Newbie Could Use a Little Guidance

[SoMuchToLearn]

I'm pretty brand new to the idea of a bodybuilding lifestyle, so I've been trying to educate myself as much as possible (this site has been invaluable!,) and, as with all new things, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I have always been a Cardio Queen trying hard to keep weight down and be "thin," but in the last few months I've really become aware that cardio is bo-ring and lifting is fun! My initial goal was to lose some body fat (I'm not as interested in the number on the scale as I am the composition of my body) and gain lean muscle. In my attempts to educate myself, it seems to me that it can be quite a balancing act to do both at the same time. I'm now asking myself if I would be smarter to try a bulk first to take advantage of newbie muscle gains and then try a cut in a few months. Am I on the right track with that line of thinking?

I'm mainly an ecto (small bones, long limbs, long small muscles that don't like to grow, etc.) with some meso leanings (don't have too much trouble gaining weight but can lose it fairly quickly when I behave myself) -- if that helps at all. I seem to be wobbling between calories at a deficit and calories at or slightly above maintenance because I'm not quite clear on what my goal is or what I'm trying to do. A little bit of guidance would be deeply appreciated! Whew, I had no idea it was so tough to balance calorie intake, macronutrient splits, etc. I feel like a junior scientist! If any additional info would be helpful I'll be happy to provide it. :-)

[Mindi912]

I'm pretty brand new to the idea of a bodybuilding lifestyle, so I've been trying to educate myself as much as possible (this site has been invaluable!,) and, as with all new things, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I have always been a Cardio Queen trying hard to keep weight down and be "thin," but in the last few months I've really become aware that cardio is bo-ring and lifting is fun! My initial goal was to lose some body fat (I'm not as interested in the number on the scale as I am the composition of my body) and gain lean muscle. In my attempts to educate myself, it seems to me that it can be quite a balancing act to do both at the same time. I'm now asking myself if I would be smarter to try a bulk first to take advantage of newbie muscle gains and then try a cut in a few months. Am I on the right track with that line of thinking?

I'm mainly an ecto (small bones, long limbs, long small muscles that don't like to grow, etc.) with some meso leanings (don't have too much trouble gaining weight but can lose it fairly quickly when I behave myself) -- if that helps at all. I seem to be wobbling between calories at a deficit and calories at or slightly above maintenance because I'm not quite clear on what my goal is or what I'm trying to do. A little bit of guidance would be deeply appreciated! Whew, I had no idea it was so tough to balance calorie intake, macronutrient splits, etc. I feel like a junior scientist! If any additional info would be helpful I'll be happy to provide it. :-)

You don't have any pics up at the moment however just from going off your stats, I would say go for the bulk.

Keep your food as clean as possible, if you have found out your maintenance cals then you should be eating around 200 - 300 cals over maintenance for your bulk.

[SoMuchToLearn]

Hi Mindi,

Thank you for your feedback! I'm going to try to wrangle my fiance into snapping a few pics tonight. Hopefully that will give folks a better idea of where my starting point is. I'm hopeful that getting on the right track in the first place will help me avoid wasting time doing all of the wrong things. Thanks again!

[NiaShanks]

I would suggest you just keep things simple.

Example: eat whole, natural, UNPROCESSED foods. If you only eat fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, legumes, and lean meats, I highly doubt you will need to count calories.

Other than that, have a smart plan of action in the weight room. I highly recommend you use total body workouts, or upper/lower splits. Traditional bodybuilding splits are HIGHLY over-rated.

If you want to build some lean muscle and burn off extra fat, total body or upper/lower is the way to go.