Bulk up or lose weight first?
Little background. I was a twig in HS at 5'11", 165-170 lbs. I ballooned up freshman/sophomore year of college to 220 and then quickly realized it and got back down to 186 (i still have some excess fat around my midsection and thighs) where I am now as a junior in college. I have had some experience lifting weights, especially senior year of H.S. where I got to about 175 and was in the best shape of my life.
I now have myself a dilemma. I want to get in top physical shape and am willing to put the time in to get there. I have read that it is a good idea to set yourself a goal of bulking up (lifting, limit aerobic excercise, taking in X number of calories per day, splitting proteins/carbs/fats/, etc) or blasting fat (lots of aerobic excercise, take in less than x number of calories, lots of fiber/protein, etc.)I know how to approach each of these and dedicate myself to each approach, I'm just not sure which one I should start with. I plan on staying on each one for 3-4 months or until I'm happy, then switching over to the other one to hopefully acheive my peak physical shape when all is said and done.
Pros of starting the weightlifting/bulking phase first is that I already have some excess weight to throw around and turn into muscle. Pros of the doing the aerobic phase first is that I could get myself down in great physical shape (little body fat at least) and then hit the weights and know my exact destination of the weight i would want to get to weight lifting.
so, with that in mind, what does everyone recommend? thanks in advance...
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