Should You Bulk vs Cut?

How to Choose The Right Fitness Goal

By: Jeremy Fox, CNC, CPT – Updated: February 9, 2023

If you want to look your best, you need more muscle and less fat. But the greatest transformations happen when you focus on muscle gain and fat loss separately. This is called bulking and cutting.

Therefore, choosing the right goal is critical. Get this decision wrong, and you’ll be unhappy with your results. Not to mention, you’ll waste your time and energy in the gym.

So how do you know when you should bulk vs cut? Which should you do first, and for how long?

To answer these questions, I will walk you through how to choose the right fitness goal. So you can maximize your results in the least amount of time.

The Difference Between Bulking and Cutting

When You Should Bulk vs Cut

How Long You Should Bulk vs Cut

Switching From Bulk to Cut (or Cut to Bulk)

Take The Bulk or Cut Quiz

Tips for Cutting & Bulking

Bulk vs Cut Pictures

What Is Bulking vs Cutting?

Bulking and cutting are different phases of a diet and workout plan designed for muscle gain or fat loss.

During a bulk, you eat more calories and lift heavy weights to maximize muscle gain. While cutting involves eating fewer calories and combining weights and cardio to burn fat.

Figures 1 & 2. Bulking prioritizes muscle gain, with some fat gain likely. While cutting prioritizes fat loss with the possibility of muscle loss.

Generally, body fat also increases during a bulk due to the high calorie intake necessary to gain muscle. However, a good nutrition plan can keep fat gain to a minimum.

Likewise, it’s common to lose some muscle while cutting since calorie intake is reduced. But this too can be minimized, or even eliminated, with proper diet.

With this potential for gaining fat and losing muscle, bulking and cutting might seem like the long road to success. Wouldn’t it be faster to do both at the same time?

Can You Bulk And Cut At The Same Time?

The short answer is yes, you can gain muscle and burn fat simultaneously – also known as body recomposition. However, it’s a very complex process, and it’s not right for most people. While recomposition may seem like a shortcut, it can take much longer to see your desired results.

Figure 3. Body recomposition may or may not result in a change in body weight.

As illustrated above, body recomposition is slow because it requires a delicate balance of opposing forces. Basically, you’re trying to break your body down while building it up at the same time.

The reason cutting and bulking move faster is that you prioritize either breaking down or building up. Therefore, when you need to lose a lot of weight, it’s usually better to cut. And the same is true for bulking and muscle gain.

To illustrate, here are some typical rates at which your muscle, fat, and body weight change for each goal.

Table 1. Rate of Change Bulk vs Cut vs Recomposition

	Bulk	Cut	Recomposition
Muscle	+2 to 3 lb/month	-0 to 1 lb/month	+0.5 to 1.5 lb/month
Fat	+1 to 1.5 lb/month	-4 to 7 lb/month	-0.5 to 1.5 lb/month
Body Weight*	+3 to 4.5 lb/month	-4 to 8 lb/month	+/- 1 lb/month

Keep in mind that you will likely gain or lose more weight in the first month, but much of that is water and glycogen. Whereas the numbers in this table reflect actual changes in muscle and fat occurring after that initial bump.

And remember that the rate your body changes depends on your current body composition and experience level. For example, you can lose fat faster when you’re overweight. And you can gain muscle faster when you’re new to working out.

Now that you know the difference between bulking and cutting, let’s determine which is best for you.

Should You Bulk Or Cut First?

Most of the time, the decision to bulk or cut should be based on your current body fat percentage. For example, when you’re overweight or obese, you should cut first. But if you’re already lean, it’s usually best to bulk first.

However, there can be gray areas where reverse dieting or recomposition are the best choices. So here are some more detailed recommendations.

When To Cut First

Body fat percentage greater than 17% for men and 25% for women
Or, you need to burn fat at the fastest rate possible

One exception is if you’ve been in a prolonged calorie deficit. That means undereating or eating fewer calories than you burn each day for the last month or more.

In that case, your metabolism has probably slowed down, and further attempts at cutting will fail. Therefore, you should consider a reverse diet before cutting.

Reverse dieting is where you gradually increase your calorie intake to build up your metabolism. In the long run, this makes fat loss easier.

Figure 4. Illustration of how reverse dieting helps rebuild your metabolism after calorie restriction. TDEE = total daily energy expenditure. BMR = base metabolic rate.

When To Bulk First

Body fat percentage less than 17% for men and 25% for women
Or, you need to gain muscle at the fastest rate possible

Again, a prolonged calorie deficit could be an exception. If that’s the case for you, you may want to choose recomposition to transition into your bulk without gaining excess fat.

When To Use Recomposition

Body fat percentage less than 17% for men and 25% for women
And, you’re okay with making gradual changes in body composition
Or, you just completed a cut or a bulk and you’re ready to transition the other way.
Or, you’re a beginner and new to training

Figure 5. Body recomposition expectation vs reality. Recomp is not the best goal if you want a dramatic body transformation.

How Long Should You Bulk vs Cut?

Generally, you should stick with one fitness goal for at least 8 to 12 weeks. Any shorter than that, and you don’t get into a good rhythm or see significant changes in your body.

That being said, I also don’t recommend cutting for longer than six months unless you’re obese, as prolonged dieting causes changes in your metabolism and hormone balance. Although these side effects can be avoided if you use my approach to metabolic confusion.

In addition, bulking for too long can result in problems like insulin resistance. A condition that leads to excess fat gain. This is why my nutrition plans use carb cycling to maintain insulin sensitivity while you bulk.

Finally, the duration of your bulk or cut also depends on how much weight you need to gain or lose. Here are some estimates for how long it takes to reach certain milestones.

Table 2. How Long To Bulk vs Cut

Goal	Estimated Time
Lose 10 lbs of fat	7 Weeks
Lose 20 lbs of fat	14 Weeks
Lose 30 lbs of fat	21 Weeks
Gain 5 lbs of muscle	10 Weeks
Gain 10 lbs of muscle	20 Weeks
Gain 15 lbs of muscle	30 Weeks

I realize that the durations in the table may be longer than you expected. But again, these numbers represent actual pounds of fat and muscle, not just pounds on the scale. So your total body weight will change more in the given timeframe.

In addition, you should allow +/- 2 weeks due to the variation in the rate of fat loss and muscle gain I mentioned earlier.

How Do You Switch From Bulk To Cut (or Cut to Bulk)?

In most cases, jumping straight into a bulk after cutting is not ideal, or vice versa. The reason is that your body stores fat or breaks down muscle in response to significant changes in energy balance.

Instead, it’s better to make minor adjustments in calorie intake as you transition. Doing this gives your body time to adapt to the change in energy balance.

To that end, recomposition can be an appropriate stepping stone from one goal to the other because the calorie target for recomp is between your cutting and bulking targets.

Figure 6. Illustration of gradual transitions from bulk to cut and cut to bulk.

Another approach is making incremental adjustments in your calorie intake each week. For example, you could cut 100-200 calories per week to get from bulking to cutting. This is the same concept of metabolic adaptation used in reverse dieting; it works both ways.

Whichever method you choose, give yourself at least 4 to 8 weeks to make the transition. And the longer you bulk or cut, the longer your transition should be.

Bulk vs Cut Calculator

Here at Nutritioneering, I specialize in tools and calculators that take the guesswork out of fitness. So I created an easy “Bulk or Cut Quiz” to help you choose the right fitness goal with confidence.

bulk or cut quiz

All you have to do is answer the questions below and you’ll be pointed in the right direction.

Custom Meal Plan

Get a personalized meal plan designed specifically for your body, lifestyle, and fitness goal. Including custom recipes formulated to fit your macros and calories – no counting required!

All this for just $13.99/mo! Click here to choose your plan.

Tips For Cutting & Bulking

Now that you know whether you should be bulking or cutting, I’ll give you some general advice.

Tips for Cutting

Cutting requires you to be in a calorie deficit. That means eating fewer calories than you burn. You want the deficit to be large enough to burn fat at the fastest rate possible.
You also don’t want to cut calories so far that you lose muscle and damage your metabolism. Therefore, being more active is a good way to increase your calorie deficit and burn more fat. This means standing and walking more throughout the day. As well as exercising at least 5 days a week.
Cardio (aerobic) exercise burns the most calories from fat. Include 30-60 minutes of low-intensity cardio such as walking or jogging. Doing cardio in a fasted state can burn even more fat. Also, high-intensity cardio (HIIT) is another option that can burn more calories in less time.

Figure 7. Multiple studies show that fasted exercise results in a significant increase in fat burning compared to exercise after eating.

Resistance training is important to preserve or build muscle while burning more calories. Use weights you can handle for 8-12 or 10-15 reps. And shorten rests between sets to 75 seconds or less.
Make sure you eat enough nutrient-dense foods to ensure you get all your vitamins and minerals. Such as leafy greens, colorful vegetables, and a moderate amount of fruits or berries.
Adjust your macros for maximum fat loss. Reduce your carb intake, especially on days you don’t exercise. And eat plenty of protein to preserve your lean muscle while boosting your metabolism via the thermic effect.
Gain an edge with strategic meal timing. Eat your carbs around the time of day that you exercise to promote muscle building. During the rest of the day, keep your carb intake low to reduce insulin levels.

Tips For Bulking

In order to maximize muscle gain, you must be in a calorie surplus. That means eating more calories than you burn. You want the surplus to be large enough to gain muscle at the fastest rate possible. But not so much that you gain excess fat.
Resistance training is absolutely necessary to induce muscle growth. Your workouts should focus on heavier weights in the 5-10 and 8-12 rep range. And give yourself about 1.5 to 2 minutes rest between sets.
Cardio workouts aren’t always necessary when bulking, especially if you’re a hardgainer. But including 20 minutes of low-intensity cardio a few days a week is a good way to minimize fat gain.
A clean bulk is highly recommended. It consists of eating mostly natural, whole foods that promote good health while gaining muscle. Dirty bulking, where you eat junk food, is not advised as part of a healthy lean muscle diet plan.
Adjust your macros for maximum muscle gain. Increase your carb intake, especially on days you workout. And eat plenty of protein to give your body the raw material to build muscles. Also, include a moderate amount of healthy unsaturated fats.
Use the science of meal timing. Depending on your body, you may be eating carbs all day. But most of those carbs should be before and after your workout to give you energy and promote recovery.

Bulk vs Cut Results

Over the last 20+ years, I’ve experimented with bulking, cutting, and everything in between. And in my experience, dedicated phases of muscle gain and fat loss deliver the most dramatic results.

However, it’s important to remember that every situation is unique. And there are definitely times when reverse dieting and body recomposition will help you bridge the gap between the extreme phases.

For example, I gained 34 lbs in 8 months using a structured reverse diet, body recomposition, lean bulking, and finally, bulking. The Instagram post below shows the result and provides more detail about the process.

View this post on Instagram

This week’s edition of swole vs shred is an 8 month transformation from the night before the contest on the right to my current condition during the bulk. The journey over the past 8 months has been all about setting the stage for achieving my long term goal of gaining muscle while maintaining a relatively lean level of conditioning. The process started the day after the contest in June with a very structured 20 week reverse diet… yeah I said 20 weeks! The early weeks of the reverse diet were incredibly challenging as my body craved more carbs and calories but I made it through by utilizing weekly refeeds. After rebuilding my metabolism I went into several weeks of lean bulking leading into November. At which point I did a 5 week mini cut to shed some excess fat before embarking on my current Megabulk phase in January. Having strategic short term objectives that tie into a specific long term goal helps me stay motivated and get results. What’s your mission statement? —– #transformation #transformationtuesday #swole #shredded #classicphysique #mensphysique #physique #bodybuilding #bulking #progress #goals #contestprep #reversediet #intermittentfasting #leangains #offseason #teambpi #bpisports #bpiathlete #success #results #beastmode #savage

A post shared by Fitness Coach Jeremy Fox (@jeremyfoxfitness) on Feb 14, 2017 at 10:58am PST

But you don’t have to be a 20-something competitive bodybuilder to get results from bulking and cutting. In fact, these principles work for anyone regardless of age, gender, or experience level.

Nowadays, I’m in my late 30’s and don’t compete in physique contests anymore. But I still achieved a dramatic fat loss transformation by bulking up first, then cutting the fat.

Below is my 5 month cut transformation on Reddit.

Now, I know you may be skeptical about these images because so many things are photoshopped these days. Or, at the very least, staged to make the transformation look more impressive.

Here is a YouTube video of the same 5-month body transformation to show you it’s real.

Get My Help On Bulking and Cutting

By now you should know exactly what goal is right for you. And you’re probably itching to get started with your plan.

But how do you find your ideal calorie target? How many grams of carbs, protein, and fat should you eat? And what should your daily meals look like?

Click the button below to start customizing your plan. Or check out some of my related articles for more information.

Customize Your Plan

What About Lean Bulking?

There is a fourth fitness goal that I touched on briefly in this article, and it’s called lean bulking. This process is where you build muscle with minimal fat gain, so you don’t have to cut as long later.

A lean bulk is beneficial for some people in specific situations. But it takes a bit more precision than traditional bulking or cutting.

That’s why I put together a definitive guide with 13 tactical tips. Click here to learn how to lean bulk.

How to Lean Bulk

With this information, you should have a clearer vision of your ideal physique and a plan to get there. For more informative fitness-related content, check out these other awesome articles.