Resistance band training and gaining muscle?

ZPicc

Given the state of the world with covid-19 my local gym is closed. I am M35, 5'8", 142 lbs and found that I can generally maintain with around 1700 cal intake per day.

I would like to gain muscle mass as I feel I am "skinny fat" and have read that resistance training can help with this body type. I generally do lots of cardio running nearly every day, but I had done some lifting when the gyms were open. Does anyone here have experience with resistance bands? Do you use them everyday? 5 days? MWF?

Anything is helpful. Thank you.

StargazerB

Sure they can work until you can't add any more resistance which depending on the type of bands can be fairly quick.

ZPicc

StargazerB wrote: »

Sure they can work until you can't add any more resistance .

Absolutely thought this also, but I should be good for a while before needing additional bands. I have 5 ranging from 10-30lb. So in theory I can go up to 100lb. Right now I'm down around 55-65 depending on exercise. I'm really just getting started though. I also fear that I eat too few calories to make gains?

MostlyWater

I have bands. I don't love the workout; I'd rather use dumbells.

ZPicc

MostlyWater wrote: »

I have bands. I don't love the workout; I'd rather use dumbells.

Does it provide you any gains? or at least maintenance?

heybales

For the muscle to feel a need to grow - you'll need to push it beyond what it can currently do.

The bands may or may not get you to that point of using what you got, will likely depend on the muscles being used and how you use the bands.

You can do that while eating at maintenance, shoot even in a diet if it was needed.

But eventually to continue to make progress you'll need to increase the resistance or intensity - duration or reps can help a little but increase too much with low intensity it starts moving closer to aerobic workout, that's a different response and more muscle is rarely it.

At the point of overloading and hoping for new muscle growth - you'll have to decide if slow going eating at maintenance, gaining muscle and losing fat - or if you care to eat over maintenance by a little (250) and possibly gain some fat, and then later cut the fat carefully and slowly with a deficit while holding the new muscle.

Here are some progressive programs.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

Here is recomp.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

ninerbuff

heybales wrote: »

For the muscle to feel a need to grow - you'll need to push it beyond what it can currently do.

The bands may or may not get you to that point of using what you got, will likely depend on the muscles being used and how you use the bands.

You can do that while eating at maintenance, shoot even in a diet if it was needed.

But eventually to continue to make progress you'll need to increase the resistance or intensity - duration or reps can help a little but increase too much with low intensity it starts moving closer to aerobic workout, that's a different response and more muscle is rarely it.

At the point of overloading and hoping for new muscle growth - you'll have to decide if slow going eating at maintenance, gaining muscle and losing fat - or if you care to eat over maintenance by a little (250) and possibly gain some fat, and then later cut the fat carefully and slowly with a deficit while holding the new muscle.

Here are some progressive programs.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

Here is recomp.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

THIS

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

ZPicc

@heybales Thank you. I've just given these a look and for sure I think I need to probably focus on some recomposition. Before this I was actually doing Strong Lifts 5X5 at the gym (now closed due to covid) and was feeling fairly strong overall. Despite feeling strong however I did not lose the remaining fat I have. I think recomp is going to take a while and I will use and increase resistance bands as I need to in order to push myself.