Only One Month of Bulking?

I tried something similar to this in college. A couple of friends of mine started training after they read Body for Life, which included a 2 week bulking/cutting cycle. As I recall the bulking cycle had you eating pretty big, 4000+ calories, and for cutting eating exactly half that.

I tried it briefly but quit after the first week of cutting as my training went to shit immediately. I realized that being an absolute beginner I didn’t need to waste 2 weeks out of every month training like shit and starving myself. My friends followed the plan for several months made little to no progress.

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?[/quote]

I’d double, even triple, that time - as long as you’re not gaining too much fat (5lbs is nothing to me). It makes more sense to me to bulk up for 18 months or so, and then diet down.

Also, I think realistically, you’d add a bit more than 5lbs/fat in 6-8 months. At least I would.

[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
I tried something similar to this in college. A couple of friends of mine started training after they read Body for Life, which included a 2 week bulking/cutting cycle. As I recall the bulking cycle had you eating pretty big, 4000+ calories, and for cutting eating exactly half that.

I tried it briefly but quit after the first week of cutting as my training went to shit immediately. I realized that being an absolute beginner I didn’t need to waste 2 weeks out of every month training like shit and starving myself. My friends followed the plan for several months made little to no progress.[/quote]

I did the same when it was called the “ABCDE diet” and it sucked then as much as it sucks now.

Your body needs time to adapt and grow…or adapt and lose body fat. 2 weeks isn’t going to cut it.

Further, the first week of a diet and most of what you lose is water weight, not body fat. The scale may drop, but it isn’t like you have made the progress you are after in such short time intervals.

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?[/quote]

If you were gaining 5 pounds of muscle for every pound of fat, you would be LOSING bodyfat%. Why would you stop bulking?

Are you the type to change the channel if you discover you are getting free porn?

[quote]Arioch wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?

If you can gain 5-1 muscle to fat, why would you stop bulking?
[/quote]

Just to take a break from force feeding yourself and a change of pace. Not saying I’m going to do it, but I have contemplated it.
It’s always nice to have less body fat assuming you won’t look like a rail afterwards.

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
Arioch wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?

If you can gain 5-1 muscle to fat, why would you stop bulking?

Just to take a break from force feeding yourself and a change of pace. Not saying I’m going to do it, but I have contemplated it.
It’s always nice to have less body fat assuming you won’t look like a rail afterwards.
[/quote]

Your body will adapt to greater food intake over time and that current amount will no longer be “force feeding”. Stopping that process to diet down could very well keep you from adjusting to a greater food intake.

It helps to avoid thinking only short term. If my goal is to be bigger, allowing my body to adapt to a greater food intake would be desirable, not something to avoid.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
Arioch wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?

If you can gain 5-1 muscle to fat, why would you stop bulking?

Just to take a break from force feeding yourself and a change of pace. Not saying I’m going to do it, but I have contemplated it.
It’s always nice to have less body fat assuming you won’t look like a rail afterwards.

Your body will adapt to greater food intake over time and that current amount will no longer be “force feeding”. Stopping that process to diet down could very well keep you from adjusting to a greater food intake.

It helps to avoid thinking only short term. If my goal is to be bigger, allowing my body to adapt to a greater food intake would be desirable, not something to avoid.[/quote]

Changes like that DO NOT happen in one month or less. If I had quit force-feeding after one month, I’d still be 150 and wonder what the hell was up.

I also get tired of these yo-yo bulking/cuts I see, and the phrase like “gives your body a break”. Do you seriously think your body will slow down or something after months of bulking? If this is the case, I’m a FREAK. Also, this shit isn’t linear.

Why the hell would you only spend only 10 months a year or less bulking? What’s the point in wasting the precious time you have? It’s not like you’ll be able to gain weight as you get older compared to your 20s.

WHY WASTE TIME?

I’ve used this before but…

Next time you go on vacation, drive 4 hours south, then, just to give yourself a break, drive north for 2 hours. Drive another 4 south, 2 north etc. and see how much time it takes to get to your destination.

[quote]derek wrote:
I’ve used this before but…

Next time you go on vacation, drive 4 hours south, then, just to give yourself a break, drive north for 2 hours. Drive another 4 south, 2 north etc. and see how much time it takes to get to your destination.[/quote]

Too shay

[quote]Short Hoss wrote:
Professor X wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
Arioch wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?

If you can gain 5-1 muscle to fat, why would you stop bulking?

Just to take a break from force feeding yourself and a change of pace. Not saying I’m going to do it, but I have contemplated it.
It’s always nice to have less body fat assuming you won’t look like a rail afterwards.

Your body will adapt to greater food intake over time and that current amount will no longer be “force feeding”. Stopping that process to diet down could very well keep you from adjusting to a greater food intake.

It helps to avoid thinking only short term. If my goal is to be bigger, allowing my body to adapt to a greater food intake would be desirable, not something to avoid.

Changes like that DO NOT happen in one month or less. If I had quit force-feeding after one month, I’d still be 150 and wonder what the hell was up.

I also get tired of these yo-yo bulking/cuts I see, and the phrase like “gives your body a break”. Do you seriously think your body will slow down or something after months of bulking? If this is the case, I’m a FREAK. Also, this shit isn’t linear.

Why the hell would you only spend only 10 months a year or less bulking? What’s the point in wasting the precious time you have? It’s not like you’ll be able to gain weight as you get older compared to your 20s.

WHY WASTE TIME?[/quote]

How are you guys not turning into complete fatasses? What if your trying to bang fine girls for instance if your in college. In that case I think bulking/cutting cycles would be ok as long as your lifting bigger numbers each time. Just to maintain a decent bodyfat percentage like 7-10%?

[quote]elano wrote:
Short Hoss wrote:
Professor X wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
Arioch wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?

If you can gain 5-1 muscle to fat, why would you stop bulking?

Just to take a break from force feeding yourself and a change of pace. Not saying I’m going to do it, but I have contemplated it.
It’s always nice to have less body fat assuming you won’t look like a rail afterwards.

Your body will adapt to greater food intake over time and that current amount will no longer be “force feeding”. Stopping that process to diet down could very well keep you from adjusting to a greater food intake.

It helps to avoid thinking only short term. If my goal is to be bigger, allowing my body to adapt to a greater food intake would be desirable, not something to avoid.

Changes like that DO NOT happen in one month or less. If I had quit force-feeding after one month, I’d still be 150 and wonder what the hell was up.

I also get tired of these yo-yo bulking/cuts I see, and the phrase like “gives your body a break”. Do you seriously think your body will slow down or something after months of bulking? If this is the case, I’m a FREAK. Also, this shit isn’t linear.

Why the hell would you only spend only 10 months a year or less bulking? What’s the point in wasting the precious time you have? It’s not like you’ll be able to gain weight as you get older compared to your 20s.

WHY WASTE TIME?

How are you guys not turning into complete fatasses? What if your trying to bang fine girls for instance if your in college. In that case I think bulking/cutting cycles would be ok as long as your lifting bigger numbers each time. Just to maintain a decent bodyfat percentage like 7-10%?[/quote]

It’s obvious when people have no idea what real bodyfat percentages are. 7-10% is VERY lean for the average person walking around. You probably do not even know anyone who walks around at less than 7%

[quote]GuerillaZen wrote:

It’s obvious when people have no idea what real bodyfat percentages are. 7-10% is VERY lean for the average person walking around. You probably do not even know anyone who walks around at less than 7%

[/quote]

Im talking from my experience with bodyfat calipers. I normally start seeing abs around 9 and get very lean looking around 5. Again this is using a caliper measurement and bodyfat % formula.

Anyways it could be 10-15% or whatever, were talking about maintaining a decent level of conditioning here not what your bodyfat % is.

Understand your point. I just get fed-up when people throw numbers like that around as decent (when in reality that is VERY lean) because I’m busting my ass to bring my BF% down to a “decent” 12-14%. It’s not just you. It happens here constantly.

[quote]derek wrote:
I’ve used this before but…

Next time you go on vacation, drive 4 hours south, then, just to give yourself a break, drive north for 2 hours. Drive another 4 south, 2 north etc. and see how much time it takes to get to your destination.[/quote]

A normal 8 hr trip would take 16 hrs, would take twice as long. However you’re not calculating in the time savings of the shorter trip with a V8 and the longer trip with a Civic (gas stoppings), same as having to diet down from a higher overall weight… lol, it’s a stretch, I had to come up with something here, your answer was tood good

Yeah thats exactly my point. Say your a novice-intermediate lifter and gain 10lb of lean muscle and 10lb of fat over a 3 or 4 month period of eating in surplus. If you had visible abs around 9% you would end up around 13 or 15%. If your trying to stay in decent shape for dating fine girls and what not it makes sense to stay within a few months reach of a six-pack.

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
derek wrote:
I’ve used this before but…

Next time you go on vacation, drive 4 hours south, then, just to give yourself a break, drive north for 2 hours. Drive another 4 south, 2 north etc. and see how much time it takes to get to your destination.

A normal 8 hr trip would take 16 hrs, would take twice as long. However you’re not calculating in the time savings of the shorter trip with a V8 and the longer trip with a Civic (gas stoppings), same as having to diet down from a higher overall weight… lol, it’s a stretch, I had to come up with something here, your answer was tood good[/quote]

Nobody is even suggesting that you dive south 2 hours anyways, just that you stop for gas and maybe a pit stop here and there.

[quote]GuerillaZen wrote:
elano wrote:
Short Hoss wrote:
Professor X wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
Arioch wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?

If you can gain 5-1 muscle to fat, why would you stop bulking?

Just to take a break from force feeding yourself and a change of pace. Not saying I’m going to do it, but I have contemplated it.
It’s always nice to have less body fat assuming you won’t look like a rail afterwards.

Your body will adapt to greater food intake over time and that current amount will no longer be “force feeding”. Stopping that process to diet down could very well keep you from adjusting to a greater food intake.

It helps to avoid thinking only short term. If my goal is to be bigger, allowing my body to adapt to a greater food intake would be desirable, not something to avoid.

Changes like that DO NOT happen in one month or less. If I had quit force-feeding after one month, I’d still be 150 and wonder what the hell was up.

I also get tired of these yo-yo bulking/cuts I see, and the phrase like “gives your body a break”. Do you seriously think your body will slow down or something after months of bulking? If this is the case, I’m a FREAK. Also, this shit isn’t linear.

Why the hell would you only spend only 10 months a year or less bulking? What’s the point in wasting the precious time you have? It’s not like you’ll be able to gain weight as you get older compared to your 20s.

WHY WASTE TIME?

How are you guys not turning into complete fatasses? What if your trying to bang fine girls for instance if your in college. In that case I think bulking/cutting cycles would be ok as long as your lifting bigger numbers each time. Just to maintain a decent bodyfat percentage like 7-10%?

It’s obvious when people have no idea what real bodyfat percentages are. 7-10% is VERY lean for the average person walking around. You probably do not even know anyone who walks around at less than 7%

[/quote]

I was thinking the same thing. Also, it’s pretty sad that you think that 7-10% bf is “decent”. 7% bf would be ripped. Heck, some BB’ers are 6% bf ON STAGE!

As far as fine girls, just go for the ones who like big muscles, or prefer the “full house” look. Don’t buy into the nonsense that women require that you be ripped to be attractive.

No one is holding a gun to your head and telling you that you have to bulk for long periods of time though. Maybe staying lean is a bigger priority for you than building muscle. There is nothing wrong with different goals. We’re just being honest about what will actually put on large amounts of muscle. If you aren’t willing to do what is required because it interferes with your primary goal(s), then that’s your choice.

[quote]elano wrote:
Yeah thats exactly my point. Say your a novice-intermediate lifter and gain 10lb of lean muscle and 10lb of fat over a 3 or 4 month period of eating in surplus. If you had visible abs around 9% you would end up around 13 or 15%. If your trying to stay in decent shape for dating fine girls and what not it makes sense to stay within a few months reach of a six-pack.[/quote]

Who is advocating getting fat here? What if you…

Didn’t go “all or nothing” with bulking and maybe paid attention(without obsessing) about your waistline. It’s not rocket science but let’s see…

4 weeks of your template diet and you gained 3 lbs, waist is the same as it was and your lifts are all up 5-20 lbs. Diet stays the same

Same diet but you gained 6 lbs and waist is 1.5 inches too high. Well that’s not acceptable for most so something needs to be ADJUSTED. Don’t chuck the whole diet… subtract some calories from X meal, do 20 minutes of cardio on your off days or post workout. Simple adjustments.

Same diet but you didn’t gain a lb. Well thats not acceptable(unless there is noticeable fat loss) so something needs to be ADJUSTED. Don’t chuck the whole diet… add a few easy calories or bump up your protein intake 10 grams each meal. Simple simple simple

If you are gaining fat at an unacceptable rate then look at the person in the mirror and say “You are an idiot who can’t control his cravings for junk and won’t do any freaking cardio”. Learn to manipulate your off season diet so you are gaining muscle mass at the fastest rate possible, while staying in your acceptable bodyfat range.

College girls man? Have some confidence and talk to her and maybe make her laugh… plenty of fat dudes are getting laid in college so don’t sweat it too much if you go from 9-12% bodyfat.

[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
GuerillaZen wrote:
elano wrote:
Short Hoss wrote:
Professor X wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
Arioch wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
One thing I’ve thought about is what about bulk/cut cycles where you bulk longer than previously stated.

Let’s say 6-8 months, then you cut for 2-3 months while preserving as much muscle as possible. Again, in theory sounds like a decent idea.

You gain let’s say 30 lbs with say maybe 5 being fat. Then you cut for 2 months losing the fat you gained plus a little more and then get back into gaining. You’ll be leaner and ready for the next bulk while having the best of both worlds.

Seems like it would also give your body a break from the constant bombardment of nutrients.

Again, in theory sounds decent, thoughts?

If you can gain 5-1 muscle to fat, why would you stop bulking?

Just to take a break from force feeding yourself and a change of pace. Not saying I’m going to do it, but I have contemplated it.
It’s always nice to have less body fat assuming you won’t look like a rail afterwards.

Your body will adapt to greater food intake over time and that current amount will no longer be “force feeding”. Stopping that process to diet down could very well keep you from adjusting to a greater food intake.

It helps to avoid thinking only short term. If my goal is to be bigger, allowing my body to adapt to a greater food intake would be desirable, not something to avoid.

Changes like that DO NOT happen in one month or less. If I had quit force-feeding after one month, I’d still be 150 and wonder what the hell was up.

I also get tired of these yo-yo bulking/cuts I see, and the phrase like “gives your body a break”. Do you seriously think your body will slow down or something after months of bulking? If this is the case, I’m a FREAK. Also, this shit isn’t linear.

Why the hell would you only spend only 10 months a year or less bulking? What’s the point in wasting the precious time you have? It’s not like you’ll be able to gain weight as you get older compared to your 20s.

WHY WASTE TIME?

How are you guys not turning into complete fatasses? What if your trying to bang fine girls for instance if your in college. In that case I think bulking/cutting cycles would be ok as long as your lifting bigger numbers each time. Just to maintain a decent bodyfat percentage like 7-10%?

It’s obvious when people have no idea what real bodyfat percentages are. 7-10% is VERY lean for the average person walking around. You probably do not even know anyone who walks around at less than 7%

I was thinking the same thing. Also, it’s pretty sad that you think that 7-10% bf is “decent”. 7% bf would be ripped. Heck, some BB’ers are 6% bf ON STAGE!

As far as fine girls, just go for the ones who like big muscles, or prefer the “full house” look. Don’t buy into the nonsense that women require that you be ripped to be attractive.

No one is holding a gun to your head and telling you that you have to bulk for long periods of time though. Maybe staying lean is a bigger priority for you than building muscle. There is nothing wrong with different goals. We’re just being honest about what will actually put on large amounts of muscle. If you aren’t willing to do what is required because it interferes with your primary goal(s), then that’s your choice.[/quote]

First of all I am talking about being ripped up with some abs.

Again I was just throwing 7-10% out there, It could be 15-20% or 10-25% or whatever, my point is that I dont think its necessary to carry an extra 10-20lbs of fat for the sake of adding mass when you can do without it.

If your fine with 10-20lbs of extra flab on your stomach thats fine. Were talking about people who are trying to stay relatively lean. This could be for any reason like sports, bodybuilding, weightlifting classes, girls, whatever.

[quote]Scott M wrote:
elano wrote:
Yeah thats exactly my point. Say your a novice-intermediate lifter and gain 10lb of lean muscle and 10lb of fat over a 3 or 4 month period of eating in surplus. If you had visible abs around 9% you would end up around 13 or 15%. If your trying to stay in decent shape for dating fine girls and what not it makes sense to stay within a few months reach of a six-pack.

Who is advocating getting fat here? What if you…

Didn’t go “all or nothing” with bulking and maybe paid attention(without obsessing) about your waistline. It’s not rocket science but let’s see…

4 weeks of your template diet and you gained 3 lbs, waist is the same as it was and your lifts are all up 5-20 lbs. Diet stays the same

Same diet but you gained 6 lbs and waist is 1.5 inches too high. Well that’s not acceptable for most so something needs to be ADJUSTED. Don’t chuck the whole diet… subtract some calories from X meal, do 20 minutes of cardio on your off days or post workout. Simple adjustments.

Same diet but you didn’t gain a lb. Well thats not acceptable(unless there is noticeable fat loss) so something needs to be ADJUSTED. Don’t chuck the whole diet… add a few easy calories or bump up your protein intake 10 grams each meal. Simple simple simple

If you are gaining fat at an unacceptable rate then look at the person in the mirror and say “You are an idiot who can’t control his cravings for junk and won’t do any freaking cardio”. Learn to manipulate your off season diet so you are gaining muscle mass at the fastest rate possible, while staying in your acceptable bodyfat range.

College girls man? Have some confidence and talk to her and maybe make her laugh… plenty of fat dudes are getting laid in college so don’t sweat it too much if you go from 9-12% bodyfat.
[/quote]

Dude, thats totally fine too if you can do that. I personally have a hard time eating clean for a long time, I can usually only do it for a couple of months before I start eating dirty again.

9-12% is fine too, but when your around 13 or 14 you might feel like your getting too chubby so you keep lifting heavy and do more cardio and eat in deficit until your back around 9, then continue adding mass like normal. The lifts keep going up and the lbs of muscle too. I have found it easier for me to focus on one goal at a time. When im trying to gain mass I try to eat ~3000 calories per day which is 500 over my estimated expenditure, but some days I may eat 4000 or 5000. Do that every now and then and you have extra calories being stored as fat.