lowering BF% before bulking?

[Scarface30]

I was just reading this article I had found online and it was talking about bulking. it said that before you bulk up, you should have been dieting/cutting weight for a little bit, it said to do this for the reason that when you bulk up starting at a higher BF% your body tends to store more fat then if you were to bulk up starting at a lower BF%. I was just wondering if this had any truth behind it or if it was just a bunch of bullshit?

 

[P-funk]

a) if you have a high body fat, you are already bulky. What more are you going to bulk up? When we increase calories, we increase weight. Some of that weight is muscle (we hope..if we do things right) and some of that weight is fat (which we try and limit). If your body fat is high and you start to bulk, you are going to add more fat. So, you may want to try and lower your body fat a little bit before going the other way.

b) when you start to bulk following a period of lowered calories (hypocaloric), your body naturally wants to put back on weight once you start to raise calories (hypercaloric). Basically, coming from that semi-starved state can be helpful in your lean tissue gain if you set your plan up properly.

 

[CowPimp]

I think that one should limit peak body fat percentage on a bulk because adipocytes (Fat cells) work to convert testosterone to estrogen, which is not favorable when trying to create an anabolic environment (An environment geared toward tissue growth).

 

[Scarface30]

okay thanks, because I was considering bulking over the summer and then read that article, and realised that my BF% is not too low and thought I might store more fat than wanted

 

[MUbodbuilder]

since this is the case i would say go for a slow cut. you can still gain strength and muscle while cutting if your strict on yourself. just lower your cals about 200 and increase weekly activity-walk when you can, bike, or jog to places you normally dont. also eating the right food makes all the difference. lean meats and slow digesting carbs:chicken, tuna, 95%lean beef, oats, grits, 7grain bread, veggies. might also be a good idea to start getting away from dairy and fruits.

 

[buening]

Check out "When to bulk up and when to cut down" section of the following website. This guy is one of the top nutrition/trainers right now. When he speaks I listen

John Berardi - Appetite For Construction, Jul 27 2001