how long should bulking and cutting phases be

If you want to go from “lean” to “ripped,” for example, you’re not going to be losing much more than a pound of fat every other week. Someone who is very fat (think your typical Biggest Loser contestant) will be able to lose fat very quickly when they start dieting – several pounds of fat per week in some cases.īut if you’re lean and want to get even leaner, while simultaneously holding on to your hard-earned muscle mass, you’ll be better off losing fat much more slowly. Going from 30 to 20 percent body fat, for example, will be faster and easier than dropping from 20 to 10 percent. Put differently, the more fat you lose, the harder it gets to lose even more. Keep in mind that fat loss does tend to slow down over time. But if you try to cut too quickly, you can end up losing muscle as well as fat. The more fat you have to lose, the longer it’s going to take. Dropping between 11 and 20 pounds will take around 3-5 months. If you’ve got 10 pounds or less to lose, give yourself 2-3 months to do it.

That depends on how much fat you want to get rid of. Once you get much above 15%, your appearance starts to suffer. Keep yourself in the 10-15% range and you’ll still be able to make great muscular gains while looking lean, strong and athletic. In other words, whether it’s better to bulk up then cut or the other way around depends a lot on you, what kind of shape you’re in now and how you want to look. The “sweet spot” for gaining muscle while still looking like you’re “in shape” is somewhere between 10 and 15% body fat. if you’re in the 10-12% range, focus on bulking. If your body fat percentage is 15% or higher (20% for women), make cutting your primary goal. This means that you’re burning off more calories than you’re taking in, which leads to fat being lost. The end result is that weight – usually a mix of fat and muscle – is gained.ĭuring a cut, you put yourself in a calorie deficit. This means that you’re taking in more calories than you’re burning off. Cutting, on the other hand, refers to a training program and diet geared towards losing fat.ĭuring a bulking diet, the idea is to increase your calorie intake so you’re in a caloric surplus. Bulking describes a training program and diet set up for the primary goal of building muscle. The main difference between bulking and cutting is that you gain weight during the former and lose fat during the latter.

What’s the Difference Between Bulking and Cutting? Today, I tackle eight of the most popular questions on the subject of bulking and cutting. And I’ve taken it upon myself to provide you with the answers. Every day, millions of people ask Google some of life’s most pressing questions, big and small.

How long should bulking and cutting phases be