Bulking vs Cutting.. Is It Necessary?
So if you’re around the gym, I’m sure you’ve heard of bulking and cutting before. If you haven’t, then you’re probably better off.. Lol
What is bulking and cutting?
For those of you that don’t already know, simply put bulking is a phase where you take in more calories and gain weight while cutting is taking in less calories and becoming more lean.
People bulk in hopes to gain more muscle mass. Usually they change their workout routine to lifting heavier for less reps and their workouts may be longer. Because of this, they’ll need to take in more food leading to a caloric surplus (taking in more calories than they’re burning).
Cutting is the exact opposite. You may have shorter, high intense workouts with low rest times and high reps, however you’re taking in less calories and having a super strict diet cutting out mass amounts of carbs, calories and specifically fats.
Why do people go on Bulks and Cuts?
Well for one thing the idea originated when bodybuilders went to compete. This makes sense because upon competing they not only wanted to look large, but also be super cut so you could see every single muscle. So first they’d bulk to gain mass, then they’d cut to get rid of any excess fat. Other athletes like MMA fighters and boxers do this as well when they want to make a weight class. Now bulking and cutting has been adopted by the entire fitness community. My opinion… kind of ridiculous for a few reasons.
- It’s not healthy for your body to constantly be changing weights. Yes, it’s okay to naturally fluctuate 5 pounds (depending on the person) but when you’re deliberately putting your body through the process of a big gain or cut it’s simply not sustainable and will affect your day to day mood and energy levels.
- You probably won’t feel good. If you’re not competing for something, there’s not many reasons to do this. Going on a bulk and force feeding yourself or going on a cut and limiting your intake takes a toll on your body and mental health.
- Majority of people feel best at a certain weight. Everybody is different, but for me I feel good at 155lbs. I’ve been 148lbs and although I feel light while performing calisthenics, I don’t look as full as I’d like. I’ve also been 165lbs where I look bigger, but my calisthenics suffers, I feel heavy and I feel lethargic more often. 155lbs is the sweet spot for me. Everyone has one, so find it and try to maintain as best you can without going to the extremes.
Yes, there are benefits to bulking and cutting but like I said, it really depends on your goals. I truly believe you don’t have to take it to any extreme unless you’re competing. If you want to put on size you’re going to have to eat more and change your workout routine. The only way to gain muscle is by growing and even gaining some fat. That’s why people cut after their bulk. Now that they have more muscle mass, they’ll get rid of all the extra fat they gained to show all the “new” muscle gained. Either way, a healthy gain or loss is around a pound a week. So keep that in mind.
I’ve only done a bulk and a cut once and from experience, it’s not fun. Did it work? Yes, I got to the desired weights. Did I like it? No. Did I Feel good? No. Would I do it again? Maybe if I had a valid enough reason to. Either way I like the way I look and more importantly, feel at the moment. That’s all that matters at the end of the day.
I hope this cleared up bulking and cutting for anyone who was seeking more information. Feel free to reach out to me for blog post topics you want to learn about!
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