Should I lose or maintain? Wanting a better physique

jonathandavid_t

Hi, I'm not sure what to do with my body/eating. I'm a 5'11" (1.82m) guy and I weigh about 76kg (167lbs). My body fat is probably about 20%, but that's a guesstimate.

I don't look great - see photos below - and my goals are really to increase muscle size (or at least definition) on the chest/shoulders/arms, begin to have visible abs, and get my waist down from its current 36" to somewhere around 32-34".

I don't care much what my weight is on the scales - I'm more bothered about being and looking healthy.

So - given that I'm aiming for 1g/lb protein in my diet, lifting weights and doing a small amount of cardio, should I:
- eat at maintenance?
- eat at a deficit?
- eat at a surplus (+/- then cutting)?
... or what?

LoudmouthLee

This may or may not help, but I'm 5 foot 8 and 190 pounds... and my body fat percentage is 18%. I wear a size 32 pant.

With all of that being said, If I were you (and please take my advice as however you see fit...) I would...

Eat at a slight surplus (while eating the right foods) and start doing some strength conditioning. Also, besides chest/shoulders/arms, core work would benefit you greatly.

Perhaps some body weight exercises to start? Pushups? Squats? Pull / Chin ups?

MityMax96

Get in the gym big man and start pushing some iron.

Get your calories and macros right, and you will be pleased with the results.

Slight surplus might be warranted if you do get in the gym.

msf74

Surplus.

Hammer the weights hard.

Then cut.

Hammer the weights hard.

richardheath

Hi, I'm not sure what to do with my body/eating. I'm a 5'11" (1.82m) guy and I weigh about 76kg (167lbs). My body fat is probably about 20%, but that's a guesstimate.

I don't look great - see photos below - and my goals are really to increase muscle size (or at least definition) on the chest/shoulders/arms, begin to have visible abs, and get my waist down from its current 36" to somewhere around 32-34".

I don't care much what my weight is on the scales - I'm more bothered about being and looking healthy.

So - given that I'm aiming for 1g/lb protein in my diet, lifting weights and doing a small amount of cardio, should I:
- eat at maintenance?
- eat at a deficit?
- eat at a surplus (+/- then cutting)?
... or what?

To get more muscle, you need to eat at a surplus, and lift heavy weights (Starting Strength, Stronglifts etc). Eating at a surplus will also increase your body fat.

To get a more defined look with what you have, you will need to eat at a deficit to cut your % body fat (around 12-15% for the abs to be visible). Oh, and lift weights.

Obviously, these are mutually exclusive goals. You will need to pick one to begin with.

[Actually - there is a 3rd option - body recomposition. Here, you would eat at maintenance and lift heavy. You will slowly burn off the fat, and put on some muscle. But this is quite a slow process.]

I kind of went through the same questions when I started - still do in fact! - and for me, the idea of purposefully adding more weight (including FAT) was not attractive. I wanted to get slim, not have to buy new (bigger) trousers, and feel better right away.

So, I would suggest continuing with the cut right now. It will show yourself (a) that you can shed fat and (b) what your body looks like right now. Get on a good strength training routine with progressive overload (did I say that already), eat at a modest deficit, do a little bit of HIIT cardio, and the inches will fall off. I went from a 36" waist to a 30" doing this in less than 6 months.

The_Enginerd

To get more muscle, you need to eat at a surplus, and lift heavy weights (Starting Strength, Stronglifts etc). Eating at a surplus will also increase your body fat.

To get a more defined look with what you have, you will need to eat at a deficit to cut your % body fat (around 12-15% for the abs to be visible). Oh, and lift weights.

Obviously, these are mutually exclusive goals. You will need to pick one to begin with.

[Actually - there is a 3rd option - body recomposition. Here, you would eat at maintenance and lift heavy. You will slowly burn off the fat, and put on some muscle. But this is quite a slow process.]

Wanted to second this.

I'm 5'11" and was 165 lbs when I initially reached my goal weight almost two years ago. Weather you want to bulk or cut first or do a body recomposition is a personal choice. I was okay with putting on a bit of weight and have been working on slowly bulking (150-200 cal/day surplus). Even though I have put on over 5 lbs so far, I feel trimmer and my abs feel more solid than when I started.

Greenrun99

Hit them Weights!!! Look at starting Stronglifts 5x5 or something challenging and eat around maintenance..

ElliottTN

Eat at maintenance for 6-12 months and do a body recomp. Keep you protein where you have it set at.

Don't bulk or you are going to look fat as hell even at a low weight for your height.

Don't cut or you just going to look like complete crap with abs. (Think Michael Cera)

You literally have no muscle with those stats. Fix that through a recomp before you even worry about cut/bulk. You'll get there, its just gonna take some time and a good lifting routine.

darrensurrey

I'd agree with the above. I started off like you and wasted a year just focusing on weight loss then had to rebuild muscle I'd lost. Just eat at maintenance and watch the fat slowly disappear and muscle grow. You're going to have to do it anyway if you want to improve your physique whether you cut now or in 6 months' time.

If I were to rewind 565 days, I'd not cut my calories and do just this.

Oh and eat 150g protein a day irrespective of your calorie intake as you'll need the protein.

Mr_Knight

You literally have no muscle with those stats. Fix that through a recomp before you even worry about cut/bulk. You'll get there, its just gonna take some time and a good lifting routine.

I second that.

jonathandavid_t

Thank you all. I'll try the maintenance calories and weights for a few months and see what progress I make.