Depending on what your fitness goals are, bulking or cutting may be necessary to get you to where you want to be. You may have a vague understanding of what these terms mean, and may have even attempted one or the other at some point. However, if you want bulking and cutting explained in greater detail, or your past attempts weren’t very successful and you want to know how to properly implement these, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I’ll breakdown the processes of bulking and cutting and give a high-level explanation of what steps are needed for each in order to see optimal results.
What Does Bulking Mean?
Bulking is when you eat at a caloric surplus for an extended period. This means eating more calories than your body burns in a day and is intended for people who want to gain significant amounts of muscle and strength.
Building muscle is a secondary function of the body, so unless it has enough fuel to first carry out its essential, everyday functions, it won’t prioritize muscle growth. When you bulk, your body gets more nutrients and energy than it needs for vital functions, so it can dedicate more of these additional resources towards building muscle.
In short, bulking to some degree is required if you’re looking to really put on lots of muscle and get a lot stronger.
How to Properly Bulk
Even though bulking means eating a lot of calories, there are still guidelines to adhere to.
What it’s not: eating whatever you want and as much as you want. Even though some people might eat vast quantities of unhealthy food under the pretense of bulking, that’s not what bulking actually is; that’s when someone simply uses bulking as an excuse to not watch their diet. Like you’d probably expect, this just leads to a lot of fat accumulation.
To be fair, some people who truly have a difficult time putting on muscle and weight in general may consider a dirty bulk, in which your diet can contain more calorie-dense foods in order to create a larger surplus. However, this may still lead to significant fat gain and other health risks, so it’s definitely not recommended for most people. Instead, the better option for most people is a clean bulk, in which you derive your caloric surplus from healthy and unprocessed foods. It’s inevitable that some of those additional calories you eat will still become stored fat in your body, but this helps maximize muscle growth while minimizing how much fat you add in the process.
In addition, you need a specific, calculated surplus that you can meet but not exceed. For most people, just a few hundred calories above maintenance is enough; more than might lead to substantial fat gain. How much of a surplus you’ll need will be dependent on your current physique and activity level. An effective bulk also means ensuring you eat enough protein every day. If you’re looking to build muscle, it’s recommended that you eat between 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Lastly, in order for your bulk to be effective, your diet must be accompanied by a rigorous training routine. In the end, working out your muscles is what stimulates growth, and without consistently training to achieve progressive overload, no amount of food will increase your muscle mass.
What Does Cutting Mean?
Cutting is the opposite of bulking; it’s when you eat at a caloric deficit for an extended amount of time in order to lose fat.
By eating at a deficit, you’re consuming fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight. This means the body will have to burn stored fat in order to get whatever additional energy it needs.
In reality, although you might’ve come across different fat-burning exercises or supplements, this is the only way to naturally lose body fat, whether you have lots of extra weight you’d like to get rid of or you’re already a pretty fit person who simply wants to look a bit leaner.
How to Properly Cut
What it’s not: severely starving yourself. Yes, the larger of a deficit you create, the more weight you’ll lose, but weight loss is only healthy up to a certain point. If you lose too much weight too quickly, there are many negative side effects that will arise as a result. Ultimately, you may put yourself in a very unhealthy state and risk serious illness.
Like with bulking, a proper cut involves eating at a measured deficit. This is typically a few hundred calories under maintenance, enough to force your body to start pulling from your fat stores but not too much to the point where serious adverse effects begin to appear. Again, the exact amount will vary for everyone; a deficit of about 500 calories is typically a good place to start, but this may vary for individuals depending on how much fat they currently have and how much weight they want to lose.
If you’re someone whose goal for cutting is to have more muscle definition, it’s important to note that eating at a caloric deficit will likely also lead to some muscle loss. In order to preserve as much muscle as possible during a cut, there are a few things you can do. First of all, you’ll definitely want to make sure your caloric deficit is moderate and not too extreme, otherwise your body won’t have enough energy and nutrients to support your muscle mass. In addition, given that you’ve reduced your caloric intake, it’s even more essential that you continue to provide your muscles with sufficient protein. You should still aim to get 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Lastly, as is the case with bulking, continue intense training through your cut. Your strength might stagnate and you may even regress in some areas, which is to be expected, but as long as you’re keeping your muscles active, your body will try to maintain as much muscle as possible.
Things to Consider Before Bulking or Cutting
Before beginning a bulk or cut, it’s important to determine whether you’re able and willing to commit to the process. It’s not an overnight phenomenon; it takes months of daily commitment and strict discipline to make real progress.
Additionally, be prepared for the physical sacrifices that you’ll need to make. Like I mentioned before, bulking will lead to some amount of fat gain, which means you’ll become less lean and defined. With cutting, the possibility of losing muscle means that although your muscles will become more toned, they may lose some volume in the process.
Finally, consider the effects of bulking or cutting on your energy levels, emotions, and mentality. You might feel lethargic during bulking due to the excessive amount of food you’re consuming, but on the other hand, cutting may leave you constantly hungry and low on energy. As a result, will this take a toll on your happiness and emotional well-being? Will this affect your ability to concentrate on your day-to-day work and perform at your best?
Successfully altering your physique through bulking or cutting isn’t an easy task. It’s a task that requires patience and perseverance, and you’ll come across many challenges on the way. However, speaking from personal experience, if you’re able to endure the short-term trade-offs and stick to the approach, finally achieving the look you’ve always dreamed of can bring out a sense of gratification and self-empowerment like nothing else.
