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So I began pretty overweight. I've lost around 40lbs so far and I probably lost a lot of muscle in the process because I wasn't interested in BB. But for the last 2 months or so I have wanted to change my body and become ripped with quite a bit of mass, so have started lifting heavy. At the moment I have been cutting and have been thinking I need more mass so I'm not sure whether to bulk now, or lose some more fat first.
I'm 6foot1, 176lb.
Advice appreciated. Sorry for bad pics, btw.
Start clean bulking for sure ;)
Stop cutting right now and start clean bulking IMO
I agree - the diet needs to be cleaned up and I would add some low intensity - longer duration cardio a couple times a week.
definitely get the bulk going...need more dense muscle mass before getting cut up
I say keep losing and hit the weights hard. when you're new to weight training you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. just stay in a caloric deficit, but make sure you eat 1g protein per lb bodyweight (this is important). Get rid of all junk food - sweets, fried foods, simple carbs. you really don't need to bulk when you are just starting out
[QUOTE=heath01;595935993]I say keep losing and hit the weights hard. when you're new to weight training you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. just stay in a caloric deficit, but make sure you eat 1g protein per lb bodyweight (this is important). Get rid of all junk food - sweets, fried foods, simple carbs. you really don't need to bulk when you are just starting out[/QUOTE]
Bulk, definately, you need to add a lot of mass first!
From a medical standpoint... you lost fat way too fast, I can tell by your photos and you have barely any muscle mass.
From a bro2bro standpoint....... Stop cutting man.... Seriously.. Start weight training at a slow pace, to ensure you do not hurt yourself...
The real key to losing actual fat is by training your muscles to get bigger and stronger, it speeds up your matabolism and thus, your fat cells will slowly deplete...
Whenever someone loses fat at a severely fast rate, there is a chance of sagging skin, and skin does have the ability to tighten back, but you must allow it to have time..... and not lose fat as a fast rate.
Weight training is great, and if you incorporate healthy fats into your diet and mostly all natural foods and lean meats you should gain mass and minimal fat... Do not be afraid of fat, your body needs it to carry out essential functions...
Look around the threads and look up what other people have done and take notes.... not one way works for everyone, so when you make up your plan, find something that is comfortable for you and will make you want to continue working out and building muscle mass.....
As for cardio.... continue to do it, just maybe 20 min a day of light jogging or walking, or an intense 15 minute High Intensity cardio training... Cardio is very good for your cardiovascular system and helps deliver oxygen to your muscles......
Hopefully you get the picture man.. best wishes to ya.. later
Thanks for all the advice guys. To the guy above, when I said I lost 40lbs so far I didn't mean I lost all that in 2 months. I began dieting about 3-4 months ago, but have started lifting about 2 months ago at most.
Will doing cardio hinder my muscle growth? Because if I start bulking I don't want to do cardio aswell because then I'd have to eat more because of the calories burned... or will the cardio help burn the fat, while the calorie surplus will build the muscle?
Thanks all.
[QUOTE=Realityy;595977723]Thanks for all the advice guys. To the guy above, when I said I lost 40lbs so far I didn't mean I lost all that in 2 months. I began dieting about 3-4 months ago, but have started lifting about 2 months ago at most.
Will doing cardio hinder my muscle growth? Because if I start bulking I don't want to do cardio aswell because then I'd have to eat more because of the calories burned... or will the cardio help burn the fat, while the calorie surplus will build the muscle?
Thanks all.[/QUOTE]
If you do cardio along with your weight training routine, you do not have to do large amounts. Small amounts work fine. Such as doing 20 minutes 3-4 times per week. Small amounts of cardio at that level will not cause too much of a deficit in calories. The reason cardio is helpful is because it helps your CardioVascular system... Many people get confused by this.
If you think about it, it is a chain reaction, which in the end gives great benefits.. here it goes.
You start weight training, now your muscles will eventually need more oxygen and other stuff thats highly complex, but to make it simple, your muscles need oxygen....
Strengthening your cardiovascular system allows more oxygen and overall better cardiac reserve. Thus when you are weight training, your muscles are getting more O2, and your performance will improve....
You can add muscle mass and do cardio at the same time... They are not a double negative which will cancel eachother out.... Eating junk food and weight training and cardio is basically a double negative...
Before I can give my own personal opinion, I would need to know your current calorie intake, height, weight, bf percentage, and current routine. and most of all, your diet... Then we can go from there....
Message me if you are wanting any more information... Im always willing to help...
Cheers and have a Merry Christmas