5 Reasons Why We Discourage Bulking and Cutting with Calisthenics
Bulking and cutting are common in weight-lifting circles, but what about bodyweight training? Sure, you want to build some muscle, but adding excess body weight due to a bulk seems counterproductive to calisthenics training. So, is it good to still bulk and cut if you primarily do calisthenics?
I usually discourage people from getting caught in an endless cyclical trap between bulking and cutting. Not because adding excess weight can hurt calisthenics performance, but because I’ve long found it doesn’t bode well for most people’s physical development either. Here are several reasons:
#1 Bulking requires cutting, and often vice versa.
A bulk and cut cycle is often a self-perpetuating, high-cost, low-return cycle. It’s like the cardio trap, where you eat a lot because you do a lot of cardio, but then you feel the need to do so much because you eat so much.
Bulking and cutting can turn into a vicious cycle. You want to build your body up, so you start bulk by eating more and going hard in the gym. You do get bigger, but you look softer and unhappy with how you feel. So you start to cut to shed the body fat, but you start to get leaner, only now you feel skinny and small. So you start another bulk, and the cycle continues. You’re spending much time and effort with each cycle phase, while your muscle mass may not change much.
#2 Your physique is almost always “under construction.”
Bulking and cutting cycles are a holdover from the sport of bodybuilding, where you put in a lot of work to look your best for a competition. It’s not to look your best, or even very good, just so long as you peak for a day.
But most people don’t want to have their best physique for such a short period. They want a great physique most of the time. Unfortunately, bulking and cutting often means your appearance and performance are being compromised most of the time.
#3 The risk of getting trapped in a “perma-bulk.”
A perma-bulk is when you get stuck constantly bulking up and with a higher percentage of body fat. There are several reasons why this might happen. Shedding fat may be difficult; you simply have difficulty sticking to a cut. There’s always the chance you don’t build much muscle during a bulk, so when you shed some fat, you feel skinny and spend more time bulking.
Lastly, you may find eating more isn’t building the muscle you want (which can certainly happen), so you just continue to overeat indefinitely. In either case, you are stuck in a perma-bulk with little chance or hope of developing the physique you want.
#4 Shedding body fat just plain sucks.
Shedding body fat is like paying off credit card debt. Sure, it can bring some relief, but I don’t know anyone who loves taking some extra spending cash and spending it on debt.
The same goes for getting leaner. It takes work, effort, and plain old sacrifice. It’s far better not to need to do it in the first place, or at least as little of it as possible. However, bulking requires shedding body fat sooner or later, so you must pay the piper or get stuck in a perma-bulk.
#5 You don’t need a calorie surplus to build muscle.
The final reason I don’t encourage bulking and cutting is that it’s a lot of unnecessary work. Many people start bulking because they are told they must eat a lot to build muscle. The problem with this advice is it’s almost always given without any reference or consideration that you may already be eating enough.
The fundamental principles of proper nutrition don’t change because you want to pack on some muscle. Yes, eating more may help, but only if you’re not eating enough to support your muscle-building efforts in the first place. If you’re already eating enough, eating more won’t do you any good and put you at risk for weight gain through body fat.
Ultimately, diet and proper nutrition are important but don’t forget that physical training is the primary driver of muscle growth. Eat plenty of good food, but you won’t make up for a lousy training program no matter how much you dial in your workout plan.