men lifting 1 year and stuck

bigbrownkid
bigbrownkid Posts: 83
in Fitness and Exercise
hey guys, so here is my problem that I am having. I am about 5ft 7 1/2 and currently 170. I have been lifting for about a year ( never lifted before that). i went from 224 to 170 in the past 2 years. and since ive started lifting went from 198- 170. during the same time for the past year I went from running a 5k to hopefully completing my first marathon later this month.

now my issue im still 18-19% body fat according to alot of scales. I still have a bit of a belly and most of my fat is my mid area. And lately i have not been getting stronger at all, alot of my lifting has stalled or regressed a little bit. Not sure what to do? should i keep lifting and continue to lose or start eating alot more so i can gain more muscle?

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    Are you currently losing at all? If you're not eating at least at maintenance, this could be the reason for your strength progress to stall. Really, it's up to you. Are you happy where you're at? How would you feel if you added a bit of fat? Which is more important to you right now, progressing with your strength and potentially building muscle or the asthetics of having lower body fat? If you want to progress your strength, calculate your maintenance and eat there for a few weeks and see how you feel. Then up your calls gradually until you're 2-300 over your TDEE. Give it a few months, then assess how much you've gained/how you feel and either keep going or g back to maintenance, then a deficit.

    If you'd like to shed more fat, and aren't worried about strength progression, do the opposite. Eat at a deficit, but keep lifting. See if you lose. When you get to a place where you're happy with your look/bf%, then do a bulk.
  • bigbrownkid
    bigbrownkid Posts: 83
    i am still losing, i dont really track calories, i just eat food, i try to eat healthier and not eat much deep fried stuff sweets and pop. other than that I eat mostly anything. I think its probably the 30-40miles i run a week, i think its starting to attack my muscles. but i am not happy with my bf and how my body looks yet. so i guess i will just continue for a bit longer. thanks for the advice
    Are you currently losing at all? If you're not eating at least at maintenance, this could be the reason for your strength progress to stall. Really, it's up to you. Are you happy where you're at? How would you feel if you added a bit of fat? Which is more important to you right now, progressing with your strength and potentially building muscle or the asthetics of having lower body fat? If you want to progress your strength, calculate your maintenance and eat there for a few weeks and see how you feel. Then up your calls gradually until you're 2-300 over your TDEE. Give it a few months, then assess how much you've gained/how you feel and either keep going or g back to maintenance, then a deficit.

    If you'd like to shed more fat, and aren't worried about strength progression, do the opposite. Eat at a deficit, but keep lifting. See if you lose. When you get to a place where you're happy with your look/bf%, then do a bulk.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I'm very similar to you in stats and have similar mixed goals (cardio and strength goals), so I'm following along as much as I am trying to help...

    Tell us a little about your lifting routine. What do you do, how often, sets/reps, how long have you been doing it, etc.
  • baptiste565
    baptiste565 Posts: 590 Member
    bro, u may have to choose 1 goal and focus on that. maximizing marathon training, maximizing weight training, and losing weight may conflict.
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    Are you lifting heavy? Hows your protein consumption???
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    bro, u may have to choose 1 goal and focus on that. maximizing marathon training, maximizing weight training, and losing weight may conflict.

    IME, progress can be made in all 3 areas simultaneously, though it'll be less than ideal/maximal progress.
  • phatguerilla
    phatguerilla Posts: 188 Member
    If you've gotten your big lifts up to a somewhat reasonable level then you're going to have to make smaller jumps in weight. Maybe reset and drop 20-30kg on your lifts and work up again, or pick different rep ranges or a variation of a lift (ie if benching every week for chest, change to incline or decline, or do flys first then one of these) this will also force you to reduce the weight and work back up again. Also 30-40 miles is a lot of running, definitely consider dropping that down.
  • mushyman_uk
    mushyman_uk Posts: 4 Member
    I'm in a similar situation myself, so I'm interested in your progress. I will say this though:

    I was training for a half-marathon, and doing a fair amount of running (not as much as you, though). I was stalled on both lifts and loss for a while, a few months probably at least. The half was 2 1/2 weeks ago, and since then I've not yet been out for a run at all, I've been lifting more, and I've made more of an effort to up the protein in my macros (keeping calorie intake roughly the same). I've seen an almost instant drop in weight (not sure if bf% yet, though), but more importantly inches on my waist.

    Could be coincidence, but you may want to consider upping your protein intake and/or cutting back on the running (perhaps after your marathon?), and seeing if you notice any changes.

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