Bodybuilding Forums

New to the site. Lots on good information to digest and get a handle on. Question - Is it better to get lean (TSPA) prior to adding muscle or vice versa??? I'm 6'2, 200lbs. I work out regularly but am not satisfied I am doing the right thing with diet and excersise specific to my body goals. Goals - to see my abdominal wall and have a well balanced proportional physique bigger than I currently am. There is so much information out there to absorb and believe in. What works - effeciently and predicatably. Any thoughts?

brcyrslf wrote:New to the site. Lots on good information to digest and get a handle on. Question - Is it better to get lean (TSPA) prior to adding muscle or vice versa??? I'm 6'2, 200lbs. I work out regularly but am not satisfied I am doing the right thing with diet and excersise specific to my body goals. Goals - to see my abdominal wall and have a well balanced proportional physique bigger than I currently am. There is so much information out there to absorb and believe in. What works - effeciently and predicatably. Any thoughts?

Cut first, then bulk. The body's tendency towards homeostasis means the higher your percentage body fat when you start bulking, the more fat you will add on, and the worse of a cut cycle you have to look forward to in order to pull that percentage back down to the single-digits for the six-pack you want. Not to mention doing it the other way around just means when you go to cut, you're going to have that much more fat to strip off.

Another thing to note is that you will inevitably lose some muscle when cutting, much better to rid yourself of the fat and then go crazy and add muscle. Of course TSPA reduces muscle loss significantly but doesn't prevent it completely.
Also I can't remember where the quote is from but :
"The quickest way to look like you've gained 20lbs of muscle is to lose 20lbs of fat"

As stated above cutting first allows you to get to the same goal faster, the one caveat I would add though is that there is a horrible period after cutting and before bulking were you look and feel tiny. I think Arnie has referred to this as the fear of smallness in one of his books.

If you're used to being 200 lbs and at the end of cutting you're 170 lbs with the same lean mass you're likely to feel pretty scrawny.

Not saying this to deter you at all but just saying it is something that happens.

All the best with your goal.