[Help] - Male, 24 y/o, 191cm, 211lbs. Lean bulk or cut?

[Sukiru93]

Hi,

2 untensed in different lighting and 2 tensed photos attached.

I first started in December 2016 on a PPL routine and decided to take a slow cut and see if I could get noob gains while trying to get lean. As my progress has somewhat slowed down (albeit my diet is not as good as it should be), do you think I should lean bulk before I get a pigeon chest? or try to get more cut for summer?

Many thanks in advance.

[grubman]

The beauty of newbie gains for an average bodyfat guy is that you can eat in a surplus gain lots of muscle and still lose fat at the same time...to eat in a deficite during this period (if not overweight) is a big mistake and pretty much screws up the whole blessing of "newbie gains".

But what's done is done.

Not sure why you would want to cut? You have a good shape and a little muscle, but if you cut you are just going to look thin and scrawny. You have enough muscle you won't look totally pathetic naked, but in clothes you'll be a toothpick. So I guess, if that's the look you want, go for the cut.

Myself, I'd stay in the 15-17 zone where you are and try to put on more mass.

[Sukiru93]

The beauty of newbie gains for an average bodyfat guy is that you can eat in a surplus gain lots of muscle and still lose fat at the same time...to eat in a deficite during this period (if not overweight) is a big mistake and pretty much screws up the whole blessing of "newbie gains".

But what's done is done.

Not sure why you would want to cut? You have a good shape and a little muscle, but if you cut you are just going to look thin and scrawny. You have enough muscle you won't look totally pathetic naked, but in clothes you'll be a toothpick. So I guess, if that's the look you want, go for the cut.

Myself, I'd stay in the 15-17 zone where you are and try to put on more mass.

Thanks for your reply and you're actually spot on about how I view myself lol. Sadly I can't walk around the office like the pictures posted but do feel small when I look in the mirror in clothes already...

Guess I need to think more in the long run, rather than what suits me at the current time. Will try my hand at a lean bulk then and pray that I haven't ruined my "noob gains" period

[fittofattofit]

You have a huge frame to fill and you are still lean enough at ~15% so I think you just need to lean bulk. You've got good shape and size to your legs but you need to just add size all over. Are you squatting and deadlifting? What weights if you are?

[Sukiru93]

You have a huge frame to fill and you are still lean enough at ~15% so I think you just need to lean bulk. You've got good shape and size to your legs but you need to just add size all over. Are you squatting and deadlifting? What weights if you are?

Thanks for the advice. Lean bulk seems like the best option then... but I think I naturally have big legs. The struggle of filling out when tall... My squats are quite behind... 120kg and deadlift is 160kg