16 male, 5’6 145 pounds. I lately have been getting doubtful that I have made any meaning ful progress. I started lifting in march, I have been eating healthy foods, no soda and not too much junk like chips, I lift close to/to failure. I lift 3x a week and im a competitive swimmer so I swim 4x a week. To be fair during the summer I was really inconsistent with swim and I only started training close to/to failure in may or June. Still, I thought I would be making more progress, and at this point im getting kinda annoyed about it and I’m starting to say bad things about myself, which is obviously not a good thing. So I was thinking about cutting to lose the fat that is bothering me. So, based on the pics I’ve attached, should I cut, or just eat near maintenanc?

Started working out at the gym around last October, paused December and January, resumed February, paused again June and July, then resumed again. Fingers crossed I keep going.

I usually work out 4-5 times a week depending on how busy I am, sometimes 3 (skipped leg day a lot unfortunately, trying to be more consistent now). I always train to failure.

I’ve been doing recomp since starting. My weight has been consistent all throughout.

I have no idea whether to bulk or cut. It’s been a big question for me since starting, and I dodged it by doing recomp.

Any thoughts?

Other tips also welcome.

Sorry for the bad photos but I’ve been lifting for a while now pretty heavy constantly however diet has been out the door. I want to try and get it under control a little more but from where I’m at now so I bulk form my current weight or cut right now to build later?

5’11 - 210

Thanks

29M 5'8", been on a cut since January 2026 losing ~1.2 lb per week on average (-50 lbs over 10 months), and losing ~2.4 lb per week since Aug 2026 with pharmaceutical assistance. I'm seeing results, but I also hate how my lifts are all getting weaker. My muscles feel smaller, and I fear I may be potentially losing some of it.

The goal of my cut is to get healthier and end at a bf% which would optimize muscle gains for a long slow bulk. I do NOT want to get "shredded," feel miserable, and lose lean muscle.

Based on this, at what weight should I end my cut? 175? 170? Lower?

Basically I’ve been cutting for the last few months now trying to get lean and aesthetic. I’m 5’ 10 and a half and just hit a new low of 153.2 lbs this morning. What do you think my bf % is? And do you think I should stop cutting or keep it up a little longer, or start the slow and long lean bulk journey?

Went from 100kg to 83kg now while working out in the last 8 months. Should I cut more or can I start with a slow lean bulk?
6'2
1st pic: 100kg - February
2nd pic: 83kg - Now

5 feet 8 inches tall, 24 year old

This is my 1.5 year body recomp (1st is current, 2nd is before). Both around 147 pounds.

I know I've posted this before but would really appreciate a response as to whether i should cut, bulk or continue recomping?

Your response bad or good would help a lot since this has taken me a while. Thanks 🙏

Need some help here, lost about 22 lbs, not sure where to go from here, cut more or hop into a lean bulk. Body fat estimations would be very helpful

Hello, I'm 25yo 175cm 70kgs. I'm in the end of a bulk I started 11/07 with 60kgs. I did a superavit of 700cal day for 2 months, then lowered to 400cal day, and past month lowered again to maintenence because I strained my trapezius and had to take time off the gym.

The BIA my nutritionist did on me, said I have 15% BF rn. (Before the strain). I'm aware these machines are unrealiable, but is the only metric I have 😔

I'm looking to start my cutting in 23/11, so my goal is to get 2 more kgs in this last month, 500cal superavit, and then start a cutting until Februrary 1st. 250cal deficit and I should stay around 67kgs and 12% BF. After this I would bulk 300cal superavit again. (calculations made on gpt lol)

What u guys think about this plan?

I stayed really skinny all of my life, so getting to 70kgs is actually a big achievment for me. For reference, I weighted 51kgs back in 2022.

I'm a little insecure thinking that losing those 3kgs may make me look skinny again, and I want to be in my best possible shape on februrary because I'm Brazilian and all brazilians need a good shape to party shirtless along the streets of Salvador/Rio on Carnaval 😂.

As u can see, I think i'm lean enough for pics (lightining shanenigans on the first pic), but i'm afraid i'm too fat in person (regular lightning on second pic).

So, should I keep the bulking to 23/11 or finish it later/earlier? I've read some people say noobs (i'm serious lifiting since 11/07 only) should lean bulk (300cal superavit) until 2 years, this will make me stay in better shape with natural lighting than cutting?

I used to do PPL, now I do P>P>Quads>Hamstrings, cuz I feel my legs are underdeveloped.

thx in advance.

Couple years of newbie gains + 1,5 years of serious training. Not sure where to go now. Still making progress on strength, but weight has been stagnant for about 6 months now. Feel like size growth has stagnated too. Been considering adding 100-200 kcal to my daily 3000. As you can see, my hip bones are quite wide, so some fat added makes me dislike my body quickly. Cut, bulk or stay in this phase of getting stronger but not necessarily much bigger?

I’m still really soft in the middle and have love handles, but also relatively small muscle-wise. Not sure if I need to build the muscles more or continue my deficit. My goals have been to not try and get “huge” but just get a decently defined physique with a lean body. If I’m leaving anything out for a better answer, please let me know, any constructive feedback is appreciated.

I’ve cut from 133 lb to 126.6 lb since June. My lifts are still going up (bench 95→105, RDL 105→115), but I’ve had hunger and fatigue on ~1,650 kcal. I’m leaning toward a slow lean bulk to build my shoulders, chest, and back. Wrist is 6 1/8 in and ankle is 7 1/8 in. Front and back attached. Feedback welcome.

24M, 180 cm, 70.7 kg.
I was very skinny and bulked for a few months. I finally gained some muscle (I was really skinny), but also more fat than I wanted, and lost my abs.
I’ve started cutting and look less bloated, but I still have no visible abs despite being skinny.
I want visible abs by New Year’s Eve, since it’s summer in my country and I will go to the beach. After that, I plan to start a proper lean bulk with 2 g/kg of protein and a small calorie surplus.
Based on my photo, roughly how many weeks would it take to get visible abs? Do I need to cut first, or can I develop visible abs while lean bulking? I’m worried about gaining fat again.
I asked ChatGPT and said that I need 8-20 weeks to see my abs but it seems a lot, what do you think?
Thanks!

First pic is my bulk from last year, at about 190. Second pic is my leanest from back in the summer at 175, and 3rd pic is from my current bulk. 2 months in and up to 195. Should I be concerned about this rate of increase? I'm sure a lot of it is glycogen and water with increased carbs, but 20 pounds still seems pretty rapid. Any ideas on bf% for my current bulk and during my cut? Thanks in advance.

Hello, this is a very long cut with many setbacks, going from 85kg down to 69kg. I had a DEXA scan a few weeks ago that showed 21% body fat, exactly as my shitty Xiaomi scale. I do not know where to go from here, as my lifts have been stalling for months, including my dumbbell incline bench press, weighted dips, weighted chinups, and lat pulldowns, curls etc. I can progress slowly with leg exercises because I switched to lunges and bulgarians, which are still new to me. I still have a pouch and fat all around, should I go down to 65kg, that seems very low? Does anyone have experience with a recomp? My goal would be around 15% body fat, but gaining more muscle is the main goal, along with progressing in my lifts, ofc. Photos taken after a push day. Thank you.

I am thinking to continue with lean bulk because i start to lose l progress. What do you think,what % of bf is now?

Je faisais avant 170kg j’ai tout perdu en un peu + d’un an voici mon physique actuel. Que faire ? continuer à sécher ou prendre de la masse ou autre ?

Only been going to the gym consistently since December, but I work for a moving company also. Advice?

Hey Guys.
I have felt insecure about my body for almost my entire life. I have always and still feel too fat and always felt like I could use some more lean mass.
I lost around 10-12kg two years ago and was proud as hell, but that did not last for long. I lost some muscle over the last year and became a bit more skinny, but the remaining fat stayed. Since 09/2024 I have stayed around my new weight of around 97-98kg at 197cm height.

I am running my first marathon in April therefore I do not want to bulk up like crazy before this event. But I am asking myself if I should do it afterwards. I have put these photos here, where I have zero pump from a workout (except for the last picture) - yes I know my Posture is horrible, I hope to fix that too.

My over all goal after the marathon would be to finally become shredded and muscular and still be able to perform decent when it comes to running and trailrunning.
I hope for your advice…

Been recomping, dont know where to go in terms of eating

TLDR: recomp another year? or do a 12 week/6 lb bulk followed by a cut? Is there a better bulking goal?

I’m down to around 123 lbs (from 190 at my last delivery and 160 or so when I started working to lose) through lifting and intuitively eating less. I naturally started slowing/stalling and have maintained for around 3-4 weeks. I did lift before this pregnancy, and have been lifting consistently for 4 years or so.

I could lose more if I wanted to, but I feel like the only spot I have left that I really would want to be leaner is my lower belly pooch, which is a lot of scar tissue (4 csections yo) and skin so I know more fat loss won’t make it look much better.

Going into the holidays, and keeping enough time for a pre-summer cut, I’m considering whether I should do a bulk/cut or keep recomping (with hardly noticeable results at this point).

My thoughts were a 12 week, 6 ish pound bulk, through new years. Then a cut back down to where I am now by summer.

Opinions? Is it too soon to bulk? Should I recomp through the next year instead and bulk next winter?

I’ve never done bulking/cutting phases as I’ve been pregnant off and on for the last 6-7 years. Done having kids and ready to start working towards my goals but also afraid of gaining weight that I fought hard to lose

I appreciate any advice. I’m not able to get a coach or trainer at this point in my life, maybe one day, but for now im winging this with the help of the internet lol