The Definitive Beginners Guide: Should I Bulk, Cut, Or Recomp?

August 2, 2021
Fat Loss, Build Muscle

should i bulk or cut

 

“Should I bulk, cut, or recomp?”

 

This is definitely one of the most common questions I get, especially among beginners.

 

As a beginner, you might look soft, not much muscle, some body fat, but not too much.

 

I get it. It’s not always clear which path you should take.

 

By the end of this post, you’ll be able to put this question to rest, and you can get started on your goals, whether that be a bulk, cut, or body recomposition.

 

When deciding which goal to pursue, the main thing to take into consideration is your current body fat percentage.

 

Training experience and the amount of muscle you have are other factors to consider, but this post is for beginners, so you’re not going to have much training experience, if any, and not much muscle mass either.

 

Table of Contents

 

Bulking

The main goal of a bulk is to build muscle without adding an unnecessary amount of body fat. This is done by intentionally being in a moderate calorie surplus. You will be consuming a bit more calories than your body needs to maintain your current body weight. The excess calories will cause you to gain weight, but when done right, a good chunk of that weight gain will be additional muscle mass.

 

Some fat will be gained in the process. It’s unavoidable. That’s why you also have a cutting phase. To get rid of the fat you gained during your bulk, and reveal the muscle you’ve worked so hard to build.

 

To avoid putting on too much body fat, it’s typically recommended that you aim to gain weight at a rate of 0.5-1 pound per week.

 

Beginners will be able to get away with a faster rate of weight gain, and still have a good portion of that additional weight be added muscle. So for most beginners, 1 pound per week or 4 pounds per month is a good rate of weight gain to start.

 

Pros:

  • Build muscle and strength faster
  • You have more energy to fuel great workouts
  • You look bigger in clothes
  • You feel bigger
  • You get to eat more (not a pro for everyone)

Cons:

  • Increase in body fat
  • You won’t look as impressive with your shirt off
  • Your abs and muscle definition will be less visible since your body fat percentage will be higher
  • If you let your body fat get too high, you might feel sluggish (this point will be different for each person)
  • If you let your body fat get percentage go beyond ~20%, some health markers could be negatively affected (blood pressure and LDL  cholesterol)

 

When to Bulk

We’ll cover the obvious first—If you’re really skinny, underweight, very little muscle mass and body fat, you’re definitely good to go for a solid bulk.

 

Men with a body fat percentage less than or about 14-15% should consider bulking. I’d suggest not taking your bulk beyond 20% body fat.

 

If you start your bulk at 15%, that doesn’t leave you much leeway for fat gain. Your bulk probably won’t last very long, and you’ll soon have to switch to a cutting phase. At 15% body fat, I’d suggest considering a body recomp, but more on that later.

 

I do believe it’s ideal to be in the 9-12% range to begin a bulk, but ideal doesn’t mean necessary, and goals and preferences vary for each person.

 

Women with a body fat percentage less than or about 22-23% should consider bulking.

 

I’d suggest not taking your bulk beyond 26-28%. Same as men, if you start your bulk at a higher body fat percentage around 23%, you won’t have much room to gain fat before needing to cut.

 

For females, the 17-20% range is more ideal for starting a bulk.

 

There is no exact body fat percentage you MUST be to consider bulking. There’s no definitive cut off body fat percentage. Two people can be the same body fat percentage, but look quite different due to their body shape, structure, and how their body fat is distributed.

 

Besides body fat percentage, you should also consider what your top priority is right now.

 

What’s your main goal?

 

What gets you excited and what will you look forward to more? Being in a calorie surplus, getting stronger, and packing on muscle, or getting lean?

 

You’re much more likely to pursue a goal with more enthusiasm, commitment, and effort when you’re excited about it. You’ll probably look forward to each training session more, be consistent with your training and nutrition, and see better progress, which means getting to your goal faster. Time is valuable, so the sooner you achieve a goal, the sooner you can switch gears and go for the next goal (Example: finishing your bulk, so you can switch to a cut, and vice versa).

 

Another thing to consider is your ultimate goal physique. There are some people that aren’t looking to have a completely ripped set of abs and striated shoulders. They actually prefer a bit of a bulkier physique. They rather fill out their clothes more, be stronger, and sit around 13% body fat. For this group, bulking at 15% body fat to 19-20%, and then cutting to 13% is a realistic goal, and may be better for them.

 

Others want to get really lean, and from there, do very slow and gradual bulking phases to stay leaner year-round. Maybe throw in some recomps or short cutting phases along the way. People that fall into this category will probably be more excited to cut, and won’t want their body fat percentage to get much higher than ~16%.

 

For years, it was thought that starting a bulk at higher body fat percentages was detrimental to building muscle, and that you must cut first and get lean before bulking. The idea was that if you start bulking at higher body fat percentages (roughly 15% or more for men, 23% for women), you’ll gain a disproportionate amount of fat compared to muscle (more fat, not much muscle) due to poor insulin sensitivity. Recent research by Eric Trexler and colleagues has challenged this belief. It looks like this idea of  getting lean first to maximize muscle growth might not be true, and bulking at ~15% body fat or so can still be very effective. The answer to this is still up for debate and more research is needed.

 

So, personal preference, your ultimate goal physique, and what you’re excited about and more likely to go after with full commitment and effort also matters.

 

To recap who should bulk and when:

  • Men
    • Men with a body fat percentage of less than about 14-15% should consider bulking.
    • Bulking when you’re at or above 15% can be done, but understand you won’t have much leeway for fat gain.
    • I do believe 9-12% is an ideal starting point for men to bulk.
    • I highly suggest men not let their body fat percentage exceed 20% during a bulk.
  • Women
    • Women with a body fat percentage of less than about 22-23% or less should consider bulking.
    • Bulking when you’re at or above 23% can be done, but understand you won’t have much leeway for fat gain.
    • I do believe 16-20% is an ideal starting point for women to bulk.
    • I highly suggest women not let their body fat percentage exceed 28% during a bulk.
  • Things to take into consideration when deciding whether or not to bulk first
    • Current body fat percentage
    • Ultimate goal physique
    • What are looking forward to more? Which one gets you more excited—eating more to fuel hard training sessions, increase strength, put on muscle, and accepting some fat gain, or seeing more muscle definition (as a beginner, you won’t have much muscle yet) as you get leaner?
    • Do you have a decent amount of room to bulk for an extended period of time and allow some body fat accumulation?

 

Cutting

The main goal of a cut is to lose body fat while keeping as much muscle mass as possible to create a leaner, more muscular physique.

 

This is done by intentionally being in a moderate calorie deficit. You will be consuming a bit less calories than your body needs to maintain your current body weight. This will cause you to lose weight, but when done right, a good chunk of that weight loss will be body fat, and not muscle mass.

 

While cutting to lose body fat, losing muscle is possible, and the leaner you get, the higher the risk of muscle loss. To avoid this, or keep the amount of muscle loss to a minimum, proper resistance training, nutrition, and recovery is crucial.

 

It’s also important to lose weight at a rate that minimizes the risk of losing muscle while dropping body fat. The ideal rate of weight loss is 0.5-1% of your body weight per week.

 

The more body fat you have to lose, the higher the rate of weight loss per week (closer to 1%) you can get away with, without losing muscle.

 

As you get leaner, you’ll want to lose less of your body weight per week (closer to 0.5%).

should i bulk or cut first

Pros:

  • Less body fat
  • Abs and muscle definition are much more visible since your body fat percentage is lower
  • You look bigger shirtless because of the improved muscle definition and shape
  • Once you finish your cut and get near or into the single-digit body fat range, you’ll be in a great position to start a bulk and put on more muscle

Cons:

  • Slower rate of muscle and strength gain. If you get really lean, you run the risk of losing both muscle and strength.
  • Don’t get to eat as much since you’re in a calorie deficit
  • You look and feel smaller in clothes
  • Workouts might not be as great and not at much fun since you’re in a calorie deficit and your body fat percentage is getting low
  • If you get very lean (<8-9% for most), your hormones, energy levels, mood, training performance, and sleep can all be negatively affected

*Most of you, unless you’re competing in a bodybuilding competition, will have no need to drop below 8% body fat. At 8% body fat, abs are visible, the muscle definition is there, and you’ll look great. 

 

When to Cut

If you are clearly overweight and have a lot of fat to lose, cut first. As a beginner, you’ll be able to gain muscle in the process of losing a significant amount of fat, and lowering your body weight. As you get leaner and leaner, your ability to put on muscle while continuing to put on body fat will decrease significantly.

 

Men with a body fat percentage more than about 15-16% should consider cutting.

 

You can cut and get as lean as you’d like, but for most men, your hormones, energy levels, training performance, mood, and sleep are negatively impacted once you get below about 8-9%. This can vary a bit person to person. Some people can handle lower body fat percentages just fine. I would cut until you’re satisfied with how lean you are. If you get to 8-9% and you really want to test your limits and get leaner, despite the possible downsides, go for it. But as I mentioned above, at 8% body fat you’ll likely be very satisfied with how you look.

 

Women with a body fat percentage more than about 23-24% should consider cutting. Same as men goes for women—you can get as lean as you’d like, but for most women, your hormones (your menstrual cycle too), energy levels, training performance, mood, and sleep are negatively impacted when you get below about 17%. Get as lean as you’d like, but understand the consequences of getting very lean, under ~16%.

 

And remember that when cutting, the ideal rate of weight loss is 0.5-1% of your body weight per week.

 

To recap who should cut and when:

  • Men
    • Men with a body fat percentage of about 15-16% should consider cutting.
    • For men that are around 10-13% body fat or less, I would not cut even if it’s tempting to be leaner. You don’t have much muscle mass to cut down to, and you’ll just be really skinny.
    • Cut until you’re satisfied with your level of leanness, and if you want to go below 8-9%, understand that hormones, training performance, mood, and energy levels will most likely be negatively impacted.
  • Women
    • Women with a body fat percentage of about 23-24% or more should consider cutting.
    • For women that are around 18-21% body fat or less, I would not cut since you’re already pretty lean and don’t have much muscle to cut down to and reveal anyways
    • Cut until you’re satisfied with your level of leanness, and if you want to go below 16-17%, understand that hormones (menstrual cycle too), training performance, mood, and energy levels will most likely be negatively impacted.
  • Things to take into consideration when deciding whether or not to cut first
    • Current body fat percentage
    • Ultimate goal physique
    • What are looking forward to more? Which one gets you more excited—eating more to fuel hard training sessions, increase strength, put on muscle, and accepting some fat gain, or seeing more muscle definition (as a beginner, you won’t have much muscle yet) as you get leaner?

 

Body Recomposition

The main goal of a body recomposition is to gradually pack on muscle and lose fat at the same time to improve your body composition—leaner with more muscle, while having your body weight remain relatively constant.

 

This is usually done by eating at maintenance—the number of calories your body needs to maintain your current body weight. You might see some recommending that you eat in a small deficit, or a small surplus. There’s no perfect answer, and we’re all different and will respond to certain calorie intakes and resistance training differently. But, in general, eating around maintenance is a good start for a body recomposition. You can always adjust your calorie intake as you go.

 

A body recomposition is a slower process since you’re doing both building muscle and losing fat simultaneously. Progress happens faster and the results are more apparent when you focus on one or the other—cutting or bulking.

 

should i bulk or cut skinny fat

Pros:

  • You’re building muscle and losing fat at the same time. It doesn’t get much better than that, and it’s what we all want.

Cons:

  • Slower rate of progress—both muscle growth and fat loss. Slow progress can hurt many people’s motivation to keep going. If you’re are very overweight, your fat loss progress can still happen pretty quickly as you put on muscle, but for those in the 14-18% range, it won’t happen as fast.
  • More difficult to measure progress since your body is doing two things at once—building muscle and losing fat, and the physical changes take longer to become apparent. Since the scale most likely won’t be changing much, unless you’re overweight, that can also make it harder to measure progress. So for a recomp, your best bet is to take progress pics every 2-3 weeks. Body part measurements can be helpful too.
  • Very unpredictable, and varies a lot person to person. Some people see much better results with a body recomposition than others. Not as straightforward as a bulk or cut.

 

When to Recomp (Body Recomposition)

A body recomposition phase is often best for a select group of people:

  1. Overweight beginners.
  2. Beginners who would be considered “skinny-fat.” This means they have very little muscle mass, but a high body fat percentage. Despite carrying more body fat, they still look skinny in clothes. Many beginners fall into this category.
  3. Those who have previous training experience, and are just getting back into the gym after months or years of no training.
  4. Those who have been in the gym for years, but have still never trained and eaten properly, barely seeing any results.
  5. Those using steroids.

 

Since this post is for beginners, you can ignore groups 3, 4, and 5.

 

That leaves us with:

  1. Beginners who would be considered skinny-fat.
  2. Overweight beginners.

 

Beginners will see faster muscle growth and more rapid changes in body composition compared to intermediate and advanced lifters.

 

So beginners are also the ones that will see the best results from a body recomposition. The more experienced you become, the more difficult it will be to see noticeable results from a body recomposition. It’s still possible in advanced trainees, but the changes will happen at a very slow rate. Some people who prefer to stay lean year-round are completely okay with recomping, and accept the much slower progress.

 

Those who are skinny with a low body fat percentage and not much muscle mass should do a proper bulk. There’s no need to recomp if you don’t have much body fat.

 

So, men in the 14-18% body fat range, and women in the 22-26% body fat range, should be able to do a successful recomp.

 

You’ll notice that the starting body fat percentage range for a recomp is larger than for a bulk or cut. The 14-18% and 22-26% range is a grey area where there’s not always one obvious choice.

 

At ~14% body fat (men), you could bulk, see more muscle growth. but your body fat percentage would end up higher. If you rather stay leaner and not put on much body fat, you could also recomp, eat around maintenance, and build muscle while losing body fat. However, you probably wouldn’t see as much muscle growth compared to going all in on a bulk.

 

At ~18% body fat (men), you could cut and see faster fat loss, but probably as not as much muscle growth. You could also recomp, eat around maintenance, not see quite as much fat loss, but probably a bit more muscle growth since calories are higher. At 18%, I almost always recommend starting by eating at maintenance, see how that goes, and if that fat isn’t falling off as fast as you’d like, drop into a small deficit.

 

Remember, your approach, your strategy, any decision you make, can always be adjusted as you go based on the results you’re seeing and the feedback your body is giving you. So don’t get too caught up with finding the perfect approach from the very start.

 

I think recomping is a great choice for many beginners who can’t decide whether to bulk or cut. You’ll likely build muscle while losing body fat. After doing that for anywhere from 4-6 months, it then might become much more clear whether you should bulk or cut from there. I think this is a great approach.

 

beginner should i bulk or cut

 

Final Words

Now you see why deciding whether to bulk, cut, or recomp can be a tough decision. There is no one perfect direction to take in most cases.

 

There are pros and cons, or trade-offs, for each goal you set and direction you decide to take.

 

And remember, no matter which one you choose to start with, it’s just the start of your journey.

 

You’re not completely doomed if you choose to do a body recomposition, even though on paper, a cut might appear to be optimal.

 

As I mentioned earlier in this post, you also have to consider what you want, your goals, and what you’re looking forward to and ready to go after with full intensity, commitment, and effort. The direction you’re more excited to take, is likely the one you’ll have more success with and actually achieve.

 

For most people, the long-term end goal is still the same—more muscle and less fat for a very impressive physique.

 

And there’s more than one way to get there. There’s a very good chance there’s a few different paths you could take, and each of them would get you there in a similar time frame if you’re committed.

 

You can always adjust as you go based on the results you’re seeing and the feedback your body is giving you.

 

So, is it important to make a good choice to start your fitness journey?

 

For sure. You don’t want to try to cut at 10% body fat or bulk at 25% body fat.

 

Just make sure you’re not continuing to waste more time deciding whether to bulk, cut, or recomp.

 

I’ve seen many people be so indecisive about which path to take that they end up taking so much time just to think about it, but not actually do anything about. When they finally decide, they’re only half in, hesitant, still indecisive, and only stick with it for a month before changing their minds.

 

Choose one, go all in, and achieve that short-term goal.

 

The sooner you decide, get to work, and achieve your short-term goal of getting to 8-9% body fat, the sooner you can switch gears to a bulk and start adding more muscle.

 

The sooner you decide, get to work, and achieve your short-term goal of packing on 20 pounds in 6 months, the sooner you can switch gears to a cut and start losing fat to reveal all that muscle you’ve gained.

 

Want some professional guidance on your cut, bulk, or recomp so you can reach your goals more effectively and faster by avoiding mistakes, and getting it right the first time? 

 

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