[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by big valsalva

You know, I might get some flack for this, but I don't know about that approach. I've waffled for several years about when to cut, when to bulk, etc. My current opinion (and I think BendtheBar will back me up on this) is to spend at least two years getting as strong as you can and maximizing your gains. THEN if you want to see what all that hard work has resulted in, go ahead and diet down. Am I recommending you become a fat tub of goo? No way! But it is possible to eat in such a way so as to maximize your training.

I agree 100%. Eating properly doesn't have to result in excessive fat gains.

Too many guys walk the fine line, afraid if they eat 300-500 more calories per day that it's going to cause them to gain 50 pounds in a year. This is:

A) False
B) Ignorant of the reality that if you do gain weight too quickly, you will adjust and pull your calories back a few hundred per day.

I see a lot of guys jump back and forth between bulking and cutting cycles, never making much progress..

The fastest way to build muscle and strength is to eat a hair more rather than a hair less.

If muscle size is not the be all, end all goal than by all means eat a little less. Just remember you will limit muscle gains, and probably won't look all that impressive when the extra few pounds of fat are off.