what should I do based on my numbers, lose fat or gain muscle?

[Ashk91]

Hello, I have the unfortunate skinny fat syndrome after losing a lot of weight from 97 kg to 62 kg over time..I tried bulking once but I realised I have a lot of fat on my body And that was a miserable effort..anyway now I went to check my body accurately and got these numbers...height 173 cm , bf 17.1% ..weight 67.3 kg , lean body mass 55.8 kg , and 11.5 kg fat mass...based on my numbers should I try lose my fat first or bulk ? Because the more muscles the less body fat percentage I'd have...what do you think?

[Tommy W.]

Hello, I have the unfortunate skinny fat syndrome after losing a lot of weight from 97 kg to 62 kg over time..I tried bulking once but I realised I have a lot of fat on my body And that was a miserable effort..anyway now I went to check my body accurately and got these numbers...height 173 cm , bf 17.1% ..weight 67.3 kg , lean body mass 55.8 kg , and 11.5 kg fat mass...based on my numbers should I try lose my fat first or bulk ? Because the more muscles the less body fat percentage I'd have...what do you think?

need a pic

[supersplish]

At 5'8" / 150 lbs I'm going knee-jerk here sans photo and saying "bulk"

[blueelectrc]

Let me direct you to Lyle McDonald for a rational answer to this question:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...mass-gain.html

He recommends that, before bulking, males be 10-12% bodyfat while females be between 19-24%.

[dmacdonal9]

He recommends that, before bulking, males be 10-12% bodyfat while females be between 19-24%.

Good advice metabolically speaking, but I think for many beginners, it can be outweighed by other considerations, such as your starting body composition.

Someone that has never lifted before may not do well cutting to 10% BF. It tends to put them into an underweight condition that comes with its own set of issues.

[blueelectrc]

Good point! He has a good article on that topic, too:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...n-changes.html

(Yes, I admit to being a fanboy of this man, lol).

[BACCuS91]

It depends on if u wanna lose fat or gain muscle, ur call

[Ashk91]

Good point! He has a good article on that topic, too:


(Yes, I admit to being a fanboy of this man, lol).

Great articles but would that apply to me? Body fat percentage is basically a percentage, so if I gained lean muscle mass without much fat, my fat mass would increase but my body fat percentage would decrease right? So my 17 % fat would decrease with muscle increase....so basically my question is , is my body fat mass of 11.5 kg normal for my weight?

[dmacdonal9]

Great articles but would that apply to me? Body fat percentage is basically a percentage, so if I gained lean muscle mass without much fat, my fat mass would increase but my body fat percentage would decrease right? So my 17 % fat would decrease with muscle increase....so basically my question is , is my body fat mass of 11.5 kg normal for my weight?

Not sure what you're asking, but by athletic standards, your lean mass is on the low side, meaning it's difficult to look good at a "normal" weight.

Theory aside, if you're not overly fat, it doesn't matter a whole lot whether you cut or bulk first mate, just pick one and stick to it.

[Ashk91]

Not sure what you're asking, but by athletic standards, your lean mass is on the low side, meaning it's difficult to look good at a "normal" weight.

Theory aside, if you're not overly fat, it doesn't matter a whole lot whether you cut or bulk first mate, just pick one and stick to it.

It seems like I can't get my point to you guys damn...Alright I'll just keep losing more weight, then start lean bulking..thanks all!

[blacksage83]

Great articles but would that apply to me? Body fat percentage is basically a percentage, so if I gained lean muscle mass without much fat, my fat mass would increase but my body fat percentage would decrease right? So my 17 % fat would decrease with muscle increase....so basically my question is , is my body fat mass of 11.5 kg normal for my weight?

I understand what you are asking. If you add weight and the bulk of it is muscle, yes, technically, your body fat would decrease.

I wont run the numbers, but is your 17.1% body fat "normal" for your weight? Sure. I think that is about right.