Strength training before and afters

chrisdavey

I am wondering if people who do heavy lifting can post their before/after photos? I know that it is quite common that the scale stays the same, but your body fat goes down as you gain muscle. I am trying to go this way, so need a bit of motivation. Thanks!

I'm gaining weight and staying lean while doing it. But in terms of gaining muscle and losing fat, for a completely untrained person...sure. But I think the more accurate description is something like this...

Assume a male 200 lbs. and at 10% bodyfat. 180 of lean mass, and 20 of fat mass. Further assume this males eats his TDEE exactly and doesn't cheat and gains 10 lbs of muscle over the course of the year with minimal if any fat gain. Now he's 210 lbs. Lean mass is now 190 and fat mass STAYS at 20. His body fat percentage is NO LONGER 10%, but now 20/210 or 9.5%

So he hasn't lost any fat, his lean mass went up, BUT the kicker is his body fat PERCENTAGE goes down, which gives him the illusion of gaining muscle and losing fat. But more correctly stated, he's gained muscle with NO fat gain (or minimal fat gain) that improves his overall body composition.

Take a person who never lifted weights and goes from 150 lbs to 170 lbs. of the 20 lbs 15 may be muscle and 5 lbs of fat, BUT the composition looks SO MUCH BETTER.

Hope this helps,
N

That's the goal for sure but no fat gain while increasing muscle is pretty damn hard IMO.

Hence why most people have to go with the bulk then cut method. I go for very slow bulks (being a former fat boy still a bit tentative) & slow cuts also. Hopefully not "spinning my wheels". Will find out with next dexa scan I guess but gym numbers help to determine progress also.

chrisdavey

Dude!! It's my goal to get ripped or at least a bit shredded. I've done P90X and Insanity for the past two years. I've lost weight but my BMI sits around 32%. I am 42 and weigh 237 pounds and know my diet has everything to do with getting me to the next level. I eat very good for the most part I just don't know how or when to eat the foods that will fuel my body the most. Can you assist me here?

Keith

Fat loss requires:
calorie deficit through diet and exercise
adequate protein (I aim for 1g/lb of BW minimum)
resistance training (progressively increasing weights to challenge yourself)

These are to promote the preservation of lean body mass.

Do this consistently over time & you will get there. Do some cardio on off days to create your cal deficit if you wish. I like to stay fit so I do. No point in being strong if you are unfit IMO.

zipnguyen

I am wondering if people who do heavy lifting can post their before/after photos? I know that it is quite common that the scale stays the same, but your body fat goes down as you gain muscle. I am trying to go this way, so need a bit of motivation. Thanks!

I'm gaining weight and staying lean while doing it. But in terms of gaining muscle and losing fat, for a completely untrained person...sure. But I think the more accurate description is something like this...

Assume a male 200 lbs. and at 10% bodyfat. 180 of lean mass, and 20 of fat mass. Further assume this males eats his TDEE exactly and doesn't cheat and gains 10 lbs of muscle over the course of the year with minimal if any fat gain. Now he's 210 lbs. Lean mass is now 190 and fat mass STAYS at 20. His body fat percentage is NO LONGER 10%, but now 20/210 or 9.5%

So he hasn't lost any fat, his lean mass went up, BUT the kicker is his body fat PERCENTAGE goes down, which gives him the illusion of gaining muscle and losing fat. But more correctly stated, he's gained muscle with NO fat gain (or minimal fat gain) that improves his overall body composition.

Take a person who never lifted weights and goes from 150 lbs to 170 lbs. of the 20 lbs 15 may be muscle and 5 lbs of fat, BUT the composition looks SO MUCH BETTER.

Hope this helps,
N

That's the goal for sure but no fat gain while increasing muscle is pretty damn hard IMO.

Hence why most people have to go with the bulk then cut method. I go for very slow bulks (being a former fat boy still a bit tentative) & slow cuts also. Hopefully not "spinning my wheels". Will find out with next dexa scan I guess but gym numbers help to determine progress also.

Yes. it is hard to gain muscle with minimal fat gain. Hence, I am working with a coach who knows his stuff. My macros change weekly. I'm eating so many carbs it's not even funny. Once I get to the 400-500gram range per day, it will be relatively easy to cut those carbs in half and still have carbs to "play" with sort of speak. Not like the first time, damn. The prolonged cut cycle was hard...getting down to 30-60 grams was tough.

Hence, bulk-cut cycling over short durations help. Keeps you lean while adding weight to the scale.

N