What is Skinny Fat and how to fix it

“Skinny fat” is sometimes also called "Thin Outside, Fat Inside" (TOFI).  It is a term that refers to looking thin, even having a 'healthy' or 'underweight' BMI), while still carrying too much fat to be healthy.  

Being skinny fat can be rather dangerous to your health, it can be worse than simply being fat. 

Most people in this country are overweight or obese.  They eat garbage and usually lead sedentary lives.  They put on subcutaneous fat, which is fat just below the skin.  This is not healthy if they have too much, but if they only have a little extra then it is usually ok.  As most people look like this no one bats an eye when they see it, and most health ad fitness advice is (rightly) aimed at these people.

Training for human flag

Skinny Fat people put on visceral fat, which is fat around their internal organs.  This can be really dangerous.  People often criticise skinny fat people and tell them to gain weight.  Many skinny fat people try to gain weight by eating poorly and being lazy as this is the advice that people give them.  This is probably the worst thing they can do as they will still look skinny but will gain dangerous amounts of fat around their organs.  

Unfortunately being skinny fat has a lot do do with genetics.  You don't have to stay skinny fat, you can become thin and strong, but you will never bulk up like most people.

Skinny fat people need to ignore advice they are given about gaining weight, and ignore fitness advice, because it is not aimed at someone of their body type.  To be healthy they need to train and eat differently.

I have always been thin

Most web sites or YouTube videos or anything else on the internet on skinny fat fitness is almost always aimed at young women.  This is great for women in their early twenties, but not much use to men or even women who are not in their early twenties.

Other sites I have seen have pictures of men who I would never consider to be 'skinny', they are regular guys carrying extra fat but are not obese.  Explaining how someone like that needs to train to get ripped is of no use to someone who is skinny fat who wants to be healthier.  Training the same way he is training will put you at a disadvantage as you will achieve poor results.  If you are skinny fat you need to train in a way that is right for a skinny person, that way you will achieve better results much faster.

Most skinny fat people train and exercise the wrong way.  I sure used to.  This is largely because they are aiming to get bigger, and the advice they receive is only suitable for larger people.  Much advice is about exercising to lose weight or to gain bulk.  Skinny fat people don't need to lose weight per se, and they won't gain bulk no matter how they train or what they eat, but they should exercise as they can get incredibly strong.  

A thin person who is stronger than someone twice their size is rather impressive.  I now train differently, I train for strength, and I am achieving far better results from it.

Push ups are great for skinny people

I have always been thin.  At some stages I was 'skinny fat', other times I was underweight and weak, other stages I have been thin and fit.  I used to do a lot of fitness training when I was younger, but it was all the wrong kind of training for my body type.  This always left me feeling like a failure, and often resulted in me giving up exercise and becoming skinny fat.  

Once you are skinny fat it is hard to get in shape as everyone tells you to 'just eat more' and mocks you when you do any exercise or start looking at what you eat.

Skinny fat people need to train and exercise differently to be healthy.  They need to train for strength and for health.  That is why I am writing this blog. 

I am getting older, and have a few injuries, and have very little time to train.  I started getting skinny fat and feared that this is what I would be for the rest of my life.  I have recently (in the past few years) learned how to train for strength as a skinny person.  I do a form of Slavic strength training called prochnost'.  

After starting prochnost' training I quickly lost fat around my organs, I got more toned, I am in less pain, and I am now stronger than I have been in well over a decade.

My kids are also skinny, and they are very strong.  I have been training with them and they have become incredibly strong because we are training using the correct technique for skinny people.  We are training carefully, as they are kids, and they are achieving impressive feats of strength that few adults will ever achieve.

Strength training

Sensationally failing is part of the training process

Join me as I continue to train as an ageing, skinny man as I train, fail at things, then train some more, and eventually am able to achieve more things that very few people of my age are able to do.