How to recomp??

jmangini

I'll post some articles for you on the subject. Here"s one

http://angrytrainerfitness.com/2011/12/fitness-fact-or-fiction-can-you-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/

I read the first article and stopped at the line "I don't think you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat." I'm not interested in reading the rest. Those are just opinions of authors, not scientific evidence. As I stated in my original post, it's possible to recomp. It's extremely slow. Most people screw it up. Those who succeed would have almost certainly gained more muscle and lost more fat through traditional bulk cut cycling.
[/quote

I did not post them for you. I posted them for the prison that wrote the post. I'm trying to help. I'd appreciate if you"d stop making this about me. You already called me a liar. Why don't you let it go. I'm off this post now. Have fun.

prattiger65

I read the second one. It said basically that recomp is tedious and difficult and impossible for anyone other than noobs. But hey, it is "possible".

kelly_e_montana

I have recomped about 7% in the last 6 months. I use a program called Eat to Perform. It's basically tracking your macros and carb cycling around workouts. I have also PR'd all of my lifts big time while on this program. I don't sell it. You don't even really have to buy anything. They give out most of their info for free on their FB page. I wouldn't even necessarily suggest buying their book. I would just read all the stuff they put out and watch their webinars and do it. I have not been eating at a caloric deficit except for on my one recovery day. I have only lost 4 pounds of scale weight during this process. I have photos I could show you but I don't want to be murdered by the peanut gallery who doesn't believe in body recomp. Message me if you want to see anything.

P.S. It's so freaking easy. You don't even have to try. It just happens. Slowly but it happens. You just keep working out, hitting mad PR's and you're getting more defined every month. I don't want to bulk and cut. What a pain. I just eat for performance and the recomp follows. Easy.

vismal

I never called you a liar. I'm not sure where you got that from. I merely pointed out that you were misinformed on how the body works. Providing misinformation to people who are seeking legitimate help only seeks to confuse them and hamper their results. I don't question that your intentions were good, you are simply misinformed. The fact remains that the OP will be much more likely to accomplish her goals doing bulk cut cycling then attempting a recomp.

kelly_e_montana

So I've learned a lot since joining MFP. I know that you cannot build new muscle unless you are in a caloric surplus, so my question is, how do you 'reshape' your body without having to purposely gain weight? Is it possible? I've lost 50 pounds since having my son and I don't want to gain some back to get the body I want. My biggest complaint is my butt- I lost the weight pretty quickly and its kind of flat and saggy now. I'd like a round butt again...is that possible while eating at a caloric deficit? People have recommended squats, but is that pointless when I'm not eating a surplus to gain more muscle?

P.S. Don't let science arguments make you overthink this. The answer to squats is "yes" 99% of the time. Start squatting.

vismal

So I've learned a lot since joining MFP. I know that you cannot build new muscle unless you are in a caloric surplus, so my question is, how do you 'reshape' your body without having to purposely gain weight? Is it possible? I've lost 50 pounds since having my son and I don't want to gain some back to get the body I want. My biggest complaint is my butt- I lost the weight pretty quickly and its kind of flat and saggy now. I'd like a round butt again...is that possible while eating at a caloric deficit? People have recommended squats, but is that pointless when I'm not eating a surplus to gain more muscle?

P.S. Don't let science arguments make you overthink this. The answer to squats is "yes" 99% of the time. Start squatting.

Absolutely she should squat, no questions asked. Bulking, cutting, whatever. But recomposition is not easy. While you seem to have had little trouble, your result is not typical. I also attempted to review the eat to perform website but was only met with options to buy ebooks.

kelly_e_montana

So I've learned a lot since joining MFP. I know that you cannot build new muscle unless you are in a caloric surplus, so my question is, how do you 'reshape' your body without having to purposely gain weight? Is it possible? I've lost 50 pounds since having my son and I don't want to gain some back to get the body I want. My biggest complaint is my butt- I lost the weight pretty quickly and its kind of flat and saggy now. I'd like a round butt again...is that possible while eating at a caloric deficit? People have recommended squats, but is that pointless when I'm not eating a surplus to gain more muscle?

P.S. Don't let science arguments make you overthink this. The answer to squats is "yes" 99% of the time. Start squatting.

Absolutely she should squat, no questions asked. Bulking, cutting, whatever. But recomposition is not easy. While you seem to have had little trouble, your result is not typical. I also attempted to review the eat to perform website but was only met with options to buy ebooks.

I just look at the FB page and they put out articles all the time that pretty much say what the book says. I just read them in my feed. The idea is just that you set your macros, track them and make sure to eat 50 grams of starchy carbs before and after a work out (I go for net 200-net 250). Eat less carbs on recovery days (I go for net 100). Cut calories on recovery days if you want by about 10% (you don't even have to do that--just cut carbs) but on your heavy work out days, eat at maintenance. I have one recovery day usually. I was doing 40C/30P/30F for quite a while but lately I have been more around 30/30/40.

Fujiberry

Recomp:
Eat at maintenance and lift heavy. Be consistent and very patient. Assuming you are at the beginning stages of lifting (as in less than 2 years of lifting seriously), it is possible to sloooowly lose fat and slooowly build muscle by eating at maintenance. This is probably the only time this will work because beginners have the advantage of accelerated muscle growth.

Now, the results won't be as noticeable as the traditional bulk/cut method, but I know plenty of body builders who have transformed this way. Just be patient.

This is me eating at maintenance, unflexed. I should've taken a flexed one, but I definitely had more muscle in Feb than I did in Nov.


I was lean with some noticeable muscle by Jan/Feb, but I wanted to amp it up and gain strength/muscle a little faster, so I started bulking. I was comfortable enough mentally and physically to gain some fat/muscle. I don't care if I'm pudgy for the summer. LOL.

This is me now after a few months of bulking (I'll be continuing to bulk until this time next year). Obviously flexed. Haha. :P

Biggirllittledreams

I'll post some articles for you on the subject. Here"s one

http://angrytrainerfitness.com/2011/12/fitness-fact-or-fiction-can-you-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/

I read the first article and stopped at the line "I don't think you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat." I'm not interested in reading the rest. Those are just opinions of authors, not scientific evidence. As I stated in my original post, it's possible to recomp. It's extremely slow. Most people screw it up. Those who succeed would have almost certainly gained more muscle and lost more fat through traditional bulk cut cycling.

I can't stand people who believe mere opinions, without significant evidence to back up said claims. *facepalm*. I just don't understand how somebody believes you can gain a significant amount of muscle, without adjusting your intake....since your protein and carbohydrate needs would increase- both of which are macronutrients weighing in at 4 calories/gram. When you add the increased amounts of protein & carbs into your diet (that is, assuming your diet currently accommodates your calorie needs rather well)....well that's a significant caloric increase

I personally can testify to 'seemingly gain muscle when losing weight', but actually just losing fat, making muscle more visible. I was an idiot at the time, and just changed my diet without doing any sort of muscular training/lifting- I ran a lot, and that's pretty much it. One day I looked down and realized that when my stomach had gotten significantly smaller, I also had what was almost a six-pack just sitting there. When i gained weight back it 'magically went away', and when I lost weight - without doing any sort of focused muscular training - it came back. I naturally have rather toned abs (for a reason I can't seem to figure out) so when I lose weight it looks like I've gained muscle mass, when in reality I've lost the visceral fat around my stomach. Your body can work in complex ways, and be deceiving if you don't know what you're dealing with. I really can't help but feel as though people confuse 'gaining muscle mass' with 'looking nice and pretty and muscular' here. At least certain individuals. Seeing muscle doesn't equate to building more muscle mass.

I agree with what everybody else here has said, and admittedly I'm merely a nutrition junkie whom doesn't know much about exercise science. But it just logically makes sense that you'd need more than your allotted intake, if you really wanted to build muscle mass.

chani8

You can definitely recomp your butt and wherever else you want to tone!

Don't let the expert bodybuilders deter you. They're talking about building muscle. We're talking about maximizing the muscle that you already have. It's two different things!

When you inflate your muscles, called toning in the old world, you change your shape! That along with losing body fat will make you look great!

vismal

You can definitely recomp your butt and wherever else you want to tone!

Don't let the expert bodybuilders deter you. They're talking about building muscle. We're talking about maximizing the muscle that you already have. It's two different things!

When you inflate your muscles, called toning in the old world, you change your shape! That along with losing body fat will make you look great!

This is not accurate. Lifting does not "inflate" muscles. Toning doesn't exist. A toned look comes from two conditions being met: 1,a moderate amount of muscle exists, and two, body fat is low enough to reveal that muscle. People who lift and lose a lot of weight, myself included, seem to gain muscle while losing fat. This is not the case. I simply was able to preserve enough of my lean mass through lifting that when all the body fat was gone, my muscles showed definition. I didn't truly look "cut" until I did multiple bulk cut cycles. Most people will not look toned, or cut, or whatever word you choose to use by simply lifting and losing fat. They will need to at least spend a portion of time working on muscle gaining. Some genetically lucky individuals have decent lean mass buried beneath their fat. Those individuals can look rather toned after simply removing the fat. They are the exception, not the rule. The OP should certainly do lifting while losing fat. There are a million good reasons to do it but they would be setting themselves up for disappointment if they think that alone will achieve their goal physique.

Biggirllittledreams

You can definitely recomp your butt and wherever else you want to tone!

Don't let the expert bodybuilders deter you. They're talking about building muscle. We're talking about maximizing the muscle that you already have. It's two different things!

When you inflate your muscles, called toning in the old world, you change your shape! That along with losing body fat will make you look great!

This is not accurate. Lifting does not "inflate" muscles. Toning doesn't exist. A toned look comes from two conditions being met: 1,a moderate amount of muscle exists, and two, body fat is low enough to reveal that muscle. People who lift and lose a lot of weight, myself included, seem to gain muscle while losing fat. This is not the case. I simply was able to preserve enough of my lean mass through lifting that when all the body fat was gone, my muscles showed definition. I didn't truly look "cut" until I did multiple bulk cut cycles. Most people will not look toned, or cut, or whatever word you choose to use by simply lifting and losing fat. They will need to at least spend a portion of time working on muscle gaining. Some genetically lucky individuals have decent lean mass buried beneath their fat. Those individuals can look rather toned after simply removing the fat. They are the exception, not the rule. The OP should certainly do lifting while losing fat. There are a million good reasons to do it but they would be setting themselves up for disappointment if they think that alone will achieve their goal physique.

Okay I'm glad you said something, because quite frankly I don't know nearly the same amount as you on this particular topic....but when she said inflated my brain went "WAIT WUTTT".

kdeaux1959

Lose weight to a point to where you are within a normal limit and a low body fat percentage, then bulk slowly. It is a cycling process so you will bulk a little, then cut a little, then bulk a little, etc. Best wishes.

GreatDepression

You look good my man but I'll bet you were always thin and what they call a hard gainer. I am quite the opposite. Training builds muscle and diet shows it.

His body shape does look like he is naturally thin, doesn't it? I wonder if that's part of the reason why he was able to drop the weight so quickly and easily.

vismal

You look good my man but I'll bet you were always thin and what they call a hard gainer. I am quite the opposite. Training builds muscle and diet shows it.

His body shape does look like he is naturally thin, doesn't it? I wonder if that's part of the reason why he was able to drop the weight so quickly and easily.

If by quick you mean over a full year and by easy you mean being 100 % compliant with my diet, no unplanned cheats or binges, never missing a single workout, giving 100 % in the gym despite feeling awful due to the prolonged deficit then yeah, you're correct. Also I was never thin, not as a child, not as a teenager, and not in my 20's until I committed to my new lifestyle.

adorable_aly

You look good my man but I'll bet you were always thin and what they call a hard gainer. I am quite the opposite. Training builds muscle and diet shows it.

His body shape does look like he is naturally thin, doesn't it? I wonder if that's part of the reason why he was able to drop the weight so quickly and easily.

Are you for real?! How about not disregarding peoples hard work just because you want to feel better about yourself.

snazzyjazzy21

You look good my man but I'll bet you were always thin and what they call a hard gainer. I am quite the opposite. Training builds muscle and diet shows it.

His body shape does look like he is naturally thin, doesn't it? I wonder if that's part of the reason why he was able to drop the weight so quickly and easily.

Are you for real?! How about not disregarding peoples hard work just because you want to feel better about yourself.

:noway:

SezxyStef

So I've learned a lot since joining MFP. I know that you cannot build new muscle unless you are in a caloric surplus, so my question is, how do you 'reshape' your body without having to purposely gain weight? Is it possible? I've lost 50 pounds since having my son and I don't want to gain some back to get the body I want. My biggest complaint is my butt- I lost the weight pretty quickly and its kind of flat and saggy now. I'd like a round butt again...is that possible while eating at a caloric deficit? People have recommended squats, but is that pointless when I'm not eating a surplus to gain more muscle?

So barring the argument about gaining muscle and losing fat on a deficit...teehee...doesn't happen

To the OP if you want to "reshape" your body ie lift that butt...start a progressive load lifting program like Stronglifts 5x5...it gave mine an amazing shape that I am very proud of and I did it while eating at a deficit. This pic is me 30 weeks into lifting heavy, at this point I was squatting over 150lbs.



I did not gain any new muscle, lost inches and weight.

Now a recomp is a totally different beast, you have to be patient and watchful of your food...I am going to do one over the summer and see how it goes as I am not prepared for a bulk at the moment.

Bulks for women are a mind game...imagine eating food to gain...:noway: ...on purpose...

Anyway...start lifting, continue with your deficit if you have more weight to lose, if you don't have more weight eat at maitenance and the lifting will have the same effect.

tatecass

I will never understand people's insistence on spreading misinformation and when someone tries to point it out to them, as Vismal did, it becomes, "well, he's probably naturally skinny" as if that somehow detracts from the facts and education he's trying to provide. I have learned a ton from him, and he was by no means "naturally skinny", he worked his *kitten* off. OP, listen to Vismal, continue to lift, but you will not build muscle while at a deficit, you will just help to retain what you have. Good luck!

zoeysasha37

OP, do the squats! Lift heavy and you'll be okay :-)