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Bulking / Recomp

I’m looking for some advice for bulking but maintaining a good body fat percentage without gaining mass stomach fat.

I’ve been lifting at the gym for a few months now and I’ve gone from 70kg to 80kg and I can see some progress by minor muscle gains but I’ve managed to put on excess stomach fat and my body fat has gone from about 14% to 20% and it’s making me look skinny fat as I am 6 ft 3.

I checked out my calorie calculator to work out what my maintenance was and it says around 2,700 calories a day, I’ve been clean bulking on about 2,700 - 3,200 depending on the day and going to the gym 4/5 days a week doing an hour lifting followed by swimming on some days. Somebody told me that I should reduce my calories to about 2,200 - 2,500 but then surely I won’t be gaining any muscle at all and I will lose all the muscle I’ve gained so far?

I’ve looking for some insight in how I can get my body fat back down to about 12% so I can see some ab definition but without killing all the gains I’ve done so far and affecting further gains.

Thank you
Original post by JimmyNeu
I’m looking for some advice for bulking but maintaining a good body fat percentage without gaining mass stomach fat.

I’ve been lifting at the gym for a few months now and I’ve gone from 70kg to 80kg and I can see some progress by minor muscle gains but I’ve managed to put on excess stomach fat and my body fat has gone from about 14% to 20% and it’s making me look skinny fat as I am 6 ft 3.

I checked out my calorie calculator to work out what my maintenance was and it says around 2,700 calories a day, I’ve been clean bulking on about 2,700 - 3,200 depending on the day and going to the gym 4/5 days a week doing an hour lifting followed by swimming on some days. Somebody told me that I should reduce my calories to about 2,200 - 2,500 but then surely I won’t be gaining any muscle at all and I will lose all the muscle I’ve gained so far?

I’ve looking for some insight in how I can get my body fat back down to about 12% so I can see some ab definition but without killing all the gains I’ve done so far and affecting further gains.

Thank you

I'm 6'4, 83 kilos and currently hovering around 15% body fat (post bulk). I'm going to be cutting soon and I understand how you feel.

From my research, as long as you cut with a moderate deficit and sufficient protein, you won't lose any considerable muscle mass and/or strength. As for your deficit, try a 500 KCal one at first and see how it feels. If you're losing weight too fast or too slow, adjust it accordingly. As for your protein intake, studies have shown there is no benefit to consuming more than 1.8g per kg of bodyweight (So for your case as you are 80 kilograms, aim for 144 grams of protein on a daily basis). Unless you're a beginner, you're highly unlikely to increase muscle mass while on a cut so prioritise preserving your current muscle mass and strength. Feel free to ask me any questions if you're unclear about anything I've mentioned. Keep after it and don't slack, you'll get there soon.

I pray that thy gains are plenty and thy lifts easy. Amen
Reply 2
Calorie calculators are never accurate. They give you a general idea of a starting point but everyone's metabolism and activity levels are different. If you gained weight that fast, either the calculator overestimated how much you need to eat, or you didn't track your calories accurately, or maybe both.

What you need to do next time you want to increase you weight, is track your weight for a week or two and see what happens. If it goes up too fast, eat a little less. If you're happy with the result, keep eating the same. If your weight hasn't moved at all, eat a little more. Then you learn what your food requirements are and don't need those calorie calculators anymore.
Original post by SOFRanger
I'm 6'4, 83 kilos and currently hovering around 15% body fat (post bulk). I'm going to be cutting soon and I understand how you feel.

From my research, as long as you cut with a moderate deficit and sufficient protein, you won't lose any considerable muscle mass and/or strength. As for your deficit, try a 500 KCal one at first and see how it feels. If you're losing weight too fast or too slow, adjust it accordingly. As for your protein intake, studies have shown there is no benefit to consuming more than 1.8g per kg of bodyweight (So for your case as you are 80 kilograms, aim for 144 grams of protein on a daily basis). Unless you're a beginner, you're highly unlikely to increase muscle mass while on a cut so prioritise preserving your current muscle mass and strength. Feel free to ask me any questions if you're unclear about anything I've mentioned. Keep after it and don't slack, you'll get there soon.

I pray that thy gains are plenty and thy lifts easy. Amen

83kg at 6'4 is not big at all. 15% bf is also relatively lean. Don't cut - you don't have enough muscle to make it worthwhile.

I'd slowly bulk to at least 90kg before even considering cutting at your height.
Original post by illusionz
83kg at 6'4 is not big at all. 15% bf is also relatively lean. Don't cut - you don't have enough muscle to make it worthwhile.

I'd slowly bulk to at least 90kg before even considering cutting at your height.

Thanks for the advice mate but I'm going to be on a minicut before I bulk again. It's going to last less than a month. I'd be more than happy to link you articles discussing the effectiveness of minicuts for long term bulks if you're interested.

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