Hi, I’m 5’9 at 200 lbs at 16. I’ve worked out for about 2 years now , Ive been bulking for a bit over 11 months now ,and I’m at at a point where Im 20%+ body fat percentage, don’t know the exact amount and I’ve gained a considerable amount of muscle but I’ve gained a bit too much body fat with it, I’ve seen a lot of videos saying that I shouldn’t cut at a young age but I think bulking at this point will not turn into just muscle so I want to cut but at the same time I don’t want to lose muscle and overall size, so, I’m considering recomp so I could build some muscle while losing a little fat, js wondering if that’s possible at a young age like 16.
Should I keep bulking or do a recomp at 16 ?
- Thread starter dnzundah
- Start date
@dnzundah Yeah man I’m 19, 5’10, 165lbs working out for about 10 months. For some reference so you have an idea about how much muscle I have I squat 315, bench 225, and deadlift 405, but mostly train for hypertrophy. I think I’m at around 20% body fat. So unless you’re absolutely jacked you could be closing in on 30% body fat at that height and weight. Recomp will be very tough if you’ve already been training for a couple years. I’d say it’ll be much more worthwhile to do a moderate cut (1lb per week), but really do whatever works for you, then keep bulking, but much leaner this time. Track your weight of course to make sure you’re hitting you calories right, but when it comes to determining when you should start or stop cutting, don’t focus on the scale so much, just go by how you look.
danielmata
New member
@danielmata Appreciate it, yeah I’m natural. Just been super consistent with my training, macros, sleep, etc. Started at about a 2 plate deadlift, 1 plate squat and 110 bench at 135lb body weight. Progress has been slowing down a lot lately, as expected, but my dad used to be a powerlifter so he got my form pretty spot on from the beginning
@dnzundah Don’t recomp. Recomp is a good way to spin your wheels. The true and tested bulk or cut should be your go-tos. At the ripe age of 16, there’s no need to full-on cut. If you’re getting a bit fluffy, just back off the calories for a bit and let your metabolism do the rest. I’m 45, btw, and been at this for over two decades. Another thing, track your calories and macros with something g like MyFitnessPal. When I made this adjustment years ago is when my progress reached a whole other level. That, and invest 20 bucks in a kitchen scale. Good luck bro. 
@jncxavier Hi, thanks for the advice, js curious of what you mean by not being a in a full on cut, so your suggesting a small cut or a deficit of nothing more than 500 cals? My maintence calories is about 2,800 cals, so 2,500 should be sufficient to lose fat and not risk muscle loss? Thanks again
@dnzundah Yes, exactly. I would start with 300 calorie deficit and monitor that. By “full-on” I just meant like 1000 calories or more deficit. Now, since I can’t see you, if you happened to get quite fat from your bulk, like 30% body fat fat, then yeah I’d go more than 300 calories. Bottom line is with your age your system is absolutely primed for muscle growth. You won’t get this time back when you age a bit more. So take advantage of this time. You primarily want to be in a growth phase (bulk) as long as you can in order to take advantage of this period in your life. Hope that made some more sense. Please note, I’m not a coach and I’m not a pro. I’ve just been doing this for quite some time. Just had to throw that out there.
@jncxavier Right on man, Im planning to go on a small fat loss phase but for only a few months, no more than 3, of only 300 - 500 cals deficit of course. And hop back on a steady lean bulk when I don’t have as much body fat as I do now , my weight as of now is 199 lbs and I want to lose atleast 6 lbs of hopefully fat and see where I’m from there. Thanks again
aguidetohelp
New member
@dnzundah A small calorie deficit won’t be detrimental even if you are 16, but make sure to consume all the nutrients, plenty of vegetables and keep protein high as well. Keep the deficit small (even 150-200kcal will do) and add some cardio in after your resistance training. 15-20 after each session. Give it time, stick to it for 2-3 months, then reassess and if you are happy then go back to a maintenance phase.
@holydan86 I think he's trying to differentiate between a "hard cut" and a "slight calorie deficit". Both are cutting, ones just faster. Do the slight calorie deficit till you like what you seen in the mirror. Don't take it to far as that can inhibit gains. Everybody's different, but for my "bulk" phase I like to stay between 12-14%BF. For my "cut" phase I'll drop down to about 9%. I've still seen great gains at 12-14% BF, I still like the way I look, and I don't see the point in bulking to 20% as I'm not a powerlifter. I tried it once and I didn't like the way I looked or felt.
carl_stalin
New member
@holydan86 Haven't seen him...in his defense at 17 I was 5'9 hovering between 197 n 205... Built like 50 from the before I self destruct cover....a lil less chest development (no juice but had used stacker 2 original formula IYKYK)... U can't say 200 is bad solely from the weight...genetics n comp are different...even between ethnicities...however I agree with u tho... definitely a problem. See them in the gym horrible diet n cardio but money for all the SUPPS
@holydan86 it means teens shouldnt be concerned about bulking and cutting while theyre bodies havent hit 100% physical maturity. also, he shouldnt fuck around with cutting while hes in his peak teen/noob gains years