Bigmike, if your goal were to severly restrict calories (say half of maintenance), you’d HAVE to use something like Mag-10 or 4 AD-EC to preserve LBM. But other than that you need to save Mag-10 for when you reach 10-12% BF. Berardi has written on the subject of whether it is better to bulk first and then diet (for the reasons you stated, about muscle being more metabolically active) or drop BF first and then bulk. What has proven to be more effective is the later because if you have a high BF percentage and put on one pound, a higher percentage of that pound will be fat. If you’re on the lean side and put on one pound, most of that pound is going to be muscle. The bottom line is at 20% BF, you don’t want to put on 20 pounds, only to find out that half of it was fat. That could very easily happen if you try to bulk at your current BF percentage.
You know, Mag-10 or not, re-reading your post, I wouldn’t mind seeing you add in the Tribex while you’re dieting. That would be a very good thing to do, even if you are waiting until 10-12% to do a cycle.