Do I have too much belly fat to bulk? Pictures Attached
anask4
Posts: 86 Member
I am 19 years old, male, 5 ft 6, and weigh 140-143 lbs. I have been cutting since May 2013, with the exception of 2 two week vacations. When I started, I was 190 lbs. My arms are like twigs and I am thin everywhere except for my abdomen. I feel that I still have a lot of stubborn belly fat and lower back fat. I had a physical last week, and my doctor was surprised when I told her I feel I still have fat to lose. According to her, and most of my friends who are into working out, I should be focusing on building muscle rather than losing fat (they think I dont need to). I have attached some pictures. Do you guys think I should keep cutting? Or should I start eating at maintenance and/or bulking?
Im in college so i only get to go to the gym twice a week. I do 20 minutes of cardio, which used to consist of running at around 6 mph but recently I have started HIIT, where I can go up to 10-11 mph. I also lift for an hour-hour and a half each time I go. I do SL 5x5 and an additional chest/triceps and biceps/shoulders split. (Workout A would be 5x5 benchpress, squats, and rows. Then I focus on tricep pull downs and chest workouts with cables. WOrkout B is 5x5 military press, squats, and deadlift then I do bicep curls, hammer curls, dumbell raises. I have been doing this for about 6 months).
Im in college so i only get to go to the gym twice a week. I do 20 minutes of cardio, which used to consist of running at around 6 mph but recently I have started HIIT, where I can go up to 10-11 mph. I also lift for an hour-hour and a half each time I go. I do SL 5x5 and an additional chest/triceps and biceps/shoulders split. (Workout A would be 5x5 benchpress, squats, and rows. Then I focus on tricep pull downs and chest workouts with cables. WOrkout B is 5x5 military press, squats, and deadlift then I do bicep curls, hammer curls, dumbell raises. I have been doing this for about 6 months).
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Replies
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The way I see it is, if you want a six-pack then keep cutting. If it's not important to you then go ahead and bulk0
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You don't have any fat on your arms, so if you keep cutting, I doubt they'll get smaller. You have to consider your goals. What do you eventually want to look like?0
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How are your lifts going? If you're still making strength gains, you could continue to cut or even eat at maintenance.
I usually say, go for the bulk but if your belly is bothering you ATM I think it'd eff with your head during a bulk.0 -
Ultimately I want to look muscular, not huge or anything, but I dont want to just be super thin. I was thinking that maybe I should just listen to my body and give it what it wants, if I end up eating at maintenance or over so be it. I feel like I might not have anything to cut down to at this point. So I was wondering if you guys thought that I had to much belly fat to do so.
Also, would working out my abs and core help tone my stomach up and not make it look so big?0 -
Even though you have been on a diet for awhile, you are still subject to "newbie gains" since your muscle mass is low. You will be able to simultaneously gain muscle and drop fat for about 2 or 3 months. It will be apparent when you can't do this anymore; Your body will hit a frustrating plateau where you can't progress any higher in lifting and you don't seem to drop any more fat.
My opinion: You should just start lifting heavy and often (you need to find the time to do it for 1 hr at least 4 times per week. If you want it bad enough, you will make the tmime). See where you are in 3 months, and then decide which direction you want to take, because you won't be able to get both after that point. Personally, I would stick to lifting and building, and maybe just doing a small cut for 2 months before summer every year.
It is fairly easy and straightforward to lose 1lb of fat. It is incredibly hard and time-consuming to build 1lb of muscle. The sooner you start, the better. You can expect to gain, at most, 1 lbs of lean muscle per month; it is the maximum your body can manufacture if you do everything else right in your training program.0 -
get your muscles bigger and you will be happier with how you look, even adding volume to your stomach muscles will help them be more visible. To me you don't look like you have any more to lose....start lifting and watch your whole shape change....0
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Hmmm. If it were me, I would bulk now, cut later. If you're having trouble losing weight right now, the muscle mass you gain now will help make it easier to cut later since your BMR (LBM?) will be higher at that point. Muscle burns more calories, right? That being said, you might gain weight in your abdomen while bulking, so you have to be prepared for that.
After reading some other comments, I would do as others suggested and bulk after you've "used up" your noob gains.0 -
I would lift at maintenance for a few months.0
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Thanks for the advice everyone, guess I get a break from cutting!0
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redfisher1974 wrote: »
I agree with them, if you this is a long term goal, lift at maintenance or a tiny bit above that for a while and watch your body recomposition. You also need to lift heavy and more frequently
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Your 19, you have tons of testerone. Put it to work and build some muscle to help burn the fat. Then do a boat load of cardio. Your body will become a fat burning machine overtime. But yeah, you could use some bulk only my opinion.0
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No more cutting. Put some work in and lift heavy weights and eat at maintenance. I just checked your food log and you don't even keep track of your food on MFP. How do you know how much you are eating? And how do you know you are really "cutting"? I know you've done some calorie reduction to lose the 50 lbs or so in 6 months. What types of food are you eating? Are you sure you've been lifting heavy on the Stronglifts 5x5 program for 6 months? You need to go to the gym more than 2x a week. Why can you only go twice?0
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I find that I get obsessive with logging and so I am taking a break from it. I still have an idea of my consumption and make sure to hit my protein goal. I have lost weight without logging for stretches over the past year.
I will try to find more time for the gym and will aim to go 3 days a week rather than 2.0 -
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Definitely need to bulk in my opinion. I'm only 5' 8" but weight 190 at ~19% BF. That puts me at about 154lbs of LBM. From your picture I'd estimate you to be around 22-25% BF. At 143lbs that only puts your LBM at 107-111lbs. As others have said, you're only 19 and should have a TON of extra testosterone floating around...take advantage of it while you've got it lift. I waited until I was over 30 to start lifting and it certainly doesn't get easier as you get older.
How much progress have you made in SL5x5 over the last 6 months?0 -
I'd say cut. You'll look too skinny for a few months, but you'll put on more muscle once you do bulk. The fat has to come off at some point no matter what if you want a six pack. No reason to risk stretching out the belly skin too.0
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eat lots of green veggies and lean meat. That worked for me.0
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How much progress have you made in SL5x5 over the last 6 months?
My bench press is 110 lbs. I have been able to get my deadlift up to 205 lbs, but I decreased down to 160 lbs because I was losing my form. My barbell row is 125 lbs, and my squat is currently 90 lbs. I used to be able to squat about 110 lbs but I hurt my quad (might have been a pulled muscle) and decided to deload.0 -
My husband is 40 and losing his "belly fat" by lifting heavy. He does some cardio, but mostly he lifts heavy and sweats more doing it than when he ran. His heart rate is definitely up when he lifts. I know because I am there with him 2-3 times per week. (He lifts 6.) He is taking advantage of the extra holiday foods by doing a bulk and will go back to a slight calorie deficit after the first of the year. I would think if he's getting an definition during a bulk at 40, that it would happen to you at 19 as well.
I lost my weight before I started lifting, but my abs are definitely getting more toned. My weight has been steady at 150-155 for 11 months, but the pants I bought in January are getting loose. Not sure your experience at 19 would be the same as mine as a 45 year old female with four kids. I am fairly certain that after 4 kids, my bad will never be what they were pre-kids.0 -
I think if you up your lifting free weights your body will improve no matter what. Lift more, eat a little more, and make adjustments as you go. Great job by the way!0
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mcraburn123 wrote: »eat lots of green veggies and lean meat. That worked for me.
And what else?
Popcorn.0 -
I agree with those who say to eat at maintenance and continue lifting.0
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you're 19, bulk until you reach your strength goals.0
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At 19? eat all the things- and lift all the things.
You'll never have this situation EVER again- get your *kitten* in the gym lift- EVERYTHING.
You're going to make insane gains right now at your age eating all the things- I'd just go ham till it stops- then re-evaluate.0 -
Unless you're obese, at 19 years old you should not be considering cutting.
Your body is primed for growth & development thanks to (still) raging hormone levels that create great potential for recovery after training and potential to pack on some serious lean mass.
Use the next year or so to slowly bulk around .5lbs/week of weight gain and train following a proper program.
You'll (likely) undergo some body recomposition (fat loss + lean mass development) during the early stages of your training anyways, and after that stage the additional mass you develop will leave you with a much more appealing physique than if you were to cut.0 -
Sure his hormones may be peaking at this age, but not everyone has shitload of testosterone flowing.... One thing I could tell you though, all that cardio before you start lifting is not helping you make any muscle gains... You say you don't want to get huge, genetically you probably will have a hard time getting really big; but you need to train like you want to be the biggest dude on earth, to see what results you can yield; by saying, I don't want to get that big,all that says to me is that you don't want to train that hard....0
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More muscle will make it easier to burn fat later (muscle burns calories just by being there) and fill your frame out a bit more making you look less fat. But cutting will make you look better sooner, albeit skinnier. Ultimately you could do either. Personally, if I were in your position I'd bulk, but slowly to minimise any additional fat gains. Lifting and eating at maintenance or ever so slightly higher (+100) sounds like a good plan.
Caesar164 is right; you need to train as though you're trying to be the biggest guy in the world. But don't worry; you won't be.0 -
Great point. Women too should train like they want to get "bulky", in order to get super sexy, but I never thought of it this way for guys too. I will remember this for when my son gets older.but you need to train like you want to be the biggest dude on earth, to see what results you can yield
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