Why can't you gain muscle at a deficit again?

You can see the muscles more clearly, making them look more muscular. Heavy people generally have a decent amount of muscle just from moving around their bulk all the time and eating a calorie surplus, so when they cut away the fat they end up looking pretty muscular.

Extremely overweight/obese people CAN gain muscle on a calorie deficit for exactly the reasons you listed. However, for people who have lower body fat percentages, they simply can't mobilize enough energy from fat stores to compensate for a calorie deficit and muscle growth simultaneously.

Ill give the unscientific explanation...

If your feeding is 3 times a day, and the final meal is 1200 calories just after you work out, the muscle growth will result and the negative calories later in the day will feed off fat, all bodies are different.

But just cause you should have had 3000 calories in a day and you only had 2000, lets just say you wake up in the morning and feed.... evenly over the course of the day, it could be very different cause at no stage are you really feeding your body ENOUGH.

I hear that in order for muscle to grow, you have to be eating at an excess of calories. But if that was true, why do people who do Insanity to lose weight finish looking not just thinner, but more muscular than they ever have?

Strip away body fat and a body will look more muscular. Many adolescent males look muscular from low body fat without working out.

AND, scientifically speaking, if you need, lets say 500 calories of extra energy per day for your muscle to grow, & you have excess fat on your body, wouldn't your body break down that fat to get those calories in order to fuel muscle growth?

Fat calories can't be converted to protein which are the building blocks of muscle.

Why would your body need a constant intake of extra calories when you already have loads of extra calories stored in your adipose tissue?

Again you're speaking about stored lipid energy vs taking in amino acids.

I can understand for a guy who's only 140 pounds and wants to bulk up to a muscular 180, then sure he needs to eat more. But for someone who's overweight and wants to gain muscle WHILE losing their fat, why isn't that possible?

It's possible to an extent if one is obese/very overweight and/or has NEVER trained before, but even then the gain is minimal. To add muscle is to add mass. You don't add mass without calorie surplus (with the exception of the mentioned).

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

1) You can gain in a deficit in certain circumstances (you are obese, just starting out a lifting program, or returning after not lifting for ages....) It's called newbie gains These won't last forever.

2) They have removed the fat to reveal the muscle underneath. If you crash diet and lose lots of weight the unhealthy way, then you've likely lost lots of muscle too. If you lose weight healthily, while lifting, then you'll maintain more muscle to show off, even if you haven't added any extra.

Insanity probably involves a mix of the 2. 1) They are new to the program, gains would be less if they'd done several rounds. 2) The programme also involves mainly bodyweight stuff, not really the best for adding muscle. They're likely showing off the muscle they had already, and maintaining it more than they would if they didn't exercise at all.

I hear that in order for muscle to grow, you have to be eating at an excess of calories. But if that was true, why do people who do Insanity to lose weight finish looking not just thinner, but more muscular than they ever have?

Because there actors

Here's an idea: Don't worry about it.

Whether you're gaining muscle mass as it may appear or (and this is what's actually happening) you're losing body fat and revealing muscle mass that was already there, the process to get there is the same. Eat enough protein, lift, and stay at a healthy calorie deficit. The specifics at the end of the day aren't that important.

I hear that in order for muscle to grow, you have to be eating at an excess of calories. But if that was true, why do people who do Insanity to lose weight finish looking not just thinner, but more muscular than they ever have?

Strip away body fat and a body will look more muscular. Many adolescent males look muscular from low body fat without working out.

AND, scientifically speaking, if you need, lets say 500 calories of extra energy per day for your muscle to grow, & you have excess fat on your body, wouldn't your body break down that fat to get those calories in order to fuel muscle growth?

Fat calories can't be converted to protein which are the building blocks of muscle.

Why would your body need a constant intake of extra calories when you already have loads of extra calories stored in your adipose tissue?

Again you're speaking about stored lipid energy vs taking in amino acids.

I can understand for a guy who's only 140 pounds and wants to bulk up to a muscular 180, then sure he needs to eat more. But for someone who's overweight and wants to gain muscle WHILE losing their fat, why isn't that possible?

It's possible to an extent if one is obese/very overweight and/or has NEVER trained before, but even then the gain is minimal. To add muscle is to add mass. You don't add mass without calorie surplus (with the exception of the mentioned).

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

:flowerforyou:

bump

bump. I have been asking this question for quite some time now. Can't wait to read the responses.