HEALTH AND FITNESS: Hi Tshering,
Could you please share some on bulking and cutting tips? How long will cutting process take? How should I remove water weight from my body for optimum muscle definition? What kind of diet should I maintain while bulking and cutting?
Namgyel Rangdol, Thimphu.
Dear Namgyel,
Bulking, also know as mass phase can be done best when you are in a calorie surplus diet, meaning at a time when you are eating more than you are burning as extra calories are absolutely necessary to create an anabolic ambience. The number of extra calories required varies from one person to another.
The length of this phase is also varies from person to person. If you are not getting ready for a show or a photo shoot, than I recommend going into cutting phase when your mass phase progress stalls.
Cutting, also know as leaning and pre-contest phase, is a periodization for reducing percentage of body fat, while holding onto the new muscle built during your last mass or offseason phase.
It is absolutely critical to be in a calorie deficit diet, meaning you should be consuming a little less than what you are burning. This deficit creates an ambience apt for burning your stored body fat as energy. This process helps to shed fat and reveal your hard earned muscle gradually.
How long should you go on with cutting phase depends on how low you want to bring your fat percentage.
I advice you to take a break from cutting phase for a few days when results stall and resume again. Experienced and informed third eye is absolutely necessary to ensure you are not burning away muscle while on this phase.
| Tip of the week: “Don’t get big at the expense of fat. Don’t get ripped at the cost of burning muscle.” |
Manipulating water
Water is manipulated a few days prior to a contest or shoot to create a dry and hard look by maximizing intramuscular water and minimizing subcutaneous water (water underneath the skin).
The safest and the simplest way to do this is by drastically increasing your water intake a week before shoot and stopping water completely 24 hours before shoot or contest.
Remember that water manipulation is a very tiny fraction of the full picture. If you are in great shape a week out, you don’t want to change too many variables risking ruining your months of labour.
