Why can't you do this?

[BOOEY]

Most of us cut in the spring so by the time summer rolls around we'll be nice and lean. And when we do finish cutiing, we usually maintain throughout the summer until fall rolls around and then start bulking again. My question is, when you do get to your desired bodyfat percentage (in my case it will be 8%), why can't you run mini-bulking sessions, say 3 weeks at a time, then cut for 2 weeks, and repeat. I always feel my summers go to waste by just maintaining for an entire season, but I also want to keep that lean look. In other words, is it possible to gain some muscle within 3 weeks, and then cut off the undesired fat and keep repeating? A little different than gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time ... any insights?

 

[JKurz1]

sure you can.....2 weeks strict....2 weeks overeating.........it's a 2 steps forward, 1 back approach....but I'll take it anyday for sanity purposes.........

 

[BOOEY]

Yeah, I mean I realize that you can't gain as much as you would than on an extended bulking cycle, but it sure beats just maintaining.

 

[JKurz1]

yup...good idea......what are you doing now? Cutting? Stats? bf%

 

[BOOEY]

Just started cutting @ 5'11" 218lbs, 16%bf ... when I get under 10% (hopefully by June), I'll start a 2 week on - 2 week off bulking/cutting diet and see how it goes

 

[JKurz1]

how was your previous diet? Training regimine?

 

[gymrat]

how was your previous diet? Training regimine?

Is that a boxer in your avatar? it's hard to tell from the pic.

 

[JKurz1]

Hard to tell? Damn skippy it is.............is that a polar bear in yours?

 

[John WB]

That's governor of California gymrat.

 

[BOOEY]

how was your previous diet? Training regimine?

1 bodypart/six days. Heavy weights. Reps for major lifts between 4-6, reps for isolation exercises between 6-10.

My diet consisted of mainly of Steak, Chicken, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Milk, Cheese, Whey Shakes, PB + J Sandwiches, Sweet potatoes, raisins, nuts, and once a week some fish. 8 meals (7 if you don't include PW Shake)/day. Close to 4500 cals/day. Now that I'm cutting, I'm using basically the same foods but sizing down the portions some.

 

[JKurz1]

would you do me a huge favor a post a sample day of eating..........may adopt your school of thought............

 

[evil pikachu]

should work

 

[BOOEY]

would you do me a huge favor a post a sample day of eating..........may adopt your school of thought............

for bulking? it usually goes like this:

Meal 1: Whey Shake + Oatmeal, Multi-v
Meal 2: PB+J Sandwich + Protein Blend Shake
Meal 3: 6-8oz Steak Sirloin, Slice of cheese, 2Tbsp PB, Handful of Raisins, 2 cups of Milk, Creatine
Meal 4: 6-8oz Chicken, Slice of Cheese, 2Tbsp PB, Raisins, 2 cups of Milk, Salad
Pre-workout: Flavored Yogurt
WORKOUT
Post-Workout: 50g Whey, Creatine, Dextrose
Meal 5: 8oz Steak Sirloin, Sweet Potato, Slice of Cheese, Milk, Salad
Meal 6: 6-8oz Chicken, Slice of Cheese, 2Tbsp PB, 2 cups of Milk
Meal 7 (before bed): Protein Blend, EFA

That's what I used for bulking. Some people may not like the milk, but I don't get any of the bloat/fat that people talk about. Right now (cutting), I'm basically using the same format, except for smaller portions and I don't use Jelly or bread in Meal 2 b/c of the carbs.

 

[JKurz1]

I like it......what do your shakes consist of and how much LEAN mass did you gain?

 

[JKurz1]

Oh and did you (do) vary your caloric/ carb intake on off days? Cardio?

 

[Toozee]

I think once you cut where you want to, you could possibly just try bulking at a much slower pace. Maybe increasing calories slightly each week until you get to about 500 cals over maintenance. For hardgainers, this might not work though.

I have heard that shorter cutting cycles also mean less lbm lost....so that would be one benefit.

-2z-

 

[BOOEY]

jkruz: I ate the same on off days (except for the pw-shake). Every 14 days or so, I would eat close to my maintenance (preferably on an off day) to shock my body a little, and then continue with the outlined diet. As far as cardio, I didn't do any, which I regret now b/c my endurance is shot. My fat gains were kept in check, however, b/c I do walk a lot on campus. How much lean mass did I gain? Well I was 5'11", 170lbs, 10%bf before I started, when I finished bulking I was still 5'11", 218lbs, 16%bf. I don't know the formula to get LBM, so you or someone else woud have to figure that out. Bulked from September - Mid March.

 

[BOOEY]

Oh, and another thing. If you plan on doing an extended bulk, it's a good idea to slowly raise your calories every week or so: progression. Otherwise you'll hit a plateau damn fast and you'll have to force-feed, which is never fun.