Gaining muscle on a deficit
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aalhasan
Posts: 104
Hello everyone,
Excuse my poor knowledge on this subject.
A lot of people say that you can't gain muscle when you're dieting. Why is that so?
If I consume lots of protein (120-130g per day) and lift weight, why wouldn't I gain muscle?
Thanks in advance!
Excuse my poor knowledge on this subject.
A lot of people say that you can't gain muscle when you're dieting. Why is that so?
If I consume lots of protein (120-130g per day) and lift weight, why wouldn't I gain muscle?
Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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bump0
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This is a topic that has been done many times.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1016062-calorie-deficit-no-muscle-mass-gain-so-why-am-i-stronger?hl=gaining+deficit0 -
Thursday entertainment may be set...0 -
You can definitely gain muscle on a calorie deficit... I have first hand experience with this. But you will gain muscle a lot slower than you would if you were eating over your caloric needs.0
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You can definitely gain muscle on a calorie deficit... I have first hand experience with this. But you will gain muscle a lot slower than you would if you were eating over your caloric needs.
Here we go.....0 -
Hows it possible that people lose weight and put on muscle? You need a deficit to drop the fat but and increase to gain muscle? I always wondered how that works.0
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Anyone that tells you that you can is wrong, plain and simple. You can gain strength for the first few months. This is just you muscles adapting to the workout and operating more effeciently. People lose fat, which reveals muscle they already have on their frame. Because they can now see muscle, they wrongly assume that they built the muscle during this time. They are wrong.0
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Did I mention they are wrong?0
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Thursday entertainment may be set...
:laugh: :laugh:0 -
You can definitely gain muscle on a calorie deficit... I have first hand experience with this. But you will gain muscle a lot slower than you would if you were eating over your caloric needs.
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You can definitely gain muscle on a calorie deficit... I have first hand experience with this. But you will gain muscle a lot slower than you would if you were eating over your caloric needs.
:laugh: Glad it's nearly home time.0 -
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Now I know how Bill Murray felt.......0
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For the last 3 months, I have stayed about the same weight, but have lost 6% body fat and several inches due to haevy lifting. I would find it very difficult to build muscle and lose actual pounds.0
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You can definitely gain muscle on a calorie deficit... I have first hand experience with this. But you will gain muscle a lot slower than you would if you were eating over your caloric needs.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I just went through this with a friend of mine yesterday and 2 other people that are trainers on this site...
NO you can't.
I am eating like a freakin' pig! My lean body mass is about 111lbs, my buddy figured out if I want to maintain, I have to eat 111grams of protein a day. If I want to get leaner, I need to eat about 200grams a day.
It's insane. Now I'm trying to figure out more options for protein intake so I can get this process moving quicker.
Oh and I eat about 1,800-1,850 calories a day.
I'm 134, 5'7 and about 17-17.5% bodyfat.0 -
"You can't gain muscle on a deficit!"
"Yes you can, I did, look!"
"No, you dropped fat, which showed your muscle more"
"But they look bigger!"
"You're holding water and glycogen in the muscle, you just have a 'pump' from training"
"No way, they are definitely getting bigger"
"Well, you might have some newbie gains"
"No way, I'm definitely building on a deficit"
"How, precisely? Your body is using all your energy, you have none less for building muscle."
"But I'm eating tons of protein!"
"...and your body is using it all to repair the damage done by your training, and burning it as fuel."
"No way! It's burning my fat to do everything, and then using the protein to build muscle"
"Nope, your body simply doesn't prioritize like that. Survival > muscle building."
Has that about covered it? Can we lock the thread now?0 -
Beginner gains.
If you have never done any sort of strength training (at least not in the last 5-10 years), I would go so far as to say that it would be pretty surprising not to see a tiny bit of change when you start doing it regularly. In daily sedentary lifestyle, many muscles groups just aren't tested nearly enough (practically atrophied in my case), so any practically any load could have a small (but nevertheless perceivable) effect.
I was skinny fat 10 weeks ago and have been on a moderate calorie deficit (~250 kcals) since. I didn't lose any scale weight at all for the approximately 8 weeks that I've been pretty intensely strength training, but have lost a visibly significant amount of fat around my midsection. My triceps, shoulders, lats, and traps are no where near big, but are clearly larger now (I didn't start with much/any excess fat in those areas so they weren't just masked).
From here on out though, I would NOT expect any sustained mass gain at all. I am just working to lose as little of it as possible as I continue to drop the fat away.
ETA:"Well, you might have some newbie gains"
EETA:
Predictions for my future, knowing better how my body is responding to food vs training, I suspect that when I first go to maintenance calories with continued strength training, I may have another bit of "newbie gains" despite not yet being at a surplus. However,, that is pure speculation and remains to be seen.0 -
Bump0
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To be anabolic (gain muscle or fat) you have to have a surplus of calories.
To be catabolic (lose weight) you have to be at a deficit of calories.
You cannot be anabolic at a calorie deficit...thus you cannot gain muscle while eating at a caloric deficit. What most people experience when they think they're gaining muscle at a caloric deficit is simply shedding layers of fat which then show the underlying muscle that was there in the first place...it just was hidden in fat.
One small caveat is some minimal noob gains if you're very overweight.
What you can do though is maintain your muscle, burn fat, get stronger, increase bone density, bump your resting metabolism, increase your level of overall fitness and feel awesome.0
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