- Weather is usually warm, and being at a lower body fat percentage won’t bother you.
- Get lean for vacation, the pool, the beach, etc.
- The best time to cut, or lose fat, is undoubtedly the spring and summer. That’s why it’s helpful to have different goals at different points of the year. Yes, you can cut off a bunch of fat and get shredded in the relative short term, but packing on muscle and getting the combination of size and definition that you want will probably take years. You’re going to want to get in the mindset that lifting weights and improving your physique is a lifelong journey. However, some people like to time their bulks and cuts by season, rather than by their physique.Ĭutting in the Summer, Bulking in the Winter So to sum up, I think most people will see the best results getting pretty lean before they go into a bulk.
- Occasional strategic refeeds (not cheat days!).
- Heavy strength training (not super high reps and volume!).
- High protein (.8-1g of protein per day per pound of bodyweight).
- (If you’ve been dieting for a while and still aren’t there yet, you might be interested in a short refeed period or diet break before resuming your cut.)ĭoing a proper and successful cut is a much bigger topic than this article can cover, but I personally like to keep it pretty simple: You don’t necessarily need to go all the way to shredded abs, but you’re going to gain a little bit of fat during your bulk and you’ll want to account for that ahead of time.
People who are already a little slimmer may only have to lose a few pounds to get to a lean and chiseled 10% (men) or 16% (women).įor most people, I’d keep cutting and losing fat until you’ve trimmed most of the unwanted fat off of your belly and mid-section. If you’re significantly overweight and it takes a long, brutal cut to get down to about 15% body fat (for men) or 22% (for women) - this is a healthy, relatively trim, and athletic level of body fat - you may be ready for a break from dieting. There’s no concrete answer for this, and it will vary by each individual. What’s a good body fat percentage to start bulking?
- Give yourself a little room to gain fat while bulking.
- So the benefits of cutting a significant chunk of your extra fat off before bulking are: You can easily, however, lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week on a proper cut. (The most muscle you can reasonably expect to gain is about 1-2 pounds per month.) Not only that but gaining enough muscle to make a noticeable difference in your appearance is an agonizingly slow process. While some of us are extremely skinny and desperately need to add size, a large majority of people have a few pounds (or more) of fat to lose in order to look our best. Unless you’re training specifically for strength - ie you want to become a powerlifter or strong man competitor - I believe most people will get the most bang for their buck by leaning down significantly right off the bat. Leaning Down Before a Bulk (What Body Fat Percentage to Shoot For) My best advice for most people would be to cut until you’re lean enough to have some definition in your midsection, around 10-12% body fat for men and 16-19% for women.Īs for bulking season, the best time to start packing on size is almost always in the fall and winter.īut let’s take a little bit of a closer look so you can figure out when the right time to start bulking is for you.
You can start bulking when you hit a certain body fat percentage or level of leanness, or you can simply start bulking at a certain time of year on a regular basis.
There aren’t many things more exciting than the day you decide to stop cutting (or losing fat) and start bulking (and gaining muscle).