Muscle defining?

anasvitlii

Hi everyone, I've got a question.
I've lost about 11lbs, got to the point where I'm happy with my 18.1% of body fat and about 21 BMI and now I want to define muscles.
So, does defining neccesaraly go with gaining weigt? If I maintain body waight and workout as usual (daily), what do I get as a result?

usmcmp

At 18% body fat you'll most likely need to gain weight to add muscle. It will be very hard at that low of a body fat percentage to attempt a recomp (maintaining weight while losing body fat and gaining muscle).

CarlydogsMom

What @usmcmp says. Basically, with that low of a body fat, and at being at a normal BMI, what she's saying is that your muscles--the way/size they are now--are about as defined as they're going to get under normal, non-weight-lifting conditions.

So now you want weights to enter the picture.

You could TRY a re-comp (lots of threads on here about that, including one usmcmp started (I think!), but it'll be really, really slow. That's generally reserved for someone who met their targeted WEIGHT, but had a more-than-desireable fat:muscle ratio.

You could also try a slow bulk to build strength and a bit of muscle mass. To do that, you eat at some level above maintenance, like aim to gain 0.5 lbs per week, for several weeks or some time frame that you can handle, while you lift progressively heavier weights under a structured program that helps you build strength and mass. You WILL gain both fat and muscle. Typically very hard to just gain muscle. But I'm telling you, once you start lifting and seeing yourself get stronger, you're not gonna care.

Then, at some point, you go into a "cut," where you now do the calorie-deficit thing again to drop the fat, while still lifting to maintain the muscle.

The length of time for "bulking" and "cutting" is your decision. I started last winter after starting my first real weight-lifting program and "bulked" (gained 10 pounds) over the entire winter, six months. Then, come spring I started my "cut" throughout the summer. Now, back I go into the winter cycle. You could do it shorter, or whatever meets your goals.

usmcmp

CarlydogsMom wrote: »

What @usmcmp says. Basically, with that low of a body fat, and at being at a normal BMI, what she's saying is that your muscles--the way/size they are now--are about as defined as they're going to get under normal, non-weight-lifting conditions.

So now you want weights to enter the picture.

You could TRY a re-comp (lots of threads on here about that, including one usmcmp started (I think!), but it'll be really, really slow. That's generally reserved for someone who met their targeted WEIGHT, but had a more-than-desireable fat:muscle ratio.

You could also try a slow bulk to build strength and a bit of muscle mass. To do that, you eat at some level above maintenance, like aim to gain 0.5 lbs per week, for several weeks or some time frame that you can handle, while you lift progressively heavier weights under a structured program that helps you build strength and mass. You WILL gain both fat and muscle. Typically very hard to just gain muscle. But I'm telling you, once you start lifting and seeing yourself get stronger, you're not gonna care.

Then, at some point, you go into a "cut," where you now do the calorie-deficit thing again to drop the fat, while still lifting to maintain the muscle.

The length of time for "bulking" and "cutting" is your decision. I started last winter after starting my first real weight-lifting program and "bulked" (gained 10 pounds) over the entire winter, six months. Then, come spring I started my "cut" throughout the summer. Now, back I go into the winter cycle. You could do it shorter, or whatever meets your goals.

The problem with her trying to recomp is that her body fat is too low for that. Ideal percentage for recomp for a female is around 22-26% with a normal BMI. With body fat levels that are reaching the essential fat point her body isn't going to partition nutrients to build muscle. She needs to consider gaining weight, like a short bulk, then going for recomposition once her body fat is higher.

anasvitlii

Thank you both for your advices, you definetely helped me a lot!

CarlydogsMom

Oh, I agree that a recomp isn't a good strategy. However, her body fat estimate may be off (we have no info on how it was measured), or there may be other variables that may lead her to try it (psychological concern about gaining weight, but desire to start lifting regardless, etc.), that's why I emphasized she could TRY but in her case it's not the best choice.