when do you decide to cut?

I

imported_ed2020

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At what point do you decide to cut and stop bulking? Do you rely primarily on the mirror, or is there, for example, an X % of bodyfat, past which makes it harder to lose the fat?

Never thought id see the day but because of 3-4 cycles of following hst to the letter, I gained about 15lbs (muscle and fat). Ive always found it harder to gain than lose weight, so this for me is some feat.

HST rocks.
ps i hope i posted this in the right forum
 
Congrats on your gains!! While this is all up to personal preference, for myself and many others, we bulk up to about 15% and then spend a cycle or part of it cutting back down to 10-12% or lower. This keeps BF levels in control without leaving stretch marks and just making things too hard for yourself.
 
to me 15% sounds kind of high. not knocking what you said, but usually I bulk up to 12 or 13, max.

I have a similar question, is it ok to switch from bulk to cut or vice versa mid cycle? i would imagine there is no reason not to.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (sentricyphen @ Aug. 18 2004,9:48)]to me 15% sounds kind of high. not knocking what you said, but usually I bulk up to 12 or 13, max.
I have a similar question, is it ok to switch from bulk to cut or vice versa mid cycle? i would imagine there is no reason not to.
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Check out the FAQ and see what is suggested for yourself!!

You can cut anytime you want. Probably best done at the beginning of a cycle.
 
I never purposely bulk or cut. Circumstances such as a prolonged business trip usually acts like a cutting period for me. I keep eating at 300 to 500 calories over maintenance when I can. Some people balloon up and down like YoYo dieters. I don't think that is very healthy. I would rather gain 10 pounds over a year than gain 25 pounds and lose 15 pounds several times over a year. Not good for your internal organs!
 
I have no peers!

:) :D
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i think it's really personal preference.

i am cutting down now.... i have NEVER cut before. so it'll be interesting to see what'd i've done... when i get to 5-8 % bodyfat i'd imagine i'll just try to keep below 10-12 % so abs are present or in easy reach.
 
The way I look at it, I have to loose the fat I have to loose anyways.

The question is whether doing long bulk/cuts is more effective than short ones. If there is no real difference, I'm better off doing short cuts more often and keep a low bf.

In my experience, there is no real disadvantage to do short cuts than long cuts. So I prefer to do short cuts, like 2-3 weeks more often. It's also less boring than having to cut for an entire 6+ weeks in a row.
 
heavy duty dude - reading your post relieved me. i don't want to cut for 6-8 weeks! i want to cut a little bit of the fat because i'm not satisfied with my bodyfat right now.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]You can cut anytime you want. Probably best done at the beginning of a cycle.
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babya.. you mean cutting calories during 15s and 10s? and maybe as you get closer to the 5s, slowly increase calories?

thanks in advanced :D
 
ya skinnyman, that was something I was tinkering with last year. Not to say it didn't work or that I didn't like it, but I do feel that now the best way for ME to cut is to devote an entire cycle to either cutting or bulking. Or you could look into the UD2 at Lyle's site.
 
That's what I plan to do. I am starting to gain some fat. I'm the fattest I've ever been in my life right now, I'm imagining probably around 12% or so. I can still see my abs somewhat. Anyway, I've been thinking about using the 15s to cut, but decided I'd rather gain some more mass first, bring up the areas I'm not happy with, then just devote an entire cycle to cutting.

UD2.0 sounds kind of cool.
 
i got a masterplan though ..
i'll cut until i get the bodyfat i'm comfortable with (no big belly...)
then..when i'm finished with it and go to bulking, i'll just add HIIT and some green tea to keep fat at bay so i'll be spending most of the year bulking without gaining too much bodyfat . how's that?
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i'm about to end my cycle now and jump to cutting right away.
can't wait to get these flabs off.
 
Curiously, is everyones reason for cutting the "gut" or is it all round ripness? I'm really happy with my whole body right now (could be bigger
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) but I'm worried about my gut gettin any bigger.
 
al, people cut for both reasons...we are lifting to look stronger and covering the muscle with fat just makes you look like a fat guy.
 
I cut when I can't see the cluster of veins in my shoulders pop out when I do side bends. Man I love to watch those veins pop out. It looks like some freaky cgi speacial effects horror movie stuff. That's my motivation to stay lean and get through cutting.
 
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