I love the gym.. i love iron.. lifting and seeing gains, honestly made me happy.I used to go gym 3-4 times a week for around 6 months. Now i stopped for around 4 months. This has been terrible for me and i am starting to feel like shit.. i don't like what i see in the mirror anymore. I want to get back to gym and be committed to it.

Right now i am 5ft2in/157cm and weighting around 115-120lbs/53-55kg at the age of 16.
I want to be around 150-170lbs/70-77kg in around 6months - a year from now with around 8-10%BF.
Yeah yeah, i know i'm small but these are my goals..

Right now, i do cardio everyday for around 45min to an hr, so i dont become fat.. (i was a track sprinter, so i like running)
I'm thinking of following Rippetoe's Starting Strength program since i've taken a long break and want to get back into the gym.

Since i was a track sprinter and lean, i had visible abs and separations in most of my muscle.
I want to look like how i did.
I've read many articles and most people have different opinions on bulking and cutting for leanness, some say its bad (like a yo-yo diet) but some say it is absolutely necessary to gain fat in order to get strong.

Is it necessary to bulk up?
I'm a big fan of visible abs (still have them but they dont look as good) and i dont want to lose them..
My lifts were okay for my weight and age when i was lifting..

Bench: 145lb
Squat: 235lb
Powerclean:150lb
Deadlift: Never maxed out..

This post has been edited by Kaffatsum: Dec 14 2010, 09:10 AM

Thought I'll give this a shot.

First, you need to actually have a goal that is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time). The problem that I see is that you are contemplating to bulk due to the fear of loosing the abs. Well, there are a people out there who bulk and still retain the visibility of the abs (im not one of them). But generally, there is always a trade-off. Then comes the issue of whether you are bodybuilidng or powerlifting or even recreational oriented. To get strong you need to get stronger, which means in layman terms you need to increase muscle mass. Use your sprinting activity for short burst cardio work. Increasing overall poundages takes time. Don't rush this part because usually when people do rush things out, they don't get techniques right and then the injury starts to creep in. I wouldn't recommend you hitting the treadmill for 45 mins to an hour, it'll do you no good for your goals. Articles are just merely guides, the best is to do a self-assessment and then set a benchmark from there on. Like what everyone will say, healthy living/activity is more off a lifestyle, commitment is important but at the same time you need to make sure you have fixed goals.

Safe lifting man.

Second that!