I get asked this question a lot.
If someone wants to add a bunch of muscle, should they get lean first and then add muscle… or should they bulk up and then lose excess body fat?
Most people beginning my programs should NOT bulk up unless they are super lean.
There are a couple of reasons for this.
- Stretches your skin out
- Makes it easier to add body fat in the future
- Can make you insulin resistant
Pro bodybuilders typically use this approach.
Professional bodybuilders are using anabolics and are playing by different rules.
*Here’s a photo of Lee Priest bulking and then cutting.
As a natural, you can’t get away with this.
And what’s F*CKN lame is that many of the popular methods for getting lean are copied from pro bodybuilder routines.
Remember…
They are using anabolic drugs and you aren’t.
You can’t model your routine on what they do.
Almost everything they do will be WRONG for you.
The only time I recommend a bulking cycle is when you are already really lean.
So if you are at 8% body fat or lower it’s fine to spend a period of time bulking up a bit.
I call this a “lean bulk”.
I’m a prime example…
*I’m lean in the picture on the left so to add muscle I did a lean bulk and went up to maybe 11% body fat before cutting down a bit again.
Most people coming into my programs aren’t super lean.
If you aren’t lean I recommend focusing on fat loss first while increasing your strength in key lifts.This is where most people should start.
The way Movie Star is designed is that you will add a bit of muscle while getting lean.
*Rocco lost 100 pounds and f*ckn crushed it! His body fat is now low enough for a lean bulk if he wanted to add a bit more size.Getting lean should be the top priority for most people.
If you are over 16% body fat (like most people) it’s likely that you are insulin resistant which is an unhealthy state.
Let me help you get lean ASAP to fix that.
We should be able to get you to 8% body fat in the next 3-6 months.
At that point, you can then decide if you want to do a lean bulk.
When you do lean bulk we will make sure you don’t go over 12% body fat.
There’s a super effective sequence for all of this.
You only want to bulk in very specific circumstances.
It’s all covered here…
Talk Soon,
Greg O’Gallagher
P.S.
Once you get under 12% body fat everything becomes easier.
This is why I don’t like people to go too much over this body fat percentage when doing a lean bulk.
Once you are under 12% good things happen.
Your body becomes insulin sensitive.
So your body becomes better at nutrient partitioning…
The food you eat is less likely to get stored as body fat and more of the protein you eat gets shuttled into the muscle cells.
The leaner you get the easier it is to become lean.
This builds fat loss momentum.
My approach is designed to maximize this momentum…
This is why it’s possible to get shredded in 3-6 months when you follow this approach.
Check it out here…
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