Cutting vs. bulking

should you “cut’ first or “bulk” first? cutting means “cutting” calories, or eating less than you are burning off. bulking would mean the opposite, taking in more calories than you are burning off. in my opinion, like the video states, it really depends on who you are if you should cut or bulk first.

if you are someone who wants to put on muscle, I would say to bulk first. now this could be different for everyone. I am a smaller person myself and I started by taking in more than I am burning off, but my goal was to get bigger and that did come with some fat gain along the way, not just muscle. you can’t target where you would want to lose or gain your fat, so taking in more calories would mean that you could gain weight in unwanted places, but that is why its best to do it slow, like upping calories by 50-100 per week or so so your not going from 1500-2500 in a matter of days.

I would say if you have more unwanted fat, you would be more inclined to cut first. now like I stated before, it different for every person. cutting doesn’t mean doing all cardio and burning as many calories as you can. weight lifting and cardio go hand in hand. in a bulk I would for sure do less cardio, but not cut it completely. everything in fitness is a marathon not a race. It took me two years to complete a bulk the first time around and one year to feel good about a cut. of course nothing goes smoothly 24/7. its all trial and error. that’s why you do everything slowly.

when people ask me gym advice I always ask, “what are your goals?”

When should you go up in weight?

By this I mean, when should you start adding more weight to your squats, dumbbell curls, etc.

I always try to get at least 8-10 reps in my sets. If I can get 12, then for sure the weight is too light and I could’ve added a few extra pounds.

There’s really no specific time frame. Some say to aim for 5 pounds added per week but most likely there will be times for weeks maybe even months when you struggle to add weight, so don’t let that discourage you.

I always say it’s better to do 4 reps with heavy weight than 15 reps with light weight.

3 things that could hold you back from your fitness goals

  1. Not staying consistent
  • – if you’re not consistent in your training, you will not see the results you want. This is one of the biggest reasons people give up in the gym. There’s too many excuses out there. If you want results you’ll have to work for it. STRIVE FOR PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION.
  • 2. Not eating enough or eating too much
  • – if you’re someone who wants to lose weight, you will need to eat less than you are burning. Vise versa for if you want to gain weight/muscle.
  • 3. No progressive overload
  • – this means that you must up your weight or intensity each week. If you continue to use the same 5 pound dumbbell, your muscles will never be able to lift 20. Add more reps each time or do more cardio.

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