Hello everyone! I have just recently been interested in working out and eating right. I came across this site by accident and have found many useful tips. I am 22 years old, about 5’10, and 163 pounds, smoke about a pack a day, smoke some marijuana occasionally, eat lots of fast/junk food, and have never worked out a day in my life (used to play lots of sports but haven’t been active for about 3-4 years). I’ve always been the “skinny guy” and just recently have been getting a beer belly. My body is still kind of skinny, except now that I have a little stomach it looks weird with the rest of my body, so I want to start working on it before I end up like Homer Simpson. I want to start getting really cut. I want every muscle to show on my body….not huge like Arnold….but like Bruce Lee but a little bigger. I wanted to start eating right for about a week or 2 just to get the swing of eating right and also prepare the “fuel” for my body properly before I even start working out. What exactly should I start out by doing? Should I be bulking or cutting? I definitely want a six-pack but I also want muscle, as I have had skinny arms my whole life. I have read the fat loss guide and the bulking guide but I would like to know what would be the best way to approach this whole fitness thing in general, like I said, I don’t know a thing about working out, but I want to change that and make it a big part of my life. What should I start doing first? Thank you for any help guys. Cheers

If it were me, I'd start off learning about nutrition. Try to get 4-6 meals a day in full of lean proteins, complex carbs, fiberous veggies, and healthy fats. Drink water like it's your job. Eat right around maintenancefor now (or slightly lower seeing as how you want to lean out).

Get in the gym ASAP. Learn to love the compounds: squats, deadlifts, bench, rows, military presses, chins, dips. Get your workouts to revolve around these movements:)

On your off days, you can do cardio if you'd like.

That's how I would personally go about getting started.

I don't think you need to cut or bulk right from the beginning. Just start eating as cleanly as possible and hitting the weights. Make it a part of your life. Once you've established a routine, then choose which way you want to go. The important thing is just to start. :)

And quit smoking!

Substitute gym time for smoking time. When I quit years ago, I would spend long hours at the gym because I knew I couldn't smoke there. It worked!

It really is up to you. There is no definitive "better way", each method has it's advantages. If you gain muscle first, you'll lose fat quicker (but you'll gain additional fat which will need to be lost). If you lose the fat first, you'll look better throughout the whole process. Just choose which one you want to do, then read the stickeys.