Should Teenagers 'Bulk' and 'Cut'?

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[quote]iron_addict wrote:
I am 5’7 193 lbs and 17 years old, used to be 215 lbs.[/quote]
That’s on the short side for carrying that much weight. Based on that, plus the fact that you said you already lost 40 pounds a while ago, I’m going to make the educated guess that you’re carrying a lot of bodyfat. Or at least you were, and I’m still wondering how you lost it (cardio, diet, etc.) and what you actually look like right now.
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_bigger_stronger_leaner/advice_cutting_or_bulking
(You got a lot of other good advice in that thread, BTW.)

Your best bench was 315 with “shitty form, bent wrist, and bad leg drive”.
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_strength/bench_press_suffers_immensely

In addition, you’re doing zero back or biceps work because of the golfer’s elbow that you’ve been nursing for over a month, and you haven’t squatted or deadlifted this entire year because you’ve tore your hip flexor and sprained your ankle.

Add in that you struggle with a half-bodyweight shoulder press, and you’ve got pretty much the worst case scenario - a young dude following a horribly-designed program for so long that he’s literally falling apart. But hey, you benched three plates. So there’s that. I guess.

I believe that teens should eat well while training hard and smart. You are not training smart. You’re racking up injuries left and right. While you’re probably strong for your age (videos would help, to check form if nothing else), you’re 100% on track to screw something up that puts you out of the gym for months and sets you up for problems in the long run.

This is why I prefer to have younger lifters start with simple “easy” bodyweight stuff. To build those connective tissues and support musculature, before gradually easing into heavier free weight work.

If you’re a teenage male and can’t do a dozen push-ups, pull-ups, and lunges because an injury’s stopping you, you need to re-evaluate basically your entire approach to lifting or else you won’t be in the gym 30 years from now.

What does your current training week look like? The days, exercises, sets, and reps.

And while we’re at it, what, exactly, did you eat yesterday?

I don’t think you should either bulk or cut. Those are short-term goals and you should be thinking longterm – eat for performance, healthy balanced meals, enough protein and carbs, train hard, and adjust calories as needed.

If you want abs then lower calories below maintenance so you’re at a slight deficit but still eating enough to fuel performance and ideally build muscle as well (a gradual recomp). You can also cycle carbs/calories on off days. But don’t let a lack of food hinder performance gains.

Much better to spend a year or two (or 10) focusing on hard training and a balanced diet than bulking/cutting repeatedly, imo.

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]iron_addict wrote:

My best bench press was 295 lbs[/quote]
Your best bench was 315 with “shitty form, bent wrist, and bad leg drive”.

In addition, you’re doing zero back or biceps work because of the golfer’s elbow that you’ve been nursing for over a month, and you haven’t squatted or deadlifted this entire year because you’ve tore your hip flexor and sprained your ankle.

Add in that you struggle with a half-bodyweight shoulder press, and you’ve got pretty much the worst case scenario - a young dude following a horribly-designed program for so long that he’s literally falling apart. But hey, you benched three plates. So there’s that. I guess.
[/quote]

To be fair, he clarified the bench and shoulder press things a bit. He said that the 95’s were dumbbells, not a barbell. So that would be a pretty solid shoulder press if it’s accurate… thought I’m skeptical of that. My shoulders aren’t exactly weak, and there’s no chance in hell I’m pressing 95’s for 6. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get 1 rep. And my bench press is probably in the 360+ range right now.

He also said his bench was actually 295, because he weighed the bars and plates at his gym and determined they’re all 5 lbs lighter than what they’re labeled as… something I’m also skeptical about. Sorry OP, I think you’re flat-out lying. Again, an video would prove me wrong at any point.

My theory remains that he’s benching and pressing like an idiot teenager. Basically the way I benched and pressed when I started. Take the bench press to the point where your arms are ‘90 degrees’ (and probably not even that deep), and very limited range of motion on the shoulder press as well.

I believe the OP needs to do some serious introspection as far as his lifting program is concerned. He’s clearly doing a lot wrong, but still getting high fives from his bros because he’s stronger than most of them.

As for the golfer’s elbow… I wish I knew how to fix that. I just sort of deal with a mild case of it all the time. I do know that bad bench form irritates the hell out of it, and that my elbows are much healthier since I improved my form.

Here it is as proof since you guys didnt believe me. Although the bouncing was more than my liking, i was just excited that i had hit it (thinking i wouldnt). I beieve this was 290/295 tho…cuz after testing multiple plates they were either 3-5 lbs lighter than 45 lbs, with clips and shit (i really dont want to start a whole debate on the exact poundage of this bench). I really did think it was 45 lbs at the time tho, who wouldnt it said 45 and i didnt know any better haha. i know its not pretty, it was my first time. As far as shoulder presses go it WAS exactly accurate. I am no linger able to due to my 4-5 weeks off. But i got them up my self and went unser 90 degress at a moderate speed, not too fast.

Btw, i had injured my sprained ankle by going camping which is not related to lifting and i usually train all my muscles equally, except for right now. I hipe i provided enough proof for yr likings.

Why cant i post my video i attached…

BOING!

[quote]iron_addict wrote:
Why cant i post my video i attached…[/quote]

It is showing. I could see how employing technique like that could be resulting in your golfer’s elbow. You’re losing a lot of tension between the start of the lift and lockout, which puts a pretty good amount of stress on the elbow once you re-engage. I understand the appeal of moving heavy weight, but at this point in your training you would probably benefit to learn some mastery over technique and control over the weight to be able to really reap the benefits of your training.

As to your initial question, were I to do it all over again, I would’ve spent my teenage years learning how to work a slow cooker and eating vegetables with every meal. When I started doing that, my training and physique took off. Rather than bulking and cutting, I think focusing on just eating well will pay off better.

If you’re able to do that with 3 plates at 17 then you’re naturally explosive and quite strong for your age and definitely have some potential but:

  1. First make sure you pay attention to the lower body movements (squat, deadlift) and move some serious weight on these as well or you’re heading down dreamerbulker territory despite being able to move some weight on this movement. Any training weights for the lower body movements?
  2. As far as upper body training is concerned its time to work on getting your form down while still lifting as heavy as possible. Adopt a more bodybuilding mindset at this point.
  3. Start paying attention to what you toss down your gullet.

[quote]iron_addict wrote:
Why cant i post my video i attached…[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
As to your initial question, were I to do it all over again, I would’ve spent my teenage years learning how to work a slow cooker and eating vegetables with every meal. When I started doing that, my training and physique took off. Rather than bulking and cutting, I think focusing on just eating well will pay off better.[/quote]

I wish I’d spent my teenage years learning the habits and skills that would pay off for the rest of my life. Maybe I wouldn’t have ended up 25, fat and week because I’d spent my teenage years relying on the fact that I was young and could get away with anything.

Depends on what you mean by bulking and cutting.

I think bulking in your first few years of lifting is a good thing since those are going to be the best gains of your life.

I don’t think that means you should get fat or use bulking as an excuse to shove what ever you want in your mouth because being fat sucks for a lot of reasons. Take it from someone who has made the mistake more than once and got some shitty health consequences because of it.

Bulking should be controlled, planned, and a long term goal. Bulking for much under a year as a natty I feel like is a waste of time.