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Bulk or Cut? I cant' Decide!

Need advice to bulk or cut... details inside...

Pensfan6636
Pensfan6636 g Branden Pierce
2 Post(s)
2 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: April 4, 2018
Posted

Hello Scott,

 

First off, sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I wasn't sure where to post it.

 

I just joined platnium a few days ago and love everything you have to offer!

 

I started the PPL program becuase I had initally decided to bulk, but I am still undecided really.

 

First here is my info:

Age: 30
Height: 6'3
Weight: 175
BF%: Exaplined below
Length Working out Out: About 7 years with the Beachbody Programs (P90X 1, 2 & 3 / Body Beast / Insanity / T25 / etc...)

Okay so for body fat % I used the common fat calipers by Accumeasure and the Jackson/Pollock 3 Caliper method/formula.

 

2 days ago when I did it it equaled out to about 14% BF but then this morning it's says like 17% BF... Now its worth nothing thatI initally decided to bulk thinking it was the right way to go and yesterday I had my calorie goal of 3,200 cal and in turn, this morning I felt a bit bloated, so maybe that is a factor, or idk... In the end I am not 100% sure where I am at with my BF.

(fyi, along with the 3200 goal I got from your calculator it also says 221g Protein, 81 Fat and 397 carbs) based off 16% bf though...

 

Im a tall dude and to be honest, the fat I have is ALL in the gut and love handles. I have skinny ass legs lol and not a big chest.

So this fat in my mid section is what bothers me the most, but I dont know if that means I should cut or bulk. I do feel if I cut, I don't have enough muscle size to avoid looking scrawny or etc after cutting. Then again, since I have quite a bit of fat in my mid section, If I bulk I didnt want to gain too much more there!

 

Here are some photos as well for you to check out to see what your thought are with an eye test as well as my info above.

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HRnS7KTjWMJY3xqyxVOs1I7Oqs2Pd9a3sV848GhY_A4/edit?usp=sharing

 

I kinda feel like they make it look not as bad as I think it is... my stomach and mid section that is lol...

Thanks in advance!

 

- Branden

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Pensfan6636

Hello Scott,

 

First off, sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I wasn't sure where to post it.

 

I just joined platnium a few days ago and love everything you have to offer!

 

I started the PPL program becuase I had initally decided to bulk, but I am still undecided really.

 

First here is my info:

Age: 30
Height: 6'3
Weight: 175
BF%: Exaplined below
Length Working out Out: About 7 years with the Beachbody Programs (P90X 1, 2 & 3 / Body Beast / Insanity / T25 / etc...)

Okay so for body fat % I used the common fat calipers by Accumeasure and the Jackson/Pollock 3 Caliper method/formula.

 

2 days ago when I did it it equaled out to about 14% BF but then this morning it's says like 17% BF... Now its worth nothing thatI initally decided to bulk thinking it was the right way to go and yesterday I had my calorie goal of 3,200 cal and in turn, this morning I felt a bit bloated, so maybe that is a factor, or idk... In the end I am not 100% sure where I am at with my BF.

(fyi, along with the 3200 goal I got from your calculator it also says 221g Protein, 81 Fat and 397 carbs) based off 16% bf though...

 

Im a tall dude and to be honest, the fat I have is ALL in the gut and love handles. I have skinny ass legs lol and not a big chest.

So this fat in my mid section is what bothers me the most, but I dont know if that means I should cut or bulk. I do feel if I cut, I don't have enough muscle size to avoid looking scrawny or etc after cutting. Then again, since I have quite a bit of fat in my mid section, If I bulk I didnt want to gain too much more there!

 

Here are some photos as well for you to check out to see what your thought are with an eye test as well as my info above.

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HRnS7KTjWMJY3xqyxVOs1I7Oqs2Pd9a3sV848GhY_A4/edit?usp=sharing

 

I kinda feel like they make it look not as bad as I think it is... my stomach and mid section that is lol...

Thanks in advance!

 

- Branden

Hey Branden. You're not overly fat by any means. From your pictures and from what you said in your post, a bulk sounds like the best option for you, for sure. I think the 14-16% body fat estimate is probably about right at the moment. It makes for a pretty good starting point for a bulk, and if you do things right you don't need to worry too much about gaining much excess fat.

 

So if we have you aiming for the 3200 calorie goal, that has you in a small surplus for lean gains, right? If so, that's perfect. We just need to adjust the macros a little bit. Maybe something more like this...

 

Protein: 240g (960 Calories)

Carbs: 310g (1240 Calories)

Fat: 110g (990 Calories)

 

Total Calories = 3190

 

This would be your average day of macros when training. On your off days, try cutting the carbs back to more like 200g, increase the protein to about 275g, and increase the fats to about 140g to make up for lost calories.

 

That's my suggestion.. along with doing some cardio that should help you gain weight, but keep it lean. What do you think?

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Pensfan6636
Pensfan6636 g Branden Pierce
2 Post(s)
2 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: April 4, 2018
Posted

Awesome sounds good Scott! Thanks for the quick response :) Loving PPL so far this first week!

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Pensfan6636

Awesome sounds good Scott! Thanks for the quick response :) Loving PPL so far this first week!

My pleasure @Pensfan6636! Glad you are enjoying the program 😁 

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
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