How long to bulk/cut ?

[madgame]

Is there a reason why everybody (including me till now) usually bulks for like a whole year and then cuts up for about a month?
Wouldnt it be way more comfortable and easier to just bulk for 3 months and then to cut for a week instead of waiting 12 months and doing a whole month or longer of cutting up?
Besides I think a lot of people (including me) would care more about what they eat if they went on a cutting diet every month.
(I can only speak for myself, but everytime Im done with my cutting phase I watch way better what kinda food I eat etc.).

Or are there any negative side effects on the bulking phase which I didnt consider?

 

[Mercenary]

Originally posted by madgame

Wouldnt it be way more comfortable and easier to just bulk for 3 months and then to cut for a week instead of waiting 12 months and doing a whole month or longer of cutting up?
etc.

I don't think it would.

At that rate you'd take close to 12 months to see the same results you would see in a single month of cutting. I don't see how it would be more comfortable either... having to eat 3000 cals one week and then try to gradually decrease it for the next week.

That's not to say you have to bulk for a full year... it's just that you should be investing way more than a single week to cutting... especially if your bf% is above 15% and you're looking to get it down to 10% or less.

 

[Mercenary]

Re: Re: How long to bulk/cut ?

double post

 

[madgame]

double post

Well if u decrease your calorie intake it would be less comfortable of course, but Ive actually never done that. Last time (and then only time) I cut I just started eating about 500 calories under maintainance level right away and was able to lose about a pound of fat each week (in the beginning more because of the water..besides my lifts stayed almost the same so I doubt I hardly lost any muscle). I dont really understand what the purpose of decreasing them gradually is. Maybe somebody can explain this?

If you have some serious cutting to do it would of course not be a good idea to only cut for a week every 3 months or so. I meant that if you only cut for a month or so each year (to get in shape for the summer for example) in order to keep your bodyfat level the same despite the bulking you do, it might be a good idea to bulk for a couple of months (lets say 3...depending on how much fat u gain of course) and then to cut for only a week, cause I think one of the hardest parts of cutting up is doing this whole thing for a whole month or longer. Maybe its just me who thinks so though.

Oh I think I get what you meant by double post now.you can not only edit your posts but delete them too (in case thats what was wrong) ;-)