The Right Time To Stop Bulking

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
21

[quote]bosox4L wrote:
Professor X wrote:
AverageJay wrote:
From my personal experience. A split routing like yours will not work forever.

I have done a “split routine” for 10 years. It works great. Most of the people you see in magazines do split routines.

I agree with you Professor. I prefer split routines too. But I started noticing that after some time that I reach a plateu. For a while I wouldnt change anything, then I found T-Nation. So now I like to switch up to a full-body routine after around 6-8 weeks of a “split routine” or i will just switch things up in my “split” routine.[/quote]

I switch exercises, but that isn’t even a regular occurance.

22

[quote]Professor X wrote:
AverageJay wrote:
From my personal experience. A split routing like yours will not work forever.

I have done a “split routine” for 10 years. It works great. Most of the people you see in magazines do split routines.[/quote]

I also do a body part split. The only time this type of routine doesn’t work is when the person doing it doesn’t have the intensity in the gym or isn’t on track with his diet to reach their goals. These types of routines seem to be getting bad name of this site because this coach doesn’t like it or that coach doesn’t like it,well if it works then keep doing it no matter what anyone else says.

23

[quote]Professor X wrote:
AverageJay wrote:
Professor X wrote:
AverageJay wrote:
From my personal experience. A split routing like yours will not work forever.

I have done a “split routine” for 10 years. It works great. Most of the people you see in magazines do split routines.

I started doing mine at 19. I’m 34 now. So I’m not bagging the split routine. And I will eventually probably go back to one once I burn out on the full body stuff. I just beleive changing to a full body type workout can help in cutting fat gained over the years and give a person a different sort of fitness level.

I’ve laughed at the full body guys for a couple of years now, so it wasn’t easy for me to commit to this at all. But at this point I really have nothing to loose and experimenting with stuff is a nice change. It just so happens it seems to have made quite a significant difference in my fitness level.

I think that is what cardio is for.[/quote]

Pure Genious

24

I wish soft and overfat but undermuscled beginners would understand that they don’t need to bulk or cut. Just lifting hard and eating healthy for awhile will yield impressive and appreicalbe improvements and bring them to a place where they are well-advised to do some real bulking.

But no use crying over spilled milk.

25

In addition to what has been said here make sure your intsnsity level is up there and you’re actually working out and not just “going through the motions.”

26

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Gl;itch.e wrote:
firstly dieting at 150lbs is a lot different than doing it at 190lbs or the heavier extremmes.

Why do you think anyone should be dieting at 150lbs? Being 15% body fat so great a burden that he shouldn’t have worked on any strength or muscle gains?[/quote]

if he was truly 15% bodyfat thats fine… . I wouldnt recommend bulking above that though… . I got the impression that since he was short and had a high amount of abdominal fat that he was starting from a standard skinny-fat office worker begining… .

otherwise I dont think a persons weight has anything to do with whether they should bulk or cut first… . their total bodyfat percentage is the governing factor here imo. …

27

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Gl;itch.e wrote:
firstly dieting at 150lbs is a lot different than doing it at 190lbs or the heavier extremmes.

Why do you think anyone should be dieting at 150lbs? Being 15% body fat so great a burden that he shouldn’t have worked on any strength or muscle gains?

if he was truly 15% bodyfat thats fine… . I wouldnt recommend bulking above that though… . I got the impression that since he was short and had a high amount of abdominal fat that he was starting from a standard skinny-fat office worker begining… .

otherwise I dont think a persons weight has anything to do with whether they should bulk or cut first… . their total bodyfat percentage is the governing factor here imo. …
[/quote]

Ah, so if trainer A logs on at 135lbs at 6’1" and mentions his body fat is 17%, you are going to tell him he needs to drop a few?

28

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Ah, so if trainer A logs on at 135lbs at 6’1" and mentions his body fat is 17%, you are going to tell him he needs to drop a few?[/quote]

ahaha… . I like how youll use the very upper spectrum of extremes to try and prove a point… . at 135lbs 17% bodyfat is only 23lbs of fat… . stretched out across at 6’ 1" frame thats nothing worth worrying about… . but say you have a guy thats 5’ 6" at 150lbs at 15% thats nearly the same amount of fat as the tall guy but condensed on a much smaller frame. …

29

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Ah, so if trainer A logs on at 135lbs at 6’1" and mentions his body fat is 17%, you are going to tell him he needs to drop a few?

ahaha… . I like how youll use the very upper spectrum of extremes to try and prove a point… . at 135lbs 17% bodyfat is only 23lbs of fat… . stretched out across at 6’ 1" frame thats nothing worth worrying about… . but say you have a guy thats 5’ 6" at 150lbs at 15% thats nearly the same amount of fat as the tall guy but condensed on a much smaller frame. …[/quote]

ahahaha…I like how “youll” pretend as if you didn’t just finish writing that their weight shouldn’t matter. So it does matter? And so does their height? My word, you are simply a fount of bodybuilding wisdom, are you not?

30

6’1 135…holy shit. I don’t think body fat % matters at that low of a weight, the problem is that they have absolutely no muscle on their frame, not that they are fat.

It’s the same with the phenomenon of “skinny fat” people. They’re skinny but they’re quite flabby most likely due to a lack of training. If they trained for about 3 months, they could probably lower their body fat considerably because there was no muscle there in the first place.

31

[quote]DLboy wrote:
6’1 135…holy shit. I don’t think body fat % matters at that low of a weight, the problem is that they have absolutely no muscle on their frame, not that they are fat.

It’s the same with the phenomenon of “skinny fat” people. They’re skinny but they’re quite flabby most likely due to a lack of training. If they trained for about 3 months, they could probably lower their body fat considerably because there was no muscle there in the first place.[/quote]

Which also goes for most beginners unless they are obese.

32

[quote]Professor X wrote:
ahahaha…I like how “youll” pretend as if you didn’t just finish writing that their weight shouldn’t matter. So it does matter? And so does their height? My word, you are simply a fount of bodybuilding wisdom, are you not?[/quote]

otherwise I dont think a persons weight has anything to do with whether they should bulk or cut first… . their total bodyfat percentage is the governing factor here imo. …

if the only way you can make that stance of yours work is by throwing extremes like a 6’1" 135lb weed at me then your reaching. …

obviously the weight is a factor (a small one) when its put with height and bodyfat % and the calculations are made… . but if some guy comes on says “hey I weigh 150lbs at 4’6”!" and your immediate reaction is “BULK AT ALL COSTS!” which historically speaking it is prof then I think your not considering all aspects of this game. …

in the future Ill make sure I write down every minute detail of my opinion since you find it very hard to read between the lines and make sound connections. …

33

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
Professor X wrote:
ahahaha…I like how “youll” pretend as if you didn’t just finish writing that their weight shouldn’t matter. So it does matter? And so does their height? My word, you are simply a fount of bodybuilding wisdom, are you not?

otherwise I dont think a persons weight has anything to do with whether they should bulk or cut first… . their total bodyfat percentage is the governing factor here imo. …

if the only way you can make that stance of yours work is by throwing extremes like a 6’1" 135lb weed at me then your reaching. …

obviously the weight is a factor (a small one) when its put with height and bodyfat % and the calculations are made… . but if some guy comes on says “hey I weigh 150lbs at 4’6”!" and your immediate reaction is “BULK AT ALL COSTS!” which historically speaking it is prof then I think your not considering all aspects of this game. …

in the future Ill make sure I write down every minute detail of my opinion since you find it very hard to read between the lines and make sound connections. …[/quote]

Why are you lying? Why even pretend that I would ignore someone’s height or any other factor? I dare you to find one example of someone who is simply told to bulk without full consideration of their height, weight, and very often age and training level. Get back to me.

34

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Why are you lying? Why even pretend that I would ignore someone’s height or any other factor? I dare you to find one example of someone who is simply told to bulk without full consideration of their height, weight, and very often age and training level. Get back to me.[/quote]

what? you want me to do the leg work to prove to you what your saying all the time? no thanks… . Ive read plenty of your posts to get what your about prof. …

35

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Why are you lying? Why even pretend that I would ignore someone’s height or any other factor? I dare you to find one example of someone who is simply told to bulk without full consideration of their height, weight, and very often age and training level. Get back to me.

what? you want me to do the leg work to prove to you what your saying all the time? no thanks… . Ive read plenty of your posts to get what your about prof. …
[/quote]

You are the one accusing me of not taking height, weight and training experience into account. Yes, it is on you to actually find evidencee of this. If I supposedly do it all of the time, it shouldn’t be hard for you to find. Either find it, or shut the fuck up.

36

I have a somewhat simple yet effective method that I use to know when it is time to stop bulking. I am 6’3, 35 years old and currently weigh 235 pounds. I have two pair of jeans that I use to measure my bulk. 36" Levis Relaxed fit and a pair of 36" Levis Comfort fit. At the start of my bulk 4 months ago, I wore 36" Levis Relaxed fit jeans and weighed 220 pounds. The jeans fit a bit loose.

At the end of my bulk, I weighed 240 pounds and I was stretching the seams of my 36" Levis Comfort fit or “fat ass” jeans. I stopped the bulk and am now cutting back down to 220. Fortunately my lifts went through the roof on the 4 month 20 pound bulk.

37

[quote]keithstar wrote:
Hey guys, let me introduce myself. I’ve been reading this forum for about a month. I came into this six months ago at 5’9 - 150 pounds, and around 15% body fat.

I’ve increased my caloric intake pretty drastically (probably to 3800 cal per day) and my weight has shot up to about 190 pounds.

My arms at just below 15 inches flexed, and my waist is at around 39-40 inches (it was probably 35-36 before)

My routine has been:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Shoulders, triceps
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Biceps, Abs
Sunday: Chest

I used compound movements (dead lifts, squats, bench press, military press) as well as some isolations, 12-15 sets on major muscle groups, 6-8 on minor muscle groups. I kept a good variety throughout.

I’m drinking lots of water, eating every 3 hours, sleeping 8-10 hours, and training until absolute failure in the gym.

The question that’s weighing on my mind is whether should I keep bulking or begin to cut down?

On one side, I’m definitely heavy. But at the same time, it’s not like I’m concerned about cutting up for a competition here. I see regular posters here such as Professor X reaming guys out for dieting before reaching a significant weight, but I’m wondering if my BF level is simply too high.

Feedback hugely appreciated. Where do I go from here?[/quote]

Generally I put the cut off at about 15% bodyfat. Do maintenance for a bit (2-4 weeks) and then cut.

38

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
Professor X wrote:
I don’t think this guy should have necessarily been “bulking” at all, but dieting for someone with 12" arms is ridiculous. I hope no one listens to that. What, he was supposed to drop to wonderfully sickly looking 130lbs? Get serious.

I also told him he should not be all out dieting. If he is active enough, adding more activity may help him lose that extra weight around his mid section when his body adapts. I would see how his body responds to more cardio before drastically dropping calories that could lead to lean muscle loss.

firstly dieting at 150lbs is a lot different than doing it at 190lbs or the heavier extremmes… . he could have lost an inch off his waist by only losing 2-3lbs 140lbs would have probably seen him around 32" which would have been a far better place to start bulking from. …

and yes I allready said that I agree with you on the second idea of increasing activity… . definately a better first option than dropping cals. …[/quote]

I think you’re missing the point; the guy has obviously made good progress in getting to where he is; gaining a good amount of lean body mass; and even though he was small before, three inches on his arms or on anyones isn’t to be scoffed at. He did go about it the right way; imagine cutting when you’re at 150lbs when you already have the lean body mass of a chicken; that would be psychologically draining. Personally mate I think you’ve done well; and it’s now time to cut down, keep up the good work!

39

These bulking and cutting cycles are unhealthy. Ever hear of bulking clean?

It seems that this idea is a friggin’ unicorn.

If you eat healthy from the start, trimming the fat would be attained by simply adjusting your carb intake. While I don’t have pic proof, I’ve gained roughly 10 pounds since the beginning of the year. Everything is bigger. Thighs, glutes, waist… So are the body ratios. My waist, being bigger is still the same proportion to the rest of me. Would I “cut?” Hell no. I see veins throughout my shoulders and chest, yet still show bloat at the end of every day.

Though I believe that cardio will detract from your overall LBM, I won’t say don’t do it. I would suggest that you take immediate stock of your dietary intake, clean it up completely! Find out what to eat, when. Experiment on how your body reacts to certain foods at certain times.

It’s all about what you eat, when you eat. And train/sleep alot.

I hate the word cut.

40

[quote]kroby wrote:
These bulking and cutting cycles are unhealthy. Ever hear of bulking clean?

It seems that this idea is a friggin’ unicorn.

If you eat healthy from the start, trimming the fat would be attained by simply adjusting your carb intake. While I don’t have pic proof, I’ve gained roughly 10 pounds since the beginning of the year. Everything is bigger. Thighs, glutes, waist… So are the body ratios. My waist, being bigger is still the same proportion to the rest of me. Would I “cut?” Hell no. I see veins throughout my shoulders and chest, yet still show bloat at the end of every day.

Though I believe that cardio will detract from your overall LBM, I won’t say don’t do it. I would suggest that you take immediate stock of your dietary intake, clean it up completely! Find out what to eat, when. Experiment on how your body reacts to certain foods at certain times.

It’s all about what you eat, when you eat. And train/sleep alot.

I hate the word cut.[/quote]

Excess calories = bulk, clean or not. “clean” bulk, healthy, whatever hippie word you use for it will not prevent you from getting fat if you take too many calories in for too long.