What should I do - 6'1, ~160 lbs, 18% body fat, 23 years old

[westcoastjon]

Complete beginner/novice to bulking/cutting/nutrition/working out, etc. so please keep that in mind.

Currently:
23 years old
6'1
~160 lbs
18% body fat
Ectomorph/hard gainer my whole life
Still skinny with stick arms but now I have a bit of a belly (thanks college)

My goal is to ultimately be:
~180-185 lbs. of lean muscle
around 8-10% body fat
Want to look lean and ripped, not huge/big if that makes sense

Started Starting Strength in January
Swim 2/x week for about ~30 minutes or 700 yards with front stroke

I've been reading up a bit on nutrition/bulking/cutting etc. and not sure if I should 1st reduce down to like 8-10% body fat and then bulk up to ~180-185 lbs at 8-10% body fat, or should I just bulk up now and cut?

does it really matter?

and if I should cut to 8-10% body fat 1st before clean bulking, what's the best way to get there? Cut out carbs? Do more cardio (swimming)?

Any advice would be appreciated

[RugbyTank]

****ing 6'1 160lbs,

learn to eat properly before lifting.

[pfeiffdog]

I am no expert at this but are you sure you are at 18% bodyfat? It's seems high is you are 6'1" and 160. I would think your BF is less and that you need to bulk. While the delivery was overly direct RugbyTank's advice may actually be the best starting point.

[joelash302]

I think I had those exact stats at 24. I did starting strength and got to 205, then cut to 180, now rebuilding on 5/3/1 to aim for a 1250+ @198 this year.

There was a lot of nonsense within that time line that I'll omit, if you don't waver around like an ass then you can probably do the same in about a quarter the time it took me and have a 1,000+ total in short order.

Just start eating everything in sight. Snack often, makes it easier to get all the cals in.

[AdamWW]

****ing 6'1 160lbs,

learn to eat properly before lifting.

What does that mean? A person can eat properly and be on the lighter side.

[RugbyTank]

What does that mean? A person can eat properly and be on the lighter side.

Functional strength vs aesthetics

I've been 178-182lbs before @ 6'0 feet,

once i actually hit 180 i realized its my personal lowest i can basically be at 6'0 while not looking mal-nutrioned or skinny/weak for my bone structure anyways.