so you cant get bigger and leaner at the same time?

[MisterNiceGuy]

I've heard that you can't gain a lot of muscle and still stay lean simultaneously. So far people have told me you have to bulk up first and then worry about cutting and defining your muscles. Is this true or false???

 

[icepick]

If you are new to weightlifting, you will probably be able to loose fat and gain muscle at the same time. (Depending on what you eat and when you eat it, of course.) But when you get used to it, you will either have to go one way or the other because your gains will slow down.

Bulking up does not mean you turn into a fat slob, however. Your bodyfat percentage will just rise a few points during a bulking cycle, say from 6-8% to 12-14%. When you start to look bad is when you start to go over 16-18%, you should probably stop bulking if you hit that mark.

 

[NEWBIE101]

Originally posted by MisterNiceGuy
I've heard that you can't gain a lot of muscle and still stay lean simultaneously. So far people have told me you have to bulk up first and then worry about cutting and defining your muscles. Is this true or false???

If you're a newbie to lifting and bb then you can. But after 3-4 months things will start to change(unless you're on steroids).

The problem is that bulking and cutting are complete opposites of eachother.

When you're bulking you are intaking more calories than you are burning daily. This results in gain of bodyfat. Now granted there are ways to lower the amount of fat you gain such as doing a clean bulk or if you're an ectomorph. But you will still gain fat.

While cutting is burning more calories daily than you consume. It is damn hard to put on muscle unless you're eating alot of calories. Again the only way you could is probably by steroids or awesome genetics or a combination of both(for Arnold's sake.)

You must choose one or the other. They both have their positive's and negatives. But as the saying goes "Not everything comes so easy."

Hope this helps. If you have questions or comments feel free to post.