Should You Bulk or Cut? | When You Should Bulk and When You Should Cut

One common problem both new and experienced lifters face is the dilemma of whether they should bulk or cut. “Am I already too fat to bulk?” and “Do I have enough muscle to cut?” are common questions that lifters tend to ask themselves when choosing between bulking and cutting.  In this article we plan to help you answer those questions, but before we do that, let’s go over what bulking and cutting involve.

Bulking or  “the bulk” are the terms used to describe the time period in which the lifter is aiming to add muscle mass while sacrificing some unwanted fat gain. It involves eating in a calorie surplus to give your muscles extra energy that can be put towards muscle growth. Bulking is what you see many bodybuilders doing in their offseason when they’re trying to add muscle for their next show before they get insanely lean again.

Cutting or “the cut” are the terms used to describe the time period in which the lifter is trying to decrease body fat. It involves eating in a calorie deficit so your body has to use stored fat for energy. When bodybuilders are on what they call contest prep, it is considered a cut, as it’s when they’re trying to get their leanest pre contest.

So what should you do?

There’s really just one thing you need to look at if you’re trying to decide between bulking and cutting. That one thing is body fat percentage. If you are above 20 percent we recommend cutting, and if you’re below 15 percent, we recommend trying to add some more mass. We say this because if you’re not lean enough to bulk, you won’t be able to bulk for a substantial amount of time without accumulating unhealthy amounts of body fat. On the other hand, you should only be looking to cut if you are above around 20 percent body fat, and it wouldn’t be smart to bulk. If you’re in between 15 and 20 percent, take a look at how developed you are. If you already have a fair amount of mass, you could go ahead and cut as you could get pretty lean and without getting super skinny. If you don’t have very much muscle mass, it would be smart to build a good amount of muscle and then cut. Choosing between a bulk or cut could also come down to personal preference. If you are below 15 percent body fat but don’t think you’re lean enough to stop cutting and bulk again, then you should keep cutting until you're happy with your physique. On the other hand if you have taken your bulk a little too far but don’t think you have enough mass to cut yet, you could bulk a little longer and add some more size.

In conclusion, whether you bulk or cut comes down to body fat percentage and personal preference. It’s also important to note that not committing to one of these in particular can greatly hinder your progress, as you won’t be making any forward progress to either fat loss or muscle growth.