Should I bulk or cut? Burn fat or build muscle? What’s my goal?

What should you do? Bulk or Cut? When it comes to setting goals, everyone is talking and writing about it – entire books have been written specifically devoted to setting goals – but the issue is, most people never correctly decide on exactly what they want. Not finding a goal tailored to your situation is like trying to shoot at a target with a blindfold on, firing a missile without programming a target, or driving your car without first deciding on a route to get there.

“Most people spend more time planning a party, studying the newspaper or making a Christmas list than they do planning their lives.” – Denis Waitley, The Psychology of Winning.

“How can you possibly hit a target without aiming first?”

 

Bulk or Cut? – Understanding the Problem

If you don’t know where you’re going, or how you’re going to get there, you’re probably not going to end up anywhere! Action without planning is the number one cause of failure. Some people give their goals a quick thought, but most never commit themselves to a specific goal, and even if they set a goal, many don’t chose a method that will actually get them where they want.

The other issue is from the incredible transformations you see from drug-enhanced or genetically elite athletes that are being promoted as normal for everyone. Then when results don’t pan out to your expectations, you’re told you didn’t work hard enough or that the program wasn’t right for you, and you just need to buy a new, more specialised training program or equipment, along with, of course, the latest fad supplement stack – because the one that you just bought wasn’t right for our body type, or biology, or some crap like that.

If all you think is that you want to look leaner, more muscular, at the same time, all in 6 months, then it’s not surprising that many eventually get frustrated and give up. Unfortunately it seems that the effect of the industry’s marketing is so powerful that the majority of people end up wasting a lot of time, money and stressful days, before they are willing to listen to someone with a more realistic and directed outlook.

 

The Goal of this Guide

Imagine a dream town where everyone looks and behaves like physique fitness athletes. You know you want to be there and live like that, you just don’t know how to get there. All you may know is your starting location.

My goal in this article is to guide you down the road that take you from where you are now, to that dream goal town where you want to end up. I’m going to categorise your possible starting body compositions and body shapes and provide a goal setting plan of attack that will focus your effort and progress in the right direction (bulk or cut or recomp).

I will help you identify your current physique condition, and then I’ll provide some practical recommendations on the route I think you should take (bulk or cut, slow-bulk, others) including a realistic time frame of how long your should expect it to take to arrive there. This is going to save you time on your journey to getting the physique that you want. It’s going to get exceptionally detailed, but I sincerely hope that you find it useful.

 

Understanding Your Own Expectations Compared to Others

As you travel your own path, you’ll inevitably find yourself observing others along the way and you’ll compare yourself, your actions, your results and your progress to theirs. We all have a tendency to compare ourselves with others in order to assess and value ourselves, however I want to give you some key points of information here that will give you a more accurate and realistic perspective. Others will progress faster or slower and get different results to you, but it’s not necessarily because your actions are incorrect, it could just be due to their route and their starting point being different to yours. Along our journeys we will all experience everything from easy fast highways of progress to slow, muddy, up hill battles, but it will be the path you must take to reach your goal.

If you are Overweight:

• You are less likely to lose muscle while in a calorie deficit.
• You are more likely to gain fat while in a calorie surplus.
• Your fat loss can be quicker compared to leaner people without risking muscle loss.

 

If you are already Lean:

• You are more likely to lose muscle while in a calorie deficit.
• You are more likely to gain muscle while in a calorie surplus.
• Your fat loss will be slower compared to more obese people.
• You will measure smaller compared to someone at the same weight with less muscle – muscle is denser than fat.

 

If you are a Beginner to serious weight training:

• You are more responsive to training as you’ve never done weight training before. You’re a longer way from your genetic potential so you have more room for improvement.
• You will experience more rapid gains in lean body-mass.
• Even if your nutrition and training aren’t perfect, there is a good chance you will make the best progress of your life (particularly muscle gains) when you’re starting out – the infamous “newbie gains.”
• If you’re not getting results, it’s likely that you’re doing something very wrong with your nutrition, training and lifestyle (that should be encouraging, not discouraging, by the way).

 

If you are more Experienced in serious weight training (higher “Training Age”):

• You are less responsive to gaining additional muscle compared to newer lifters.
• Training age has a huge influence on your rate of muscle growth.
• The longer you’ve been training, the slower your muscle gains occur, and the closer you get to your genetic ceiling, the smaller the remaining room for improvement and the slower your gains become.

 

If you’ve been on a Starvation or Crash Diet:

• You are more likely to gain fat when initially going into a calorie surplus (fat rebound/overshooting).

 

If you’ve been on a Training lay off:

• You will temporarily gain some muscle mass while losing fat in a calorie deficit as you are simply regaining the muscle that had been previously developed and lost after a layoff. It’s easier to regain atrophied muscle than to build new muscle from scratch. Muscle memory, as this regain is called, is not a bodybuilding urban legend – it’s a real phenomenon with a scientific basis.

 

If you have awesome Genetics (mesomorph body types):

• You are more likely to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. You have many inherited advantages in muscle fiber type and number, hormone levels, as well as nutrient partitioning (including something called the “P-ratio” which is the amount of protein deposited into tissues relative to the amount ingested).

 

If you decide to take Anabolic Steroids or Fat Burning Drugs:

• You have an increased probability of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, as well as the amount of muscle gained and fat lost.
• You are very likely to experience many side effects including severe acne, oily skin, hair loss, liver disease, liver tumors and cysts, kidney disease, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes, altered mood, irritability, increased aggression, depression or suicidal tendencies, alterations in cholesterol and other blood lipids, high blood pressure, gynecomastia (abnormal development of mammary glands in men causing breast enlargement), shrinking of testicals, azoospermia (absence of sperm in semen), menstrual irregularities in women, infertility, excess facial or body hair, deeper voice in women, stunted growth and height in teens and a risk of viral or bacterial infections due to unsterile injections.

 

The Undercover Truth about Steroids

If you get some spare time, watch the documentary Bigger, Stronger Faster. It’s crazy and shocking how it reveals the extent and nonchalance of drug use in the bodybuilding and fitness industry.

I’d like to highlight one scene, where producer Chris Bell interviews fitness model and former supplement spokesperson (“former” because he was fired after the interview), Christian Boeving during his beachside photo shoot. Boeing’s gives a shockingly honest confession.

Christian Boeing: “I saw Conan the Barbarian (the movie) and at that moment I said, ‘that’s exactly what I want to do.’ So I started to study Arnold and his achievements. I started training with weights when I was 14. I started taking steroids when I was 16.”

Chris Bell: “So you’re advertising a supplement, and a guy like me goes and looks in the magazine and I see Christian Boeving and I’m like, wow man, I want to look like that guy. So I go and take Hydroxycut or I take some supplement because I think I’m going to look like you but what I don’t know is that you were taking steroids. Do you have any problem with that?”

Christian: “If someone looks at an ad which says, Christian Boeving takes Hydroxycut, which I did and I do, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t take something else. If they choose to believe that’s the only thing I’m taking, then so be it, they should be smarter than that.”

Excellent training and nutrition programs are great, but none of it can explain the extraordinary results that some people experience. No legal supplement does enough to account for the unusual results you see in some and after a bit of digging, you find that steroids and other physique-enhancing drugs are the “mysterious” explanation behind it.

That’s why most users don’t want you to know they’re “on the juice”, so don’t underestimate how widespread drug use really is, not just among competitive bodybuilders and fitness models, but worryingly also among the recreational exercisers and average Joes you see in the gym.

It’s totally possible to build a fantastic body drug-free, but it’s important to know the truth about what goes on in the bodybuilding industry, so that you as a drug- free trainee, can set realistic expectations for yourself.

With all these factors above in mind, you can explain most cases of exceptional body recomposition. Not surprisingly, these exceptions are the ones that often end up in the before and after pictures for supplement ads. If you want to know what supplements you should be taking, read this article on Recommended Supplements.

 

Accept and Embrace Your Body before Setting Goals

Be honest.

What body type are you?

By looking in the mirror and acknowledging your own current physical condition, you can set up realistic expectations and start real progress towards your long-term goals. Really be honest with yourself, no matter what your body shape or size, you can correctly identify where you are now and start setting your plans accordingly to save you time, effort and money in reaching your end goals.

Now lets find your path to success. Do you Bulk or Cut?

 

 

 

• Body fat is over 26-30%+ (31-40%+ women), not what is culturally considered to be obese (~50%)
• Little to no serious lifting experience in the gym.
• Low cardiovascular health.
• Applies to 1/3 of the population in the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK.
• Waist dominates over the hips.
• Short, tapering arms and legs.
• Smooth, round body contours (round or pear shaped body).
• Major improvement needed to improve general health and wellbeing.
• There was a consistent calorie surplus consumed over a prolonged time.
• Keeping fat off after it is lost is a challenge.
• Tendency to be sluggish, slow moving and lacking energy.
• Slow thyroid or other hormone imbalance (sometimes).
• Fairly good strength levels
• Possibly genetically prone to store fat easily.
• Possible carbohydrate sensitivity.
• Falls asleep easily and sleeps deeply.
• Bouts of fatigue and tiredness.
• Often describe themselves as having a “slow metabolism”.
• Tendency to gain fat easily as soon as exercise is stopped.

 

 

• Stick with simple changes at first.
• Don’t try too much too fast or any radical changes.
• Aim to progressively improve your physical training and nutritional compliance.

• Start cutting out any big and obvious junk.
• Reduce number of desserts you eat during the week.
• Gradually reduce the amount of starchy and processed carbs in your diet due to your insulin sensitivity.
• Increase amount of fresh vegetables to stay fuller longer.
• Swap processed instant foods for home cooked foods.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Always feeling physically hungry? Read this awesome article on reducing hunger.

• Aim to be more active on your feet.
• Look for activities to keep you moving during the day.
• Start 3 days per week of  full body workout programs for weight lifting.
• Perform compound full body movements to utilise multiple muscle groups.
• Use Barbells or bodyweight based on your own ability.

• Find social activities that are less based on food and more based on physical activity.
• Keep junk food out of sight, out of mind.
• Keep lots of fruit and vegetables and healthy snack foods in the house.

• Look for friends and family to work together for accountability and support.
• Use this my site and social media to help your motivation and accountability.
• Become aware of your reasons for eating when you are sometimes not hungry.
• Watch out for trigger moments that cause you to over eat.
• Recognise moments of emotional hunger and halt them before they start.
• Consider talking to a professional about your emotional eating triggers and your own feelings of self image and confidence.
• Recommended site: http://www.ShinkYourself.com

Subsequent changes after 6 – 12 weeks

• Start to become aware of your calorie intake using a calorie counter app.
• Start to track intake of calories and eat accordingly for a deficit.
• Start to increase protein intake using guides from this site.
• Introduce a more frequent schedule of cardio activity.
• Don’t exceed 2lbs a week of fat loss for skin elasticity reasons.

 

• Body fat is 20 – 25% (26 – 30% women)
• Various levels of lifting experience from none to a few years.
• Low cardiovascular health.
• Waist protruding slightly.
• Improvement is needed to enhance quality of life and general health.
• This group people have the greatest potential for significant body transformations in a reasonable time frame.
• This also applies to those who are experienced lifters but also have excess fat to get rid of.
• Some fat gain over a time period but can be burned off in a reasonable amount of time.
• Gradual lifestyle habits, overeating and lack of exercise
• Sometimes can feel unmotivated to be active.
• No real strength so muscle gain initially can be significant.
• Possible carbohydrate sensitivity.
• Some lazy days each week.

• Aim for 1-2 pounds or 0.5kg of fat loss per week at a steady consistent rate. More info on rate of fat loss here.
• If you are new to lifting, expect some muscle gain during the time and understand it can mask fat loss, so don’t worry.
• Use other measurements such as tape measures and skin caliper testing in addition to scale weight tracking.
• If you are new to dieting, then expect some large initial weight losses due to water and muscle glycogen losses in the first 7-10 days.
• Once this happens, don’t be worried if weight loss slows down. Look for the average rate of weight loss over the weeks following the first week and adjust from there.

• Don’t try and diet too quickly.
• Make gradual reductions to your calories.
• Ensure you are getting enough quality protein for your workouts and enough fat for good hormone production.
• Ensure you get enough quality carbs to fuel your training and keep you happy, while reducing processed and starchy carbs a little.
• Ignore all fad diets that call for extreme changes to your diet. (Includes very low carb, starvation, “Detox” crap, fasting, starvation, excluding entire food groups)
• Instead, adopt healthy and balanced nutritional habits that you can maintain.
• Always feeling physically hungry? Read this awesome article on reducing hunger.

• If you are new to training, understand the importance of resistance training to ensure weight lost is from fat and not muscle. This will prevent the “Skinny Fat” situation.
• If you are an experienced lifter, don’t expect significant increases in strength during your cut. Make sure you aren’t over training with the calorie deficit. Consider just 3 – 4 sessions a week.
• Make sure weight training covers the whole body (Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms, Legs). Don’t think you can spot reduce fat in some areas, you need to give attention to the whole body.
• Progressively aim to improve during your workouts. Each week aim to lift more weight than you have done previously while staying in your rep range.
• Make sure you lift with good form and technique.
• Consider 2 – 3 cardio sessions a week to speed up fat loss, maintain a healthy metabolism and overall cardiovascular health.

• Find social activities that are less based on food and more based on physical activity.
• Keep junk food out of sight, out of mind.
• Keep lots of fruit and vegetables and healthy snack foods in the house.
• Look for friends and family to work together for accountability and support.

• Look for friends and family to work together for accountability and support.
• Use this my site and social media to help your motivation and accountability.
• Become aware of your reasons for eating when you are sometimes not hungry.
• Watch out for trigger moments that cause you to over eat.
• Recognise moments of emotional hunger and halt them before they start.
• Consider talking to a professional about your emotional eating triggers and your own feelings of self image and confidence.
• Recommended site: http://www.ShinkYourself.com

• Track your calories carefully and monitor your progress for consistent results.
• Find opportunities for activity and cardio in as many forms as you can.
• Check your progress and adjust calories as needed.

 

• Body fat is 15 – 19% (21-25% women)
• Measurements are average and weight is normal.
• Lacking any real muscle tone or definition.
• General “doughy” feel to the skin.
• Satisfactory (fair). Average body composition.
• In this situation, you are skinny and don’t have a belly, but you lack muscle tone or definition.
• This is due to a higher body fat to lean muscle mass ratio.
• This situation occurs purely due to lack of resistance training and is a result of diet without the weight workouts.

• Aim for a slight calorie deficit, while pushing yourself in weights workouts.
• Expect some muscle gain during the time and understand it can mask fat loss, so don’t worry.
• Sometimes your improvement in physique will be happening, but you won’t notice it visually for 4 – 6 weeks.
• Be patient and consistent. Don’t be tempted to hop around different diets or workout programs. Stay with it and persist.
• Don’t expect to notice your progress initially unless you track things accurately and rigorously enough.
• Track strength gains and waist measurements as an honest check of progress.

• Only a slight calorie deficit is needed. Around 10-15% reduction in calories.
• Make sure you get enough protein and quality fats.
• Plan ahead with your meals and prepare foods in advance.
• Stay consistent with your diet and calorie tracking.
• Avoid large over eating events as this will dramatically slow progress.

• Understand the importance of weight training to improve your muscle definition.
• Weight training is very important so make sure you include it multiples times each week.
• Make sure weight training covers the whole body (Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms, Legs).
• Don’t think you can spot reduce fat in some areas, you need to give attention to the whole body.
• Progressively aim to improve during your workouts. Each week aim to lift more weight than you have done previously while staying in your rep range.
• Make sure you lift with good form and technique.

• Plan ahead.
• Track your calories, weight and tape measurements.
• Stay consistent and avoid massive overeating episodes.
• Look for friends and family to work together for accountability and support.

• Stay consistent. Patience is the name of the game here. More info on rate of fat loss here.
• Re check your nutritional compliance
• Make sure you are still pushing yourself in the gym
• Find opportunities for activity and cardio in as many forms as you can.
• Check your progress and adjust calories as needed.

 

• Body fat is 10 – 14% (16-20% women)
• Weight is normal.
• Fair muscle definition, shape and tone.
• Starting to get some tone and definition in the abs and overall mid section.
• Skin feels lean and healthy.
• Lean good body composition.
• In this situation, you have a healthy balanced physique that you can maintain for as long as you like.
• You workout using weights.
• You’re fairly active.
• You have an awareness and balance of healthy eating choices.
• In the past, you may have stopped part way through your lean bulk because you felt you’re getting fat
• Or you decided to stop part way through your cut because you felt you’re are getting too thin and skinny.
• Some people in this category feel that they’re unhappy with their lack of progress, but refuse to change their diet or training method(s) because they are stuck in some form of dogma.

• Stay constant, patient and make sure you persist. Dieting isn’t easy and neither is gaining muscle. Stick with it.
• Make a decision for some fat loss or muscle gain and commit to it for a few weeks.

1. Look at yourself now in the mirror and good lighting.
2. If you can’t quite yet see your abs and want to get a more ripped “shredded” definition, then consider further fat loss (cutting).
3. Consider how you will look afterwards given your current amount of muscle mass. If you already have a good amount of muscle mass, then continue to cut and get that shredded look.
4. If you think you will look too skinny, weak or scrawny from doing further fat loss, the consider a lean bulk for a few months.
5. If you decide to bulk, set some reasonable lifting strength targets and a reasonable weight target. Don’t allow your body fat to increase above 12 – 15%.
6. If your body fat increases to the upper limit, switch to a cut and reveal your newly grown muscle.

• If you’re not counting calories yet, it might be time to start. It’s much more effective and efficient if you remove the guesswork.
• Only a slight calorie deficit or surplus is needed. Around 10-15% change in calories.
• Make sure you get enough protein and quality fats.
• Plan ahead with your meals and prepare foods in advance.
• Stay consistent with your diet and calorie tracking.
• Avoid large over eating events.
• Stuck in a rut after prolonged dieting? Consider a break from dieting for 1 – 2 at maintenance calories. Afterwards, you’ll feel refreshed mentally, your food cravings are gone, and metabolically it’s beneficial for setting you up to shoot for this next level of leanness.

• Progressively aim to improve during your workouts. Each week aim to lift more weight than you have done previously while staying in your rep range.
• Make sure you lift with good form and technique.
• Record your sets, reps and weights and aim to increase strength each time.
• Change up your workout routine every 8 – 12 weeks to keep it interesting and avoid getting bored.

• Plan ahead.
• Track your calories, weight and tape measurements.
• Stay consistent and avoid massive overeating episodes.
• Look for friends and family to work together for accountability and support.

• Stay consistent. Patience is the name of the game here. More info on rate of fat loss here.
• Re check your nutritional compliance.
• Make sure you are still pushing yourself in the gym.
• Find opportunities for activity and cardio in as many forms as you can.
• Check your progress and adjust calories as needed.

 

• Body fat is below 9% (below 15% women)
• Weight is below normal.
• Lacking any real muscle definition, shape and tone.
• Naturally skinny and wiry.
• Small waist, narrow shoulders.
• High energy levels
• Difficult to add muscle mass (a.k.a “Hardgainer”)
• Low strength levels at the moment.
• You have lots of potential. Some of the best athletes and fitness models have your genetics!
• With this in mind, you could get an awesome transformation in just 12 months if you train hard and eat smart enough.

• You’re a beginner, so set to gain 2-3lb of muscle per month for around 3-6 months. More info on rate of muscle gain here.
• Accept that you may gain a very slight amount of fat during this process but it’s expected and normal. With your genetics you’ll burn it off again afterwards very easily. You probably won’t notice it anyway.
• Think about why you may be skinny in the first place:
  • Due to a conscious decision? – This could be from dieting too quickly or aggressively which causes muscle mass to be lost in the process. Next time make sure you diet down conservatively.
  • Due to being naturally skinny? – Probably due to lack of appetite. You may sometimes have huge portions but overall you eat less than others. You are probably very active and fidgety naturally too.

• Aim to increase food intake by 100 – 300 calories per day. Beginners need closer to 300 calories, more intermediate people need just 100 calories surplus.
• If you are naturally skinny, you need to really focus on consciously eating more than you normally would.
• Count calories to make sure you are eating enough. Given your high metabolism, you may need much more calories than you have calculated you need.
• Look for calorie dense foods (lots of calories for a given weight of food). These are things like nuts, spreads and highly palatable foods.
• Consider increasing the number of meals you eat per day to ensure you eat enough food.
• Find times where you can have liquid calories to help you get your food requirements (Protein shakes, smoothies).
• Don’t use any of this as an instruction to eat a load of crap processed food. Aim to eat mostly natural unprocessed foods still where possible. Pay attention to food quality.
• Ignore the first week’s rise in scale weight as that will just be a change in water balance due to the higher carb intake.

• Focus on gaining solid strength and muscle in the gym.
• Use free weights with high reps (15 – 20) initially to help your body to “learn the skill of lifting”. This will get you a solid foundation of stability and balance.
• Also use machines in the gym to help you build a foundation of strength  during your first 4 – 6 weeks.
• See further down for more instructions on lifting.
• Keep cardio to a minimum due to your natural high metabolism. Feel free to include 1 – 2 sessions a week if you wish for general health.
• Keep calories high and never miss a meal.

• Find a gym with good equipment, friendly people and a positive motivating atmosphere. Avoid going for cheap gyms with crap equipment just because its closer and cheaper.
• Surround yourself with people who have body shapes that motivate and inspire you. Another reason for a good popular quality gym.
• Focus all your training and program on getting stronger.
• Look for a qualified coach or trainer that can help you through the free weight lifts. Make sure you use correct form, technique and breathe properly.
• Make sure your trainers are professionally qualified as friends may not instruct you correctly.
• Ensure you are getting enough sleep (7 – 9 hours)
• Avoid over training.
• Keep stress and worry down. Look for ways to be relaxed.

• Once you have good stability and strength to use free weights more, increase the weight and stick with free weights mainly.
• Increase weight and drop reps to 8 – 12 reps per set.
• Really keep aiming to increase the weight used in each exercise while staying in the 8 – 12 rep range.
• Look to get into compound lifts that use lots of muscle groups at the same time (like squats and deadlift)
• Don’t worry about anything you read or hear like drop sets, supersets, giant sets or anything else like that. Keep it simple and look for solid strength gains.

 

• Body fat is below 9% (below 15% women)
• Clearly visible muscle definition, shape and tone.
• Small waist, broad shoulders.
• High energy levels and motivation.
• Chest dominates over abs.
• You could be in this condition due to excellent genetics, hard work, or both.
• You have excellent body condition, metabolism
• You are training and eating correctly.
• You are organised and balanced with your approach to health and fitness.

• Maintain this physique if you like, but why not see how far you can really take it? Don’t coast on your situation, improve it!
• Avoid the temptation to skip workouts or cheat with big crazy meals just because you think (or know) you can get away with it.
• Pay attention to your health and quality of life. Avoid temptations for use of illegal supplements or performance enhancing drugs.
• Trying to improve physical appearance with these substances lead to extreme imbalances in your body’s hormones and patterns that lead to really harming your health and longevity down the line.

• Pay attention to food quality.
• “Pigging out” just because you can get away with it is not a wise practice. In the best-case scenario, it will limit your development. In the worst scenario, it could compromise your health in the long run.
• At this point you are probably an advanced stage lifter so aim for under 2 pounds per month of muscle gain. Any more would be fat gained.
• Set your calorie surplus accordingly for this amount of muscle gain. Advanced lifters should aim for less than 1 pound per month of gain.

• Train hard and with intensity.
• Use de-load weeks every 4 – 6 weeks as needed to recover from your intense sessions.

• Don’t get worried about losing muscle definition too much. Accept and allow for a little fat gain during a slow bulk.
• Set a weight gain target to shoot for. More info on rate of muscle gain here.
• Avoid the temptation for a dirty bulk or impatient bulk. Be patient and consistent to keep fat gain to a minimum.

• If you ever reach 15% body fat, cut back down (to below 10% and you see good abs again) and reset for a further bulk.
• You will find you gain muscle more efficiently when you stay lean.
• If you find you are close to your genetic muscular potential, there is no point in gaining a ton of weight in the off season trying to force muscle gain that can’t happen. Instead be slow and steady with gains.

 

 

“Hey guys, thanks for reading this article. Hopefully by now you know if you should bulk or cut!

Now that you know your starting point, and where your next goal should take you, its time to get started!

Please don’t waste your money on online diet plans, ebooks or workout programs. Instead, simply the resources at George Health.

It’s a free guide, free of all the B.S, science based and fully customisable.”

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