Trace Stewart asked 6 years ago
After I finish my cut, hoping to finish around 10% bf, I want to try cyclical bulking. What kind of week ratio would you suggest for cyclical bulking? I haven’t been able to find too many articles on it other than forums. 6 week bulk and 2 week cut seems to be the standard.
Dr. Jacob Wilson Staff answered 6 years ago
Hi Trace,
Another good question here that you’re really not going to find any scholarly articles on. Really the whole concept will boil down to your personal preference. You can plan a 6 week on, 2 week off bulk cycle, but what if you feel like you’re putting on too much bad weight in week 4? I don’t necessarily think you need a rigid structure here, play it by ear and if you feel that the bulk is going downhill, take a week or two for a cut then get back to it.
I will say, however, if you really do want to put on some significant size, I’d spend more than a handful of weeks bulking. If size is your goal, take some serious time to dedicate to training hard and eating hard as that’s the only way to make significant gains in size. If you’re constantly cutting calories you’re going to have a hard time keeping your hard-earned mass. For an extended bulk like that, do your best to keep calories clean so you’re not packing on the wrong kind of weight and getting discouraged. It’s hard to eat a lot of clean food in a single day but it’s worth it when you see the results.
When you do cut, make sure you’re keeping protein intake high and keep lifting heavy to keep as much muscle mass as possible. Make sure you’re getting extra sleep as well to aid in fat burning and recovery since your caloric intake will be lower.