Bulk to build muscle then cut

[IndigoBluey]

I’m unsure if I have posted in the appropriate page so please let me know if my question should sit elsewhere. Recently I have been seeing a lot online around bulking (increasing calorie intake) for the purpose of building muscle and then cutting / shredding. I am fairly active and I seem to have built arm and leg muscle through classes but I’m intrigued as to this build and cut method. Seems to focus on building glutes which seems very fashionable these days! For those building / eating extra, for the purpose of muscle build, can you share any resources or tips? How do you know how much extra to eat? Are you going by macros or calories? And how strict will you be in shifting the weight? How long does the weight stay on, as I can’t imagine it would be comfortable or healthy to be carrying extra pounds?

Hey there! I’m actually in the “cut” cycle now. This is only something I started last year so full disclosure I’m fairly new to it.
I started on this journey because weightlifting while eating in moderation did not give me the muscle tone I was looking for, and the muscle gain was dreadfully slow.
It is my understanding that overeating (heavy on protein!) paired with weightlifting will grow muscle in the areas you’re training - while also gaining fat. Then you cut the fat while maintaining the muscle via weightlifting. You will lose a little muscle in the cut process too but will come out with more muscle than you started with. And then you do it again.

For bulking, I didn’t find it hard to overeat at all (sadly) and just prioritized protein while not restricting other foods much. I went from size XS/S to M/L.
I will say I had a little bit of a hard time with the self image and had to buy a second wardrobe.. maybe I went too far.
For cutting, I decided to do intermittent fasting 16:8 though I also realized I need to control my eating at least a little in my 8hr eating period either. I have now cut down to solid size M. I am definitely showing a lot more tome than before. But I’m also definitely not done and will restart once I hit size S. Can’t wait!
It’s certainly not for everyone but I felt that my body wasn’t adequately gaining muscle and this was my shot at improving it.

I do bulk/cut cycles from time to time because I want to add muscle mass and it's a slow process. A calorie surplus can speed it up. It's not vital and it's not for everyone, you can do a lot at maintenance but if you do decide to bulk my tips are:

• start at a body fat level low enough that you can increase without immediately hating it. Don't bulk if you have fat to lose or will feel uncomfortable as soon as you add a couple of pounds
• give it time ie a few months at least
• make sure you have an effective hypertrophy workout plan
• increase your calories slowly to start, a couple of hundred extra a day is good
• hit your protein target every day. I do 1g/pound of bodyweight

-keep your food quality good but increase portions ie slightly more oats, a bit of extra nut butter. You don't need different food and you certainly don't need to eat junk, just a bit more of what you usually have if your diet is good

I would do about 6 months of bulk then maybe 10 weeks of cut. At the end you weight the same or slightly more but your body composition is different ie more muscle. For my cut I track my food and keep my protein the same but drop my calories by trimming carbs/fat. And I would up my steps.

It's not for everyone, if you have food or body image issues then I think it can be a bad idea. I have no food issues and I still found it hard to be purposely gaining weight but it really did change my body and I am doing another bulk later this year/next year.

Oh and 100% agree with @PolyCat about the second wardrobe, I had to buy bigger clothes especially bottoms because I gain more fat there. Squeezing into clothes that are too small is really unhelpful and I should have sized up sooner.

Shouldn't you do the opposite? First cut, then bulk? It will be easier to build muscles on a low body fat % and get more visible muscles .

That’s what @everycowandagain meant by “start at a body fat level low enough that you can increase without immediately hating it”
that was probably my mistake as I did not, but I also wanted to plunge into the fun muscle building as opposed to the struggle of a cutting cycle..

Update: I have now dropped below 140lbs and my “big” clothes are starting to fall off. Needed to wear a belt yesterday with my jeans. Starting to switch to my “small” clothes.
I’m continuing fasting till 135lbs and then I can finally restart the bulk cycle.

That's good @PolyCat I hope you are seeing some good new muscle!