Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat
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JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
My thought atm is I would run 11-15K days 4 days a week, lift 2 days a week (4K runs those days just to get to and from the gym), one day rest? It will likely require tweaking, but I feel like if I condense my distance goals into fewer days I might not have to sacrifice on training sheer mileage wise. Thankfully I'm open to the possibility that I have no idea what I'm doing and could crash and burn lol0 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.4 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.0 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
Here's a way to view it:
Reduce body fat percentage + maintain lean mass = weight loss
Reduce body fat percentage + add lean mass = recomposition (maintaining weight)0 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
Here's a way to view it:
Reduce body fat percentage + maintain lean mass = weight loss
Reduce body fat percentage + add lean mass = recomposition (maintaining weight)
Hmmmm maybe I'll wait it out then and see if I look any better at 130 and then revisit this. Thanks for your insights, I appreciate you all sharing your recomp knowledge
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And enjoy the ride! It's important to enjoy the process as well as the results.
This is what I am struggling with right now. Progress is agonizingly slow, and hard to track, and I have yet to find a way to enjoy lifting. It is something else on my to-do list! I do, however, enjoy different forms of cardio (swimming, walking, running, biking--when I have a working bike). But I can without a doubt attest to the fact that cardio alone won't do it--at least not after a "certain age"! Sigh.
Got to make it interval cardio, true HIIT, to get as close to lifting as you can with a cardio workout.
That'll help build some muscle slowly but surely.0 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
I was thinking of recomp as the whole process of working towards increasing lean body mass while losing fat. I want to avoid the dreaded flabby "skinny fat" and want muscles to show through as I go along. Maybe now isn't the time for me to recomp? I was thinking of maintaining for a bit, adding muscle now, seeing how I look, and then losing the last bit of weight.
But should my tactic instead be to lose weight first since it is a bit harder to lose weight when trying to build up muscle mass? I was approaching this process as gaining muscle weight while I lose fat weight realizing that at my final weight I will be more solid and have more lean body weight than I would have if I wasn't doing recomp in between losing weight.
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JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
I was thinking of recomp as the whole process of working towards increasing lean body mass while losing fat. I want to avoid the dreaded flabby "skinny fat" and want muscles to show through as I go along. Maybe now isn't the time for me to recomp? I was thinking of maintaining for a bit, adding muscle now, seeing how I look, and then losing the last bit of weight.
But should my tactic instead be to lose weight first since it is a bit harder to lose weight when trying to build up muscle mass? I was approaching this process as gaining muscle weight while I lose fat weight realizing that at my final weight I will be more solid and have more lean body weight than I would have if I wasn't doing recomp in between losing weight.
If you don't want to lose any weight or it might be unhealthy to lose any more weight: time to recomp
If you feel like you can lose a few more pounds and still be at a healthy weight: Lose the weight slowly (0.5 pounds a week or less) and lift weights
The scale that you use to measure body fat may not be that accurate. It may be useful for tracking downward or upward trends over time. I like to use this as a reference for a visual approximation of body fat because along with a few pictures there is a brief explanation and it includes both men and women: http://www.ruled.me/visually-estimate-body-fat-percentage/1 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
I would add two things to what's already been said: 1. Maybe you'll love lifting, who knows? (Unless you're already doing it--I assume from this post that you're reading but haven't started lifting yet.) 2. I'm a cyclist, and while I still like riding my bike more than I like lifting, I LOVE how lifting has made me a better, stronger cyclist. I'm pretty sure the same will hold true for running. That keeps me going back to the gym, though when perfect biking weather falls on what should be a lifting day, I sometimes skip the lifting session and ride longer instead. I've still recomped pretty effectively, I think.
I'd guess those non-MFP people are saying you'll have trouble getting adequate calories if you're running long distances, but if you're tracking/logging you'll know.4 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
I was thinking of recomp as the whole process of working towards increasing lean body mass while losing fat. I want to avoid the dreaded flabby "skinny fat" and want muscles to show through as I go along. Maybe now isn't the time for me to recomp? I was thinking of maintaining for a bit, adding muscle now, seeing how I look, and then losing the last bit of weight.
But should my tactic instead be to lose weight first since it is a bit harder to lose weight when trying to build up muscle mass? I was approaching this process as gaining muscle weight while I lose fat weight realizing that at my final weight I will be more solid and have more lean body weight than I would have if I wasn't doing recomp in between losing weight.
If you don't want to lose any weight or it might be unhealthy to lose any more weight: time to recomp
If you feel like you can lose a few more pounds and still be at a healthy weight: Lose the weight slowly (0.5 pounds a week or less) and lift weights
The scale that you use to measure body fat may not be that accurate. It may be useful for tracking downward or upward trends over time. I like to use this as a reference for a visual approximation of body fat because along with a few pictures there is a brief explanation and it includes both men and women: http://www.ruled.me/visually-estimate-body-fat-percentage/
Thanks! I'm tending to agree with you that I'm not 23% BF as the scale is reporting. Visually I'm 24%. I like your suggestion of using the current numbers as a baseline to track up and down. At least I have some numbers to work on for losing fat while preserving and/or gaining muscle mass.
(Edited to remove double quote)1 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
I was thinking of recomp as the whole process of working towards increasing lean body mass while losing fat. I want to avoid the dreaded flabby "skinny fat" and want muscles to show through as I go along. Maybe now isn't the time for me to recomp? I was thinking of maintaining for a bit, adding muscle now, seeing how I look, and then losing the last bit of weight.
But should my tactic instead be to lose weight first since it is a bit harder to lose weight when trying to build up muscle mass? I was approaching this process as gaining muscle weight while I lose fat weight realizing that at my final weight I will be more solid and have more lean body weight than I would have if I wasn't doing recomp in between losing weight.
@DebSozo Recomp is the process of working towards increasing lean mass while losing fat. The person I quoted wasn't concerned with gaining muscle, which is half of the point of doing recomp. If you want to maintain and are going to try to add muscle then you're basically doing recomposition.
I personally think that someone with body fat in the fit to average range is a great candidate for recomposition. You get a slight diet break (still have to pay attention to ensure you don't start gaining week after week) and you're fueling the workouts well. Recomposition can also be used as a strategy for making progress in one aspect of building a great physique during times that dieting is tougher (dieting during November and December sucks).0 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
I was thinking of recomp as the whole process of working towards increasing lean body mass while losing fat. I want to avoid the dreaded flabby "skinny fat" and want muscles to show through as I go along. Maybe now isn't the time for me to recomp? I was thinking of maintaining for a bit, adding muscle now, seeing how I look, and then losing the last bit of weight.
But should my tactic instead be to lose weight first since it is a bit harder to lose weight when trying to build up muscle mass? I was approaching this process as gaining muscle weight while I lose fat weight realizing that at my final weight I will be more solid and have more lean body weight than I would have if I wasn't doing recomp in between losing weight.
@DebSozo Recomp is the process of working towards increasing lean mass while losing fat. The person I quoted wasn't concerned with gaining muscle, which is half of the point of doing recomp. If you want to maintain and are going to try to add muscle then you're basically doing recomposition.
I personally think that someone with body fat in the fit to average range is a great candidate for recomposition. You get a slight diet break (still have to pay attention to ensure you don't start gaining week after week) and you're fueling the workouts well. Recomposition can also be used as a strategy for making progress in one aspect of building a great physique during times that dieting is tougher (dieting during November and December sucks).
And to add, recomping is great for those who don't have time frames to achieve a specific look or have need to be at a certain weight (e.g., competitors). Or those who have fear of bulks.4 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »robertw486 wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So a question I have re: recomposition! I'm 5'9", CW 139, GW 130, running six days a week (working towards about 60k a week) training for a series of races I have this next year. I have been reading Strong Curves with the intention of working on recomp in August or September but I've had a few people I know outside of MFP who lift heavy who have suggested that my fitness goals re: running will work against my ability to recomp and that I basically have to choose one or the other. Truth to this? I'm not willing to drop something I love for something I'm basically only looking into to drop BF% ykwim?
Most of the people telling you that you have to pick one or the other just don't like one or the other, and so they spread stuff like that.
Thank you, that was kind of my feeling but I also 100% recognize that I am not a fitness expert of any kind so I figured I'd ask. I couldn't see why it wouldn't work to cross-train especially since lifting doesn't burn that many calories in comparison. On to Strong Curves it is!
The bigger thing is keeping up with calories and adequate macronutrients to support your goals. To be honest, i would be impressed it you can run 6 days a week and still lift big.
I was just coming in to say something similar. Putting in significant miles during the week is going to take a toll on the quality of effort you can put into lifting. High mileage is taxing on the CNS even if you're eating adequately. You might be able to pull it off if you're lifting first and fueling well. Your lean mass gains will still likely be lower than an average recomp due to the limited ability to progressively overload when lifting. Just my two cents.
I'm not so much looking to make gains as I am trying to cut bf%. Is there a difference there? Sorry if that sounds completely stupid.
If you don't make muscle gains and you just cut body fat % then you're basically just losing weight. The goal of recomposition is to add muscle and lose fat without impacting your weight in either direction (except average fluctuations).
I was thinking of recomp as the whole process of working towards increasing lean body mass while losing fat. I want to avoid the dreaded flabby "skinny fat" and want muscles to show through as I go along. Maybe now isn't the time for me to recomp? I was thinking of maintaining for a bit, adding muscle now, seeing how I look, and then losing the last bit of weight.
But should my tactic instead be to lose weight first since it is a bit harder to lose weight when trying to build up muscle mass? I was approaching this process as gaining muscle weight while I lose fat weight realizing that at my final weight I will be more solid and have more lean body weight than I would have if I wasn't doing recomp in between losing weight.
@DebSozo Recomp is the process of working towards increasing lean mass while losing fat. The person I quoted wasn't concerned with gaining muscle, which is half of the point of doing recomp. If you want to maintain and are going to try to add muscle then you're basically doing recomposition.
I personally think that someone with body fat in the fit to average range is a great candidate for recomposition. You get a slight diet break (still have to pay attention to ensure you don't start gaining week after week) and you're fueling the workouts well. Recomposition can also be used as a strategy for making progress in one aspect of building a great physique during times that dieting is tougher (dieting during November and December sucks).
And to add, recomping is great for those who don't have time frames to achieve a specific look or have need to be at a certain weight (e.g., competitors). Or those who have fear of bulks.
That would be me. I don't have a limited time frame to achieve a certain look per se and do fear bulks. I'm happy with average size and am trying to keep from gaining any more with hopes to lose a few if at all possible.0 -
I think I am finally ready to actually do this. While I was going to run a bulk/cut, it was just not working out for me. My weight loss was kind of stalling to get lean enough to bulk, plus running a bulk soon would be way too much work and pressure for me (the meticulous tracking, getting all my lifting sessions in, eating enough since I am breastfeeding etc.). I don't really know what to expect from recomping but since I'm not tracking my cals, what will likely happen is some days I will be in deficit, surplus and maintenance and in the end it should all work out!3
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So, after looking at the image link for body fat images - what if you don't fit? My top half is very definitely in the lower fat category while my bottom half is in the one above. Does it make a difference?1
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So, after looking at the image link for body fat images - what if you don't fit? My top half is very definitely in the lower fat category while my bottom half is in the one above. Does it make a difference?
I don't know the answer to this but I also find matching those body fat images hard to translate to my own body
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JessicaMcB wrote: »So, after looking at the image link for body fat images - what if you don't fit? My top half is very definitely in the lower fat category while my bottom half is in the one above. Does it make a difference?
I don't know the answer to this but I also find matching those body fat images hard to translate to my own body
Yours has to do with lean mass. Most of the body fat pictures show women with higher muscle. You're the same height as me, but I have more muscle mass than you have total body weight.
@jerb00 For people with uneven distribution of fat (where it seems to be all in belly or all in legs) take the middle between the top half visual estimation and the bottom half visual estimation. The top half of your body won't change much, so your number will adjust as the lower half leans out.3 -
JessicaMcB wrote: »So, after looking at the image link for body fat images - what if you don't fit? My top half is very definitely in the lower fat category while my bottom half is in the one above. Does it make a difference?
I don't know the answer to this but I also find matching those body fat images hard to translate to my own body
Yours has to do with lean mass. Most of the body fat pictures show women with higher muscle. You're the same height as me, but I have more muscle mass than you have total body weight.
Is there a site/full info graphic that does comparisons like that for BF% for highly muscled versus not so much as well? Because you're absolutely right, if I looked at you I'd think "She has such low body fat, what a rockstar." but the other woman pictured I would've clocked at 20-22% mentally because in my mind 15% is going to look like a very lean female lifter you know?
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JessicaMcB wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »So, after looking at the image link for body fat images - what if you don't fit? My top half is very definitely in the lower fat category while my bottom half is in the one above. Does it make a difference?
I don't know the answer to this but I also find matching those body fat images hard to translate to my own body
Yours has to do with lean mass. Most of the body fat pictures show women with higher muscle. You're the same height as me, but I have more muscle mass than you have total body weight.
Is there a site/full info graphic that does comparisons like that for BF% for highly muscled versus not so much as well? Because you're absolutely right, if I looked at you I'd think "She has such low body fat, what a rockstar." but the other woman pictured I would've clocked at 20-22% mentally because in my mind 15% is going to look like a very lean female lifter you know?
If you can ignore the advertising in this site the graphics comparing body fat gives you a good idea of what you are looking for:
http://ketogains.com/2015/09/how-to-estimate-your-body-fat-percentage-bf/
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Thanks @DebSozo it still only had the muscled vs. unmuscled percents for 15% but such is life I guess. I'll just assume I'm 22-23% like I have been to this point0
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