To Cut or to Bulk, That Is the Question
Whether you're looking to lose fat, build muscle, or maintain your current progress, the first step is understanding how calories, body composition, and mindset play key roles in achieving your fitness goals. This guide will help you decide whether to cut, bulk, or stay at maintenance, while providing practical tips and strategies for navigating each phase effectively.
Step 1: Find Your Maintenance Calories
Before you can decide if you need to cut, bulk, or maintain, you must determine your maintenance calories. Maintenance is the number of calories your body needs each day to maintain its current weight. There are three ways to determine this number:
Estimate with Online Calculators: Tools like the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator provide a decent starting point.
Track Caloric Intake and Monitor Weight: Record what you eat daily for 2–3 weeks. If your weight remains stable, you’ve found your maintenance intake.
Experiment and Adjust: Use your tracked data and daily weigh-ins to fine-tune your calorie count (this is the most accurate method).
Why finding maintenance is critical: Once you know your baseline, you can methodically adjust your calories to align with cutting or bulking goals instead of guessing.
Caution: Fitness trackers (like your Apple Watch) aren’t always accurate when it comes to calorie burn. Rely on your food intake and weight changes instead.
Step 2: Understand Body Composition
Body fat percentage is a vital metric, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Here’s why:
Higher Muscle Mass = Better Metabolism: Lean muscle increases your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), meaning you burn more calories at rest. It also helps you appear leaner and stronger, even without losing fat.
Body Fat Percentages for Health:
Men: Healthy range is 10–20%
Women: Healthy range is 18–28%
Muscle Gains Lower Body Fat Percentage (Mathematically): Even if you gain weight by building muscle, your body fat percentage can decrease because muscle is denser than fat.
Focus on building muscle and strength, not just the number on the scale.
Cutting Phase
Purpose: Reduce body fat while preserving muscle mass.
A successful cutting phase requires a calorie deficit, typically 10–20% below maintenance. However, here’s how to do it effectively:
Key Guidelines for Cutting:
Take a Gradual Approach
Drastic calorie cuts often lead to muscle loss and burnout. Aim for a manageable 250-calorie deficit to start.
Prioritize Protein
Aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily to support muscle preservation.
Strength Train > Cardio
Strength training sends a signal to your body to maintain muscle while cutting. Too much cardio can interfere with recovery and muscle retention. Walking, however, is a great addition to increase daily movement without stressing your body.
Plan Breaks
Implement refeed weeks or maintenance weeks after 3–4 weeks of cutting. For example, stay in a 250-calorie deficit for 3 weeks, followed by 1 week at maintenance. It helps your body recover metabolically while supporting mental well-being.
Case Study:
Sarah was preparing for her wedding and needed to look her best. She started her cut with a 10% deficit, strength-trained 4 times a week, and added 4,000 daily steps. After 12 weeks, she lost 10 lbs of fat and gained noticeable muscle definition.
Bulking Phase
Purpose: Build muscle and strength.
A proper bulk is not an excuse to eat everything in sight. Think of bulking as controlled muscle building—not uncontrolled weight gain.
Key Guidelines for Bulking:
Controlled Surplus
Start with 250–500 calories above maintenance. Aim to gain no more than 0.5–1 pound (or less) per week to minimize fat gain.
Strength and Hypertrophy Training
Focus on heavy lifting with progressive overload. A combination of low-rep strength training and moderate-rep muscle-building (hypertrophy) training works best.
Monitor Progress
Check your weight and tape measurements every week. If you’re gaining too quickly, reduce calorie intake slightly.
Food Choices Matter
Stick to nutrient-dense foods like lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Avoid relying on highly processed options, but allow some flexibility (think 80/20 rule).
Case Study:
Chris, who was very thin and struggled to gain weight, started bulking at a 300-calorie surplus. Over 6 months, he gained 12 lbs, improved his bench press by 30 lbs, and significantly filled out his frame.
Why Women Shouldn’t Fear Bulking
Contrary to popular belief, bulking doesn’t mean getting “bulky.” Women like Kelsey successfully use bulking to build strength and add lean muscle, which improves body composition, even after significant calorie-restriction weight loss.
Maintenance Phase
Purpose: Maintain progress, give your body and mind a break, and reset for the next goal.
Maintenance is not static. It lets you test and adapt your metabolism as your body composition changes.
Key Tips for Maintenance:
Balance Intake
Keep calories stable around your TDEE, with slight variations for life events, holidays, or increased activity.
Prioritize Strength
Maintenance is a great time for strength or functional training since you’re not in a deficit or surplus.
Check Your Metabolic Speed
Regularly measure how your weight reacts to changes in calories to fine-tune your future phases.
Case Study: After building muscle, Nic wanted to transition to maintenance to focus on enjoying his workouts without the pressure of constant calorie tracking. With consistent strength training and balanced nutrition, he stayed lean and strong.
Tips and Tricks for Every Phase
Hit Your Protein Goals
Consistently. Protein keeps you full, aids recovery, and supports lean mass.
Track Strength and Calories
Data provides clarity. Use apps to log progress and track intake.
Avoid Extreme Approaches
Gradual changes win over crash diets or massive surpluses every time.
Prioritize Sleep and Manage Stress
Recovery is just as important as training. 7–9 hours of sleep daily and stress reduction are essential.
Plan Ahead
Decide when you'll take breaks to avoid burnout. Examples include holidays, vacations, or after long phases.
What You Should Avoid
Excessively Low Calories or Cheat Days
These extremes derail progress and can hurt your metabolism.
All-Or-Nothing Thinking
Progress isn’t linear. Stay patient and consistent.
Neglecting Nutrition
Fuel your body with whole, nutrient-dense foods—not empty calories.
Types of Strength Training for Body Composition Changes
Bodybuilding
Focus on muscle size and definition with hypertrophy-style training (8–12 reps).
Powerlifting/Strongman
Train for max strength with low reps (3–5) on compound lifts.
Hybrid/Functional Training
Combine strength and endurance for all-around fitness and body composition benefits.
Final Thoughts
Navigating the phases of cutting, bulking, and maintenance can feel overwhelming, but with the right strategies, you’ll get closer to your goals one step at a time. Start by finding your maintenance calories, take gradual steps, and remember that consistency is the key to success.
Feeling unsure? Having a coach in your corner, like I’ve been for Sarah and Kelsey, can help you stay grounded and make adjustments with confidence. Take action today and hit your goals with purpose. Now, go smash your protein goals, prioritize progress, and thrive!