Will cutting adversely affect my bulk phase?

[XavierHollywood]

*skip to third paragraph you want to get to the question already

Hey all, hows everyone doin? Ive been working out consistently for close to 3 years now and Im in the best shape of my life. As i started working out I (like anyone else) saw great changes in my body even tho my actual body weight never really changed. Infact, my weight never changed much at all until recently. I always found it quite odd too because i was noticably getting bigger and strong yet my weight never changed lol.

Recently though I decided it was time to put on a bit of mass. Im not a very big framed guy and im only 5'7. I was hovering around 133-135 pounds (it really is deceiving cause I looked like i was 160) and now im up to about 148. I know 148 dosent sound like much but honestly im at the point where I dont want to be getting any bigger (atleast not for now). Infact i had a few people recently tell me that I was looking too big. Imagine that! A 148 pound guy looking TOO big! but anyway, heres where my questions come in...

Now that ive reached a desirable size, what is the best means of cutting the excess fat without sacrificing losing the added muscle i put on? I realize obviously I ideally need to modify my diet a bit while increasing my cardio, but I was wondering if any of you guys had specific examples/techniques that really benefited you. I noticed the sticky that mentioned to continually lift heavy and to lower my food intake but im sure its a little more detailed then that, no? It would be a shame to lose the muscle I've put on by implementing a poor cutting phase.

Just for reference Ive uploaded a few pics of myself. The first was me at 130ish and the second is me at 148. Altho the pics may not accurately reflect it my arms, forearms, chest, back, and shoulders have all had gains...along with my stomach lol

[Outshine]

Things to do to lose fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible:

Chill out on the cardio, at least for a while.
Reduce calorie intake slightly. Look to lose weight very slowly, like 0.5lbs per week, 1lb at most.
Keep protein intake high.
In the gym, lift like you're still bulking. Work your ass off to keep your lifts exactly where they are. When you do start to lose strength, do your best to keep the weight on the bar the same even though reps may decrease. For example, if you currently bench 200lbs for 3x8, and you reach a point where you're benching 200lbs for 3x5, don't go down to 190lbs just so you can get 3x8. Stay at 200lbs for as long as you can and, if anything, add another set or two to keep volume about the same. 5x5 with 200lbs and 3x8 with 200lbs is similar volume.


That's about it. Diet slowly, lift heavy. Not much more you can do.

[BFGUITAR]

You look leaner in the second photo.

Continue to lift heavy and eat less than you need and you will lose fat. Its not very complicated.

Just make sure your getting 1-1.5 g of protein per pound of lean body mass and 0.5g of good fats for pound of mass.

[Hatred]

How about modify your diet a LOT and keep the cardio to a minimum unless you want to burn all that pesky muscle.

[XavierHollywood]

You look leaner in the second photo.



wow, you think so? If anything i would have figured the opposite. In the first pic I had a bit of ab definition. Now, not so much lol.

[BFGUITAR]

I meant second in time, not in order lol.

[XavierHollywood]

oh, sorry about that...the date on the second pic is waaay off. It was actually taken just the other night.