Heavy Lifting with a Calorie Deficit

sdm242

So I've been doing A LOT of reading here for the last few weeks (thank you to all who contribute!). I've spent hours reading through posts on MFP and just read through The New Rules of Lifting for Women after seeing it recommended here so often.

I'm trying to reduce my bodyfat and get stronger (based on online calcuators and pics, I'm guessing my BF is around 26-28%). I just finished the 30 Day Shred and felt it was a good way to ease into being more active. I'm now thinking that heavy lifting should be the next step.

From what I understand, heavy lifting is best for building muscle but this is only going to occur if I'm eating at a calorie surplus. I'm trying to eat at about a 15-20% deficit from my TDEE to reduce my BF. So my question is, what's going to happen if I lift while at a calorie deficit?

Thanks,
Sarah

Stats:
36 years old
134 lbs
5 ft 6 in

Determinednoob

You will see a slight size increase in the first few months due to water and nutrient storage, preserve the muscle you have, still get stronger (a lot of that having to do with nervous system function vs true muscle strength), and when you are done dropping fat, you will look awesome.

erickirb

You will also be a lower BF% at your goal weight, or your goal weight may actually be a higher # than you think it will be due to having lower BF% at every weight long the weight loss journey.

sdm242

Thanks for the responses! I appreciate it.

feefie04

Good info to know, posting for reference~

Cyclink

There are two goals for heavy lifting:
- Heavy lifting to exhaustion (within 8 reps) plus a calorie surplus (preferably a lot of protein) leads to increase in muscle mass.
- Heavy lifting almost but not quite to exhaustion (6 reps or less) leads to increased strength. It's possible to make small gains in muscle mass if you have a surplus, but it's not as likely. Most people only utilize a relatively small percentage of their muscle (50 to 60%, if memory service), so they can see incredible gains this way (Called neuromuscular adaptation).

With the exception of body builders, pro athletes are not much larger than normal people but can generate way more force. They do it by generating more force with the muscle they already have, not by getting bigger. In my speedskating years, I saw massive gains in strength in my legs without gaining any size (squatting a max of 4x480 pounds when I weighed 165 pounds).

Heavy lifting also has many of the benefits associated with HIIT because it's putting the same kind of high intensity load on your body which gets a stronger hormonal response. For that reason, I would not recommend heavy lifting the day before or the day after any high intensity cardio work.

brismom070897

bump

yecatsml

Bump! I'm in pretty much the same situation as the OP - def want to loose more BF and want to get much stronger.