Recomp at 5'8 209lbs and still look good?

[Sean Casey]

Question is do you think its possible to just recomp at my current weight of 209lbs at 5'8" by just weight lifting alone and eventually look good with my shirt off?

My BMI puts me around 160lbs, but naturally I've always been thick. I was a "husky" child! Thick upper body, waist and legs. I was naturally strong, but always carried an extra 20-30lbs on me. Short and stocky, thats me!

So, should I just stop fighting my body by trying get down to the 160s - 170s and just build muscle and stay my current weight?

Opinions?

[OutOfStep]

Question is do you think its possible to just recomp at my current weight of 209lbs at 5'8" by just weight lifting alone and eventually look good with my shirt off?

My BMI puts me around 160lbs, but naturally I've always been thick. I was a "husky" child! Thick upper body, waist and legs. I was naturally strong, but always carried an extra 20-30lbs on me. Short and stocky, thats me!

So, should I just stop fighting my body by trying get down to the 160s - 170s and just build muscle and stay my current weight?

Opinions?

Usually people who go the recomp route are already pretty lean to begin with. What's your bf %? If you are carrying a lot of fat it may be best just to bite the bullet and do a full blown cut.

[Sean Casey]

Usually people who go the recomp route are already pretty lean to begin with. What's your bf %? If you are carrying a lot of fat it may be best just to bite the bullet and do a full blown cut.

I'm at 25%bf most of the time. I guess I just don't want to lose any strength or overall size. Since I'm not a tall guy I've found that over the years that it has been to my advantage to carry some extra weight because people don't try to push me around. It might all be in my head, but I think there is a bit of truth to it.

My goal is to still be very strong, yet look good with my shirt off. I mean, I know I'm making progress in the gym and my lifts get stronger every week, yet if I took my shirt off its obvious that I'm carrying an extra 30lbs.

[kimsquit]

Question is do you think its possible to just recomp at my current weight of 209lbs at 5'8" by just weight lifting alone and eventually look good with my shirt off??

My goal is to still be very strong, yet look good with my shirt off.

I have no idea what "look good with my shirt off" means to you. I see lots of guys who think they look good with their shirt off and tbh I think they need to put their shirts back on...maybe even buy bigger, baggier ones.

Perhaps you can be more specific

[Sean Casey]

I have no idea what "look good with my shirt off" means to you. I see lots of guys who think they look good with their shirt off and tbh I think they need to put their shirts back on...maybe even buy bigger, baggier ones.

Perhaps you can be more specific

I guess I just want a bit of my hard work in the gym to show. I have some good size, but I look a bit soft.

I need to cut, but I'm afraid of losing strength.

[OutOfStep]

Since I'm not a tall guy I've found that over the years that it has been to my advantage to carry some extra weight because people don't try to push me around.

Well, I'm the same height as you and I've never had a problem with people pushing me around. Do they take your milk money too?

Sounds to me like you want to be cut, but don't want to do what it takes to get there. Good luck with your goals.

[Payton1221]

If you get enough protein, you should keep most of your muscle. I'd suggest around 1 gr per pound of BW. If you're on a cut, you might have to cut back on the volume of your training, but try to keep the weight the same! Fewer sets but still go as heavy as possible.

[chodan9]

I need to cut, but I'm afraid of losing strength.

a universal conundrum
I want to look strong and be strong at the same time.
For me the better more cut I look the weaker I get. When I look softest and weigh the most I am at my strongest.
I decided to take the long view, I get stronger every year during my cut. I feel weak compared to my january 2011 weight, but I am stronger now than I was in january 2010 and am 25 pounds lighter.

[Sean Casey]

Well, I'm the same height as you and I've never had a problem with people pushing me around. Do they take your milk money too?

Sounds to me like you want to be cut, but don't want to do what it takes to get there. Good luck with your goals.

Ha......I remember when I dieted down to 160lbs, I looked weak and thin...........school girls could have kicked my ass... Nobody got my milk money thank god!


I never let anyone push me around, but if I get thin then some bigger guys think they can get away with it. Plus I have a young baby face which doesn't help. Hell, I'm 41 and still get carded.

[Sean Casey]

I want to look strong and be strong at the same time.

Exactly... I can do what it takes to drop my weight down. I've been down to 150lbs before and I looked okay, but I didn't look or feel strong at all. I definately want to look as strong as I feel. Curse my crappy genes!!!

I'm gonna have to settle for a happy medium and cut down to 180lbs and see how I look and FEEL.

Thanks

[MecGen]

I'm gonna have to settle for a happy medium and cut down to 180lbs and see how I look and FEEL. Thanks

This is what I was going to suggest. I myself have problems with the cut, so I settled for a happy medium, More strength, bigger arms, but I lost only 1/2 pound of fat a month (Been 18 months). 209 is too heavy, 150 is to small, 180/5'8" is a descent realistic goal.

Regards

[kostasthai]

25% BF of 209 lb is 52.25 lb of which you will need to shift around 25 lb to muscle in order to get down to 12% and look good. Doable? Do not know, i guess it is but it will need time, maybe years. 5.8 and 209 at 12% BF is huge. i would guess one would need to lose the fat and then clean bulk and lift serious weights for some time to put on like 40lb of muscle. crazy man but i guess doable.

[alex2363]

i too had the same problem, im at 185 to 190 now and im getting stronger everyday. i will cut down to 175 to 180 by end of thew year and not lose strenght..my secret? lift and do less cardio. take protien in body weight and watch ur calories. i am getting stronger everyday since march/2011.

[Taur]

25% is FAT!!!

I think everyone here that is talking about "Cutting Down" is putting the cart before the horse.

At 25% bodyfat you are still way to FAT to start cutting on some crazy Diet. Increase your cardio, start eating more healthy and you will be able to still gain muscle on a decent workout program and lose bodyfat at the same time.


Come back here when you are around 12% bodyfat, if you really want to talk about going on a cutting cycle.

[yankinNcrankin]

You want the look you got to sacrifice a bit on the strength.

[Taur]

You want the look you got to sacrifice a bit on the strength.

Not at 25% bodyfat you don't!

At 25% bodyfat he should be able to Increase his strength and muscle percentage while losing weight. There is no reason to believe you can not have the best of both worlds when you are this out of shape.


Currently at your Fat level you need to Increase your cardio to lose weight. You have a lot of fat to burn right now. Later on down the road then you will want to start decreasing your cardio to keep your strength gains, but not at 25% bodyfat.

[groink]

I'm at 25%bf most of the time. I guess I just don't want to lose any strength or overall size. Since I'm not a tall guy I've found that over the years that it has been to my advantage to carry some extra weight because people don't try to push me around. It might all be in my head, but I think there is a bit of truth to it.

My goal is to still be very strong, yet look good with my shirt off. I mean, I know I'm making progress in the gym and my lifts get stronger every week, yet if I took my shirt off its obvious that I'm carrying an extra 30lbs.

Then you need to lose weight my friend....it's really easy to get caught up in terminology, "recomp" and what have you....losing weight is a "recomp" .

[paqua17]

Currently at your Fat level you need to Increase your cardio to lose weight. You have a lot of fat to burn right now. Later on down the road then you will want to start decreasing your cardio to keep your strength gains, but not at 25% bodyfat.

So what you saying is that if he is eating at a caloric surplus while still doing cardio that he will lose the bodyfat. I think not.

At 25% bodyfat he should be able to Increase his strength and muscle percentage while losing weight. There is no reason to believe you can not have the best of both worlds when you are this out of shape.

Why is it that at 25% bodyfat the OP is out of shape or someone at 10% bodyfat in shape? The OP could be a marathon runner, a cyclist, a powerlifter for all we know. Bodyfat doesn't always dictate how fit a person is.

What I will agree with is that it would be possible for the OP to increase his strength while losing weight... size is possible as well over a very short period but eventually you will fight your body to burn fat over muscle like pretty much everyone here except BH

[Sean Casey]

25% is FAT!!!

Thank you captain obvious.

At 25% bodyfat you are still way to FAT to start cutting on some crazy Diet. Increase your cardio, start eating more healthy and you will be able to still gain muscle on a decent workout program and lose bodyfat at the same time.

The only cardio I do is walking if any. Whats your definition of eating healthy and what does that have to do with losing weight? I currently eat calories at maintenance and not in a surplus, I'm already have decent size from 13 years of weight lifting, my size never really went away, but I'm coming back after a 2 year layoff for personal reasons. For the past month all of lifts have increased on a weekly basis and I continue to gain strength every week.

Come back here when you are around 12% bodyfat, if you really want to talk about going on a cutting cycle.

Only time I was ever sub 12% was when I ran 6 miles a day. Lost most of my muscle mass in the process. This is not my goal. 15%-17% is a more realistic short term goal for me I think.

[Sean Casey]

Then you need to lose weight my friend....it's really easy to get caught up in terminology, "recomp" and what have you....losing weight is a "recomp" .

This makes sense.

[MACHZ]

I was 235 at 5'8" and most people didn't think I was fat because I have a wide chest. But I wasn't stalky I was fat, and the sooner you understand that you are not bigger at your current weight because of muscle the better off you will be. When I started I figured I could get down to 190-195 and look good but boy was I wrong

Sure at 190 I looked better but I was still fat so I continued to diet until I got to 165-170. At 170 I was way leaner but I freaked out thinking I lost all of my muscle mass until I figured out that I never had as much as I thought to begin with. So I started lifting heavy and eating a small surplus. I am now at 185 with the same waist as I had at 165-170 and I have more muscle mass than I have had in many years.

My point is don't relate you size to muscle and understand that you need to lose some size to lose the fat.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

Good luck OP.

[Singe03]

I'm 5'8 coming down from 192 and generally had the same concerns, not wanting to lose muscle mass or strength. I tried to just re-comp and had some slow and very limited success when I was still getting some newb gains, but then I seemed to just stop doing much of anything.

I decided to just actually cut starting in May, no fancy diet or anything, just a simple calorie deficit with adequate protein, heavy weights to try to maintain strength and some cardio to burn extra calories and bluntly my wind could use some work.

The results were better than I've expected. All my lifts have maintained, I've managed some slow strength gains in a couple movements. I've lost a little size in my arms and chest, but I think a good bit of that was fat, my arms are measuring 1/4 inch smaller but look bigger since the bicep peak is better defined. I also think I look a little wider across the chest despite it being a little smaller because you can actually see the lats and some cut over the pecs.

Just food for thought.

[Sean Casey]

I decided to just actually cut starting in May, no fancy diet or anything, just a simple calorie deficit with adequate protein, heavy weights to try to maintain strength and some cardio to burn extra calories and bluntly my wind could use some work.

This is my plan. To get get down to 180lbs and keep my strength gains.

The results were better than I've expected. All my lifts have maintained, I've managed some slow strength gains in a couple movements. I've lost a little size in my arms and chest, but I think a good bit of that was fat, my arms are measuring 1/4 inch smaller but look bigger since the bicep peak is better defined. I also think I look a little wider across the chest despite it being a little smaller because you can actually see the lats and some cut over the pecs.

Awesome, congrats!

[Sean Casey]

Good luck OP.

Thanks

[Singe03]

I was 235 at 5'8" and most people didn't think I was fat because I have a wide chest. But I wasn't stalky I was fat, and the sooner you understand that you are not bigger at your current weight because of muscle the better off you will be. When I started I figured I could get down to 190-195 and look good but boy was I wrong

Sure at 190 I looked better but I was still fat so I continued to diet until I got to 165-170. At 170 I was way leaner but I freaked out thinking I lost all of my muscle mass until I figured out that I never had as much as I thought to begin with. So I started lifting heavy and eating a small surplus. I am now at 185 with the same waist as I had at 165-170 and I have more muscle mass than I have had in many years.

My point is don't relate you size to muscle and understand that you need to lose some size to lose the fat.

I agree completely. I don't have measurements to back it up, but I have pants and shorts that fit me at 165, were (obviously) too tight at 192 and now at 172 absolutely require a belt to keep them around my waist and not around my ankles.

[DaddyR]

Nope sorry to disappoint you but it takes a lot more than just lifting weights to achieve any decent kind of physique.

You've got to eat right and watch your diet and get plenty of quality rest. Exercise is only one part of the equation.