Why you should CUT first

So, if you’ve watched our video about cutting or bulking, you probably know that if you’re a man above 15% body fat, or a woman above 25% body fat, then we think your focus should be on cutting. But you have an inquisitive, curious mind. You want to know why that’s the case, why we’re telling you this information and what basis we have for coming up with that framework.

Ultimately, this isn’t a hard guideline. Above all else, success with your fitness regime is going to come down to your mental framework – your mindset, and discipline. And of course, we’re all humans, we’re emotional beings. How you feel has a big impact on your performance, your happiness, your discipline – just about everything, and all of this has an even more significant impact on your chance of success achieving your fitness goals. So, to jump right into it, if you’re feeling fat and large, it’s going to be way more difficult to be consistent with your fitness regime. Nobody likes feeling fat, and if you’re feeling fat when you look in the mirror, this can be very demotivating – especially if you’re not seeing progress. So for us, this is the NUMBER 1 reason, we think you should focus on cutting first if you’re above those body fat numbers we discussed. We want you to focus first on feeling good about yourself, and progressing in the right direction. Once you do that, you’ll be more motivated to progress and the results will get stickier.

But this isn’t the only reason to cut first, it’s not just psychological. Remember that the most effective way to get that ideal, lean physique, is to alternate between cycles of bulking and cutting. So, no cut or bulk SHOULD last forever. You should alternate regardless. BUT, let’s say you are above 15% as a man or 25% as a woman. Simply put, the fatter you are, the easier it is to get fatter and stay fat. This isn’t just a blanket statement with no backing – this is science. As you get fatter, testosterone levels drop and estrogen rises, and testosterone is a big driver of muscle growth, whereas estrogen promotes fat storage. Higher body fat also results in reduced insulin sensitivity, and that’s not something you want – the more insulin sensitive your body is, the better it can build muscle and resist fat gain.

So that’s pretty much it – it may sound simple, but it’s a framework and mindset we really like to hammer in if you’re going to be successful on your fitness journey. The concepts may be simple, but the consistency and day-to-day difficulty of achieving your ideal physique is no joke – that’s why we want to arm you with the knowledge to tackle your goal in the most efficient and effective way possible, and to maintain the right state of mind and positivity throughout the process. With a FITHAUS Personal Trainer, we can help make this a reality!

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