[JaKob]

My friend was told some(YES YOU ELPORNOMAN LOL!) information which i think is wrong, was hoping you guys can verify it. Hes skinny, never worked out before. He was told that he should gain weight first, fat and then workout because this would have some kind of benefit over working out immediately. Is this right or crap? it doesn't sound right to me and i don't know how gaining fat would help muscle growth at all... i don't have the knowledge to answer his question regarding this. Any help appreciated.

[Urban]

it's crap. If you're bulking while lifting, then yeah, expect (but don't aim) to put on some fat with some solid muscle underneath. If you're just getting fat before you ever hit the gym, that's just thinking impaired logic. Caloric surplus is beneficial for putting on muscle, but not in the absence of exercise.

[Alon]

What do you think, person A trains from the beginning and person B gains fat then trains later, who do you think will be the better athlete?

I think what your friend was probably told was that while bulking you'll usually put on some fat before you really see the gains. It's true it's easier to put on muscle when you're not cut since you're usually more prone to injury and your body will be under more stress. Generally as I gain weight my bodyfat percentage increases to about 14-15% then I lean out to about 11-12% while staying at the same bodyweight. That's completely different from just gaining some fat and expecting to be putting on muscle more easily, the only way to get results is with hard work.

[ENTROPY]

Two of the following points are relevant to the question.

* Fat has zero contractile properties.

* An increase in fat does not have any bearing on one's ability to recruit muscle fiber.

[Evil Eye Gouger]

I may be wrong, but I remember reading that the body, when it gains weight, always gains a certain proportion of fat, but also a certain proportion of muscle. Which means that if you just eat like a pig -- and as long as you are eating the right food -- the result will be not only an increase in fat, but also an increase in the contractile muscle tissue.

In this case, it could actually make sense to get some muscle mass (along with some fat) and then use this extra muscle to get a better start in your lifting, especially if you're skinny.

Personally, I would think that stimulating growth through weight training WHILE stuffing your face would be a better option, though.

[Grady]

Putting on a lot of fat will also put on some muscle without working out. The body gets heavier, and there is more muscle that is needed to carry the extra weight, especially in the legs.

This is not advisable, as the amount of muscle gained is negligible when compared to the detrimental effects of the unhealthy fat hanging off you.

The body always wants to do what is most efficent for the long term. Storing excess calories as fat rather than muscle is more beneficial for surviving a future famine of unknown time length. So if you don't stimulate your muscles during a period of excess caloric intake, the body will put as much as possible to fat gains.

[BC.]

It's easiest to just gain weight and accept that some of it will be fat. A person can probably gain mostly lean weight but the amount of time involved in carefully monitoring this, that, and the other thing is more than I would have patience for. You 'd have to find and follow the perfect nutrition program for your specific body, ****bolism, etc. That's why it's easiest to just gain weight and cut back as deisred.

But, of course, this should be done in conjunction with a weight training program. More bodyweight usually means bigger weights used on the compound lifts, which may be what this guy means but, taken to its extreme, your buddy should get up to around 500-600 pounds before he starts lifting because then he'd be super strong. That doesn't make much sense.

BC.

[Noskill]

In a post written by Jarfi very long ago, he told me that higher bodyfat levels hinder testosterone production.

IOW, bad idea.

[Madmick]

Originally Posted by Noskill

In a post written by Jarfi very long ago, he told me that higher bodyfat levels hinder testosterone production.

IOW, bad idea.

Which isn't a problem I guess if you're juicing. Maybe this is why we don't see leaner powerlifters in the SHW? Although I doubt it.

[#1can]

i thought i heard somewhere that bodyfat had some relation to the production of testosterone, hence why extrememly fat women grow beards?