Weight Training Noob and Conflicting claims.

BusyBaer

So I've recently begun my weight(fat) loss journey and discovered weight training may be critical to weight loss. I've read a ton of articles online that say weight training will increase muscles and bigger muscles will increase your metabolism. Which seems okay, but then other articles claim you can't increase muscle mass in a calorie deficit, but the only way to lose fat is by having a calorie deficit.

So what happens when you lift in a calorie deficit? Does muscle mass increase?
I started lifting and exercising about a month ago and notice drastic improvements in my performance ( I lift heavier, run faster, do more reps etc..) does that mean my muscle mass is increasing? So confused.

RoxieDawn

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10611633/gaining-muscle-in-a-deficit/p1

Maybe this will help you see that you can build some muscle in a deficit. Many variable must apply for that to happen. But mostly when you have exhausted your muscle gaining potential in a deficit the most you can do while remaining in a calorie deficit is maintain muscle mass till you reach goal.

Optimally we want to do a very small deficit, adequate protein, follow progressive overload strength program.

Pick an established program from the list for optimal results from your lifting.

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

estherdragonbat

It's possible to build a small amount of muscle at the outset (newbie gains), but as a general rule, you burn fat in a calorie deficit and build muscle in a calorie surplus. However, lifting in a deficit is helpful for other reasons:

1. When losing weight, it's just about inevitable that you'll burn some existing muscle in addition to fat. Since muscle is harder to put on than fat, you want to minimize that loss as much as possible. Basically, as you lose weight, your body decides to stop sending as much fuel to less-essential functions. This is true even if you're not pursuing an aggressive deficit, but it's true to a far lesser extent. When you strength train, your body decides that muscle is one area it needs to keep fueling.
2. You have muscle under your fat. That's how you're carrying all that extra you around. So, even though you won't build much (if any) muscle in a deficit, as you lose fat, the muscles you've already got will be revealed.
3. While muscle technically does burn more calories than fat, the difference is minimal to the point where focusing on it is pretty much 'majoring in the minors'.
4. While you can't expect to build muscle in a deficit, you can strengthen what you've got. From personal experience? I'm a short woman who's lifting dumbbells that are heavy for me, but the weights I lift don't fall under 'lifting heavy'. When I started almost a year ago, I could kind of pick up a 12lb dumbbell in each hand and set it back down gently without slamming or dropping it, but I needed two hands to pick up a 15. I just got a pair of 20s I'll be phasing into my program next week and I can carry them around with me with no issues.

erickirb

I agree with the above.

Essentially weight lifting helps you retain muscle mass you already have while in a deficit, so at your goal weight, you will have a lower BF%, as not strength training will lead to a loss of lean muscle, along with the fat. In addition to more muscle mass at your goal weight, you will also get stronger

jjpptt2

erickirb wrote: »

I agree with the above.

Essentially weight lifting helps you retain muscle mass you already have while in a deficit, so at your goal weight, you will have a lower BF%, as not strength training will lead to a loss of lean muscle, along with the fat. In addition to more muscle mass at your goal weight, you will also get stronger

Agreed.

Lifting while in a deficit helps retain muscle mass, which helps body composition. Lifting also helps with strength, so while you may not build significant mass/size, you can see meaningful improvements in strength which is nice for every day life.