Bulk straight into a cut?

[Crysis]

Right now I am bulking and the plan is to keep bulking till at least January. But I've been thinking on bulking until I start cutting in April, normally I would do 2 to 3 months on maintenance before I start my cut, but I would like to hear pro's and cons for either keep bulking or do maintenance before I start my cut. So I'm curious to hear other people's experience.

 

[dk8594]

My general rule of thumb is to bulk until my abs become more of a 4 pack. Then it’s time to change course.

i interpret maintenance as neither gaining nor losing, which I do after a cut in the summer when I have my shirt off often. For the rest of the year it’s pointless. We aren’t in this game so we can stay the same.

 

[Crysis]

My general rule of thumb is to bulk until my abs become more of a 4 pack. Then it’s time to change course.

i interpret maintenance as neither gaining nor losing, which I do after a cut in the summer when I have my shirt off often. For the rest of the year it’s pointless. We aren’t in this game so we can stay the same.

Yeah but neither gaining or losing doesn't mean you can't book progress and for me gaining weight has it's disadvantages at work. But now during Corona it's a bit different.

 

[dk8594]

Yeah but neither gaining or losing doesn't mean you can't book progress and for me gaining weight has it's disadvantages at work. But now during Corona it's a bit different.

We might be losing something in translation.

I was referring to what you were calling maintenance as the process of maintaining or preserving something. Are you defining maintenance as progression?

 

[Crysis]

We might be losing something in translation.

I was referring to what you were calling maintenance as the process of maintaining or preserving something. Are you defining maintenance as progression?

Not in the sense of getting gains but i can still get stronger. But the main point for me always doing maintenance in between is at some point I'm pretty much done with pounding away so much cals and before I dive in a cut where I'm always going to be hungry I give myself and my body a break.

 

[Charger69]

First off, bulking until April is not recommended. IMO you will have been on cycle way to long and I think that the gains will drastically diminish.
I also do not like the idea of bulking and then cutting because you have a tendency to lose most of what you just gained.
The maintenance you are referring to is what I call homeostasis. Your body always wants to reach homeostasis. This is the main reason that I do phase cycling.
After bulking, you will lose some weight while your body strives to reach homeostasis. Let your body get back to this state and cut.
I am starting a bulk, then 6 weeks of “maintenance “ and then a 12 week cut for a competition.

 

[Crysis]

First off, bulking until April is not recommended. IMO you will have been on cycle way to long and I think that the gains will drastically diminish.
I also do not like the idea of bulking and then cutting because you have a tendency to lose most of what you just gained.
The maintenance you are referring to is what I call homeostasis. Your body always wants to reach homeostasis. This is the main reason that I do phase cycling.
After bulking, you will lose some weight while your body strives to reach homeostasis. Let your body get back to this state and cut.
I am starting a bulk, then 6 weeks of “maintenance “ and then a 12 week cut for a competition.

Yeah that's my main worry that if i keep bulking that my cut will be more aggressive and bottom line is that it doesn't add much . That's why I wanted to hear some thoughts from other people.

 

[Jin]

Not in the sense of getting gains but i can still get stronger. But the main point for me always doing maintenance in between is at some point I'm pretty much done with pounding away so much cals and before I dive in a cut where I'm always going to be hungry I give myself and my body a break.

This.

Body needs to get used to the new composition. I wouldn’t suggest going straight into a cut from a bulk.

 

[JAXNY]

Pretty much personal preference and what ever works well for you, everyone reacts differently.
I personally bulk, cut, maintain. Thats my yearly cycle.
Bulk in the fall, go directly into a cut in the spring and maintain through out the summer.
You have to figure out what works best for your body.
What works well for one guy may not work well for another. And then on top of that, as you get older your body will begin to react differently from what it used to, so you have always be adjusting some.

 

[Charger69]

Not in the sense of getting gains but i can still get stronger. But the main point for me always doing maintenance in between is at some point I'm pretty much done with pounding away so much cals and before I dive in a cut where I'm always going to be hungry I give myself and my body a break.

You don’t have a good diet if your always going to be hungry when cutting.

 

[Charger69]

Pretty much personal preference and what ever works well for you, everyone reacts differently.
I personally bulk, cut, maintain. Thats my yearly cycle.
Bulk in the fall, go directly into a cut in the spring and maintain through out the summer.
You have to figure out what works best for your body.
What works well for one guy may not work well for another. And then on top of that, as you get older your body will begin to react differently from what it used to, so you have always be adjusting some.

Yes everyone reacts differently, however if you tried to reach homeostasis prior to cutting, I guarantee you that you will have gained more muscle- assuming a good diet.

 

[JAXNY]

Yes everyone reacts differently, however if you tried to reach homeostasis prior to cutting, I guarantee you that you will have gained more muscle- assuming a good diet.

Idk, I seem to do very well, and I have plenty of muscle.

 

[dragon1952]

Pretty much personal preference and what ever works well for you, everyone reacts differently.
I personally bulk, cut, maintain. Thats my yearly cycle.
Bulk in the fall, go directly into a cut in the spring and maintain through out the summer.
You have to figure out what works best for your body.
What works well for one guy may not work well for another. And then on top of that, as you get older your body will begin to react differently from what it used to, so you have always be adjusting some.

Does your cut involve any kind of gear?

 

[JAXNY]

It can be done either way. With or without.
Most of the time I do use something.

 

[John Ziegler]

whenever I drop it back down to trt level (125mgs), looks like a cut within a few weeks at anyrate in my experience

 

[BrotherIron]

This.

Body needs to get used to the new composition. I wouldn’t suggest going straight into a cut from a bulk.

This... I am of the old school of thought which is after a bulk, you maintain that weight for a period to change your body's set point. After that you can start cutting. If you're body has held the weight long enough you'll drop it all when you cut.

 

[Crysis]

You don’t have a good diet if your always going to be hungry when cutting.

Why ? You're in a deficit so to me it sounds pretty normal to be hungry. I have never met someone who did a decent cut who wasn't hungry most of the time. And a lot of bodybuilders that I follow especially now 3 weeks before the Olympia all talk about being hungry.

 

[Trump]

i am rarely hungry if on a diet, I eat a shit ton of food just better choices

Why ? You're in a deficit so to me it sounds pretty normal to be hungry. I have never met someone who did a decent cut who wasn't hungry most of the time. And a lot of bodybuilders that I follow especially now 3 weeks before the Olympia all talk about being hungry.

 

[JAXNY]

You don’t have a good diet if your always going to be hungry when cutting.

If you weren't hungry while going through a cutting diet.....I'm not so sure that you were on a real cutting diet.

 

[Charger69]

If you weren't hungry while going through a cutting diet.....I'm not so sure that you were on a real cutting diet.

In your case, you probably are hungry because you go immediately from a surplus (bulking) to a deficit (cutting). Your body is accustomed to eating more and you do not reach the maintenance homeostasis.
I compete and go into single digits body weight but I do not get hungry on the diet. I just eat better quality food. The worst part is every now and then you get a craving for some worthless food because you are eating so clean.
It also depends on how much of a deficit you are on as to how hungry you get. I usually take a 12 week cut I to a show so my deficit is not so much. I adjust my cardio to match my desired weight loss and not my diet. I also eat every couple of hours.
I am sure I would be hungry if I were to drop from 4000 calories to 2000 or less.
Note: I use the term weight loss meaning fat loss. I really don’t care about my weight, just my fat content.