i could use some guidance. i'm 25, 5'9" and about 160 pounds, but not muscular at all with a good ring of fat around the belly, which i cant stand. i've been eating about 1600-1700 calories a day, lifting and doing cardio each 3 times a week for about 1 month -- i've noticed some muscle gains, lost about 5 pounds and my flab is slowly leaving. should i continue at this pace, then start bulking and eating 2800-3000 calories a day once i get my body fat down, or should i start bulking immediately? i really can't stand the bit of fat i have but i also have heard that without those extra calories, there's no way i can make significant muscle gains. my goal is essentially to gain lean muscle mass while still keeping my thin frame by the summertime. any advice from people who can weigh in (no pun intended) or who have been there will be much appreciated. thanks.

:confused:

You should abandon the notion that you can stay cut and make significant gains in muscle mass. That was one of the ideas that kept me down for the first 1/2 year - year when I was lifting.

I'm well aware that there are a few people who disagree with me on this, but that's my experience.

grepal:

I personally follow a philosophy I call "clean slate." As you can probably imagine, this entails cutting (to a level you decide is appropriate) prior to bulking up. I do this for two reasons: First, because I really want to bring out the musculature and vascularity that I have currently and will gain as I bulk (I'm vain like that) and second, It's a lot easier to cut the second time around if you bulk clean on a clean slate.

Yeah you will put on some fat while bulking, but as famous said you can minimise the damage by keeping track of your diet and at the end of the bulking cycle your previous experience and the extra muscle mass will help you lose that gained fat quickly. :jumping:

Marcus :tucool:

Wow, I'm in the same boat as you. I'm 23, 5'9", 160lbs, 1600-1700 cal/day lifting and cardio 3x week also. I've dropped 20lbs in the past 2 months. I'm currently trying to decide when to stop cutting and start bulking. I still have that ring of fat around my belly that I want to get off before I start bulking up. I was hoping to get my bf % down below 15% before starting. I think I'm going to continue cutting at least until the end of this month maybe next month. The reason for this is same as mentioned above. Once I do start bulking up I will have a lot less to cut the next time around. :tu:

Ok, I'm not really taking records of my diet, tough I should it gets complicated. I have this question since I'm at a cutting stage: what did you eat? I do a general routine (legs, arms, back, chest, abs) and am getting good muscle gains and am reducing my belly significantly. I'm just having smaller portions of things, eating salad at middays and meat or pasta at night. And I haven't started cardio yet, its too damn hot down here in Argentina for that! So....can i expect good things out of this..or bad things?