Strong Lifts while at a deficit?

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LisaTcan
LisaTcan Posts: 410 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I have been doing some weight lifting for about a year and have seen some strength gains. I worked my way up from 8lb dumbbells to 15-20lbs depending on the exercise and use 45lbs preloaded barbells for things like squats and bench press. I also am a pretty avid cyclist and ride at least 100km a week.

I'm interested in lifting heaving and gaining more strength and would like to start the Strong Lifts program. My dilemma is that I also would like to lose another 10lbs and have been eating at a slight deficit (1700 cal or TDEE - 20%). I know you can't really gain muscle while eating at a deficit.

My question is - should I start Strong Lifts now or wait until I'm at my goal weight and eating at maintenance

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Start now
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Start now... as a newbie lifter you CAN gain some minimal muscle and then maintain the mass you get/have while in a deficit. I would say over the course of 2 1/2 to 3 months, any gains will taper off and then you will go into working with lifting to to maintain those muscles..

    When you are ready, you can then think bulking and cutting cycles (to loose additional/stubborn fat) when you have reached your weight loss goal, etc..
  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,974 Member
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    Start now -- your trying to tone up, not become a competitive lifter -- strength training will help tighten up your body and build core strength.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    kjm3579 wrote: »
    Start now -- your trying to tone up, not become a competitive lifter -- strength training will help tighten up your body and build core strength.

    There is no toning... not this...
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Start now.

    Strength and hypertrophy(muscle) are two totally different type of programs that involve different rep as well how heavy of weights you lift, although a lot of lifters are doing a hybrid of both combined now a days. The hybrid are more tailored to internediate/advanced lifters.

    Stronglift is a strength program. You can gain strength while on a deficit. Just realize your gains would be hampered if you were cycling before your program. Not a deal breaker by any means though.

    Don't listen to any advice that involves "toning", it is a marketing word and a myth.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    Yes, you can build strength and may even see some initial muscle growth (if you keep your protein up). The only real issue you’ll have being on a deficit is having the energy to perform well for every workout. Manage your macros and log how you feel each day. You may find it necessary to have a re-feed day here and there to get the most out of the program.

    One other bit of advice, you may want to avoid looking at the scale and instead focus on body measurements (neck, chest, stomach, waist, hips, upper legs and upper arms). Hard worked muscles often retain water and you may see the scale go up, even if you’re losing fat. And at the very least, you may be retaining more muscle mass as you lose and not see the scale go down as fast (at least not as fast when you’re losing both).
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    You may find a conflict between your cycling and lifting in terms of leg fatigue and recovery but that's not insurmountable especially as you're not doing a huge mileage. My normal routine is alternate days strength & cardio training (which is mostly indoor or outdoor cycling).
    Moderate rides (in terms of intensity and/or distance) not a problem but high intensity, long duration or more extreme hill work are very different.

    As you are half my age your recovery will be better than mine but would urge you to be very conservative with your calorie deficit.

    I tend to prioritise cycling in summer and strength work in winter. Most of the cycling season I hardly do any leg work in the gym, just upper body and core. Strong core is very useful for a cyclist.

    Would definitely advise starting now rather than waiting. Just pay attention to fatigue levels.
  • JennettMaryann
    JennettMaryann Posts: 2 Member
    edited May 2015
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    You're on a nice track. Since you're already at 15-20 lbs you are ready to start building your muscles seriously. A word of caution, don't overdo it in the beginning. It's good to push your body, but pushing it too much too often can cause a big setback.

    Since you're ready for the muscle building phase, you should checkout fitdistrict.us , a friend recommended me it a few months ago (she's very well built), it didn't cost that much either so I got it. It helped me a lot to get the right body ratio I wanted. If you're serious on building your muscle, you should get it too. It caters to all body types, and you're already in the right phase to enter. I'm sure you'll see great results if you follow a good routine.
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
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    I'm also in the "start now" camp. But with only 10 pounds left to go, you might want a smaller deficit than 20%. Maybe 10-15%.
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
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    AllanMisner wrote: »
    Yes, you can build strength and may even see some initial muscle growth (if you keep your protein up). The only real issue you’ll have being on a deficit is having the energy to perform well for every workout. Manage your macros and log how you feel each day. You may find it necessary to have a re-feed day here and there to get the most out of the program.

    One other bit of advice, you may want to avoid looking at the scale and instead focus on body measurements (neck, chest, stomach, waist, hips, upper legs and upper arms). Hard worked muscles often retain water and you may see the scale go up, even if you’re losing fat. And at the very least, you may be retaining more muscle mass as you lose and not see the scale go down as fast (at least not as fast when you’re losing both).

    This. I've been lifting on a deficit for almost 3 months. The scale is barely moving. But every week or so I notice more cuts in my muscles. I'm still increasing or maintaining my strength at the very least. 40% of my calories comes from protein which is approximately 1g per pound of lean body weight.
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    Start now. I have gained significant strength while on a deficit. I can now squat 1.2x my body weight, deadlift 1.4x, and bench more than half my body weight. I am also *thisclose* to doing a pull up.

    I did find that 5x5 was too much once I got past the newbie gains period. I switched to 3x5 with accessories 3 weeks ago. (started SL in Jan, so after about 4 months).
  • LisaTcan
    LisaTcan Posts: 410 Member
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    Wow, thanks for the advice everyone! I will start on Monday!

    AllanMisner - I do have to be careful not to focused on the scale - I know after long rides (100km) my weight goes up 3-4lbs for a week before settling down. I've also gone from a size 10 to a size 6 this year even though I've only lost 10lbs.

    sijomial - yeah, I've been a bit worried also about balancing cycling with weight lifting. I only do really long/hard rides every other weekend or so and commute to work 8 miles each way everyday. I was also doing cardio at the gym when I weight trained which I might stop.

    pzarnosky - that is an impressive amount of protein, I'm not a vegetarian or anything but I after have trouble eating more than 75g per day.

  • LisaTcan
    LisaTcan Posts: 410 Member
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    mirrim52 & GuitarJerry glad to hear you've had success with the program! Thanks :)

    gia07 - Thanks for the advice! I might ask you more about cutting and bulking down the road
  • KimTransformed
    KimTransformed Posts: 8 Member
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    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    Yes. Lots of people strength train while eating in a deficit, like me, for one.
    Yep me also, im cutting while gaining muscle, I do the big three powerlifts, bench max 185 lb, squat 185 , and deadlift 245 lb maxes, I began bootcamp 7 weeks ago, at first I thought I lost streghth in my big lifts, but my body is starting to showore muscle mass, its wonderful , I consume only 1400 cal a day, and losing lb / week since I started cutting 7 weeks ago , total lbs lost 8.2, lift ita the best thing u can do for yourslef and gain strength :)
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    KimTransformed wrote: »
    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    Yes. Lots of people strength train while eating in a deficit, like me, for one.
    Yep me also, im cutting while gaining muscle, I do the big three powerlifts, bench max 185 lb, squat 185 , and deadlift 245 lb maxes, I began bootcamp 7 weeks ago, at first I thought I lost streghth in my big lifts, but my body is starting to showore muscle mass, its wonderful , I consume only 1400 cal a day, and losing lb / week since I started cutting 7 weeks ago , total lbs lost 8.2, lift ita the best thing u can do for yourslef and gain strength :)

    No; you're really not cutting while gaining muscle. The two require totally different caloric needs.
    • To lose weight you need a caloric deficit
    • To gain weight you need a caloric surplus

    You're probably confusing the 'increase in muscle mass' with the loss of fat, as muscles will become more visible. Don't get me wrong, you can gain strength in a caloric deficit.

  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    There is a ton of info on this topic

    You have to be low in calories at some time during the day to burn fat.

    You need a slight surplus at a post workout window to add muscle.

    Some people eat less for that 8 hours of morning and lunch and eat more at say 4:00 and lift at 5:30. Then have a small 100 calorie protein shake after the workout

    Don't calorie deficit the next day.

    Some diet 4 days and lift two of the other 3

    I have lost about 115 lbs and added about 15 - 20 lbs of muscle per my body comp scale. It has been 15 months.

    Look up HIIT.

    It helps burn fat and add muscle by intense burst cardio training of shorter duration

    Muscle Fitness has many online articles on this topic. Opinions are all over the map.


  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
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    I agree with a smaller deficit or even going up to maintenance. 10lbs is so close to your goal that you may be pleasantly surprised by what eating at maintenance and heavy lifting can do. Look up body recomposition.

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