Skinny Fat - Help me get in shape.

[TransitPoloce]

Hey Guys I'm looking for some advice on training. I'm 32 and I've been going to the gym for the last 10-15 years, although not always very consistently.

I feel like I've made very minimal progress in this time at all. I've always been skinny but had a high body fat percentage and store fat very easily around my chest and stomach.

I've tried various routines over the years, starting with Starting Strength / 5x5 style routines that focused on heavy compound lifts combined with eating in a caloric surplus to gain weight. I ate a lot to increase my strength and eventually abandoned this because I ended up just getting fat from it.

It seems to be a recurring theme with my training, I will follow a routine for 3-6 months, get some results early on but eventually stall or gain too much fat and then give up and lose any results I had.

I've tried a lot of stuff: heavy compound lifts with low reps, crossfit, boxing/kickboxing, bodybuilding style routines but it seems my progress has always been so minimal or non existent that I just get discouraged and eventually give up and move on to something else. I feel like I have a lot of knowledge on training from all the reading I've done over the years, but embarrassed at the results I've gotten.

Same with nutrition, I've tried most things over the years: Ketogenic diets, Paleo, Bodybuilder style high protein diets while counting calories strictly.

I'm now on TRT and am probably in the best shape I've been in, but still feel like I should be in better shape for all the effort I put in.

Any advice? I want to get to a low bf% and have a 6-pack for the first time in my life without losing any muscle. Unsure if I should be trying to gain muscle, cutting or just maintaining current weight.

I am currently doing a 3 day Gym Split and 2 boxing classes a week.

Am currently 78kg (172 lbs) 5'11.

 

[Vince]

The best exercise I know for abs is just hanging from a high chin up bar doing leg raises and knee raises. They really make my abs burn, start off slow it's amazing how to sore your abs can get.

 

[Nashtide]

Hey Guys I'm looking for some advice on training. I'm 32 and I've been going to the gym for the last 10-15 years, although not always very consistently.

I feel like I've made very minimal progress in this time at all. I've always been skinny but had a high body fat percentage and store fat very easily around my chest and stomach.

I've tried various routines over the years, starting with Starting Strength / 5x5 style routines that focused on heavy compound lifts combined with eating in a caloric surplus to gain weight. I ate a lot to increase my strength and eventually abandoned this because I ended up just getting fat from it.

It seems to be a recurring theme with my training, I will follow a routine for 3-6 months, get some results early on but eventually stall or gain too much fat and then give up and lose any results I had.

I've tried a lot of stuff: heavy compound lifts with low reps, crossfit, boxing/kickboxing, bodybuilding style routines but it seems my progress has always been so minimal or non existent that I just get discouraged and eventually give up and move on to something else. I feel like I have a lot of knowledge on training from all the reading I've done over the years, but embarrassed at the results I've gotten.

Same with nutrition, I've tried most things over the years: Ketogenic diets, Paleo, Bodybuilder style high protein diets while counting calories strictly.

I'm now on TRT and am probably in the best shape I've been in, but still feel like I should be in better shape for all the effort I put in.

Any advice? I want to get to a low bf% and have a 6-pack for the first time in my life without losing any muscle. Unsure if I should be trying to gain muscle, cutting or just maintaining current weight.

I am currently doing a 3 day Gym Split and 2 boxing classes a week.

Am currently 78kg (172 lbs) 5'11.
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I'm going to give you some hard truths. You have the least desirable genetics to be a muscular guy. That is the biggest obstacle. With your body type, you will not be able to put on muscle and lose fat simultaneously. So you will have to choose one and commit to that goal for a long period of time. Right now, your biggest issue is the amount of fat you are carrying. You will never look taught and strong with 25% bf. Keep in mind that most women don't want a muscle head. They want trim, tight and for the muscles you have to show. If I were you I'd make my first goal to reduce my bf to 15%. You will look 100% better. This will require a calorie deficit. Lowish carbs and lots of metcon. Find a prowler sled and use it until you puke. On the weightlifting side, lots of compound lifts and do not skip leg day. Bench, dips, deads, pull ups, squats, etc. Once you reach 15% bf you can then slowly increase calories and start training to add some definition. Rinse and repeat.

 

[busgalloway]

I'm like 29 but I've only been in the gym maybe 2 years. I started with compound lifts and got stronger but also fatter, my first cut made me lose way too much strength, but I still looked and felt a lot better than before.

So now that I've been on TRT for almost 8 months, I'm stopping the routine I had where I was going every single day and doing small exercises. Even though I saw some gains, it wasn't that good for what I was doing. Now I'm trying Stronglifts 5x5 so I lift heavier. I don't know if this is the one of the ones you did OP but it seems better for me than my original compound lifting routine I learned at my gym. I don't think there is a sure-fire method of exercise frequency as all our bodies condition differently, but I think compound lifts 3 days a week or every other day is good.

Before I had two big problems: my testosterone was way too low, and I was too inconsistent sticking to my routine. If you need to fix those OP, I would fix them. If your routine is too demanding of your time you may need to tone it down but at least have 3 days per week to make progress.

If you don't stick to the routine that doesn't mean it won't work, it means you didn't follow your plan, so try again.

The one biggest problem for me now that my testosterone is higher, is that I don't get enough calories to actually build muscle very fast. If I eat clean, I can eat as much as I can stomach and have a protein shake with lots of peanut butter it's just barely more than I need. My friend had suggested a mass-gainer to be sure I get the calories but I will wait a while to see if that's necessary now that I'm on TRT.

As for cutting, if you're on TRT that can help preserve muscle mass, but also what I've learned hear is that lipotropics might help when you cut. The most accessible I think are vitamin B-12 lozenges maybe 2500mcg a day, but there are also others that clinics like Defy and online pharmacies offer.

 

[Dave B.]

Hey Guys I'm looking for some advice on training. I'm 32 and I've been going to the gym for the last 10-15 years, although not always very consistently.

I've tried various routines over the years, starting with Starting Strength / 5x5 style rout
I feel like I've made very minimal progress in this time at all. I've always been skinny but had a high body fat percentage and store fat very easily around my chest and stomach.
ines that focused on heavy compound lifts combined with eating in a caloric surplus to gain weight. I ate a lot to increase my strength and eventually abandoned this because I ended up just getting fat from it.

It seems to be a recurring theme with my training, I will follow a routine for 3-6 months, get some results early on but eventually stall or gain too much fat and then give up and lose any results I had.

I replied before but it disappeared, so here's another try that's shorter.

Starting Strength works but you have to stay on it and EAT. If you aren't 200 lbs at your height, there is nothing there to "cut". You need groceries and heavy lifting. You probably got fat last time because your carbs and sugars were too high.

Boxers have great physiques. If you want to look like that, go for it. But you need to eat and eat quality food.

Being inconsistent is your problem. No program works in 3-6 months. I did SS for a year before I felt strong. You talk about bodybuilders, well bodybuilders bulk like hell and then they cut -- usually with the help of drugs. A six-pack appears when you are either genetically gifted with it (you're not) or you cut to 6% body fat. Either lift heavy, or focus on getting cut.

I've dropped 20 lbs since Christmas by eliminating sugar and grains from my diet. I even work out less than I used to.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

HIIT works for me. Sprints uphill. No long burn endurance cardio. Just walking warm up and do sprints, box jumps, stairs etc. Also don't over train

 

[FeelingLost]

Have you ever watched any Scott Herman? I like his exersize vids. Check him out he talks about skinny fat.