Should You Bulk or Cut First? How to Decide

Cut first if you are carrying more body fat than you want and your main goal is to look leaner; bulk first if you are already fairly lean and your main goal is more muscle. If you are new to lifting and somewhere in between, a recomposition, eating near maintenance while you train hard, is often the better place to start than either.

What bulking and cutting actually mean

A cut is a planned period of eating below maintenance calories to lose fat while you keep lifting to hold on to muscle. A bulk is the opposite: a planned period of eating above maintenance so your training has the extra energy it needs to build muscle. A recomp sits in the middle, near maintenance, and aims to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Our body recomposition guide compares all three side by side.

The question isn't which one is "right". It's which one fits where you are now.

When to cut first

Cutting first usually makes sense when:

• You have a fair amount of fat to lose and that is what bothers you most when you look in the mirror.
• Health is the main reason you are changing anything. In that case a steady deficit is the priority, and protecting muscle while you lose fat is the job (our guide on how to lose fat without losing muscle covers it).
• You would have to bulk from a starting point you're unhappy with, which most people find hard to stick with.

How hard to cut matters as much as whether to. A review of evidence for natural bodybuilders recommends losing about 0.5 to 1% of body weight per week to keep as much muscle as possible. It also notes that leaner people diet for shorter periods than people with more fat to lose. Our guide to how long a cut should last turns that into a number of weeks.

When to bulk first

Bulking first usually makes sense when:

• You are already fairly lean and your main goal is to be bigger and stronger.
• You have been lifting for a while and progress has slowed at maintenance calories.

A bulk doesn't mean eating everything in sight. A review of nutrition for natural bodybuilders in the off-season describes the goal as adding muscle without adding unnecessary body fat. It recommends a calorie surplus of roughly 10 to 20% and a target gain of about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight per week for novice and intermediate lifters, with advanced lifters being more conservative. Protein in the same review is 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight per day.

When a recomp is the better first step

For a lot of people asking this question, the honest answer is "neither yet". A 2020 review in the Strength and Conditioning Journal found that recomposition, losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, shows up most reliably in three groups:

• Beginners to resistance training.
• People returning after a long break from training.
• People starting with a higher body-fat percentage.

The same review found recomposition in trained lifters too, though it is slower and harder there.

That is why "skinny fat" beginners, people who are not heavy but don't have much muscle, often do well with a recomp. A bulk adds fat they don't want, and a cut takes them somewhere smaller and not much more muscular. Training hard with plenty of protein near maintenance lets them build muscle and lose some fat without picking a side.

A quick way to decide

1. Which bothers you more: the fat or the lack of muscle? Fat points to a cut. Lack of muscle, if you are already fairly lean, points to a bulk.
2. How long have you been lifting? If you are new or coming back after a long break, consider a recomp first.
3. Can you stick with it? The best phase is one you will follow for months, not weeks.

Whichever you choose, give it time and judge it by more than the scale. A tape measure and your lifts tell you more than any single weigh-in; our guide on how often to weigh yourself covers how to read the scale without fooling yourself.

Where Metriq fits

Metriq asks this question up front: your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or recomposition, and you pick a pace. On a fat-loss plan, your calorie target sits 15, 20, or 25% below your estimated maintenance depending on pace. On a muscle-gain plan it sits 5, 10, or 15% above. A recomp plan stays close to maintenance, from 5% below (favouring leanness) to 5% above (favouring size). Each weekly check-in then reads your weight and strength; on a muscle-gain plan, if your strength is trending down, the engine adds a 10% carb allowance on training days. See My Numbers →

Frequently asked questions

Should a beginner bulk or cut first?

It depends on body fat. A beginner with a lot of fat to lose usually does best cutting first, while a lean beginner can bulk. Many beginners in between do well with a recomp, because research shows recomposition is most reliable in people new to lifting.

Should I cut or bulk first if I'm overweight?

Cut first. If you are carrying a lot of extra fat, a steady deficit with resistance training and enough protein is the priority, and a review for natural lifters suggests losing about 0.5 to 1% of body weight per week to protect muscle.

Should I bulk or cut if I'm skinny fat?

Often neither at first. A recomp near maintenance, with hard training and enough protein, lets people new to lifting build muscle while losing some fat. Once you are leaner and training has slowed, a bulk makes more sense.

How fast should I gain weight on a bulk?

A review of off-season nutrition for natural bodybuilders recommends about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight per week for novice and intermediate lifters, from a surplus of roughly 10 to 20%. Advanced lifters should gain more slowly.

Can I bulk and cut at the same time?

Not in the strict sense, because one needs a surplus and the other a deficit. But a recomposition, eating near maintenance while training hard, can lose fat and build muscle at the same time, especially in beginners, people returning to training, and people with more body fat.

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This article is educational and general in nature. It isn't personalized medical or nutrition advice. Talk with a qualified professional before starting or changing a diet or training program.

Related: What Is Body Recomposition? How to Lose Fat and Keep Muscle · How Long Should a Cut Last? What the Research Says · Back to the blog

Sources

• Bodyweight loss of about 0.5 to 1% per week to maximize muscle retention (Helms, Aragon & Fitschen, 2014, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24864135
• Leaner competitors diet for shorter periods than those with more body fat (same review, full text): pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4033492
• Off-season goal of adding muscle without unnecessary fat; surplus of about 10 to 20%; target gain of about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight per week for novice and intermediate lifters, more conservative for advanced; protein 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg/day (Iraki, Fitschen, Espinar & Helms, 2019, Sports): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31247944
• Recomposition most reliable in beginners, people returning after a break, and people with higher body fat; also documented in trained lifters (Barakat et al., 2020, Strength and Conditioning Journal): journals.lww.com/nsca-scj (42:5, Oct 2020)