No change after 4 months of recomp - suggestions? How long does it take to see change?

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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    If your routine isn't giving you enough stimulus to force growth then switching from recomp to cut/bulk isn't going to change that. The cut part is only going to make it worse in the short term.

    Building muscle is slow irrespective of calories unless you are a young male or on naughty drugs.
    Patience is required. Build a foundation of technique and strength then consider a change of programming if hypertrophy is really your aim.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    goldthistime wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    My personal opinion on recomp is that it should be done by people with little fat to lose AND have been training for awhile (at least a year consistently).
    If you need to gain size, then cut and bulk along with a hypertrophy program is what I usually recommend.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    My concern about cutting and bulking vs recomp is the idea that as we age it's more difficult to build muscle. I worry that I may lose muscle during cuts and just gain fat during the bulks. Do you recommend bulk/cut cycles at any age? What if I'm 80? Or is there another criteria you could suggest, like "if you can't get to the gym 3 times a week, stick with recomp".

    As a 66 year old, I just don't buy that the age thing is such a big factor. From the 20s to the 40s there is some drop off due to T levels but it's not that significant. Or at least it hasn't been for me. Maybe 10-15%. From the 40s to the 60s I dont' see that much difference at all. Maybe I'm just lucky with my genes and my T levels have always remained good for my age.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    If your routine isn't giving you enough stimulus to force growth then switching from recomp to cut/bulk isn't going to change that. The cut part is only going to make it worse in the short term.

    Building muscle is slow irrespective of calories unless you are a young male or on naughty drugs.
    Patience is required. Build a foundation of technique and strength then consider a change of programming if hypertrophy is really your aim.

    All of this all day long! ^
  • Maggieba
    Maggieba Posts: 47 Member
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    A few weeks back someone posted an article in this section about actual calories needed to build muscle. For women, under ideal conditions (calorie surplus, progressive heavy lifting, etc) a 1/4# muscle gain per week was cited. If I'm remembering correctly, the author proposed that while eating at maintenance and lifting, women might gain 1/8# muscle a week. Recomp is slow.

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