Have a skinny fat friend

[Mr. D]

He is 160lbs and prolly around 17-18% bf maybe even 20%.

So he asked me for my advice on a workout routine and diet plan



The workout routine would be as Paul Stagg has outlined many times before, all the big lifts followed by 15 minutes of watever.

As for diet, I was thinking of these options:

1)Have him eat at maintence or maybe 10% below and hope the newbie gains prevail.
2)Put him on hard cut for 8 weeks,followed by 2 weeks of maintence, then a clean bulk to build muscle until he feels he has had enough.
3)Put him on a bulk and let him build muscle and hope he gains more muscle than fat becuase of newbie status.

What do yall suggest?

[isosceles]

Mark this as a vote for option 1.

[Mr. D]

I think skinny fat is the toughest situation to be in. If you are rail thin, simple solution is bulk. If you are a fatass, simple solution is cut cals and increase activity level. Skinny fats are stuck in no mans land.

[RedSpikeyThing]

I would vote for like 10% above maintenance and have him gain some decent muscle mass. Even with newbie gains it will be tough to gain muscle mass in a caloric deficit. Newbies will probably get better partitioning, so eat above to gain more muscle.

[RenegadeOfFunk]

I'd reccomend option one for a bit :p

[muscleup]

Use number 1 except change the 10% lower to 10% higher.
So if his maint cals are 2600. Have him eat b/t 2600 - 2800 per day.

[hockeytwo1]

I was in the same position about a year and a half ago when i finally decided to get in shape. I would say definitley reduce the calories and let him lose some of the fat first, once he sees the fat disappear he'll then get focused on lbm, thats what worked for me.

[J.G]

^ Same here.

[Built]

Leave his diet alone for now and get him lifting as in option 1.

[RedSpikeyThing]

Leave his diet alone for now and get him lifting as in option 1.

I think this is the most realisitic answer. In a perfect world, though, what would his diet consist of?