Losing fat & gaining muscle?
berenisevee
Posts: 11
I'm trying to lose the fat that I have, but also gain some muscle. I go to the gym & I alternate btw arm & legs. Before hitting the weights I either run for 30 min at 6.0 or I walk at an incline of 9 for 30 minutes. Is doing that cardio burning my muscle away?
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Replies
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Doing the cardio before may be fatiguing you so that your weight workout isn't as effective in building muscle. You won't be able to lift as much weight or do as many reps. Try switching them around. Also, make sure you are getting enough protein. You probably need more than you think.0
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I'll see how switching them around makes me feel! I make myself some protein shakes, I just don't know how many times a week I should be drinking it?0
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Are you eating at a deficit?
I definitely agree to do cardio afterward. For me, I'm too tired to lift properly if I'm exhausted from cardio0 -
Protein shakes will help, but I'd also recommend trying to incorporate more sources into your regular meals (e.g. chicken, fish, eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese).
There are a few different guidelines out there for how to determine how much you should be getting in. I aim for 30% of my daily calorie intake. At 1600 calories, 30% is 120 grams of protein. Another guideline is roughly 1 gram per pound of lean body mass (not total body weight -- you need to know your body fat percentage to figure out your lean body mass).0 -
I really don't have a strict diet. I eat normally, but of course without the mcdonalds & soda! I really need to try cardio after even though I really don't tire myself out, I could be using that energy in the beginning for lifting!0
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Other than newbie gains, you're not going to gain much in the way of muscle while eating at a deficit. Strength gains you can get, and the strength work will help minimize muscle loss while dieting. But don't expect a lot in the way of new muscle mass.
I agree with the other posters -- lift first, then cardio. And unless you only weigh 100 pounds, a bit more protein would be in order.
OTOH, why are you trying to lose weight? Your picture sure doesn't look like someone who has weight to lose. You might be better off eating at maintenance or slightly more and going for more muscle.0 -
Other than newbie gains, you're not going to gain much in the way of muscle while eating at a deficit. Strength gains you can get, and the strength work will help minimize muscle loss while dieting. But don't expect a lot in the way of new muscle mass.
I agree with the other posters -- lift first, then cardio. And unless you only weigh 100 pounds, a bit more protein would be in order.
OTOH, why are you trying to lose weight? Your picture sure doesn't look like someone who has weight to lose. You might be better off eating at maintenance or slightly more and going for more muscle.
pretty much this ..
muscle = calorie surplus, which means eating over maintenance.
fat loss = calorie deficit, which means eat below maintenance…
you can't do both ..
if you are happy with your current weight and body fat % then you could do a bulk to add muscle …or eat at maintenance level and try a recomp, which is painfully slow...0 -
Get on an established progressive lifting program, NROLFW, Stronglifts 5x5....otherwise you'll waste your time spinning your wheel.0
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I weight 120 but I have that excess fat like the love handles that are very annoying. I was thinking of sliming down a bit and then hitting the weights hard, but I feel as if I just run for 30 min that isn't enough for me.0
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you are 18 years old …go on a bulk, add ten pounds, and then cut it off …you will be way more happy with the results...0
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Yeah I really don't look at my weight since muscle is weight so I don't pay much attention to the 120. Another problem I'm a runner. All through out hs I ran xc & track. It's difficult for me to stop running & simply focus on lifting.
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Other than newbie gains, you're not going to gain much in the way of muscle while eating at a deficit. Strength gains you can get, and the strength work will help minimize muscle loss while dieting. But don't expect a lot in the way of new muscle mass.
I agree with the other posters -- lift first, then cardio. And unless you only weigh 100 pounds, a bit more protein would be in order.
OTOH, why are you trying to lose weight? Your picture sure doesn't look like someone who has weight to lose. You might be better off eating at maintenance or slightly more and going for more muscle.
This is true. In order to get lean gains, she is going to have to bulk or do a recomp program. Recomp is usually recommended at >18% bf.
A focus on cardio right now would probably be best if your trying for loss. You can also do cycling 7 days for gains.0 -
Not at all on the muscle mass unless you're really not taking in enough nutrients. However, if you're really trying to pack on muscle and not just do a body recomp your goal is challenging. Building bulk requires extra calories while losing weight requires a deficit. I'd recommend calculating your tde and take 10% off of that and try to hit your important macros (fat & protein) for 8 weeks while exercising and see where that gets you.0
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berenisevee wrote: »I weight 120 but I have that excess fat like the love handles that are very annoying. I was thinking of sliming down a bit and then hitting the weights hard, but I feel as if I just run for 30 min that isn't enough for me.
Weights only need to be two or three days a week. As others have mentioned -- Stronglifts 5x5, Starting Strength, New Rules of Lifting for Women -- all good beginner programs. Cardio or what have you the other days. If you really want to cut, that's your call, but my opinion is that you already could go on a very mild bulk (say, maintenance + 5% or 10%) so you could actually add muscle mass and still be happy with the results. Bump protein up another 15 grams -- 100g is an easy number to remember, and plenty to fuel your lifting needs.0 -
pretty much this ..
muscle = calorie surplus, which means eating over maintenance.
fat loss = calorie deficit, which means eat below maintenance…
you can't do both ..
if you are happy with your current weight and body fat % then you could do a bulk to add muscle …or eat at maintenance level and try a recomp, which is painfully slow...
So now I'm confused.. I'm trying to lose weight and fat. So I'm in a caloric deficit...
I've been focused on cardio, HIIT through swimming. But I just started going 2 a days, cardio swim in the AM, weights in the PM..
I thought for weight loss, goal is to speed up metabolism by gaining lean muscle mass to increase metabolic rate. So more lean muscle = faster metabolism = helps cardio burn more fat = lose weight faster. Sooo if you're saying, you have to be in the caloric surplus to gain muscle.. then that'd be gaining weight... how does gaining muscle and losing weight work together ? Are you saying You can't do it at the same time?
Or?? Could you elaborate ?0 -
Based on your picture you have very little fat to begin with. I would focus on exercise, without restricting calories at all. It sounds like you want more muscle, not to lose weight.0
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pretty much this ..
muscle = calorie surplus, which means eating over maintenance.
fat loss = calorie deficit, which means eat below maintenance…
you can't do both ..
if you are happy with your current weight and body fat % then you could do a bulk to add muscle …or eat at maintenance level and try a recomp, which is painfully slow...
So now I'm confused.. I'm trying to lose weight and fat. So I'm in a caloric deficit...
I've been focused on cardio, HIIT through swimming. But I just started going 2 a days, cardio swim in the AM, weights in the PM..
I thought for weight loss, goal is to speed up metabolism by gaining lean muscle mass to increase metabolic rate. So more lean muscle = faster metabolism = helps cardio burn more fat = lose weight faster. Sooo if you're saying, you have to be in the caloric surplus to gain muscle.. then that'd be gaining weight... how does gaining muscle and losing weight work together ? Are you saying You can't do it at the same time?
Or?? Could you elaborate ?
When you're eating at a deficit, resistance training is mostly there for "muscle sparing". Your body is quite happy to burn things other than fat. If you're not working your muscle, muscle tissue will also be burned. If you're using those muscles, then your body is far less likely to try to use them for fuel.0 -
So lifting at a deficit will cause me to lose muscle and fat?0
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kellylynrobitaille wrote: »So lifting at a deficit will cause me to lose muscle and fat?
Ah, no. Lifting at a deficit will cause you to lose fat (from the deficit) and retain much more of your muscle than if you hadn't lifted.
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This is a choice between optimizing one versus the other. As an example, bodybuilders will have bulk period and a cut period. Because focusing on one over the other is more effective at doing that one thing. But you can do both.
To build muscle, you need three things: Stimulus, protein recovery. Alternating between arms and legs is not going to allow you work out with the proper intensity (stimulus), and may not provide enough rest (recovery) to really build muscle. Also, not managing your diet may mean you’re not getting enough protein to build.
To lose fat, you have to eat less than your body needs to keep the current amount of fat or muscle. However, if you’re getting enough protein and providing stimulus for the muscles to get stronger (progressive, intense weight lifting), your body can shed fat while it builds muscle. As I noted above, this isn’t optimal muscle strength/mass building, but you can see good results. Especially early on in training.
As for your current program, I wouldn’t go about it that way. Instead, I’d plan to do a full body, heavy, intense session (e.g., strong lifts 5x5) three times per week. Then two to three days per week, I’d add some cardio (e.g., walk 2 - 7 miles two times, HIIT one time). I’d do the cardio in the morning before eating breakfast (fasted state). I’d do the weights when I’m fully warm and fueled (mid-afternoon tends to work best for me). I would also probably adjust my diet, eating more on the days I lift and less on the other days.
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berenisevee wrote: »I weight 120 but I have that excess fat like the love handles that are very annoying. I was thinking of sliming down a bit and then hitting the weights hard, but I feel as if I just run for 30 min that isn't enough for me.
You'll probably see them vanish just by eating at maintenance or just a smidge over and lifting heavy. Keep on running if you want to, but remember to eat enough to compensate for it. I vote on stronglifts as well, it's a great beginner program.0 -
Definitely watch how much cardio you are doing and don't be afraid to lift weights. Sometimes if you focus too much on cardio you will lose your muscle and no one wants that.0
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