If you’re involved in the weightlifting community, you have probably heard of the terms cutting and bulking. Hearing them and actually knowing what they are, however, are two totally different things. We’re here to clarify exactly what they mean and why people do it.
Most people cycle through cutting and bulking phases, spending a few months in each. This will help weightlifters achieve the muscular physique they are aiming for.
Bulking Phase
Bulking is essentially a muscle-building stage of your weightlifting journey. In this stage, the goal is to put on more weight by eating more calories than you burn. By gaining weight, you give your body more ability to gain muscle. If you pair your weight gain with intense weight training, you will see that you gain muscle much faster.
Cutting Phase
After you go through a bulking phase, you will have muscle mass, but maybe you’re not as lean as you want to be. This is where the cutting phase comes in. By eating in a calorie deficit, you will lose some of the extra weight you gained during the bulk. Paired with continued intense weight training, you will retain the muscle mass and lose the extra fat.
