Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat
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Is there an ideal BMI for recomp or is it down to personal perference?
Will the same person at a lower end of his healthy BMI achieve a recomp harder than if he is at a higher end due to less muscle lost from dieting? So at the lower end you would have essentially less "total" fat (and muscle ofc) would that lead to handling that fat easier? Or is it easier to do a recomp at a higher BMI and then after the recomp lose the last 10-15lbs.?
How much more time "consuming" is it to do a recomp in comparison to bulk/cut cycles to reach the same result?
Like 2x the time you would do with bulk/cut cycles or aprox the same?
Ps. Those might be silly questions to some, but i wanted to ask anyway.
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I haven't seen anything BMI-based but from what I've read in the past, being overweight, underweight, low weight, or skinny fat are not ideal for recomping. I look at the bodybuilding.com female forums and here is a post from somebody who usually has fairly good advice. She estimates a good range, bf-wise, is 24-30% for women.1
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Is there an ideal BMI for recomp or is it down to personal perference?
Will the same person at a lower end of his healthy BMI achieve a recomp harder than if he is at a higher end due to less muscle lost from dieting? So at the lower end you would have essentially less "total" fat (and muscle ofc) would that lead to handling that fat easier? Or is it easier to do a recomp at a higher BMI and then after the recomp lose the last 10-15lbs.?
How much more time "consuming" is it to do a recomp in comparison to bulk/cut cycles to reach the same result?
Like 2x the time you would do with bulk/cut cycles or aprox the same?
Ps. Those might be silly questions to some, but i wanted to ask anyway.
There isn't really an ideal place to start. Most people start when they are close to their goal weight and realize they need to improve body composition.
There is no standard answer for what starting point is ideal for someone because it would depend on their goals and simply where they happen to be with lean mass. Most people don't plan on reaching the end of weight loss just to have to recomp.
I don't know what lean mass gains on a recomp could be. We know approximates for a bulk, but I have no answer for that at maintenance. Not all bulks and cuts are the same length due to needs, so a recomp would be the same, how ever long it takes to hit your goal.0 -
I haven't seen anything BMI-based but from what I've read in the past, being overweight, underweight, low weight, or skinny fat are not ideal for recomping. I look at the bodybuilding.com female forums and here is a post from somebody who usually has fairly good advice. She estimates a good range, bf-wise, is 24-30% for women.
Okay, I read that post. If recomp is such a long, arduous process, why does anyone do it? Why doesn't everyone just bulk and cut? I don't see the difference in benefits between recomp vs. bulk and cut. Confused!0 -
I haven't seen anything BMI-based but from what I've read in the past, being overweight, underweight, low weight, or skinny fat are not ideal for recomping. I look at the bodybuilding.com female forums and here is a post from somebody who usually has fairly good advice. She estimates a good range, bf-wise, is 24-30% for women.
I would suggest body fat around 24%, but would be hesitant to suggest recomp for someone at 30% unless they are within the normal BMI range (because that means very low lean mass).
The reason we want to work on building muscle around or below 24% (for females) has to do with nutrient partitioning (how our body chooses to feed muscles versus fill fat stores). It's more applicable to bulking, but could play a roll in recomp.0 -
I haven't seen anything BMI-based but from what I've read in the past, being overweight, underweight, low weight, or skinny fat are not ideal for recomping. I look at the bodybuilding.com female forums and here is a post from somebody who usually has fairly good advice. She estimates a good range, bf-wise, is 24-30% for women.
Okay, I read that post. If recomp is such a long, arduous process, why does anyone do it? Why doesn't everyone just bulk and cut? I don't see the difference in benefits between recomp vs. bulk and cut. Confused!
Because not many people want to purposefully gain fat after taking the time and effort to lose it in the first place. Plus, when you bulk you have to be very dedicated to the gym and lifting. A recomp can be done by an average person who doesn't want to lift for an hour per day 5 days per week. If you eat for a bulk you lift like a bodybuilder or you will be gaining more fat than necessary.1 -
I haven't seen anything BMI-based but from what I've read in the past, being overweight, underweight, low weight, or skinny fat are not ideal for recomping. I look at the bodybuilding.com female forums and here is a post from somebody who usually has fairly good advice. She estimates a good range, bf-wise, is 24-30% for women.
Okay, I read that post. If recomp is such a long, arduous process, why does anyone do it? Why doesn't everyone just bulk and cut? I don't see the difference in benefits between recomp vs. bulk and cut. Confused!
I'm just going to link you my blog because it's long but explains why I chose recomp and why I still do it.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ILiftHeavyAcrylics/view/why-recomp-works-for-me-748782
The short answer is chronic illness (eating at a deficit is too much stress on my system, at least it is while I'm also lifting), mental health (I had just lost 45 lbs and didn't feel ready to intentionally put on weight), and in the beginning, lack of experience and not knowing whether I'd really be able to effectively bulk. Also I really like maintenance. I don't care for eating a lot more for awhile and then having to eat a lot less again.0 -
Yeah, I would think that 30% is kind of high but I am around 26% and am focusing on recomp right now.
As for why do it if it is a long arduous process? I can only give you my perspective. Right now I go up and down from about 148-151 on a regular basis. I've been at approximately the same point since last November. I've been down to 147 and up to 152 but basically 148-151. I did have an extended maintenance break and then got back to losing but then found it really hard to eat at a deficit for longer than 4 weeks at at time. I was getting super obsessive about weighing myself daily even though I KNOW that weight loss isn't linear (lol.) During those 7 months I was losing inches so it's not like I had no progress, but it just wasn't showing (permanently) on the scale. So I decided to out and out commit to a recomp. So, for me, cutting down to a point where I would want to bulk would be way more arduous than saying "I feel pretty good at this weight. Let's sit here and just focus losing fat and building muscle."1 -
Thanks, those are very helpful answers. Planning to do a recomp when I get to my goal weight (7 lbs from now).1
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I did mine very different. I went from bodybuilding competition lean to a bulk. I struggled to go back to cutting after a bit over a year bulking, so I decided to maintain for a while. My body fat was around 26% when I started the recomp, but it was at the end of a bulk versus the end of weight loss like a lot of people do.1
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LiftAndBalance wrote: »
I'd like some info about that as well.
Also to take most advantage of the newby gains would chosing a recomp or a bulk make any difference?0 -
LiftAndBalance wrote: »
Nutrient partitioning is the concept where when we get to a certain weight our bodies are reluctant to add more lean mass. Carrying around extra weight is taxing on the body, so instead of adding muscle which requires even more energy our bodies divert more of the excess calories towards fat cells. The take home point would be that leaner people gain more muscle. I have never seen a study on this, but I have never tried looking for one either.0 -
LiftAndBalance wrote: »
I'd like some info about that as well.
Also to take most advantage of the newby gains would chosing a recomp or a bulk make any difference?
I personally would do that in a recomp instead of a bulk. I don't think a bulk is appropriate for most people in their first year of lifting. Your tendons aren't ready for the demands of a serious program and anything less than that for lifting in a bulk is going to result in gaining more fat than you should be gaining.0 -
LiftAndBalance wrote: »
I'd like some info about that as well.
Also to take most advantage of the newby gains would chosing a recomp or a bulk make any difference?
I personally would do that in a recomp instead of a bulk. I don't think a bulk is appropriate for most people in their first year of lifting. Your tendons aren't ready for the demands of a serious program and anything less than that for lifting in a bulk is going to result in gaining more fat than you should be gaining.LiftAndBalance wrote: »
The theory is basically that at certain levels of bodyfat insulin sensitivity decreases which has downstream effects on nutrient partitioning.
Nutrient partitioning is basically where nutrients go.
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LiftAndBalance wrote: »
I'd like some info about that as well.
Also to take most advantage of the newby gains would chosing a recomp or a bulk make any difference?
I personally would do that in a recomp instead of a bulk. I don't think a bulk is appropriate for most people in their first year of lifting. Your tendons aren't ready for the demands of a serious program and anything less than that for lifting in a bulk is going to result in gaining more fat than you should be gaining.LiftAndBalance wrote: »
The theory is basically that at certain levels of bodyfat insulin sensitivity decreases which has downstream effects on nutrient partitioning.
Nutrient partitioning is basically where nutrients go.
That too.0 -
So I know a recomp depends on a whole host of things, including how much body fat you have, how much weight you lift, how often you lift, how well you eat, and a bunch more. But in general--how long does it take to start seeing results from a recomp? 6 months? A year? Longer? I am in decent shape, always have been, but more from cardio. I am moderately strong, but have mostly done machines at the gym, resistance training and free weights for biceps and triceps only. Too much body fat, mostly on my thighs, back and triceps. Also, does age factor in?0
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So I know a recomp depends on a whole host of things, including how much body fat you have, how much weight you lift, how often you lift, how well you eat, and a bunch more. But in general--how long does it take to start seeing results from a recomp? 6 months? A year? Longer? I am in decent shape, always have been, but more from cardio. I am moderately strong, but have mostly done machines at the gym, resistance training and free weights for biceps and triceps only. Too much body fat, mostly on my thighs, back and triceps. Also, does age factor in?
Age does play a factor, but it doesn't make it impossible. You could start seeing some changes within a month or two if you followed a good quality program. If you are just picking random things to do in the gym it would take you longer.
The time is going to pass anyway. You can either pick a program and work towards a goal which you will eventually reach or you can wonder what would happen if you tried. No amount of worrying will speed results.5 -
So I know a recomp depends on a whole host of things, including how much body fat you have, how much weight you lift, how often you lift, how well you eat, and a bunch more. But in general--how long does it take to start seeing results from a recomp? 6 months? A year? Longer? I am in decent shape, always have been, but more from cardio. I am moderately strong, but have mostly done machines at the gym, resistance training and free weights for biceps and triceps only. Too much body fat, mostly on my thighs, back and triceps. Also, does age factor in?
I started to see positive changes to my body in a couple of months, but I had never done any kind of resistance training before. I think I ended up having to buy new pants the first time after about 6-8 months.1
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