Lower body fat, or gain muscle mass

[naluholo]

I've been out of the gym for too long. I'm 6'1" and 180 lbs. and wanting to get back into shape. Should I concentrate on losing body fat first, then gain the muscle mass, or should I gain mass then drop the fat (not that there's a whole lot)? Or do both at the same time?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[italostud]

Depends on what your BF% is and what your goals are.

 

[naluholo]

17.5% body fat percentage.

Goals: the "Damn!" reaction

 

[vinstyle]

Get a cardio routine going and slowly add weight training. If you're nutrition is in order you'll gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

 

[italostud]

"Damn" can mean a lot of things. I'm assuming you mean from girls. 17% is a little high. You probably can't see your abs. If you want, you can drop down to 170lbs or so. That should give you a good amount of vascularity. The girls will like this. If I were you however, I'd hit the weights hard, eat, and bulk up to 230lbs or so. Then spend even more time getting shredded down to like 210lbs or something. Again it's totally up to you.

 

[AmericanOutlaw]

If you're not used to working out, then you have to lose the bodyfat first. Your body is geared to storing calories in fat, not muscle. If you 'bulk up' you'll probably end up putting on more fat than muscle. So cut it first. Cardio at least three times a week, lift three times a week, eat all day long but no more than 12x your body weight in calories. Maybe find a workout program with specifics.