How to Bulk And Cut: The Ultimate Guide

LAST UPDATED: December 6th, 2023

As a personal trainer, I often get asked about the best way to achieve a muscular, lean body.

Many gym-goers have heard of bulking and cutting but don’t quite understand the process.

In this blog post, I’ll explain to you what bulking and cutting are.

Also, how long you should do each, and how to do both at the same time.

Furthermore, I’ll show you nutrition rules and workouts for bulking and cutting. (1)

But first things first.

How to Bulk and Cut Effectively?

What is Bulking?

Basically, bulking is the process of gaining weight in order to build muscle mass.

During a bulking phase, your primary goal is to consume more calories than your body burns, which means that you will gain both muscle and some fat.

To achieve this (and gain more muscles than body fat), you’ll need to focus on consuming high-quality foods, including plenty of protein, healthy carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Also, you should consider taking supplements for bulking. The best natural bulking supplement I’m using is D-bal. This is the most effective supplement for muscle gains.

What is Cutting?

Cutting, on the other hand, is the process of losing body fat in order to reveal the muscle mass you have built during your bulking phase.

During a cutting phase, your should consume fewer calories than your body burns, which means that you will lose weight, and hopefully, you’ll lose fat layers that cover your lean muscle.

In the cutting phase, you’ll need to focus on reducing your overall calorie intake while still maintaining an adequate intake of protein and other essential nutrients. The most effective natural supplement you should take in cutting phase for burning fat layers and increasing lean muscle is Capsiplex Burn.

What Is The Difference Between Bulking And Cutting?

In the bulking phase, your goal is to gain weight and muscle mass, while in the cutting phase, you should burn excessive fat and get lean muscle.

How Long to Bulk and Cut?

Bulking and cutting are two different cycles (although you can do both at the same time, I’ll explain that soon).

The length of your bulking and cutting phases will depend on your individual goals and body composition.

Typically, a bulking phase will last probably 12-20 weeks, depending on your starting point and your desired muscle mass.

A cutting phase will typically last 8-12 weeks, and this also depends on your starting point and your desired level of body fat.

Bulking and Cutting: Which One Goes First?

The order in which you do your bulking and cutting phases will depend on your individual goals and starting point.

If you have a high body-fat percentage, it may be beneficial to start with a cutting phase to get your body fat levels under control before moving on to a bulking phase.

On the other hand, if you are relatively lean and looking to build muscle mass, starting with a bulking phase may be more appropriate.

Ultimately, the key is to find a balance between building muscle and controlling body fat levels.

I’m always doing bulking first, then cutting.

How to Bulk and Cut at the Same Time?

If you want to simultaneously build muscle and lose fat you can bulk and cut at the same time.

This can be done by carefully balancing your calorie intake and macros (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) so that you are consuming slightly more calories on your workout days and slightly fewer calories on your rest days.

This strategy requires a great deal of discipline and attention to detail, but it can be an effective way to achieve a lean, muscular physique without going through distinct bulking and cutting phases.

Also, you should follow an appropriate training regime.

How to Bulk?

Healthy Weight Gain

The goal of a bulking phase is to gain weight, but it’s important to do so in a healthy way.

Focus on eating nutrient-dense foods that are high in protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

This will help ensure that you are gaining muscle mass and not just adding extra body fat.

You can read more about nutrition before and after a workout here.

Calorie Surplus

To gain weight during a bulking phase, you need to consume more calories than your body burns.

You should consume an extra 250-500 calories per day on top of your maintenance calories.

This will help ensure that you are gaining weight at a healthy, sustainable rate and help you avoid excess fat gain.

Best Workouts for Bulking

During a bulking phase, your workouts should focus on heavy lifting and compound movements that target multiple muscle groups.

Aim to lift weights that are challenging for 8-12 reps, and focus on increasing your weights over time.

Some of the most effective workouts for bulking are:

Squats

Best workout for the lower body and legs.

You can try different variations like split squats, and Bulgarian squats…

Deadlifts

Compound exercises that target the lower and upper body.

One of the best workouts for strength.

This is a complex exercise, and you should hire a personal trainer if you are a beginner.

You can read more about deadlifting here.

Bench Press

One of the most popular exercises in the gym.

Effective muscle-building workout.

It’s a very good workout that will help you lose man boobs and build your chest.

Pull-Ups

Without a doubt, the best bodyweight exercises you can do for back muscles.

Also, one of the best workouts for muscle mass.

But, if you are a beginner then I must say that this will not be easy for you.

You should try this exercise with a resistance band, for example, that will help you lift up.

Rows

Cable row is an effective exercise for building a strong and defined back.

It targets multiple muscles in the back and helps to improve posture and overall back strength.

Cable row is an effective resistance training workout.

Overhead Press

This is a workout that targets the shoulder.

You can do it with a barbell or dumbbell.

You can read more about bulking workouts here.

Supplementation In The Bulking Phase

If you want to maximize your effort you should take some bulking supplements.

I suggest taking only natural supplements.

Bulking supplement I am using in my bulking phase is D-bal.

D-bal is the best natural alternative to the steroid Dianabol (best for muscle mass).

Thanks to the mix of powerful ingredients, vitamins, and minerals D-bal increases nitrogen retention in your muscles and helps you maximize protein intake.

Nitrogen is essential for protein synthesis.

D-bal is safe and effective.

You can read more about D-bal here.

However, supplements should not replace a healthy, whole-food-based diet.

How to Cut?

Healthy Weight Loss

The goal of a cutting phase is to lose body fat, but it’s important to do so in a healthy way.

Focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods that are high in protein, healthy fats, and fiber.

This will help ensure that you are losing body fat and not just muscle mass.

Caloric Deficit

In order to lose weight during a cutting phase, you need to eat fewer calories than your body burns.

Aim to create a calorie deficit of 250-500 calories per day, which will help you lose weight at a healthy, sustainable rate.

Best Workouts for Cutting

In the cutting phase, your workouts should focus on high-intensity cardio and circuit training to help you burn calories and retain muscle mass.

You should do cardio for 20-30 minutes per day, and focus on exercises that target multiple muscle groups.

Some of the best exercises for cutting include:

HIIT workouts

One of the best types of cardio for burning fat, lean muscles, and building endurance is high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

Try doing 45 minutes of HIIT cardio 2-3 times a week to maximize your results.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of exercise that involves short, intense bursts of activity interspersed with less intense movements or periods of rest.

One of the primary advantages of HIIT is its efficiency; you can spend less time working out each week while still experiencing the benefits of fat-burning and faster metabolism.

Abs workouts

• Plank: This exercise works the entire core, including the abs, back, and hips. One of the best workouts for fat loss.
• Russian Twist: The Russian Twist engages the obliques, which are the muscles on the sides of your abs.
• Bicycle Crunch: Famous for targeting the rectus abdominis, the muscle that runs down the front of your abs.
• Mountain Climbers: It is a great way to increase your heart rate while targeting the abs.

You can read more about workouts to get cut here.

Supplementation In The Cutting Phase

If you want to burn fat layers faster and increase lean muscle you should take Capsiplex Burn.

This is also a natural supplement made of plant extracts and amino acids.

How Does It Work?

The mix of natural ingredients will boost your energy, metabolism, blood flow, and protein synthesis, and recover after a workout.

Also, you will increase lean muscle and prevent muscle loss while losing fat.

The most important thing about this supplement is that it will help you burn excess fat, get definition, and maintain muscle mass.

You can read more about this supplement here.

How to Bulk And Cut – Bottom Line:

Bulking and cutting can be effective strategies for building muscle mass and losing body fat, but they require careful planning and discipline.

Make sure to focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods, creating a calorie surplus or deficit depending on your phase, and incorporating a mix of heavy lifting and high-intensity cardio into your workouts.

Also, don’t forget about supplementation.

As I said I am using only natural supplements.

I don’t approve of steroids.

For bulking I suggest D-bal and for cutting Capsiplex Burn.

If you are doing bulking and cutting at the same time I suggest the ultimate bodybuilding stack.