The Philosophy Of Bulking/Cutting

[Legion Kreinak]

http://www.intense-workout.com/same.html

I was basing alot of what I knew on that recently. That you can't get stronger while cutting. That you have to eat more calories than you burn in order to gain muscle mass. Then I asked here on the forums awhile back, if you still gain strength while cutting, or if it's possible so long as you get 1g/lb of BW of protein, and eat healthly. People told me no.

But honestly, think about that. That makes almost no sense. I agree it wouldn't be the optimal way, trying to do both at once, but it's just taking the 'Middle Road' and therefore, getting to the destination, just taking a different route.

I'm waiting for something to convince me, and this whole Summer nothing has, and I still continue to search. I'm not saying you guys should waste your time in vain attempts to convince me just because I ask. But if you feel you have some knowledge on this that I'm passing up, do tell. I'm not saying I'm completely against bulking. For quick strength and size gains I'm sure that's much better. But muscle grows when it's stimulated by stress factors placed upon them, correct?

So then why the hell do you need more calories just to gain more muscle? There's no good logic I see behind that. Just figured I'd post this. I was bored, and had to get it out. No flames appreciated, and don't tell me I'm 100% wrong unless you have good reason for saying so.

~Regards

 

[spatts]

If I may...

this answer isn't the same for everyone. The things that may serve you best for gaining strength may NOT be the same as those for gaining size. For example, Cornholio and I follow almost the exact same strength training split. I grow like a weed on it AND get stronger. He feels he is losing size but getting stronger.

In terms of diet, I went into a bulking phase thinking I needed to eat everything under the sun. This was last year about this time. I was 145 pounds and 12% fat at 5'9''. By late October I was in the 190's and around 25-30% fat. W6 slapped some sense into me with the idea of rotating carb intake. I immediately dropped 3% fat, and kept growing. I ate the same amount of fat and protein all the time, but rotated my carbs based on need. If I wasn't training, I didn't need alot of carbs. Training days I ate more. When I think of creating a caloric excess (taking in more than you burn) I think of a couple hundred cals...not a couple thousand. Carb rotating helped me keep the gain and BF% in check while I kept strength and put on size. To me, it makes sense. If you need fuel, gas up. If you don't need fuel, why stop by the gas station?

When I was bulking and cutting I ate the same foods, in different quantities. A calorie is a calorie in terms of weight gain, but when you want to gain just a CERTAIN kind of weight, you don't want just any old calorie. Calories are from macro nutrients and they don't all serve the same purpose.

I still carb rotate. I did it to bulk, I did it to cut, I do it now in powerlifting.

I ate like this on my high days (training days):
http://home.swbell.net/arkaynen/bulking.htm

...and like this on my low days (non-training days):
http://home.swbell.net/arkaynen/cutting.htm

THIS WAS TO GAIN...not cut.

I based everything around my AMR, so there was never a severe excess...just enough. If I was getting fatter I backed off, if I was losing too much I bumped it up. Trial and error.

I don't believe in the idea of downing a gallon of chocolate milk a day to put on size. Who cares how fast you can pack on 20 pounds of pure shit. I want muscle and muscle takes time.

Muscle grows while you're recovering, not while you're working. Get in there, hit and a quit it, then go home and eat...rest...do AR...GROW.

 

[JDarty6173]

Legion....For the Love of God....EAT MORE PROTEIN!!!!!! For me 1 gram/pound would cause me to lose muscle mass and strength.. When I first started working out about 5 years ago I weighed 135 pounds at 6ft tall... Over the next four years I doubled my bodyweight to 262 with my highest bf% being about 15%... So if nothing else I at least learned how to gain weight, lol... 3 months ago I switched to powerlifting WSB style and have fallen in love with it.. And I currently weigh about 230... I can now manipulate my bodyweight +-20 pounds at will by simply changing my carb intake...Like Spatts said, carbs are the key to bulking and cutting.. My protein consumption remains the constant at 2 grams or more per pound.. But if you dont change anything else, just eat more protein...

 

[teen1216]

I believe that Fred Hatfield at www.drsquat.com thinks that you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time using the zig zag diet:

http://www.drsquat.com/index.cfm?action=viewarticle&articleID=58

it seems like it would work, or it at least makes sense to me