weight lifting in calorie deficit

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4leighbee
4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
You guys have helped me to understand that I don't build muscle while in a calorie deficit. As I was doing my squats, deadlifts and bench presses (yes - I did them all today!!!), it occurred to me ... WHY am I doing this? LOL ... I know this sounds like a crazy question with an obvious answer, but I'm working really hard to build muscle (or tighten the ones I have or something) - but I'm trying to lose about ten pounds right now. I'm a runner (about 5x/week). So ... should I wait to do the full-body lifts until I am at my maintenance weight? TIA, MFP friends. I appreciate your insight.
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  • stif9
    stif9 Posts: 33 Member
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    You do them to maintain your strength and keep your lean muscle mass while dieting. If you neglect weight training you will lose fat but also lose muscle and you wont look your best. You may not build muscle while cutting if you have been lifting for lets say more than a year but you want to keep as much muscle as possible while dieting, remember the more muscle you have the less easier is to diet down since your bmr is higher.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    That last sentence .... sounds important to me. Can you say it a different way?
  • karlsantiago
    karlsantiago Posts: 90 Member
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    Just see how it feels a couple times and I always say listen to your body. If you are feeling too tired to workout on a deficit, maybe you should taper off a little bit until you are eating a little bit more. You said you already run about five times a week, so the weight loss/toning will still be there.

    For me personally, I weight train as hard as I can even on a calorie deficit. The only difference between weight training on a deficit as opposed to a surplus for me is that I have a different goal in mind. I am in no rush to gain muscle mass on a cut (however, i have before). I workout more to either maintain the mass I have already and/or to burn extra calories, meaning my workouts do not include as much heavy and energy draining lifts. When I am bulking, my routine changes a lot, whereas my goal is strictly to gain as much lean mass as I can doing heavier and more energy draining lifts.

    Hope this helps! Just figure out what works for you depending on energy expenditure and how you are feeling. Nothing can be gained if you workout exhausted and deprived of nutrients! Remember that!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    You lift while dieting to maintain as much muscle as possible while you lose weight.
  • mochapygmy
    mochapygmy Posts: 2,123 Member
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    Also to build strength. Strength is different than the size of your muscles. You are building the strength of the muscles you have so you can open pickle jars, carry all the groceries in at once, lift a child over your head to feel like a giant and perhaps most important to you, become a better runner.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    So helpful. Thank you. Am I hindering my weight loss goals (I don't mean on the scale actually although i said ten pounds... *fat loss* goals is what i mean) by lifting heavy?
  • karlsantiago
    karlsantiago Posts: 90 Member
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    you are not hindering fat loss by lifting heavy, although if you gain muscle you may not see as much weight loss
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    But - and I'm just trying to understand - if I am truly in a deficit, I shouldn't be able to gain muscle. Right? So weird to me.
  • Khukhullatus
    Khukhullatus Posts: 361 Member
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    stif9 wrote: »
    You may not build muscle while cutting if you have been lifting for lets say more than a year but you want to keep as much muscle as possible while dieting, remember the more muscle you have the less easier is to diet down since your bmr is higher.

    He's saying, if you hold onto your muscle, you're going to burn more maintenance calories, since your BMR (basal metabolic rate) will be higher. The number of calories you burn just by existing will be higher, so it will be much easier to drop fat. Muscles chew up calories just sitting there, you want to keep them so you get to keep reaping that benefit.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I did CrossFit the entire time I lost my 45 pounds. I continued to eat at a calorie deficit, and when I finally lost the fat, I had nice little muscles in my arms and legs underneath. If you continue to lift as you lose weight, you will be much happier with how you look after the weight loss. You will not get bulky, and weight training is an awesome way to burn calories.
    You will not "gain muscle" while eating at a calorie deficit. Gaining muscle, as in what body builders do, is very difficult and includes eating at a surplus of calories, as well as other dietary considerations. Just continue to lift and eat at a deficit if you want to lose the 10 pounds...it will just make you look better!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    no you wont gain muscle eating at a deficit. you gain them by eating at a surplus.you will get stronger though and retain any lean muscle you have now if you weight lift
  • Poodles56
    Poodles56 Posts: 20
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    Make sure your diet includes protein, that is really important in maintaining your muscle mass. I work with weights and do a lot of resistance exercise to tone muscles, dropped a couple of sizes but my weight is basically unchanged - although I am more energetic, and I feel "lighter". Muscles are more dense/heavier than body fat.
    I think it is really how you feel and how you want your body to look that at the end matters the most. Still a lot of fat to burn, but I am making darn sure not to lose the toned muscles (arms, legs) that I got by exercising!
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    Oh ... that's a good thing! I like the squats btw ... hate the deadlifts. Feels right when I do squats and my back hurts from the deadlifts (I think) ... want to keep it up because it IS pretty badass ;);) ...
  • stif9
    stif9 Posts: 33 Member
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    If you are a newbie you will build some muscle and lose fat at the same time when you start to weight train untill your body adapts to that. Let's say that period is 6 months.
    And no you are not hindering any fat loss, the scale might not go down that fast because you maybe be building some muscle but remember muscle looks good unlike fat.
    About my first post and the BMR, if you had two people, same weight,height,age,sex,etc if one had more lean mass at a lower bodyfat percentage, while the other had more fat, the first person would be able to eat more calories and still lose the same amount of weight as the fatter person.
    Remember its not only about the weight, most important thing is body composition.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
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    lgutches wrote: »
    Oh ... that's a good thing! I like the squats btw ... hate the deadlifts. Feels right when I do squats and my back hurts from the deadlifts (I think) ... want to keep it up because it IS pretty badass ;);) ...

    I hate deadlifts too. I hope you have a trainer showing you how to do them properly. You could really mess up your back!

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    lgutches wrote: »
    But - and I'm just trying to understand - if I am truly in a deficit, I shouldn't be able to gain muscle. Right? So weird to me.

    Beyond very minimal newb gains, you're not going to build appreciable muscle. You can get stronger...much stronger in a calorie deficit without putting on actual mass. That would be one of the reasons to life. Another is preservation of the muscle you have already...so when you cut the fat, you end up with that "toned" look everyone is after...you have to have muscle to be "toned" and it's much easier to preserve what you have than it is to put mass on later. Lifting is also going to help keep everything tight...it also improves bone density and, well...really the benefits are numerous and go well beyond simply putting on mass or not.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    lgutches wrote: »
    But - and I'm just trying to understand - if I am truly in a deficit, I shouldn't be able to gain muscle. Right? So weird to me.

    Why would that be weird? If you are truly in a deficit, do you gain fat? If you are truly in a caloric surplus, do you lose fat? Just because you are lifting weights doesn't mean that your body will react opposite to CICO haha. Much like people who spend years lifting weights and not managing their diets, eating at about maintenance and seeing no changes in body composition. Or people who do a whole bunch of cardio but aren't managing thier intake and don't lose any weight. Whether you gain or lose any weight, regardless of its source, will depend on your caloric balance.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    farfromthetree wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    Oh ... that's a good thing! I like the squats btw ... hate the deadlifts. Feels right when I do squats and my back hurts from the deadlifts (I think) ... want to keep it up because it IS pretty badass ;);) ...

    I hate deadlifts too. I hope you have a trainer showing you how to do them properly. You could really mess up your back!

    Yes, thanks. I will ask a trainer at the Y this week to help me!
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    stif9 wrote: »
    If you are a newbie you will build some muscle and lose fat at the same time when you start to weight train untill your body adapts to that. Let's say that period is 6 months.
    And no you are not hindering any fat loss, the scale might not go down that fast because you maybe be building some muscle but remember muscle looks good unlike fat.
    About my first post and the BMR, if you had two people, same weight,height,age,sex,etc if one had more lean mass at a lower bodyfat percentage, while the other had more fat, the first person would be able to eat more calories and still lose the same amount of weight as the fatter person.
    Remember its not only about the weight, most important thing is body composition.

    Okay - gotcha. Thank you so much for clarifying! This is great information.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    farfromthetree wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    Oh ... that's a good thing! I like the squats btw ... hate the deadlifts. Feels right when I do squats and my back hurts from the deadlifts (I think) ... want to keep it up because it IS pretty badass ;);) ...

    I hate deadlifts too. I hope you have a trainer showing you how to do them properly. You could really mess up your back!

    I agree. I was doing both conventional and RDLs, but I used the same weight on both. Big mistake. So when I'd do RDLs my back would round a lot, causing soreness and pain. Now I only get some DOMS if I increase the weight enough or am just tight in general (student carrying around a super heavy bag + general stress = shoulder tightness and sometimes general back soreness). But this soreness is not the same as when I had bad form, it's soreness that goes away when my stress levels reduce or if I carry a lighter back pack for a few days. I now RDL about 40lbs lighter than my conventional and don't have any issues with rounding. I'm also constantly watching myself as best I can to make sure I keep my form as optimal as possible. I was also having the issue of not keeping my back straight when I bent down for conventionals, partially because I'd not squat down to the bar properly (kept legs too straight).

    So use about half the weight you've been using just to practice your form, then slowly work the weight up until you find a weight that allows you to maintain your form. I see plenty of people ego lifting in general (and I've been victim to this in the past too) and it's not worth continuing because of injury risk.Plus, who wants to say "oh yeah I bench 300lbs" but in reality they are barely even doing half a rep each time?

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