Do I have too much belly fat to bulk? Pictures Attached
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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 -
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
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