Gaining muscle

NoelleED

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.

NoelleED

dbmata wrote: »

you've been shown how. You'll either do it, or you won't.

Uhm, no. I have not been shown how.

AliceDark

NoelleED wrote: »

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.

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.

NoelleED

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.

0somuchbetter0

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.

dbmata

NoelleED wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

you've been shown how. You'll either do it, or you won't.

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.

psuLemon

NoelleED wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

you've been shown how. You'll either do it, or you won't.

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..

yopeeps025

bump.