Getting lean and wanting to build muscle when I hit my goal.

duddysdad · October 2016

So I am 36/M/6'5" currently at 217, losing weight after a 50 pound binge gain. My lowest weight was 179, but I still needed to lose more weight to get rid of my stomach fat, aka skinny fat. My current goal is to get to 170, perhaps even 165, then gain muscle using a gym. I have never been to a gym, nor have I ever exercised.

I've read different things about building muscle, but they are so different I don't know what to do. My plan is cutting as much weight as possible, to get as lean as possible, then doing a slow bulk while lifting heavy. I plan on doing weights 3x a week, working different body parts, gradually increasing to 5x a week. As for how much I should eat, that I do not know. I was thinking of eating at maintenance on my off days, and eating at a 300-500 calorie surplus on my lifting days. Would this work, or should I eat at a surplus even on my off days? I plan on getting around 150 grams of protein in the form of lean proteins, maybe some protein shakes.

I would like to minimize fat gain while doing this, but I know it's to be expected. I don't want to eat so much I gain 20 pounds of fat on top of muscle, but I know I will gain fat, but I will be able to cut.

Any help is appreciated.

Muscleflex79 · October 2016

6'5" and 217 doesn't seem overweight at all...getting down to 165 would seem scary skinny at that height! Others with more experience will jump on and give you a plan, I'm sure, but the one you posted above does not seem necessary or best!

rybo · October 2016

1 Start lifting now,
2 6'-5" & 165-170 lbs is VERY skinny! You'd have almost no muscle at that weight.

ajnb88 · October 2016

I'm 6'2" ish and wish wish wish I'd started lifting earlier, rather than getting stuck in a spiral of anorexia and having to build myself back up.

Some say it's best to lean out before gaining, but bear in mind the psychological strain of basically doing a complete about-turn, especially if it's a lot of weight.

FWIW, 165lbs is actually a little more than I weigh right now.

sijomial · October 2016

Start lifting now.
Personally I wouldn't cut from your current weight let alone get down to a very light 165lbs.

Put more effort into getting into a proper training plan supported by an adequate diet than messing about with over-complicated calorie cycling. That's just a distraction.

Unless you have advanced body composition goals cut/bulk cycles aren't required at all.

AnvilHead · October 2016

rybo wrote: »

1 Start lifting now,
2 6'-5" & 165-170 lbs is VERY skinny! You'd have almost no muscle at that weight.

Concur. I'm 6'6" and currently 217 lbs., and can't picture even going below 200, if that. I was 165-170 lbs. in high school (at the same height) and I was skin and bones with virtually zero muscle mass. You could almost count my ribs and I had to wear big upper arm pads when I played football so my arms didn't look like toothpicks dangling out of my jersey sleeves. I know 165-170 is technically still within the healthy/normal BMI range, but I'd never want to be that skinny again.

OP, you should start lifting now to help retain as much lean body mass as you can. It's a lot easier to maintain muscle than it is to build it after you've lost it, and you're going to lose quite a bit cutting your weight down that low.

sgt1372 · October 2016

I'm 5'8" @165 and myGF says that she thinks that I look too skinny at this weight. LOL!

At 6'5", OP you just be skin and bones and losing another 50 lbs from 217 to 165 would be entirely contrary to your goal to build muscle because you'd lose a lot of LBM and muscle in the process.

I agree w/others that you should start lifting now to retain muscle and drop down no lower than 200, which I think would be an almost ideal weight for a man your size. Then, you csn decide whether you want to go on a slow bulk to build more muscle w/o regaining too much fat. Good luck!

Getting lean and wanting to build muscle when I hit my goal.

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