I really want to transform my body shape?

[mdddm]

I'm quite 'average' sized however I really want a more athletic body!! I want to size gym and get going but I don't know where to start? Should I lose weight first then build muscle or should I jump in building muscle?

[Real_Advice]

Hey girl! My name's Liz. From my experience, I would suggest starting slow. You probably won't want to hear this (I know I didnt), but achieving and maintaining an athletic body takes quite a bit of time. However through my experience, I have learned 3 things:
1) I'm not perfect and I will never be (That's ok! There will always be someone I feel looks nicer than myself... though I do NOT mistake that with insecurities).
2) Having a workout routine and sticking to it doesn't only feel awesome and rewarding, but it also boosts my confidence.
3) Running really is addictive (even though I have athsma).

[Xfitchick]

Both at the same time. And building muscle will help burning fat because it will increase your basic energy level.

[Kkaos]

I think you mean lose fat, rather than weight yeah? You can't really lose weight if you build muscle because muscle adds weight. Weight training will help to lose fat, it's not as effective as cardio, but it will help.. So I'd start with that first, spend some time building muscle and then later on you can introduce cardio as well if you want to lose some extra fat. Always try to do cardio at a different time to weight training if you can, I do cardio in the morning and lift at night.

[mdddm]

Yes sorry I meant lose fat, so should I lose fat and then weight train to build muscle?

[Kkaos]

It's really up to you, it depends what's more important to you currently, low fat or gaining muscle? If you focus on building muscle, you will also lose fat at the same time so that's usually my preferred option. I'd highly recommend starting with body weight exercises, pull ups, push ups, squats, crunches, leg lifts etc, they'll help to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. I always aim to focus on losing fat and building muscle at the same time and it's great if you're able to do that, some people can't though which is why they do the whole bulking and cutting thing.