Bulk or Cut?

[aricho]

Today is the first day of autmn.

My aim is to be built and defined by next summer.

I am currently 75kg and 6ft 2. I have these horrible love handles which i really want to get rid of and then build shoulders chest and arms mainly.

i have 4 questions:
1) Should i be cutting now then bulking or bulking then cutting?

2) my diet consists of about 300-400 calories in 6 meals a day; with alot of carbs and protein and little fat, is this o.k? i work out 3 times a week and cardio 4 times a week.

3) is there anything i can do to get rid of my love handles?

4) from what i have gathered; to burn body fat your body has to run out of food energy then turn to your fat. how long before cardio or weights should i eat and what should i eat?

Thanks very much for your help....

 

[Streamline]

Today is the first day of autmn.

My aim is to be built and defined by next summer.

I am currently 75kg and 6ft 2. I have these horrible love handles which i really want to get rid of and then build shoulders chest and arms mainly.

i have 4 questions:
1) Should i be cutting now then bulking or bulking then cutting?

2) my diet consists of about 300-400 calories in 6 meals a day; with alot of carbs and protein and little fat, is this o.k? i work out 3 times a week and cardio 4 times a week.

3) is there anything i can do to get rid of my love handles?

4) from what i have gathered; to burn body fat your body has to run out of food energy then turn to your fat. how long before cardio or weights should i eat and what should i eat?

Thanks very much for your help....

1) Hard to say but 75kg sounds pretty avearge for a 6'2 person so i'd say bulk.
2) Ok i'm not an expert but here's what i'd do. Start with full bodyworkouts 3 times a week and then after a couple of months split it up so that you do half on one day and then half the next day. This way you can do more sets and overload more and try to keep your weights sessions to no more than an hour is possible. Eat 6-7 times a day every 2-3 hours and make your meals a moderate size. 300 - 400 calories sounds ok but if you don't get any gains than up your calorie intake. When bulking should probably forget about being a cardio machine so keep it to 2 times a week but make sure you do it for 30 - 40 minutes. You will lose a bit of your conditioning because of your weight increasing but you can gain it back again when you cut.
3) Yep, cardio.
4) Don't reely understand the first question but eat within the half hour before and after a weights session but i'm not sure about cardio i just make sure my time between meals doesn't exceed 3 hours.

Don't worry about bodyfat at the moment because the cold season is coming up so you'll be fully clothed most of the time. At the moment i'm bulking until about august - september and come novemeber when it's hot again you'll look great. And oh yeah wait for a few more replies, i'm no expert.

 

[aricho]

yer, i'm not overweight but my fat seems to be in a funny position i'm the fattest at my love handles which i hate.

i thought it would be better to cut first then bulk because if i bulk then cut cuz i have a fair bit of bit of body fat if i bulk first i'm scared i'll lose all my work on the muscles......

 

[Scott_Free]

If you are new to the gym I would go with a controlled bulk phase nothing over the top in regards to calories, and you will see gains in both muscle mass and fat loss in the first 3 months. You body will be adjusting to the new routine and building muscle.

I had the same debate and decided to bulk first, setu pmy calories etc and hit the gym heavy. I gained weight and lost inches on my waist. My diet was in check and I followed all the basics.

Drink lots of water
Take a multivitamin
Work your core excersises (deadlift/squat)

And remember what works forone person may not for you. The best advice is to pick a direction you are comfortable with and set goals you want. Then get at it. Re-evaluate your progess after a couple months and reset your goals accordingly.