Help from experienced people? Skinny fat syndrome.
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I'm sorta in the same boat as you. I workout but I feel like I'm just doing the same basic things over and over and I don't feel like I'm pushing myself enough and I often times question my form. Since I'm a little cramped for time in the next few months, I thought I'd give this workout routine a try since it's been suggested a few times on here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-introduction.html
Yesterday was the day one and the muscles targeted are sore so...that's good sign. The app and the videos are helpful for critiquing my form. You do need access to a gym though.
Don't fret over "bulking" or gaining weight. You can eat your calories and lift without gaining inches. Even if the scale looks like it's going up your waist will usually narrow and body will tighten. Even if you aren't gaining muscle mass a lot of people retain some water when they start lifting so that number on the scale can go up regardless. I advise to start measuring instead.0 -
1st congrats on your weight loss. Now that you want to build muscle here is what you do. Lift heavy things and put them down. Seriously...you don't have to worry about getting bulky...you don't have the body (non male) to do it. Testosterone is what is needed (among other things) to build big and bulky muscle. I've been trying to get bulky since I lost all my weight. You see...muscle is hard for your body to maintain and it's doesn't want to build it. You would have to push really hard every workout and supplement with steriods and other unnatural chemicals to get like those bulky women. So find a routine that pushes you hard and fail on every set, eat clean and hydrate and your new muscle will burn off the bodyfat that you have left. Eat about .5 to .75 grams of protein per lb of body weight to help with the building process of muscle. Try macros of 40/30/30 (Protein, carbs and healthy fats) and monitor your body fat% not scale weight. Play around with the macros to find what your body reponds best to. Hope this helps.
than you so much, everyone's been very helpful!
now this all makes sense, but what about amount?
My main question now: is it possible to build lean muscle on maintenance, and let said muscle burn off fat?
I'm willing to do whatever workouts I need to, I have access to a free college gym, even though I commute XD0 -
Go to a body pump class.
Have a look at the regulars. They look toned and lean, they lift as much as they can manage (sensibly without loosing form).rshear1026 wrote: »Weight training is key to lean and tone!! I train with weights at least 3 times a week, light weights high repetitions and have lean muscle definition!!! I do the les mills pump workout and its like doing cardio weight training and has given me great success in shape and tone!!!
Its good motivation to have someone encouraging/shouting at you to do 'just one more rep' and to see the rest of the class doing it too.
I work a lot harder in a class than on my own.
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It's frustrating I know because people see you are small and think you are fit, why are you worried about your body. But they don't know what's lurking underneath. Skinny Fat is embarrassing and demoralizing. I have the exact same problem and am working on toning and leaning out with Body Beast. I'm 5'5" and weigh 122 lbs but the flab (or falb) is a nightmare. I'm doing the Lean program and of course we know women don't get bulky so you don't have to worry about that. I've already seen results but I'm a work in progress to be sure. I'm about halfway through the program. The dvds are cheap compared to other beachbody dvds and it's a great program. I think it will accomplish what you want. It's actually fun too. Google Body Beast for Women to read more about it. If you decide to try it or have any questions, message me. I'll be happy to help any way I can.0
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I forgot to mention I'm burning fat while building muscle. It's tricky but it can be done. You just have to follow the program without deviating. It's all about what you eat and how you workout. It's a perfect storm of diet and lifting. You have to fuel the workouts, eat in the right percentages of carbs/fat/protein, add cardio in as directed. Body Beast Lean has you Build then Bulk (which doesn't make us girls bulk up, trust me) and then Beast phase is the cutting phase where everything changes up again to allow for fat burning while continuing to work the muscle built and protect/keep it.0
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katesnewbody wrote: »1st congrats on your weight loss. Now that you want to build muscle here is what you do. Lift heavy things and put them down. Seriously...you don't have to worry about getting bulky...you don't have the body (non male) to do it. Testosterone is what is needed (among other things) to build big and bulky muscle. I've been trying to get bulky since I lost all my weight. You see...muscle is hard for your body to maintain and it's doesn't want to build it. You would have to push really hard every workout and supplement with steriods and other unnatural chemicals to get like those bulky women. So find a routine that pushes you hard and fail on every set, eat clean and hydrate and your new muscle will burn off the bodyfat that you have left. Eat about .5 to .75 grams of protein per lb of body weight to help with the building process of muscle. Try macros of 40/30/30 (Protein, carbs and healthy fats) and monitor your body fat% not scale weight. Play around with the macros to find what your body reponds best to. Hope this helps.
than you so much, everyone's been very helpful!
now this all makes sense, but what about amount?
My main question now: is it possible to build lean muscle on maintenance, and let said muscle burn off fat?
I'm willing to do whatever workouts I need to, I have access to a free college gym, even though I commute XD
It's possible, but extremely....extremely slow, requires an on point diet, and tons of work.
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katesnewbody wrote: »1st congrats on your weight loss. Now that you want to build muscle here is what you do. Lift heavy things and put them down. Seriously...you don't have to worry about getting bulky...you don't have the body (non male) to do it. Testosterone is what is needed (among other things) to build big and bulky muscle. I've been trying to get bulky since I lost all my weight. You see...muscle is hard for your body to maintain and it's doesn't want to build it. You would have to push really hard every workout and supplement with steriods and other unnatural chemicals to get like those bulky women. So find a routine that pushes you hard and fail on every set, eat clean and hydrate and your new muscle will burn off the bodyfat that you have left. Eat about .5 to .75 grams of protein per lb of body weight to help with the building process of muscle. Try macros of 40/30/30 (Protein, carbs and healthy fats) and monitor your body fat% not scale weight. Play around with the macros to find what your body reponds best to. Hope this helps.
than you so much, everyone's been very helpful!
now this all makes sense, but what about amount?
My main question now: is it possible to build lean muscle on maintenance, and let said muscle burn off fat?
I'm willing to do whatever workouts I need to, I have access to a free college gym, even though I commute XD
It's possible, but extremely....extremely slow, requires an on point diet, and tons of work.
That's true for people trying to gain some real muscle mass. From what I'm gathering though, she doesn't really have much of a lifting routine at all so if she starts lifting now, she's likely going to see a change in body comp regardless.
You gotta start somewhere though, so I say just start! Maybe once you reach your peak on your current calorie intake, you will feel more confident to up the cals later as well as upping your game in the gym. One step at a time
...I'd say either way he's right though, you are gonna want to get the most out of your cals regardless. Even at maintenance, make sure you are doing the best to get what you need to fuel your workouts. This is what set me back a couple years ago. I tried, but I wasn't getting what I needed from my diet and my workouts were trash. Now that I pay more attention to getting what I need, I'm feeling a lot better.0 -
When I was not injured I did body pump like the other post said. It is amazing and really helps..Yoga does too and you can do it at home! Good luck! I'll be in your same position in like 5 mo!0
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I think you've gotten some good information and get the basics, which can be used if you RE-FRAME YOUR MINDSET. Trust me, I've been there. I lost 75 pounds, of which no doubt a significant part of that was muscle (and if you were not lifting while losing/on a deficit, like me, you're in a similar boat). I was pitifully weak, despite being able to mountain bike 20 miles a few times a week, jog a bit, whatever. My muscles were plainly weakened by my weight loss.
Wanted to become stronger and fitter a few months ago and started a weightlifting program with a personal trainer. First thing he said was that in order to meet THAT goal, I have to eat in caloric excess. It freaked me out. Over this slight "bulking" period as I progressively lift heavier and build muscle (not BULK though--just build strength and allow my muscles to do what they need to do) I had to face the fact that I would not only add muscle, but also add a very insignificant amount of fat. Like I said, I freaked out because I really wanted that magic solution, which was "why can't my muscles use this excess flabby fat as an energy source to build strength?" Seems logical, eh?
What he said to me is what I'll say to you: You KNOW how to lose fat. You've succeeded. The amount of fat, if carefully monitored, will be fairly insignificant, but the trade-off for building muscle is so well worth it. And when you've built up muscle to a point where you feel you are ready, then add in more cardio (for me, spring/summer mountain biking), and the few pounds of fat will come off as you "cut" while going into maintenance mode with the weights (or reduce the rate of progressive loads).
Can't have it both ways--or if you do want to do the "eat at maintenance and get stronger/leaner" it is a LOOONNNGG, slow road. And really, you're not giving either goal (lose fat and gain muscle) their best, optimal shot. Yes, some people have done it, but it's slow and painstaking, and frankly, I think it would be frustrating, FOR ME, to wait it out.
So I had to deal with eating "excess" calories, which amounted to 250-350 more calories per day, and I'm on a slow gain of about a half a pound a week, if that. My trainer believes that of the 5-6 pounds I've gained thus far in like 3 months, given my progression, about half is muscle, half is fat; somewhere in that ballpark. So...three months, about 3 pounds of fat, with the trade-off of feeling like a million bucks (just set a new personal record on the deadlift yesterday, woot!)? Well worth it!!
Make a decision. Want muscle? Mentally deal with what you need to do to achieve that goal. Gain a few pounds of fat, SO WHAT. When you're ready to revert to a deficit, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO BECAUSE YOU'VE DONE IT!!! It's OK to have non-linear weight for a bit while you wrap your head around it. Hard at first, and now I can't believe how silly I was to worry about it. Try something new, you are ALREADY a success, so what the heck? I can't believe I waited this long to lift, it's been the best thing for my physical AND mental health.0 -
katesnewbody wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »I'm with the previous poster that a little bit of fat is a good thing, but if you don't want that, I guess what you are asking is: do I bulk, maintain, or lose? If you are already at the low end of the spectrum of healthy weight, it's best to either maintain or bulk. Maintaining, or "recomp" is a very hard process that takes very long to pull off successfully, so keep that in mind if you choose to go that route. Now yes, you do need to eat extra to build muscles better, and yes, you will look a little bit chubbier for a while, then at a set point (experts chime in what that would be) you will start losing again, then gaining then losing and so on.. all while eating enough protein and doing resistance training. Cycling gain and loss will help you build the muscles you want while gradually shaving off a little bit more fat every time to the point where you will be at a healthy weight but with less body fat.
Hello there!
yeah, that's the part I'm so lost on; I don't want to bulk up in any sense of the word, ahh!
How does one go about getting lean without building up mass? I see these 15 week plans and stuff where they supposedly eat maintenance and work out, and end up leaner and tighter than before.
I don't want to lose any fat, TMI but I'd like my bust to stay the same, haha XD
I just want to be tighter and firmer. how do I do that without bulking up? I'm very sensitive about looking bigger, I used to have disordered eating tendencies and am embarking on a body peace journey this year.
Bulking up would be almost impossible for a woman not taking testosterone supplements.
If you see some of the advertising for fitness models and think "I want to look more like that" then lifting heavy weights is the best way to do it. You clothing will also fit better and look better.
If you want to get tighter and not lose any more fat, understand that this means you want to gain weight. There really isn't any way around that.0 -
Don't overthink it. Eat at maintenance for awhile and start lifting. Give yourself a little bit of leeway on the scale -- maybe 5 pounds or so -- and see how your body changes in 3 months or so.0
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than you so much, everyone's been very helpful!
now this all makes sense, but what about amount?
My main question now: is it possible to build lean muscle on maintenance, and let said muscle burn off fat?
I'm willing to do whatever workouts I need to, I have access to a free college gym, even though I commute XD
Yep you can! I've been doing so for the past 4 months and seeing amazing results. Just stick to a reasonable number of calories, lift heavy and eat a lot of protein
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This article has appeared on the Message Boards and appears to be well accepted. I've been wrestling with what to do next. Like you, so far my goals have always been to lose weight (54 pounds in 3 years). Although I've been in the gym a while now, my stamina has steadily decreased because my workouts have demanded more from me while still eating at a calorie deficit.
So I had decided it's time to bulk but was paranoid about messing it up and wasting the calories on "weak" workouts. I read this last night, which prompted me to decide on calorie maintenance for 8-10 weeks while doing the Power Muscle Burn program to make strength gains. Then decide about bulking after that.
From the article:
"Unfortunately the body does not want to grow big muscles with extra calories that you eat. Otherwise there would be no fat people, just a whole bunch of swole folks. In order to grow bigger muscles you have to somehow “tell” your body to do so, and do so efficiently.
"This is where being strong comes in.
"The body adapts to strength training at first through your nervous system, using the muscle you have more efficiently, and by increasing the number of nuclei in the muscles (which itself does not contribute to size). This initial adaptation acts as a foundation that will eventually allow hypertrophy to occur. [1]
"When you first start strength training, the body just isn’t ready to grow bigger muscles efficiently."
http://strengthunbound.com/bulking-complete-guide-for-beginners/0
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