I'm skinnyfat and 22, working a desk job, and ready to start looking better. 5'10", 171lbs, somewhere between 14-18% bodyfat--bulk or cut??

stankmo · 2017-11-27T03:31:19+00:00

find something heavy. pick it up. repeat for desired results.

[deleted] · 2017-11-27T08:59:24+00:00

if you are skinny fat then you cut. you cut until you like yourself and then you clean bulk until you hate yourself.

anal_coke · 2017-11-27T03:15:54+00:00

Bulk. If you cut you will just be skinny.

majorketone · 2017-11-27T03:16:58+00:00

Im actually in the same spot right now. I am 19 5'10 165 with 15% BF. Im currently cutting down (started at 173ish). I've never seriously bulked in my life nor have I ever been super lean. My logic is that I want to cut down to 10-12ish BF and then bulk from there. I felt if I started bulking instead of cutting I would be in the 20%'s BF before I put on much muscle and it wouldn't even look good in that case.

LordThunderbolt · 2017-11-27T05:29:44+00:00

You have to post physique pics for better feedback. You could be a sloppy skinnyfat or a seven skinny fat. But I would always recommend to bulk, because fat isn't the issue, it's your lack of muscle development that's the issue. Cut weight and you look like holocaust survivor. Bulk and actually train hard, and you look like a strongman.

WISE_TURD · 2017-11-27T05:44:39+00:00

Newbs get way ahead of themselves with this sort of thing. At this point, focus on lifting and getting into the gym religiously for at least a year. Find a program based on compound lifts (such as SL 5x5). After a year or more, start checking out diets/programs and experimenting. Focus on forming the habit of lifting now.

In general, do what's harder. You're essentially fighting homeostasis when getting into fitness. Your body wants things to be easy; however stress makes it grow. So if you find squats to be hard, do them until they're your best lift. If you find cutting to be harder than bulking (most people are this way, but some dudes don't eat), you should cut.

Although imo, cutting and bulking should be reserved for bodybuilders who use exogenous testosterone. These substances have different uses in the context of water retention, cutting, etc. Too many people use a "bulking cycle" to rationalize eating like shit and getting fat. I stopped this bulking nonsense and i'm arguably in the best shape of my life. 6' 185 w/ six pack (around 8-9% bf if i had to guess).

Youtube: athleanx, alan thrall, fitnessfaq, and calisthenicsmovement

Truth about bulking and cutting: https://youtu.be/Bz3AG-oCXTE

BrodinsOats · 2017-11-27T07:41:01+00:00

You can lean bulk and put on muscle while getting leaner for a good amount of time as a beginner.

Gwastrain · 2017-11-27T14:24:21+00:00

I started lifting as a skinny fat 19 y/o 5'9" at 140 ~20% bf. I did a slow recomp to 170 ~15% bf at 23. I would say look at recomping. It's hard without using gear, but consistency is the name of this game. I would not recommend cutting. The more muscle you gain through a clean bulk will actually make you look like you have lower bf because the muscle spreads the fat evenly.

Also there is no way you're skinnyfat at ~15% bf. If you have a flat stomach you're not fat. It's all in your head buddy. If it's abs you're after it depends heavily on your genes. Some guys can have visible abs close to 15-20% bf, while others like me need to be below 10% for them to show. Visible abs aren't worth it to me anymore. I'd rather get bigger and stronger than cutting to <10%. The biggest downfall of cutting is it lowers your t levels the less food you eat and the lower bf you have. Food itself is anabolic.

Just my 2¢, Hope this helped.

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