You don't look fat with a shirt on. But the second you take it off — soft stomach, no chest, no shoulders — and you just look… undefined. So you go to the gym for a few weeks. You don't really know what you're doing, but you show up. The problem is nothing seems to change. You're not getting leaner. You're not getting more muscular. You're just kind of stuck in the middle. That's the trap. And the reason most guys stay stuck is because skinny fat is a confusing starting point. The mirror tells you to lose fat. Your friends tell you to bulk up. The internet tells you ten different things. Here's what I'll tell you: the path out is simpler than you think, but it has to be done in the right order. That's exactly what the free course in this community walks you through — step by step, no fluff. If you haven't gone through it yet, start there.

Heard this one before? It's one of the most common pieces of advice skinny fat guys get — and it holds so many people back. Here's the truth: if you're skinny fat and relatively untrained, your body can build muscle and lose fat at the same time. It's called body recomposition, and it's most effective for guys who are new to proper training. Cutting first means you're going into a muscle-building phase already depleted. You look flat, feel weak, and your strength in the gym suffers if you do if wrong. The goal isn't just to get lean then get jacked. The goal is to build the muscle that makes you look lean. Now — recomp has its limits. At some point, you'll need to make a deliberate call on whether to push into a lean bulk or a real cut. Knowing when to switch, and how, is something I go deep on in my nutrition course. But that's a conversation for another video. Are you currently cutting, bulking, or just kind of winging it? Get your vote in the poll below. Depending on poll votes, my videos in the next few days will be directed towards that group of people.

Most guys in this position do one of two things: They jump straight into a bulk → gain mostly fat → look worse → get discouraged. Or they cut hard → lose what little muscle they have → end up just… smaller. Neither works. And it's not your fault — that's just the standard advice recycled across the internet. The real issue is that skinny fat isn't just a body composition problem. It's a training age problem. Your body hasn't built the muscle foundation yet to respond the way a "normal" bulk or cut expects it to. The fix? You need to prioritize building muscle while keeping body fat in check — not one or the other. That means: — Eating at a very slight surplus (or even maintenance) — Lifting with an actual progressive overload structure — Getting your sleep and protein dialed in before worrying about anything else. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not always. But it works. If you're new here and don't know where to start — I put everything into a free course inside this community. Check it out, it'll give you the full roadmap.