Old Beginner needing guidance.

[rapidride3]

Hello i am 34. I am 5'8'' @17.5% bodyfat 205 lbs and haven't weight trained in a year. As soon as i complete trade school i am wanting to get back into weight training and possibly even do one competition someday. However i have a dilemma.

Should i start weight training at my current 17.5% bodyfat and probably adding even more calories to gain and maintain mass. I figure in order to gain/maintain muscle mass i would have to add more calories in a better ratio of proteins/carbs/proteins than i am taking in now in order not to starve the muscle. However this would call for a drastic cut.

OR

Should i go on a basic weight loss diet without weight training and get down to 8-9% bodyfat and then start weight training while adding calories in a "controlled" manner to slowly gain mass and minimal bodyfat to maybe 12-13% range. Then after a year or so do a cut to achieve possible competition bodyfat levels without as much/long of dieting.

A year ago i did cut down to 9-10% after 1.5 yrs of solid training. However I let my cut get stopped due to personal issues and the starting of school. (i know, no excuse)

It really wouldn't hurt me to go on a diet as of now i haven't started weight training as of yet. So muscle wasting really isn't an issue.

I am leaning towards a general diet to lose 25-30 lbs before insuing weight training. So i don't have to cut as long/much.

Is this purely of preference or are there any advantages/disadvantages? I just don't want to waste time spinning my wheels or possibly not doing the best for muscle growth??? Thanks to all who reply.

[rapidride3]

Sorry guys and gals, i didn't mean to make this so long and drawn out. Any opinions?

[Tom Mutaffis]

RapidRide - There is no reason why you cannot weight train and lose bodyfat and weight at the same time. Strength training is great for burning calories and increasing muscle mass - which in turn will speed up your metabolism. If you main goal is fat loss then I would do circuit trainining 2-3 times per week along with 2-4 moderate intensity cardio sessions.

Diet will be very important and there are some good supplements to help keep your energy and recovery up to par while you are dropping weight. I would suggest taking Opticen post workout after every weight training session and replacing breakfast with an Opticen shake on your off days.

Can help with the diet if you would like, just post up what you are doing right now.

[azma]

in my experience with cutting, weights are more fun than cardio, so it's personally easier for me to cut while lifting than while running or rowing. if the opposite is true for you, perhaps that should be a consideration. however, like Tom said, you can definitely get your body how you want it with weight training.