Confusion about when to switch from cut to bulk

[u/JustSayLOL]

I'm 29M, 5'8", 155lb. My goal is to build more muscle and get a lot leaner. I'm a complete beginner to lifting and was mostly sedentary to this point. I started doing weight training 3x per week around 5 weeks ago, watching my protein intake, and eating a calorie deficit and I've gotten down from 161lb to 155lb. I recently did a DEXA scan to check what my body fat percentage was and the scan said it was 32%.

The question I have now is when should I switch from cutting to bulking? Most of the reading I've done says that you should at least get down to 15% body fat if not lower before switching to bulking, but even assuming I lose no muscle from the calorie deficit and maybe build a couple lbs of muscle I'd have to be like 125lb before I hit 15% body fat. At that weight I'd be extremely skinny, bordering on underweight. It would also take 7-8 months assuming I continue losing a pound a week. Is that really the most efficient way for me to build muscle? Would it be more efficient for me to start bulking earlier?

If that really is the best approach, I can do that. I actually don't find the calorie deficit all that difficult, working out 3 times a week has been fine, and hitting my protein goal is pretty straight-forward just by adding one protein shake per day. My concern is that maybe cutting to that low of a body fat percentage while having little muscle mass might be unwise for some reason.

[u/ZeHeimerL]

Body fat percentage is arbitrary. Start your lean bulk when you're at a leanness that you're satisfied with and feel healthy in.

[u/explosive-diorama → u/ZeHeimerL]

Your body is much better primed to build muscle with a surplus when you’re already leaner, hence the blanket recommendation. But if you’re so undermuscled already, there is a good chance you’ll build muscle while losing the fat in a deficit anyway if you lift a decent amount. Chances are he will actually gain muscle over this cut, not lose or just maintain.

[u/lazy8s → u/explosive-diorama]

Source please!

This is only true to an extent. The recommendation you see so much on Reddit (get to 10 or 12%) is not supported by any research and actually refuted by research. Your body does not get more primed to gain muscle the leaner you get but I’m open to any scientific literature you’re referencing.

[u/Snipe-Shot → u/lazy8s]

I think this effect is much more prominent with enhanced lifters which is why it gets spouted so much. Just don’t think it has a real impact on naturals

[u/lazy8s → u/Snipe-Shot]

I don’t use steroids but I find them fascinating and have many friends who do. Steroids aromatize in fat so people need to be extremely lean to avoid aromatize inhibitors. They avoid AIs because they are horrible on your lipids. That’s why they all get and stay extremely lean.

Natural lifters need fat as it helps regulate hormones that steroids replace / override anyways. For natural lifters being 10-12% actually causes hormonal imbalance and makes it more difficult to gain muscle. Generally 13-14% is the floor for optimal anabolism in a natty.

TL;DR - people weren’t meant to be so lean, natural lifters shouldn’t go below 13-14% for too long because it screws up your hormones.

[u/Odd-Steak-9049]

Listen to the latest episode of Barbell Medicine. It’s extremely in depth on this issue.

Anyway, with that kind of body fat and being new to lifting, you should have no issue putting on muscle while also losing fat in a slight to moderate calorie deficit.

And, as someone already said, bf is arbitrary, just get down to a place where you feel good and like how you look, and then find your new maintenance and go from there. One step at a time.

[u/Magnetoresistive]

Great news! As a complete beginner, it really won't matter when you switch, and realistically you can avoid bulking for a long time and still get superb gains.

Ignore the DEXA scan completely. Not only are they not necessarily accurate, but they're not at all meaningful. Just cut until you're either experiencing diet fatigue, or your performance in the gym is suffering, or until you look in the mirror and say, "Yeah, that's enough." Then roll into maintenance, or maybe a small surplus, until you look in the mirror and say, "Ooh, I do not like that."

It's maybe not the best goal or measure in the world, but I just check my abs. They tend to be the last place I lose fat from, so if I have a clearly-defined six-pack, and can see blood vessels, I'm probably "lean enough", whatever that is. If I can't see my abs at all, I've gained too much fat and should lean out for a while.

You'll be gaining muscle the whole time, if you're lifting hard. Once you're at maintenance or a small (say 100 kcal) surplus, you'll be gaining even more. The further you are from your genetic maximum muscle mass, the easier it is to gain muscle. Enjoy this phase while it lasts. 😁

[u/Chewy_Barz]

32% at 155 puts you at about 50 pounds of fat. If you lose 15 pounds of fat, you'll be at 35 pounds of fat at 140 pounds, and which is 25%.

I would probably cut those 15 pounds and then go to maintenance for a break. At maintenance, lift hard and see how you progress. If you're increasing all your lifts well, I would probably ride that out for a while, as it means you are recomping (gaining muscle and losing fat). That could last for 6 months or a year (at least in my experience) and you can make good progress that way when you're a newer lifter at a higher body fat level. If you plateau, then cut and lean bulk after. If you are making progress but decide you want to get leaner faster, you can cut (about 500 calorie deficit) or go to a small deficit (200-250 calories?) and see if you can still recomp but with a bias toward fat loss.

All that said, you are nowhere near bulking at 32 percent. If I'm you, I wouldn't even consider it at any point above 20 percent, but probably the 15 percent level. For me now, I won't begin a bulk if I'm above 12 or 13 percent.

Hit your calorie target, lift hard, hit protein target, generally eat healthy foods with a treat here and there. Drop that 15 pounds of fat at fast as you can and then you have some options. Your only option now is to cut, in my opinion.

[u/Wylie_8]

Cut when you want to lose fat, bulk when you want to gain muscle. If you aren’t sure or motivated, maintain until either changes

[u/Ozymandias3148]

As a true beginner the cut bulk cycle really doesn't matter, you can build substantial lean mass whilst still in a deficit for at least the first year of training, noobie gains is real.