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Originally Posted by kfisherx
Did you not just do a bulk? What were the results of that? Did you realize more strength? If so probably also more muscle. All good stuff.
I have not yet done culking for a goal. We hit on it in my bulk but only for a short time period. I set out to bulk and that is what we did. I gained nearly 20 lbs!!!
You never stop thinking about it unfortunately but you can set goals that are easier than others.
You stop cycling when you are at a place where you are happy with what you got or when you just want a break from cycling. Since I know I will never be happy with what I got I set up times for maintain in my year. For me, the year goes sort of like this
Sep-Feb (bulk) - up to low 20% bf
March-June (cut) - down to 10% bf
June-Sep (maintain) - around 15% bf
That (of course) presumes no show schedule to work around.
The question for opinions about your body are not fair. I would answer that you need more meat NOT be leaner. Where are your muscles girl? A girl can NEVER have enough muscle! LOL! Seriously... when you are as lean as you are, the answer about where to go has to come from inside of you.
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Thanks, Karla. Btw, I think you look fantastic after your bulk. It'll be interesting to see a comparison between this cut and your last. I think you look a lot healthier!!! I agree...muscle is beautiful!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanceDiva
Amen. This is some gospel right here.
And it's definitely different for everyone. Because if you asked me "is there ever a place you just reach and can stay there," my answer would be yes, the day you decide to.
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Thanks for this reminder, Tracey and Karla. After so many years of not knowing what I really wanted or for that matter of what I could really achieve, it's hard to get out of the "unknowingness." Doing NROLFW really solidified my love of lifting and the beauty of muscle. Working with Leigh during the OBM challenge was really the first time I thought through my goals for what I wanted to look like, how much time I wanted to devote to the pursuit, etc. I think that time of clarifying what the expectations of myself were in my mind was the first time that I saw my body like everyone else sees it and not seeing a distorted image like I was looking in a funhouse mirror. It was the first time I realized how much I was overtraining.
I like where I am. I'm satisfied with both my health and appearance. I love lifting and training in balance. I figure I can switch out my exercise routine every 4-6 weeks and just keep increasing in weights during each cycle. That way, by the time I'm getting to my current max with those exercises, I'll be switching out to new exercises and can build those up to their max.