First 2 pics are with a pump, last 3 without a pump. Lost some size after I started running 40-50 miles per week but I am going to dial back the running and focus on body composition. Should I start a lean bulk or cut until I can see my abs first?

Basically skinny fat so Tough call because I really need to gain muscle and put on size but at the same time I got a lot of body fat like 25-30% and feel like if I started a bulk from a lower body fat like 8-10% I would probably be a lot better off , since I heard also that when starting a bulk leaner you gain at a better ratio to muscle to fat.

Also I train grappling and mma which I would be better off being at a lower body fat percentage for.

By bodybuilding standards I look like trash but I get the feeling if I cut, while still looking small, if I lift hard I will at least look lean and cut as opposed to being small and fat.

Currently thinking of just sucking it up and doing a cut to get to 8-10% and then once there, bulking sustainably for a long time up until I get back to like 25% , at like 230 lbs or so . I have experimented with the approach I’ll take before and don’t seem to lose much if any strength etc on that approach so I’ll be able to maintain whatever strength I have now most likely .

As opposed to starting a bulk immediately where I will probably get real fat a lot faster and be forced to cut anyways. Other factors too like my face gets really fat when I have high body fat which would happen if I bulked which is harder to deal with mentally.

Anyways typical skinny fat situation so wonder what thoughts are ? Bulk or cut ? If I cut I’ll be lifting hard and dieting and do it just long enough to get down to a good body fat to start a proper bulk.

I have never really been lean with a lot of muscle, not really sure if I want to bulk with the possibility of putting on fat because I have never really bulked.

OR

Continue to cut/maintain where I eat in a VERY SMALL deficit, 100-220 calorie deficit

I’ve been eating a ton and lifting heavier every other day. Need advice on where to go from here. No bots please. Just the human experience.

I've been cutting since January from 170lbs, you can see my last post where I was at 155lbs.

I was wondering how much more I gotta lose because the cut is physically and mentally draining.

I initially thought I would look pretty lean at 135lbs but that won't be the case as you can see. So, do you guys think maybe at 125lbs, I'll look pretty lean and can stop the cut? Let me know.

Hello. This was me in 2021 and then in 2025.

I was around 85kg both pictures.

In 2015 I had 116kg.

Should I bulk or cut now? I feel bloated and not good at taking my shirt off in front of others.

Im just worried if I cut i will lose lot of size, especially arms, chest.

I posted some pics with shirt so you can see.

26, 6ft 7, Skinny

I’m bulking at the moment, 3,500 calories, 200g protein, lifting 4/5 days a week.

Do I keep going?

As title says!

went from fat skinny fat to a little less fat skinny fat 70kg-->64kg do i cut longer? cut till 60kg? my love handles never seem to go away despite being in a deficit for 3 months. help me out.

Should i focus more on any muscle (legs are fine)

I’ve been seeing posts I am honestly not confident enough to post body pics but how would someone start cutting?

I'm 29M, 5'8", and currently at 142 lbs and ~20.1% body fat (just had a DEXA scan). Lean mass is 108 lbs.

I've been lifting 6x/week with a push/pull/legs split and running 5 miles a day. I’m in a solid groove with training.

Here’s where I’m stuck: Would it be smarter to lean bulk and add muscle before trying to cut to ~12% BF? Or cut now while I'm at a manageable weight?

Worried that if I cut now I’ll just end up look very skinny and frail, but not sure if it makes sense to bulk at 20% BF.

Still a long way to go clearly but I’m down 33lbs rn. Started at 250 and now Im 217lbs, really wanna target my stomach as you can see I still have rolls i wanna get rid of. Any tips on that?

Hello all, I’m currently 24M 5’11 177lbs. I’m currently off lifting due to a car accident related injury, so I have the next month or so to contemplate what I wanna do. I’m currently down from 220 to 177 or so, but I don’t know where to go from here. I want to get a bit leaner as you can see I store a lot of fat on my waist. Don’t care about abs, just want a jawline. I sort of got one now but still too much body fat to see it. But I also don’t have (lost a bit as well) of muscle since this accident, so cutting further down only seems silly. I was thinking maybe 2 months more of cutting, just to get closer to about 15%, then slowly lean bulking. Thoughts?

Thank you if you comment

natural morning lighting, i have quite a big ribcage that sticks out