Is this recomping?

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MelanieCN77
MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I reached my GW of 135 in March of this year and started doing resistance training at that time. I am hovering around 137-139 currently and my measurements are about the same. Is it safe to say those extra pounds are muscular? I am having such a hard time accepting the weight increase as a sign of success, and at the same time wonder if eating at maintenance or below and lifting, if I am just keeping myself in this limbo of nothing. I am definitely fitter cardio wise but I've clearly not really gained much muscle to write home about either. Maintenance is hard on the mind! Any advice?

Stats if you need them: female, 5'5", 139 today.

See, putting that "today" after is me being anxious about the scale going up.

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Recomp should not necessarily result in weight gain. Do you have pictures from when you started and now? Did you take measurements? It's normal to fluctuate slightly, but if you keep gaining weight you may need to reduce your calories slightly.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Usually measurements go down if you have lost some fat and gained some muscle. Have you increased in strength?
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I don't have pictures outside of incidental ones. I took some deliberate ones in November when I first started to realise I was spinning my wheels, so I can have something to compare to in the future. I am planning some small diet adjustments including making my actual meals larger instead of saving cals for snack junk.

    My cardio endurance and recovery is amazing, strength not so much progression. I injured my bicep somehow last December (2016) and was a bit limited as to what I could do, upper body, for a really long time. e.g. 5x5 and the like was out as most push/overhead stuff caused pain. I think I need to get more formal with my strength and make sure to build in actual progressive overload. I'm still lifting about the same as I was 9 months ago because I've not been able to take a real direction. I only feel the twinge in my bicep and shoulder a very little now so...
  • sofchak
    sofchak Posts: 862 Member
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    4cso8o0ed879.jpeg

    Pictures and/or measurements really help tell the story about whether or not you are successful at recomp. Here’s a progress picture of me - I weigh about the same in both pics, but I was down 3 inches overall (bust, waist, thigh measurements combined) while my arms stayed the same measurement.

    During this time between photos, I did StrongLifts 5x5 consistently 3x a week for about 10 weeks, with progressive weight increase over that time. I haven’t seen much of a difference since that last photo was taken, but recomp is all about patience and consistency.

    Start taking pictures and measurements now. That’s the only way to really distinguish progress objectively. Good luck!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    @MelanieCN77 i also hurt my arm doing 5x5 and had to stop back in October. It’s better, but not 100% so I plan to massively deload and start over. Consensus is I have bad form (flaring elbows) on bench press.

    I’m also in goal range if 130-135, and aiming to recomp. I need to watch for tiny weight creeps outside range. For me, it would NOT be safe to say that a few pounds are muscle..,,, o:)>:)
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2018
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    I would have said that with gaining weight and with your lifting it would have resulted in muscle gains (even if a calorie surplus due to change small creeps in your maintenance calories over time) but I have 2 points to why I think the opposite. One, the 2-4 pounds is well within what I call a weight range for being in maintenance. However if you have been trending a weight creep over 6 weeks, you would know by now after taking several data points (if you have been keeping up with them) a fairly static number of pounds gained, so it sounds less of actual fat/muscle gain and maybe some fluctuations as well.

    Secondly if you have not progressively increased in your weight training, sounds like the weight training has not been optimal enough to gain much muscle.

    I would reassess your calorie intake, and where you plan next to take your diet and lifting to meet your goals. Take some before pics and body measurements now and do it again monthly once you arrive at a plan. Recomp is a very slow process, so if you plan to stay here, give it time and plenty of patience.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I think my plan is to shave off a small portion of my exercise cals eaten back, at maintenance, and plan a proper progressive lifting plan for myself. I'm in the middle of 8 weeks of a HIIT program right now, that I picked up in November after realising I wasn't really progressing, just to add some variety and try something different. I'll finish that up and have my lifting plan ready for the end of that.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. I think my plan is to shave off a small portion of my exercise cals eaten back, at maintenance, and plan a proper progressive lifting plan for myself. I'm in the middle of 8 weeks of a HIIT program right now, that I picked up in November after realising I wasn't really progressing, just to add some variety and try something different. I'll finish that up and have my lifting plan ready for the end of that.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

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