The Ultimate Guide to Cutting and Bulking: Transform Your Physique
Master the art of cutting and bulking to build muscle and lose fat effectively. Learn key strategies, workout plans, and nutrition tips. Start now!
Have you wonder, how fitness enthusiasts achieve dramatic transformations? It’s not just about hitting the gym—it’s about mastering cutting and bulking.
These two phases are key to building your ideal physique. Cutting sheds fat while preserving muscle. Bulking helps you gain muscle efficiently. For long-term result it’s important to do cutting and bulking phases in right way.
This post covers the science, strategy, and steps to help you cut and bulk like a pro.
1. The Science Behind Body Transformation
Our body constantly burns calories to fuel our daily activities. The key to cutting and bulking is energy balance—how many calories you consume v/s burn.
➠ Cutting = Caloric deficit (consume fewer calories than we burn).
➠ Bulking = Caloric surplus (consume more calories than we burn).
Understanding this is crucial for success.
✨ What is Cutting? Cutting help us lose fat while keeping muscle. The essentials:
Caloric Deficit – Eat fewer calories than we burn.
High Protein Intake – Preserve lean muscle.
Resistance Training – Maintain strength and muscle definition.
Patience & Consistency – Fat loss takes time; stay consistent.
✨ What is Bulking? Bulking focuses on muscle growth while keeping fat gain minimal. The essentials:
Caloric Surplus – Eat more calories to muscle growth.
Progressive Overload – Increase weights over time.
Quality Nutrition – Prioritize protein, healthy fat, and complex carb.
Recovery & Sleep – Muscles grow outside the gym.
Fat gain is normal during bulking, but a structured approach minimizes excess fat.
2. Work Out On Your Nutrition: The Foundation of Success
Two step process -
👉 Make Calories Count - Lose fat and build muscle (Cutting) or Build muscle without losing fat (Bulking)
The amount you eat directly affects your body composition, so why do most of us use the generalised population guidelines (or none at all)? In reality, calorie requirements are as unique as you are — your age, gender, body composition, physical activity all affect how many you need per day, AKA your ‘Total Daily Energy Expenditure’ - TDEE.
❶. Calculate your BMR
Your BMR is your ‘Basal Metabolic Rate’. It’s the amount of energy (calories) your body burns if you do nothing but rest for 24 hours.
To calculate your BMR, you should know your weight in kilograms, your height in centimetres, and age in years, you should have a calculator.
Use one of the following equations to calculate BMR:
Women: 10x(Weight in Kg) + 6.25x(Height in cm) - (5x(Age in Years)-161) = your BMR
Men: 10x(Weight in Kg) + 6.25x(Height in cm) - (5x(Age in Years)+5) = your BMR
Use online calculator : BMR Calculator
❷. Calculate your TDEE
Your ‘TDEE’ is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. That’s the amount of calories your body needs daily — including physical activity.
To calculate how many calories you need per day, use a calculator to multiply your BMR (you’ve just worked this out in step 1) by your Physical Activity Level(PAL), which is represented by the numbers below:
If you do daily exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week then your TDEE (just an example): TDEE = 2,234 X 1.6 = 3575
❸. Calculate your ‘goal TDEE’ for Muscle Gain
Muscle gain: The amount of calories you’ll need per day to build muscle depends on your overall goal — whether you’d like to lose fat as well as gaining muscle, or just gain muscle without losing any fat.
👉 Breakdown your macronutrient - Requirement of Protein, Fats and Carbs
It’s important to work out your macronutrient requirements, which means how much protein, carbohydrates, and fats your body needs. Follow these steps to work out what you need — grab a pen and paper and write the numbers down as you go.
❶. How much protein?
Calculate your protein requirements first, and the rest (carbohydrates and fats) should be taken from your remaining calorie requirements.
Research spanning the last 30 years recommends that to gain muscle mass, you’ll need approximately 1.6g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day.
Simply multiply your weight in kg by 1.6 to calculate how many grams of protein you need every day.
Once you’ve calculate how many grams of protein you need per day, multiply the amount of grams by 4 to get the amount of calories it represents. Subtract this from your goal TDEE, and you’ll have your remaining calories to work out your fat and carbohydrates. Write down these numbers.
Protein is the body’s bricks and mortar for rebuilding muscle, replicating DNA, and catalysing metabolic reactions. High amounts are found in meat, fish, animal products, and also plant-based sources like legumes, nuts and seeds. Eating enough of the stuff combined with weight training promotes muscle growth (AKA muscle protein synthesis) and maintenance.
❷. How much fat?
Research shows that around 35% of your diet should be made up of fats.
To work this out, divide your goal TDEE by 100 and multiply that number by 35. To get the amount of fat in grams you need, divide that number by 9. Write these numbers down.
1gm fat = 9 calories
There are a few different types of fats — some of which are healthy and some that have no health benefits at all.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are found in foods like avocados, nuts, olive oil, and oily fish, and boast big health benefits. Saturated fats found in things like coconut oil, meat, egg yolk and dairy are beneficial in smaller amounts. Finally, you have trans fats, which are found in fast foods, ready meals, and confectionary. Avoid these as they’re harmful to health and will slow progress.
❸. How many carbohydrates?
Now you’ve workout out your protein and fat requirements, the remaining calories from your goal TDEE should be made up of carbohydrates. To work out your remaining calories, simply subtract your protein and fat calories from your goal TDEE. Next, divide your remaining calories by 4 to get the amount of carbohydrates in grams you need.
1gm Cabs = 4 Calories
There are two main food groups that contain carbs:
Starchy foods: Starchy foods are the main source of carbs and play a key role in energy metabolism. These include foods such as bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and cereal. Try to eat these as wholegrain varieties (or leaving the skin on for potatoes), as that’s where lots of the goodness is found.
Fruit and vegetables: Boasting a huge range of vitamins and minerals and absolutely essential for health, fruit and vegetables are a must. Vegetables help you feel full due to their fibre content, plus they’re often low in carbs (not including starchy veg like potatoes). Try to get at least 3-4 portions of vegetables into your daily diet. Fruits are higher in carbs in the form of simple sugars, but are still an important food for health. Try to get 1-2 portions of fruit into your daily diet (dried fruits and fruit juices have a higher sugar content so try to steer clear of having these too often).
Having diet composition in below ratios ensures optimal performance and results.
3. Training Strategies for Maximum Results
4. Common Mistakes to Avoid
◎ Cutting Too Aggressively
❌ Severe restriction = Muscle loss + sluggish metabolism.
✅ Stick to a moderate deficit for sustainable fat loss.
◎ Dirty Bulking
❌ Eating everything = Excess fat gain.
✅ Focus on lean bulking with nutrient-dense foods.
◎ Inconsistent Tracking
❌ Guessing intake leads to slow or unpredictable results.
✅ Track calories, weight, and workouts for better adjustments.
5. Progress Tracking & Adjustments
👉 When to Adjust
• Cutting: If weight loss stalls for 2+ weeks, reduce calories or add activity.
• Bulking: If weight gain exceeds 1 kg per week, ease up on calories.
• Any Phase: If energy levels drop, tweak intake.
6. Taking Action: Your Next Steps
Step 1: Identify Your Goal
Estimate your body fat percentage.
Decide whether to cut or bulk based on your current state.
Step 2: Set Your Plan
Calculate calories and macros.
Structure your meal plan.
Design a training program aligned with your goal.
Step 3: Track & Adjust
Use a tracking app (e.g., MyFitnessPal).
Keep a workout log for strength progress.
Take weekly photos for visual tracking.
Final Thoughts: Trust the Process
Physique transformation isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about sustainable habits. Whether you’re cutting or bulking, the key is consistency, patience, and smart adjustments.
So, what’s your next move? Calculate your TDEE calories, set your goal, and start today.
The results will come—just stay the course.
Essential Reading List
📖 “The Renaissance Diet 2.0” – Dr. Mike Israetel → Science-backed nutrition and training strategies.
📖 “The Muscle and Strength Pyramid” – Eric Helms → Maximizing muscle growth through structured training.
📖 “Scientific Principles of Strength Training” – Chad Wesley Smith → Deep dive into strength programming.
References
1. Helms, E., et al. (2014). Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation. JISSN, 11(1), 20.
2. Garthe, I., et al. (2011). Effect of nutritional intervention on body composition and performance in elite athletes. EJSS, 11(3), 155-164.
3. Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. JSCR, 24(10), 2857-2872.