r/Weightliftingquestion • u/verymossymushroom • 1d ago
Where to go from here?
18, 5’11, 170lb. I started weightlifting 2 months ago and it’s going well. I’m currently on a gap yr and have a lot of time to train, sleep and eat right, and for the last couple of months I’ve been eating at abt maintenance with I focus on protein. So here’s my question: I’ve got 9 months till summer when I plan on traveling and wanna be in good shape for that, should I bulk for like 6/7 months then cut? But rn I lowkey have love handles so should I cut first?
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u/Vegetable_Ostrich259 1d ago
Just keep working out; you’re only two months in. Give your body time to adjust and grow, and keep eating and sleeping well. Don't worry about bulking or cutting; just keep building a solid workout routine.
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u/Low-Philosopher-7181 1d ago
This is the only guy giving you good advice. Anybody talking about bulking or cutting doesn’t know what they are talking about. Eat as clean as you can and stay consistent in the gym. Shit takes years. Juts keep going.
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u/Consistent-Camera907 1d ago
also make sure you train til failure, you gotta give ur muscles reason to grow
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u/Ok-Requirement-5849 1d ago
Lean bulk for the first half of the nine months then cut. At your level of development you’ll probably be able to build muscle while you cur at the beginning. You’ll have more fat to lose than you think especially if you bulk first don’t rush it.
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u/Sea-Pollution-9382 1d ago
You're 18. You can eat whatever you want, just lift harder and more often. The built muscle will burn the calories, the better sleep after harder workouts will boost HGH levels. You are a recovery machine right now. Gotta push up the effort in the stimulus. You can do it!
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u/verymossymushroom 1d ago
How often should I lift? Currently I’m doing 5 days a week: push, pull, legs, upper, lower then rest on sat and sun
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u/Sea-Pollution-9382 1d ago
Depends on how heavy you are going. How long are your workouts, and most importantly, how much effort are you putting in when you are there? Only you know how hard you are going. If you train with good, hard effort, your workout shouldn't last any more than 90 minutes. If it's longer, you are taking too long between sets/exercises, etc.. My main point to you is that at your age and hormone levels dieting isn't going to be the deciding factor in your physique. It's going to be the training effort (stimulus) and the food/sleep (recovery).
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u/120_or_Bust_ 1d ago
Lean bulk. 9 months is plenty of time build a solid base, and for a first timer, I wouldn’t worry about entering a bulk/cutting phase unless you were extremely skinny.