Cut, Bulk or Maintain

[Neddysmith]

Hey Guys,

I posted this in my training log but havent got much of an answer so thought i would post here.

I have finally grown some balls to post a couplfe of pics http://ausbb.com/member-training-diaries/23456-neddysmith-gets-green-light-10.html which for my is quite a big deal as i like to keep to myself a bit and enjoy some privacy, however, i guess for some good advice pics are really required. I know they are not the best pics but they should do for now.

So from my training diary my weight hasnt really changed in 4 for 5 weeks, i am not really sure what i want to do, either cut, bulk or keep doing what i am doing, so thought i would put up a couple of pics and get some opinions from others on the forum.

Height - 183/4 (6'0")

Weight - 100.6kg (this morning

Have been trying to eat 2000cals a day (which is posted on the first page of my log) but i think i have actually been a little slack and getting slightly less than this a day.

So i guess the question is what do people here think i should do? BULK, CUT or MAINTAIN?

Cheers

 

[Darkoz]

My advice Neddy is to eat to fuel muscle growth, forget about all this bulking/cutting yoyo cycle.
Also, a full body or upper/lower split workout is far more advantageous for fat loss and lean mass gain than a one body part per workout type of routine which I've never been a fan of,

 

[Semillon]

Get bigger/stronger imo.

 

[Mackie]

I guess it really depends on what your working towards? Also what look you prefer personally... Myself I prefer being lean and vascular rather than bulky...

Do you have a goal physique your working towards or style of physique eg: fitness model/bodybuilder/?????

 

[Sydking]

Going from pics i would eat and lift, Your not fat, But could do with some bulk.

Then cut back 10kg or so and see how you look then

 

[myst]

Keep cutting IMO, you look to be holding decent muscle mass which will make you look bigger when leaner. You aren't flexing in those photos either so it's hard to tell.

2000 calories or below sound pretty harsh though, how much weight have you been losing on those calories and for how long have you been dieting?

Drop another 5 - 7kg up until the end of the year lean and ready for summer, then slowly reverse out of that diet and start packing on some mass.

 

[Grunta]

Personaly I would hit the fridge as hard as the weights.
But keep in mind, that when I watch Bloodsport, I think Bolo looked a lot better than Van Damme.
If you're looking to impress the girls at the beach this summer, than stick with the weights, but youll need to put a padlock on the fridg and try to survive off eggs, protein shakes and vitamin pills till x-mass.
Good luck, not sure which look you're going for, but I would bulk at this stage.

 

[Big Mick]

Mate looking at your photos it really depends on what look YOU are going for, you need more muscle/size imo, but you could also drop some fat to get ripped, I can see you conundrum.

I have been in a similar boat recently but I have a bit more fat that you but also a bit more muscle, generally more size over all, so I decided to drop weight/fat, doing my best to maintain as much muscle as possible.

Personally in your shoes I would probably smash a full body workout three times a week similar to the beginners program aiming to push heavy weights for 6-8 reps and hit HIIT 3 times a week, eat at maintenance, probably around 2200-2600 cals ensuring you meet your daily protein requirement.

But thats just me and I still don't look like I want to anyway, so it's really all about the LOOK you want for yourself.

 

[sjay]

Cut to 10% ish then slow bulk for a couple of years. This will give you easy 5-10% to play with.

I have a similar body type to you, get fat around the gut and boobs easy when eating too much over maintenance.

Slow and steady bulk from a lean base for the win.

 

[Grunta]

Cut to 10% ish then slow bulk for a couple of years. This will give you easy 5-10% to play with.

Slow and steady bulk from a lean base for the win.

unorthodox method

 

[Brick]

Personaly I would hit the fridge as hard as the weights.
But keep in mind, that when I watch Bloodsport, I think Bolo looked a lot better than Van Damme.
If you're looking to impress the girls at the beach this summer, than stick with the weights, but youll need to put a padlock on the fridg and try to survive off eggs, protein shakes and vitamin pills till x-mass.
Good luck, not sure which look you're going for, but I would bulk at this stage.

\


Talk about a throwback. Bolo looked heaps better then vandamme.

Mass looks shit on online photos but in real life a big unit has a presence. Whats the point of looking sick with your shirt off but just a regular joe 90% of the time when you have a shirt ad no one can see your cuts.

 

[sjay]

all out bulks don't work well for skinny fats, atleast it didn't for me, especially if you are starting out from around 20% BF. Fat does not accumulate proportionately around the body for SF's - you end up not being able to fit into your shirts due to enormous belly but still have lean noodle arms and legs in comparison.

Slow bulk has better fat to muscle gain ratio

Just a skinny-fat's opinion

 

[Neddysmith]

Thanks for the input guys, i am after is more a bodybuilding look, big but lean, dont wont to be fully ripped as i think being 6'0" i would look a bit to lanky and small, in appearance if anything, considering at my weight i dont think i am holding a heap of muscle, but then again when i did drop down to 95 and then to 91 years ago i did feel quite small but i also think i have put on some size since then.

SO maybe i was thinking of lifting cals to 2500 a day and seeing how my body reacts over a 4 - 6wk period and then have a look at things again.

Also as far as strength in concerned, i am not too worried how much i can lift i would prefer to look like i can lift heaps rather than be able to, however, i understand as strength increases so does muslce mass....which is why i have followed what i consider more a bodybuilding routine in the gym.

thoughts?

 

[TTT]

you need to work on getting strong and eat enough to recover.

Forget about the words bulk/cut

 

[Bazza20]

I would be hitting the weights hard with a very slight deficit and high protein.

You should still be aiming to get stronger even with the deficit.

 

[DREADLIFT]

Train harder.

From what ive glanced at your log it looks kinda stale.

Try a new approach.

 

[Neddysmith]

I would be hitting the weights hard with a very slight deficit and high protein.

You should still be aiming to get stronger even with the deficit.

Yeah if i was completely honest i work reasonably hard in the gym while my lifts arent anything special they are OK and improving, but i think the thing really holding me back is my diet. I am in the process of rejigging it and so it looks like.

2500Cals 265 P 135C and 100 F

I can post full details if anyone is interested.

 

[Mickdog]

My advice Neddy is to eat to fuel muscle growth, forget about all this bulking/cutting yoyo cycle.
Also, a full body or upper/lower split workout is far more advantageous for fat loss and lean mass gain than a one body part per workout type of routine which I've never been a fan of,

This is it.

Upper / lower split is great. Eat more fish, chicken, steak, rice, potato, green veg and forget the rest

 

[Neddysmith]

Train harder.

From what ive glanced at your log it looks kinda stale.

Try a new approach.

Hey mate, what do you mean by that? Any specific suggestions or like others have suggested upper/lower?

Also what do people view as the benefits of doing something like upper/lower compared to what I am doing as a 5 day split?

 

[Mickdog]

Hey mate, what do you mean by that? Any specific suggestions or like others have suggested upper/lower?

Also what do people view as the benefits of doing something like upper/lower compared to what I am doing as a 5 day split?

I find hitting all body parts at least twice a week is better than once a week. Works for me and I've tried a lot of things over the past few years.

I do an upper/lower split where I concentrate on either squats, deadlifts, bench or press each workout.