Why Do I Cycle Fat Loss (Cutting) and Muscle Bulking

After posting my latest goals on Facebook, and trying to gain 7 Kgs during this season, I got a lot of questions asking why I have to bulk instead of preserving my low body fat.

Below are my two main reasons for doing the cutting/bulking:

Physiological

Last summer (2014) I was able to break a new personal record by hitting my lowest body fat percentage ever. During all this phase [February – August] I was following a low-carb diet below my caloric maintenance.

The Results:
I dropped around 7% body fat (6Kgs) and I had to lose a bit of muscles.
There is no escape from losing lean muscle mass when trying to reach low body fat percentages. The challenge was to keep the ratio of dropping body fat much higher than dropping lean body mass.

Now it is time to build strength & stronger muscles.
While keeping my body fat low and trying to make lean gains simultaneously, my progress will be a lot slower and my strength won’t increase as much. By running a bulk (higher calories from healthy food) I can feel the progress in my strength, and therefore leading to gain more mass.

Psychological

People usually focus too much on the physiological part and forget about the psychological part responsible of their long-term success.

It is true that during my bulking period I am gaining a bit of body fat and my 6 pack are getting faded.
This is life… You can’t have both (Fat loss / Muscle Gain) at the same time!

However I’m happy with a little excess fluff and after focusing for a long period of time on my calories – counting the grams of carbs/proteins/fat and avoiding most of the food I love – It is time to ease off the pedal a little and get back to a “normal” life.

This enables me the mental rest I need before starting a new cutting cycle.
Now I can eat & enjoy “yakhneh”, “kebbeh”, “mloukhiyyeh”, pasta, pizza… (you name it) when prepared in a healthy way at home.

Check this link to avoid these Five Common Muscle Gaining Mistakes

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