Bulking/cutting phases

jeff said:

For those of you who do bulking and cutting phases, I am curious
about the extremes and the length of time it takes you to go from one
to the other. How much weight do you typically gain during bulking?
What BF% does that put you at? Then how much do you typically lose,
and how long does it take you to do it?

There is already so much here on bulking / cutting that you most likely
won't get any responses. Just do a search of this ng and you'll find more
than you'll want to read on the subject.

Yes, bulking / cutting is the way to go. You're on the right track.
--
-Larry

Quoting jeff:

Quoted message said:

For those of you who do bulking and cutting phases, I am curious about the
extremes and the length of time it takes you to go from one to the other.
How much weight do you typically gain during bulking? What BF% does that
put you at? Then how much do you typically lose, and how long does it take
you to do it?

Jeff, this is really one of those 'depends' type of questions -- you
could get a wide variety of answers as to the extremes, weight gained,
bf change, and I don't really know how useful the information would be
for you personally.

Specifically, what is it that you're trying to figure out?

In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to diet and
exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can establish bounds for
"reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable expectations."

A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to lose
1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet. So, if someone gains
25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is muslce and 15 is fat,
then they can plan on spending nearly three months in cutting before they
reach optimal condition, and that is if they lose almost no muscle. That
seems like a long time. Or is it? Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during
one cycle?

It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as myself who
is not into competition but wishes to make improvements in size and
appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit about 20% BF, then cut
back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat." It seems obvious, yet I have never
heard anyone propose or debate such a guideline. How do I plan for these
cycles if in general I want to be lean during the summer and bulking in the
winter?

"Suze" <suze_anderson@spamcop/dot/obvious> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoting jeff:

Quoted message said:

For those of you who do bulking and cutting phases, I am curious about

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

extremes and the length of time it takes you to go from one to the other.
How much weight do you typically gain during bulking? What BF% does that
put you at? Then how much do you typically lose, and how long does it

take

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you to do it?

Jeff, this is really one of those 'depends' type of questions -- you
could get a wide variety of answers as to the extremes, weight gained,
bf change, and I don't really know how useful the information would be
for you personally.

Specifically, what is it that you're trying to figure out?

jeff <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to diet
:> and exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can establish
:> bounds for "reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable expectations."
:>
:> A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to
:> lose 1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet. So, if
:> someone gains 25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is
:> muslce and 15 is fat, then they can plan on spending nearly three
:> months in cutting before they reach optimal condition, and that is
:> if they lose almost no muscle. That seems like a long time. Or is
:> it? Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during one cycle?
:>
:> It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as
:> myself who is not into competition but wishes to make improvements
:> in size and appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit about
:> 20% BF, then cut back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat." It seems
:> obvious, yet I have never heard anyone propose or debate such a
:> guideline. How do I plan for these cycles if in general I want to
:> be lean during the summer and bulking in the winter?

Bulking: Eat to gain a lb a week.
Cutting: Eat to lose a lb a week.
(do cardio during cutting phase)

Figure how much time you have til summer. Divide by two. You get what you
get.

Or, just bulk until you feel ready to cut. You're not a pro, so just enjoy
it.

jeff said:

In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to diet and
exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can establish bounds for
"reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable expectations."

A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to lose
1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet. So, if someone gains
25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is muslce and 15 is fat,
then they can plan on spending nearly three months in cutting before they
reach optimal condition, and that is if they lose almost no muscle. That
seems like a long time. Or is it? Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during
one cycle?

It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as myself who
is not into competition but wishes to make improvements in size and
appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit about 20% BF, then cut
back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat." It seems obvious, yet I have never
heard anyone propose or debate such a guideline. How do I plan for these
cycles if in general I want to be lean during the summer and bulking in the
winter?

I've read of cycles where people cut down to 10-12% bf and bulk until
they reach 15%.

--
Jerry

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

jeff <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to diet
:> and exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can establish
:> bounds for "reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable expectations."
:>
:> A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to
:> lose 1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet. So, if
:> someone gains 25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is
:> muslce and 15 is fat, then they can plan on spending nearly three
:> months in cutting before they reach optimal condition, and that is
:> if they lose almost no muscle. That seems like a long time. Or is
:> it? Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during one cycle?
:>
:> It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as
:> myself who is not into competition but wishes to make improvements
:> in size and appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit about
:> 20% BF, then cut back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat." It seems
:> obvious, yet I have never heard anyone propose or debate such a
:> guideline. How do I plan for these cycles if in general I want to
:> be lean during the summer and bulking in the winter?

Bulking: Eat to gain a lb a week.
Cutting: Eat to lose a lb a week.
(do cardio during cutting phase)

Figure how much time you have til summer. Divide by two. You get what
you get.

I *never* lose as fast as I gain. For me it's more like divide by 3; bulk
for that long; cut for the rest of the time.

Hugh

--
Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will attend no other.

Hugh Beyer <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:> news:[email hidden]:
:>
:> > jeff <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> >:> In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to
:> >:> diet and exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can
:> >:> establish bounds for "reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable
:> >:> expectations."
:> >:>
:> >:> A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect
:> >:> to lose 1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet.
:> >:> So, if someone gains 25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which
:> >:> 10 lbs is muslce and 15 is fat, then they can plan on spending
:> >:> nearly three months in cutting before they reach optimal
:> >:> condition, and that is if they lose almost no muscle. That
:> >:> seems like a long time. Or is it? Or is 25 lbs too much too
:> >:> gain during one cycle?
:> >:>
:> >:> It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as
:> >:> myself who is not into competition but wishes to make
:> >:> improvements in size and appearance. For instance: "bulk up
:> >:> until you hit about 20% BF, then cut back to about 10%. Rinse
:> >:> and repeat." It seems obvious, yet I have never heard anyone
:> >:> propose or debate such a guideline. How do I plan for these
:> >:> cycles if in general I want to be lean during the summer and
:> >:> bulking in the winter?
:> >
:> >
:> > Bulking: Eat to gain a lb a week.
:> > Cutting: Eat to lose a lb a week.
:> > (do cardio during cutting phase)
:> >
:> > Figure how much time you have til summer. Divide by two. You get
:> > what you get.
:>
:> I *never* lose as fast as I gain. For me it's more like divide by 3;
:> bulk for that long; cut for the rest of the time.

Well, it is a lot easier to consistently overeat than to consistenly
undereat (for me, anyway), moreso depending on how much you go either way.

Hugh Beyer said:

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

jeff said:

> In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to
> diet and exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can
> establish bounds for "reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable
> expectations."
>
> A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to
> lose 1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet. So, if
> someone gains 25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is
> muslce and 15 is fat, then they can plan on spending nearly three
> months in cutting before they reach optimal condition, and that is
> if they lose almost no muscle. That seems like a long time. Or is
> it? Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during one cycle?
>
> It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as
> myself who is not into competition but wishes to make improvements
> in size and appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit
> about 20% BF, then cut back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat." It
> seems obvious, yet I have never heard anyone propose or debate
> such a guideline. How do I plan for these cycles if in general I
> want to be lean during the summer and bulking in the winter?

Bulking: Eat to gain a lb a week.
Cutting: Eat to lose a lb a week.
(do cardio during cutting phase)

Figure how much time you have til summer. Divide by two. You get
what you get.

I *never* lose as fast as I gain. For me it's more like divide by 3;
bulk for that long; cut for the rest of the time.

Hugh

Me too. But I think that's because we're already lean. I'm at 10% BF at
the moment, and it was rough getting there from 11.5%. If I were 20%, it
would come off much faster. And like I said in another thread, for me that
may be more age related since I'm 48.
--
-Larry

Jerry said:

jeff said:

In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to diet
and exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can establish
bounds for "reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable expectations."

A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to
lose 1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet. So, if
someone gains 25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is
muslce and 15 is fat, then they can plan on spending nearly three
months in cutting before they reach optimal condition, and that is
if they lose almost no muscle. That seems like a long time. Or is
it? Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during one cycle?

It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as
myself who is not into competition but wishes to make improvements
in size and appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit about
20% BF, then cut back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat." It seems
obvious, yet I have never heard anyone propose or debate such a
guideline. How do I plan for these cycles if in general I want to
be lean during the summer and bulking in the winter?

I've read of cycles where people cut down to 10-12% bf and bulk until
they reach 15%.

I use BF as the indicator, not weight. Obviously, I track weight. But a
certain BF goal determines when to switch cycles for me. However long it
takes to get there is simply...how long it takes. I don't watch the
calendar, just the BF.
--
-Larry

"Larry Hodges" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hugh Beyer said:

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

jeff <[email hidden]> wrote:
>> In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to
>> diet and exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can
>> establish bounds for "reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable
>> expectations."
>>
>> A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to
>> lose 1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet. So, if
>> someone gains 25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is
>> muslce and 15 is fat, then they can plan on spending nearly three
>> months in cutting before they reach optimal condition, and that is
>> if they lose almost no muscle. That seems like a long time. Or is
>> it? Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during one cycle?
>>
>> It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as
>> myself who is not into competition but wishes to make improvements
>> in size and appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit
>> about 20% BF, then cut back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat." It
>> seems obvious, yet I have never heard anyone propose or debate
>> such a guideline. How do I plan for these cycles if in general I
>> want to be lean during the summer and bulking in the winter?

Bulking: Eat to gain a lb a week.
Cutting: Eat to lose a lb a week.
(do cardio during cutting phase)

Figure how much time you have til summer. Divide by two. You get
what you get.

I *never* lose as fast as I gain. For me it's more like divide by 3;
bulk for that long; cut for the rest of the time.

Hugh

Me too. But I think that's because we're already lean. I'm at 10% BF
at the moment, and it was rough getting there from 11.5%. If I were
20%, it would come off much faster. And like I said in another thread,
for me that may be more age related since I'm 48.

Naw, it's just cuz I'm a hog.

Hugh

--
Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will attend no other.

Hugh Beyer said:

"Larry Hodges" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hugh Beyer said:

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

> jeff <[email hidden]> wrote:
>>> In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to
>>> diet and exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can
>>> establish bounds for "reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable
>>> expectations."
>>>
>>> A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect
>>> to lose 1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet.
>>> So, if someone gains 25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which
>>> 10 lbs is muslce and 15 is fat, then they can plan on spending
>>> nearly three months in cutting before they reach optimal
>>> condition, and that is if they lose almost no muscle. That
>>> seems like a long time. Or is it? Or is 25 lbs too much too
>>> gain during one cycle?
>>>
>>> It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as
>>> myself who is not into competition but wishes to make
>>> improvements in size and appearance. For instance: "bulk up
>>> until you hit about 20% BF, then cut back to about 10%. Rinse
>>> and repeat." It seems obvious, yet I have never heard anyone
>>> propose or debate such a guideline. How do I plan for these
>>> cycles if in general I want to be lean during the summer and
>>> bulking in the winter?
>
>
> Bulking: Eat to gain a lb a week.
> Cutting: Eat to lose a lb a week.
> (do cardio during cutting phase)
>
> Figure how much time you have til summer. Divide by two. You get
> what you get.

I *never* lose as fast as I gain. For me it's more like divide by 3;
bulk for that long; cut for the rest of the time.

Hugh

Me too. But I think that's because we're already lean. I'm at 10%
BF at the moment, and it was rough getting there from 11.5%. If I
were 20%, it would come off much faster. And like I said in another
thread, for me that may be more age related since I'm 48.

Naw, it's just cuz I'm a hog.

Hugh

LOL, yeah me too. During bulking it's "look at ma titties", and when
cutting it's "ma neck looks like a vagina".
--
-Larry

jeff said:

For those of you who do bulking and cutting phases, I am curious about the
extremes and the length of time it takes you to go from one to the other.
How much weight do you typically gain during bulking? What BF% does that
put you at? Then how much do you typically lose, and how long does it take
you to do it?

I haven't started it yet but I have been thinking of trying calorid
cycling which is really just bulking/cutting but in small time periods.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hugo19.htm

Quoting Roger Zoul:

Quoted message said:

Bulking: Eat to gain a lb a week.
Cutting: Eat to lose a lb a week.
(do cardio during cutting phase)

Yup, more than likely close enough for Jeff's purposes.

Quoted message said:

Or, just bulk until you feel ready to cut. You're not a pro, so just enjoy
it.

Agreed.

Quoting Larry Hodges:

Quoted message said:

Hugh Beyer said:

"Larry Hodges" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Hugh Beyer wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> I *never* lose as fast as I gain. For me it's more like divide by 3;
> bulk for that long; cut for the rest of the time.

Me too. But I think that's because we're already lean. I'm at 10%
BF at the moment, and it was rough getting there from 11.5%. If I
were 20%, it would come off much faster. And like I said in another
thread, for me that may be more age related since I'm 48.

Naw, it's just cuz I'm a hog.

LOL, yeah me too. During bulking it's "look at ma titties", and when
cutting it's "ma neck looks like a vagina".

Funny in a kind of TMI way.

Quoting jeff:

Quoted message said:

In general I am just curious. I know that people's response to diet and
exercise vary considerably, but in many cases you can establish bounds for
"reasonable expectations" and "unreasonable expectations."

A rule of thumb that I hear bandied about is that you can expect to lose
1lb/week in an average, healthy, muscle-sparing diet.

1-2 lbs. depending on your size. If you happen to be obese, then you
could probably get away with losing a bit more than 1-2# per week.

Quoted message said:

So, if someone gains
25 lbs during their bulking phase, of which 10 lbs is muslce and 15 is fat,
then they can plan on spending nearly three months in cutting before they
reach optimal condition, and that is if they lose almost no muscle. That
seems like a long time. Or is it?

Oh, it definitely takes *me* more time and effort to lose fat than it
does to bulk. If you're one of those types that has trouble gaining,
then your experience may vary. I love to eat, and I also really enjoy
weight training, so bulking isn't a problem 😉

Quoted message said:

Or is 25 lbs too much too gain during one cycle?

You'll have to decide that one for yourself. It would be for me, but
I'm in the 125-135 pound range. Also, I've been fat before so I
prefer to keep any bulking cycles kinda tight. When bulking, I've
tended to keep it to about 6-10 weeks (and up to high teens bf% max),
then cut back to around mid teens.

Quoted message said:

It seems like their should be rough targets for someone such as myself who
is not into competition but wishes to make improvements in size and
appearance. For instance: "bulk up until you hit about 20% BF, then cut
back to about 10%. Rinse and repeat."

I'd recommend that you make use of google to get an idea of what
various bf percentages look like if you don't know already. That may
help you set your target somewhat.

Suze said:

Quoting Larry Hodges:

Quoted message said:

Hugh Beyer said:

"Larry Hodges" <[email hidden]> wrote
> Hugh Beyer wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> I *never* lose as fast as I gain. For me it's more like divide by
>> 3; bulk for that long; cut for the rest of the time.
>
> Me too. But I think that's because we're already lean. I'm at 10%
> BF at the moment, and it was rough getting there from 11.5%. If I
> were 20%, it would come off much faster. And like I said in
> another thread, for me that may be more age related since I'm 48.

Naw, it's just cuz I'm a hog.

LOL, yeah me too. During bulking it's "look at ma titties", and when
cutting it's "ma neck looks like a vagina".

Funny in a kind of TMI way.

That's from one of the Austin Powers movies. Fat [censored].
--
-Larry

On Tue, 10 May 2005 17:13:13 -0700, "Larry Hodges"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

's from one of the Austin Powers movies. Fat [censored].

I *love* Fat [censored]. My fav character from those movies. :-)