in and smaller pants sizes. They forget that, really, everything shrinks to a degree, legs, arms, chest. Shirts will be looser. Your face will probably thin out too. If you’ve got some pounds to give, it’s far less an issue. But when you’re starting from a lighter bodyweight, and your previous focus has been size, then it’s quite a mental adjustment to get even smaller, no matter what you’re losing. You’ve really set yourself up for the “mid-cut freak-out,” where you’re busting your tail in the gym, low-carbing, doing cardio on top of lifting, and all the while you look increasingly flat. There’s a trying netherworld between soft / full and hard / cut. You really need to be certain of your goal when passing through such a place.
Another factor is, how long have you been training? If you were once a truly ectomorphic 145, and you’ve bulked up to 175 over several formative years, cutting might be a valid experience. But if you haven’t trained that long, and you really tend more to “skinnyfat” than naturally lean, I’d keep training for size. I’m six-one, and I once cut down to 174 at 6%. It was a nice place to visit, but I didn’t want to live there. I took my pictures and moved on. I’ve spent the last year and a half putting on eighteen pounds of dependable lean, and an additional three or four that comes and goes. I admit that I do cut occasionally, but my starting point is usually around 17%. Anyway, I really do empathize with your situation.
Does anyone know how something like Mag 10 would affect the ratio of fat/muscle gain on a bulking phase even at a little higher BF%?
I don’t care if you’re at 20 % bodyfat.At your current weight,and height,just eat lots,train heavy,and the added muscle will take care of the bodyfat.I’m 6’0,about 190 right now(Ok,188),and 9-10%.Add 10 lbs of lean mass,and you’ll lean out!
Thanks for all the replies. They give me alot more insight on what I need to do.
HM = BC + HW
HUGE MASS (HM) = BIG CALORIES (BC) + HEAVY WEIGHT (HW)