Dear friends,

At the present I am 6'4", 229 lbs. and 19% BF. I've come quite a long way from 256 lbs. and 26.5% BF nearly 4 months ago. I have to admit much inspiration was John Stone and these forums.

At this point I'm really more interested in bulking than just dropping scale weight with tons of cardio. It's been tough to get rid of my midsection, so my diet/exercise has consisted of the halfway point between cutting and bulking diet and exercise routines (ie 5 days a week of A.M. fasted cardio, then 8 hours later weight training and lots of protein and clean carbs and unprocessed foods).

What are your opinions for the best way to get rid of the midsection without having to go to a purely "cutting" diet and exercise routine?

KEY POINT: I'm content with the midsection taking longer to get rid of if it means not having to wait to continue putting on lean muscle with weight training. I know it involves more than just "a million sit-ups a day" because as I've read our bodies aren't drawing fat reserves from necessarily the closest fat to the muscle being exercised, and that "when draining a pool, the shallow end drains first" which means there is no "spot treatment" fat burning and that the body drains it somewhat evenly.

Any help appreciated. This pic is from about a month ago and thought I've put on much more muscle since the pic, the midsection in the pic is still representative of the present.


http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/9100/beforebc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Bulk and lose fat at the same time? Possible in some cases (e.g. beginners), but the problem is that you are asking your body to do two things that oppose one another -- so, you will likely just spin your wheels if you try to do both.

If you want to lose the fat, I would just cut for awhile before bulking.

Bulk and lose fat at the same time? Possible in some cases (e.g. beginners), but the problem is that you are asking your body to do two things that oppose one another -- so, you will likely just spin your wheels if you try to do both.

If you want to lose the fat, I would just cut for awhile before bulking.

That's what I always thought but yet I've been able to drop a decent amount of fat percentage while dropping scale weight and increasing lean mass (and consequently the amount of weight I can push around in the gym).

Obviously John Stone started out by going practically auschwitz-skinny (no offense) before he ever started bulking, so is that the secret - you get your body fat as low as you can go and THEN start bulking?

I'm confused why there seems to be a magical order of "cutting then bulking" that's so popular.

I assume that to mean that if you lose a bunch of fat before bulking, you won't put on nearly as much fat DURING the bulk?

That's what I always thought but yet I've been able to drop a decent amount of fat percentage while dropping scale weight and increasing lean mass (and consequently the amount of weight I can push around in the gym).

I think it is possible to increase lean mass while dropping weight when you are a beginner. It won't be as big of an increase as you would get otherwise.

I think it is possible to increase lean mass while dropping weight when you are a beginner. It won't be as big of an increase as you would get otherwise.

You're probably right and that would explain the plateau I've hit.
So I'm still not sure where to go next - do like John Stone's doing now and bulk for a period followed by a few weeks of cutting... hmm.

I'm confused why there seems to be a magical order of "cutting then bulking" that's so popular.


Well -- this depends on where you are at. If you have excess bodyfat that you want to lose, then it doesn't make much sense to bulk. In that case, it is better to cut first. However, if you are already lean, but don't have much muscle, then it might be a good idea to bulk first.

If you bulk when you already have excess fat, then, you will tend to gain more fat than you will muscle (at least according to Tom Venuto). So, that is why alot of people want to get lean before they bulk.

Edit: If you are at 19% now, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to bulk. I would cut down to at least 12-13% first.

I don't think you necessarily need to look at it quite so black and white.

I think you should be able to continue to "cut" while on a caloric deficit small enough to guard against losses in lean body mass. Then, you could "bulk", but not with so much of a caloric surplus that you would be adding a lot of fat.

my diet/exercise has consisted of the halfway point between cutting and bulking diet and exercise routines (ie 5 days a week of A.M. fasted cardio, then 8 hours later weight training and lots of protein and clean carbs and unprocessed foods). Looks like it's working for you. :claplow: It probably makes the most sense to just keep doing the same thing until it stops giving you the results you're looking for.

Here's Christian Thibaudeau's perspective:
Bulking Up Then Dieting Down: Good or Bad? (http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1268956&cr=)

I'm in the same shoes as you. I have fat on my midsection and chest I want to lose, while at the same time build up muscle size and strength. But I'm 6-2 and 168 pounds right now and weak! One year ago I was measured at 22% fat at 188 pounds. My waist has dropped an inch, I've lost 18-20 pounds and have gotten stronger. Meaning I have no idea my body fat % right now. I'd say high teens.

I've been eating much cleaner than any point in my life, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, lifting hard and eating clean for the rest of the year. If I'm not satisfied at that point with my fat loss I'll re-evaluate then.

At hte minimum, I'll at least be building muscle that'll burn more calories.

I have taken the approach that to bulk properly you need to be at a lower BF than 19%. This is strictly my opinion and something that I have experienced first hand. Here's an explanation (http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1268956&cr=) for bulking once you have reached a BF % that's closer to 10%

I have taken the approach that to bulk properly you need to be at a lower BF than 19%. This is strictly my opinion and something that I have experienced first hand. Here's an explanation (http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1268956&cr=) for bulking once you have reached a BF % that's closer to 10%

Excellent article!!!! :tucool::tucool::tucool: