Muscle Gain on a Calorie Deficit?

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  • Soundwave79
    Soundwave79 Posts: 469 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    wildkat28 wrote: »
    Such awesome points everyone! I have a question... I always thought you could go on a calorie defecit and keep/build your muscle mass just by getting enough protein into your diet? I currently do Insanity and have a high caloric intake of 2300 (though I try to stay aroung 2100, cause ya know... ima girl and that many calories are scary) but I do not sacrifice protein. I always assumed (and that is based on research and threads like these) that once I am done toning and building the muscle from insanity I can go into cardio/weightloss and if I keep up the protein at about the 130g/day I am currently getting I would he able to keep the muscle and start to burn (with the help of my new muscle) the fat while mot losing muscle because of protein (and the occasional weight obviosuly) Is this a bunk strategy?

    First issue with this is that Insanity is a cardio program. You aren't going to build muscle doing insanity, regardless of your calorie intake.


    That's not entirely true. There is a video as part of the series specifically for upper body weight training:

    http://www.fityouforlife.com/shaun-ts-deluxe-upper-body-weight-training-review/

    Also almost every video has a circuit in it dedicated to upper body using body weight exercises. I would say Insanity is not an ideal program for building muscle but it's not specifically 100% cardio like you are claiming. It's actually pretty well rounded.

    I never heard of the Deluxe Upper Body Weight Training program. That looks like a bonus and I wouldn't consider it part of the "Insanity" workout. I was talking about the standard Insanity workout and stand by that she isn't going to gain muscle doing the standard "Insanity" program.

    Fair enough. But I still think you are selling the program short. It's obvious you have never done it so probably shouldn't speak in definitive about it. If someone told me they wanted to add muscle I wouldn't directly suggest Insanity, it's not the ideal program for it. But the body weight circuits alone can be quite grueling. Stuff like level two drill circuits (burpee into 8 push ups, then 8 mountain climbers), the Max Conditioning video has some good upper body body weight circuits, and the Plyo are big leg muscle builders. Cardio Strength and Conditioning has upper body circuits. There is a good amount of pushups in all forms on just about every disc. Again not ideal, but not completely useless for muscle building either.
    You are confusing muscle building with muscle conditioning. Building muscle means progress overload. If one is losing weight, the load is decreasing when doing body weight exercises UNLESS the leverage is change (IE going from 2 legged squats to one legged squats).
    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

    9285851.png

    Yea probably just semantics. She said "toning and building muscle" so to me I took that more along the lines of losing fat and gaining strength which I feel you can do very easily with Insanity. Obviously if you want to bulk you need to be doing something like Body Beast for at home workouts.

    My issue was more along the lines of saying Insanity is just a cardio program. Some of the videos are very heavy on cardio for sure but it's total body circuits, plyo, compound movements, and has a good amount of upper body stuff too.

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Lapre79 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    wildkat28 wrote: »
    Such awesome points everyone! I have a question... I always thought you could go on a calorie defecit and keep/build your muscle mass just by getting enough protein into your diet? I currently do Insanity and have a high caloric intake of 2300 (though I try to stay aroung 2100, cause ya know... ima girl and that many calories are scary) but I do not sacrifice protein. I always assumed (and that is based on research and threads like these) that once I am done toning and building the muscle from insanity I can go into cardio/weightloss and if I keep up the protein at about the 130g/day I am currently getting I would he able to keep the muscle and start to burn (with the help of my new muscle) the fat while mot losing muscle because of protein (and the occasional weight obviosuly) Is this a bunk strategy?

    First issue with this is that Insanity is a cardio program. You aren't going to build muscle doing insanity, regardless of your calorie intake.


    That's not entirely true. There is a video as part of the series specifically for upper body weight training:

    http://www.fityouforlife.com/shaun-ts-deluxe-upper-body-weight-training-review/

    Also almost every video has a circuit in it dedicated to upper body using body weight exercises. I would say Insanity is not an ideal program for building muscle but it's not specifically 100% cardio like you are claiming. It's actually pretty well rounded.

    I never heard of the Deluxe Upper Body Weight Training program. That looks like a bonus and I wouldn't consider it part of the "Insanity" workout. I was talking about the standard Insanity workout and stand by that she isn't going to gain muscle doing the standard "Insanity" program.

    Fair enough. But I still think you are selling the program short. It's obvious you have never done it so probably shouldn't speak in definitive about it. If someone told me they wanted to add muscle I wouldn't directly suggest Insanity, it's not the ideal program for it. But the body weight circuits alone can be quite grueling. Stuff like level two drill circuits (burpee into 8 push ups, then 8 mountain climbers), the Max Conditioning video has some good upper body body weight circuits, and the Plyo are big leg muscle builders. Cardio Strength and Conditioning has upper body circuits. There is a good amount of pushups in all forms on just about every disc. Again not ideal, but not completely useless for muscle building either.
    You are confusing muscle building with muscle conditioning. Building muscle means progress overload. If one is losing weight, the load is decreasing when doing body weight exercises UNLESS the leverage is change (IE going from 2 legged squats to one legged squats).
    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

    9285851.png

    Yea probably just semantics. She said "toning and building muscle" so to me I took that more along the lines of losing fat and gaining strength which I feel you can do very easily with Insanity. Obviously if you want to bulk you need to be doing something like Body Beast for at home workouts.

    My issue was more along the lines of saying Insanity is just a cardio program. Some of the videos are very heavy on cardio for sure but it's total body circuits, plyo, compound movements, and has a good amount of upper body stuff too.

    Sigh, it is a predominately cardio program...

    Let's skip the ten page argument where you eventually agree and then try to convince everyone that you were in agreement the whole time...
  • Soundwave79
    Soundwave79 Posts: 469 Member
    edited April 2015
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    wildkat28 wrote: »
    Such awesome points everyone! I have a question... I always thought you could go on a calorie defecit and keep/build your muscle mass just by getting enough protein into your diet? I currently do Insanity and have a high caloric intake of 2300 (though I try to stay aroung 2100, cause ya know... ima girl and that many calories are scary) but I do not sacrifice protein. I always assumed (and that is based on research and threads like these) that once I am done toning and building the muscle from insanity I can go into cardio/weightloss and if I keep up the protein at about the 130g/day I am currently getting I would he able to keep the muscle and start to burn (with the help of my new muscle) the fat while mot losing muscle because of protein (and the occasional weight obviosuly) Is this a bunk strategy?

    First issue with this is that Insanity is a cardio program. You aren't going to build muscle doing insanity, regardless of your calorie intake.


    That's not entirely true. There is a video as part of the series specifically for upper body weight training:

    http://www.fityouforlife.com/shaun-ts-deluxe-upper-body-weight-training-review/

    Also almost every video has a circuit in it dedicated to upper body using body weight exercises. I would say Insanity is not an ideal program for building muscle but it's not specifically 100% cardio like you are claiming. It's actually pretty well rounded.

    I never heard of the Deluxe Upper Body Weight Training program. That looks like a bonus and I wouldn't consider it part of the "Insanity" workout. I was talking about the standard Insanity workout and stand by that she isn't going to gain muscle doing the standard "Insanity" program.

    Fair enough. But I still think you are selling the program short. It's obvious you have never done it so probably shouldn't speak in definitive about it. If someone told me they wanted to add muscle I wouldn't directly suggest Insanity, it's not the ideal program for it. But the body weight circuits alone can be quite grueling. Stuff like level two drill circuits (burpee into 8 push ups, then 8 mountain climbers), the Max Conditioning video has some good upper body body weight circuits, and the Plyo are big leg muscle builders. Cardio Strength and Conditioning has upper body circuits. There is a good amount of pushups in all forms on just about every disc. Again not ideal, but not completely useless for muscle building either.
    You are confusing muscle building with muscle conditioning. Building muscle means progress overload. If one is losing weight, the load is decreasing when doing body weight exercises UNLESS the leverage is change (IE going from 2 legged squats to one legged squats).
    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

    9285851.png

    Yea probably just semantics. She said "toning and building muscle" so to me I took that more along the lines of losing fat and gaining strength which I feel you can do very easily with Insanity. Obviously if you want to bulk you need to be doing something like Body Beast for at home workouts.

    My issue was more along the lines of saying Insanity is just a cardio program. Some of the videos are very heavy on cardio for sure but it's total body circuits, plyo, compound movements, and has a good amount of upper body stuff too.

    Sigh, it is a predominately cardio program...

    Let's skip the ten page argument where you eventually agree and then try to convince everyone that you were in agreement the whole time...

    In INSANITY®, Shaun T uses a method called Max Interval Training. It's not your typical interval workout. You'll do cardio and plyometric drills with intervals of strength, power, resistance, and core training. It all happens in long bursts of maximum-intensity exercises with short periods of rest, so you can get crazy-good results.

    ^ Taken straight from BeachBody

    And given your post count it seems to me like you've been in quite a few of these 10 page arguments... ;)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited April 2015
    Options
    Straight from the "ask the expert" section on Beachbody (not the "trying to sell" page).
    INSANITY is a “cardio” program that uses no equipment.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Options
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Lapre79 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    wildkat28 wrote: »
    Such awesome points everyone! I have a question... I always thought you could go on a calorie defecit and keep/build your muscle mass just by getting enough protein into your diet? I currently do Insanity and have a high caloric intake of 2300 (though I try to stay aroung 2100, cause ya know... ima girl and that many calories are scary) but I do not sacrifice protein. I always assumed (and that is based on research and threads like these) that once I am done toning and building the muscle from insanity I can go into cardio/weightloss and if I keep up the protein at about the 130g/day I am currently getting I would he able to keep the muscle and start to burn (with the help of my new muscle) the fat while mot losing muscle because of protein (and the occasional weight obviosuly) Is this a bunk strategy?

    First issue with this is that Insanity is a cardio program. You aren't going to build muscle doing insanity, regardless of your calorie intake.


    That's not entirely true. There is a video as part of the series specifically for upper body weight training:

    http://www.fityouforlife.com/shaun-ts-deluxe-upper-body-weight-training-review/

    Also almost every video has a circuit in it dedicated to upper body using body weight exercises. I would say Insanity is not an ideal program for building muscle but it's not specifically 100% cardio like you are claiming. It's actually pretty well rounded.

    I never heard of the Deluxe Upper Body Weight Training program. That looks like a bonus and I wouldn't consider it part of the "Insanity" workout. I was talking about the standard Insanity workout and stand by that she isn't going to gain muscle doing the standard "Insanity" program.

    Fair enough. But I still think you are selling the program short. It's obvious you have never done it so probably shouldn't speak in definitive about it. If someone told me they wanted to add muscle I wouldn't directly suggest Insanity, it's not the ideal program for it. But the body weight circuits alone can be quite grueling. Stuff like level two drill circuits (burpee into 8 push ups, then 8 mountain climbers), the Max Conditioning video has some good upper body body weight circuits, and the Plyo are big leg muscle builders. Cardio Strength and Conditioning has upper body circuits. There is a good amount of pushups in all forms on just about every disc. Again not ideal, but not completely useless for muscle building either.
    You are confusing muscle building with muscle conditioning. Building muscle means progress overload. If one is losing weight, the load is decreasing when doing body weight exercises UNLESS the leverage is change (IE going from 2 legged squats to one legged squats).
    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

    9285851.png

    Yea probably just semantics. She said "toning and building muscle" so to me I took that more along the lines of losing fat and gaining strength which I feel you can do very easily with Insanity. Obviously if you want to bulk you need to be doing something like Body Beast for at home workouts.

    My issue was more along the lines of saying Insanity is just a cardio program. Some of the videos are very heavy on cardio for sure but it's total body circuits, plyo, compound movements, and has a good amount of upper body stuff too.

    Sigh, it is a predominately cardio program...

    Let's skip the ten page argument where you eventually agree and then try to convince everyone that you were in agreement the whole time...

    In INSANITY®, Shaun T uses a method called Max Interval Training. It's not your typical interval workout. You'll do cardio and plyometric drills with intervals of strength, power, resistance, and core training. It all happens in long bursts of maximum-intensity exercises with short periods of rest, so you can get crazy-good results.

    ^ Taken straight from BeachBody

    And given your post count it seems to me like you've been in quite a few of these 10 page arguments... ;)

    Like I said, predominately a cardio program that one will not build any appreciable mass on.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    This thread hurts my feelings.
  • NekoneMeowMixx
    NekoneMeowMixx Posts: 410 Member
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    @RGv2‌ -- I was serious, in the fact that I agree that it is harder for us to gain muscle due to the lack of testosterone. My "ice cream and sad movies" referenced our evil abundance of estrogen, and also points out my terrible sense of humor...

    But no, I genuinely did appreciate you mentioning that, because seriously, people overlook that when they tell me I should be eating 2500 calories a day, and I'm like, errr-- how?! Hah




    Then I'm also one with a 'terrible' sense of humor (as you say)! I thought it was hilarious! I wanted to add that we (women) have to enjoy ice cream and sad movies because we are sad that we can't just make the gains the men can (without major efforts)! When I curl up with any ice cream it's because I'm frustrated with something to do with my physique goals (yes, counter-intuitive, but I let myself do a mini-wallow). Meanwhile, the men I know who are lifters, just keep getting bigger each trip to the gym! LOL! Oh well, delicate little flowers and all..... :p Anyway, thanks for the laugh this morning!

    Glad it gave you a laugh! Your response was a pleasant change of pace from the arguing that has since ensued about the Insanity program.

    IMO: Insanity is a cardio intensive (over-hyped, "buy our product, because Beachbody") program that utilizes bodyweight moves to enhance overall strength (but primarily, endurance) I wouldn't call it a body building regime (understand no one is) but if we're being that black and white about it, it's definitely more towards the cardio side of things.

    My main goals are to drop the fat and gain strength but I'll spend two years at the bar before I spend a day doing Insanity. #NoBurpeesforme
  • NarmaL
    NarmaL Posts: 13 Member
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    jmaidan wrote: »
    You can definitely build muscle on a deficit, well I can anyway. Just make sure you're eating clean, lots of protein. Keep your weights routine regular and heavy. Good luck!

    I agree with this. I'm also 5'6" like op, and I guess I was also skinny fat. I'm pretty toned now (not ripped and I don't want to), but you can see my muscle definition. I was skeptical like you as I wasn't seeing any results at first, and then boom one day after two weeks being dissapointed, I saw some crazy toning when I was stretching my arms. A week later, the toning surfaced without the arm stretching. Same on my abs.. This week I see it on my butt. Besides I can lift a lot more weight wise now, which I am proud of. It isn't only about toning now, I feel stronger.

    I think the key is to reduce your fat intake and increase your protein consumption while trying to maintain your caloric goal (or a slight deficit is fine to help the body use the stored fat as energy). Once the fat dissipates, the muscle that you're attempting to build, will begin to surface.

    Hope that helps.
  • NekoneMeowMixx
    NekoneMeowMixx Posts: 410 Member
    Options
    NarmaL wrote: »
    jmaidan wrote: »
    You can definitely build muscle on a deficit, well I can anyway. Just make sure you're eating clean, lots of protein. Keep your weights routine regular and heavy. Good luck!

    I agree with this. I'm also 5'6" like op, and I guess I was also skinny fat. I'm pretty toned now (not ripped and I don't want to), but you can see my muscle definition. I was skeptical like you as I wasn't seeing any results at first, and then boom one day after two weeks being dissapointed, I saw some crazy toning when I was stretching my arms. A week later, the toning surfaced without the arm stretching. Same on my abs.. This week I see it on my butt. Besides I can lift a lot more weight wise now, which I am proud of. It isn't only about toning now, I feel stronger.

    I think the key is to reduce your fat intake and increase your protein consumption while trying to maintain your caloric goal (or a slight deficit is fine to help the body use the stored fat as energy). Once the fat dissipates, the muscle that you're attempting to build, will begin to surface.

    Hope that helps.

    Always great to hear from someone who's been successful with it! I'm not looking to be "ripped" either. I honestly don't even care that much about being "toned". My main focus is to get smaller in the right places, and stronger in the right places. I'm currently doing that on a deficit, and I feel great. Maybe it's noob gains, maybe it's all in my head. Either way, I've set my calorie goal to 1600/day (only about 200 under my daily burn) and am eating back as much of my exercise calories as possible. I focus less on calorie intake, and instead make sure I'm hitting all my macros. I've definitely been doing better on getting all my protein in, and I feel great because of it.

    I stopped doing cardio on my off days (except for the occasional walk or bike ride if it's nice outside and I'm feeling froggy) and my body has definitely thanked me for it. I'm able to lift way heavier than I started (just did 115 on my squats today!) I've noticed a 1/2 inch gain in my biceps, thighs, calves, and upper chest area. I feel stronger, and my body feels happy. Really, that's all I care about.

    Anyone who's interested in sharing stories or tips is welcome to PM me. I've been primarily staying off of this thread. I've gotten a lot of great advice, but it seems people want to push the "my way or the highway" attitude, and I'm not about that. Just because I don't follow your advice, doesn't mean I didn't/am not taking it into consideration. It's my body, my life, and I'll treat it and live it the way I like. Not trying to be an *kitten*, but everyone's different, and just because something works for you doesn't mean it will work for everyone...

    With that, I wish everyone the best of luck in their fitness journey, and thank everyone again for all the information. I'm learning as I go, but already seeing some great results. As long as I'm eating healthy and getting stronger-- I'm happy. I'm not here to impress anyone...
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    Options
    JarethG wrote: »
    I apologize if this comes off as horrendously naive and full of noob questions, but I've found a lot of conflicting/confusing information, so I just want to get the facts straight. I'm a 23 year old woman, 5 foot 6" tall, with the current specs:

    131.2 pounds
    22.1% body fat
    21 BMI

    When I started my fitness journey, I had reached approximately 144 pounds, and my goal was to get down to 125. I guess I'm what you'd call "skinny fat", and I'm realizing that the closer I get to my "goal weight" the more I'm questioning if "losing weight" should be my focus? I want to get toned and lean, so I'm not sure what the best way to go about that is.

    Currently I've doing 3 days of Stronglifts 5x5, and 3 days of cardio (primarily bicycling, either outdoors or stationary, depending on the weather) and yoga on Sundays. Between Myfitnesspal's recommendations, and a little research of my own, my current "daily goals" are as follows:

    Calorie Limit: 1,400/day
    Carbs/day: 122.75g
    Fat/day: 62.0 g
    Protein/day: 87.75g

    Calories Burned from normal activity: 1,910 cal/day
    Calorie Burn Goal: 890 cal/week
    Daily Calorie Deficit: 510 calories
    Projected weight loss: 1 lb/week

    Since adhering to these goals, I've gone from 140 to 131 in approximately 2 months' time. But despite working out and burning 250+ calories daily, I seem to have hit a plateau. I've noticed minimal muscle growth, and while I understand that it's a *process*, and therefore will take a while, I just want to make sure I'm going about this the right way. No pain, no gain, but I don't want to be making things harder than they need to be! Or worse, making backwards progress...

    All advice is very appreciated!

    won't happen. Eat more.

    Lift more too, 3 days of a strength focused program in order to build muscle?

    El
    Oh
    El.

    Whats wrong with 3 days?

    SS, SL, Texas Method... several other programs are roughly 3x per week.

    I can agree with eat more though.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Options
    JarethG wrote: »
    I apologize if this comes off as horrendously naive and full of noob questions, but I've found a lot of conflicting/confusing information, so I just want to get the facts straight. I'm a 23 year old woman, 5 foot 6" tall, with the current specs:

    131.2 pounds
    22.1% body fat
    21 BMI

    When I started my fitness journey, I had reached approximately 144 pounds, and my goal was to get down to 125. I guess I'm what you'd call "skinny fat", and I'm realizing that the closer I get to my "goal weight" the more I'm questioning if "losing weight" should be my focus? I want to get toned and lean, so I'm not sure what the best way to go about that is.

    Currently I've doing 3 days of Stronglifts 5x5, and 3 days of cardio (primarily bicycling, either outdoors or stationary, depending on the weather) and yoga on Sundays. Between Myfitnesspal's recommendations, and a little research of my own, my current "daily goals" are as follows:

    Calorie Limit: 1,400/day
    Carbs/day: 122.75g
    Fat/day: 62.0 g
    Protein/day: 87.75g

    Calories Burned from normal activity: 1,910 cal/day
    Calorie Burn Goal: 890 cal/week
    Daily Calorie Deficit: 510 calories
    Projected weight loss: 1 lb/week

    Since adhering to these goals, I've gone from 140 to 131 in approximately 2 months' time. But despite working out and burning 250+ calories daily, I seem to have hit a plateau. I've noticed minimal muscle growth, and while I understand that it's a *process*, and therefore will take a while, I just want to make sure I'm going about this the right way. No pain, no gain, but I don't want to be making things harder than they need to be! Or worse, making backwards progress...

    All advice is very appreciated!

    won't happen. Eat more.

    Lift more too, 3 days of a strength focused program in order to build muscle?

    El
    Oh
    El.

    Whats wrong with 3 days?

    SS, SL, Texas Method... several other programs are roughly 3x per week.

    I can agree with eat more though.

    Was my thought as well. Pretty sure plenty of people have bulked using 3x per week strength-focused programs. Especially if they're relatively new to lifting.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    Options
    stealthq wrote: »
    JarethG wrote: »
    I apologize if this comes off as horrendously naive and full of noob questions, but I've found a lot of conflicting/confusing information, so I just want to get the facts straight. I'm a 23 year old woman, 5 foot 6" tall, with the current specs:

    131.2 pounds
    22.1% body fat
    21 BMI

    When I started my fitness journey, I had reached approximately 144 pounds, and my goal was to get down to 125. I guess I'm what you'd call "skinny fat", and I'm realizing that the closer I get to my "goal weight" the more I'm questioning if "losing weight" should be my focus? I want to get toned and lean, so I'm not sure what the best way to go about that is.

    Currently I've doing 3 days of Stronglifts 5x5, and 3 days of cardio (primarily bicycling, either outdoors or stationary, depending on the weather) and yoga on Sundays. Between Myfitnesspal's recommendations, and a little research of my own, my current "daily goals" are as follows:

    Calorie Limit: 1,400/day
    Carbs/day: 122.75g
    Fat/day: 62.0 g
    Protein/day: 87.75g

    Calories Burned from normal activity: 1,910 cal/day
    Calorie Burn Goal: 890 cal/week
    Daily Calorie Deficit: 510 calories
    Projected weight loss: 1 lb/week

    Since adhering to these goals, I've gone from 140 to 131 in approximately 2 months' time. But despite working out and burning 250+ calories daily, I seem to have hit a plateau. I've noticed minimal muscle growth, and while I understand that it's a *process*, and therefore will take a while, I just want to make sure I'm going about this the right way. No pain, no gain, but I don't want to be making things harder than they need to be! Or worse, making backwards progress...

    All advice is very appreciated!

    won't happen. Eat more.

    Lift more too, 3 days of a strength focused program in order to build muscle?

    El
    Oh
    El.

    Whats wrong with 3 days?

    SS, SL, Texas Method... several other programs are roughly 3x per week.

    I can agree with eat more though.

    Was my thought as well. Pretty sure plenty of people have bulked using 3x per week strength-focused programs. Especially if they're relatively new to lifting.

    +1

    Also, I’m butting in just to thank everyone for the awesome advice given re: muscle gains for females. I’m in the same boat as the OP (5’4”,134lbs, do SS + running, currently eating at around my BMR) and I am considering going all-out to gain muscle. I’m starting to accept that I need to eat more for the results I want (muscle, baby! none of that “toning” stuff). The helpful people are too many to count, but you know who you are.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Options
    JarethG wrote: »
    I apologize if this comes off as horrendously naive and full of noob questions, but I've found a lot of conflicting/confusing information, so I just want to get the facts straight. I'm a 23 year old woman, 5 foot 6" tall, with the current specs:

    131.2 pounds
    22.1% body fat
    21 BMI

    When I started my fitness journey, I had reached approximately 144 pounds, and my goal was to get down to 125. I guess I'm what you'd call "skinny fat", and I'm realizing that the closer I get to my "goal weight" the more I'm questioning if "losing weight" should be my focus? I want to get toned and lean, so I'm not sure what the best way to go about that is.

    Currently I've doing 3 days of Stronglifts 5x5, and 3 days of cardio (primarily bicycling, either outdoors or stationary, depending on the weather) and yoga on Sundays. Between Myfitnesspal's recommendations, and a little research of my own, my current "daily goals" are as follows:

    Calorie Limit: 1,400/day
    Carbs/day: 122.75g
    Fat/day: 62.0 g
    Protein/day: 87.75g

    Calories Burned from normal activity: 1,910 cal/day
    Calorie Burn Goal: 890 cal/week
    Daily Calorie Deficit: 510 calories
    Projected weight loss: 1 lb/week

    Since adhering to these goals, I've gone from 140 to 131 in approximately 2 months' time. But despite working out and burning 250+ calories daily, I seem to have hit a plateau. I've noticed minimal muscle growth, and while I understand that it's a *process*, and therefore will take a while, I just want to make sure I'm going about this the right way. No pain, no gain, but I don't want to be making things harder than they need to be! Or worse, making backwards progress...

    All advice is very appreciated!

    won't happen. Eat more.

    Lift more too, 3 days of a strength focused program in order to build muscle?

    El
    Oh
    El.

    Whats wrong with 3 days?

    SS, SL, Texas Method... several other programs are roughly 3x per week.

    I can agree with eat more though.

    nods. All my lifting programs for the last year or so have been 3 days a week.