Bulking and cutting is a strategic period of weight gain and weight loss, which is thought to increase muscle and strength. Even though these strategies are common, you may not know much about them.

Bulking vs. Cutting: What’s the difference?

Bulking and cutting are strategic methods of weight maintenance and muscle gain. The process is fairly simple. In your bulking phase, you will eat a calorie surplus and gain weight. In the bulking stage, you also gain muscle and improve resistance training performance. However, you have the potential for excess fat gain in this phase. In your cutting phase, you will operate in a calorie deficit and lose weight. This period is focused on muscle maintenance, and you may have a decrease in resistance training performance. In the cutting phase, you will experience fat loss.

While some people will do a period of bulking or cutting for a long time, most people alternate between them. If you are just starting, you may be interested in putting on muscle and size, so you will begin with a period of bulking. Once you have gained a good amount of muscle, you have likely also gained fat. At this point, you may want to start a period of cutting to get rid of the extra fat while maintaining the muscle you built. Once you have removed the excess fat, you may want to go back to bulking.

There is no major downside to choosing to bulk and cut. It all depends on your long-term weight and muscle goals. No matter what stage you are in, it’s important to eat a balanced and healthy diet that includes a variety of foods and high-quality snacks, such as Jawbox Jerky. Dropbox jerky is a high-protein, low-carb snack that is perfect for filling you up after your workout.