Is it better to lose fat or gain muscle first?

kittyninja
kittyninja Posts: 118
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My stats are on my profile.
I'm sure it doesn't really matter which you do first, but I was just wondering because my body fat % is high enough to cover the muscle I gain (I was going to do that first) and it would be hard to tell if I'd gained enough or not. Just curious. BTW, I don't know my body fat %, but it's probably above 20% and less than 25%.
Any help is appreciated!

Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    My stats are on my profile.
    I'm sure it doesn't really matter which you do first, but I was just wondering because my body fat % is high enough to cover the muscle I gain (I was going to do that first) and it would be hard to tell if I'd gained enough or not. Just curious. BTW, I don't know my body fat %, but it's probably above 20% and less than 25%.
    Any help is appreciated!

    It's all personal preference really, some people like to get pretty lean and have a good bulking base so to speak and others have little lbm so work to increase that first then worry about cutting the fat, since it's a lot easier to lose fat then gain muscle
  • Jellyphant
    Jellyphant Posts: 1,400 Member
    I would think a nice combination of both? I'm sure you'll soon get more thorough answers soon, but muscle burns fat, and if you incorporate cardio + strength training, that should do it. I've been told 'you have to cook the fat before burning it'. What I got from that is (and what I currently do) is lift weights [cook the fat], then I do the elliptical or run to burn the fat. :)
  • kittyninja
    kittyninja Posts: 118
    I would think a nice combination of both? I'm sure you'll soon get more thorough answers soon, but muscle burns fat, and if you incorporate cardio + strength training, that should do it. I've been told 'you have to cook the fat before burning it'. What I got from that is (and what I currently do) is lift weights [cook the fat], then I do the elliptical or run to burn the fat. :)

    From the research I've done and the results (or lack of) that I've experienced myself, trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time is possible, but is a long, slow, very difficult process. I asked this question because I was previously trying to do both at the same time, and go no results. Muscle gain requires a small calorie surplus and fat loss requires a small calorie deficit, so trying to do both at once seems counterproductive.
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