Body Recomp Success Stories?

_lyndseybrooke_

I've been in maintenance for a couple of months, lifting and tracking macros.

I know body recomp is a slow process and there's some debate as to whether it's even possible to gain muscle while losing fat and maintaining weight. However, I'm having a hard time getting into the maintenance mindset and feeling stuck because there are no obvious signs of progress in the scale or my measurements now that I'm done losing.

It's not the right time for a bulk, though I do want to do one eventually. Right now I'm just looking for people that have done body recomp and got visible results. Pictures would be great.

sijomial

Anyone who "debates as to whether it's even possible to gain muscle while losing fat and maintaining weight" probably doesn't have much knowledge or fails to realise that "impossible" is an absolute term.

It may not be the quickest route for many people but that's a million miles away from impossible.
Really it's down to goals (short and long term). But that also includes the mental/emotional side - being tired of dieting for example, not wanting to get "fluffy".

Sporting performance is way ahead of body composition goals in terms of priority for me. As my fitness and strength progresses my body composition changes. I'm well beyond any "newbie gains" by the way!

Basics are train hard to create the muscle stimulus required. Without that you are going nowhere.
Eat a balanced diet to support your body with the right amount of calories to maintain your weight.
Be patient.

Calorie cycling gives a theorectical advantage but that's optional. I do an uneven eating pattern but that's because it makes weekly calorie adherence easier for me.

This is worth a read for a balanced view:
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/

Alan Aragon's "culking" approach is an example of an alternative to the cut/bulk cycles...

"A Aragon: This question carries the implication that all bodybuilders must undergo separate phases. This really only applies to my clients in formal competition, where specific phases are unavoidable. For non-competitors, and even competitors to a modified degree, I prefer the “culking” approach. This is a tongue-in-cheek term I coined which basically fuses the whole cutting & bulking cycle in to one slow, steady, refinement of the physique in terms of both size AND leanness."

_lyndseybrooke_

sijomial wrote: »

Anyone who "debates as to whether it's even possible to gain muscle while losing fat and maintaining weight" probably doesn't have much knowledge or fails to realise that "impossible" is an absolute term.

It may not be the quickest route for many people but that's a million miles away from impossible.
Really it's down to goals (short and long term). But that also includes the mental/emotional side - being tired of dieting for example, not wanting to get "fluffy".

Sporting performance is way ahead of body composition goals in terms of priority for me. As my fitness and strength progresses my body composition changes. I'm well beyond any "newbie gains" by the way!

Basics are train hard to create the muscle stimulus required. Without that you are going nowhere.
Eat a balanced diet to support your body with the right amount of calories to maintain your weight.
Be patient.

Calorie cycling gives a theorectical advantage but that's optional. I do an uneven eating pattern but that's because it makes weekly calorie adherence easier for me.

This is worth a read for a balanced view:
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/

Alan Aragon's "culking" approach is an example of an alternative to the cut/bulk cycles...

"A Aragon: This question carries the implication that all bodybuilders must undergo separate phases. This really only applies to my clients in formal competition, where specific phases are unavoidable. For non-competitors, and even competitors to a modified degree, I prefer the “culking” approach. This is a tongue-in-cheek term I coined which basically fuses the whole cutting & bulking cycle in to one slow, steady, refinement of the physique in terms of both size AND leanness."

Thanks for that link! That helped a lot.

I guess I exaggerated with that part you quoted. I didn't mean to say that people are telling me it's impossible to gain muscle without bulking - I just mean that a lot of things I've read indicate that not much muscle gain is going to happen without at least a clean bulk. Or the changes will take so long that it's just not ideal.

Timorous_Beastie

These aren't current pics. I'm working on getting back there after some bouts with depression and injury and medications that lead to apathy and weight gain.

I didn't do any official/planned bulks or cuts between the two photos, but I did lose a little more, gain a little more, and so on, while trying to find what maintenance was. And I started lifting heavier a few months after the first photos. First with machines because I belonged to Planet Fitness. The afters were about four months after quitting the gym and buying free weights to lift at home, and about two months into StrongLifts.

sijomial

LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

Anyone who "debates as to whether it's even possible to gain muscle while losing fat and maintaining weight" probably doesn't have much knowledge or fails to realise that "impossible" is an absolute term.

It may not be the quickest route for many people but that's a million miles away from impossible.
Really it's down to goals (short and long term). But that also includes the mental/emotional side - being tired of dieting for example, not wanting to get "fluffy".

Sporting performance is way ahead of body composition goals in terms of priority for me. As my fitness and strength progresses my body composition changes. I'm well beyond any "newbie gains" by the way!

Basics are train hard to create the muscle stimulus required. Without that you are going nowhere.
Eat a balanced diet to support your body with the right amount of calories to maintain your weight.
Be patient.

Calorie cycling gives a theorectical advantage but that's optional. I do an uneven eating pattern but that's because it makes weekly calorie adherence easier for me.

This is worth a read for a balanced view:
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/

Alan Aragon's "culking" approach is an example of an alternative to the cut/bulk cycles...

"A Aragon: This question carries the implication that all bodybuilders must undergo separate phases. This really only applies to my clients in formal competition, where specific phases are unavoidable. For non-competitors, and even competitors to a modified degree, I prefer the “culking” approach. This is a tongue-in-cheek term I coined which basically fuses the whole cutting & bulking cycle in to one slow, steady, refinement of the physique in terms of both size AND leanness."

Thanks for that link! That helped a lot.

I guess I exaggerated with that part you quoted. I didn't mean to say that people are telling me it's impossible to gain muscle without bulking - I just mean that a lot of things I've read indicate that not much muscle gain is going to happen without at least a clean bulk. Or the changes will take so long that it's just not ideal.

Oh people on these forums frequently state things as absolutes!

As you say, not ideal for muscle growth (in terms of speed) is a much better description. That's where priorities and context come into play.

jemhh

Timorous_Beastie wrote: »

These aren't current pics. I'm working on getting back there after some bouts with depression and injury and medications that lead to apathy and weight gain.

I didn't do any official/planned bulks or cuts between the two photos, but I did lose a little more, gain a little more, and so on, while trying to find what maintenance was. And I started lifting heavier a few months after the first photos. First with machines because I belonged to Planet Fitness. The afters were about four months after quitting the gym and buying free weights to lift at home, and about two months into StrongLifts.

This is fantastic progress! Thank you for posting

dontjinxit

Does dragging luggage half way around the globe count as gaining muscle mass? Anyone have any non-gym non-equipment tips?

sijomial

dontjinxit wrote: »

Does dragging luggage half way around the globe count as gaining muscle mass? Anyone have any non-gym non-equipment tips?

Get someone to drive their car into your knee, spend 3 months on crutches - build awesome triceps and traps!

Which is a roundabout way of saying bodyweight exercises can be very effective.