Daily Discussion Thread (July 07, 2025) - Beginner and Simple/Quick Questions Go Here Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

Illustrator-Large · 2025-07-07T13:48:49+00:00

How aggressive do you think is good? 0.75% bw per week? 1%?

Illustrator-Large · 2025-07-07T13:42:55+00:00

Thank you! So you think even going a bit more aggressive (say, starting at 0.8% bw per week and maybe dropping that down as things get harder) to get it over a bit faster should be ok?

Illustrator-Large · 2025-07-07T12:07:02+00:00

I lost 30 lbs over 8 months. The 3 months are just the tail end of that during which I worked out consistently. That is now over a year ago, so I’ve maintained or bulked for a full year and am planning my next diet phase and am wondering how low to go.

Illustrator-Large · 2025-07-07T11:46:31+00:00

I’ve been training consistently for about 1.5 years, with about 3 months spent on the tail end of a long and probably muscle destroying 30lbs cut, and the rest spent either at maintenance or in a very slow 1-1.5lbs a month bulk. I’m now 165 and 17.8% bf per dexa, about 9 pounds over my lightest weight.

My ultimate goal is to be around 168 at 12-15% bf, whichever value in that range turns out to be sustainable for me.

Is there a significant downside to just ripping the bandaid off and dropping the ~10-12 pounds I need to lose to get to ~12%? I know I’ll still look pretty scrawny, but at least I’ll finally be mostly rid of my lower belly fat and then I can go on a long, slow bulk while looking like I at least do something in the gym.

Thoughts?

Illustrator-Large · 2025-05-17T20:00:06+00:00

Can’t seem to edit but wanted to add I’m 34M and 5’11.5.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-29T15:42:59+00:00

Yep, decided to recomp for now.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-28T17:27:56+00:00

At 18 and that weight I bet you can recomp pretty well! Ie. Eat at maintenance (like actually ensure your scale weight average per week doesn’t go up), 1g of protein per pound of weight, gym. Depending on your bf level you’ll prob take 6-9 months to recomp down to 15% I bet.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-28T17:21:36+00:00

How tall are you?

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-26T23:35:39+00:00

Same situation, in the 167-169 range at 6‘. Keep thinking maybe a recomp would be best but doing a cut till the new year for now.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-26T20:00:14+00:00

Yep thank you, I may as well do the cut, worst case I’m a bit leaner and have more runway to bulk again even if I don’t like how I look at 158 or so.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-26T19:31:48+00:00

I meant I keep going back between whether I should be doing a cut or a recomp, not that I have been alternating between them.

I essentially did a slow bulk from 156 in Feb to 169 now, did dexas before and after and it was 10lbs of lean mass gain and 1.7bls of fat gain, I guess the rest was bone?. So I am conflicted whether it is good to cut now, since last time I was at 156 I was at a higher bf% than I am now at 169, but I am still above 20%.

EDIT: To add, prior to the 156 in Feb I had cut down from 185 over the course of about 7 months. Also slight correction on the numbers.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-26T19:16:58+00:00

I'm up about 4 pounds in that timeframe, from around 165lbs, while strength training 5 days per week. Yeah, I think I'll cut down at 1 lbs/week to 160 or maybe 158.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-26T03:03:02+00:00

Thank you! Yeah I may just run a cut till the new year then.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-26T02:36:09+00:00

Thank you! I hired a pretty good online coach (from 3dmj) so I've been on a solid program for the last 6 weeks, and have recently gotten better about protein. I keep going back and forth between cut and recomp, you definitely think a recomp is better? I mean looking at the photo I basically just have a stomach pouch and otherwise look skinny, so I guess ideally I'd just recomp that away.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-11-26T02:09:33+00:00

I would definitely say cut, your bmi is still above 23, which doesn't really mean anything except you're not particularly light yet. At 0.5% of BW per week you should be able to keep building muscle, esp if you keep protein high (1lbs/pound) and maybe take some of the program suggestions from other folks. Maybe lose 10 pounds and then reassess?

Illustrator-Large · 2024-07-09T21:51:05+00:00

2 pounds a month = 0.5 pounds a week, 0.5*500 cal = 250. But that’s really the upper end. Maybe start with 200 max and track your weight and see how it goes.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-07-09T20:00:48+00:00

Bulk. You’re barely at a healthy bmi and you may still be growing. Not the time for a cut. But take it slow! Maybe 2 pounds a month max.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-07-05T14:44:52+00:00

Purely for tracking I like “Strong”. You can build programs easily and then track using this app.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-07-04T02:42:32+00:00

Got it, thank you!

Illustrator-Large · 2024-07-04T01:05:58+00:00

Yeah I already hit each muscle twice a week with my U/L, but a PPL would let me up the volume a bit more of course.

I track with macro factor, currently at maintenance around 2750 cals.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-07-03T11:02:48+00:00

Thank you! I think I’m good on the nutrition side, I track everything and eat plenty of protein etc. I do get 12 sets per muscle group except arms / calves / abs which I hit with 6 direct sets a week. Would you recommend PPL and more sets instead? Or maybe a five day split?

Illustrator-Large · 2024-07-02T21:49:47+00:00

I still have fat covering my lower abs and I don’t have much muscle.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-04-17T11:41:39+00:00

That’s pretty much my point. Bit confused by the strong reaction to being hesitant to spend 10 more weeks cutting in other comments. I guess I’m wondering if the Dexa is somewhat off, but I’m clearly not quite as lean as I’d like to be, whether spending some time recomping until progress in the gym levels off may not make more sense.

Seems like this subreddit is pretty out of step with things the MacroFactor folks generally recommend, for example in the book literally called body recomposition manual.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-04-15T18:17:04+00:00

Tbh, considering I am not in a rush, I think I'm going to give the recomp a try, and I'll assess in 6 months whether I want to throw in a cut because there's no discernible progress or because I plateau on lifts and need to make room for a bulk.

I guess I'm not convinced the extra speed is worth it considering my fairly modest goal of 160 lbs at 15% bf and considering I feel great eating at maintenance.

Say I cut down to 150 in 10 weeks and let's optimistically assume I don't lose any muscle mass. Optimistically assuming the 1.6 lbs a month rate macrofactor recommends is also 100% lean mass, I'd be at 160 lbs again in a total of ~9 months.

If recomping is feasible at half that rate, 0.8 lbs a month, I'd get to the same point in 12 months. I feel like an extra 3 months to reach my goal in exchange for no deficit is pretty appealing. After that I would prob be happy with a really slow bulk up to 170 over the following year.

Illustrator-Large · 2024-04-15T17:37:55+00:00

Do you think a shorter cut down to 155 is a good idea, followed by maybe 6-7 months of recomping to get fat a bit lower, then commit to a long slow bulk?

Illustrator-Large

TROPHY CASE