Question about fat burning

Hey, I'm currently in the process of building muscle and burning away some of the excess fat. The only problem is, I don't really weigh a lot, so losing more weight could be a problem.

I'm 20 years old, 5'6" and weigh 124lb. I'm trying to lift heavy and I am slowly getting better at it. It's not much, but depending on the workout, I can lift up to 20lb per arm, 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps. I haven't got any more weights, so 40lb in total is as far as I can go at the moment, these are with dumbbells by the way. I will be getting a Barbell Set which should be 70lb in total and will allow me do proper squats, deadlifts and lunges.

Anyway, the fat on my body lies mainly around my abs, a bit on my chest, glutes and thighs. I don't really do a lot of cardio, hell none at times. I am eating above my TDEE to help me gain some weight because someone said to put weight on while lifting heavy and then eat at a deficit whilst still lifting heavy to burn off the fat.

I was just wondering, would it be a good idea to still follow this idea of gain weight, lift heavy and then eat at a deficit once I get to a certain weight or should I carry on lifting heavy, eating above my TDEE, but do cardio to burn some of the fat deposits. I would of thought maybe doing cardio early in the morning before eating anything would burn off the fat more than if I were to run after a meal, that's how I am seeing it. I would still be eating more then my TDEE, but wouldn't I be fueling my muscles instead of letting it sit at the bottom of my abs??

Replies

trud72

have you upped the protein and reduced the carb in take that will help build muscles x :bigsmile:

Zichu

I am currently eating at 35/30/35 (C/P/F). I usually go over on my protein even at these percentages and stay under my carb goal.

kraj8995

Hello,
I want to loose my weight so please tell me the best way to loose this fats.

Aperture_Science

The process of cyclically adding bulk and cutting back fat is referred to as Bulk/cut cycle (or bulking and cutting).

To add muscle you eat at an excess and to lose fat you eat at a deficit. But what you need to understand is that when eating at an excess (and with lifting) you will gain both muscle and fat: This is unavoidable.

Also, when attempting to lose fat you will lose some muscle at the same time. The proportion of fat lost to muscle lost can be tweaked in your favour by; continuing to lift during your cutting phase and ensuring that you are eating adequate protein.

So:

should I carry on lifting heavy, eating above my TDEE, but do cardio to burn some of the fat deposits

is not a sensible option. It is difficult (to the point of practically impossible) to add muscle AND reduce fat at the same time.
On that basis...

gain weight, lift heavy and then eat at a deficit once I get to a certain weight

is the better plan

I would of thought maybe doing cardio early in the morning before eating anything would burn off the fat more than if I were to run after a meal

It doesn't really work like that. Any long cardio sessions (regardless of when you do them) will use any available fuel from the sugars already in your bloodstream to the glycogen in the liver and /or muscles BEFORE the fat reserves are tapped. It is for this reason that many bodybuilders and strength competitors shun long cardio sessions, knowing that this type of exercise will (in calorific deficit) reduce muscle mass (which is exactly what YOU personally do not want to happen).

So in summary, my advice would be:

Get those weights bought and start using them in a work out that encompasses large compound moves (like “Starting Strength” or “SL5x5”)
Eat at TDEE plus a couple of hundred cals
Ensure that you are eating 1g per lean lb body mass of Protein and 0.4g of total lb body mass of fats (minimum) making the rest of your cals up with whatever you want to (protein, carb or fat).

When you reach a strength or weight you are happy with begin a cut cycle in which you:

Continue with your strength program and protein fat intake but eat at TDEE less 200-250 cals per day.
Supplement the lifting with whatever other exercise you enjoy if that happens to be cardio that is fine but understand that long sessions may have a negative impact on muscle mass (although long cardio have some pretty impressive heath benefits, not least the ability to outrun zombie hoards).

Best wishes

mmapags

The process of cyclically adding bulk and cutting back fat is referred to as Bulk/cut cycle (or bulking and cutting).

To add muscle you eat at an excess and to lose fat you eat at a deficit. But what you need to understand is that when eating at an excess (and with lifting) you will gain both muscle and fat: This is unavoidable.

Also, when attempting to lose fat you will lose some muscle at the same time. The proportion of fat lost to muscle lost can be tweaked in your favour by; continuing to lift during your cutting phase and ensuring that you are eating adequate protein.

So:

should I carry on lifting heavy, eating above my TDEE, but do cardio to burn some of the fat deposits

is not a sensible option. It is difficult (to the point of practically impossible) to add muscle AND reduce fat at the same time.
On that basis...

gain weight, lift heavy and then eat at a deficit once I get to a certain weight

is the better plan

I would of thought maybe doing cardio early in the morning before eating anything would burn off the fat more than if I were to run after a meal

It doesn't really work like that. Any long cardio sessions (regardless of when you do them) will use any available fuel from the sugars already in your bloodstream to the glycogen in the liver and /or muscles BEFORE the fat reserves are tapped. It is for this reason that many bodybuilders and strength competitors shun long cardio sessions, knowing that this type of exercise will (in calorific deficit) reduce muscle mass (which is exactly what YOU personally do not want to happen).

So in summary, my advice would be:

Get those weights bought and start using them in a work out that encompasses large compound moves (like “Starting Strength” or “SL5x5”)
Eat at TDEE plus a couple of hundred cals
Ensure that you are eating 1g per lean lb body mass of Protein and 0.4g of total lb body mass of fats (minimum) making the rest of your cals up with whatever you want to (protein, carb or fat).

When you reach a strength or weight you are happy with begin a cut cycle in which you:

Continue with your strength program and protein fat intake but eat at TDEE less 200-250 cals per day.
Supplement the lifting with whatever other exercise you enjoy if that happens to be cardio that is fine but understand that long sessions may have a negative impact on muscle mass (although long cardio have some pretty impressive heath benefits, not least the ability to outrun zombie hoards).

Best wishes

This^ Well put!