Bulk or cut first?

[LeeKenn]

I am in what is probably a much more normal position than people would like to admit ;-) Having been a kind of on-off weight lifter for about a year or so now, I have been slacking pretty awfully over the last month or two. When it comes to muscle and fat, I don't really have that much of either, but I have less muscle and more fat than I'd like!

I'm 5 feet 9 inches, 155 lbs and last time I checked my bodyfat was 18%. My ultimate goal, which I hope to achieve in four to five years, is to reach 190 lbs, with maybe 8 to 10% bodyfat. As for the actual training, I think I've got that covered in terms of research, but one thing I'm not really sure of is whether I should start a project like this with a bulking phase or a cutting phase? That is, should I eliminate as much bodyfat as possible first so my percentage never gets too high (I don't really ever want to go past 20%), or should I start with a bulking phase to get the extra fat burning capabilities of some fresh muscle-fibre?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Have a top day!

 

[PushAndPull]

I wouldn't do either. When I started working out again I was about 25lbs over weight. Instead of bulking or cutting I did a maintenance diet. My gains were better than any bulking cycle I had ever done before. I'm positive some of the gains were muscle memory but definitely not all since i've definitely become stronger and bigger than before in some areas. If I took away the muscle memory gains it's still my best bulking cycle. Of course i've never been this heavy before so perhaps my pervious bulking cycles I didn't get fat enough. My conclusion, if you're fat (not obese) then you are already "bulking", and just workout, enjoy the gains you make, wait untill you plateau and then begin cutting. If you're obese(doesn't sound like you are), start cutting.

 

[CowPimp]

Honestly, no matter what opinion anyone gives you on here, you can only do what you are capable of handling as far as self-image. Really, we all battle with this constantly, and it's something you have to decide for yourself.

If I HAD to make a recommendation, I would cut first, but that's because I don't really like to be over about 15%. At a certain point it does become counter-productive because adipose tissue is a conversion site for testosterone to estrogen.

 

[jason81]

I think you need to cut some fat first. Just have a body fat percentage between 12-14 and start bulking again. If you start bulking with a lot of fat you may find it difficult to cut afterwards as you will get some fat on bulking even if you are on a strict diet.

 

[NJ-Surfer]

According to Lyle McDonald:

"Only try to add mass/bulk after you hit the top end body fat percentage. So that???s about 15% body fat for men and 24-27% body fat for women. What this would mean in practice is that you diet to 10-12% body fat for men (22-24% for women), eat at maintenance for two weeks to try and normalize things, and then add mass until you hit 15% body fat for men (22-24% for women) and then diet back down. Over a number of cycles, you should be able to increase your muscle mass while keeping body fat under control"

Here is the full article, give it a read: Initial Body Fat and Body Composition Changes | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald

 

[suprfast]

I would first address your diet then workout on a bulk. That is just me. It also depends on what your end goals are. If you want to be 190lbs and you are 155 you have no choice but to eat, but eat smart.
kris

 

[juggernaut]

My asuggestions would be to cut to 9%. Then bulk. but bulk intelligently. Dont be pig when bulking. Choose a correct range to start with-500 calories is a good start making it mostly fat and protein. For cutting, you can try the PSMF.

 

[Cindy007]

I just want to say that I love the respect on this board. The fact that no one's saying that their answer's the best.

Personally, being an endomorph, you'd think the first thing I'd want to do is cut. However, since at one point I hadn't been weight training regularly for a while, my body was begging to add more muscle than I ever had before. So, I just kept the training strict, calories and carbs low, the protein high, and BAM - I looked better in a month than I have my whole life.

It's all about trial and error. You might need this to figure out your program. It's taken me a while, but hopefully you'll learn quick. Good luck!