Quote:
Originally Posted by corndogggy  How do you know when to take off and build again? |
It's simply up to you - there is not a hard and fast rule.
Quote:
Originally Posted by corndogggy Is it just all based on looking in the mirror? |
Again, there is not a hard and fast rule ...you can go on subjective criteria like how you think you look in the mirror or something more objective like a
body fat % calcuation or
fat scale read-out. And even if the
body fat % you use is inaccurate by 4% +/- compared to a more reliable assessment ( i.e a hydrostatic test ) it is the change over time between your
body fat calcs ( be they accurate or not ) that is more important. Or, another objective criteria is
body measurements. Some guys will train hard to add enough mass so they can meausure it with a tape - i.e adding an 1 inch +/- to your chest, upper thigh measurement etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by corndogggy How long is a typical diet session in this situation? |
Depends on what your "
fat loss " goals in terms of how much and how soon. And, it also depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of any exercise that may or may not accompany any
diet adjustments you undertake to reach those goals. There is not a hard and fast rule.
Quote:
Originally Posted by corndogggy Can you cut the build and diet times in half and not get as drastic of a change? |
The less effort you do of anything - be it creating a
calories deficit or training - will yield ' lesser ' results commensurate with that lesser effort. But there is usually a limit as to how much mass you can reasonably expect to pack on in a month - ditto for
fat loss, the rate of
fat loss is tempered by efforts to sustain muscle mass while you drop the
fat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by corndogggy I mean, could you have caught yourself at 200 pounds but then dieted for half as long, and keep your abs showing and keep the bodyweight down to a minimum? |
Not sure what you're getting at - you can be 200 lbs at 8%
body fat and 200 lbs at 28 %
body fat. But,whatever
fat you inevitably would have gained reaching 225 lbs would take longer to lose than whatever
fat you inevitably would have gained reaching 200 lbs..but, that is just common sense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by corndogggy Is there a minimum time that it takes for building? I mean, does build times have to span over a few months, or can it be smaller cycles such as a couple of weeks? |
Again, depends on what your goals are and whether you are a beginner or not ( as they tend to put on mass at a quicker rate than seasoned lifters ). Obviously it also depends if your
goal is to add 5 lbs of mass or 25 lbs of mass. And within that
goal, it depends on how intense you train, how often you train, how many
calories you take in, etc. etc. etc.
