Q:How many weeks should you cut or bulk? I’m so confused as to how low and high I should go. How do I figure it out? I still have a lot of body fat on my thighs that I need to get rid of. I want to build my upper body but think I need to get rid of some of my fat first. Help! What do I do first?
A: When you’re first starting, your Bulk Cut Cycle length can be shorter, until you become more familiar/trusting in the process. I often suggest trying a month of each to start (alternating). As you become more comfortable with bulking, the longer time you can spend in it, the more progress you’ll see. Right now, I do it based on seasons. It’s more convenient for me to bulk during the holidays/cooler months, etc.. It’s much less “mental” for me then, LOL. So, my bulk runs 3-4 months, minimum, right now.
Cutting should be closely monitored and you should try your best not to undo your efforts from your bulk. That’s why I recommend alternating at first. During your cut keep protein levels consistent, cardio moderate (until close to the end), try to let the food do the work, and don’t slash the calories all at once. Give yourself wiggle room as you hit plateaus. My cut is usually during spring, never lasting more than my bulk in length (12-16 weeks is typical). I lose as slow as possible (~.5lb/wk), to prevent muscle loss.
During your bulk, take the opportunity to get your cals as high as possible, without overdoing it (200-300 cals over maintenance is a decent starting point). If you bulk for an extended period of time and find your body adapting to the higher calorie level, try raising them a bit higher to see how your body handles it. This will allow for a metabolism reset, allowing you to cut/maintain at higher levels than before. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to cut/maintain at more relaxed cal levels. Because you are lifting exceptionally heavy during your bulk (with lower reps) your body will be able to put those cals to proper use (vs having to budget them as when you’re in a deficit). A basic way of seeing how much you should eat during your bulk, to start, is to use the EM2WL calculator set to “gain muscle.” Women can gain a max of around .25lbs of muscle each week, so this will supply just the right amount of surplus to make sure minimal fat is gained. You can also use that as a reference for how long to bulk for (i.e. say you’re not willing to gain more than 5lbs, plan the bulk for ~10 wks/5lbs, whichever comes first). Even though it seems oxymoronic, because muscle takes up so much less space than fat, you can usually get quite far along in your bulk before the gain is noticeable. More women notice it on the scale before seeing the “gain” on their bodies. But the scale is usually enough to scare us, and make us wanna run, lol.
So, once familiar with the process, you may be better off bulking until you “feel” bulky (aka jeans get too tight, lol), then cutting a bit — and repeating as necessary. You’ll notice that the more you bulk, your cut doesn’t last as long as you planned, because most of the “weight” is muscle, and looks completely different (which is why the scale can’t determine your goals). I’m the same size as my previous “fat” weight, but about 5 sizes smaller, for reference.
Also, it’s perfectly acceptable to start your bulk before reaching “goal” weight. I did. I never have figured out what “goal” was. After so many bulk/cut cycles, my weight vs clothing size doesn’t even make sense anymore, lol.
Q: So I’ve been tossing around the idea of bulking to build muscle, and it’s got my mind spinning, lol.. That just seems crazy. Not there mentally yet… I have lost SO much weight, and the thought of putting on more just doesn’t sit right w/me yet, I guess. I know that you believe that you have to build muscle before you can cut/define it, but I honestly beg to differ, as I’ve never “bulked” and I know I see muscles. I’ve been doing most of the other things that you usually talk about: not starving myself (1800+ cals for deficit), lifting really heavy, moderate cardio here and there. And, because I’m still in a slight deficit, the scale keeps going down!
But most of all, I have gained so much definition…I would hate to lose what I have by going into a bulk…I am starting to get a headache with trying to figure out what I need to be doing. My goal is not so much the weight loss, as it is fitting back into my size 4 and looking toned, you know. I am almost there…I got on my smallest 6’s so I know I am a hair away from my 4 slacks…at that point, I just want to be cut you know what I mean. So, is there a loophole in your “eat at surplus to gain muscle” argument, or am I missing something/the exception to the rule?
Cutting w/higher cals + heavy lifting = amazing results
A: A bigger person actually carries a larger amount of muscle mass,* naturally (the bigger the person, the more muscle). This is due to the fact that regular everyday movements (i.e. getting up out of a chair, pushing yourself out of bed in the AM, picking up your child) are essentially strength training movements (squats, tricep press, deadlift/bicep curl) due to the extra mass on the frame adding “weight” to the movement. The problem is there also is an extremely high ratio of fat covering that muscle (as a person who has been “bulking” – eating at surplus/lifting in low reps with high weight– might develop some fat along with the muscle).
So because you started this journey at such a high weight, and have kept weight training in the mix, technically what you’ve been doing is “cutting.” You’re just doing it properly by eating right (1800 cals to lose is AWESOME, btw) and keeping heavy weight training involved. This is more ideal than the person that just slashes cals to the bare minimum, and ODs on cardio (who would plow through their muscle store a bit more quickly).
Keys to remember:
to build muscle (aka bulk) = eat at slight surplus, lower the reps, up the weights, cardio optional
to lose fat while maintaining/defining muscle (aka cut) = eat at a slight deficit, continuing to lift heavy, adding in cardio as needed
So what you’re doing now, is what I recommend for most people starting from a much higher weight. Eating just under maintenance, but still lifting heavy and consistently (cutting) until getting down to a more comfortable weight range (or until newbie gains cease), before beginning bulk/cut cycles. The exception to this is if a person has gone into starvation mode from starting this path on a “biggest loser” mission (hours of cardio/huge calorie deficit), and has hit a plateau. I would recommend that person to do a metabolism reset/mini bulk before resuming cutting at much a slower rate (less cardio/higher cals than before).
You’ll know when the time comes to bulk, when you’ve ceased getting any beginner gains. But, as long as you’re getting the definition, etc that you seek, you’re fine. It’s hard to describe until it happens, but you just know.
The exception to this, would be the completely sedentary obese person, who, do to non-movement has experienced extreme muscle atrophy.
Q: Why do you hate cardio so much? Cardio is good for you isn’t it? But yet it always seems like you’re telling people to “stop doing too much cardio,” or talking about how much you hate it. I’m almost scared to even say that I did cardio around you, because you make it seem like a bad thing…I love cardio, it keeps me sane, keeps my heart healthy and my blood pressure low, and keeps the weight off. So…what’s so bad about it?
What’s so bad about cardio?
A: First, I want to say that if I’ve made you feel bad about doing cardio around me, I’m sorry. I never set out to be the “cardio police” lol, and I would never want to make you feel bad about doing something that you truly enjoy. Typically when you see me making a comment about someone doing “too much cardio,” it’s because that person and I have usually talked privately about them wanting to build/preserve muscle. Usually it’s also a person that I know/knows me well enough to know that I, personally, don’t love cardio.
It’s also usually:
said in a joking manner,
said because they’ve asked my opinion, and I’m giving it,
they despise cardio, but are doing a ton because they think they need to,
they’re wondering why they’re not packing on the muscle despite the time they’re putting in with the iron, or
they are eating in a deficit, and NOT eating back their exercise calories.
Cardio, in and of itself is not the devil. I have a soft-spot in my own heart for cardio (especially kickboxing…LOVE!), being that it is what helped me to shed my first pounds and develop an interest in fitness. Also, I suffer from endometriosis, and very poor circulation (due to a developmental issue in my childhood that left me with a much lower red blood cell count than most individuals over the age of two), and keeping a certain cardiovascular level helps me to minimize the effect that those health issues have on my quality of life (while also setting limitations on how much cardio I am physically able to do).
I also choose to keep cardio in my muscle building phase, though many exclude it altogether (in effort to gain as much muscle as possible, while sacrificing none). Cardio can be quite beneficial in the muscle building phase, when done in between weight training days, as a “recovery” workout of sorts. Aerobic (literally meaning “with oxygen”) exercise, aids in muscle recovery by sending oxygen into the very muscles that were worked the day before. This also helps in flushing any remaining lactic acid in the muscle that helps many to cope with the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) that they feel the day after an intense weight workout.
Whoa! Kiki caught ENJOYING cardio?
So… what’s my problem with cardio? The reason that I seem to disapprove when someone is doing cardio is because most people don’t eat enough to fuel their cardio workouts. They are using cardio to come up with an extreme caloric deficit. Basically, many people try to go about it Biggest Loser style. Not that I’m knocking the show (well…maybe I am), as it is very inspirational to see people who WANT to change their lives, and get rid of unhealthy habits. The problem with the mentality that it can leave us with, is that we start thinking that if we workout six hours a day, we can lose 5-10 pounds every week, getting this weight off as quickly as possible. We have to keep in mind that when it comes to weight loss: slow is better, and means that you’re more likely to keep the weight off. Just as the show only lasts for 12-16 weeks, that type of lifestyle cannot carry on forever.
Many professionals (i.e. bodybuilders, fitness models, actors, etc) will sometimes use the more cardio/less food approach as they prepare for a specific event/role, but, again, we are looking at shorter durations of time (at the most intense level), and often they still go about it quite slowly. Bodybuilders will also often go through a period of “reverse dieting” (increasing food intake, even if it results in an initial gain) in order to reset their metabolism once the show is over. Regular folk, however, tend to just stay on that track for much longer than necessary, as their body begins to require the higher levels of cardio and less food scenario. It’s an extremely slippery slope.
Strength training doubles your fat loss efforts!
Most people that I’ve talked to privately, who’ve asked my opinion on their cardio sessions can attest to the fact that I ultimately always arrive at the same response, regardless of my personal feelings toward cardio, and my “anti-cardio” facade:
“If you want to do the cardio, do it…if you don’t, don’t”
Yes, there are ways to lose weight without cardio. Yes, you can even “cut” without cardio if you wanted. Yes, technically, there are ways to build/keep muscle while still doing cardio, even if takes longer or seems harder (especially in hard gainers like women or ectomorph type), with enough attention to detail, if a cardio junkie can’t let go, or a marathon runner really want’s to counteract the muscle they’re catabolizing during their races, it can be done. You still need to follow the basic principle of eating at a surplus (including eating back your exercise cals!), lifting heavy, and taking in enough protein to support muscle growth. You may end up having to work twice as hard, just to build the same amount (or less) of muscle, but hey, if you can’t live without it, you can’t live without it.
So the question then becomes: are you doing cardio because you can’t live without it, or are you giving yourself extra work because you think you have to? (remember, we’re talking about doing cardio in excessive quantities/lengths here, not your basic 30 min cardio session). Cardio-haters are usually pleasantly surprised/thrilled at the fact that they don’t need to kill themselves on the treadmill in order to get results, and eager to learn more. But the fact remains that you need to be aware of the fact doing excessive cardio, while trying to build muscle can send your body mixed messages, so watch for key signs of over doing it. If you begin to notice muscle loss, lack of progress, not being able to go as heavy on your lifts, etc., it’s typically a classic sign that you are under-eating, doing “too much” cardio, or both. But don’t expect to do a little weight lifting, TONS of cardio, eat at a deficit, and be muscular and “ripped”…unless you just spent the last year in a serious bulk (i.e. eating at surplus, and lifting heavy three or more days per week)
Sorry, can’t “rip” what isn’t there, yet :-/
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Disclaimer time: For me (Kiki), I find that it’s much easier to just focus on my lifts and do minimal amounts of cardio (2, sometimes 3x’s a week – to keep a cardiovascular fitness level), while either a) eating in a surplus when building muscle, or b) eating in a deficit while leaning out. I do tend to do more cardio in the warmer months, as I’m naturally more active (family bike rides, basketball, gardening, etc), so if my cals are set at a deficit during that time, I am careful to eat back any exercise cals.
Are you adding an hour or more of cardio to your lifting days on TOP of every other day?
It’s perfectly fine to do some cardio when trying to lose weight. However, we wouldn’t recommend doing an hour of cardio on the same day as your weight workout. If you enjoy working out almost daily, then keep the cardio and weights separate. If you are doing full body workouts, only 3 days per week, cardio becomes your fill-in-the-gap option. If you only workout 3 days per week, then a short cardio session (if desired) after lifting, or later in the day is sufficient.
Including cardio is a personal preference. Some do fine with none, others can’t live without it. Do what you feel is best, but be sure to eat properly, and lift hard. Those are to the two most important things for you while you’re striving for fat loss. Adding cardio to your routine doesn’t produce near the results that adding lifting does. Keep your fat loss priorities in order: cardio for fun, weights to transform. And again, challenge yourself for best results. Whatever amount of reps are that you are supposed to be doing, you should not feel like you could just keep going forever. If you’re doing eight reps, you should be almost failing by seven, completely spent by nine. This will aid in the loose skin factor, if you have a lot of weight to lose.
Speaking of loose skin…
Another thing to consider, (though it will seem counterproductive at times because you just wanna get it over with!) is to lose weight as s.l.o.w.l.y as possible. This allows your skin enough time to adjust to the weight loss gradually at each level. This is also why we recommend not dropping calories too low. Ever notice how much extra skin Biggest Loser contestants have? That’s why. The loss just happens WAY too fast. Another example is one that every new mom notices. Her belly spends nine months expanding, and is suddenly deflated within hours. What is she left with? Skin, where a five to ten pound baby used to be. Since pregnancy is one area what we can’t avoid this, let’s take advantage of what we can control.
If you’re losing slowly, and building some muscle, it’ll help keep things tighter than if you just drop a ton of weight super fast. Also drink as much water as you possibly can, and get enough good fats/omegas — which will aid in keeping the elasticity in your skin as it adjusts.
Q: How do you keep muscle through the cutting phase? Since you are doing less heavy lifting do you find your muscles soften up? As much as I love the “get ready for summer” routines, I always find this happening to me.
A: The same thing happens to me if I do the “summer ready” (aka circuit heavy) rotations for too long. There’s really a fine line between having that muscle and then “losing” it. I say “losing” because technically the muscles are still there, but due to the type of workouts you’re doing, you don’t see them. It’s similar to what competitors and fitness models experience when dialing it in for a show/photo shoot. Everything factors in, and the timing is crucial on eats, training methods, etc.. If you stay in cut mode for just a week past your “peak,” you could fall completely flat (your muscles that is, and you seem to be back to square one). But at the same measure, if you move through this phase too quickly (losing weight more rapidly than necessary), then you really could be losing quite a bit of muscle. This is especially true when you are eating at an extreme caloric deficit. Some studies have shown that 25% of your weight loss on a very low cal diet, comes from muscle. Sucks, huh? This is why it’s recommended to build as MUCH muscle as possible, because it’s so much easier to lose it than it is to gain it.
Also, just because you’re cutting doesn’t mean you need to drop the heavy weights. Let the eating/cardio do their work, but keep your weights as heavy as they can be for that particular rep range (you can honestly cut at any rep range on the right diet). That way you can preserve as much muscle as possible and hopefully lose fat and gain muscle.
Q: I always struggle with my carb/sugar intake over the summer months because I’m a fruit-a-holic when it comes to summer fruit. And because it’s around for such a short period, I like to take advantage. So, I wondered how you deal with summer fruits? Are you still in your cutting phase at that point? How long does your cutting phase typically last for?
A: I typically cut for 12-15 weeks, but plan for twelve. I garden, and also love taking advantage of fresh fruit, from farmers markets, etc.. I do a lot of green smoothies, which use a ton of fruit, but because of the greens, keep the blood sugar regulated. I also eat the fruit plain, or in fruit salads.
Different people respond to fructose differently. I’ve heard of a lot of people say that it’s detrimental to their cut, but I haven’t really found that to be the case for me, or my clients, unless they are diabetic or otherwise carbohydrate sensitive. I just try to make sure that I choose fruits higher in fiber, so that it doesn’t cause a huge insulin (sugar) spike, and also eat it with enough protein. If I just eat fruit alone, I notice that I’m starving in like 30 minutes. So my philosophy with all sugars (regardless of type) is to eat them with fiber to help regulate digestion. So whether it a coffeecake, muffins, brownies, or fresh fruit, I figure out a way to incorporate that extra fiber (i.e. eating raspberries vs bananas, or using bananas only in green smoothies or after workout shakes, using whole wheat flour vs white, etc.).
I say eat the fruit, if you notice that its holding you back, then adjust. I pay more attention to my fiber intake in my macros than my sugar intake…I won’t really look at cutting out fruits until maybe the last couple weeks or so of my cut, and that’s ONLY if I’m not happy with where I am and want that extra edge. Which is usually never.
Q: So, basically when you go into cut mode, you’re just decreasing the amount of calories you eat and still working out the same?
A: Yes and no. I actually may do more than 2 days of cardio (yes, shocking!). I eat the same…but…better, lol. The cal reduction typically comes from carbs/fat, while trying to keep the protein steady. I’m a little too carb/fat happy during my bulk, just because I can be. The thing that suffers because of that is the belly. And since it’s the first thing to go, and the last thing to come back (next to my arms) that’s what the cleanup really helps. I could actually keep my cals exactly the same, but lower fat/carbs & get decent results. But since I enjoy my them, and my meals are insanely boring without them, I just eat smaller portions/better choices (sweet potato vs white, berries instead of bananas, etc.) of them, with my protein in order to compromise with myself. That’s why I could probably never compete, I love food too much, and tend to settle at getting cut “enough.”
Q*: I am still looking to lose around 25 lbs, but don’t want to lose muscle, how much cardio do you think I should do, or would it be better to do total body workouts for awhile and skip the cardio? Not sure I could do that though, lol.
A: Since you plan on being in fat burning mode for a little while longer, it’s fine if you want to keep some cardio in, until you get to where you want to be. Try not to make cardio your main focus, though, if you can help it.
Do activities that you enjoy for the sake of having fun. Not just to force-feed cardio into your routine because you think you “need” it. Remember “cardio for fun, weights to transform.”
Cardio or Strength Training? Cardio obviously has great health benefits, and we’d never recommend that someone who loves it, completely omit it (just look at Lucia with her beloved Zumba). Instead, we simply make this recommendation from a fat loss goal-based emphasis. It will come in real handy to have that “trump card”– as I like to call it — when you’re close to the finish line, and hit that infamous plateau that comes along. If you are only doing cardio to lose weight, then every time you hit a plateau, you will need to increase your cardio just to get the same results. Before you know it, you’re doing cardio for hours on end, with little to no payoff.
If you are strength training, on the other hand, and hit a plateau, you only need to adjust weight or repetitions to break it. You do NOT have to spend more time doing it, though. Another trick is to try to get a cardio burn from your weights as well, with total body/circuits/and leg work. Those will all help invoke a cardio factor without hours of cardio. They will also help you to preserve the muscle you’ve built so far. You can continue in that manner until you get to a point where you are ready to actually build more muscle (and are no longer eating in deficit), then you can switch it up to suit you.
My only advice is to switch things up every 4-6 weeks, so that your body doesn’t get to used to any one tactic. So if you’re going crazy on cardio and doing full body workouts, switch to a split for maybe 2-4 weeks to provide the shock to your body, so you don’t just fall into a routine. Then you can go back to it if you like. The reason? The last thing that you want for your body is to become “efficient” in fat burning. Though it sounds like a good thing, it’s not. It means that your metabolism slows down and NEEDS the things that you’re doing in order to burn the same amount of calories. Which, net effect will lower your maintenance calories, causing you to have to eat less and less in order to break plateaus, and at the same time have to work harder and harder.
Since our metabolism already declines as we age, there’s NO reason for us to speed up this process. My ultimate goal when losing my weight, was to lose it doing the LEAST amount of cardio possible and eating the MOST amount of food possible, lol (but then again, I was never really fond of cardio). That way, as I came to plateaus or as I aged and those numbers had to increase & decrease (respectively), it will still be manageable…if that makes any sense. Let’s be honest, if being fit/healthy is a lifelong goal, at some point (80-90yrs old?) it MAY be required that we eat next to nothing, and do 3 hours of cardio each day (and possibly another hour at night?), but if we start doing that now then we may be stuck eating nothing and working out 7 hours/day by the time we get to that age (if such an age exists).
*Q & A posts are excerpts from actual submitted emails from clients and fam. Have a question that you’d like to see addressed in Q & A or explained in a future article? Drop us a line below!
-4 months, minimum, right now.
Are you adding an hour or more of cardio to your lifting days on TOP of every other day?
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