Skinny fat beginners should usually recomp: eat at maintenance or a slight deficit, high protein, and lift hard to build muscle and lose fat.
As a skinny fat beginner you get the best of both worlds, so neither a hard bulk nor a hard cut is ideal. Eat around maintenance or a very slight deficit, push protein to 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg, and lift hard with progressive overload. As a novice with some fat to lose, you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time. If you strongly dislike your current leanness, a short mild cut first is also reasonable.
Beginners with higher body fat are the ideal candidates to gain muscle and lose fat at once. Eating at maintenance with high protein and hard training lets you add muscle to fill out your frame while slowly leaning out, fixing skinny fat directly.
The skinny fat look is really a lack of muscle plus a little softness, so more muscle is the fix. Train each muscle with 10 to 20 hard sets a week and progressively overload, since a bulk or cut without hard lifting will not solve the shape.
If your body fat is on the higher side or you really want to see definition first, a mild deficit of 300 to 400 for a couple of months works, then transition to a lean gaining phase. Keep protein high throughout to hold onto muscle.
Skinny fat beginners should usually recomp: eat at maintenance or a slight deficit, high protein, and lift hard to build muscle and lose fat.
