04/19/2025
In all my years of weight training and working with trainers, I never heard the terms “cut” or “build” as it pertained to me. Of course, I knew what each term generally meant, and incorrectly assumed that “cut” was the only term that really applied. I mean, why would I ever want to build? Sounds too much like the word “bulk”, and I wasn’t about to BULK!
The thing is… once you’ve learned out, which is where I was last summer… not much body recomposition can occur without gaining some weight. And as you gain that weight, both muscle & fat will inevitably come with it, no matter how clean the food is. It’s just biology. This is called BUILDING.
So on the right is me, nearing the end of my first official build. The process has felt a little counterintuitive to me, and there have been a couple times (or more) where my coach has had to talk me off the ledge, but all in all, it’s been a good experience and will be all worthwhile after the next cut, when we get to see what muscle I gained. My goal is to get back on stage later this fall, so I’ll be starting that cut in a few weeks. Stay tuned. 🙂
