What percentage of bodyfat before bulking?

[MeatBoy]

I am new, so I hope this is not an unanswerable, ambiguous question, but:
What bodyfat should one be before starting to bulk, so that at the end of the bulk they won't end up looking fat?
I'm currently 18% bodyfat but I'm thinking I should lose fat til I'm about 12% before bulking?

[BecomeLegendary]

If weight is not an issue for you (meaning you don't have sports or anything that you have to stay above a certain weight for) then I would cut to single digit bf% before bulking. Being as your 230 already, you could probably lose quite a bit of fat weight. It's summer anyway man, why would you want to bulk? Don't you want to go to the beach and hit on hos and stuff?

[MeatBoy]

If weight is not an issue for you (meaning you don't have sports or anything that you have to stay above a certain weight for) then I would cut to single digit bf% before bulking. Being as your 230 already, you could probably lose quite a bit of fat weight. It's summer anyway man, why would you want to bulk? Don't you want to go to the beach and hit on hos and stuff?

haha i dont need to hit on hoes, got a girlfriend, which is part of the reason why ive allowed my body to become pretty out of shape.
my bodyfat is 18% at the minute, im a skinnyfat guy, sucks man.
any idea how long it would take to get down to 10%?

ive been doing this four weeks now and gone from 21.7% to 18.3%, according to a Boots weighing machine i use every week

[ZidaneValor]

My personal opinion is that bodyfat percentage doesn't matter as much as timing. Like BecomeLegendary said, since it's summer, I would probably cut now. Then, you could bulk from September to April and start cutting again. Of course, there is nothing wrong with bulking now through the winter, but if you do it that way, I would start cutting in February or March.

[BecomeLegendary]

Yeah man I got one too, but its still fun to look right? Just no touching haha. You can do whatever you want, but I would cut since its summer. But then again, since you do have a girlfriend and maybe you just want to get big enough so you can't fit through door ways, then bulk. From 18% I would say it would probably take you a good full cycle to do it (12 weeks). It's not too hard though, just watch your calories and do about 30-45 mins of cardio a day. As far as macros go, everyone on these boards are so carb-phobic. Don't listen to them, carbs are very important in normal biochemistry and function. Carbs don't make you fat, excess calories do. I'm going for a run right now, but I'll brb to talk, send me a friend request if you want.

[ZidaneValor]

As far as macros go, everyone on these boards are so carb-phobic. Don't listen to them, carbs are very important in normal biochemistry and function. Carbs don't make you fat, excess calories do.

I consume 250g-360g of carbs per day depending on exertion level. Mmmm...I love my carbs, lol. If you want to see my current diet, check out page 7 of my log (in the signature).

[MeatBoy]

Yeah man I got one too, but its still fun to look right? Just no touching haha. You can do whatever you want, but I would cut since its summer. But then again, since you do have a girlfriend and maybe you just want to get big enough so you can't fit through door ways, then bulk. From 18% I would say it would probably take you a good full cycle to do it (12 weeks). It's not too hard though, just watch your calories and do about 30-45 mins of cardio a day. As far as macros go, everyone on these boards are so carb-phobic. Don't listen to them, carbs are very important in normal biochemistry and function. Carbs don't make you fat, excess calories do. I'm going for a run right now, but I'll brb to talk, send me a friend request if you want.

Haha yeah I guess it would still be brilliant to turn a few heads on the beach, ego boost .
Thanks, yeah I will.
My diet is currently:
Porridge oats, 2 eggs
Protein shake
Salad and chicken/fish
Protein shake
Salad and whatever source of protein I can use, some sort of meat and/or eggs
Protein shake
and then sometimes 1/2 egg whites before bed.

It has been going pretty well I feel and I have noticed my belly slowly getting smaller.

What's strange for me is, I've had excess fat since I was a kid, and have never been happy with my body.
I'm 19 now and really, really want to sort it out.

When I was 15 I lost a loooot of weight, went from fat to skinny basicaly but I still had that squidgy noticeable belly, love handle and moobs.

So I'm not sure what I will look like at all when I finally lose the flab - I want to have no wobbly fat before I start bulking.

Thanks for the replies people

Edit:
I'm also taking creatine, glutamine peptides, HMB, MET-Rx EFA's, and Orange Triad
I've heard as I'm new to this I'll be able to gain mkuscle AND lose fat initially, so I'm hitting the wieghts pretty hard and trying to do this too so I don't end up looking too skinny after the cut.

[FFK]

ok, so im a skinny-fat guy with around 20% BF, i weight 138 lbs and i'm 6ft tall... Should i cut and then bulk? im pretty skinny enough as it is but just with a belly n love handles...

and will bulking make me thicker/fatter? im a tall lanky guy, long thin arms and legs and i wouldnt want to look disproportionate.

If what im aiming at is a toned runners type of body, should i be taking protein and doing weights while doing cardio 4-5 days a week?

[ZidaneValor]

ok, so im a skinny-fat guy with around 20% BF, i weight 138 lbs and i'm 6ft tall... Should i cut and then bulk? im pretty skinny enough as it is but just with a belly n love handles...

and will bulking make me thicker/fatter? im a tall lanky guy, long thin arms and legs and i wouldnt want to look disproportionate.

If what im aiming at is a toned runners type of body, should i be taking protein and doing weights while doing cardio 4-5 days a week?

At 6'0" 138#, even skinny fat, I recommend bulking first and cutting in time for next summer. Clean bulking will slightly add some fat, but with noob gains, your BF% shouldn't go up that much. Plus, it should be pretty easy to cut it all way when the bulking is over.

There is no such thing as "taking protein." You eat protein everyday in chicken, red meat, fish, eggs, et cetera. If you can't get the right amount of protein in whole foods (which for you would probably be 200g to start), then whey is quick and convenient.

And you should always be lifting weights whether cutting, maintaining, or bulking unless restricted by injury.

[BecomeLegendary]

I agree with the above statement ^^^. If your only 138, you should definitely bulk. It will be easy to cut the fat after it if you are a natural tall and really skinny guy. OP, the diet looks pretty decent, I would replace your last protein shake with some cottage cheese though. It would be a smart idea to eliminate artificial calories, except for pre and post workout, from the diet. Also you need to be eating your fruits and veggies, just like mom always said when you were a kid.

[FFK]

thanks for the responses.

Ok so bulking seems like the way to go, but how should i start eating? above maintenance? at maintenance? I think im currently eating a little below maintenance, and if i eat at maintenance i'd feel full and uncomfortable...Do I have to make the effort to eat more?

Is a set of dumbbells enough to get me going?

[jay24k]

Yeah man I got one too, but its still fun to look right? Just no touching haha. You can do whatever you want, but I would cut since its summer. But then again, since you do have a girlfriend and maybe you just want to get big enough so you can't fit through door ways, then bulk. From 18% I would say it would probably take you a good full cycle to do it (12 weeks). It's not too hard though, just watch your calories and do about 30-45 mins of cardio a day. As far as macros go, everyone on these boards are so carb-phobic. Don't listen to them, carbs are very important in normal biochemistry and function. Carbs don't make you fat, excess calories do. I'm going for a run right now, but I'll brb to talk, send me a friend request if you want.

Yea carbs are fine but for cutting, you definetly want to get your protein in to preserve some lean muscle. The thing about carbs is they say excess can be stored quicker as fat but if you are in a calorie deficit, you will be fine.

[BecomeLegendary]

The thing about carbs is they say excess can be stored quicker as fat but if you are in a calorie deficit, you will be fine.

\

FALSE, the metabolic cost to the body to convert monosaccharides to fat is 25% of the total calories, whereas the metabolic cost to turn FFA, glycerol, and triglycerides to stored fat is only 3% of the total calories. Eat 1.5-2 G/KG body weight in protein and you should be fine.

[FFK]

so in my case, is it not recomendable to try and loose the fat first? or would it be harder to loose the fat than to gain muscle?

[BecomeLegendary]

so in my case, is it not recomendable to try and loose the fat first? or would it be harder to loose the fat than to gain muscle?

at 6 foot 138 pounds your already skinny as hell. Im assuming at 20% bodyfat, you still look normal and no one would guess your 20 percent. This is probably because your muscle mass is weak. Bulk for a good 3-4 months and put on 20-30 pounds. Be totally committed, no matter what you look like in the mirror. After you are done cut for a couple months. You will wow yourself after this is all over if you do it right.

[Tiffany_P]

ok, so im a skinny-fat guy with around 20% BF, i weight 138 lbs and i'm 6ft tall... Should i cut and then bulk? im pretty skinny enough as it is but just with a belly n love handles...

and will bulking make me thicker/fatter? im a tall lanky guy, long thin arms and legs and i wouldnt want to look disproportionate.

If what im aiming at is a toned runners type of body, should i be taking protein and doing weights while doing cardio 4-5 days a week?

Your BMI is 19. For an average male who doesn't work out, your bodyfat is estimated at around 9.5%. Where are you getting 20%? You would be a genetic anamoly if that were true.

[Cronos1247]

One thing everyone needs to realize is that sure you can cut no matter what weight your at, but don't expect the end result to look like ripped muscles and a bulging 6 pack if you have no lean mass under that skin. I made the mistake of dieting down on a pretty low intake, ended up being skinny-fat and no matter how much I dieted down, no fix. If you have nothing to cut down to then it's pointless. You have to judge for yourself for the most part if you think you can cut down to lean mass or if you'll stay the same shape but just smaller.

[BecomeLegendary]

^ exactly right ^

[th3pwn3r]

At 6'0" 138#, even skinny fat, I recommend bulking first and cutting in time for next summer. Clean bulking will slightly add some fat, but with noob gains, your BF% shouldn't go up that much. Plus, it should be pretty easy to cut it all way when the bulking is over.




There is no such thing as "taking protein." You eat protein everyday in chicken, red meat, fish, eggs, et cetera. If you can't get the right amount of protein in whole foods (which for you would probably be 200g to start), then whey is quick and convenient.

And you should always be lifting weights whether cutting, maintaining, or bulking unless restricted by injury.

I agree big time here, as you know I rarely tell people to bulk first or at all. Definitely CLEAN BULK.

[jay24k]

\

FALSE, the metabolic cost to the body to convert monosaccharides to fat is 25% of the total calories, whereas the metabolic cost to turn FFA, glycerol, and triglycerides to stored fat is only 3% of the total calories. Eat 1.5-2 G/KG body weight in protein and you should be fine.

But if you are in caloric deficit, you body won't store fat. Simple as that. Reading comprehension.

[niko9898]

Hey guys after a bit of quick advice:

Am currently at 180lbs, 6'3" and at 22% body fat. LBM is 150lbs. I am cutting and have lost 10lbs in the last 8 weeks. Should I keep going with this or be bulking? Coz yeah, I'm skinny fat... But i live in Australia so summer is around the corner :S cheers

[GreekFizeek]

I'm 52 and started bodybuilding and cutting 4 months ago. I hadn't lifted since college, and I gained strength quickly; however, I stopped losing body fat 2 months ago. The program I'm following (from the book, "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger") says to get down to 10% before bulking. I started at 172 lbs. 15.5% body fat, 37% muscle mass, and am now at 155 lbs, 12% body fat, 40% muscle mass (according to my electronic scale, which I've heard are not that accurate). I can kind of see my abs in a raking light. Should I continue trying to get down to 10%, or at 52 years old, is that overkill if I'm not competing?

[NadimShado]

I'm 52 and started bodybuilding and cutting 4 months ago. I hadn't lifted since college, and I gained strength quickly; however, I stopped losing body fat 2 months ago. The program I'm following (from the book, "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger") says to get down to 10% before bulking. I started at 172 lbs. 15.5% body fat, 37% muscle mass, and am now at 155 lbs, 12% body fat, 40% muscle mass (according to my electronic scale, which I've heard are not that accurate). I can kind of see my abs in a raking light. Should I continue trying to get down to 10%, or at 52 years old, is that overkill if I'm not competing?

8 year old thread...

[ElvisCaprice]

I'm 52 and started bodybuilding and cutting 4 months ago. I hadn't lifted since college, and I gained strength quickly; however, I stopped losing body fat 2 months ago. The program I'm following (from the book, "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger") says to get down to 10% before bulking. I started at 172 lbs. 15.5% body fat, 37% muscle mass, and am now at 155 lbs, 12% body fat, 40% muscle mass (according to my electronic scale, which I've heard are not that accurate). I can kind of see my abs in a raking light. Should I continue trying to get down to 10%, or at 52 years old, is that overkill if I'm not competing?

There are no absolutes. It's all about how you feel about the look. I'm very close to your measurements, 52, 5'11", 154lbs, almost 11%, in a cut. In the big picture it doesn't really matter, you can start on a lean bulk now and cut later, further. Or you can cut down further now, lean bulk and cut back to the same spot or lower. At 52 I don't think we need to worry about how we look in the short term. It's all about the long term and keeping the physical options open for the journey.
I'm going to cut down to about 10% or just under (I approximate 148-150lbs), then lean bulk with about a 100 to 200 surplus caloric intake. I like being small and defined (live on the beach) but a little more lean muscle mass is only icing on the body.

[kingmorons]

im currently at 7% body fat its not very hard just eat less(but more often EX:morning eat 4 eggs after that eat protein snack each 1-2 hours ,no sugar ,no sodium,no fat excepte olive oil ) drink a lot of water dont do jogging only sprinting and boxing
lift foocking heavy (especially squat) to release max of testosterone sleep min 8-9 hours a night