Building strength while in calorie deficit

trudie_b

I understand that it's difficult (impossible?) to build muscle mass when eating at a calorie deficit, but does that also automatically mean you can't increase muscle strength unless you are eating at maintenance or above? Would increasing protein offset a small deficit? I'm trying to build strength, and worried that my current deficit (small) might be working against me.....

sammyliftsandeats

Remember that strength does not always mean increased muscle mass. Strength is neuromuscular adaptation. So you can definitely get stronger in a deficit.

But for most people, the muscle mass increase comes from the surplus.

trudie_b

Good!! Thank you both. I'm not quite ready to start recomp yet (although I'm close), but I'm working really hard at lifting, and I don't want to undermine that.

lorrpb

I absolutely gained strength while eating in a deficit for 2.5 years while losing 148 lbs. I started resistance training day 1 when I could barely do a low step up and couldn't do a wall squat to parallel. Now I walk, run, swim, and squat with weight, and other lifts more than I ever have in my life. Keep it going!

trudie_b

That's encouraging, thank you!

DancingMoosie

I definitely got stronger while losing weight. Just keep going!

Chadxx

It is more difficult but it is doable, especially with a small deficit.