Should I Cut, Bulk, or Recomp? Calculator
Find out whether you should lose fat first, build muscle first, or do both at once, based on your body fat, training experience, and goals. You'll get calorie and protein targets, a realistic rate of change, and a check on whether your habits can support the plan.
Find your best phase
Readiness check (be honest; it changes the plan)
Daily calories
Daily protein
Spread over 3 to 4 meals
Target rate
Readiness score:
How to run this phase
Want the full plan built for you? The 12-week Physician Recomposition Blueprint turns these numbers into training, meals, and weekly check-ins that fit a busy schedule. Start with a free 30-minute session.
Book a free intro sessionEstimates for healthy adults. Calorie needs vary by roughly 10% between individuals, so adjust based on your actual weekly trend. Not medical advice.
Cut, bulk, or recomp: what each one means
A cut is a calorie deficit to lose fat. A bulk is a calorie surplus to build muscle as fast as possible, accepting some fat gain. A body recomposition, or recomp, is eating near maintenance while lifting with enough protein to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Your scale weight barely moves during a recomp, but your waist shrinks and your strength rises.
Most people asking "should I cut or bulk?" are actually good candidates for a third answer. The right phase depends mostly on two things: how much body fat you're carrying and how long you've been training seriously.
When should you cut?
Cut first if you're at roughly 25% body fat or higher as a man, or 33% or higher as a woman, or if your main goal is to look leaner and you're above the middle ranges. At higher body fat, a deficit is where most of the progress is, and beginners at this level often build some muscle while cutting anyway. A sustainable rate is about 0.5% to 1% of body weight per week. Faster than that makes it harder to keep muscle and harder to stick with.
When should you bulk?
A lean bulk makes sense if you're already fairly lean (roughly under 15% for men, under 23% for women), you've trained consistently for a year or more, and your goal is size and strength. Aim to gain about 0.25% to 0.5% of body weight per week. Gaining faster mostly adds fat, especially for experienced lifters, whose rate of muscle gain is slow no matter how much they eat.
Is body recomposition real?
Yes. For years, recomp was dismissed as something only beginners could do. A 2020 review in the Strength and Conditioning Journal found it also happens in trained people when protein is high and training is progressive. In one well-known trial, young men eating a 40% calorie deficit with high protein (2.4 g/kg per day) and hard training gained about 1.2 kg of lean mass while losing about 4.8 kg of fat in four weeks. Lower protein in the same deficit produced no muscle gain.
Recomp works best for:
- Beginners and people returning to training after time off
- People in the middle body fat ranges (about 15% to 25% for men, 23% to 33% for women)
- Busy adults who want steady progress without the swings of bulking and cutting
- People on a GLP-1 medication who want to lose fat without losing muscle
The tradeoff is speed. Progress is slower and harder to see on the scale, so measure your waist and track strength rather than relying on body weight.
Cut vs bulk vs recomp at a glance
| Cut | Recomp | Lean bulk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | About 20% below maintenance | Maintenance to 10% below | About 5% to 10% above |
| Weekly rate | Lose 0.5% to 1% of body weight | Scale roughly stable; waist down | Gain 0.25% to 0.5% of body weight |
| Protein | 1.8 to 2.2 g/kg | 1.8 to 2.2 g/kg | 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg |
| Best for | Higher body fat, leanness goals | Beginners, middle body fat, busy adults | Lean, experienced lifters seeking size |
| How to track | Scale trend, waist | Waist, strength, photos | Scale trend, strength |
How much protein do you need to recomp?
A large 2018 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the benefit of protein for muscle gain levels off around 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day, with an upper confidence limit near 2.2 g/kg. In a calorie deficit, aiming toward the higher end helps protect muscle. For someone at 180 pounds (82 kg), that's roughly 130 to 180 grams a day.
Can you build muscle in a calorie deficit?
Yes, but the size of the deficit matters. A 2022 meta-analysis found that deficits larger than about 500 calories per day noticeably reduced lean mass gains from resistance training, while strength gains held up. That's why this calculator keeps recomp deficits small and caps cuts at about 20% below maintenance.
How this calculator works
Maintenance calories are estimated with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation multiplied by your activity level. The phase recommendation weighs your body fat range, training experience, and goal using the thresholds described above. The readiness score checks the four habits that decide whether any phase works: training frequency, protein, sleep, and tracking. If your readiness is low, the calculator will tell you to fix habits before chasing a phase, because no calorie target compensates for missing training or protein.
Frequently asked questions
Should I cut or bulk if I'm skinny fat?
Usually neither. If you have little muscle and some belly fat, a recomp at maintenance calories with high protein and progressive strength training is the most efficient path. Cutting leaves you smaller, and bulking adds more fat.
Should I cut or bulk first as a beginner?
Most beginners do best with a recomp or a modest cut, depending on body fat. New lifters build muscle quickly even without a surplus, so a dedicated bulk is rarely necessary in the first year unless you're already lean.
How long should a recomp take?
Plan on at least 12 to 16 weeks to see clear changes in the mirror and your waist measurement. Recomp is slower than a dedicated cut or bulk, but you never have to undo a phase afterward.
Why isn't my weight changing during a recomp?
That's expected. You're losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, so the scale stays flat. Track your waist, progress photos, and lifts instead.
What body fat percentage should I bulk at?
Most evidence-based coaches suggest starting a bulk below about 15% body fat for men and 23% for women, so you have room to gain before getting uncomfortably soft.
Can I recomp on Ozempic or Zepbound?
GLP-1 medications usually create a larger deficit than a typical recomp, so the goal shifts to preserving muscle while losing fat. Use the GLP-1 protein calculator for targets built for medication users.
References
- Barakat C, Pearson J, Escalante G, Campbell B, De Souza EO. Body recomposition: can trained individuals build muscle and lose fat at the same time? Strength Cond J. 2020;42(5):7-21.
- Longland TM, Oikawa SY, Mitchell CJ, Devries MC, Phillips SM. Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(3):738-746.
- Morton RW, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384.
- Murphy C, Koehler K. Energy deficiency impairs resistance training gains in lean mass but not strength: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2022;32(1):125-137.
- Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11:20.
- Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, Helms E. Nutrition recommendations for bodybuilders in the off-season: a narrative review. Sports (Basel). 2019;7(7):154.
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247.