CUT THE BULK!

Some of you will not like this post, but I pride myself in giving you the honest truth and allowing you to make a decision for yourself. With that said, it’s time to address two of the more frequent words used in fitness and dieting: 1.) Bulk (Bulking), and 2.) Cut (Cutting). These words originate from the beginning stages of bodybuilding and physique competitions, and are very popular in our common days. Let’s go into what each word means and why I personally think the usage of the word(s) have become over exaggerated/misused.

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1.) Bulk/Bulking:

The meaning behind bulk dieting is to, on a day-to-day basis, consume MORE calories than what is required to maintain your current physique, considering your average resting metabolic rate (RMR). The purpose is to gain size/muscle overtime (hence the energy/calorie surplus). Derived from the word “bulk” is the “bulk-season” in which can be often interchanged with the term “off-season”, meaning the off-season from dieting/preparation that is undergone by bodybuilders ramping up to their physique competitions (usually in the winter time).

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2.) Cut/Cutting:

Opposite of the bulk, cutting/cut dieting is meant to, on a day-to-day basis, consume LESS calories than what is required to maintain your current physique, considering your average resting metabolic rate (RMR). The primary purpose is to lose fat/weight (hence the energy/calorie deficit). The cutting season is usually the time frame in which bodybuilders are preparing/dieting into their “competition” physique.

I want to be clear: I have no issues with the meaning behind the words above. However, the “new age” definition of the terms (as of the last 5-10 years specifically) has become more and more outlandish. Too often I see/hear people discussing their current physique and how they are too small and want to bulk for the winter. It would make sense to be in a caloric surplus to gain some size, however the manner in which people are bulking is concerning to say the least. For a majority of people partaking in a bulk, there is no general nutrition guidelines followed, no concern for the importance/balance of macronutrients, nor any understanding of some simple protein synthesis concepts and how the limitations that are placed on an individual basis. The common mistake I see done with bulking is for a person to eat as much food as possible, most of which is “junk” food filled with non-nutritionally dense calories. The end result from this typical bulk is high body fat percentages, potentially high cholesterol levels, and high resting hearts rates, to name a few. Once the bulk is completed, the person is then incentivized to enter a “cut”, and again there are many issues with this as well. The cut followed by this “dirty bulk” is usually a short term fix/repair to a long term issue. When the cut is performed, the same people decide to partake in dieting fads that may offer quick results, but nothing that will maintain overall happiness and satisfaction in the person. The diet is usually one that is not able to be maintained over a long period of time and leads to more than enough cheat meals/cheat days. Before you know it, the vicious cycle of bulk-to cut, and cut-to bulk is repeated!

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What does this mean for you?

Do yourself a favor and do some research/seek nutritional guidance from licensed individuals before starting any sort of diet or change in lifestyle. I’ll come out and say that this post is intentionally not supported with other links or supporting documentation, the reason being- you can simply search the words bulk/cutting season and see the numerous different articles explaining the troublesome interpretation of the words as of lately. Don’t get caught up in all the hype, there is a way to gain size/lose weight and fat in a much more sustainable manner.

Author:

Ivan Varela – NASM CPT