Hello,

I'm a big guy--6'5" around 235lbs. I want to gain size but lose the body fat. Would it be better to lean up first or gain size first--If anyone has any suggestions it would help me make a decision.

I prefer to work in 3 month cycles when dealing with people new to the gym. I don't know what your previous experience is but I would maybe suggest something a little like this.

Spend first 3 months training to train. Get used to the environment, gradually get your strength back by alternating resistance days with CV days, and altering resistance days with upper and lower body workouts. Take it gentle and progress slowly as at this point your not looking to break any records yet.

Then I would consider 3 months strength training. High weight low reps, to prepare yourself for mass building and get back on track.

Then spend 3 months building muscle using your new found strength.

Then spend 3 months maintaining as much lean mass as possible but focusing on burning fat.

Is very vague and may or may not fit your goals but this is similar to how I got back into training after a long lay off. Personally I find building lean mass at the same time as burning fat quite difficult. My personal choice is to build muscle first, then cut down. A bit like bodybuilders preparing for competition.

Alternatively, after the first 3 months go straight into 5 sets of 5 training as I mentioned in a previous post and gradually build up the number of sets. Your muscles will be getting a great workout, while the sheer volume will be creating a fat furnace.

Welcome James! Glad to see you around here. I am sure you will get a lot more scientific and professional answers to your questions than I can give, but I will tell you that I had the same two goals when I started my journey to fitness, but I focused on losing the excess fat first (even though I incorporated weight training into my workouts). I found by doing that, when the weight came off, I already had some pretty good muscle mass to work with. It almost was like killing two birds with one stone if you know what I mean.

I like Dean's cycle idea, not only for the reasons he states, but also because it would keep people like me from getting bored. Short term goals always work best for me.

Anyway, good luck!