Jordan,
First of all, I found your site and enjoy all of the content that you, and the BBM team, produce. I very much appreciate your viewpoints and message in terms of strength training, health, and addressing the pseudoscience present in the marketplace (and found in abundance on the internet).
As far as background goes, I am a 26 year-old male weighing in at 170 pounds at a height of 5’ 7". I played soccer in high school, lifted seriously for one semester, and basically took the seven years spent in college and graduate school off from training besides a couple month-long stints in between semesters. A recent InBody scan (which I know might not be precise) gave me a body fat percentage reading of 24.6. Now that I am out of school and have access to a gym, I very much want to take strength training seriously and get in shape.
Concerning goals, I am interested in ultimately getting strong; however, it would be misleading to say that I wish to forego aesthetics in order to get strong, not to mention that I would like to be leaner (i.e., 15-20% body fat) for long-term, health-related reasons. That said, the two competing goals (losing body fat versus getting strong/gaining muscle) have left me confused as to what goal to pursue first given my height, weight, and (approximate) body fat percentage.
Concerning my question, I’m sure that mine is unique: Should I cut or bulk first? I am aware that only one of these goals may be pursued at a time, but I am confused as to the order in which I should pursue them. Which goal would it serve me better to pursue at the moment (given my long-term goal of being strong at a lower body fat percentage)?
Again, I appreciate all the work that you and the BBM team do. Thanks so much for your time.
