Bulking and cutting is the technical term for concentrating on gaining and or losing muscle mass. You’ve seen it in “Popeye” and “Johnny Test” — cartoon characters consume certain foods to gain weight that they later transform into muscle. When you watched bulking and cutting in their cartoon forms, you probably did not think it was valid or that they even have a name. Of course, cartoons display bulking and cutting in a matter of seconds because how else would they fit the process into a 30-minute episode? But it’s a lot more complicated than that.
Bulking and cutting are commonly associated with bodybuilding because the whole point is to gain mass and turn it into lean muscle. However, bulking and cutting are not only common among those who body build, it’s also practiced by people who box, practice martial arts and even those who are avid fitness enthusiasts.
People who practice bulking usually have a goal of getting as big as possible, while those who cut are focusing on obtaining lean muscle.
“There’s two types of bulking,” said Adam Hillyard, sophomore exercise and sports major. “Clean bulking is when you eat a lot, but you calorie count and make sure you still eat a balanced diet, while in dirty bulking, you pretty much can eat whatever you want.”
Hillyard said he practices dirty bulking because it is easier for him to reach his set calorie goal if he eats foods high in calories rather than low in calories. Eating foods with low calories requires eating more times a day to meet your goal.
Calorie intake depends on how much weight the individual would like to gain.
Hillyard said he sets his calorie intake to about 3,000 to 4,000 a day, and his diet consists of college favorites, like pizza and French fries.
Although bulking may sound like delicious fun, in order to achieve results, it must be paired with exercise.
Hillyard said he works out once a day for one to two hours.
When it comes to the weight you put on as you bulk, you have to remember that some of it may be fat, but you’ll also gain muscle as well.
“Bulking makes you stronger and prepares you for the cut,” Hillyard said. “Each time you bulk and cut, you look bigger than the time before.”
As you can imagine, there is more to bulking and cutting than gaining and losing muscle mass. There is a particular technique that one must use in order to achieve the correct results. The first step is knowing what results you want in order to decide which technique you should use.
Tobin Silver, associate professor in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said deciding whether to bulk or cut depends on one’s goal. If one wants to lose weight, then focusing on cutting would be essential; if one’s goal is to gain muscle mass, then bulking would be the right choice.
After one decides the direction he or she wants to go, it’s time to determine the technique.
When cutting, one gradually decreases the amount of complex carbs, such as rice and beans, until they are completely cut from your diet. When dirty bulking, one consumes as many of these carbs as possible. In clean bulking, one combines increased carb intake with brief periods of carb withdrawal to avoid the fat gain that can result from dirty bulking.
Still, Silver advises against bulking and cutting.
“Here are my tips for bulking and cutting: Don’t do it. Instead, know your goals and find a routine geared towards them to promote adherence,” Silver said.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to bulking and cutting is that they can have risks if they are not done correctly. For example, consuming too many calories or not enough can adversely affect your health. So if you are thinking about using bulking and cutting as a method to achieve your fitness goals, always do your research or contact a trained professional.
