How to increase muscle mass and reduce fat percentage?

getfitwith_aish

Hi everybody, so I recently got this weighing scale which shows body fat percent and muscle mass: it’s been over a month. So this is my lifestyle- I hit 10K steps a day, workout(3 resistance workouts a week) atleast 3 times a week, run 2 times a week, try to eat healthy - 1500 calories a day(sometimes 1800). I try hard to stay away from sugar although I have my own reasons to eat icecream atleast 3 days a week. But past 2 week’s I haven’t had artificial sugar. Usually I eat banana, eggs for breakfast. Broccoli with chicken or fish for lunch. Chicken or fish for dinner. I snack on fruits.But in one month my muscle mass has remained the same and the fat percent is kinda same too. What should I do to significantly bring a change in these values? I can see change in my body, I can definitely see toned arms and definition in my stomach. But why isn’t my scale not showing different values? Please help. I’m 5’5” 124lbs 26 percent fat 84.4 lb muscle mass. Please let me know if you need more info

Carlo_casti1993

Sweet

ninerbuff

This would be recomping. However people who aren't near where they want to be, don't need to attempt this since it's a long arduous process to see results. What's more important to you: losing what fat you currently have and see what muscle you have underneath, or putting on more muscle? They require opposite approaches if you want to see any significant difference.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

getfitwith_aish

I think I want to go with losing what fat I have and see what muscle I have underneath. Cuz I definitely have fat to lose. I have that stomach pooch, back fat, back arm fat, thigh fat

heybales

Because the scale using BIA is only accurate to probably 5% either direction - and that's if you even manage to present the exact same hydrated body to it (water is measured as Lean Body Mass (LBM)) - which if you weren't aware - wasn't likely to be done.

Best you can hope for is a consistent scale so you get an idea of direction - and you being consistent on valid weigh-ins to minimize known water weight fluctuations.
Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

The only things in your description that will help the situation of gaining muscle and dropping fat while eating at maintenance - resistance training and enough protein.

The resistance training must be overload enough to damage the muscles and progressive so it continues, so they need more of your eaten food as energy source to repair and build stronger, requiring more fat for daily activity.
If it's not, you are making the existing muscle stronger and using it more fully. But that will stop.
And probably adding water weight for repair and stored cards in muscles for your workouts - while some fat is still burned. But that will stop too.

getfitwith_aish

So i do resistance workout named bbg, alternate with body pump for 3 days a week. Do you think body pump is good enough to tear muscles and build?

heybales

Does it feel like you are overloading and tired because of the weight as a load?
Or overloading and tired because of frequency and lack of recovery as a load?

Interesting test to get an idea how to tell.

Do a decent amount of pushups so it's a tad difficult but you know you can do a 2nd set, like maybe 10 & 10 or whatever the number is.
Rest between the sets 90 sec.
2nd set harder perhaps.

A different day do it again.
But as soon as you rest between the sets, hold your breath for as long of that 90 sec as possible, when you have to breath take some gulps and hold again until 90 is done.
Now do that 2nd set.

Perhaps you don't need to do this to know - but it is interesting.

So if that workout has you keeping short rests, or doing something else during the rest, before getting back to the muscle being worked, or never going back to it - it's ability to be overloaded by weight is being cut short by lack of recovery or frequency.

Obviously the other direction is overkill too and not useful - do a set and wait 4 hrs.

Same way if you increase reps the weight will have to come down - keep increasing reps and eventually it's not overload by weight, but by cardio endurance with a load.

Perhaps you can take a weight prior to next class that would normally be hard in the middle of the routine when normally done.
Do the same reps.
Rest 90-120 sec.
Do the reps again.
As hard as during class?