Last Updated on by San San
Sometimes, when working on routines, it’s normal for people to invest in their fitness lifestyle. It’s not unnecessary when it’s what works for people to stay healthy. But, at some point, it’s important to know when to stop bulking. So, are you aware of when to stop bulking yourself? Here’s what you need to know.
When to Stop Bulking – What You Need to Know
Now, anyone that is serious about building muscle, might have heard terms like bulking and cutting. These are common gym terminologies that are used frequently by fitness enthusiasts all around. You might hear it from various fitness YouTubers as well, and for the most part, if you are a regular gym-goer, you might not know what it means. First off, bulking essentially means eating more calories than required to stack on weight, so that you can eventually use that mass to turn into muscle by working out, and cutting. But, when to stop bulking, is a common question for people, and this is a bit complicated.
Now, if you are someone that likes to exercise daily, and is doing it for the sake of fitness, then you probably don’t need to know about bulking or cutting, since this concerns serious bodybuilders and enthusiasts.
When To Stop Bulking – Explained!
First off, you need to understand what your body fat percentage is, and how it impacts your bulking and cutting routine. There are online calculators available to allow you to enter your details related to height, weight, neck, and waist. This will show you the current body fat percentage. Now, after you have calculated your body fat percentage, you can make a well-educated decision about when to stop bulking. For most people, it is recommended that when the value of the body fat percentage is 15 %, you should stop bulking.
Now, this could be different for a lot of people, but the key point is to only bulk to the point where you aren’t overweight. This is important because if you bulk on too much, it will become increasingly hard to reduce that weight when you have to exercise, or start cutting. You only want to bulk the amount of weight that you can use for building muscle, which as we discussed above is the first reason to even start bulking in the first place. Some people overdo this, and at times, this can become very harmful in the long run, since their priority has to shift from building muscle, to losing weight.
When to Stop Bulking – for Women!
Now, when to stop bulking as a female is a bit different, and something one should know about as well. The previous figure we described was more males, and that applies to them alone. For women, the situation is a bit different, and multiple other factors like bone density, general weight, and strength come into play. As we mentioned above, the first thing you need to do is calculate your body fat percentage, and after you have that, you can go further. Now, compared to men, women should stop bulking at around 25-26%.
Now, as you can compare, this figure is different for men and women, and higher. This is because it is unhealthy for women to be at a lower fat percentage as it can cause nutrition issues in the long run, as well as hormonal problems. Women also gain and lose weight differently than men, so this is the recommended body fat percentage for women.
Do You Know When To Stop Cutting? Here’s What You Should Know;
Now, say that you have been bulking for a while now, and after some time, you feel like it is finally time to start cutting. But you may be asking when to stop cutting after you have started? Well, for most people, you should stop cutting at 8-10% of body fat percentage, and for women, this can be around 16-18%. This is an ideal sweet spot that many people follow, and for the most part, this is when you will be noticing a good amount of muscles, and abs forming up anyway.
Now, make sure you never let your body fat percentage fall under that without the proper supervision and guidance of a gym trainer or dietician. Everything should be handled under some form of advice, and if you don’t handle cutting properly, then it can cause various health problems.
Understand that your goal with bulking and cutting isn’t to lose weight, but to gain weight that you can then convert into muscle, by cutting. For the most part, these cycles aren’t even recommended for most people that want to stay fit and are satisfied with how their body looks. However, if you are looking into bodybuilding, and want to become extremely fit, then you will be recommended this, and putting on muscle can be a very rewarding experience.
If you are, however, not interested in the entire thing, and simply want to remain healthy, then either bulking or cutting should be your concern, and you can go by with simple exercises, and light weight lifting.
We recommend that you look up popular YouTube channels as well, and get a gym membership. The staff is usually helpful enough, but if you are very serious, you might need to hire a proper trainer for a couple of months, too, who will guide you and help you transform your body into the ideal shape you want it to be in.
The Conclusion to When to Stop Bulking;
So, when to stop bulking? Well, as we discussed in detail above, you need to calculate your body fat percentage, and that will serve as a foundation for this activity.
After you have inputted various weight and height values into online calculators, you will get a percentage. Now, for men, the ideal time to stop bulking is when they reach the 15% body fat percentage, and for women, that is somewhere around 25-26%. These are due to the biological differences between the bodies of men and women and contribute to different ideas of how this practice is carried out.
Now, it goes without saying, but all of this should be done with proper guidance and should be done with utmost care. If you bulk or cut in a way that isn’t ideal, there’s a good chance you may run into nutrition problems, and that’s the opposite of trying to stay fit.
