Is it possible to build strength on a calorie deficit?

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IsaackGMOON
IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Got a newbie question here, I've just started lifting heavy and I'm wondering if you can still build strength while on a calorie deficit? I've only just started so I haven't seen any improvements just yet, but I've upped my protein and I'm aiming for around 105g a day.

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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Yup, you can. Just put in the work.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
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    Yes.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    Yup, you can. Just put in the work.

    Yeah.. I can feel the DOMS in my upper body :laugh:
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    DOMS is just the price we pay for not being trained. ;) In a few months you won't feel it so bad.

    Yesterday I PR'ed my squats, today I'm just tired. No DOMS, just tired. Completely.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    yep but you will probably stall a bit quicker since you're forcing your body to do even more with less.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    If you're new to lifting, yes, for sure. If not, then you're going to have better luck maintaining strength than you will building up new strength because, like mesha said, you are not fueling your body enough. I have increased some of my lifts (mostly deadlift and bench), but it's mostly been a maintenance thing. If I push too hard then I risk injuring myself - which I've already done - and that will put me back on my maintenance.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    If you're new to lifting, yes, for sure. If not, then you're going to have better luck maintaining strength than you will building up new strength because, like mesha said, you are not fueling your body enough. I have increased some of my lifts (mostly deadlift and bench), but it's mostly been a maintenance thing. If I push too hard then I risk injuring myself - which I've already done - and that will put me back on my maintenance.

    deads and bench seem to be the only things i can sort of increase now. i'm now trying something different where i see if it makes a difference if i eat close to maintenance on the repair day (which of course means i have to eat much less the other days to stay in a deficit). maybe the extra calories on the non lifting/recovery days will help eek out a few more pounds of strength gains before i take a 3 week break :frown:
  • Smirnoff65
    Smirnoff65 Posts: 1,060 Member
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    Use a good program like Stronglifts 5x5 and if you do it right and with good form you will build strength while on a deficit, you won't likely increase muscle mass as that is extremely rare to do on a deficit but you will increase strength until such times as you hit your target weight and/or decide you want to bulk up and increase muscle mass. Another good program is the 5x5 Ice Cream Program
  • TravelsWithHuckleberry
    TravelsWithHuckleberry Posts: 955 Member
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    I've been wondering the same thing, since so much of the literature out there seems to be directed at people who may not have a significant amount of weight to lose. Thanks for posting, and thanks for replying -- would love to hear more input.

    Thanks,
    Courtney
  • Kirk_R
    Kirk_R Posts: 112 Member
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    As I understand it strength gains have 2 basic sources: neural improvements (nervous system/efficiency) and/or increased muscle mass. You can definitely make neural improvements while losing weight. Nice quick reps, done with consistent form, a small number of reps per set (3-5), and over a few sets (5-10) are probably your best bet.
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    In my experience, this is a very difficult thing to do. You're not providing enough fuel/energy for proper muscle building.

    I started doing Stronglifts 5x5 just over a year ago. The first 16 weeks I saw, like most people, massive strength gains. But the program is setup for that; it's almost a gimmick, because you start by lifting only the bar and load 5 lbs. each session (that said, I had done weight training 20 years ago in high school and the military, so I skipped a few weeks and started with light loads I knew wouldn't hurt me).

    Over the next 6 months I saw minimal gains on a maintenance diet. I did reach my deadlift goal (405) in April. But I had also gained 18 lbs. (half muscle, half fat - most of that came in the first 16 weeks). My bodyfat percentage maintained a steady 26% for a full year.

    I recently started cutting and adding cardio (10K steps with a FitBit, every day) in an attempt to cut the body fat percentage. The scale is finally moving in the right direction - I maintain a small caloric deficit, and try to burn 400 - 800 calories each day through exercise. This has been the first thing that has worked for losing weight.

    As far as my lifts have gone - the only thing that has gone up (slightly) in the last month has been my bench; everything else has maintained, and my Deadlift 1Rep max has dropped to about 380.

    The recomp literature will tell you that if you want to build strength/muscle while on a deficit, your best bet is to eat slightly more than maintenance during your lifting days, and on your off days/cardio days, eat your deficit.

    Personally, I'm not ready to try that yet. I'd rather just lose the body fat in a consistent manner (it's going to take months anyway), and then do proper bulking/strength gains when I feel the body fat goal has been reached. Losing body fat... is already a slow process. Recomp strategies sound even slower to me. Your call though.
  • margannmks
    margannmks Posts: 424 Member
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    One person said eat at maintenance or slightly above on lifting days then deficit on nonlifting, another said eat more on repair day after lifting. Curious as to which is correct.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    One person said eat at maintenance or slightly above on lifting days then deficit on nonlifting, another said eat more on repair day after lifting. Curious as to which is correct.

    i'm currently testing the latter. honestly it feels like using duct tape on the situation because i know my body eventually is going to be like "mofo you ain't eating at maintenance! nice try" :laugh: i'm basically doing it to see if i get my deadlift to 250 before i take a break. i've been doing it for about 2 weeks now and a few weeks ago i was stalling out at 210 and tonight i was able to pull 235.

    eating more on recovery day made more sense to me since that seems to be the day i want to eat and eat and eat. plus my workouts are at the end of the day when all i'm doing afterwards is showering, eating dinner and going to sleep. i think if i worked out earlier in the day it would definitely make more sense to eat more on lift day

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