Most effective way to build muscle

Kellyfitness128
Kellyfitness128 Posts: 194 Member
edited November 8 in Fitness and Exercise
My routine is to eat a tiny snack before the gym, lift weights, do cardio, then come home and shower and such and about 30 minutes later eat a meal. My goal is to build a bit of muscle and lose fat, yet I've always been confused about when to eat to prevent muscle loss. Is it ok to do cardio after strength training, or should I do the opposite and then eat right after lifting? Does it really matter?

Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

Replies

  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    It's kind of hard to accomplish two goals at the same time because losing weight and building muscle kind of require opposite behaviors. You can definitely get stronger while losing weight but you're not going to experience significant muscle hypertrophy while losing weight.

    Yes, doing some cardio be it high-intensity-interval-training (HIIT) or more aerobic based cardio with strength training is very effective but you don't want to overdue the cardio. Sitting on a hamster wheel for hours everyday is counterproductive.

    From a strength-training perspective using compound barbell lifts are going to be the best all-around way to do it. Their are plenty of plans out there that you can use such as Starting Strength, StrongLifts5x5, New Rules, Beyond 5/3/1, etc. Just pick one that makes sense to you and appeals to you so you can stick with it.
  • jaquelynny
    jaquelynny Posts: 94 Member
    there are so many ways to do this you have to do what works best and dont over think it
    normally i do cardio after weights, when prepping for comp i do fasted cardio in the morning and i lift after work helps with fat loss and eneergy levels.
    eat when it works for you. before and after your workouts but really dont overthink it as long as your intake is right you will meet your goals
  • philwrightfitness
    philwrightfitness Posts: 122
    To prevent muscle loss eat at least 1g of protein per pound of lean mass, eat bcaas with your pre work out meal, avoid fat in your post work out meal. Post work out make sure you have hi gi carbs and an fast assimilating protein source such as whey. Eat at about 5 to 10% above tdee
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  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    jaquelynny wrote: »
    there are so many ways to do this you have to do what works best and dont over think it
    normally i do cardio after weights, when prepping for comp i do fasted cardio in the morning and i lift after work helps with fat loss and eneergy levels.
    eat when it works for you. before and after your workouts but really dont overthink it as long as your intake is right you will meet your goals
    Sorry but there are not many ways to lose fat and build muscle. It's one or the other.

    ^

    To build lean muscle mass you must be in a caloric energy surplus. This sometimes comes up so just in-case, remember that the visual appearance of muscle while cutting and strength-training is related to a loss of body-fat and not truly building muscle; muscle definition and muscle hypertrophy are different things.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Post work out make sure you have hi gi carbs and an fast assimilating protein source such as whey. Eat at about 5 to 10% above tdee

    Why is this?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    edited November 2014
    MrM27 wrote: »
    jaquelynny wrote: »
    there are so many ways to do this you have to do what works best and dont over think it
    normally i do cardio after weights, when prepping for comp i do fasted cardio in the morning and i lift after work helps with fat loss and eneergy levels.
    eat when it works for you. before and after your workouts but really dont overthink it as long as your intake is right you will meet your goals
    Sorry but there are not many ways to lose fat and build muscle. It's one or the other.

    They meant that a variety of scenarios can produce good results with regards to meal timing & exercise order. I agree with them - many scenarios can work fine in their situation, since they're not a pro bodybuilder, an elite athlete seeking a 1/2% performance increase, etc.

    Also, when women say they want to "build a bit of muscle and lose fat", usually - not always, but usually - they don't literally mean they want to hypertrophy noticeably, they mean they want to reduce body fat so the muscle shape shows through. AKA "toning".
  • The_WoIverine
    The_WoIverine Posts: 367 Member
    1- Caloric surplus
    2- 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per body weight lb
    3- Carb cycling to control your body fat
    4- HIIT, Tabata and/or Circuit Training for cardio to maximize fat burning and minimize muscle loss
    5- High Carbs meals before and after your workouts
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    edited November 2014
    (duplicate)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    kellyb28 wrote: »
    My routine is to eat a tiny snack before the gym, lift weights, do cardio, then come home and shower and such and about 30 minutes later eat a meal. My goal is to build a bit of muscle and lose fat, yet I've always been confused about when to eat to prevent muscle loss. Is it ok to do cardio after strength training, or should I do the opposite and then eat right after lifting? Does it really matter?

    Any tips or advice would be appreciated.
    At your level, it won't matter.

    Do whichever you prefer and works on your schedule. Just make sure you're getting the protein in.
  • philwrightfitness
    philwrightfitness Posts: 122
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Post work out make sure you have hi gi carbs and an fast assimilating protein source such as whey. Eat at about 5 to 10% above tdee

    Why is this?

    Ok to be more specific your post work out carbs should consist of glucose and glucose polymers... The aim is to create an insulin spike , this drives amino acids into the cells walls promoting protein re synthesis . Therefore the fast assimilating protein as you want the aminos to be available at the same time as the insulin spike.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    edited November 2014
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Ok to be more specific your post work out carbs should consist of glucose and glucose polymers... The aim is to create an insulin spike , this drives amino acids into the cells walls promoting protein re synthesis . Therefore the fast assimilating protein as you want the aminos to be available at the same time as the insulin spike.


    "Insulin does not have to be elevated for a rise in muscle protein synthesis to occur."
    from: Human Muscle Protein Synthesis after Physical Activity and Feeding

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Hey guys, don't *kitten* on the insulin spike thingy - this is my, go to, justification for my snickers or Nutella or icecream or whatever after the gym =D

    OP in all honestly, macro timing is pretty irrelevant at this stage. Maybe pro bodybuilders/physique contestants need to worry about that but for just getting into shape/stronger it's not that important.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    3laine75 wrote: »
    OP in all honestly, macro timing is pretty irrelevant at this stage. Maybe pro bodybuilders/physique contestants need to worry about that but for just getting into shape/stronger it's not that important.

    That's the level of the group that needs to be concerned with it. There is some research suggesting a couple points increase in the uptake of protein for a certain window after certain types of training. However, for the casuals, never be a concern. Ever.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Post work out make sure you have hi gi carbs and an fast assimilating protein source such as whey. Eat at about 5 to 10% above tdee

    Why is this?

    Ok to be more specific your post work out carbs should consist of glucose and glucose polymers... The aim is to create an insulin spike , this drives amino acids into the cells walls promoting protein re synthesis . Therefore the fast assimilating protein as you want the aminos to be available at the same time as the insulin spike.

    This is actually not true and only necessary if the individual is going to be training again in the same day and requires restoration of glycogen stores.
  • philwrightfitness
    philwrightfitness Posts: 122
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Post work out make sure you have hi gi carbs and an fast assimilating protein source such as whey. Eat at about 5 to 10% above tdee

    Why is this?

    Ok to be more specific your post work out carbs should consist of glucose and glucose polymers... The aim is to create an insulin spike , this drives amino acids into the cells walls promoting protein re synthesis . Therefore the fast assimilating protein as you want the aminos to be available at the same time as the insulin spike.

    This is actually not true and only necessary if the individual is going to be training again in the same day and requires restoration of glycogen stores. [/quote

    I'm confused I've read a number of highly cited articles saying that insulin stimulates protein re synthesis....this seems to be a widely accepted premise. I don't dispute that insulin isn't required...but the idea of sports nutrition is to maximise the response.... Perhaps I should start another thread in this ..this is a widely accepted premise or is it bro science?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    philwrightfitness wrote: »
    Ok to be more specific your post work out carbs should consist of glucose and glucose polymers... The aim is to create an insulin spike , this drives amino acids into the cells walls promoting protein re synthesis . Therefore the fast assimilating protein as you want the aminos to be available at the same time as the insulin spike.


    "Insulin does not have to be elevated for a rise in muscle protein synthesis to occur."
    from: Human Muscle Protein Synthesis after Physical Activity and Feeding
    Which is now why I don't emphasize that people NEED to eat protein and carbs after a workout. For years I believed it (in the 90's) because of all the hype from fitness magazines who even had clinical evidence to support it. But even though it's optimal, the results from doing it were so minute, that I researched it more to reach a better conclusion. And my conclusion came down to that it's not needed and not that important to the average person looking to gain/lose/maintain.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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