Hello Guys!

Okay i posted a thread recently asking about muscle gain while playing a sport but since then have managed to split open my right ring finger during training and so im out of action for the next two weeks. These pasts few days of little to no training have made me think about whether trying to gain weight is the best idea for me right now?

I was reading an article last night that suggested that you would receive better results from a "Bulking Phase" if you were already a lean person (below 13% body fat). Im personally touching on 17% body fat. My questions to whom ever may be reading this is, Should i be cutting down to a lean state before trying to put on more muscle? Is staying unlean going to cause too much hard work for me when i look to finally lean out?

Thanks :)

Hey bro!

If you put the hard work in, you can continue putting on lean muscle and slowly lose fat if you eat a dieat low in carbs, high in protein, and med-high in fat.

Do you need to cut down first? Not necessarily. It depends what your overall goal is. No matter when you do it, you are still going to have to work hard to lower your fat percentage. If you continue putting on fat weight, it will make it harder, but if you put on lean muscle mass, your fat percentage will be the same.

Therefore you will have the same amount of fat to lose, however, with more muscle mass, you will actually be able to drop fat easier. The more muscle you have, the more calories you can burn.

Have you seen Scott's video about 'bulking'?

Hey good to see you again haha,

I believe i have taken a glance at the video. The only trouble im having right now is i cant train as intense or at all due to my injury on my right hand. The only thing im able to train is My Core, My Legs and i can do a bit of cardio. Iv been told to rest it for 1-2 weeks.

But i see where you are coming from and once recovered i shall continue on my path of muscle gain :) Thanks for the advice bro!

George,

You can do both and transform yourself. You can lose the fat and gain some muscle. You may end up staying at the same weight or losing some weight even as you gain muscle due to body fat loss. They key is to keep your carbs moderate - no more than 1g/Lb of body weight -and training with intensity. It is much easier to gain fat than to lose it. My opinion has always been why "bulk" just to add size and weight of which a good percentage will be fat just to go thru the even harder process to "cut" only to realize an "average" net gain of muscle. I believe in lean gains and in building quality lean mass even if it takes much longer.

John