CBT: Peak bulk vs Cut edition
We’ve all seen offseason pro bodybuilders vs on stage, but IMO it would have helped me as a newbie knowing how dramatically different average lifters and /fit/izens look when they’re focused on "cultivating mass" vs only posting their after/best physique pics.
Fuck being embarrassed or self-conscience, let’s see just how far you guys pushed your bulk before you either couldn’t do it anymore for whatever reason, or just wanted to lean down for summer.
Bonus Q’s: Which was easier/harder? How did you do it (either gaining or losing)? Misconceptions you had, anything else you think could be helpful to the next senpai.
i push my bulks way too fucking far.
well, desu, im not even actually trying to bulk, i just have a big appetite. nearly 200 pounds at only 5'7 in pic related taken yesterday.
i dont have any after pic yet because ive never tried to cut.
>>37200605
why does this guys body look like it belongs to a 80 year old
>>37200683
tanning
>>37200640
Ew wtf why pose like that with that body
>>37200640
How long lifting? You're gonna have to cut eventually, man!
>>37200683
Praying I still look like this at 80. Gonna be slayin em in that nursing home.
>tfw nurse forgets to put 2 scoops in your chocolate pudding again. is it that fucking hard to remember?
>>37200605
92kg to 78kg, been cutting since February. Lesson learned: don't dirty bulk.
>>37200829
Far left is February? If so that's damn impressive man. From dad-bod to young athlete mode.
>>37200848
Yeah m8, I was on the seefood diet (I see food and I eat it) for a good six months, and it took someone tagging the left pic on my Facebook for me to see how just plain fat I'd become. Plan to diet down another 2-3kg and then never bulk above 15% bf again.
>>37200605
>Tfw bulk has been going on 2 years now
>said I'd bulk to fill the 94 class then cut
>said I'd bulk to squat 200kg then cut
>said I'd bulk to fill the 105 class then cut
>said I'd bulk to squat 5pl8 then cut
>still bulking
I'm sure I'll stop someday, real abs would be nice
>>37200781
no srs how old are you
>>37200972
lol same here.
>okay when i reach 85kg bodyweight, i will be big enough to cut
>85kg bw reached
>feel small
>ok 90 kg, thats heavy as fuck for my height
>90kg reached
>feel small
>reapeat until im a 120kg fat bearmode powerlifter
body dismorphia sucks heh
>>37201069
He looks like 30, maybe even older.
Lots of muscle maturity and a manly frame, so yeah defo
>>37201100
>>37201069
Damn you're good anon. I'm 29, the big 3-0 coming in September. I started lifted lifting at 27 (see pic), bit late to the game but better than never.
Cut or bulk 160 5'8"
>>37201406
bulk faggot, you are too skinny to cut
>>37201406
Bulk slowly. +300 above tdee.
>>37201433
wat
bulk or cut ???
Hey dick nose there's already a cbt
Been bulking for nearly five months. Put on just a bit over 10lbs. I'm guessing it's mostly muscle. I think I also lost some fat. I wanna look shredded for summer. I'd like to cut to 10% body fat. I think I'm around 15%.
I'm at 1pl8 OHP and 2pl8 Bench.
151lbs > 162lbs
5'11
>>37201875
Boardie, this isn't a thread for cherry picking your absolute best current pic. It's to show the difference between bulking/cutting cycles of the average lifter.
>>37201889
forgot my pic......
>>37201173
It's unreal how much more aesthetic you can look if you pack on more mass on your chest,brah
>>37201899
a pic from when I was 3 1/2 months in. Both pics with a pump, the first pic was taken after I was lifting for nearly a month. Mark on my shoulder was zit, not a pin mark.
>>37200640
Haha ohh fuck look at that baby dick. Damn, anon I'm sorry.
Culk or butt guise.
5 months into lifting, still far from 1/2/3/4
Stats:
179cm 85.5kg bw
3x5 55kg OHP
3x5 77.5kg Bench
3x5 117.5kg Squat
1x5 130kg Deadlift
Pic was like half a month ago. I kinda want my 1pl8 Press and 3pl8 Dead before cutting.
>>37201989
Wide hipped lad, you lack the frame. why lift?
>>37202010
Why not
Fuck off with your memes
>>37200605
>>37202010
Bad advice, keep lifting.
>>37201989 If you look at my starting pic you can see I had nearly the same shoulder:hip ratio you have now. Focus on building delts and lats from the start, this will be your biggest bang for the buck as far as building a V taper.
>>37201913
Chest has always been a struggle for me. Ironically all I ever wanted was to loose the dad-bod moobs. Now I have the curse of the A-cup. It's all good though, I'm adjusting my chest routine to be more incline focused and hoping for a big improvement as year #3 progresses.
>>37202103
Damn son, mirin the fuck out of that cut. How long did it take?
>>37201989
those are birthin hips.
>>37202103
>gyno
>acne
>uni abs
Your abs are the equivalent of having a uni-brow in this day and age.
>>37202171
>you have no idea what gyno is.
>kid is clearly hella young, acne is temporary
>implying any female wouldn't appreciate that core definition
>your post is the equivalent to pissing in the ocean, another drop of troll urine in the waves
>>37201087
I keep telling myself "if you don't cut now you'll never cut". I've failed every time I've tried to cut below 15% in my life.
Tempted to just embrace fat life, I was 220 20% a few weeks ago
>>37200829
At how much cals did you cut? Sick work bro
>>37202272
Not even trolling. False hope doesn't help. Please leave trip fag, before you regret it.
>>37202157
Eh, it's alright. I'm not really complaining
>>37202315
For real bruh, you're actually making me come to kind of like Balconybro and I really didn't want that to happen
173cm 85 kg
>>37202449
75kg
>>37201989
mang how are your stats so high, liftan 6 months and lifts aren't as high.
>>37200605
OP total lifting years?
>>37202449
mirin blackberry curve
>>37202544
aesthetic/10
>>37202103
Bulky looks better.
Doing a mini cut right now to be lean for an anime convention in 10 days but this is the course of a month and a half cutting about 15 lbs from a ECY stack.
>>37202315
I trip so people know their getting advice from someone who's actually made gains, not someone who comes here who doesn't lift and only shitposts because they have no progress of their own to share.
And why on earth are you saving my pictures if you don't like me? Thanks for the unintentional mire. I love that pic btw, me at 125pounds back in 2014.
>>37202615
>404 chest not found
Dude pls eat and lift. Why do you cut?
>>37202637
The whole "atmosphere" on /fit/ has always been pretty cancerous, it's just worse the past 4-6 months.
>muh 4chins culture requires to be edgy and shitty to others
Somehow these people believe that if they tear each other down, it will make them feel better about their lives.
You seem like a nice and positive dude balcony, keep posting.
>>37202637
I'm sorry, dude. Just broke up with my GF and I'm feeling kinda bitter. You're a good trip. Pic deleted.
>>37202615
Curlbro is that you?
>>37202507
I didn't come from super skelly, my Squat started at 80kg and got to 100kg very quickly. The Bench is lagging hard though
>>37202544
Awesome progress man. How long did you stick out the first bulk? Your arms and obviously abs are starting to reveal themselves nicely, vascularity coming in strong, looking good. Looks like you did far better with your first bulk/cut than most people, myself included.
>>37202615
Why are you sucking in and trying to flex your nonexistent chest?
Am I zyzz yet? 18 5"11 165~+ american units
>>37202615
soon his nips will collapse into superdense points and a black hole will form
>>37202615
It's the cos-play disappointment.
>>37202847
Gimme some lub, bb. >>37201936 >>37201899
>>37202759
GF feels are worst feels. All is forgiven. Use the bitterness as fuel in the gym, it's the best place to invest it imo. Best gains of my life came after I lost the one I thought I was supposed to marry.
>>37202946
>lost the one i thought i was suppose to marry
We're all gonna make it, r-right balcony?
Even if im taking dbol and tren and test
;_: i take them to numb the pain, not to get gains
>>37201433
cut
wrists
>>37202942
>>37201936
>>37201899
First and foremost, don't stop taking frequent progress pics. Even when you're peak bulk/fatty mode and don't like the reflection, it's important to be able to see how your body follows a pattern far moreso than a # on a scale.
Example: I know how far along I am on a cut based on when different pelvic and bicep veins start showing up, when my abs go from horizontal lines to showing also showing a vertical crease, when the serratus anterior becomes visible, etc. You can't track or even correlate those things with weight numbers because your bodies compositional shift toward lean muscle mass instead of fat will continue to increase as time goes by, yet weight may remain the same, increase, or decrease depending on season.
As far as the pics, the most noticeable gains are in the arms. Wether it's a drop in bodyfat or increase in muscle (or both), I can see that primary delt/bicep vein popping out. It doesn't look like you store much fat in the chest which is a nice genetic freebie. Capitalize on that while you're still early on by getting in a lot of chest work, they say focusing on incline exercises specifically is the best for pec-aesthetics.
>>37201936
Nice work. You need more chest tho
>>37202847
Started my bulk in October at around 180ish lbs.
But I went completely pig mode on christmas and over a month in my semester holidays in february so I got fatter than I wanted. I hate cutting so this was really annoying cutting for almost 3 months...
Lesson learned though. My next bulk will be controlled and for a longer peroid of time.
Aiming for 8-12 months lean bulk and maybe gain 15lbs max.
>>37202979
We gon' make it man. Shit, running that Zyzz cycle your ass is probably going to make it 6 months. Just avoid any Sauna's, I hear they're the ultimate gains goblin, even moreso than womenfolk.
>>37202640
>Why do you cut?
Because a low bf% is better for putting on muscle and promotes more testosterone.
>>37202815
1 plate Ohp
1.5 plate bench
2.5 plate Squat
3.5 plate deadlift.
Not really a curl bro, just have shit chest genetics
>>37202920
Give me another year and my cosplays will be on point.
>>37203116
Appreciate the advice, senpai.
Should I avoid cutting for a month and just bulk for another another five?
>>37202878
>Tfw nobody cares
>>37203116
you would be a lot hotter if you didn't look like a chocolate bar.
>>37203230
I'm just quietly mirin all you people
>>37203156
I think 8-2-2 is the best annual approach. Solid gains for 8 months, cut for 2 (hopefully even less if you were well disciplined on the bulk), enjoy having your best physique chilling at maintenance for a couple months for summer, then repeat the whole cycle.
Not sure what I would do living somewhere with non-traditional seasons though, somewhere where it's a warm climate all year. Doubt I'll ever find out, I enjoy having different seasons anyway.
>>37202878
do you do deadlifts? you look good but traps and lower core is lacking. not really any obliques. also do incline bench, need more upper chest.
Why do I always assume guys like OP with great physiques are going to be assholes ? I feel like people judge ripped guys as assholes?
What's your experience ?
>>37203116
Ayy. So I'm gonna ask you because you seem pretty cool. I'm this dude: >>37201989
So I have one spot left for an accessory. I already do leg raises, laterals, facepulls, hyperextensions, calf raises. What to add? Is it worth hitting the serratus anterior with one of those weird isolation exercises?
>>37203263
>that hand position on z press
Goodbye wrists
>>37203198
Yep. If you were to cut now you would indeed get sharper abs, but I think you would be disappointed in everything else. It will set your growth back 2+ months (a month to cut down, then another month or longer having to regain lost muscle at an even slower pace because you're afraid of losing the ab's you worked so hard to reveal). Stick with a lean bulk around +300cals above TDEE until you hit the 8 or 9 month mark, then you'll be in a good place to justify a legit cut.
>>37203298
i'm not that guy but considering your body frame i'd do something that targets lats so you even out and develop a v-taper
>>37203398
I have Pullups and Lat pulldowns. What else?
>>37203263
Thanks breh
But I think I will start bulking again in June.
I want to be jacked next year and there is also no point in chilling on my twink physique yet.
Summer bulking crew reporting in
>>37203298
Seeing as my advice is focused on the delts and lats in order to broaden the V-Taper and change your hip:shoulder ratio, you really need something to target the lats. Pullups or machine lat pulldowns are #1 and #2, preferably both.
Side note: You are literally throwing your time away with calf raises. Also, Leg raises are useful for building core strength if you care about strength in compound lifts (deadlift, squats), but completely and utterly useless for actually revealing your abs. I haven't done an ab isolation exercise in well over a year, and honestly if I could go back in time I would have stopped myself from wasting time the first year doing them.
The serratus anterior can be targeted doing DB pullovers or similar exercises, but honestly it's similar to ab's (even more strict, actually) in that until you get below ~10% bodyfat it wont matter how strong they are - you wont see them in the mirror.
>>37203416
Do you row?
>>37203416
Gotcha, if you have those two covered look at adding straight-arm (in front of you, kind of like superman) pull downs.
Pullups and lat pulldowns are extremely versatile in that doing different width/grip's and using different attachments can be considered seperate exercises as well. I do a mixture of wide grip, neutral grip, and even chinups sometimes. And for lat pulldowns I mix up the traditional long bar and a narrow V-handle grip. I've come to really like this variation. Youtube is a godsend for learning all of these movements.
Another favorite of mine is using the cable crossover machine, put in high position like you're on a crucifix. Pull your elbows in behind your mid/lower back. Murderous on the lats and is great for learning to feel that specific mind-muscle connection.
>>37203469
What's so bad about Calf Raises? I included them because I eventually wanna include oly lifts (they're fun) and I definitely see strength gains there.
I realize I won't be seeing abs and serratus until I hit very low bf%. But targeting them so I can make some nice gains in these areas before cutting can't hurt, right? Or are you saying it doesn't help with their development at all? Why?
And I like Leg Raises. They're quick to bang out and I do care about my Deadlift a lot.
>>37203552
The last one sounds interesting. I usually go wide grip on lat pulldowns. I'll try mixing that up famiglia
>>37203474
Yes, same weight as bench. I can do 3x5 10kg Chinups with shoulder-width grip too.
11 months of bulk. Still not planning on cutting for the forseeable future.
>>37203588
Ab and calf isolations come down to time investment, that's all. In order to hit all the staples, far more important and rewarding movements, my routine already pushes the amount of time per day I can afford to spend training. And even then, if I had another 15 minutes to crank out another 4 sets of something, it would be devoted toward something that will make my physique look better - because I lift for hypertrophy, not strength. If you do frequent oly lifting than there's nothing to lose by doing them...but honestly I think you would benefit more from an extra movement on one of the major muscle groups, unless you just have a surplus amount of time to spend in the gym (as in 2+ hour sessions 6 times a week).
Since we're talking back, here's mine.
>>37203685
Serious improvement, mirin that long term dedication too. I start getting fat fatigue/loathing around the 8-9 month mark.
>>37203730
I currently have the time for 2hour sessions, so not much of a problem. What other accessories for Deltoids would you recommend? I feel like I already have those covered hitting all three heads separately. Same for lats really, Pullups/Chinups, Lat Pulldowns, Rows, maybe Straight arm pulldowns, what else is there?
Also I really appreciate all the input. Thanks /fit/ and Balconybro, you're a bretty gud trip
>>37201875
hey faggot theres a /fraud/ thread too
>>37203794
For delts you need one main lift to hit all heads, then one for each head seperately. My main lift will either be barbell OHP, DB OHP, or Arnold Presses. Then I stick with front raises, side raises, and something for rear delts, either facepulls, reverse pec dec flys if I'm at a commercial gym and not homegyming, or rear delt db flys. Rear delts are way more important to building 3d shoulders than people first realize.
For overall balanced back development I choose 2 vertical pullup/down movements and 2 horizontal/row movements. Machines are great for rowing exercises imo, especially ones where you can isolate each side separately while you hone in on exactly where you should be feeling the burn. When you're going both arms at a time, especially with a barbell, there's a natural tendency for you to move the weight by all means necessary, by doing so engaging non-back pull muscles like the rear delts, triceps, etc. While this is okay for contributing to your deadlift performance, it's not helpful for literally isolating the back.
>>37203990
I get it. Is an isolation for front delta really necessary if I already do OHP and Incline Bench though? I'd say yes in the long term, but not at my current level. So unless you say "don't skip these faggot", I'm going to skip isolating front delts as it feels very much redundant.
As for back, that sounds reasonable. I'll add a horizontal pull on the machine for dat dere hypertrophy, then I'll have one compound movement and one isolation exercise for both horizontal and vertical.
Thanks breh
>>37203469
holy fuck never been to fit but this is now my goal
Perma cutting for a few months now. Recovering lifelong fatty. Tired of being fat and my ex leaving me after 5 years made me finally take the leap. Even with the loose skin, one day I'm gonna make it.
>>37204107
Βetter stock up on the roids asap, bitchboi
>>37204108
Nice progress so far. Remember that depending on where you live you might be able to get insurance-paid surgery if you cry a bit about how you're depressed and have self-image issues because of the loose skin.
>>37202103
This is why I'm scared to fuck redheads
>>37204175
Thanks. I live in the US so insurance usually covers it if the skin is a "health issue" like if you have 20 pounds or whatever. I might still pay for it anyways though. I'm 6'4 so I'm looking to get down to about 180 or so before I start slowly building back up. People already look confused at 4 months because I've lost so much. Pretty good motivation, but it keeps just wanting me to push even harder.
>>37202637
I'm just coming back here after being gone for like 2-3 years and you seem cool. You're not a tripfag, though. You're a namefag. Literally anybody can put your name in the name field and pretend to be you. If you want people to know it's you, I'll give you an example of how to trip. Balconybro ##example. You can write anything you want in place of example. Stick with the same thing, because then your trip will stay the same. Apparently 2 # makes it more secure and harder for people to crack so they can pretend to be you, but you can use 1 if you feel like it. I'm doing Example ##example to show how it works. I honestly hope it still works how it used to and I don't look retarded.
>>37202103
where did the traps go
>>37204285
bane needed them
>>37204096
>>37204096
An important factor when deciding to isolate front delts is injury-insurance. When you're benching, especially incline bench trying to build that aesthetic upper chest, you're unavoidably going to put moderate stress on them. I'm paranoid about shoulder injuries because they will literally halt almost all of your upper body lifts, arms and everything. When the three heads aren't proportionally developed that's when over compensation happens, exposing you to that higher risk of injury.
That fact alone makes them every bit as important as anterior and rear imo. Aesthetically they are probably the least predominant, but this is probably the one area where I shove that thought aside and say just be safe.
>>37204244
Welcome back, and thanks. As a former /b/tard of many years I'm aware of the namefag technicality, just lazy and unless people inexplicably start to impersonate me I'm hoping to avoid the hassle. I usually dont mind throwing up a current pic as well so peeps know its me, when/if it ever came to that.
>>37202946
damn kinda hit my feels. Lost my gf after 4 years who I thought I was going to marry. We're all gonna make it tho
>>37203757
Thanks bro. Appreciate it
>>37204118
>>37203469
are you actually on steroids or is this a /fit/ meme?
>>37204661
It's not balconybro, it's someone that used to trip here a few years ago.
No, it's not a /fit/ meme, he was/is a fake natty.
If you check his progress albums, his development over the span of a year(2012->2013, 2013->2014) is ridiculous for someone claiming natty.
>https://imgur.com/a/hJ69i
>>37204779
Just to add this, i'm not saying you shouldn't try to achieve his look, just don't be delusional about what you can achieve and in what amounts of time, while not being on roids.
>>37204403
I think most people start out on /b/. That's what it feels like, anyway. I started on /b/, then started migrating to /gif/ and /x/, occasionally going on /o/, and then I got linked to a /fit/ thread and ended up staying here. It was honestly because I was learning so much and finding out that most of the shit I was told about gaining weight/working out/building muscle was straight up wrong. It was a real eye opener. Seeing a before and after of Zyzz sealed the deal and /fit/ became my favorite board.
>N-no homo
I figured I would try helping you out in case you weren't aware, but you seem to know all about it. Having current/new pics to prove it's you is a good thing, if it ever does come down to it. I hope it doesn't though. You seem like one of the more friendly/helpful namefags from what I've seen.
>>37204779
are steroids that bad?
>>37204403
I may be the sort of anon who viscerally despises names and trips on instinct but I would prefer it if you tripped. In a world in which people like Trappy and so on trip despite knowing jack shit and having virtually no gains, an actual lifter with some actual advice that isn't interested in r9k trolling and pol nonsense is an oasis of sanity.
>>37204869
Those were my thoughts too, but he's got it covered with pics. It's not very likely that someone will impersonate him, but if it happens, he can just put up a timestamped pic and say "that ain't me"
>>37204868
It's a matter of life choices, in my opinion no, when you're knowledgeable about what you're doing.
As i said, my post wasn't meant to bash on the dude for roid use, just to give you some perspective.
>>37202878
Far from zyzz but this is exactly what girls like if it makes you feel better
Looking great
>>37203469
jeeezus fuck, 10/10 slayer body and slayer hair.
mirin hard
>>37204854
Just trying to pay forward the knowledge and inspiration /fit/ provided me in the journey thus far.
Either tripping or namefagging on any board of 4chan is proven to be a damned if you do damned if you don't thing. Here on fit even anonymously posting pics of yourself with a moderately good physique will 90% of the time result in being trolled for some random imperfection or imbalance not being IFBB level tuned, of course coming from some pictureless anon with nothing better to do. Honestly I admire everyone who posts in cbt's and progress threads early on in their lifting careers. I silently lurked for nearly two years before ever putting myself out there.
Here's a funny retro one, Aug 14th 2014. Completely fucked up babby's first bulk, shot way over the moon because /fit/ told me eat big to get big. Face is cropped but you should see the shame in my eyes.
>>37204285
His shoulders are raised
>>37201767
cut
also fuck me in the ass desu
>>37205769
Get out.
Not because you're a thirsty faggot, but because you're a non-lifting thirsty faggot that told a guy with minimal muscle mass to cut.
>>37200605
174 at 5'9. Not likely. Try again Manlet.
>>37203588
>What's so bad about Calf Raises? I included them because I eventually wanna include oly lift
calf raises wont help your oly lifts senpai. oly lifts help oly lifts.
>>37207251
Serious? The average 5'9 out of shape guy with 0 years lifting in his late twenties is between 150-160. Lift for a couple years, conservatively adding 10 pounds of muscle per year. Seeing as that pic was taken when I was max BF on top of that...Nevermind, I think you might struggle with math.
