Are bulking and cutting cycles a meme?

Weight on y axis, time on x. The units will be lbs/day or kg/day if you didn’t win a world war. Alternatively it could be lbs/week or any measure of time in theory. When the slope is 0 and you are not gaining any weight at a set number of calories (when the y doesn’t increase at a constant x) that is your tdee.

You understand what the word autoregulate means? It means let your body tell you how much food to eat. Eat like a normal human being, who eats when hungry. Once you're satiated, eat an extra 100-200 kcals on top of that. This doesn't mean "eat until completely stuffed and can't eat any more, then eat some more on top of that"
And obviously this advice is for normal people with normal physiology. If you're fat, diabetic, insulin resistant, or have other metabolic issues, this may not work for you and you might instead need to manually count calories.

Disregard the constant x part. Meant at a constant calories. So make a graph of weight v time and keep note of the calories you consume every day

I honestly believe they are meme. Guys justify that you need to gain weight to gain strength, but I think that's bullshit. And ultimately having high bf % always makes you look like shit. Just stay cut year round. Maybe you'll lose some muscle here and there but at the end of the day you won't look fat and that is way more important.

Attached: 1534134388942.jpg (1080x1080, 315K)

What would happen if I just cut all the time while doing intensive workouts every day?

I don't think the concept of bulking/cutting is a meme in and of itself, but the interpretation that many people have is a meme. The meme where bulking = eating fucktons of food and constantly stuffing your face and then doing extreme dieting down afterwards. I think this concept propagates because over the decades this is what we've seen plenty of bodybuilders and pro athletes do, but they're all on steroids and the normal rules don't apply. So when natty dudes try doing this, they just end up in the "bro cycle" of gaining some strength and getting fat, then cutting down and lose that fat but also losing muscle and returning right to the strength level they started the bulk at, then repeat ad infinitum.

The short answer is yes
>the long answer:
Cutting and bulking has always been a way for roiders to mask gear use; when they cycle off they explain the sudden DYEL status as cutting A.K.A taking it easy, focusing on diet not moving weight, shredding down x-amt of lbs despite having paper thin skin with the texture if sandpaper.
When they start blasting again they blow up. Retards ask them how they change their body comp so fast and they claim to be bulking, an easy way to explain why they have an veins despite 4k calorie meals of pizza and ice cream.

If you are a natty, cut and bulk cycles are only gonna fuck you up. For our bodies that shit is a seasonal survival tactic, and not conducive to getting stronger or keeping a six pack.

You still need to keep your cardio.vascular system in check, even strongmen do a lot of cardio or their hearts would give out

(change in weight)/(change in time) = slope

assuming your unit of time is days, and your weight is in pounds, this will yield lbs/day

now you also know that to gain a pound, you need a caloric surplus of about 3500 (3500 cal/lb)

multiply (3500 cal/lb)*(slope) to get caloric surplus in units of cal/day, and since you know on average what your caloric intake is just subtract this caloric surplus from average intake to get your TDEE

I always wondered.
Doesn't doing cardio seem contradictary? Like your heartrate rises when you do your regular weight workouts right? Why put unnecessary strain on it doing cardio if you're not a sprinter/runner?
Then again our ancestors chased our prey, be it sprints or long-distance running, so maybe it's what we're meant to do.

you get a lot of CV benefits from lifting weights but yeah you should still do a little bit of cardio, doesn't take much though to maximize health benefits/work capacity benefits for lifting

fuck alright gonna go do some jump rope I guess

>when you’re running you’re straining your legs. why should I do squats if im already running?

>push-ups put strain on my arms. why should I lift a dumbbell if i’m already doing push-ups?

The heart is just as much a muscle as every other in your body. Yes, you use it when you’re doing other workouts, but if you want it to get stronger, you need to do an exercise that targets it especially.

you wouldnt gain much strength or muscle mass at all. chances are you will feel like shit 24/7 as well

That's why I try to talk to girls. BPM through the roof

If that's what they think strongfat is then fucking kek

I look like that and I can't even squad or bench my bodyweight

Can deadlift 2pl8 for some reason though.

Attached: 1532968156662.jpg (480x362, 19K)

What's the optimal nigh perfect body for a 6 foot tall mesomorph bodied man in his 20's? (pic example if possible)

>can deadlift two pl8
that’s an accomplishment?

Attached: 0ADBE9D5-2523-4A18-B2B2-C2F9F7516799.jpg (480x480, 44K)

For someone who started his fitness journey by benching two 25lb dumbells, yes.

What if instead I add cardio during rest days to increase how much overall fat I burn?

drink more water.
leave heavier meals for dinner.
eat less calorie dense food during the day.

Stop asking this question on every thread you retard

It depends on genetics

this image should mention that the time between pic 1 and pic 2 is like a year, and the time between pic 2 and pic 3 is like a month.

I'm getting confused with the weight measuring.
I weight myself everyday at the same time, but it fluctuates regardless constant food intake and exercise. So i also average the last 6 days + today.
I also compare today's 7 day average with last week's (i.e monday vs past monday) 7 day average..
I'm trying to gain 0.5 pounds a week and i change my diet or routine on mondays (if applicable).

I think i should aim to get a "+0.5" difference between today's 7day average vs. last week's same day's 7day average, right?

Stop weighing yourself every day. Do it weekly at the same time. It'll give a better idea over time.

As someone who started at 5'10"/165 lbs and ended up at 205 lbs and disgusting within 3 years, let me tell you that a "bulk" should be 100-250 extra (clean) calories a day until you gain maybe 10 lbs, followed by a cut of 5 of that. You'll maintain your leanness and avoid needing a many-months-long cut, which is a demoralizing hell.

I am stronger than I was at 205 at 185 and looking way fucking better. As a natty at 5'11", anything over 178-180 is going to be useless fat.

So you're saying i should only compare the weekly total difference instead of the weekly average diffence?

Attached: BamRockr.jpg (1280x720, 76K)

I agree. You shoukd only be bulking if you are doing it for some reason, sport, job, ect. Otherwise you are just fucking with your body season after season, and just eating garbage and justifying that to yourself as a bulk.

That guy had to gain weight to get to that level of lean mass, and is probably not natty.

go to bed, user.

nigga its a cartoon, I doubt you look like that

bulked and gained a jawline baka lmao

depends entirely on your goals. if you dont care about getting big and just want to be lean year round, then dont do it. just eat the usual eggs chicken broccoli oats every day until you go insane.

the more testosterone in your body (and the more drugs youre willing to take) the more beneficial cutting and bulking is. scale your bulk and cut intensity to what your body responds to and is capable of.

you will never reach your natural limit if you dont stuff your face with food though. whether you choose to do that with pizza or chicken and broccoli is up to you.

Attached: lee-priest-comparison-offseason-contest[1].jpg (316x215, 23K)

So operating like this, would I want to go

Bulk from 200 --> 210
Cut 210 --> 205
Bulk 205 --> 215
Cut 215 --> 210

etc?

Attached: 1508319547150.jpg (900x675, 255K)

do cardio on your bulk, mongoloids.

Skinny faggots like yourself should only ever do 1 single large bulk in their life (unless you start competing in a weight class sport and need to move up a weight class or some shit).

You need to bulk to about 195-200 lbs. Do it slowly. Then, you should cut to about 190 lbs. This a good goal weight for your height, while staying lean, and natural. Some may be able to go bigger, but not most.

If you want to do mini bulks or cuts to get extra lean for summer or whatever, that's fine. But non-competing lifters SHOULD NOT being lots of significant bulks and cuts.

Bulking is just eating a calorie surplus for a prolonged period of time, for the purpose of getting closer to your total lean body mass potential.

Cutting is just using a calorie deficit to get a bit leaner, once you have achieved most of your lean body mass potential.

Do not fall into the endless cut and bulk cycle trap that skinnyfat beginners get into. Get your lean body mass up near your maximum, then get lean.

Attached: fast benni.jpg (960x960, 75K)

jump rope is an 80s movie meme. go run.

cardio is always necessary for your health dumbo. being on a surplus will make your recovery from cardio better as well

that doesn't change your oxygen consumption retard. if it were just about bpm you cojld just drink coffee for cardio

>TFW you get to strong fat mode and youre stuck there because cutting doesn't work
im starting to think calories in calories out is bullshit, ladies

Attached: 1504537630241.jpg (466x393, 131K)

200 lb with cut abs and athleticism

This is what I did, did a dreamer bulk from about 14 to almost 19 years old and feel like I’ve reached my peak genetically after that long bulking,
Will only be small changes in my physique from here on out

Stop lying about your calorie intake

Well my first goal was to lose a lot of weight, which I did, but found that I really couldn't progress any lifts. Now I'm back to eating as many carbs as I used to, and find it easier to lift overall. The scale says my weight is going back up, but my waist size is staying nice and constant.

How fat would I be at 195 and how long do you think that would take?

you want more samples to account for fluctuations, not less you brainlet

do you happen to be a carpet salesman by any chance

just calculate the slope over a few week period, if it's reasonably close to 0.5 lb/week or 0.071 lb/day you're ok

Why is fitness so fucking contradictory. I'm told that cutting/bulking cycles aren't a meme
Then I'm told to always stay at 15% bodyfat
Then I'm told to never bulk
Then I'm told to permabulk
Then I'm told to not even bother cutting for atleast a year
WHAT THE FUCK IS IT?

it's actually not contradictory at all, you just don't know how to parse trustworthy information from untrustworthy information

the top guns in bodymemeing/powermemeing when it comes to nutrition are basically all in agreement when it comes to cutting and bulking

Share these topguns then, what do the y say

look up eric helms, lyle mcdonald, aragon, menlo, isratel

learn for yourself

What should us natty be doing then. I have been on a cut since January. At 180 now (5'10")and have 15-20lbs to go. I was going to start a slow bulk at +200-300cal probably in October for 6 months. Is this a bad plan?

Slow bulks are fine. I'd even go slightly lower at like +100-200 per day. "Bulking" as the term is commonly used where you eat a large surplus is what's bullshit, because as a natty this just means putting on lots of extra fat for little gain, and then spending that much longer cutting and losing your gains anyway because the cut will need to last so long.

Thanks. This seems reasonable. Appreciate the advice. When I finish this cut I'll be able to compute my Tdee. Right now I am eating 1700 and it's working to lose 4-6lbs a month.

Right on, best of luck. One other piece of advice I'd add is to not go straight from a cut to a bulk. Slowly transition by spending a week or two at maintenance, or longer if you wish. Your strength will actually go up anyway because your glycogen stores will replete and you'll feel like you have more energy and you'll look bigger just because you're not wasting away anymore.

Let me attempt to reconcile all that:
1 - Being