Slight Confusion on Strength Training

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YorriaRaine
YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I've been on mfp for awhile and I've read through a lot of post.

Basically so far what I've learned about Strength Training / Weight Lifting is this (I'm gonna abbreviate it ST):

* ST at a deficit helps you retain muscle, along with getting adequate protein.

* ST at a surplus helps you build muscle, along with getting adequate (and more so) protein.

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Ok so my questions are this:

1) Does ST during maintenance help you retain or build muscle?

2) I've read a few post where they say ST during a deficit and maintenance helps your BF % go down quicker, but I also read arguments that BF % ONLY gets lowered by eating a deficit, regardless of exercise, and that exercise just is a way of obtaining a deficit. Which is it?

3) If I'm eating a deficit and start ST, are you building strength? As in...you can slowly start to lift more. This is my main confusion, can you basically build strength at a deficit even though everybody say's to "build" muscle, you need to eat a surplus.

Thanks ahead for any replies

Replies

  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
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    bump
  • BriskaLynn
    BriskaLynn Posts: 23
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    Bump.
  • JuliRamone
    JuliRamone Posts: 365 Member
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    Personal experience (nothing profesionell here...)
    I eat at a deficit and started weight training in January and I increase my weight about every 10-14days.
    So I am getting "stronger" :)
  • homeyjosey
    homeyjosey Posts: 138 Member
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    So I've been on mfp for awhile and I've read through a lot of post.

    Basically so far what I've learned about Strength Training / Weight Lifting is this (I'm gonna abbreviate it ST):

    * ST at a deficit helps you retain muscle, along with getting adequate protein.

    * ST at a surplus helps you build muscle, along with getting adequate (and more so) protein.

    ---

    Ok so my questions are this:

    1) Does ST during maintenance help you retain or build muscle?

    2) I've read a few post where they say ST during a deficit and maintenance helps your BF % go down quicker, but I also read arguments that BF % ONLY gets lowered by eating a deficit, regardless of exercise, and that exercise just is a way of obtaining a deficit. Which is it?

    3) If I'm eating a deficit and start ST, are you building strength? As in...you can slowly start to lift more. This is my main confusion, can you basically build strength at a deficit even though everybody say's to "build" muscle, you need to eat a surplus.

    Thanks ahead for any replies

    1) does neither

    2)To lower BF% eat at deficit, speed at which BF% lowers depends on how much of a deficit

    3)gain in strength does not mean gain in muscle mass esp. when it comes to new lifters. (There will be a point where strength will "max out" at a persons current size and will need to gain some mass to increase strength)
  • Cre8veLifeR
    Cre8veLifeR Posts: 1,062 Member
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    Ok so my questions are this:

    1) Does ST during maintenance help you retain or build muscle? <<<
    depends on how you ST. If you want to maintain (strength & endurance) then use low weights - 50-65% of your 1RM (1 rep max) + high reps (12-16). If you want to build, use higher weights & lower reps.

    2) I've read a few post where they say ST during a deficit and maintenance helps your BF % go down quicker, but I also read arguments that BF % ONLY gets lowered by eating a deficit, regardless of exercise, and that exercise just is a way of obtaining a deficit. Which is it? >> <<<_
    your BF% gets lower as you lose body fat! LOTS of people confuse BMI with BF% and they are NOT the same thing at all. Your BMI goes down as you lose weight but you can still have a high BF% (aka skinny fat). BMI is NOT accurate if you are athletic - for instance my LBM is 135 lbs and my ideal weight is around 154 - according to BMI that makes me overweight which is not the case. Right now I am 168 lbs and a size 8.

    3) If I'm eating a deficit and start ST, are you building strength? <<YES>> As in...you can slowly start to lift more. This is my main confusion, can you basically build strength at a deficit even though everybody say's to "build" muscle, you need to eat a surplus. <<<<
    absolutely. It's better to build muscle. It makes you toned, and the more muscle you have the higher your resting metabolism is, thus the more fat you burn. Do you want to build muscle? Like body building? You still first need to shed the fat to see the gains in muscle mass.

    Thanks ahead for any replies

    Hope that helped!!
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    1) Does ST during maintenance help you retain or build muscle?

    It depends upon protein intake, ST routine, and time. Short-term? Basically retain. Long-term? Can build. It's called a recomposition, or recomp, for short.
    2) I've read a few post where they say ST during a deficit and maintenance helps your BF % go down quicker, but I also read arguments that BF % ONLY gets lowered by eating a deficit, regardless of exercise, and that exercise just is a way of obtaining a deficit. Which is it?

    As in #1, a recomp occurs over a long-term of maintenance with ST. At maintenance, you can burn an ever so slight amount of fat, while building an ever so slight amount of muscle. As such, it takes a loooooooong time to see "real" results.
    3) If I'm eating a deficit and start ST, are you building strength? As in...you can slowly start to lift more. This is my main confusion, can you basically build strength at a deficit even though everybody say's to "build" muscle, you need to eat a surplus.

    Yes, you understand that correctly. At some point, you will have to eat more (build more muscle), but most people - if eating at a moderate deficit - can gain quite a bit of strength at a deficit.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    The most detailed answer you can get on this question is here....

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818594-building-muscle-and-losing-fat-at-the-same-time

    which will send you here

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

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