Cut or bulk (skinny fat)

[Mr.420]

this is how I started, looking like a concentration camp survivor at 155lbs, majority of the fat around my hips, thighs and ass.



here I am now, with minimum weightlifting












Should I cut or bulk? Ive watched a video stating I should clean bulk but I already have a massive bf, and a very **** upper body. Sitting at 170lbs, some advice will be much appreciated.

Very mad about how my life is at the moment and for once I'm getting my nutrition right and hitting the gym every day

[PKSebben]

i would cut down to about 15% bf (you look about 20-22% right now)

keep lifting during the cut, lose about 10-12 pounds, then re-evaluate

edit: honestly, it looks like you put on too much bf during your bulk. double check your calorie needs. next time you bulk try to keep it closer to only 200 calorie surplus. if you start gaining too much fat during the bulk, slightly drop the calories and keep going

[ReyJay]

Cutting wont do you any good. Lift heavy, eat heavy. Don't waste the "noob gains" for a cut.

[PKSebben]

Cutting wont do you any good. Lift heavy, eat heavy. Don't waste the "noob gains" for a cut.

I'm not suggesting he cut down to 9% bf or anything, but he could easily cut for a few weeks without losing muscle if he wants to lose some fat before his next bulk cycle

[Gitt66]

Cutting wont do you any good. Lift heavy, eat heavy. Don't waste the "noob gains" for a cut.

There is no way to "waste "noob gains. There's this thought that when someone begins lifting, there's this magic period of time where he will build tons of mass in a relatively short period of time. Then, after a set amount of time it stops.

This logic is a bit flawed, the noob gains have much less to do with the amount of time someone has been lifting than they do with the actual amount of muscle tissue put on.

Think of it like this, a person's first 20ish pounds of muscle will be MUCH easier to put on than the next 20 pounds, regardless of how long this person has been lifting. The time frame for a person doing this might just so happen to end up in the 5 to 6 month period though.

To the OP, if you want to cut down a bit to get rid of some of the belly fat go right ahead, speaking from experience it is pretty nice being able to see your abs begin to pop as you're bulking up because you are already at a relatively low body fat. Keep in mind though that you will not build that much muscle until you start eating at a caloric surplus.

[pMbeast]

There is no way to "waste "noob gains. There's this thought that when someone begins lifting, there's this magic period of time where he will build tons a mass in a relatively short period of time. Then, after a set amount of time it stops.

This logic is a bit flawed, the noob gains have much less to do with the amount of time someone has been lifting than they do with the actual amount of muscle tissue put on.

Think of it like this, a person's first 20ish pounds of muscle will be MUCH easier to put on than the next 20 pounds, regardless of how long this person has been lifting. The time period can sometimes end up in the 5 to 6 month period though.

^This. You cannot "waste" noobie gains by cutting first. OP you aren't skinny fat, just fat (no hate). You're at least 20% and should cut down before gaining anymore weight unless you want to end your bulking phase at 30% (terrible idea).

[Mr.420]

What if I just ate at a maintenance for awhile ? Would that do any good in my case?

[Vaylor]

What if I just ate at a maintenance for awhile ? Would that do any good in my case?

The progress would be slow. Cut/Bulk cycles would be better.

Also I think you should bulk and here is why:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=148733753

[manny1212]

You need to cut down body fat first. Looking at your pics, you need about 15-20 lbs (approx 7-10 percent body fat) still to lose before going on a clean bulk. Taking in consideration you being a newbie, I'd start researching a lot first and not just look for advice on this forum as you are going to get a lot of different opinions, including mine. Get a clear vision of what you want to do, this way you can generate a clear program to get clear results, bottom line.