Bulking vs Recomposition vs Cutting

[YamahaC76]

Hey everyone, so I want to get shi* straight and some information from some real Kool Kats on here to tell me and explain to me what Bulking and recomposition really is, and finally on top of that, what cutting is! (Well shi*, guess I said that in the title now didn't I?) I'm serious though guys, Iv'e spent time in the gym from 19-25 and I still for the life of me can't figure out what the hell any of these people are doing... Now, Disclaimer: I don't follow any of these bits of advice I hear on my local gym floors. I'm sure we've all been there. For every thing one person says to do, you'll find two others that say "that shit will never work". So,...Man idk, I just use common sense and don't do any stupid shit. So...I'm gonna kick my feet up, sip my coffee and explain what I'm talking about in a way I'm hoping to convey; a friendly conversation over a beer type tone.

Okay, well, One guy says he's bulking...puts on 10lb, then months later he's cutting, and only keeps 2lb. People saying Ya want to put on water, makes you look bigger? But then that doesn't give definition...? Iv'e never understood bulking, Hell I may not have ever seen or heard of it done right. In my head, bulking would be put on size as quickly as possible, and then you cut later. But are you cutting water? Then did you even bulk? What the hell is bulking guys? To me it seems that every time somebody "bulks" they just get really big, just to get down to the same damn size they were to begin with? So what's going on here. Now..., I completely get, if what it is...is you're actually putting on more size and muscle quickly, but in a manner that isn't concerned with staying as lean, because this would slow the process down as they are counterintuitive goals. Am I right? Partial credit? This makes the most sense to me so far.

Recomposition; this forum is the first place I've seen this term used. And from what I can tell, It seems pretty damn universal as a goal. iv'e seen it defined on here as "Build muscle, while still losing fat." I mean hell that means this has been my goal from the start. In my head, I want to get shredded up top and have those abs slow roll into the station. Well if that's what is is...it's my dream...so...is this recomp?

Finally, cutting.....; well, In the bulking paragraph, I hinted at what I thought of cutting was. Basically all it's ever meant to me was one guy is just getting back to the size he was give or take one or two pounds. It makes more sense if I thought of it as a guy is hardening his muscles and trimming the fat down from the bulking cycle, the next logical step. These two phrases of the three are definitely a two part system.

So to Rick, Dyaln, any members here, cheers -clings beer mug to yours- I'm ready to hear what you guys gotta say. I'm well aware I could just be dead.ass.wrong on all this stuff, and maybe even partially right about the guys I described! After all, it would make sense I think that if all I ever saw was people doing shi* wrong their whole life for years. So, yeah, that's why I made the thread, so I CAN FINALLY know, just what the hell these terms are, and how you do them right. What they actually mean. Hell Dylan, this would be a great topic for a video too, ill even be the first viewer man. Cheers!

 

[SdBronco]

If a guy does a bulk and gains 10lbs and cuts afterwards and only keeps 2 then one of two things happens. He gained mostly all fat so when he cut down he lost that fat and the 2 lbs he just lost the 8lbs of fat. Which means he did it wrong (bulking). Either that or the guy gained mostly all muscle and little fat which means the bulk was successful, but afterwards he cut and somehow fucked it up and burned all his muscle off only to keep 2lbs.

A lot of guys go on bulking cycles and make the huge mistake of after gaining 10-15lbs then they go into pct and immediately start cutting. I myself am guilty and I've done this before. If you try to cut during pct you will basically burn all that muscle off and lose everything...

And then you have guys who run improper pct and lose everything after a bulk cycle which is just as bad if not even worse. There are a lot of reasons you can lose too much muscle in a cut. Fasted training with not enough calories or protein/carbs. Training way too hard or often, running things like T3 and clen which can actually burn muscle, screw with metabolism and cause rebound weight gain etc.

 

[YamahaC76]

If a guy does a bulk and gains 10lbs and cuts afterwards and only keeps 2 then one of two things happens. He gained mostly all fat so when he cut down he lost that fat and the 2 lbs he just lost the 8lbs of fat. Which means he did it wrong (bulking). Either that or the guy gained mostly all muscle and little fat which means the bulk was successful, but afterwards he cut and somehow fucked it up and burned all his muscle off only to keep 2lbs.

Happy as shi* to hear it laid out straight. This was perfect. Next round of brews on me for sure! -cheers! CLING- I definitely see this for sure. Interesting. So with all that said, I do know there is a cool off period before starting PCT, I think? How long is that wait period, isn't it somewhere around two weeks? The reason the failed bulks were so puzzling to me, is that they ended up pretty much where they would have been if they were just building at the normal rate (whatever that is...I guess just natural progression).

(Lean bulk)? Is this even a real thing? vs a normal bulk?

Ahh I see, cutting too fast will make you lose everything. So where does recomposition fit in with the discussion of Bulking/Cutting? Is it possible to bulk only once or twice and keep yourself there?

 

[RickRock]

I really dislike the word bulking myself, because a,lot of people take it out of context. That isn't a ticket to eat whatever you want and add as much weight as possible. Adding lean mass is what people should be doing, meaning a clean diet at just the right surplus for muscle gain with very little to no fat gain. Adding a bunch of weight to just have to clean up later is counterproductive. A lot of people just want to see the scale move but that's not how it works

Cutting is no different. You must maintain a proper defecit without going to extremes to protect your muscle mass and strength. Be patient and give yourself time

Recomp is the hardest thing in all of bodybuilding to do correctly, but it's possible. There are no secrets or easy way to do it. Tricking your body to put on muscle while burning fat is no easy task, but no matter what it takes a,lot of work. Usually a very clean diet, lots of cardio, and training that must be on point.

All the goals come down to diet manipulation

If you want a,little inside info on the diet side of all of this, which is the key to ALL of it, then check out my diet and nutrition thread where I break it all down