lose weight or bulk up?

celtictiger32

just looking for some advice because i have heard conflicting reports on this. ive started back training and want to get myself in good shape (i.e. put some muscle back on and generally toned). on one side i have heard i should lose some weight and start putting muscle on from scratch so to speak, but then on the other side i have heard i should put on weight and do same. can anyone please clarify or give some advice? btw im 6ft in my early 30's and weigh somewhere between 13 and 14 stone, i dont think im really overweight but have a bit of a belly i suppose. i did the whole strict diets eating the proper foods and that years ago but have to say i love me grub now so i need to strike a balance there also. anyway any advice appreciated......


btw just in addition which exercises would best suit for my needs?

TimeToShine

Well if you're already skinny then you should bulk by eating at about 500kcal over your intake a day while lifting heavy 3-4 times a week. When you reach a good level of muscle mass, you can then start cutting down. Basically, muscle is put on most efficiently if you bulk at the same time, because the excess calories go towards building it. That isn't to say you couldn't cut and build muscle, but this would only be because you haven't lifted in a while.

Chinups, Pullups, Lat Pulldowns, Rows, Bench Press, Shoulder Press, Lateral Raises, Deadlifts and Squats(Ask someone to correct your form). It depends what you want to workout to be honest but just make sure you go consistently and keep it up.

celtictiger32

TimeToShine wrote: »

Well if you're already skinny then you should bulk by eating at about 500kcal over your intake a day while lifting heavy 3-4 times a week. When you reach a good level of muscle mass, you can then start cutting down. Basically, muscle is put on most efficiently if you bulk at the same time, because the excess calories go towards building it. That isn't to say you couldn't cut and build muscle, but this would only be because you haven't lifted in a while.

Chinups, Pullups, Lat Pulldowns, Rows, Bench Press, Shoulder Press, Lateral Raises, Deadlifts and Squats(Ask someone to correct your form). It depends what you want to workout to be honest but just make sure you go consistently and keep it up.

i wouldnt say skinny im medium to heavy build but i wouldnt be fat if you know what i mean. i kind of need to start from scratch really i havent trained properly in years. i was fairly fit about 10 years ago when i was training for a world championships in martial arts but tbh i havent really lifted a finger since then so id be very rusty

Blatter

Just concentrate on hitting the weights hard and eat clean, don't complicate things for yourself at the beginning.