cut in the 15s, bulk in 10s & 5s?

jwbond

New Member
since the 15s are more to get your joints/tendons use to the loads and not to add muscle, why not cut during them? 15s are good for burning cals, but not building mass so why not make the most of it?
bulking in the 10s and 5s is a no brainer (unless you are purposely cutting of coarse). but why not cut in the 15s and bulk in the 10s and 5s if you are content with your bodayfat %?
 
I thought of that before too.
I would be curious to hear if others have done this or why it would or wouldn't work.
 
the only reason i can think of why not to do it would be how long the body takes to change from putting on weight to losing it and vice versa.

if the body takes say 2-3 days to change from losing weight to gaining then you are losing some time there, but that is the only reason i can think of not to do this.
 
I dont see why you would want to do that. If you cut during the 15s and bulk during the 10s and 5s you will probably wind up right where you were at the begining of the cycle. If you plan on putting mass on there is no reason to cut during the 15s it would just be a waste of time.

Joe G
 
Ok, how is it different to bulking for a cycle, then cutting whilst continuing the heavy weights?

It's lifting weights and food intake, right?

So 2 weeks of cutting, followed by 6 weeks of bulking.

The only problem I see is that you might lost a bit of muscle whilst cutting without the heavy weights.
 
I have actually tried this a few times and that is precisely the problem that I have encountered -- losing muscle. Now, I tend to have a hard time hanging onto my gains when I'm under a caloric deficit anyway, so I might not be the best person to judge this approach. However, in my experience, it is better to cut during the heavier weights (2nd week of 10s and 5s), especially if you tend to lose muscle while dieting/cutting.

Recently, I have been finishing my bulking cycle, taking an abbreviated SD (10-12 days) and then starting back in the tens (2nd week or so) for a short cutting cycle (usually 4 or 5 weeks). Then I do a full SD, which, for me, is 17 days. Then I start back in the 15s for my next bulking cycle. So far it is the best approach I have tried for preserving muscle while cutting.
 
As I see it, there are basically two isssues here;
1. Two weeks is a relatively short period of time, it might not be enough for proper cutting.
2. Heavier weights tend to preserve muscle better.

Why not follow the general recommendation? That is, a normal cycle without SD prior to it. You can skip the 15's if you like, and then you go on until you are happy. If 4 weeks is enough, it will be 2 weeks of 10's and 2 weeks of 5's.

I also like semajes' approach. A shorter SD before cutting could be useful for CNS recovery and/or joint healing.
 
I agree with Jester and 9to5, the 15s are a bad time for cutting. If anything, I would do a bulk throughout the cycle and starting during the negatives, if I was going to do that. Although if it were me, rather than switching from a bulk straight to a cut, I would drop down to maintenance for a few weeks, keep at the weights, and once I'd spent a bit of time at maintenance, then I would star to cut.

I do not think the 15s alone are good for cutting. If you intersperse them with 10s or 5s, it is better, in my opinion.
 
What Totentanz said about staying at maintenance for a few days is very important. If you were to go from a caloric surplus to a caloric deficit immediately, you'd probably starve to death (let alone other physiological issues)! The opposite is not recommended, too.
 
So the majority opinion is to NOT do either (cut/bulk and vice versa) during a cycle no matter what?

I'm currently trying to do a cutting cycle, and was thinking of going into a bulking cycle at the end of 5's (and that coincides with thanksgiving!!! I can't help but eat then!). I'm not going to go nuts, but would slowly up my calorie intake during that time to a bulking amount so that by my next cycle in winter, I can do a real full bulking cycle. (During SD,somewhat above maintenance) Adviseable? Or no?
 
Just make sure you take it slow. Remember, when you are cutting there is a significant metabolic slow-down. So if you increase the calories too quickly, you will regain fat almost immediately...
 
To bulk and cut in the same cycle, I'd do this:

15s, 10s, 5s, post 5s/5RM are also bulked.

Extend the post 5s/5RM for 4-6 weeks when cutting, longer if you love lifting heavy weights.
 
Jester...kinda confused on your post...could you clarify it? are u saying cut during an extended 2-4 weeks of the 5's and only bulk otherwise? I'm going for the reverse: cut then bulk...
 
Yes, that is what he is saying, because cutting during the 15s will cause you to lose muscle, whereas the post-5s will spare mass while cutting.
 
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