In mid-Aug 2017, I started a bulk that ended about Nov 2017. In that period, I went from around 66-67 kg to 73.3kg, the heaviest I had weighed in my life.
Nov 2017 - Feb 2018: Started cutting, went down to 67kg
Feb 2018 - Apr 2018: Started bulking, went from 67kg to 71kg
Apr 2018 - Jun 2018 : Started cutting, went down to 65kg (current).
I'm at the tail end of this cut, and aiming to end at about 64kg so that I will be really lean, and plan to start on a much slower bulk.
From the previous experiences in bulking (especially the first bulk cycle in Aug-Nov 2017), going up too quickly (0.5kg seemed a bit too fast) just made me look fat at the end of my bulk. My previous cut to 67kg I didn't really see leanness/abs that I liked, hence I pushed lower this time with the goal of 64kg. Realistically, I think I'll need to hit 62kg to really get the 'shredded' look, but I don't think I can bring myself to do that.
First, some progress pics:
Even though I lost 8(!) kg, my muscles actually look more defined. It's clearer in the next picture. |
Gosh, I look overweight in the 1st pic. |
I'm not sure how easy it will be to maintain a constant rate of weight gain/loss, and I'm expecting to hit some unexpected plateaus or spikes that will necessitate some modifications to the plan, but I plan to bump up my calories by 200 initially (assume that's about maintenance for me) for a week. If no weight change, I will bump it up by another 100. If there's weight change, I will maintain that calorie intake until weight gain slows to less than 0.15 a week. For bulk phase, I will not be rushing, so I foresee I may actually end up under 70kg at the end of 16 weeks. For the cut phase, I will be more aggressive in my reduction of calories if my weight doesn't move week-on-week.
The eventual goal is to walk around at 70kg, lean, and maintain that. To achieve that, it seems like it will take 3 years, assuming a 6 month bulk/cut cycle. So will I have a lean, mean physique in 2021? I certainly hope so!
Some of the changes that I will be adapting for this bulk cycle is also to try to maintain a 50:50 eat clean ratio. Previously, I was more or less going IIFYM style, eating whatever just to hit my calorie target. I will be more deliberate this time, and hopefully it will help maintain leanness.
Training-wise, I will stick to N-suns for a while, and hope that I can break 100kg on Bench Press once I start eating more (I was at 97.5kg for 3 reps at one point). I have little doubt this programming will help me bring my Deadlift (once I can start doing it) up to 100kg (and beyond) too, so I'm looking forward to that. Hope my knee gets fixed soon.
jesus fuck you really have shit genetics, like the skeleton of a woman. I have the same problem and I'm constantly bullied about it
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