Weight Lifting on a Deficit and strength gains

BattyKnitter

Hello,

I searched for this answer but I guess I'm using the wrong key words to find anything useful.

So I know that you cannot bulk on a deficit. What I've gathered from the forums is that weight lifting in a deficit is just to minimize muscle loss while losing fat.

My question is, how come I'm getting stronger? Is it because I'm still building a little bit of muscle just not anything significant like what someone might want to achieve on a bulk? Is it just because I am losing weight and it's easier to lift stuff when you weigh less?

MelanieCN77

-Practicing any movement will make you better at it
-Newbie gains

I'm in the same kind of limbo - I'm at maintenance or a small deficit depending on the day and do resistance training couple times a week. I am seeing definition, hard to judge literal strength though. I can do what I need to and like the aesthetic so I'm good to tread water a while longer while I figure things out.

Amerek412

I definitely don't know the science behind it, but basically you're muscles are capable of becoming more efficient (i.e. stronger) without actually building mass.

With that being said, under the right circumstances it is possible for people completely new to weightlifting to gain mass in a deficit. I started a progressive overload program in January, first time I've ever seriously lifted weights in my life, and can say with complete certainty that I have made some gains on an average of a 300 cal/day deficit.

andreaen

As a beginner you are lucky in many ways. As Melanie said, you are getting better from practicing by the neurological adaptations (also called learning the movement and how to recruit the correct muscles to perform it). Also, even if you are in a weight loss phase your body is still building both muscle and fat, but just not as much as you are losing. You are sending signals to your body that you need more muscle and strength right now because you have began moving heavy things around, so it will respond by possibly increasing your muscle mass and strength and rather burn the fat which is less necessary at the moment

kimny72

Yep, getting stronger and getting bigger are two different things. You might have had some small newbie gains, but your muscles can get stronger without getting bigger. Congrats on getting stronger and keep going!

BattyKnitter

Thanks for the explanation everyone, makes sense!

Johnd2000

I’m on a small deficit (200-400 c a day, depending on exercise) and I’m gaining in the arms and legs, whilst losing in the waist and hips.

I did have a very low muscle starting point, if that makes a difference.

AnvilHead

BattyKnitter wrote: »

Hello,

I searched for this answer but I guess I'm using the wrong key words to find anything useful.

So I know that you cannot bulk on a deficit. What I've gathered from the forums is that weight lifting in a deficit is just to minimize muscle loss while losing fat.

My question is, how come I'm getting stronger? Is it because I'm still building a little bit of muscle just not anything significant like what someone might want to achieve on a bulk? Is it just because I am losing weight and it's easier to lift stuff when you weigh less?

Great article about it here: https://bodyrecomposition.com/training/determinants-of-strength-performance-part-3.html/

For those who don't click links, the two main factors are fiber recruitment and rate coding. Put simply: In the former, your central nervous system adapts to become more efficient at recruiting more muscle fibers; in the latter, the electrical impulses sent to cause the muscle contractions happen faster and cause the muscle to contract more strongly.

If you want to dig further on the subject, try doing a search for "neuromuscular adaptation".

plythacur

So I’m also lifting weights on a deficit, and I’m not a newby to weight lifting by any means. What I’ve noticed is that I can slowly but consistently gain strength (I’ve hit a number of PRs in the last few weeks), but I get only small to moderate changes in actual muscle size. This generally agrees with what other people are saying here, but I don’t think this is exclusive to people who are new to lifting. You can still gain strength and may even get small size gains, but it isn’t going to be anything near the size gains that you would get while not on a deficit.

Momepro

The way it was explained to me is that the muscles aren't necessarily getting bigger (although you might gain a tiny bit for a while under certain circunstances) but they ARE becoming more efficient as you work them harder.

BattyKnitter

@AnvilHead Thanks for the link and keyword, I love reading stuff like this.