If you're reading this email chances are that you're skinny fat. (Low muscle mass, high body fat percentage)

I get it.

I've been there too.

In this email I'll go over a few things to help you decide whether you should cut, bulk, or take an entirely different approach.

Let's get into it.

1) Bulk?

I never recommend bulking to a skinny fat person.

Reason being, you're already carrying excess amount of body fat, no reason to put yourself in an environment that optimizes fat gain.

"But will I not build muscle faster during a bulk?"

You're right, you will.

But it's still not worth it.

Since you're a beginner lifter, lifting weights will be a huge stimulus for you.

That means you can successfully grow muscle at maintenance and even while cutting.

If you're currently skinny fat, I don't recommend you bulk.

2) Cut then?

Cutting could be a viable option.

You could cut down, get rid of the excess body fat, get lean, and then start a bulking phase.

Starting a bulking phase from a point where you're lean is good because you can bulk for a considerable amount of time (if done right) and put on some solid muscle mass.

The question is, is it worth to spend 12-16 weeks cutting, putting yourself in an environment where muscle growth is the slowest, just so you could enter a bulking phase?

I think not.

Or at least I can think of a better approach.

3) Better approach

So bulking and cutting were both a no-go.

What the hell should you do then?

Glad you asked.

You set your calories at maintenance.

Maintenance calories are the calories you need to maintain your current weight.

This will place you in an environment where you're not going to gain extra fat but still build muscle close to optimally.

You can do that for an entire year.

After a year, you'll have grow out of your newbie gain phase and could benefit from direct bulking and cutting phases.

So after a your physique will look drastically different.

You'll have built a considerable amount of muscle.

But you didn't lose any fat so bulking still isn't a good option.

(Remember what I said about starting a bulk at a too high body fat %, not the best idea)

So after that year, cut down 12-13% body fat.

Once you're there, you'll look defined enough too see all the muscle you've built before you enter a bulking phase to put on even more muscle.

At 12-13% body fat, you're in a good position to enter a long bulking phase.

We know that muscle growth is optimized during a bulk (calorie surplus) so we want to spend the most time of the year bulking and only getting lean for the shirtless months.

To make sure you can bulk for long enough and don't get too fat, enter a small 250-300 calorie surplus.

This will minimize fat gain while still giving you all the anabolic benefits of a calorie surplus.

To give you a time frame, ideally, you want to bulk for 8-9 months of the year and maintain or cut 3-4 months of the year.

So you understand, to bulk for 8-9 months, you have to keep your calorie surplus in check so you don't get too fat too fast.

The better approach summarized:

1. Calories at maintenance
2. Lift weights
3. Do it for a year and cut down before starting a bulking phase.

Thanks for reading?