T Nation

Some Advice Please

Beginners
#1

I’ve had an interest in fitness for quite some time now but i have never really prioritized it.

I’ve dropped from 90kg, to 75kg. This took me 12 weeks and involved a combination of density training & interval training with some dietary changes.

I want to appear overall a lot more muscular but not gain too much weight. Would i be best trying to loose more fat (which i know i could) till i have a small amount, and then attempt to pack on a bit of muscle. Or should i just attempt to go for the muscle now and then cut any extra gains off?

The reason why i say that is because of participating in martial arts, i am trying to not become too heavy again, but i still want that look.

As far as bulking and cutting phases go, what are the recommended duration for each? Thanks guys.

#2

Image

#3

Anybody?

#4

the duration of ‘phases’ such as bulking and cutting are dependand on your goals

everybody wants to be muscular (gain mass) but lean (lose mass)

i would recommend that you simply chose a good program, stick to it for maybe a year or so while eating clean (but enough to make progress on your lifts) and don’t worry about ‘cutting’ or ‘bulking’

you don’t look advanced enough that you need to concern yourself with that kind of approach

#5

Don’t worry you will not get bigger than Brock Lesnar on accident. You probably couldn’t even do it if you tried

#6

Continue cutting down and then pack on some muscle. Just make sure you do it in an appropriate fashion. In a way that will improve performance in martial arts.

If you are training for martial arts, you may want to place an emphasis on your speed and agility rather that muscle size.

Many mixed martial artists take a power-endurance training approach. Meaning, they will use submax loads and move them at high speeds for a greater amount of reps. Rest periods are also minimized to improve conditioning within these athletes.