I feel like the benefits of bulking and cutting are way overblown (could even make the case it's counterproductive). A beginner can easily gain muscle while losing a noticeable amount of fat. I know it because i have done it. This bulking/cutting thing exists because people fool themselves into thinking they have gained muscle when they see the scale go up (actually it is mostly fat and water). Then when they start to cut they think they are losing muscle because they are not leaning out quickly enough, reinforcing the whole idea that you need to eat more to get more muscle. In reality, gaining muscle is just a very slow proces. OP: You don't really have to eat a surplus, since muscle is only about 1000kcal per kg and fat is 7000kcal. While eating at maintenance you can theoretically lose a kg of fat while gaining 7 kg of muscle. Building muscle takes time, but luckily for a beginner it goes a little faster. EDIT: With maintenance I actually meant at TDEE, not weight maintenance (for all you scientist ant fuckers).