Muscle loss
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Thanks again for the food ideas. I'll definitely increase my daily protein.
And thanks also for the "plyometrics" tip, it seems adapted. Just a question. I thought that to build muscle you should eat extra calories. Isn't muscle building incompatible with my calorie-deficit diet to lose fat?
Yes, you're not going to build much/if any muscle in a calorie deficit. Your muscles can still adapt to training though and it's possible to become stronger/faster/more agile.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »1. Not sure that's an accurate representation in that pic
2. I'd choose the one on the left over the one on the right personally
Of course it's not, it's a standard trope that gets wheeled out in pretty much every resistance vs CV discussion. Worth noting that a sprinter gets the build results as a consequence of their resistance training, not their running.
It kind of boils down to when someone says they want to look good being clear about what good means. Equally what one enjoys doing.
You don't see many sprinter physiques in a trail half marathon or marathon, equally you're not going to find many trail marathoners willingly competing in 5000m and less on a track.
Also worth noting that sprinters and long distance runners have different bodyfat percentage objectives.
I picked this one on purpose, because normally you see the one of a kenyon marathoner who looks like they're on the verge of starvation. I thought that this one at least portrayed the runner in a healthier range but you can still see the difference between them. Cardio and resistance WILL give you different body types, it just depends on which you prefer. And then there's always the route that I go and do both.0 -
Yes, you're not going to build much/if any muscle in a calorie deficit. Your muscles can still adapt to training though and it's possible to become stronger/faster/more agile.
So, shouldn't I first focus on losing fat and only after, build muscle? I understand that I will still see the benefits, even with a calorie deficit diet, but does it make sense to begin now?
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Yes, you're not going to build much/if any muscle in a calorie deficit. Your muscles can still adapt to training though and it's possible to become stronger/faster/more agile.
So, shouldn't I first focus on losing fat and only after, build muscle? I understand that I will still see the benefits, even with a calorie deficit diet, but does it make sense to begin now?
You can actually do both, and you don't want to lose muscle you already have which can happen supposedly0 -
Yes, you're not going to build much/if any muscle in a calorie deficit. Your muscles can still adapt to training though and it's possible to become stronger/faster/more agile.
So, shouldn't I first focus on losing fat and only after, build muscle? I understand that I will still see the benefits, even with a calorie deficit diet, but does it make sense to begin now?
Think of weight loss as using a straw to drink a root beer float from the bottom. The root beer is your fat, the ice cream is your lean muscle. If you're really overweight to begin with, there's lots of root beer in the glass and just a little ice cream on top. As you sip through the straw, the root beer level drops, and the ice cream gets closer to the bottom. After a while, you're sipping a mixture of ice cream and root beer, which turns into more and more ice cream as you sip. With resistance training, you're trying to "freeze" the ice cream harder, so it doesn't get sucked easily into the straw.
OK, funky analogy, but I hope you get the point. The less fat you have to lose, the more likely your body is to start scavenging other parts of your body (ooooh, look here -- this tricep is hardly used -- let's throw half of it in the fire!). When you're eating at a deficit, the strength training is there to promote "muscle sparing" -- convincing your body that the muscles are being used, and to look elsewhere for things to burn.
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Yes, you're not going to build much/if any muscle in a calorie deficit. Your muscles can still adapt to training though and it's possible to become stronger/faster/more agile.
So, shouldn't I first focus on losing fat and only after, build muscle? I understand that I will still see the benefits, even with a calorie deficit diet, but does it make sense to begin now?
You can actually do both, and you don't want to lose muscle you already have which can happen supposedly
Short term, if you focus on only one, you’ll optimize that result. So, if you focus on losing fat, you’ll lose it faster (but you’ll also lose muscle). If you focus on building muscle, you’ll add muscle faster (but you’ll also add fat). If you set up a balanced eating plan geared around your activity and program your workouts (weights and cardio) for strength building, you can do both lose fat and gain muscle. The result is a better (and healthier) body composition and I’ve found it is much more sustainable.
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Cardio and resistance WILL give you different body types, it just depends on which you prefer. And then there's always the route that I go and do both.
Indeed, and it's not helpful to have an either/ or outlook on it. Runners do resistance work because it's complementary to the running. The type and volume that one does is optimised towards the type of running.
The sprinter wants high levels of explosive power sustained for a very short period, the distance and long distance runners don't want the extra weight, but benefit from upper body strength and core stability. It's a question of what outcomes one wants to achieve, and what the best way is to achieve them.
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It really comes down to what you're doing/what you want to look like. If you're a long distance runner for instance, you don't want a lot of excess muscle, because that's more weight that you have to carry for the race. It all comes down to your goals and compromise. Are you doing exercise and diet to look good? Are you doing it to be healthy? Are you doing it for performance in a sport?
At least you picked a resonablyYes, you're not going to build much/if any muscle in a calorie deficit. Your muscles can still adapt to training though and it's possible to become stronger/faster/more agile.
So, shouldn't I first focus on losing fat and only after, build muscle? I understand that I will still see the benefits, even with a calorie deficit diet, but does it make sense to begin now?
Think of weight loss as using a straw to drink a root beer float from the bottom. The root beer is your fat, the ice cream is your lean muscle. If you're really overweight to begin with, there's lots of root beer in the glass and just a little ice cream on top. As you sip through the straw, the root beer level drops, and the ice cream gets closer to the bottom. After a while, you're sipping a mixture of ice cream and root beer, which turns into more and more ice cream as you sip. With resistance training, you're trying to "freeze" the ice cream harder, so it doesn't get sucked easily into the straw.
OK, funky analogy, but I hope you get the point. The less fat you have to lose, the more likely your body is to start scavenging other parts of your body (ooooh, look here -- this tricep is hardly used -- let's throw half of it in the fire!). When you're eating at a deficit, the strength training is there to promote "muscle sparing" -- convincing your body that the muscles are being used, and to look elsewhere for things to burn.
That actually made a little sense to me.
I'm going to see a psychiatrist now.
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Yes, you're not going to build much/if any muscle in a calorie deficit. Your muscles can still adapt to training though and it's possible to become stronger/faster/more agile.
So, shouldn't I first focus on losing fat and only after, build muscle? I understand that I will still see the benefits, even with a calorie deficit diet, but does it make sense to begin now?
It really just depends on what YOU want to do. The thing with building a bigger muscle base at the beginning is that it will help you burn more calories when you finally do decide to cut. I just recently read that you should keep cutting though until you get down to 10-15% BF for guys or 20-25% for women before you start any kind of bulk.0 -
What's cutting?0
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Think of weight loss as using a straw to drink a root beer float from the bottom. The root beer is your fat, the ice cream is your lean muscle. If you're really overweight to begin with, there's lots of root beer in the glass and just a little ice cream on top. As you sip through the straw, the root beer level drops, and the ice cream gets closer to the bottom. After a while, you're sipping a mixture of ice cream and root beer, which turns into more and more ice cream as you sip. With resistance training, you're trying to "freeze" the ice cream harder, so it doesn't get sucked easily into the straw.
OK, funky analogy, but I hope you get the point. The less fat you have to lose, the more likely your body is to start scavenging other parts of your body (ooooh, look here -- this tricep is hardly used -- let's throw half of it in the fire!). When you're eating at a deficit, the strength training is there to promote "muscle sparing" -- convincing your body that the muscles are being used, and to look elsewhere for things to burn.
That actually made a little sense to me.
I'm going to see a psychiatrist now.
Then my work here is done.
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Think of weight loss as using a straw to drink a root beer float from the bottom. The root beer is your fat, the ice cream is your lean muscle. If you're really overweight to begin with, there's lots of root beer in the glass and just a little ice cream on top. As you sip through the straw, the root beer level drops, and the ice cream gets closer to the bottom. After a while, you're sipping a mixture of ice cream and root beer, which turns into more and more ice cream as you sip. With resistance training, you're trying to "freeze" the ice cream harder, so it doesn't get sucked easily into the straw.
Haha I love the analogy.
Thank you all for your advices! It really helps!
And I guess I'm convinced that I should begin as soon as possible the strength training. I'm easily influenced
But I'll begin at home. For now, I just can't go to the gym.
I weigh 150 lbs and I'm 5'7". I calculated my BMR as being around 1500 kcal, I'm eating 1600 kcal. How much should I eat if I add strength training in my program?
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I weigh 150 lbs and I'm 5'7". I calculated my BMR as being around 1500 kcal, I'm eating 1600 kcal. How much should I eat if I add strength training in my program?
Strength training doesn't really require a lot of extra calories...100-200 calories on lift days, at most. However, I would recommend trying to get that protein up, especially on lift days. For your weight, I'd generally recommend around 125g, but given how low your protein intake is now, just do your best to improve it. Even if you could get close to 100g on a regular basis it would be a significant improvement. Heck, I target 160g per day on 1900 calories net, and average closer to 170...it's just a matter of finding some foods with high protein-per-calorie ratios that you like.0 -
AllanMisner wrote: »It starts with food. If you don’t get enough protein, you will lose muscle regardless of what activities you do. In fact, if you don’t get more protein and you add weight lifting, you’ll likely lose even more muscle (if you could even keep up the lifting).
Add fish and chicken to your diet, it is easy protein and you can even buy it in convenient packets to carry. Beyond that, you can add protein powders, but I’d always advise getting what you need from real food.
Once you’re on your diet, then you can consider adding 1-3 whole body weight lifting sessions (e.g., strong lifts) each week.
dont understand why people spout this *kitten*. you can gain muscle with 1g per KG of BW0 -
harryalmighty wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »It starts with food. If you don’t get enough protein, you will lose muscle regardless of what activities you do. In fact, if you don’t get more protein and you add weight lifting, you’ll likely lose even more muscle (if you could even keep up the lifting).
Add fish and chicken to your diet, it is easy protein and you can even buy it in convenient packets to carry. Beyond that, you can add protein powders, but I’d always advise getting what you need from real food.
Once you’re on your diet, then you can consider adding 1-3 whole body weight lifting sessions (e.g., strong lifts) each week.
dont understand why people spout this *kitten*. you can gain muscle with 1g per KG of BW
Some believe you can even as low as .75g per0 -
The reason I'm beginning a weight lifting regimen is because muscle burns fat even when you're resting. The more muscle you build the more fat your body will burn. The more muscle you have, the more your metabolism works and the more you get to eat. win win win! If you want to build muscle, you're right, you can't undereat or you'll lose muscle as your body will use it for energy... I've done cardio (running, intervals, elliptical) and that got my weight low, but I don't feel toned. I want to build muscle so I'm also upping my protein to 115g a day. I can get about 60-80 in food (eggs are awesome, I eat 2 a day in a whole wheat wrap that has 5g of protein and hot sauce. I crave that meal!) but I am using a powder for the 60g I can't eat) Your extra calories, if you want to build muscle, needs to come from protein. I'm totally excited about seeing results. Good luck to you!0
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For your weight, I'd generally recommend around 125g, but given how low your protein intake is now, just do your best to improve it. Even if you could get close to 100g on a regular basis it would be a significant improvement. Heck, I target 160g per day on 1900 calories net, and average closer to 170...it's just a matter of finding some foods with high protein-per-calorie ratios that you like.
It begins to be a lot! My 1600 calories are distributed as 55% carbs, 15% proteins and 30% fat. Increasing my daily goal to 1900 and with the protein amount you recommend means that at least 35% go to proteins. Where do I cut then?I've done cardio (running, intervals, elliptical) and that got my weight low, but I don't feel toned. I want to build muscle so I'm also upping my protein to 115g a day. I can get about 60-80 in food (eggs are awesome, I eat 2 a day in a whole wheat wrap that has 5g of protein and hot sauce. I crave that meal!) but I am using a powder for the 60g I can't eat) Your extra calories, if you want to build muscle, needs to come from protein. I'm totally excited about seeing results. Good luck to you!
Thank you for your message! I'm excited to see the results too
Since when did you begin weight lifting? How do you track your progress? For me it's easy, as I'm just looking to lose fat I weigh myself once a week. How do you do when you begin to build muscle? You make measurements of your waist, hips etc.? And did you continue cardio?
I don't feel comfortable using protein powder.
I'd like to take all my macros from what I eat.
You seem to be really motivated, good luck to you too
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Calorie deficit to lose fat0
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Cutting is the process bodybuilders go through to cut fat and water from their bodies just prior to a competition. Their goal is to cut fat and water as low as possible, while retaining muscle mass (and be able to actually pose for the show). They will go to extreme, unhealthy measures to get down to approximately 5% body fat and severe dehydration to look the way they do for contests. Some models (particularly fitness models) do this as well, but not to the same extent.0
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