View Full Version : "Culking"

08-27-2008, 11:28 PM
So I was reading an interview with Alan Aragon where he mentioned that he doesn't like the idea of regular folks using pro bodybuilders' techniques of bulking and cutting - fattening up and looking awful for months, then cutting down, looking good for 2 weeks, then bulking up again and gorging on food all day. So he invented a term called "culking", which is cutting and bulking at the same time. He said it was a slower process, but much more suitable for the average person.

How is this possible? He didn't go into the specifics. What I was thinking is that maybe you eat a slight excess of calories on workout days and a slight deficit on off-days, and do cardio year-round. Or maybe another way would be to just shorten the bulk and cut, maybe clean bulk for 4 weeks and cut for 2 weeks.

Any insight?

D. Dokas
08-27-2008, 11:39 PM
to gain muscle you need to be on calorie surplus, to lose fat u need to be a a calorie deficit. agreed?

some say you cannot build muslce and lose fat at the same time.
although i read online somewhere that

during the morning and lunch being on a calorie deficit eating low fat, low carb meals and adding a cardio session in the morning.

then afternoon when u go to the gym
you can eat foods in a surplus, high protein foods, with low fat and add a supplement such as whey protein.

correct me if im wrong although maybe this is what the guy u mentioned was reffering to with "culking"

08-27-2008, 11:43 PM
Maybe. It would really hinder your gains though, to have such a light breakfast AND do cardio before weight training. I wouldn't do it.

The idea is to gain muscle and strength while losing fat at the same time. Sure, it's possible for a fat guy, but for someone who is already in decent shape? Alan Aragon knows what he's talking about, unfortunately he didn't expand on this. He did say that instead of being on the scale of months, it's on the scale of years. It's a much more long-term thing, but ultimately more satisfying because you don't look horrible half of the time. You can have your cake and eat it too...in this case, I guess the cake is abdominal definition all year round.

albino smurf
08-28-2008, 04:15 AM
I've always done weights before cardio. The other way around does not work well for me.

08-28-2008, 05:31 AM
I've been trying for about two months now with some success. A friend of mine is a health nut and swears it's the way to go. I'm slowly losing body fat, and slowly gaining muscle mass while my weight has remained the same. A little too slow so I may try bulking. You guys pretty much got the idea, eat well on workout days and cut calories on off days. Since you're eating well every other day, your metabolism is through the roof, even on off days when you don't eat as much. On all days, I do the carb tapering thing where most carbs are in the morning and some at lunch.

08-28-2008, 09:30 AM
According to Dr. Devany's Evoloutionary Fitness we can control certain hormonal respones in our bodies by doing things such as intermittent fasting. One of these hormonal responses includes the production of human growth hormone. So if you can create a surge of human growth hormone you can put on some muscle and be lean without bulking.

This may not be useful for people who want to be massive.

This guy does Evo Fitness, I think this is about as big as you will get on Evo Fitness, but I can be wrong.


08-28-2008, 09:43 AM
I gained 10 pounds this summer and reduced my bf% without bulking (~5 of which is probably water weight), thanks mostly to newbie gains and being 16. Being my age, doing long sprints, and heavy squats have put TONS of hgh in my system. I probably would have made better gains had I bulked, but I wouldn't have the (almost) 8 pack that I now have.

Man, when those bottom two abs start to poke out, it just sends shivers down your spine, it just looks so unreal.

08-29-2008, 01:18 AM
I'm just going to try a repeating cycle of 4 weeks of bulking and 2 weeks of cutting.

I started bulking again today and it's just wonderful to be able to eat FOOD again and be full all the time. I hate cutting.

Max Winther
08-31-2008, 06:02 PM
Yeah I think its more effective to do bulk/cut because then you can maximize your workouts for what cycle you are in. For instance, I'm on a bulking phase right now. I don't necessarily eat my heart out, but I do eat a lot. And I do more strength training/compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench, pull ups, etc. along with the typical isolation excersizes. I don't really do much cardio either.

Then in about 8 weeks, I'll switch my regimen to more interval training, plyometrics, and sprinting. I'll also change my diet to 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. I believe this is the best method to train because you can specify your workouts better and maximize your efforts.