Is it easier to go from skinny to buff or from fat to buff?

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KidViciou$

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,998
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virtualgames, you MUST get enough protein. i suggest you buy arnold's encyclopedia, i did and it's like my bible.

and also when you workout, you mustuse the UTMOST discipline in your form, flexing throughout your workout will help oyur muscles work to the max

you must also not take long breaks between your workout, and don't do heavy weights just to do heavy weights. they should be there to help increase your strength when you are no longer challeneged.

read hte book, you will learn a LOT!
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
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for a truely fit buff, i'd say starting skinny. generally your diet was better to begin with and you start off with skin that isn't stretched way out. also, esp if you start off getting fat young, you train your body to retain fat, and from what i remember even gain more fat cells. i don't think muscles under a layer of fat counts as buff since u just look even fatter.

i doubt that fat people are any more likely to have genetic makeups that easily bulk on muscle then skinny people. just a guess, fat gene doesn't automtically come with buff gene;) esp with our exploding rates of obesity.
 

dvdrdiscs

Senior member
Oct 27, 2003
307
0
0
Originally posted by: KidViciou$
virtualgames, you MUST get enough protein. i suggest you buy arnold's encyclopedia, i did and it's like my bible.

and also when you workout, you mustuse the UTMOST discipline in your form, flexing throughout your workout will help oyur muscles work to the max

you must also not take long breaks between your workout, and don't do heavy weights just to do heavy weights. they should be there to help increase your strength when you are no longer challeneged.

read hte book, you will learn a LOT!

link to the book on amazon?
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,409
39
91
bleh i need that encyclopedia..

well anyways.. I always go to in and out after I work out this year.. since it's right next to my gym(la fitness). i eat a lot of meat in my diet.. so I always thought I was getting enough protein..
 

KidViciou$

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,998
0
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Wahla (don't speak french :) )

When i say enough protein, i mean take 35 - 50 grams per meal, in addition to other food types such as carbs. dont let people tell you that carbs are bad, they are just as necessary as protein.

also, you must EAT 3 meals a day, when i was training i spread it throughout the day cause i used to eat only 2 meals a day, but i hurt my back last week and had to stop lifting. i'm getting a procedure done this winter so i can get back in the gym
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,409
39
91
hmm i just read the reviews... seems like he made this book for hardcore weight lifters that take steroids..
even though I'm sure it will give me advice on a good routine to follow.

Well my routine has been doing sets of three different excersizes to focus on one muscle.
 

KidViciou$

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,998
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no, it's not for steroid takers. it's for people who have self discipline and are willing to make a lifestyle change, but it's also for those who are curious about it.

it's the bodybuilding encyclopedia so therefore there is a heavy focus in bodybuilding which is a sport in itself. but it's an excellent source for weightlifting information.

you should do about 4 sets of 1 exercise including your warmup set. and you shold do about 2 exercises per muscle. he has a breakdown of workout plans that go from basic to competition programs
 

yobarman

Lifer
Jan 11, 2001
11,642
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Originally posted by: Honkus
Fat to buff is harder because in order to get buff you have to lose the fat pounds first. The kicker is, the only effective way to lose fat is through cardiovascular training, not strength conditioning. Cardio work most likely be harder for an overfat person to do, let alone stick with it

that's the biggest line of crap i've ever heard. You can lose all the fat you want without ever touching cardio.
 

KidViciou$

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,998
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yes, but you will hae to do a lot more strength training than cardio, it will take much more time. the cardio is there to give you a method to burn more calories than you consume
 

yobarman

Lifer
Jan 11, 2001
11,642
1
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Originally posted by: KidViciou$
Wahla (don't speak french :) )

When i say enough protein, i mean take 35 - 50 grams per meal, in addition to other food types such as carbs. dont let people tell you that carbs are bad, they are just as necessary as protein.

also, you must EAT 3 meals a day, when i was training i spread it throughout the day cause i used to eat only 2 meals a day, but i hurt my back last week and had to stop lifting. i'm getting a procedure done this winter so i can get back in the gym

I got respect for you if you're down with Arnold. SOme of his stuff is a little outdated though

You should check out Black book
 

KidViciou$

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,998
0
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Bookmarked for later reading :)

man i LOVE my Arnold Book!

I SWEAR it's my bible. i used to work out 6 days a week in high school, but not with the discipline i hae now. i started working out recently for 4 weeks and saw so much GAINS!!! i started to get stretch marks on my thighs from my legs getting bigger, so i guess it's a blessing in disguise i can't work out now.

ive been cocoa buttering my legs like im a turkey! i cant WAIT to workout again!
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,451
19,901
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Originally posted by: dvdrdiscs
Originally posted by: Amused
Both require drastic diet and lifestyle changes. To ask which one is more difficult is pointless. It's difficult for anyone to make such a drastic change either way.

That's like saying it's pointless to explore and understand space because we will most likely never leave our solar system. What happened to basic curiosity?

Because I say it's physically equally hard for both. BOTH require a discipline and mindset that is impossible to quantify.
 

KidViciou$

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,998
0
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the thing about skinny to buff though is that you just eat clean and you eat a lot

fat to buff you have to do so much hard work, i know because i'm learning my lesson. ive been skinny all my life, but went on a binge diet where i ate any and everything to put on weight. i put on weight, but it was mostly fat, and now i have to work it off as opposed to if i went just from skinny to buff, i would have my 6 pack

im not fat by any means now, i'm 6 feet at 165, but i hae to work off a layer of fat from my abdomin, chest, and back
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
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fat to buff, check out Lou Ferrigno's (sp?) quest to be the first 300lb+ bodybuilder...he just got himself fat first.
 

dafatha00

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2000
3,871
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Its easier to get from fat to buff than from skinny to buff but its easier to get from skinny to cut.
 

DanTMWTMP

Lifer
Oct 7, 2001
15,908
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my bro was FAT...

now he's buff as hell...extremly cut...phok...total 180 deg. change within 2-3 yrs..
 

LS20

Banned
Jan 22, 2002
5,858
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i think fat to buff because one can just change his/her diet... im going skinny to buff and trying to load up both on calories and protein at the same time... i dont quite have the appetite of these fat mofos :D
 

dvdrdiscs

Senior member
Oct 27, 2003
307
0
0
Originally posted by: LS20
i think fat to buff because one can just change his/her diet... im going skinny to buff and trying to load up both on calories and protein at the same time... i dont quite have the appetite of these fat mofos :D

appetite comes with working out. your body will eventually want more food and your appetite will naturally increase.
 

TubStain

Senior member
Apr 19, 2001
935
0
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A true body builder goes through both cutting and bulking phases. They both follow the same idea of reduction of calories and increading calories.

To cut safely, you reduce your maintenance calories (how much your body uses to "exist") by around 200-300 and continue for about a month or so. Keeping protein levels high so that muscle is not lost during the fat loss "dieting". At the same time you continue to lift weight and incorporate cardio 2-3 times a week, preferably HIIT so your body does not go into a catabolic (uses muscles for energy source, instead of fat) state. You continue like that for about 2-3 months and your body fat % drops. You also eat 6 small clean meals a day and make sure you are getting proper fiber and essential fatty acids (fish oil, flazseed oil)

To bulk you increase your maintenance calories by 300 or more depending on the amount of weight lifting you do, your goals and body type. You drop the cardio from your routine and lift intensely....and eat like mad.

You keep following those routines to body sculpt yourself.

If you are skinny, you HAVE to eat...all the time and you have to stick with it for a months. Eating a lo one day and not the other is not going to work. With enough calories in your system and proper weight training to ALL your muscles (not just the arms and chest, but the legs as well) you will notice improvements in size in no time.

I'm currently in my cutting phase. 23 y/o, 5'11, 179 lbs I'm planning on getting to about 170lbs or so maybe 12% bf before I switch to the bulking phase. I'm new to this, but I've done mucho research into it and ultimately to get big you have to eat like mad. That probably why the fat guys get big, becasue they are eating high calorie foods.