Take it from someone who’s still battling skinny-fat: defeating the man boobs, muffin top, doughiness, and a total lack of musculature is not easy.
Here’s how it usually goes:
- You do a bit of research online.
- Some bro on Reddit, YouTube, or Bodybuilding.com says you need to bulk and put some meat on your undermuscled frame.
- Makes sense. So away you bulk, but you just seem to get fatter with very little muscle gain to show for it.
- Thus, you pivot 180 degrees and decide that getting lean is now your priority. But instead of losing fat you just seem to lose what little gains you made during your ill-fated bulk… what is this madness?
- Feeling insecure about your total lack of muscle mass, it’s now time to bulk again and so the cycle repeats…
And so it will continue on and on, unless you break the cycle and examine what’s going on.
But fear not — beating skinny-fat isn’t impossible. I know because I’ve lived it. I’ve battled skinny-fat from every angle for over a decade — from 65 kg to 98 kg (I’m 6″2) and everything in between.
These are the mistakes that perpetuate skinny-fat:
1. You’re Falling for the Illusion of Complexity
Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s complicated.
It’s tempting to feel like you’re playing a different game to everyone else when you spin your wheels for months or even years and make no progress. But you’re not – you’re just playing on a higher difficulty. All the same rules apply as in any other body transformation but on Hardmode you have very little margin for error. Progression, calories and recovery are paramount.
The truth: You don’t need a “special system.” You need to execute the basics far more consistently than most people.
2. You’re Not Being Methodical Enough
You cannot half-ass your way out of being skinny-fat.
Some people can eat freely, train inconsistently, and still look lean and muscular year-round. If you’re skinny-fat, that’s not you – and never will be.
That doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It means you must be precise:
- Track your calories.
- Record your training and prioritize progressive overload.
- Optimize sleep and recovery.
Discipline isn’t optional – it’s the price of admission to the forbidden kingdom of Aesthetics.
3. You Don’t Understand Why You’re Skinny-Fat
Skinny-fat isn’t just “bad genetics.” It’s also the result of poor hormonal balance. ‘Your genes load the gun, and your lifestyle pulls the trigger.’
The skinny-fat physique with its moobs, love handles and aversion to muscle mass is the physical embodiment of:
- Low testosterone
- High estrogen
- Poor insulin sensitivity
- Chronic stress
- Poor sleep
Low testosterone makes progress an uphill battle. This is why your bulking and cutting cycles are just an oscillation between fatter and skinnier without meaningful muscle gain. But improving your hormonal balance is actually quite simple. Some fundamental lifestyle adaptations are enough to make a dramatic difference:
- Quality sleep
- Reducing stress
- Cleaning up your diet
And the other two big ones:
- Losing surplus bodyfat
- Resistance training and gaining muscle
4. Breaking the Cycle of Whether or Not to Bulk or Cut!?
This is where most skinny-fat guys get stuck:
- Wanting to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time
- Unsure which to prioritise
- Switching every few weeks
The reality: there is no universal answer. You MUST first determine which manifestation of skinny-fat you are. That’s right even within the umbrella term ‘skinny-fat’ there are different sub-categories that dictate what your approach should be. Navigating this is the little known way to break the bulking/cutting cycle that trips up all would-be skinny-fat athletes.
| Skinny-Fat Type | Recommended Approach | 6-12 months |
|---|---|---|
| SKINNY-fat | Bulk conservatively | Small surplus: 200–300 calories above maintenance. |
| skinny-fat | Recomp | Eat at maintenance |
| skinny-FAT | Cut conservatively | Moderate deficit (~400 calories) |
Rule of thumb: stop yo-yoing. Pick your relevant path and commit.
Note: Never forget your skinny-fat body’s desire to gain fat and its allergy to muscle. This is why, no matter what approach is right for you, being methodical and conservative is essential. If you are bulking under no circumstances are you to utter the phase ‘eat big to get big’ – that is a path to the fat side. Alternatively, if you are cutting – do not think that increasing the deficit drastically will get you to your goal of being lean and muscular faster. It’ll just make you skinny. Increasing the deficit should only be done in small increments (100 calories) every week or two once fat loss stalls.
Think of it this way: if you are SKINNY-fat and you bulk too hard you will just end up skinny-FAT. Conversely, if you cut too extremely you will just wind up SKINNY-fat not lean.
Stop Overcomplicating It
Skinny-fat isn’t a mystery. It’s the result of poor lifestyle, training and nutrition principles exacerbating bad bodybuilding genetics.
- Commit to a path
- Control your calories
- Progress your training
- Optimize your recovery and lifestyle
- Commit long enough for your body to adapt
That’s it.
‘But what’s the perfect way to train!?’ I hear you ask! – And to that I say: haven’t you been paying attention!? There is no perfect workout routine. Train however you like, just make sure it ticks the key boxes: Progressive overload, limit junk volume and is recoverable from in time for your next session (don’t try and overtrain your way out of skinny-fat: your hormones are fucked enough already).
What’s Next
I’ve got plenty more to say on this topic, as well as some insights in to my own training and approach. Including, admittedly, a few training adaptations I would recommend for optimising your skinny-fat transformation (but they’re not essential).
If you’re skinny-fat, your job isn’t to outsmart the process — it’s to see it through.
Cheers,
Remy.
Toomanymind 