Building muscle before shedding weight

figureitout87

Hey guys,

I'm 5'2 and 172 at the moment. I'm wanting to building a solid base before I start shedding my fat, but I also kind of just want to lose the weight. So, in support of being patient does anyone have any successes to share? It'd be great to hear someone's perspective to help keep me motivated.

Thanks ☺️

ninerbuff

There are exception to building a good amount of muscle while in a calorie deficit: Newbie having never done any weight lifting before, returning athlete after a long layoff, obese person using a progressive lifting program.
Other than that, building muscle (other than recomp) while on a deficit is improbable due to the fact that adding muscle means adding mass which means your weight increases. To increase weight, your calories are in surplus.
Also realize that if one has been overweight/obese for awhile, there is already muscle under there due to the fact that weight gain usually is progressive, which means progressive resistance (weight bearing) happened. It usually shows up mostly in the lower body though.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

merflan

It definitely can be done I recently lost body fat and weight while adding on muscle. I ate at a very slight deficit, and followed macros set by my trainer. I wouldn't have been able to figure out the nutrition part of things on my own though.