Over the past few years, I’ve come across two types of people. The first type are the ones who will tell you to cut down to a very low body fat before attempting to start a gaining phase. On the other hand, there are the other people, who will tell you that you shouldn’t even consider cutting if you don't have enough muscle on your frame. To be very honest, both arguments make complete sense. As in, why would you want to want to enter a gaining phase when you’re already carrying extra fat? At the same time, if you have no muscle on your frame, what are you planning to cut down to? This can get pretty frustrating as different people are going to give you different advice. So what is the right step to take?

Keep in mind that this post isn’t telling you to try to ‘recomp' eating at maintenance but instead is helping you decide whether you should lose fat or build muscle first going forward. This is why the right step to take will be different for each individual. Here’s how you can go about deciding whether you should start with a cut or if you should enter a gaining phase.

Assess The Level Of Your Body Fat

The first step is to assess the current level of body fat you’re at. No, I don't mean your body fat percentage. This is where I’m not going to agree with fitness experts who claim to reach a certain body fat percentage before you start a gaining phase. Why you may wonder? Simply because there is no accurate way to measure your body fat percentage. Even the most expensive methods like the DEXA scan, are not accurate and unless you have access to such a device, you can’t rely on the estimate a simple machine or caliper provides to you. Tracking your body fat to observe a general trend isn’t a problem, but getting attached to a certain number as a beginner is.

So what do I mean when I say you have to assess the current level of your body fat? It simply means how comfortable you are with the way you look in the mirror. Keep in mind that this has to be a very objective decision. If you feel you’re fat, you should cut. If you feel you are not fat, you should enter a gaining phase. I know this is easier said than done, but if you don't feel comfortable with how you look, there’s a very high chance of you not sticking to your plan.

Look At The Big Picture

The next question you should ask yourself is what is your goal? Please don't be that person who says he wants to get big and shredded at the same time. As long as you’re planning to stay natural, you can’t achieve both goals simultaneously. This doesn’t mean that you cannot gain muscle while cutting, but believe me, no matter what anyone says, you aren’t going to get huge while cutting as natural.

Select the goal with a higher priority to you. If you are someone who couldn’t get an answer in the first step after assessing your body fat, here’s what you should try to answer. Do you want to get lean or do you want to build some muscle first?

If you plan on starting with a gaining phase, you will gain some fat no matter how tight you keep your surplus. While you will look bigger with clothes on, you might end up holding extra fat if your starting point wasn’t lean in the first place.

On the other hand, if you plan on cutting first, you will look small in clothes. There’s no way around it especially if you’re starting out without a well-developed muscle base. You will end up looking like you don’t even lift, but will possibly look the best you ever have without a shirt on.

Once you decide which goal holds more importance to you, you can follow the steps that will lead you to it.

Give It Time

This might be the most crucial point out of all the others. Once you decide the direction you want to move in, stick with it. This may sound very basic to some of you, but is one of the most important things to do. You see, as you keep getting deeper into your gaining phase or your cut, your mind will tell you to jump to the other. The grass is always greener on the other side. If you’ve been cutting for a few months, you’ll feel you’re better off starting a gaining phase since you’re feeling flat and losing strength. Similarly, if you’re in a gaining phase, after a while you’ll feel it’s better to be shredded. If you fall for this trap, you’ll be stuck in this cycle of switching from one to the other making no real progress.

Hence, once you have decided what to do, don’t give up and switch goals in between. Trust me, this is just as important as deciding whether you should cut or gain first.

Conclusion

Whether one chooses to cut first or to enter a gaining phase first depends from person to person. If you’re someone who is carrying excess fat, the best situation for you would be to cut. On the other hand, if you feel comfortable with the level of body fat you’re carrying, you would be better off entering a gaining phase to put on some muscle. If you find it difficult to assess how you feel with your body fat currently, just follow the goal which holds a higher priority to you. If getting lean is more important to you, then start with a cut. No matter what step you take, make sure you stick to it till you reach your goal. Do not switch between gaining and cutting frequently as it’ll only waste your time and you will make no significant progress in either direction.

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