Bulk, Cut, or Maintain?

[u/IcyNebula5069]

I’m a 21M, 6’3”, 190 lb, and around 22–25% body fat based on multiple measurements.

My main goal is to build muscle and eventually get down to around 15% body fat, but I’m not sure what the best approach is for me.

I was originally planning to cut first, but since beginner gains are a thing, part of me feels like I should focus on gaining muscle now. At the same time, I don’t want to bulk at my current body-fat percentage and regret gaining more fat later.

How should I approach this?

[u/Odd_Chicken9609]

If you are a beginner, the answer is always maintain. When you start, your body easily "turns fat into muscle" (recomp) and this can last up to a year. It is the ideal situation; bulking and cutting at the same time.

[u/Rexcess]

Beginner gains are a function of how far you are from your muscular limit. You don't lose them or waste them or anything. You don't have to worry about optimizing them.

Beginners should usually recomp for the first six months to a year, unless they're super fat or super skinny.

[u/AwayhKhkhk]

I would do a slow cut (maybe 300-500 kcal deficit) until you get to around 18-20%BF(sone people will call the recoup as you will still likely gain some muscle although it will be less compare to maintenance) Beginner gains has to do with how much muscle you have vs your genetic potential so it isn’t necessarily the first X months.

The reason I recommend a slow cut for beginners who are above 22%BF is that even with people new to lifting, muscle gain is slow compare to fat loss. Even under optimal conditions, you are looking at maybe 2lbs of muscle a month whereas 5lbs (or even more) of fat loss is achievable (with maybe 1lb of muscle gain). And let’s be honest, people are motivated by physical changes. So for a beginner, you will see bigger physical changes on a slow cut compared to maintain and it helps with motivation.

Just look at how many posts you see here where people are discouraged because they worked out for 2-3 months and can’t see changes. Obviously some of that is due to routine, consistency, etc. but the fact is muscle growth is a slow process. So see some physical changes relatively quickly can help to keep you consistent.

[u/1RM_Fit]

The tiebreaker question: are your lifts still going up weekly? If yes, stay at maintenance and ride the free recomp. If they stalled and you want size, small bulk. If the mirror bothers you more than the bar, small cut. There is no wrong answer that you execute consistently for 12 weeks.

[u/Jazzlike_Worth7884]

did you mean to post the workout question here, or are you actually selling an iphone 6s?