Bulk or cut?

_scalpel_

New Member
I'm 5'6'' weighing around 160 lbs, I'm in my third HST cycle now, in my first week of 5s. I think i'm around 15-17%BF since i can see outlines of my abs, but its obivious I have a bit of a belly.

I wonder where you guys think I should go? Cut or bulk first? My goal is to be around 170 lbs around 10-12% BF (for now).

My diet has been somewhere in between cutting and bulking, but when I did a cutting cycle a few months back I think I lost a lot of muscle, but when I bulked up, I think I gained fat since my waistline increased by around 3/4 inches..
 
You could be my twin. Exact same height, weight, body fat, third cycle (well, I've transitioned into 3x5 strength training, but still...) I have the same dilemma. I want more size and strength -- bulk/eat more. But the gut has me saying to myself, "Man, you need to cut already!!!"

Sometimes, I think I'm schizophrenic about it!
 
If it's fall where you are, then bulk.

Either way you decide, keep a daily journal of calories and shoot to lose or gain no more than a pound a week.
 
Joe Muscle's advice is pretty good, get some skin-fold calipers and find out your actual BF%, instead of just guessing. You're not that far away from your goal, your LBM (lean body mass) right now is about 136 (scale weight minus bodyfat), you want your LBM to be around 155-160lb, plus about 12% of that to be bodyfat.

So I say bulk up to a scale weight of about 175lb, which will probably take two 8 week HST cycles, trying to put on as little bodyfat as possible while bulking, and then cut. By the time you get down to 10%BF and you retained the muscle you gained, you should have achieved your goal.
 
Bulk first, cut later. Peakpower's advice is right on. Bulk slowly for multiple cycles until you are as big as you want to be, then cut slowly until you are as lean as you want to be. Bulk, cut, bulk, cut, will only slow down the process. I believe in doing LOOOONG bulks and then cutting down to target bodyfat.
 
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