Here are some basic guidelines you can use that are based on body fat percentages for men and women to determine if you should cut or bulk: Typically, with women, diet to 17-22% BF and bulk back up to 24-27% BF and repeat. It depends on what you currently want, because in the end you will get to your goal one way or another, so decide on what you prefer now and work on it. Women can bulk and cut just like men do, it's not a gender specific thing. Research hits back at science's central pillar: it's possible to add size and cut fat . The Bottom Line on Whether You Should Cut or Bulk. This is the simplest advice you can use to bulk up fast without getting fat at the same time! 8 Weeks Female Bodybuilding Workout Plan for Beginners WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE CUT FOR SUMMER So I build a lot of mass and then cut because I don't want to do a bunch of switching from bulking and cutting. A fairly common question and one that I’ve gotten a number of times is whether or not you should bulk or cut first. I think your points on the psychological effects of bulking for women is spot on. not for nothing- but bulking/cutting for women is pretty much the same for men. If you want to build muscle and lose fat, there are 3 options for you to choose from: Bulk Bulking is a term used to describe a muscle building phase. Results 1 to 10 of 10 Thread: About 24% body fat: bulk or ... More often than not most women should bulk. — You want enough uninterrupted time to gain a meaningful amount of muscle before you need to cut. Bodybuilding for women beginners should focus on full-body workouts that eventually progress to an intermediate-level split body workout of upper vs. lower. Though this muscle mass typically comes back rather quickly, it's still 6-8 weeks of time lost on each bulk. Stop bulking and cut loose. The term “lean bulking” is a bit unnecessary when you consider it should rarely be someone’s goal to “fat bulk.” There’s also the concept of “dirty bulking,” which is a term for bulking without a care for how much fat is gain in the process. The ideal of bulking and cutting is different depending on the woman’s goal, just like it is for a man. As I said in #4 above, you need to eat enough calories to gain weight if you want to bulk up… so if you’re burning calories like a mad man doing cardio 2-3x per week, then it’s going to be very hard to make gains. Traditionally, most muscle is gained in the 8 to 12 rep range. After struggling for years to find an exercise and diet program that is tailored to women striving for lean and toned body with no bulk she designed her Lean Legs Program. That’s why I recommend only one day of cardio per week while bulking. There are right and wrong ways to bulk and cut. This program is tailored to each body type and focused on helping women get … How To Bulk And Cut Female Preferably youll slash an even amount from each so if you still have 400 calories to cut. I used the same formula when I lived at home with my parents and gained over 50 pounds of muscle mass over the course of a year. Before digging in to the guide on making this decision, there are two meta topics to cover. To set out from the get go and explicitly say that you are going to “bulk for 4 months and then cut for 2 months” or “bulk for 1 year and then cut for 3 months” probably isn’t going to do you any real good, as there are too many unpredictable factors at play. That's why I like to call maintenance phases "primer phases." First and most importantly, a good mindset to follow is a quote from John Berardi, PhD's article series "Tailor-Made Nutrition" - "To… then bulk for size. If our trainee continues to stay in bulk-cut-bulk-cut mode, it will take him longer to build muscle during each additional bulk because he now has to take time to regain muscle lost during each cut. When it comes to deciding whether to bulk or cut, this fact is important because it allows you to set realistic expectations. "I think, therefore I am" - Ren Descartes. This phase is literally priming you for future gains. About 24% body fat: bulk or cut for female? Take-home messages. Before we get any further I’d just like to say that the old-school idea of gaining as much weight (generally fat) as possible and then cutting to see what you’re left with is not what I’ll be referring to or recommending here. I’m happy with the results, but I felt horrible towards the end of my bulk and the first few months of cutting were demoralizing. How Long Should You Cut Before Bulking? I’m did a 18 month bulk and a 6 month cut ending this summer. You can start bulking when you hit a certain body fat percentage or level of leanness, or you can simply start bulking at a certain time of year on a regular basis. You’ve probably heard it a million times: “I’m going to eat a ton of calories and put on all this muscle mass, then I’ll cut all my fat away and look shredded and huge.” You know what really happens? Bulk vs Cut vs Recomp. If you have a vacation to the beach coming up in a month or two, then cutting will make the biggest difference in terms of how ‘good’ you look between now and then. Unfortunately, “body recomposition” just doesn’t work once your “newbie gains” have been exhausted. To get the physique you really want, you’re going to have to learn how to cut and bulk, and know when to do which. #5: Cut the cardio. The relaxed bulk guy has to start his cut much earlier. Now, there’s plenty of nuance to this when comparing men and women: Due to our natural hormones, it’s generally more difficult for people with typical female anatomy to gain muscle than people with typical male anatomy. While this is all semantics, the vocabulary used makes a big psychological difference and improves adherence. In order to get chiseled cut muscles, you will have some fat to get rid of, so now is the time to cut down. By Edward Lane. You will also gain a certain amount of body fat. » Bulking phases are best capped at 20% because past this point, the risk to health increases and I’d advise not bulking if you estimate yourself to be 16% body fat or above. 6. calorie deficit for cut. A general guideline that works for many people is to aim to lose body fat at a pace of 1 pound per week without resorting to extreme dieting. Everyone is a little different- you just have to tinker and tinker to get exactly what you want. Monitor your weight workouts every week and see if you are progressing. then cut again. A lot of people make the mistake of changing their training too much when going on a cut. The decision to "bulk" or "cut" is often a very difficult one for trainees to make. So when your abs begin disappearing (around 10% body fat), it’s time to stop. This entails eating an amount of calories that causes a small caloric surplus to exist so that a slow rate of weight gain occurs. Cutting and bulking properly is the most effective way to gain significant amounts of muscle over time. Net Muscle Mass Increases: Slow bulk > Relaxed bulk > Lean bulk. Your body’s insulin sensitivity tends to decline sharply at around 15% body fat—continuing to bulk beyond that point will lead to rapid fat gain. Eat at least 5 meals a day. So bulk/cut/maintain. [2] Assuming your goal is to commit to a focused bulking phase after your cut is over, your fat loss cycle should simply last however long it needs to in order to achieve a body fat percentage of about 12% for men and 18-20% for women. You should eat clean and healthy during both phases and change up your exercise routine for each phase for the best results. This is why most women who are trying to do both at the same time see no results and give up. Bulking And Cutting For Women. In this way, you’ll learn the fundamentals of bodybuilding and classic exercises before taking on more challenging routines. » Cut–bulk phases are typically best kept in the 10–20% body fat range (add 8% for women). The only thing body fat levels impact up to lower body fat levels is testosterone. Posted July 2, 2014. If you do a search on the main site there is tons and tons of info on how to bulk and how to cut. Both men and women can benefit from bulking and cutting, though the time in each phase can look different for both. However, that doesn't mean it's impossible. Because the two go hand in hand. First you need to understand the concept of bulking & cutting. Since estrogen peaks around 25-27% body fat during a caloric deficit (a cut) (Tap), women may want to stop their bulk before they reach this body fat level. His bulk phase is shorter than the slow-bulk guy so the muscle gain is lower, but he achieves a greater overall gain than the lean gains guy. There are a variety of different ways to go about it, so you will have to find what will work for you and your goals. But if you care about being a little flabby, maybe you bulk for 3 months, cut, then bulk for 3 months, cut, etc. For most people who do not compete, bulking and cutting may not be the best thing. Your bulk ends up leaving you… For me, I might bulk for a year before I cut because I want to build more mass than you and I don't give a fuck about being a little flabby during that time. Typically, with men, diet to 10-12% BF and bulk back up to 15-18% BF and repeat . Traditional bulk-and-cut diets are antiquated, inefficient, and just plain stupid. Try not to cheat and over eat. Or think of it as a "transition" phase between bulking and cutting, or a "strength" phase. This is a recipe to lose hard-earned muscle gained during a bulk. My best advice for most people would be to cut until you’re lean enough to have some definition in your midsection, around 10-12% body fat for men and 16-19% for women. According to Mark Sisson, author of "Primal Blueprint Fitness," it's a lot harder for women to bulk up than it is for men, as women have much lower levels of the muscle-building hormone testosterone. If you haven’t already read Bulking & Cutting For Women, it’s worth doing so before you delve into this guide.. With that said, if you already have a good understanding of the bulking and cutting process, you can skip the above guide and continue reading this guide to bulking for women. You have to do gaining muscle and losing fat in phases. Q_est. What you don’t want to do when starting a cut is to suddenly drop the weights and only use a high rep routine. The difference is that women tend to want to become tone instead of actually bulking up. For most I recommend bulking for 2-3 months, then cut for however long you need to get rid of the fat you gained during the bulking phase. BULKING SUMMARY: Eat CLEAN foods every 3-4 hrs, with complex carbs. Alternate bulk and cut cycles throughout the year and you’ll manage a balance of muscle gain and fat loss. Just the numbers are different. [1] We have a lot of factors (such as hormonal birth control) that have been proven to make it even harder as well. Q_est. The Bottom Line. For men, it's thought to be below 1,500 calories; for women, it could fall below 1,200 calories of deficit. Make your meals balanced with protein, carbs and fat. Since it takes longer for women to build muscle since they don’t have the number of testosterone men have, they will have to bulk longer. My Mom was a tough negotiator and only agreed to shop for my breakfast, lunch and dinner. 4. While many women want to lose weight and get fitter, others want to bulk up, whether for aesthetic reasons or to improve sporting performance. 02-04-2013, 03:40 PM #5. chelle21689. Even if maintenance is shorter–like a few weeks– it’s better than going from a deficit to a surplus (which is not recommended). This guarantees maximum muscle retention during the following cut. 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