Are you that guy or lady who looks good with the clothes on but when they come off it’s a whole different story? Do you have a physique that doesn’t look overweight but is shapeless, soft and lacks muscles?
If your answer to these questions is YES, then you my friend are what we call “Skinny fat”. This is a case where one has a high body fat percentage but looks skinny based on their weight and size.
Having such a body can be frustrating and annoying but after reading this piece, a big part of the problem will be gone and all will be left is for you to take action.
Right off the bat, let’s look into what makes one skinny fat;
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Poor diet
This means that you were skinny but messed up with diet and gained fat. Eating unhealthy foods and high consumption of sugar is a major contributor to the skinny fat syndrome.
In fact sugar is one of the leading causes of obesity in today’s society and has also been associated with health issues like suppressing the immune system and poor eyesight.
Eating unhealthy foods and sugar will lead to skinny fat if not obesity.
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Genetics
Yes! Your genes may be to blame for that weak and unfit body. For some people fat tends to settle in the midsection of the body or the lower chest.
Don’t worry though, this is something that you can change and get the lean and muscular body you want.
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Lost weight
You may have been obese or overweight and lost weight through exercise and diet and ended up being stuck with skinny fat look. If you are this person; congratulations, you have done most of the work, only little is left to do.
Feel free to leave a comment and add any other reason that you think may have contributed to your skinny fat syndrome.
Moving on now; one of the major questions in every skinny-fat’s mind is; should I cut or bulk?
Well, this is a tricky question because it actually depends on the individual.
If you have fat accumulated in your lower chest and not much fat in the lower belly; you should start with bulking. Cutting first would leave you very skinny and give you an unhealthy look unhealthy.
You might want to lose the fat then build muscles later but it will be easier if you build muscles first the cut later.
Don’t pig out though! Maintain a low calorie surplus and a clean bulk.
On the flip side, if you are that guy with love handles and fat accumulated in the lower belly; you’ll need to cut first. Starting with bulking will only make you fat! Get rid of the fat then build muscles later.
How to get rid of skinny fat syndrome
#1 Lift weights
Focus on lifting weights to burn calories, gain strength and build muscle.
I would assume one of your goals is to get stronger. How do you get strong? Lift heavy weights and do more reps! Not heavy weight for few reps or light weight for many reps, go for heavy weight for many reps.
Keep a rep range of 6-12 on upper body and 15-25 on lower body, that’s how you pack muscles, period!
Avoid spending much time on machines focus on free weights and barbells. To be able to change your physique faster you’ll need to put a lot of focus on this.
Do compound exercises: The good thing about compound exercises is that they work various muscles with one movement.
Almost all exercises that involve free weights are compound exercises; one exercise could be working arms and back at the same time.
Here are some compound exercises you should be doing: rows, deadlifts, squats, overhead press, dumbbell bench press and barbell curls.
Don’t over-train: Are you that guy that trains from Monday to Monday? If you are, I’ll tell you this; you are making a BIG mistake.
The thing about muscles is that they grow when you are resting, not when you are lifting weights. When you lift weights muscles get small tears, then when you are resting the tears are repaired and muscles rebuild and become stronger.
Over-training means that you’ll never give the muscle a chance to grow and be stronger.
Personally, I train 3-4 times a week but there are people who train 5 times a week and it works for them. I would suggest you lift weights 3-4 times a week or whatever you are comfortable with as long as you give the muscles enough recovery period.
[adToAppearHere]#2 Cardio
Go easy on cardio!
While cardio is recommended for fat loss; proper nutrition and strength training is the best way to get rid of skinny fat.
For better results combine moderate cardio with HIIT to able to boost your strength and increase your endurance.
Here’s how you can combine strength training, cardio and HIIT for the best results:
Monday – Lift weights
Tuesday – 15 min HIIT
Wednesday – Lift weights
Thursday – 30 min Steady state cardio
Friday – Lift weights
Saturday – 15 min HIIT/ 30 min steady state cardio
Sunday – Off
#3 Nutrition
Whether someone is looking to lose weight or gain, diet is the most important thing and should be given the most attention.
It is the key determinant of your success!
When bulking; eat foods that will help build muscle. Same thing goes with cutting; eat foods that will help retain the lean mass and enhance fat burning.
These are really basic foods like eggs, lean meats, beans, vegetables, fruits and so forth.
Always keep your protein intake high while eating a reasonable amount of carbs and fats.
Avoid sugar, wheat and processed foods.
Here are some simple eating habits that you can adapt.
Weight Lifting Days
• High protein intake
• Mid-High carbohydrate intake
• Mid fat intake
• At least one gram of protein per pound of body weight
• Leaner cuts of meat
Off Days
• High protein intake
• Mid-High fat intake
• Low carbohydrate intake
• Carbohydrate intake comes from veggies
• Fattier cuts of meat allowed
• One to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight
I don’t want to sound trite but you know the saying “abs are made in the kitchen”, it’s actually very true. It’s not only about watching calories but what you eat as well; eating healthy foods will go a long way in developing muscles and losing fat.
Combing a healthy diet with strength training will help you get out of the skinny fat zone in no time!
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