Does your current body composition dictate whether or not you should bulk or cut?
Should you let random people on the internet shape your personal appearance?
Is there some secret path that successful people scour in the cycle of gaining muscle and losing fat?
I’m not totally sure I understand why people ask whether they should cut or bulk, but what follows will lead to your answer. (And it just may surprise you.)
“Should I bulk or cut?”
Ever since seeing this question on many forums, I can’t help but wonder why the majority of people seek answers for their own physique in others. Everyone has their own favorite ice cream flavor. Your opinion on what a “decent” physique is unique to yourself. Asking someone else what you should look like is a little…strange.
Nevertheless, random rant aside, I think the question originated from the idea that, given a certain body fat percentage, you sit in a better spot to either gain muscle or lose fat. In other words, does body fat effect the ability to lose fat or gain muscle? In other words yet, can you build muscle as effectively if you’re fat as compared to if you’re skinny?
Yes. And no.
- If you’re overly fat, gauging muscle building progress is difficult. Muscle is harder to “detect” under fat, and it’s easy to get discouraged from an an apparent lack of results. (Whether or not change is happening is arbitrary, as it’s all about perception for most people.) The antithesis of this example is my little cousin. He’s a soccer player with a pretty low body fat. After two weeks we could tell that my program for him was working. There was nothing to stop the muscle from showing. Fat is like wrapping yourself in a blanket. The more blankets you have around yourself, the tougher it is to get an idea of what’s underneath.
- If you’re overly fat, your hormones (insulin, estrogen, cortisol) are supposedly “out of whack” and less capable of building muscle. Yet there are many powerlifters that aren’t necessarily skinny that seem to do just fine in the muscular department, not to mention overeating in itself is also capable of building muscle in the absence of exercise in some populations.
- If you’re incredibly lean, your hormones are supposedly “out of whack” too, although this only seems to be an issue in females with regards to pregnancy. Not so much with gaining muscle.
- If you’re trying to stay incredibly lean, finding an ideal balance of “enough” calories to recover from training and build muscle while also staying lean is tricky. It’s easy to run in place — eat less than needed — and fail to make tangible progress in any one direction.
While the above points are the most scientifically relevant to the question at hand, they truly don’t matter under most circumstances. The hard science behind all of this can only take you so far. The true answer lies within both your psyche and your self-perception.
Why you should get lean
If there’s one thing people remember about what I’ve written, it’s my recommendation in 3 Reminders for the Skinny-Fat Ectomorph to get lean before trying to build muscle.
This recommendation has nothing to do with hormones, muscle building potential, or any of that fancy stuff.
It has everything to do with how you percieve yourself.
Skinny-fats, among many others, have a lot of emotional issues. I know because I lived the life. I was once told I had “girl boobs.” I wished, hoped, and dreamed I lived a different life.
These mental and emotional issues take credence over everything because until they’re sorted, you’ll never make headway in the right direction.
If you’re self conscious about your body fat, the last thing you want to do is add more body fat to your frame. It’s nonsensical, no matter how much “potential” you have to build muscle.
I can’t count how many e-mails I’ve gotten about this, and how many times it spirals people down bad paths. Here’s one from just the other day:
Well, I noticed an increase of belly fat, and not much increase of anything else in the mirror…so I went back to thinking…maybe I should get rid of all the fat first and then try to bulk, because if I continue things will get worse…you know this constant cycle.
It’s running in place. And this almost always happens.
But it’s a two way street for the following reason:
But again, I am still confused about should I cut to a low BF% first at all. I can see how that’s not going to be a pretty picture either.
…
I can only imagine what would happen if I did a more aggressive calorie reduction. I like the idea of getting rid of all the excess body fat first, but then I’m afraid I’ll look the skinniest I’ve ever been.
Tricky situation indeed.
The benefits of getting lean
The worst thing you can do is bounce back and forth between between bulking and cutting, failing to make respectable strides in any one direction.
You decide to bulk, you get too fat, then you cut down back to your original level. You decide to cut, you get too lean, and then you eat your way back to your original level. Congratulations. You just entered the hall of failure.
Pick a direction, and stick with it. If you’re self-conscious about body fat, that direction should be to lean down. It goes back to one of those neglected principles earlier.
- If you’re overly fat, gauging muscle building progress is difficult. Muscle is harder to “detect” under fat, and it’s easy to get discouraged from an an apparent lack of results. (Whether or not change is happening is arbitrary, as it’s all about perception for most people.) The antithesis of this example is my little cousin. He’s a soccer player with a pretty low body fat. After two weeks we could tell that my program for him was working. There was nothing to stop the muscle from showing. Fat is like wrapping yourself in a blanket. The more blankets you have around yourself, the tougher it is to get an idea of what’s underneath.
But there is more.
- Getting lean is a lot easier than building muscle. You can get close to as lean as you want to be within one year if you’re at or under 20% body fat. You will probably not reach your ideal level of muscularity in one year though. So losing the body fat initially gets positive feelings rolling for the road ahead.
- In light of the bullet above, if you bulk first, you’re going to end up cutting and rebulking. Few people are willing to stay outside of their comfortable body fat level year round. I don’t see the point in the bulk-cut-bulk-cut-bulk ordeal when you can just start from a solid lean base and then slowly build muscle from there as written about Getting Lean and Staying Muscular. (The only downside to being lean is that initially increasing calories is met with trepidation for fear of re-gaining fat. This is a small hurdle to overcome though.)
- If you bulk first, you have a longer cut ahead of you.
- Being lean makes bulking progress easier to gauge.
- Being lean is better for minimizing damage potentially done during a bulk. You can sense if you’re on the right or wrong path faster. Damage is easily reversible. If you overeat for a two weeks and notice yourself extended beyond the comforts of your body fat, it’s only going to take one or two weeks to return to baseline. This is the entire idea behind Nutrient Autoregulation: The Clean Bulk That Actually Works. (A book of mine to accompany a few resources I’m working on. Explained more in Getting Lean and Staying Muscular.)
Don’t make this mistake
I’m going to go ahead and assume that if you’re asking whether or not you should cut or bulk, you have both muscle that needs gained and fat that needs lost. (Why else would you ask the question?) Although this seems like a stupid thing to mention, I know people that have 10% body fat and wondering if they’re “too fat.” (OK, you got me. That was me at one point.)
Quick mention: in the name of body fat, and to give yourself a better picture of what body fat percentages truly look like, I highly suggest checking out Nerd Fitness’s Everything You Need to Know About Body Fat Percentage.
If you want muscle, you should probably gain muscle. If you want to be leaner, you should probably lose fat. But if you want to be muscular and lean, get lean first and chip away at the muscle building process. This means you can stay lean year round without turning into a lardcase. And by “lean,” I mean around 10-15% body fat.
From my experience, it’s unrealistic to maintain a lower body fat than 10% if you’re going to build muscle. You can maintain a lower body fat if you’re not trying to build muscle though.
A final must-read on getting lean
Getting lean doesn’t mean foregoing all training outside of “cardio.” Some traditional lower intensity aerobic work can be implemented into your training, but the most important facet of getting lean is increasing or maintaining strength via strength training. It’s often common to “save” strength training until a lean state is hit, but this is a mistake. (And a topic for another day.) So don’t forget to play around with the barbell on your quest down to a comfortable body fat. And If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my archive of skinny-fat resources.
Bulking disclaimer: I’m not a big fan of the traditional bulking and cutting designations, but I realize their use. In the sense of this article, I’m merely using them to mean either losing fat or gaining weight—be it during a low “clean” process or a hulk weight gain process.
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Your turn: What do you think? Get lean first or bulk up first? What path did you follow?
I once made the mistake of bulking and i’ll never do it again, that fat is very hard to take off, my blood analisys were not very healthy, and i was looking really bad, well i was looking fat
and the truth is you gain a lot of weight but most is fat not muscle. Get lean and then gain muscle you’ll look good all year and above all you’ll be much healthier
I made the same mistake last winter. Hated the way I felt. Get to a body comp you can be happy about and work on getting stronger. Stay in shape, run a hill. The rest falls into place, right?
Right.
I agree, Helder.
A bit off-topic, but I think I recall you writing that you had a horrible experience with the Warrior Diet. I was wondering if you could expand on this and/or write an article.
http://anthonymychal.com/2012/05/21-fantastically-awesome-random-things/
“14. I don’t regret a lot of things, but I regret trying the warrior diet. My appetite is huge. And I never get full. I’m always thinking about my next meal, and food in general. It’s not a healthy way to live.”
That’s basically it. I think it might work for someone without my appetite though. I also noticed digestion sucked. Sleep sucked. Couldn’t poop regularly, either.
This was my exact experience on the Warrior Diet.
Yeah it sucks.
I tried the warrior diet because a coworker loaned me the book.
I used it for three months in conjunction with swimming laps a few days a week in college. I lost about 15 lbs over that time period.
It’s hard to get enough calories from one meal, but I stopped being hungry during the day after three weeks.
Yeah, I’m kinda warrior dieting now. Not much hunger.
Thanks, I’m in the skinny-fat club, and your posts definitely help. Right now I stand at 155lbs, 5’95” and 14.2% body fat, just 0.7% less compared to last March, when I was 162lbs and 14.9%. Right now I’m in a sweet spot; I do not want to bulk, I still want to gain muscle (1st priority) and it would be ideal lowering my bodyfat, although that is not the priority. I do stantard recompoistion, eating more on lifting days, and less on no training days. No much cardio overall. Do you have any suggestion for me? Thanks a lot for your work.
Well how comfortable would you be with a little bit more fat on you? If not very comfortable, get a little leaner. But I like the idea of more calories on training days, less on off days.
I realized my body works well on neither a “cut” or a “bulk” but rather a slight calorie decrease/increase per week (+/- 20% for the whole week)…it does require a hell of a lot of patience though.
That being said, getting lean first for anyone is usually ideal, both for body composition and positive perception of themselves.
Yeah, I enjoy the calorie fluctuation method as well. Slow and steady wins.
Simple, clean advice. Great job, man. I will be forever amazed at how digestible and simple you make these issues. Considered bro love sent.
I did like leaning down first. Although I wasn’t exactly muscle-bound, it was intoxicating being that light. Thinking back, I feel as if I could have bounced back and forth between walls, you know, Megaman stuff. If I am ever capable of wall sliding, I’ll let you know, though. I looked on the bright side then. Since I didn’t have that much muscle before, losing some of it during the cut didn’t sadden me too much. It was like, “Eh, oh well.” I’m about ten pounds or so heavier. I still feel as lean as I was then. I’m still paranoid about whether or not I’m progressing, but the paranoia is tolerable. Had I gone with the traditional template, I would have lost my marbles a while back. Fat gain scares me, but I feel better prepared for it with the clean bulk template. It’s like you said, one can feel when they’re too bloated or too lean and can adjust accordingly. I’m still in the process of transitioning from counting calories to using the mirror. I don’t know that I’ll be able to rid myself of the former, though, as it’s driven my results so far. It’ll probably end up being a blend of the two.
I think recommending cutting first to beginners that don’t have much muscle is sound.
Oh and thanks for linking to that article on Nerd Fitness. Looks good!
Welcomes. Thanks for your kind words, too. And the Megaman wall slide was one of the funnest aspects of any video game.
By the way, what do you mean by this: “I’m going to go ahead and assume that if you’re asking whether or not you should cut or bulk, you have both muscle that needs gained and fat that needs lost. (Why else would you ask the question?) Although this seems like a stupid thing to mention, I know people that have10% body fat and wondering if they’re “too fat.” (OK, you got me. That was me at one point.)”
(There should be a space between “have” and “10%.” I apologize for being anal here.) Is it stupid to mention because it should be common sense? Are you saying that the people with 10% body fat don’t know this but should? I don’t understand the purpose of the last sentence. I got every other sentence, though.
There are people with distorted body images. (As I once had one.) Basically, they’re already lean and they wonder if they should get lean(er).
Thanks for the reply!
hey anthony – thanks for another good article.
just a headsup that your soccer anecdote/ blanket analogy comes up twice in the piece.
Thanks Steve, but I’m pretty sure I did that on purpose. I’ll go back and recheck.
Brilliant article, I have hovered back and forth between bulking and cutting my whole life, it typically goes like this: Sit on my backside and get lazy for a couple of months, read some stuff about fitness and muscle and get my arse off the couch, lift weights and eat like a trooper thinking I’ll build up, just get fatter and disheartened, reduce the food intake and add cardio, drop most of the weight lifting and end up back where I started and give up. I reckon I’ve done this every other year since I was 18 (I’m now 34), and I’ve been skinny fat my whole life, including childhood (I remember being conscious about my tummy when I was in Primary school, but my arms and legs were always skinny). Occasionally I’ve gotten fully into running and end up looking almost anorexic (which my wife hates) with still some tummy softness, my face ends up skeletal (however running long distances is something I can actually do with some level of personal success, unlike lifting weights).
Anyway, I found this website after again starting a bulking type fitness phase, and its given me some firm direction from someone who understand the skinny-fat conundrum, thanks Anthony. I’ll cut down, but continue the weights and refrain from the cardio other than some walking.
Sounds like a pretty decent initial plan of attack, Nick. Let me know if I can be of any help.
Agree 100%, Anthony. I stupidly tried to “bulk and cut” when I was around 20% body-fat, and it resulted in the mental baggage and poor body-image esteem issues you discussed here. This held me back for well over a year. I finally wised-up and switched my focus entirely to losing fat until I was down to 13-14% BF, and it’s MUCH easier to gauge progress. The “Yo-Yo” pattern of bulking/cutting, in my opinion, isn’t nearly as effective as focusing all of your energy in one direction at a given time. Cheers to you for breaking this down as simply as you have. Very solid post that I hope will save others the troubles I went through with unfocused training and dieting.
Thanks for the feedback, Daniel. I know you’ve mentioned your woes many times
I figure the more I mention it, the more likely people will pay attention and not make the same mistake. Hope you don’t mind, sir! Ha.
I never mind. Ever. You’re a valued member here.
As someone with very poor muscle mass (i’d say less than most skinny fats i’ve seen), i’m wondering how far I should lean down? I’ve got pretty lean (thanks to IF, Carb cycling, strength training etc.) but I still have that last roll of fat on my lower abdomen. It’s a big mental issue for me, so i’ll probably keep cutting until it’s gone.
My concern is that due to my poor muscle mass, i’ll be near emaciated before it is gone……am I just being a drama queen? I’m working under the assumption that less muscle mass makes it harder to get rid of the stubborn fat areas. Am I wrong in this assumption?
Maybe I need to just shut up and carry on leaning down!
Good work as ever man, I always enjoy reading your stuff.
Chris, my question is: why is your muscle mass so…bad? You should at least have something going for you if you’re strength training properly, even if you’re “cutting.”
That’s a good question Anthony. What I think it comes down to is years of eating like crap, doing zero strength training, and doing too much cardio. I have never been that muscular, but I believe that for the aforementioned reasons I have unintentionally catabolised the crap out of my muscular system over the years (i’m 26).
I see guys (mostly teenagers) who have almost no muscle, that isn’t me. I think my strength training routine is solid enough that i’ve maintained enough of my muscle, but obviously being on a cut, I have been in no position for hypertrophy to be a factor.
Basically I think I just started in relatively worse position to other skinny-fats, a deeper hole if you will. It’s not something that I don’t think i’ll be able to overcome, I just don’t think my “solid base” will be as lean and cut as what I was hoping for. But then again I have no idea what i’ll look like when I reach a comfortable body-fat level, it’s new territory really.
Yeah, past behavior definitely plays a part. But I think it’s wrong to say that going on a “cut” and toying around with barbells is somehow going to put you in a position that isn’t better than most others.
When I first started, I cut way too low. I think most people would benefit from beginning with an overall fitness program including cardio and resistance training, and getting generally fit. You may not get shredded from a program like this, but its a good place to be. From there you can make a decision as to whether you want to bulk or cut, depending on where you’re at psychologically. If you feel to skinny,bulk. If you feel ashamed to gain any fat, cut down a little more.
Javier, keep in mind I advocate that. I just think if you’re worried about your fat, your first step should be to lose it.
Hey Anthony,
Just curious if you have any opinions on yoga. Do you do it at all, and if so, how has it helped you?
No. I trick. This involves stretching of all sorts. No yoga.
Really enjoyed this article. It goes along with one I had recently written about cutting and bulking. Oddly enough it was also from people asking if they should cut and bulk and the surprising amount of people who do this in cycle with no results year after year and refuse to try something different and take adivce from others. Its funny and terrible at the same time.
Here is the Post I wrote…http://wp.me/p1xlGa-i5
I’ll check it out. Thanks for the reply.
Hey anthony. Liking the articles. Just hoping you can give me some advice:
Currently I strength train(Incl. Squat, Deads, Bench) and am at an ‘ok’ level of strength for my weight (85kg squat 100kg dead at 75kg) I still want to get stronger, but in my experience, whenever trying to lean down, I lose a lot of strength.
I really want to gain muscle, and hate looking skinny, I think my body image depression would be worse if I leaned down first.
My question is: I am at around 20% BF now (i think). I have fat on my stomach and some on my chest, but my arms and legs are still fairly skinny, with little muscle definition (from high BF). If i gain weight, to say 85-90kg (at 6’0) by bulking traditionally, and THEN try an IF approach, could I still have good musculature while dropping body fat and maintaining strength while fasting? I feel fasting is the most ‘natural’ way we should eat and am keen to try it, but just want to hear your opinion on this. Thanks a lot. (btw. I’m 16… Is fasting in teens like 16-18 detrimental in any way? Ive heard it shouldn’t be done, but feel it would give best results.)
First, thanks for the comment. Second, don’t worry about fasting being bad. I think you’re associating that with having a lower caloric intake, which isn’t what fasting is about.
You have two choices:
1) Lean down. Try to maintain your strength, or improve it as best as possible. But the gist is that you’re understanding this is a necessary part. Train with the weights hard, don’t go cardo-centric either. Let it happen through your diet. This is the fastest way to get to where you want to be.
2) Try a recomposition. It’s basically the same plan as above, but being more generous with your calories and carbohydrates on training days. This would hopefully stimulate some muscle growth and provide enough for recovery.
Thanks for the replies. One last question. I’m stuck at a point on which truly are my ‘training days’. Should I just class them as the days I lift? I train 5x a week. 5 days on, but lift mon/we’d/fri and athletics train tues/thurs(2hrs hiit tue, 1:30 sprints thu) so I’m conscious about getting enough carbs and calories to recover, and to fuel my workouts. Or am I just over thinking it? Thanks again, Anthony.
Also, i’m gonna be straight : Am I wasting time strength training? Should I be gaining weight? I am still underweight for my height, and unhappy about my body all the time and it’s stressing me out too much. I need to focus more on studies than this at the moment, so I need an easy strategy that doesn’t require too much mental stress. Theres just too many conflicting ideas on the internet, and I don’t know what to do anymore. I’d rather hear from someone with just about identical body type as me (on your older photos) on how to gain weight and muscle. Thanks man.
Strength training is a must. My job is very mentally demanding as it’s a “creative” field. It doesn’t bother me. Just make sure you take care of your sleep and other stressors.
hi, so i started gym with friend at work a few months back my BF% was 20% and we been bulking, iv always been skinny my whole life until a couple years ago where i began to drink alot(party) so still suffering with a bit of beer belly, i expected that during bulking i wont thin down, yet by belly has stayed same but my arms etc have seem to lose some fat, im going to begin cutting after a year of bulking. so far been happy with my results even friends/ family have noticed results.
intresting read thanks.
Thanks Sheldon. The belly is “stubborn.” It will come with time.
Good on you sheldon, Im probably 25% and this is the exact same thing Im doing. 6’1 105kg ATM!
Hi!
Is this an overall recommandation, or do you have different bodyfat-numbers for women? I’m about 17%, is that considered lean enough to build some mass?
Love your blog, btw!
This is taken from my upcoming nutrition book
• 3% to 5% on a male is about 11% to 13% on a female.
• 6% to 7% on a male is about 14% to 15% on a female.
• 9% to 10% on a male is about 16% to 17% on a female.*
• 11% to 12% on a male is about 18% to 19% on a female*
• 14% to 15% on a male is about 20% to 22% on a female.
• 20% to 22% on a male is about 25% to 26% on a female.
*Solid base level
I was skinny fat, more on the fact that i kept drinking and drinking after age 18. Ive been lifting since Febuary and hitting it probably consistently since March.
I chose the “you cant chisel a pebble into a statue” saying and bulked up, My weight went up 4kg in 5months and Ive been eating like a fucking horse. Dont be disheartened to bulk and get some bodyfat. Shit its pretty much maintenace for youre weight and eat as much as you did before except throw some protein in and youre bulking for 2 years. Im for muscle not for lean otterman gaines.
Thanks for your opinion. But I find you simply have to know how to eat for “clean” gains. You don’t eat at maintenance 24/7, which I think that’s what you’re saying. If you do that, it won’t end well.
Hello,
Great article. I am in a similar predicament. fairly new to lifting(34 years old) and have been skinny my whole life. I am 5-9″ 150 LBs and have belly fat. Body fat % about 12.5%. I have been working with a trainer the past 6 weeks and have put on about 2-3 pounds. My diet is healthy, I lift 3 times a week and do cardio 20-25 minutes twice once to twice a week. I would LOVE to lose the belly fat and put on about 10 LBs of muscle and am very confused about what my diet should be like. Extra calories to bulk, deficit to lose fat etc? argh. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I’d lose the belly first, just as the article advises. Your muscle growth will skyrocket back to normal after, even though you might shrink a bit in the process.
I couldn’t agree more with this article.
For a change, I tried getting lean for the past month. I do cardio and strength training alternately for six days a week. I have lost 1kg of fat in the process without losing more than 10% of my original lean mass.
Good stuff, Dave. Usually the slower you take things the better off you are with regards to muscle retention.
Hello Anthony, great article!
I’m 6’2” 186 pounds skinny-fat ecto. I workout 3 days a week for about 3 months now (full body workout plus some isolation exercises). No cardio, but I keep my diet in check. My strength and weight are increasing but I decided to get lean first. Most of my bodyfat is around my stomach and it does not look good. Because of that, I decided to add cardio to my routine. What I want to ask;
1) Is low intensity cardio for 20-30 minutes after weight lifting session will hinder my muscle gains? I read somewhere that it is possible to burn more fat that way. But I do not want to burn my muscles in the process. I want to keep my strength high as possible, but also it is difficult for me to find time for cardio except those 3 days I workout.
2) What do you suggest for forearm and calf area? Those are the most problematic areas for me and I would appreciate any suggestion. Also, for some exercises my grip strength is starting to become a limiting factor. What can I do to increase my grip strength?
Thanks!
1) If you’re asking if the cario will do it — maybe, but probably not as long as you don’t overdo it. If you’re asking if the fact that it’s done AFTER a workout will do it — no.
2) You don’t focus on these areas until you’re respectable elsewhere. Put most of your attention to the rest of your body for now. You can do some calf raises here and there, sure. Or forearm curls. Rice digs. Whatever. But you should do thick bar curls.
As for the grip, depends on what you need it for. There are different kinds of grip strength. What exercises are hindered?
Thanks for the reply, will try using thick bar for curls. I will probably get something like fat gripz.
For the grip issue: for example, dumbbell step up like this:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/dumbbell-step-up.html
I aim to perform 10 for left and 10 for right leg per set. But when I pick up 50 pound dumbbells for my last set, it surely stimulates my legs, but because of grip issue, I barely hit 7 reps left and right, and holding dumbbells becomes very difficult at that point. It feels like I can do more if my grip was better. Other examples for hindered exercises are DB bulgarian squat, stiff leg deadlift. I dont have any grip issue for upper body exercises for now.
Well if you’re sole goal is to hit the legs then you need another exercise or you need to use straps. Don’t let grip interfere with leg training.
Anthony, I know you say to lean out but what if the fat won’t budge? I’m female, 5’6 115 pounds. Still have belly fat and now as I continue to try and lean out, my arms are getting skinnier. I’m losing all my muscle. I was under the impression that if you have no muscle it’s harder to lose fat because your metabolism slows. Any tips appreciated.
Well most of the metabolism slowing comes from being in a chronic caloric deficit. If I were you I’d consider having some kind of refeed day once or twice per week if you aren’t already. These should help retain muscle.
Are you lifting weights? Squatting, pressing, pulling?
I am going to start the refeeds. Should I eat at a surplus on these refeeds or eat at maintenance for my weight? Yes, I have been lifting weights for years, mostly machines, but I am now getting into free weights. I should do 3 sets of 8-12 reps to build muscle, right?
You can build muscle in lots of different repetition ranges. Which one is best for you depends on a TON of factors. A true refeed will have you bounce above maintenance. I usually recommend one if you’re in full throttle fat loss to make sure your body doesn’t totally dreak.
Great stuff Anthony. Just found your site tonight and my eyes are gonna fall out I’ve read so much already. I’ve been a 6’1″ skinny twig since I was in middle school. I finally gained weight (fat) when I hit my 30s’. Mostly from beer (belly). I’m an avid tennis player 3-5x a week. But never did any real weight training. After losing a ton of weight 15 months ago (yoga-tennis-fasting) I moved to Portland and put on 20lbs of fat (beer-bbq-no exercise). I finally decided I’d had enough and got serious about getting lean and healthy. I quit drinking, joined a tennis club, started working out. I got a Bod-Pod reading and had 23.7% fat. So I’m trying to focus on losing the fat first while still lifting weights to maintain muscle. The guy that did my Bod-Pod reading is also a trainer and said I should maintain my weight of 182lbs and even gain a few more pounds. How the hell do I drop all this fat and gain weight? Your article makes more sense to me. Thanks..
You don’t. If I were you I’d start doing a progressive strength training routine along with everything else you got going on. That’s going to help build/keep some of your muscle around during your fat loss crush.
Thanks for the quick response. I started doing Craig Ballantynes Turbulence Training work out 2 weeks ago. I just started with the 4 week beginner course to get myself fit enough to actually start doing some serious lifting.
I’m slightly familiar with TT, but from what I know it’s not so much of a strength program but more so a metabolic program. Get yourself leveling up basic exercises.
Hej anthony,
I am currently back into the whole process, if been working out for some time. On-and off, and due to medical problems i have been forced to stop when i was doing well.
Now, i can’t still go to the gym quite yet. But i was already busy working on my diet, and losing weight.
I got a few dumbbells at home, and can implement pull-ups if necessary.
You think it will mater that much that i will keep losing weight and still wait with the strength exercising?
Loving all the information you provide on the wonderful site btw !
I dunno how much it will matter, but I’d prefer you get some work in now. Just my opinion. You’re always better off stronger.
Hej, thanks for the reply.
Currently just doing pull-ups, dumbell-rows, push ups shoulder and arm exercises
(dumbells) nothing tot heavy… noticed i lost ALLOT of my strength.
Planning on going back to the gym in 1-2 weeks.
Currently sitting at 6 ft 163 pounds.
My diet is clean, has enough protein in it. But not really counting calories atm.
I stil have some belly hand chest fat. I actually want to get rid of the fat direct and then start ging heavy. So that i can lift harder by eating wit a surplus in calories.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Don’t know what kind of thoughts you want here? I post a lot of stuff about bulking and cutting on my blog. Browse around. You need to strength train, so start there. And after that, dial your nutrition into where it needs to be to loose. But you need to strength train regardless.
Hey Anthony, this is a great article. I have been trying to figure out whether to bulk or cut, and this article perfectly describes how I feel. I have always been active, but I also have always had baby fat that made me skinny fat. I look very thin, and on most parts of my body I am quite thin with some muscle. Several months ago, I was at 20.5 percent body fat, but I have taken action by dieting, doing cardio and several muscle workouts a week. I am now at either 15.5 or 16 percent body fat, but still have man boobs and (reduced) love handles. Currently, I run 5 miles five times a week, sometimes 6 miles, I swim a km a week, and workout twice for an hour. I guess I am trying to ask whether or not my man boobs will disappear by 12 percent or so? And should I tweak my diet? I try to eat something like 2000 calories per day. Thanks
The big thing I see: you’re not strength training as much as you should be.
Less other activity. More strength training.
hey freat article ive just started up at the gym again after 6 months of eating nothing but junk food ive been to the gym in the past but my diet was awful and so was my sleep and i just bounced between bulk and cut failing miserably at both
ive got my diet and my sleep pattern under control for first time in my life and im eating lean protien and carbs only from milk around work out and at breakfast and ive started doing 30-45 mins of cardio (both optimal fat burning levels and intival training) i work out 5 days a week and on weekedend cut out the milk and just have lean protien next to no carbs 
ive just just hit 10.4% bf and i am so happy cos im really insecure about my belly fat but i really want a six pack and lean arms and chest before i start a bulk because i dont want to get fat so figure best to get lean than i cann afford to put on a bit of weight with lean bulking 
but i was just curious if you had any help on how to get under the 10% so i can see my abs and how long you reacon it will take?
If you’re 10% you should have a six pack.
Perhaps your BF measurements are inacurate.
Ive done a few tests im defo at ten% i know some people need to drop to between 6and 8 %tho so im not to worried i can see them slowly coming through and can feel em was just wondering if you had any tips to get that last bit of belly fat off or is just a few weeks of patience the answer
Depends on what you’re using now and whatnot. The last bit is tough and I wouldn’t rush it because it usually means curtailing results elsewhere and dropping strength.
Hey Anthony,
Great article. I’m glad Juji referenced your site a while back, I don’t know if I would’ve found your blog otherwise as I’m not much of a blog reader. Thanks for all the info!
This article reminded me of a question I’ve had for a while, which I’ve not gotten a satisfactory answer for, and would like your input. I’m currently 5’9″, 235 lbs and around 26% bf, definitely not a skinny-fat, just a regular old fat-fat haha. But my question is, if I were to eat like a lean and healthy 200 pounder, and workout well ( I’m currently doing starting strength and training capoeira almost everyday), would I eventually become a lean 200 lbs? Possible long term? I’ve adopted your cruise control IF method, with 1-2x per week 24 hour fast and I’m feeling great!
Thanks in advance for your input.
I don’t know as I don’t know what your conception of eating like a lean and healthy 200 pounder is. Chances are that lean 200 pounder can eat MORE than you can as they have improved insulin sensitivity and creates a much bigger training stress in their body.
I think you should worry about eating in a way you need to eat for your goal.
Training sounds decent. SS is a good program for your powerlifts, but I wouldn’t say it’s best for total physique purposes. It’s certainly a good program though, as long as it aligns with what you want.
Hey Anthony, thanks for this article, it really did clear up a lot for me. I’m 5’9, 16, and around 138lbs, around 16-17% BF, the typical skinny fat. My main goal is gaining muscle (obviously) but the idea of going on a bulk, even a clean one for that matter, scares me because of the fat gain. With that being said, a cut would be best for my situation right? I’m not scared of losing muscle considering I don’t have much right now, but with the proper routine (i.e. training heavy) could I limit the muscle loss? Thanks for your help!
You’d probably gain muscle if you are untrained.
Hi , Anthony great article never seen anything like it.I am 17 years old and i have been doing weight trainning and healthy nutrition for 3 months now.I go to the gym with a friend of mine and we pretty much do the same things ( both in weight trainning and diet )and we started the very same day.We were both kind of skinny and we took a promise.To get fit.Today i am no mach for him.He got big and strong.I didn’t.He progressed much from the day we started and i wondered why i didn’t as well?So i asked my trainner and he replyed to me : ”your bodytype sucks dude.I will be honest with you.No matter how hard you train you are never going tosee true results you are just messing arround ”. After that i quit the gym i totally lost hope until i read your article . What should i do?Ihave 6” whrists and bony calves and lower leg and skinny upper chest plus a bit of man boobs . Please reply Anthony i realy need your advise i gotta make my self fit.
I don’t know what you want me to tell you outside of just read as much as you can on the blog and begin with the eight essential exercises document I have available. You can build yourself. It might take work and effort. But you can build.
And I honestly think my wrists are smaller than 6″.
Hi Anthony, your posts have been really informative and motivational. I have been working out for about 6 months and definitely made some improvements along the way. I have gained about 4kg so far. I do strength training 4 times a week but only recently starting doing HIIT on my rest days. My goal is to lose fat but also get bigger. What should the number of reps be like for my weight training regime and also how heavy should I be lifting? Thanks!
Reps totally depend. I can’t answer without having control of your entire framework. You should be lifting tough. But then again, if you’re strong, sometimes you need light days. So your questions are a bit vague and more suited toward a personal consultation. All I can say is just read as much here as possible.
Reps usually 5-8 for upper body, IMO. 8-10 for assistance. Lower, I like 3-5.
I made the mistake of bulking first. Despite the fact I did gain a lot of muscle I still got much fatter (I hit 38% BF) it looked very ugly. Now I’m still cutting from that time and am on 17% BF. one thing I’m certain of is that I would never get myself above 20% again. Cutting is easy when you only have 5 to 6 kilos to lose but if you bulk at 20%+ you will gain a lot more than you can stay motivated to lose. So as a word of advice CUT FIRST!!!!!
38% BF? That’s huge. Are you sure that was an accurate measurement?
i make the big mustake after 2 years of cutting i started to gain weight and now i have 115 kg at 1.87 height.i want bback at 85 kg but now is verry hard to loose weight.WHAT SHOUD I DO??
what shoud i eat not to feel fatigue by the diet??what suplements shoud i take?
before bedtime is ok to take some protein powder?
What did you do to lose weight before? Can’t you do it again?
LAst time i starve myself a lot and took some whey protein wih coffeine.low low calorie was the “secret”
Now i study a lot and i cannot afford to have a low calorie diet(i feel brain fog fatigue)..
i tend to eat calories before bedtime ,i want to ask at what time do u have ur last meal??
5-6PM.
Hi Anthony! Great article, but just wanted to see if you agree with the changes I’m planning to make after reading this ?
I’m 20, have been gyming for about 2-3 years, but never seen a massive improvement in definition… I’ve definitely increased muscle mass though, having been on protein shakes and various supplement stacks. Always been body conscious, and never had proper abs – but have been afraid of putting on weight or getting sucked into the bulk/cut cycle indefinitely and never making any improvements…
I’m 6ft, 1 height… About 156lbs. When I measured about 2-3 weeks ago, I was about 15% bf… Decided to start a cut. Been on about a 1800 calorie diet (500-700 cal deficit) for about 2 weeks and have definitely definitely dropped body fat.
Current plan of action is to reach a 12-10% bf over the next month or so, take 2 weeks off dieting eating at maintenance calories, then start a 500 calorie surplus clean bulk – increasing training from 3 to 5 times a week.
Is this the right way to go ?
Thanks !!!
I think your concept of a clean bulk is wrong, as a steady singular calorie intake won’t do it. Gotta be chaotic — check out my clean bulk series and my book, The Chaos Bulk for more info on that.
All else seems sensible as long as you truly were at 15% BF.
Hello Anthony
Could you give your view on these areas below
1. Using HST principle during cutting
2. Use of BCAA along with thermogenics
3. Assuming one follows a proper diet and works out reasonably hard, how long would it take to move from 14% BF to 9%?
Thanks so much
Ranjith
1) What am I supposed to be giving an opinion on here? Whether or not to do it? Whether or not it will work?
2) What does this even mean? When are you using BCAAs? What does the thermogenic part even mean? Thermogenic effect of food? Or what?
3) Not even Jesus would be able to answer this. Expect to lose around 2 pounds per week. Make it 1 pound per week if you plan on keeping muscle around better. So you can calculate that out yourself based on an ACCURATE BF estimation and your current weight.
I answer questions, my man, but you gotta give me something to work with.
Hi Anthony
Sorry if I was being vague. Let me mention details
1. Yes. Do you think HST is a good routine for cutting fat or only for bulking?
2. morning workouts, on empty stomach, I use oxyelite pro which is a thermogenic pill for fat burn. I also have 6gm BCAA 3:2:1 ratio of lucine : valine : isoluciene
From what I read, this is good combination. Question that comes to mind is, if the bloodstream has loads of BCAA, will it ignore the fat burn and go after the BCAA for energy instead?
3. I believe you answered my question
Cheers
Ranjith
1) I’m not a huge fan of splitting the body into more than upper/lower. So I’m not a gigantic HST fan. Not saying it can’t work, but I’d pin it more on an advanced routine for someone interested in mass.
2) I don’t use BCAAs. But 6gm isn’t “loads.” Your success will hinge on much much more than this.
Hello Anthony
1. HST is full body workout on each session. So what do you say is more than upper/lower body split?
2. If 6gm is way too less, what dosage would you suggest to make a usefull difference? Also, what would the success hinge on?
Thanks again
Ranjith
Ah sorry, HST looks alright. I wouldn’t do it though. Would definitely be a mass gaining endeavor with those 20 rep squats.
I don’t take BCAAs, so I have no dosage to give you.
Success hinges on more than the fate of 6grams of BCAAs…like the other 99.9% of your nutrition and the 100% of your training and the 100% of your lifestyle.
Thanks Anthony
U ever tried Nitix from BSN?are they any good?i want to take some suplements for weightloss..
I don’t so supplements save for whey and creatine.
Tks Anthony,but when u want to loose weight ,u take creatine and what kind do u take mono or ethyl esther?
Mono. Always.
hello i’m skinny fat. I did p90x.But I have a little fat in my chest and stomach, What do you suggest me ? Please help me. I did low carb and paleo,İF
The Skinny-Fat Solution
It’s why I wrote it.