Now, I've been cutting for... let's say a few years (very inconsistent) but I dropped from around 24% BF to 12-14% BF now, I am only 140 pounds and 5'7" and 17. I feel as if I should start bulking now instead of wasting more time cutting and THEN bulking later on.

Anyway, I was wondering if you guys could help me put up a plan to lose some fat while putting on some lean muscle. Now, I read that it's not optimal to run/lose fat while bulking. However, I definitely feel that I still have a few pounds of fat left over before I am comfortable, AND I want to bulk.

So... If I bulk up by eating clean foods (chicken breasts, tilapia filets, whole wheat breads, oatmeal, eggs, etc.) in a surplus of lets say... 2500-3000 calories AND I do HIIT with LISS right after I wake up, will I gain muscle while getting my BF% down? This is a very confusing post and I'm sorry for that.:rolleyes:

Im in the same situation as you. I am around 12-15% body fat, with a weight of 155lbs. I am happy with my body but of course I always want to improve. I want to do a clean bulk too, I'm not looking to add a huge amount of mass, but a small amount , especially to my pecs and back/traps. But anyways, I am also wondering what a good caloric intake would be of clean foods in order to see a noticable increase in muscle mass without putting on the excess fat that comes from usual wintertime bulking.

There's not a formula or plan I can give you with a promise of putting on lean muscle mass while at the same time taking a few pounds of body fat away. If you're already in the 12% BF range, this is going to be tough. I would suggest prioritizing which is more important to you.

If you eat a surplus of clean food, but burn too many calories through cardio (or any activity), then guess what, you no longer have a calorie surplus.

I think you got the right idea with the subject line of your message. A good slow clean bulk sounds like exactly what you're looking for. If I was a young guy in your shoes, I'd be more concerned with learning to build muscle mass than worrying about my BF level. You're far from being overweight and you've already proven you can lose it when you need to.

So... If I bulk up by eating clean foods (chicken breasts, tilapia filets, whole wheat breads, oatmeal, eggs, etc.) in a surplus of lets say... 2500-3000 calories AND I do HIIT with LISS right after I wake up, will I gain muscle while getting my BF% down? This is a very confusing post and I'm sorry for that.:rolleyes:

Go for it. I'd suggest doing HIIT or sprints on your off days (not empty stomach). 3x/wk fullbody routine. Lift heavy weights. And have fun!

So... if I eat a surplus and do LISS every morning and HIIT on my off days (I already lift 3 times a week, push one day, pull one day, and legs), I know I will gain weight hypothetically since I will only use my fat reserves for the running, instead of the daily intake I eat. So.. is this optimal and could I expect to maintain my BF or even lose some fat while I do all of this?

Eat slightly above maintenance. Lift heavy 3 times a week, focusing on compound lifts (bench, squat, deadlifts, rows, presses, pullups)

Add in some cardio where wanted, but no more than 3x a week. Do cardio on off days as much as possible.

So... if I eat a surplus and do LISS every morning and HIIT on my off days (I already lift 3 times a week, push one day, pull one day, and legs), I know I will gain weight hypothetically since I will only use my fat reserves for the running, instead of the daily intake I eat. So.. is this optimal and could I expect to maintain my BF or even lose some fat while I do all of this?

You can't assign energy sources for your body to use during an activity, so you can't say only your fat reserves will be used for your running and nothing from your daily calorie intake. It's always going to be a mixture of both, and your body will definitely draw from your daily intake to fuel your running. You'll see arguments for what type of activity performed at what level of exertion can sway things more in favor of fat vs. glycogen, but I wouldn't get too caught up in all that.

Try HIIT/sprints on your non-weight training days, eat above maintenance, and monitor your progress. I'd consider 3x full body over your current 3-day split as well.