Deficitly
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Should I bulk or cut first?
Use your body fat to decide. Cut first if you're above about 20% body fat (men) or 30% (women); bulk if you're below about 15% (men) or 25% (women). In between, either works, and beginners can often build muscle while slowly losing fat (recomposition). A cut means eating about 0.5–1% of your weight a week below maintenance; a lean bulk means about 0.25–0.5% a week above it, with strength training and plenty of protein either way.
What are bulking and cutting?
Bulking is a phase of eating a little more than you burn so your body has the material to build muscle. Cutting is a phase of eating less than you burn to lose fat while keeping the muscle you have. Lifters alternate them because building muscle is easiest in a surplus and losing fat needs a deficit. Both start from your maintenance (maintenance calorie calculator).
Bulk or cut: a decision table
| Your body fat | Best first step | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Above 20% / 30% | Cut | Losing fat first makes later bulks leaner and improves health markers. |
| 15–20% / 25–30% | Either, or recomp | New lifters can recomp at maintenance; experienced lifters pick by goal. |
| Below 15% / 25% | Lean bulk | There is little fat to lose, and muscle gain needs the surplus. |
| Below 10% / 18% | Bulk | Staying this lean is hard and dieting further costs muscle. |
Estimate yours in two minutes with the body fat calculator; for what the levels look like, see body fat to see abs. Normal weight but soft? See skinny fat.
Calories for a bulk vs a cut
| Person | Maint. | Cut−0.5%/wk | Lean bulk+0.25%/wk | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 60 kg 132 lb | 1,800 | 1,470 | 1,960 | 110 g |
| Woman, 70 kg 154 lb | 1,950 | 1,560 | 2,140 | 125 g |
| Man, 75 kg 165 lb | 2,350 | 1,930 | 2,550 | 135 g |
| Man, 85 kg 187 lb | 2,500 | 2,030 | 2,730 | 145 g |
| Man, 95 kg 209 lb | 2,660 | 2,130 | 2,920 | 145 g |
Notice how small the bulk surplus is: a few hundred calories, not "eat everything". More in how many calories to build muscle. Split either target into protein, carbs and fat with the macro calculator. Your own surplus and goal date: weight gain calculator.
How long should a bulk or cut last?
- Cut: usually 8–16 weeks. A man of 85 kg (187 lb) at 20% body fat who keeps his muscle reaches 15% at about 80 kg (176 lb): 5.0 kg of fat, roughly 13 weeks at 0.5% a week.
- Bulk: months rather than weeks. At +0.25% a week a man of 75 kg (165 lb) gains about 3.1 kg in 16 weeks, part muscle and part fat. Most people stop when their body fat reaches about 15–18% (men) or 25–28% (women).
- Between phases: a few weeks at maintenance makes the switch easier, especially after a cut (reverse dieting).
Is bulking or cutting harder?
For most people cutting is harder: hunger, lower energy and slower progress in the gym. Bulking is harder for people who struggle to eat enough; if that's you, see how to gain weight with a fast metabolism. The slower version of each is easier to keep up and keeps more muscle. The basics of eating more: how to gain weight.
The third option: recomposition
Eating at or a little under maintenance while lifting can build muscle and lose fat at the same time. It works best for beginners, people returning to training, and people with some fat to lose; for lean, experienced lifters it's very slow. See body recomposition.
Sources
- Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2014;11:20.
- Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, Helms E. Nutrition recommendations for bodybuilders in the off-season: a narrative review. Sports 2019;7(7):154.