Gaining muscle

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Replies

  • Posts: 148
    AliceDark wrote: »
    OP, are you actually a new lifter? How long have you been lifting?

    Off and on again my whole adult life, actually. Sometimes I get quite discouraged, even though I am very strong, because of the stereotypes of fat women. Though I will readily admit that the men in my local gym are really awesome and nice to me. They are very supportive. The women, erh... depends on the woman. But the men generally accept me when I show up. :)
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  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    NoelleED wrote: »

    You may well be right. I would appreciate people sharing their knowledge on the differences. It is my strength that I value.

    muscle gain is the process of building new muscle, which is accomplished by eating in a calorie surplus and lifting heavier and heavier weights.

    Strength is the process of training your muscles to work more efficiently. Example - while eating in a calorie deficit I increase my deadlift from 250#to 275#; I have not added any new muscle, I have just training the existing muscle to perform the lift more efficiently. Essentially this is making your muscles more productive aka do more with less, or more with the same...

    does that help?
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Calls people bullies and in the same breath shoots insults. Only one person doing that in this thread.


    The most amusing parts is.........claiming abnormally strong female strength because, Nordic.........spends the whole thread complaining about mean people.

    Shhh, must use thinkies.
  • Posts: 453 Member
    You can still lift to retain the muscle you have. When you reach goal, then you can focus on getting cut and strong on a surplus while still keeping the fat off. I don't think you should give it up altogether. It still burns calories and it will still work to keep what you have.
  • Posts: 148
    and also, I have never really 1. tried to lose weight or 2. kept track of my diet/nutrition before... and I never researched lifting or anything... I have always been kind of on the sidelines, mainly because of my own issues.
  • Posts: 148
    edited October 2014
    dbmata wrote: »
    Calls people bullies and in the same breath shoots insults. Only one person doing that in this thread.


    The most amusing parts is.........claiming abnormally strong female strength because, Nordic.........spends the whole thread complaining about mean people.

    lol I'm not abnormally strong for a Nordic lass.
  • Posts: 148
    You can still lift to retain the muscle you have. When you reach goal, then you can focus on getting cut and strong on a surplus while still keeping the fat off. I don't think you should give it up altogether. It still burns calories and it will still work to keep what you have.

    Thank you.
  • Posts: 148
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    muscle gain is the process of building new muscle, which is accomplished by eating in a calorie surplus and lifting heavier and heavier weights.

    Strength is the process of training your muscles to work more efficiently. Example - while eating in a calorie deficit I increase my deadlift from 250#to 275#; I have not added any new muscle, I have just training the existing muscle to perform the lift more efficiently. Essentially this is making your muscles more productive aka do more with less, or more with the same...

    does that help?

    Yes, thank you.

    So can I maintain (or increase) my strength while on a calorie deficit/losing fat?
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »

    I'm pretty sure it's not. I'm just confused as to what was the purpose of posting the video.

    Of course it isn't, there's no purpose to the video other than to show that a woman can lift something heavy. Ok, numerous powerlifting records show that. It was a logical fallacy and deflection on her part. Essentially a composition fallacy.
  • Posts: 148
    dbmata wrote: »

    Of course it isn't, there's no purpose to the video other than to show that a woman can lift something heavy. Ok, numerous powerlifting records show that. It was a logical fallacy and deflection on her part. Essentially a composition fallacy.

    I like the word fallacy.

    Someone said "try it and get back to us" as though it were impossible. Obviously not impossible.
  • Posts: 8,680 Member
    NoelleED wrote: »

    Yes, thank you.

    So can I maintain (or increase) my strength while on a calorie deficit/losing fat?

    Lots of programs on Google to increase strength while in calorie deficit.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    NoelleED wrote: »

    Yes, thank you.

    So can I maintain (or increase) my strength while on a calorie deficit/losing fat?
    As has been said multiple times.

    Yes. Although more accurately would be: maybe.

    It depends on a lot of factors. Commitment, consistency, proper intake, proper output.

    You can half *kitten* it and wave a bunch of iron around and probably get some results. OR. You can gather data, work in a reasonable programming schedule, analyze said data and adjust as needed.

    Based on your posting history, I think your previous statement of getting a trainer is probably an excellent one.
  • Posts: 3,886 Member
    edited October 2014
    NoelleED wrote: »

    Off and on again my whole adult life, actually. Sometimes I get quite discouraged, even though I am very strong, because of the stereotypes of fat women. Though I will readily admit that the men in my local gym are really awesome and nice to me. They are very supportive. The women, erh... depends on the woman. But the men generally accept me when I show up. :)
    I guess it depends on what you mean by "off and on," but I doubt you're going to be seeing any noob gains if you're not a beginner.

    I seems like you're really sweating the small stuff and it's getting you off track. You need to figure out what your primary goal is right now, then people here can help you get there.

    Do you want to lose weight? Or, do you just want to focus on lifting more weight to the exclusion of all else?

    Focus on the results -- if you are able to progressively increase your lifts, even slowly, who cares if it's because you're actually making more muscle fibers or if it's because your body is lifting more efficiently? If your goal is to lose some weight while still staying strong, it doesn't matter. The way you get there is to eat at a small deficit and keep lifting.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    NoelleED wrote: »

    I like the word fallacy.

    Someone said "try it and get back to us" as though it were impossible. Obviously not impossible.

    You're projecting. :)

    It was said, try it and report back. As that's the only way you'll know. If you won't try it, then obviously it's completely impossible for you.
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  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    NoelleED wrote: »

    Yes, thank you.

    So can I maintain (or increase) my strength while on a calorie deficit/losing fat?

    yes, but like others have said it is going to be dependent on a lot of factors..

    I know that when I do a aggressive cut, say 500 calorie deficit, that after about three to four months my lifts start feeling like sh** and I can tell that my strength is starting to suffer a little....usually at that point I up calories to say a 250 calorie deficit..

    which is why you should try with a 250 calorie deficit and go on a heavy lifting program and see how it goes...
  • Posts: 148
    AliceDark wrote: »

    I guess it depends on what you mean by "off and on," but I doubt you're going to be seeing any noob gains if you're not a beginner.

    I seems like you're really sweating the small stuff and it's getting you off track. You need to figure out what your primary goal is right now, then people here can help you get there.

    Do you want to lose weight? Or, do you just want to focus on lifting more weight to the exclusion of all else?

    Focus on the results -- if you are able to progressively increase your lifts, even slowly, who cares if it's because you're actually making more muscle fibers or if it's because your body is lifting more efficiently? If your goal is to lose some weight while still staying strong, it doesn't matter. The way you get there is to eat at a small deficit and keep lifting.

    I want to lose fat. But I do not want to lose my strength.

    Also, thank you for the reasonable response.
  • Posts: 148
    MrM27 wrote: »
    No one said it's not possible. The phrase try it and get back to us is directed at you personally, "You, try it and get back to us". No one said it can't be done. Most of us here know at least 1 or 2 females that put up numbers like that. But the thing is, no one is talking about the people we know, or the girls in the video. Instead it's about you.

    Yes, we are talking about me and how I can get there.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    you've been shown how. You'll either do it, or you won't.
  • Posts: 148
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    yes, but like others have said it is going to be dependent on a lot of factors..

    I know that when I do a aggressive cut, say 500 calorie deficit, that after about three to four months my lifts start feeling like sh** and I can tell that my strength is starting to suffer a little....usually at that point I up calories to say a 250 calorie deficit..

    which is why you should try with a 250 calorie deficit and go on a heavy lifting program and see how it goes...

    Thank you very much.
  • Posts: 148
    dbmata wrote: »
    you've been shown how. You'll either do it, or you won't.

    Uhm, no. I have not been shown how.
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  • Posts: 3,886 Member
    edited October 2014
    NoelleED wrote: »

    I want to lose fat. But I do not want to lose my strength.

    Also, thank you for the reasonable response.
    Well, the guys here were telling you the truth -- lifting at 280 is different from lifting at 140 (I don't know if that's your goal, so I'm just making up numbers). You may not be able to hold on to 100% of your strength, because nobody just loses fat when you lose weight. You can hold onto a lot of your strength, though, and you can build more muscle after you lose weight. It just may need to be a multi-step process and you may not be able to reach all your goals at the same time.

    This is an extreme example, but it might help: at your weight, you could go balls-out on the deficit and try to lose 4 pounds per week, and you'll lose weight quickly, but you'll probably lose a lot of strength at the same time. Or, you can try to lose 0.5 pounds per week and keep most of your strength, but it'll take a really long time to lose weight. You get to decide how to set your goals, and you'll have to put up with some trade-offs, but you can stay strong and lose weight.

  • Posts: 148
    AliceDark wrote: »
    Well, the guys here were telling you the truth -- lifting at 280 is different from lifting at 140 (I don't know if that's your goal, so I'm just making up numbers). You may not be able to hold on to 100% of your strength, because nobody just loses fat when you lose weight. You can hold onto a lot of your strength, though, and you can build more muscle after you lose weight. It just may need to be a multi-step process and you may not be able to reach all your goals at the same time.

    This is an extreme example, but it might help: at your weight, you could go balls-out on the deficit and try to lose 4 pounds per week, and you'll lose weight quickly, but you'll probably lose a lot of strength at the same time. Or, you can try to lose 0.5 pounds per week and keep most of your strength, but it'll take a really long time to lose weight. You get to decide how to set your goals, and you'll have to put up with some trade-offs, but you can stay strong and lose weight.

    I figured it would be different.

    My goal is between 180 and 190. :)

    I am not losing weight super fast, somewhere between a pound and two pounds per week.
  • Posts: 1,335 Member
    No time to read the thread so I'm sorry if this has been said. Keep up the weight training -- it can help you retain the muscle you have while losing fat. It's also good for bone health. It also helps make you strong and therefore badass. B)
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    NoelleED wrote: »

    Uhm, no. I have not been shown how.

    Ok, then I'll break it down to small terms for ya.

    1a. Eat at a deficit. A range of 250-500 might be effective, try it and find out.
    1b. Ensure that you are eating an appropriate mix of macros.
    2. Commit to a consistent workout regimen with progressive loading. You're a new lifter, so you'll experience some linear gains, then you'll have to grind out more after that stops.
    3. Gather detailed qualitative and quantitative data regarding your intake, output, performance, etc.
    4. Analyze said data, and adjust based on goals.
    5. Reassess total performance every quarter.

    There you go, roadmap.
  • Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    NoelleED wrote: »

    Uhm, no. I have not been shown how.

    Unfortunately, each person is different. It's quite possible that during your weight loss journey that you will plateau or even possibly, lose strength, but none of us have a crystal ball to be able to tell you exactly how this will work out. All you can do is start to lose weight with a moderate to small deficit and do a progressive weight lifting program. If you only care about the numbers you lift, then do a program like strong lift 5x5 or starting strength 5x5. There are plenty of different programs that focus on strength, hypertrophy or endurance. Depending on your preference, depends which one you do. I tend to mix all three... some tend to only do strength..

  • Posts: 8,680 Member
    bump.

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