Bulk, Cut, Refine By: 3J

3J

Super Moderator
BULK, CUT, AND REFINE:
THE PROCESS OF GAINING YOUR IDEAL BODY
BY: 3J
3J's Nutrition | Diet and fitness consulting to get you to the next level.

Lets talk about something that, though obvious to the experienced, is missed a lot by amateur bodybuilders who are aspiring to get that model physique. I will write this article as if speaking of a person with statistically average stats and the process he has to go through to gain a wonderful body. Lets call Mr. Average Bob.

Bob is a 26 year old male. He has dabbled in the gym all his life but has never really gotten serious about his training or his nutrition. He is 5’10 165lbs and about 14% bodyfat. Bob is underweight and needs to go through a process of bulking, which would be our step one

The Bulk

Running a 5 day basic compound movement training split, bob would commit himself to training every week while giving himself rest on the weekends. He would change his diet, allowing for 5-6 meals a day and aiming for about 3000 calories at first. Bob would see how the 3k calories was working for him by weighing himself weekly. Initially bob would see weight gain, ideally about 1-2lbs a week. At some point his body and metabolism would outgrow the diet and he would need to increase calories. Ideally, you want to increase calories so that you continually gain 1-2lbs a week. Usually an increase of 200-300 calories at a time is the right way to go. Not only will you continue to grow, but you will lower the chances of unnecessary fat gain. So Bob does just as I have said, and now, after about 3 to 4 months he has added about 20-30lbs. Not bad at all for bob, he now weighs 185-195lbs. Do we jump straight into a cut?? Absolutely not!!!

The Maintenance phase
So why not jump on a cut and bring all those wonderful muscles and abs out that we have worked so hard to get? Its because we have worked so hard to get them. Our bodies have a homeostasis that they like to keep. There is a target number, plus or minus 10lbs, which our bodies are used to. Our metabolism is used to that number, so it likes to keep at that level. If we were to cut after only 3 months of bulking our body is nowhere close to getting used to our new weight. Here is where the maintenance phase comes in. For the next 2-3 months at minimum, we have to keep our bulking end. This gives the body enough time to adjust to the new weight and primes us for a much better cut.


The Cutting phase

OK, the 3 months are up. We are ready to cut. Taking into consideration Bobs new and improved weight, we can estimate that we should start cutting at about 3000 calories, which is what he started his bulk with. We will ride the cut out without cardio, looking for 1-2 lbs a week of weight loss until he stalls. Once bob stalls, we will add some cardio, very lightly at first. Losing weight is like an onion, it has to be done in layers. First you cut calories, stall, add cardio, stall, add more cardio, stall, and then cut calories again. Little by little you continue to do this so that you only lose 1-2lbs a week continuously. Having done it correctly you should have saved a lot of muscle you would have lost and made it to 8 percent bodyfat fairly easily.


Its no secret guys, this is how it should be done. Think again when you set up your goals and want to immediately jump into a cut. It will definitely do more harm than good.



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http://www.steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/675492-christmas-sale-final-day.html
 
This is a great read considering the bulk phase is what I am currently going to run with 3J followed by the cut for summer... Looking forward to getting the new diet and workout plan.

Thanks again 3J for everything

Delta Zulu
 
During the maintenance phase when you say "For the next 2-3 months at minimum, we have to keep our bulking end", I'm not clear what that means. Are you shifting to maintenance calories at this point instead of staying 200-300 calories above maintenance?
 
You need to adjust your caloric intake to support the added muscle mass and allow the body addapt to carying this additional muscle mass. Make this the new "norm" if you will. Once this is achieved THEN cut.
Great article 3j!
 
The point 3J makes about maintaining after a bulk is actually incredibly important - you should NEVER switch from a bulk to a cut immediately if you want to maintain the new mass you've gained.

Of course the same thing applies when switching from a cut to a bulk.
When you've been cutting for a significant amount of time, a lot of hormonal & meta-bolic adaptations occur that make you prime to put on some fat.
This means you need to stay at maintenance for a while (duration depending on the length of the cut) to allow your hormones & metabolism to upregulate to normal. If you go straight into a bulk you will gain some fat that could've been completely avoided.

Excellent post man, particularly the maintenance part :)
 
This is the schedule Im following with the same premise in mind.

Aug-oct Bulk
November maintenance
Dec-Feb Bulk
March- April Maintenance
May-June CUT
July Maintenance

If My cut doesnt go well I can extend it into July
The point of the November maintenance is to give myself a break. After 3 months of hard lifting and eating I just want to take a week off then lift a little lighter and maybe change my sched. And just cut back on the eating
 
I use this course for cut: https://balkan-pharmaceuticals.org/shop/course/oxandrolon-boldenone-testosterone-propionate
 
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