Confused can anyone clear this up?

I have of course read that you can't build muscle while burning fat. I have also read that you can no idea which is true but...

What concerns me more is I've seen it said a few times on here that you more or less to have to lift to build muscle and you can't/don't build muscle doing aerobic exercise.

Would that depend on the type?

aren't running and biking aerobic exercise? Underneath my newly found flab I have very muscular legs that I got fro running in junior high and high school.

I'm just trying to get an idea of how much I can tighten up before I have to break down and get weights.
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Replies

  • smaschin
    smaschin Posts: 91
    I have of course read that you can't build muscle while burning fat. I have also read that you can no idea which is true but...

    What concerns me more is I've seen it said a few times on here that you more or less to have to lift to build muscle and you can't/don't build muscle doing aerobic exercise.

    Would that depend on the type?

    aren't running and biking aerobic exercise? Underneath my newly found flab I have very muscular legs that I got fro running in junior high and high school.

    I'm just trying to get an idea of how much I can tighten up before I have to break down and get weights.

    Building muscle will in turn burn fat, for your body to hold muscle it will burn calories to do so and it burns more than holding fat does, as long as diet is right then the fact you have built muscle will overall contribute to fat loss, however muscle weighs more than fat due to its density therefore weight may stay the same or even increase but body shape will change

    As for anaerobic vs aerobic, any exercise builds muscle if the muscle is broken down and enough protein in diet to repair it.

    Running builds muscle and burns fat, but it all rests on diet.
  • brittfj
    brittfj Posts: 50 Member
    most cardio exercises build lean muscle i think that may be where things get confusing when lifting weights the muscle you achieve doing that burns calories longer than lean muscle does. hope this helps..? haha
  • Zylahe
    Zylahe Posts: 772 Member
    most cardio exercises build lean muscle i think that may be where things get confusing when lifting weights the muscle you achieve doing that burns calories longer than lean muscle does. hope this helps..? haha
    Are you saying there is more than one type of muscle?
    What type of muscle is made from weight lifting?
    As is this related to fast and slow twitch?

    Now i'm all confussed, off to google muscle.......
  • smaschin
    smaschin Posts: 91
    most cardio exercises build lean muscle i think that may be where things get confusing when lifting weights the muscle you achieve doing that burns calories longer than lean muscle does. hope this helps..? haha
    Are you saying there is more than one type of muscle?
    What type of muscle is made from weight lifting?
    As is this related to fast and slow twitch?

    Now i'm all confussed, off to google muscle.......

    No, there is no such thing.

    Muscle is muscle, you will either hold less water and fat and look lean or you wont, the muscle remains the same.

    the slow twitch/fast twitch refer to the fibers that get exercised and subdivied the musle due to red and white muscle, but none of it is lean, it is all skeletal, there is no difference in the muscle leanness in ryan reynolds or butterbean the boxer, the difference is the fat and water held, the muscle "leanness" stays the same

    Holding muscle burns calories, in short build it and enjoy it.

    peace
  • casperuk
    casperuk Posts: 195 Member
    most cardio exercises build lean muscle i think that may be where things get confusing when lifting weights the muscle you achieve doing that burns calories longer than lean muscle does. hope this helps..? haha
    Are you saying there is more than one type of muscle?
    What type of muscle is made from weight lifting?
    As is this related to fast and slow twitch?

    Now i'm all confussed, off to google muscle.......


    The biggest bit of advice I can give is dont believe anything that the armchair nutritionists and fitness experts say on an uncertified website. Whilst some of it may be correct or true the vast majority is not and so if you pick and choose what to believe you will pick and choose what you want to believe.

    99.9% of the posts made on here telling people facts are either badly informed, utter nonesense or well meaning but rubbish. All you can do is what is right for you and since you are 2/3 of your way to goal it seems you know what that is :)
  • A_Shannigans
    A_Shannigans Posts: 170 Member
    I have of course read that you can't build muscle while burning fat. I have also read that you can no idea which is true but...

    What concerns me more is I've seen it said a few times on here that you more or less to have to lift to build muscle and you can't/don't build muscle doing aerobic exercise.

    Would that depend on the type?

    aren't running and biking aerobic exercise? Underneath my newly found flab I have very muscular legs that I got fro running in junior high and high school.

    I'm just trying to get an idea of how much I can tighten up before I have to break down and get weights.

    Building muscle will in turn burn fat, for your body to hold muscle it will burn calories to do so and it burns more than holding fat does, as long as diet is right then the fact you have built muscle will overall contribute to fat loss, however muscle weighs more than fat due to its density therefore weight may stay the same or even increase but body shape will change

    As for anaerobic vs aerobic, any exercise builds muscle if the muscle is broken down and enough protein in diet to repair it.

    Running builds muscle and burns fat, but it all rests on diet.

    I am more interested in my shape and size than my weight. The only reason I even know my weight is because I was getting bigger and err softer.

    I think I have the diet pert down in so far as I know I have to watch what I eat and how much and pretty much only drink water. That part came easier than I thought it would (giving up coke was the most difficult followed by coffee but I can't do coffee with no sugar so it had to go).
  • most cardio exercises build lean muscle i think that may be where things get confusing when lifting weights the muscle you achieve doing that burns calories longer than lean muscle does. hope this helps..? haha
    Are you saying there is more than one type of muscle?
    What type of muscle is made from weight lifting?
    As is this related to fast and slow twitch?

    Now i'm all confussed, off to google muscle.......


    The biggest bit of advice I can give is dont believe anything that the armchair nutritionists and fitness experts say on an uncertified website. Whilst some of it may be correct or true the vast majority is not and so if you pick and choose what to believe you will pick and choose what you want to believe.

    99.9% of the posts made on here telling people facts are either badly informed, utter nonesense or well meaning but rubbish. All you can do is what is right for you and since you are 2/3 of your way to goal it seems you know what that is :)


    That's one of the reasons I'm going to see a nutritionist. I want someone who can advise me about me.
  • Witchmoo
    Witchmoo Posts: 261 Member
    [
    [/quote]


    The biggest bit of advice I can give is dont believe anything that the armchair nutritionists and fitness experts say on an uncertified website. Whilst some of it may be correct or true the vast majority is not and so if you pick and choose what to believe you will pick and choose what you want to believe.

    99.9% of the posts made on here telling people facts are either badly informed, utter nonesense or well meaning but rubbish. All you can do is what is right for you and since you are 2/3 of your way to goal it seems you know what that is :)
    [/quote]

    Wow.....somebody sensible!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Lifting weights is awesome
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    Cardio conditions muscle but doesn't "build" it as in cause muscles to grow in size. Isn't it really academic though? Are you looking to get big? If not do a mix of cardio and strenght training and maintain your deficit. You will get leaner and your muscles will develop and condition. You'll look better and feel better.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    ^^^^^^^^^what pags just said x2

    Whatever for this "debate". Just go ahead and start doing whatever cardio you prefer and at the same time begin a strength building routine. Make sure you are in a calorie deficit and you will start improving immediately. There's no debate here, just "delay". Get started. Today.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    ^^^^^^^^^what pags just said x2

    Whatever for this "debate". Just go ahead and start doing whatever cardio you prefer and at the same time begin a strength building routine. Make sure you are in a calorie deficit and you will start improving immediately. There's no debate here, just "delay". Get started. Today.

    Too funny man! Everyone here always calls me mma or mmapags, you just called me pags which has been the nickname I've been called ever since grammer school and my father was called before me. First time ever on here. You must be a psychic!! lol

    Totally agree on the "delay" thing!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    ^^^^^^^^^what pags just said x2

    Whatever for this "debate". Just go ahead and start doing whatever cardio you prefer and at the same time begin a strength building routine. Make sure you are in a calorie deficit and you will start improving immediately. There's no debate here, just "delay". Get started. Today.

    Too funny man! Everyone here always calls me mma or mmapags, you just called me pags which has been the nickname I've been called ever since grammer school and my father was called before me. First time ever on here. You must be a psychic!! lol

    Totally agree on the "delay" thing!

    I always thought it was fairly obvious that Pags was the name here, but I'm a frigging genius so it was easy for me..... :happy:
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member

    I always thought it was fairly obvious that Pags was the name here, but I'm a frigging genius so it was easy for me..... :happy:

    You are man! That's obvious!! :laugh:
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    MY experience is that no amount of cardio in the world is going to tighten things up without weight lifting. My current profile pic is how much ChaLEAN tightened me up in 60 days. I was always a cardio addict for over 15 yrs and always had loose skin on my legs and even though I'm 39, ChaLEAN really helped to tighten them up. I'm hoping to build on that with P90X but ChaLEAN got me addicted to weight lifting and I LOVE it!!
  • A_Shannigans
    A_Shannigans Posts: 170 Member
    Thank you for the link it was an interesting read. It didn't really get to the heart of what I'm trying to find out though.

    I'm still seeing a lot of "can't build muscle doing cardio". Running and biking are cardio...yes? You build leg muscle doing those this I know from experience. The implication from many is that muscles only develop when lifting.

    It seems to me they can only develop so far without lifting but they will develop to a degree without it... Is that incorrect?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Thank you for the link it was an interesting read. It didn't really get to the heart of what I'm trying to find out though.

    I'm still seeing a lot of "can't build muscle doing cardio". Running and biking are cardio...yes? You build leg muscle doing those this I know from experience. The implication from many is that muscles only develop when lifting.

    It seems to me they can only develop so far without lifting but they will develop to a degree without it... Is that incorrect?

    Sure! Now that we've got that squared away, let's get to the good stuff, you know, the actual working out. What's the plan for this week.
  • A_Shannigans
    A_Shannigans Posts: 170 Member
    Thank you for the link it was an interesting read. It didn't really get to the heart of what I'm trying to find out though.

    I'm still seeing a lot of "can't build muscle doing cardio". Running and biking are cardio...yes? You build leg muscle doing those this I know from experience. The implication from many is that muscles only develop when lifting.

    It seems to me they can only develop so far without lifting but they will develop to a degree without it... Is that incorrect?

    Sure! Now that we've got that squared away, let's get to the good stuff, you know, the actual working out. What's the plan for this week.

    I'm way out of shape so I've been doing walk away the pounds twice a day everyday but Sunday (off day). Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I am adding to that pushups, situps and squats from the 100 pushups, 200situps, 200 squats porgram.

    Next week I'm going to replace one session of walk away the pounds with a session of Tae Bo.

    I don't have any weights right now so that's it. I lost 3 pounds (possibly water weight though) in week 1. However my main goal is to get back to at least a size 9 and not be flabby.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Mainly it is because in far too many studies, those that ate and deficit and only did cardio exercise lost lean body mass, some of it muscle.
    Those that ate at same deficit and only did resistance (strength) training maintained their LBM.
    Those that did no exercise lost the most LBM.

    In all those studies I've seen, the deficit is pretty big compared to previous eating levels, 1000 or more, and that may not be realistic.

    Haven't seen the study that was done with moderate deficit, and would the cardio and no exercise group still lose LBM?

    So no, cardio exercise doesn't work the muscle the same way as strength training. For use in aerobic exercise the muscle need not get bigger.
    Ever seen the difference in muscle between sprinter and distance runner?
    And it's not like the sprinters (outside of football anyway) are doing upper body lifting to increase muscle. Carrying more weight than needed for your sport at pro level is never good, so they don't need it. They just get it because sprints is like weight lifting, it can build muscle.

    At a deficit though, you can build muscle if you have a small deficit, eat enough protein, and lift heavy.
    And it won't be much actually built up.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    When you do cardio, your body just learns to store more glucose/water in the muscle for future energy needs.

    If you want to see the difference in muscle soreness between say a long hard run and strength training, next 45 min run you do, after 5 min warm up and running at normal pace, sprint all out for 30 sec pushing as hard as you can, just count it out. Recover jog for 4 min.
    Do it again, 6 times total. Cool down.

    Now see how the muscle feels the next day.