Skinny-fat --- what would you do (male)

[Jaysx95]

Should skinny fat people cut or bulk? For example, I weigh 162 lbs (73 kgs) at 5'7 with about 20-22% bf. What action do you guys recommend starting off. Little to no lifting experience.

 

[Driven2lift]

Cut, to a lower BF% in my opinion.

You'll feel better about yourself throughout the whole process and things may all come a little easier

 

[john.patterson]

With those stats I think you could get away with a recomp, which is essentially building muscle whilst burning some fat. Since your inexperienced and new to lifting, you would benefit greatly from just focusing on a few key concepts that would begin to show results fairly quick:

-I would say start at 3-4 days per week of quality weight training. Cardio is optional, but focus on compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench press). There are tons of programs online for beginners
-Focus on eating more protein with each meal and try to clean up your diet a bit. Less processed foods, more vegetables and lean protein. As long as you're keeping your intake clean, eat when you're hungry to fuel muscle growth.
-Get enough sleep, and listen to your body when you need rest.

 

[Gutterpump]

I wouldn't cut or bulk. If you're skinny-fat and fairly new to lifting, I'd recommend a RECOMP using a CKD (cyclical ketogenic diet) along with a 3x per week fullbody routine. Light cardio on off days.

You will not only lose fat this way, but you will build muscle. Gauranteed on this diet and program, and results will only be amplified by the fact you are new to lifting.

 

[Gutterpump]

I'd do something like this:

Monday: fullbody routine (little to no carbs, high fat, moderate protein)
Tuesday: light cardio (little to no carbs, high fat, moderate protein)
Wednesday: fullbody routine (little to no carbs, high fat, moderate protein)
Thursday: light cardio (little to no carbs, high fat, moderate protein)
Friday: Fullbody routine (start eating carbs immediately post workout, with protein)

Continue to eat high carbs + protein, but low fat, over the weekend until Sunday Morning

 

[john.patterson]

I think CKD would be a little extreme considering he is just getting into lifting. It would be effective, but he will see results from simply cleaning up his diet and eating more protein IMO. Something as extreme as CKD would probably be a bit overwhelming for someone so new to the scene. I'm not a fan of keto diets, but many people utilize them with great success.

 

[LeanEngineer]

Start doing some research on here and other sites and find a program they u like for cutting. Grab a fat burner, good diet plans and some cardio and I think that's a good start. Check out strong supplement shop for fat burners and info on products as well.

 

[Jaysx95]

Thanks guys. So bulking should be out of the question until I hit sub 15% bf? I'm planning on doing ICF or SL 5x5. How does that sound?

 

[Gutterpump]

I think 5x5 will be really tough while trying to cut weight.

 

[bboyflash]

You could bulk but, with Lower bf% your body will respond better. Just search programs for skinny fat people, there are many and you'll find the answers you need
Personally when I startedwhen I first started out I did 5x5 while doin a slow bulk to build a base. Remember choose a goal, to get bigger or to ge smaller it will take time just chose a solid plan and stick it out and the results will come

 

[Jaysx95]

I just read it's never a good idea to bulk at 20% bf. But I don't know if I'll "spin my wheels" on maintenance and not get anywhere. But if I lower my bf to sub 15 I will still be skinny-fat, won't I?

 

[David147]

Skinny fat basically basically refers to the body type of someone who doesn't look fat while clothed (Relatively thin-looking) but actually has a bit too much fat, which is more visible once the clothes are removed. For example, while sitting down, such a person will have fat rolls. Take anorexic people for example. People with this disorder lose a significant portion of weight from muscle. This is the reason why, ironically, anorexic people often actually have a high body fat percentage. Body fat accumulates as a survival mechanism while muscle mass is lost, and an emaciated appearance results, but that thin appearance is primarily a result of muscle loss, not fat loss. The layman will often mistakenly think a thin person must not have much body fat. That's not the case. It's quite possible a thin person is thin because of a lack of muscle while actually having quite a lot of body fat.