When to stop bulking & start cutting? (skinny guy)

R

RP350Z

New Member
I'm a little confused with the whole bulking then cutting principal. I'm 6'0 156lbs. I'm on my second cycle of HST and this cycle I'm bulking. I started this cycle at 145lbs and I'm going to be starting my 5th of the 8 week cycle tomorrow and I'm at 156lbs now. My goal weight is 165. I was dissapointed with muscle growth my first HST cycle but I've got only myself to blame. I didn't put on any weight when doing the first cycle so my gains were mostly more defined muscles and I got a bit stronger.

This cycle I want to get bigger BAD. So I'm bulking, taking in approximately 3500cals a day and I've been gaining anywhere from 1 - 2 lbs a week. My question is, once I hit 165lbs by then I will be on my 3rd cycle of HST. Do I need to constantly be putting on weight to gain muscle or can I stay around 165 and the extra fat I have on my body be sufficient to produce muscle tissue?

Also, after I finish bulking when should I start cutting so I can get rid of the excess fat around my muscles? Is there a way to figure out about how much weight I will loose when cutting in order to get that "ripped" look? Say for instance I want to be 165lbs after cutting should I bulk to say 170 or 175?
Thanks for the help.

Ryan
 
personally I have never been a fan of the bulking-cutting principle...

That is if you mean bulking is going to >12% bf, and cutting is 6% or less.

I personally prefer to stick around 8-10%, and that makes cutting to 6% an 8 week job.

Get your bf-percentage measured, so you have an indication on what your lean body mass is, and your fat weight. That way you'll know how much weight you'll have to lose approximately to get to a certain fat % level.

When you know that, aim for a 1lbs/2 weeks fat loss (which is considerable!), and you know how long it will take you to achieve your goal while keepin muscle mass. You can go faster, but the chances you'll lose muscle are bigger.

daxy
 
Amen.


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====> daxie
 
At 6'0 and 156 lbs, you probably have almost no fat on your body anyway, so I would keep bulking. If you are gaining 1-2 lbs a week, I think that is about perfect to minimize fat gain. What bodyfat % are you shooting for? Since your goals aren't to get that huge, I would just go up to 170 as you said, then eat at your new maintenance level and do plenty of HST and cardio to get back down to around 165.

And just so you know, at 6'0 you could probably get a lot bigger than 165 naturally, especially if you keep your diet perfect. But if that is sufficient for your goals, then good for you. You should be able to attain it easily, I think.
 
Its tough at times. I know personally I have been cutting for  a while now. I started out at 200 pounds with a flat stomach and prob 15 % bodyfat and I want to get lean and have abs. I currently weigh about 184 pounds..and while I look way more defined and sculpted my abs are just starting to show. That being said I prob half to cut about 7 more pounds too look really lean.
As a veteran its tough mentally sometimes b/c we all like the way that t-shirt looks and feels when you got some bulk...you know everything just sticks out better and larger...but take that shirt off and then your are like dang...I wish I was leaner...hehe. When you get lean you miss the size....
dang I guess us gym rats are never happy!..lol :D
 
well, personally I was always super skinny, only the bb has managed to give me a body, but still after 5-6 years it is nothing compared to most people...

In the beginning I was also thinking "bulking, bulking"..., but apart from the fact that it just doesn't work for me (highest I ever got was 10,4%), it just didn't feel right, not seeing my abs demotivates me, because for me, and to a lot of people I think, visible abs are a general site of fitness, whether you're a bb'er or a fitnesser.

And to be honest, when your diet is straight, there is just no need to bulk up to 15%. At least I didn't see one yet. Most of the peeps I know with that percentage grow, yes, but they keep having that "chubby" look in my eyes.

As an example, only three weeks ago I had a fotoshoot, fat percentage was around 6%, and now I already find it hard to eat back to 8, and seeing those abs slowly disappear behind a thin layer again.

Try to go to 10% Joe, do it for yourself. If you don't like it, and liked it more before, you can always go back. But I'm sure, once you've been to the "visible ab"-stage, there is no way back :).
Plus reducing the fat won't mean you look less good in a shirt, a better definition often gives a larger aspect than a bulky one.

daxie
 
I find if i eat nicely, ie. some junk and keep my calories above maintenance for 2-3 cycles and then cut for a cycle it keeps abs within site at all time.

i've been "cutting" for probably 3.5 weeks now and i've dropped i'd say close to 2 % bodyfat. about 1 lb a week.
 
Thanks Daxie for the encouragement...I am going to post some pics in the next week or so...its amazing how much weight I have lost and the abs are just now peeping through....i guess 15 pounds ago I thought I only had 10 pounds to go...little did i know is was more like 23 pounds.

Its amazing how your body can change!
 
Thanks for the helpful replies.

daxie
Ive never had my body fat % measured before, but if I were to make an educated guess it's around 10% maybe a little less. However, since bulking I have noticed more fat around my mid-section but I can still see my abs (thank God).

I'm no where near the size I want to be yet, I would guess after I hit 170 it will take me another half a year to get my body where it needs to be (size wise) before I cut.

Totentanz
I'm not sure what body fat % i'm shooting for. Should I get a BF % scale and have a BF % goal also? After I reach 170lbs can my body still grow w/o increasing my weight more?

Joe.Muscle
I'm workin on gettin that t-shirt to fill out. I'm still somewhat small, but filling out decently. I look forward to wearing my medium shirts and having them feel tight showing what's underneith.

Thanks again!

Ryan
 
Basically what daxie said, I couldn't agree more. Sometimes you see people that are HUGE but they have no definition, they may even look fat. Being relatively lean all year round has always been my goal, it gives you that "thick" look, if you know what I mean. It is really annoying if you are embarassed to take off your shirt because of that extra fat. Just my opinion, though...
 
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