Can i do both? Or one at a time?
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Replies
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CasperNaegle wrote: »You can absolutely lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Take a look at Mike Matthews program at muscleforlife.com. He has a specific article on what you are trying to do. Unless you are already heavily muscled and lean you can do both. I do no cardio and lift weights. I have lost about 40 pounds of fat and added 10 pounds of muscle in the last 5 months.
It is difficult to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. if you are new to lifting you will have some initial muscle gain. the biggest reason to lift while losing weight it to maintain the muscle you already have. Usually as you lose weight you lose fat and muscle. eating enough protein, having an appropriate deficit, and partaking in strength training will minimize the amount of muscle you lose, and you will gain strength at the same time.
Stop, stop, stop. Do some research before you begin spouting nonsense that will steer someone in the wrong direction.
Fat loss is achieved by burning more calories than you ingest, and your body burns more calories effectively through building muscle..........meaning that both are, to some degree, happening at the same time. Muscle needs calories to stay alive, and will burn fat to do so, and it doesn't care where that fat is. In other words, do you want to lose some of that belly fat.......work your legs (your leg muscles are your largest muscle groups, hence will burn more calories/fat when muscle is added/regained.......and again, muscle doesn't care where the fat is in order to burn it).0 -
Ok so to get started in resistence training should i start off with help? Or is it pretty simple to just do it yourself?
Either is fine. If you do it yourself follow a structured beginners lifting program with progressive overload.
Something like:
Stronglifts 5x5
Starting strength
New rules of lifting women
Strong curves
All of those come with pretty good explenations on doing exercises, how, when, how long, how heavy, etc.
also, check out youtube for clips on correct form. As long as you start light with the weights, you have time to leArn yourself to train with proper form.
Ok thanks so much0 -
jeremywm1977 wrote: »CasperNaegle wrote: »You can absolutely lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Take a look at Mike Matthews program at muscleforlife.com. He has a specific article on what you are trying to do. Unless you are already heavily muscled and lean you can do both. I do no cardio and lift weights. I have lost about 40 pounds of fat and added 10 pounds of muscle in the last 5 months.
It is difficult to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. if you are new to lifting you will have some initial muscle gain. the biggest reason to lift while losing weight it to maintain the muscle you already have. Usually as you lose weight you lose fat and muscle. eating enough protein, having an appropriate deficit, and partaking in strength training will minimize the amount of muscle you lose, and you will gain strength at the same time.
Stop, stop, stop. Do some research before you begin spouting nonsense that will steer someone in the wrong direction.
Fat loss is achieved by burning more calories than you ingest, and your body burns more calories effectively through building muscle..........meaning that both are, to some degree, happening at the same time. Muscle needs calories to stay alive, and will burn fat to do so, and it doesn't care where that fat is. In other words, do you want to lose some of that belly fat.......work your legs (your leg muscles are your largest muscle groups, hence will burn more calories/fat when muscle is added/regained.......and again, muscle doesn't care where the fat is in order to burn it).
Thanks for the clarity, it was becoming a bit confusing.
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Yes you can do both.
Muscle building is all about cycles. You dont eat or lift the same all the time. There are builking cycles and cutting cycles.
First you need to know your maitenance calories once you have that then you can calculate your calories depneding on which cycle your in. Youll also need to calculate your macro ratio. I'd reccoment 50% carbs 25% fat 25% protein in a bulking cycle, and 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein in a cutting cycle.
Bulking cycles is when you eat at a surplus and lift at least 4-6 days a week and do 1-2, 15-30 min HITT sessions of cardio a week. As long as you eat at a surplus during this cycle you'll build muscle. However, muscle building takes a long time this is why you will need to do bulking and cutting cycles for around 3-4 years until you are shredded if that is what you want. Also you'll put on weight but it shouldn't be too much if your sticking to your food plan. Muscle weighs more than fat but building muscle takes time.
However during that time you'll see strength gains, and other results in muscle tone and shape. But again it comes slowly which frustrates people who want it all now and have no perseverance because they dont want to put in the hard yards and be patient. That is why people who have sucessfully built muscle are admired. Not only do they look good it says something about their character. So building muscle goes beyond the physical it really does build character. You must educate yourself, you must, persevere, and you must learn patience, all are great qualities to have.
Cutting cycles involve eating 200-500 calories below maitenance level lifting around 3-5 times a week and doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week. Plan each cycle for around 12 weeks. I know some who bulk for 6 months and cut for 6 months but cutting that long after bulking for that long is extremely hard to stick at and do. After my first bulk i cut too quickly i felt dizzy, sick, moody etc. I only bulked for 9 weeks and cut for 3.
So I reccomend to have 4 seasons a year each lasting 12 weeks.
Autumn - slow bulk - start lowering your cardio and upping the amount you lift. Slowly add 50-100 calories a week to your diet making sure its clean calories.
Winter - hard bulk - By now you should be eating at a pretty good surplus without feel bloated sick etc. reduce cardio to only 1 session a week and lift lift lift heavy all other days. When you rest actually rest this is when your muscles grow.
Spring - slow cut - slowly reeduce your calories by 50 a week or youll feel sick and will have a hard time sticking to your cut. slowly add more cardio and mabey reduce lifting by one day a week. or combine your lifting sessions into full body session rather than focusing on seperate parts.
Summer - hard cut - by now your body is used to eating at a deficit and you should be able to stick t it for 12 weeks add more cardio up to 3-4 sessions a week or no more than 40 mins and dont forget to lift.
Repeat and youll be lean, feel great, have build strength of character and youll be really poud of yourself which builds confidence.
Just know this is a slow process its a marathon not a sprint. The reason why so many people fail is because they are impatient. They want it all now and are not willing to have a vision of the future in their mind and work hard until they have achived it.
I used to do nothing but cardio i lost alot of weight but felt weak then i started lifting weights i gained weight but i look alot leaner and i feel stronger.
If you just want to be skinny then cardio is your friend but if you want muscle then lift heavy.
Currently I am in my Spring slow cutting cycle. I lift for around 40 mins then do 20 mins of HITT afterwards 3 days a week. Then I do 2 leg days a week and have 2 rest days a week. I eat around 1400 calories on lifting days sticking to my macros, i carb cycle and then n my rest days i eat around 1600 calories with high carbs to re-fuel.
I am at a pretty good level of fitness and endurance. But if your starting out just lift 2 days a week cardio 2 days a week and push it every 2 weeks to build endurance so your body can get used to working out. Your going to be sore my god sitting down hurts after leg day which is another reason most people dont stick to their plans. But again this builds character, itll also increse your tolerance to pain and after a while your body gets used to it and your like meh ok DOMS are cool it means im challenging myself.
I started lifting with Body Beast but after a while I was educated enough to know my body so I was able to create a lifting plan for myself. I still use his dvds for my lifting sessions but i also mix it up with UFC FIT dvds for my cardio. If you have Spotify and a treadmill look up Tabata, there are entire albums that are dedicated to HITT workouts that play the song for 30 seconds then stop then start. That way if you do your HITT on a treadmill you dont have to time yourself.
I dont go to a gym ive done this all at home on my own. But if your at a gym go to a proper gym that encourages mucle building so you can get a proper eduation on how to do it right. If you are doing it at home then id def reccomend Body Beast becuse everything is already planned out for you all you have to do is buy the food, prep it, and stick to the plan and the results will come. But your not going to get ripped in 12 weeks, ignore their marketing push and get real know that most lean people saw no or little results for around 18 months and it took around 3 years to be fully lean.
Using me as an example before i started lifting i weighed 61 kilos (134 pounds) i spent around 18 months doing cardio 6 days a week. I listed weights in some of those session but it was high reps light weight which didnt do much.
When I started lifting i started bulking also at first i lost weight but then in the last 3 weeks i gained weight. After my cut didnt really loose much weight at all but looked way leaner than wheen i first started.
Now i weigh 64 kilos (141 pounds) but i have muscle. So i am only 3 kilos heavier but i look heaps better and i feel way more confident about my body than i did just doing cardio.
So lifting and building muscle is a mental challenge like ive mentioned above that builds character if you do decide to start lifting dont weight yourself every week only do it every 2-4 weeks because your weight is going to go up and down. A better measure of progress is the measuring tape and photos.
my waist was 62cms now its 64cms which did my head in a bit. I though omg what did i do i got fat. but then i looked at picture and kept lifting kept going and realised OMG i have muscles my abs are appearing my obliques are showing up for the party my butt is rounder and my quads well i have quads now! i did not see results for months and months so trust the process , dont trust the scale it will work as long as you get the nutrition right.
Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space and muscle burns fat whilst your at rest. So build muscle its worth it, it changes you inside and out.0 -
Yes you can do both.
Muscle building is all about cycles. You dont eat or lift the same all the time. There are builking cycles and cutting cycles.
First you need to know your maitenance calories once you have that then you can calculate your calories depneding on which cycle your in. Youll also need to calculate your macro ratio. I'd reccoment 50% carbs 25% fat 25% protein in a bulking cycle, and 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein in a cutting cycle.
Bulking cycles is when you eat at a surplus and lift at least 4-6 days a week and do 1-2, 15-30 min HITT sessions of cardio a week. As long as you eat at a surplus during this cycle you'll build muscle. However, muscle building takes a long time this is why you will need to do bulking and cutting cycles for around 3-4 years until you are shredded if that is what you want. Also you'll put on weight but it shouldn't be too much if your sticking to your food plan. Muscle weighs more than fat but building muscle takes time.
However during that time you'll see strength gains, and other results in muscle tone and shape. But again it comes slowly which frustrates people who want it all now and have no perseverance because they dont want to put in the hard yards and be patient. That is why people who have sucessfully built muscle are admired. Not only do they look good it says something about their character. So building muscle goes beyond the physical it really does build character. You must educate yourself, you must, persevere, and you must learn patience, all are great qualities to have.
Cutting cycles involve eating 200-500 calories below maitenance level lifting around 3-5 times a week and doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week. Plan each cycle for around 12 weeks. I know some who bulk for 6 months and cut for 6 months but cutting that long after bulking for that long is extremely hard to stick at and do. After my first bulk i cut too quickly i felt dizzy, sick, moody etc. I only bulked for 9 weeks and cut for 3.
So I reccomend to have 4 seasons a year each lasting 12 weeks.
Autumn - slow bulk - start lowering your cardio and upping the amount you lift. Slowly add 50-100 calories a week to your diet making sure its clean calories.
Winter - hard bulk - By now you should be eating at a pretty good surplus without feel bloated sick etc. reduce cardio to only 1 session a week and lift lift lift heavy all other days. When you rest actually rest this is when your muscles grow.
Spring - slow cut - slowly reeduce your calories by 50 a week or youll feel sick and will have a hard time sticking to your cut. slowly add more cardio and mabey reduce lifting by one day a week. or combine your lifting sessions into full body session rather than focusing on seperate parts.
Summer - hard cut - by now your body is used to eating at a deficit and you should be able to stick t it for 12 weeks add more cardio up to 3-4 sessions a week or no more than 40 mins and dont forget to lift.
Repeat and youll be lean, feel great, have build strength of character and youll be really poud of yourself which builds confidence.
Just know this is a slow process its a marathon not a sprint. The reason why so many people fail is because they are impatient. They want it all now and are not willing to have a vision of the future in their mind and work hard until they have achived it.
I used to do nothing but cardio i lost alot of weight but felt weak then i started lifting weights i gained weight but i look alot leaner and i feel stronger.
If you just want to be skinny then cardio is your friend but if you want muscle then lift heavy.
Currently I am in my Spring slow cutting cycle. I lift for around 40 mins then do 20 mins of HITT afterwards 3 days a week. Then I do 2 leg days a week and have 2 rest days a week. I eat around 1400 calories on lifting days sticking to my macros, i carb cycle and then n my rest days i eat around 1600 calories with high carbs to re-fuel.
I am at a pretty good level of fitness and endurance. But if your starting out just lift 2 days a week cardio 2 days a week and push it every 2 weeks to build endurance so your body can get used to working out. Your going to be sore my god sitting down hurts after leg day which is another reason most people dont stick to their plans. But again this builds character, itll also increse your tolerance to pain and after a while your body gets used to it and your like meh ok DOMS are cool it means im challenging myself.
I started lifting with Body Beast but after a while I was educated enough to know my body so I was able to create a lifting plan for myself. I still use his dvds for my lifting sessions but i also mix it up with UFC FIT dvds for my cardio. If you have Spotify and a treadmill look up Tabata, there are entire albums that are dedicated to HITT workouts that play the song for 30 seconds then stop then start. That way if you do your HITT on a treadmill you dont have to time yourself.
I dont go to a gym ive done this all at home on my own. But if your at a gym go to a proper gym that encourages mucle building so you can get a proper eduation on how to do it right. If you are doing it at home then id def reccomend Body Beast becuse everything is already planned out for you all you have to do is buy the food, prep it, and stick to the plan and the results will come. But your not going to get ripped in 12 weeks, ignore their marketing push and get real know that most lean people saw no or little results for around 18 months and it took around 3 years to be fully lean.
Using me as an example before i started lifting i weighed 61 kilos (134 pounds) i spent around 18 months doing cardio 6 days a week. I listed weights in some of those session but it was high reps light weight which didnt do much.
When I started lifting i started bulking also at first i lost weight but then in the last 3 weeks i gained weight. After my cut didnt really loose much weight at all but looked way leaner than wheen i first started.
Now i weigh 64 kilos (141 pounds) but i have muscle. So i am only 3 kilos heavier but i look heaps better and i feel way more confident about my body than i did just doing cardio.
So lifting and building muscle is a mental challenge like ive mentioned above that builds character if you do decide to start lifting dont weight yourself every week only do it every 2-4 weeks because your weight is going to go up and down. A better measure of progress is the measuring tape and photos.
my waist was 62cms now its 64cms which did my head in a bit. I though omg what did i do i got fat. but then i looked at picture and kept lifting kept going and realised OMG i have muscles my abs are appearing my obliques are showing up for the party my butt is rounder and my quads well i have quads now! i did not see results for months and months so trust the process , dont trust the scale it will work as long as you get the nutrition right.
Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space and muscle burns fat whilst your at rest. So build muscle its worth it, it changes you inside and out.
I am not saying you are right or wrong, but I am already overwhelmed by your post.
You most likely will be overwhelming the OP.
At this point bulk and cut cycles are most likely not yet relevant to the OP. If OP wants to increase muscle mass after losing weight, then bulking becomes relevant. For now what is relevant that adding weight training while losing weight perserves existing muscle.
OP, for now just set MFP to weightloss, follow a beginner lifting program and eat back exercise calories. You will lose weight and maintain muscle.0 -
jeremywm1977 wrote: »CasperNaegle wrote: »You can absolutely lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Take a look at Mike Matthews program at muscleforlife.com. He has a specific article on what you are trying to do. Unless you are already heavily muscled and lean you can do both. I do no cardio and lift weights. I have lost about 40 pounds of fat and added 10 pounds of muscle in the last 5 months.
It is difficult to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. if you are new to lifting you will have some initial muscle gain. the biggest reason to lift while losing weight it to maintain the muscle you already have. Usually as you lose weight you lose fat and muscle. eating enough protein, having an appropriate deficit, and partaking in strength training will minimize the amount of muscle you lose, and you will gain strength at the same time.
Stop, stop, stop. Do some research before you begin spouting nonsense that will steer someone in the wrong direction.
Fat loss is achieved by burning more calories than you ingest, and your body burns more calories effectively through building muscle..........meaning that both are, to some degree, happening at the same time. Muscle needs calories to stay alive, and will burn fat to do so, and it doesn't care where that fat is. In other words, do you want to lose some of that belly fat.......work your legs (your leg muscles are your largest muscle groups, hence will burn more calories/fat when muscle is added/regained.......and again, muscle doesn't care where the fat is in order to burn it).
Actually what you are saying is BS... ask any body builder if they gain muscle while cutting for a show, or anyone else who knows what they are talking about. When you lose weight you typically lose both fat and muscle, the amount of muscle vs. fat loss comes down to:
1. the size of the deficit
2. amount of protein you are eating
3. the program you are running
4. genetics
5. current bf%
and Muscle does not burn fat, it burns more calories than fat, but if you are not in a deficit you will not lose fat, no matter how much muscle you have.
Now it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat in certian conditions...
1. you are returning to lifting after an extended break
2. you are obese, though once you lose enough weight you will start losing muscle as well if still in a deficit.0 -
Yes you can do both.
Muscle building is all about cycles. You dont eat or lift the same all the time. There are builking cycles and cutting cycles.
First you need to know your maitenance calories once you have that then you can calculate your calories depneding on which cycle your in. Youll also need to calculate your macro ratio. I'd reccoment 50% carbs 25% fat 25% protein in a bulking cycle, and 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein in a cutting cycle.
Bulking cycles is when you eat at a surplus and lift at least 4-6 days a week and do 1-2, 15-30 min HITT sessions of cardio a week. As long as you eat at a surplus during this cycle you'll build muscle. However, muscle building takes a long time this is why you will need to do bulking and cutting cycles for around 3-4 years until you are shredded if that is what you want. Also you'll put on weight but it shouldn't be too much if your sticking to your food plan. Muscle weighs more than fat but building muscle takes time.
However during that time you'll see strength gains, and other results in muscle tone and shape. But again it comes slowly which frustrates people who want it all now and have no perseverance because they dont want to put in the hard yards and be patient. That is why people who have sucessfully built muscle are admired. Not only do they look good it says something about their character. So building muscle goes beyond the physical it really does build character. You must educate yourself, you must, persevere, and you must learn patience, all are great qualities to have.
Cutting cycles involve eating 200-500 calories below maitenance level lifting around 3-5 times a week and doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week. Plan each cycle for around 12 weeks. I know some who bulk for 6 months and cut for 6 months but cutting that long after bulking for that long is extremely hard to stick at and do. After my first bulk i cut too quickly i felt dizzy, sick, moody etc. I only bulked for 9 weeks and cut for 3.
So I reccomend to have 4 seasons a year each lasting 12 weeks.
Autumn - slow bulk - start lowering your cardio and upping the amount you lift. Slowly add 50-100 calories a week to your diet making sure its clean calories.
Winter - hard bulk - By now you should be eating at a pretty good surplus without feel bloated sick etc. reduce cardio to only 1 session a week and lift lift lift heavy all other days. When you rest actually rest this is when your muscles grow.
Spring - slow cut - slowly reeduce your calories by 50 a week or youll feel sick and will have a hard time sticking to your cut. slowly add more cardio and mabey reduce lifting by one day a week. or combine your lifting sessions into full body session rather than focusing on seperate parts.
Summer - hard cut - by now your body is used to eating at a deficit and you should be able to stick t it for 12 weeks add more cardio up to 3-4 sessions a week or no more than 40 mins and dont forget to lift.
Repeat and youll be lean, feel great, have build strength of character and youll be really poud of yourself which builds confidence.
Just know this is a slow process its a marathon not a sprint. The reason why so many people fail is because they are impatient. They want it all now and are not willing to have a vision of the future in their mind and work hard until they have achived it.
I used to do nothing but cardio i lost alot of weight but felt weak then i started lifting weights i gained weight but i look alot leaner and i feel stronger.
If you just want to be skinny then cardio is your friend but if you want muscle then lift heavy.
Currently I am in my Spring slow cutting cycle. I lift for around 40 mins then do 20 mins of HITT afterwards 3 days a week. Then I do 2 leg days a week and have 2 rest days a week. I eat around 1400 calories on lifting days sticking to my macros, i carb cycle and then n my rest days i eat around 1600 calories with high carbs to re-fuel.
I am at a pretty good level of fitness and endurance. But if your starting out just lift 2 days a week cardio 2 days a week and push it every 2 weeks to build endurance so your body can get used to working out. Your going to be sore my god sitting down hurts after leg day which is another reason most people dont stick to their plans. But again this builds character, itll also increse your tolerance to pain and after a while your body gets used to it and your like meh ok DOMS are cool it means im challenging myself.
I started lifting with Body Beast but after a while I was educated enough to know my body so I was able to create a lifting plan for myself. I still use his dvds for my lifting sessions but i also mix it up with UFC FIT dvds for my cardio. If you have Spotify and a treadmill look up Tabata, there are entire albums that are dedicated to HITT workouts that play the song for 30 seconds then stop then start. That way if you do your HITT on a treadmill you dont have to time yourself.
I dont go to a gym ive done this all at home on my own. But if your at a gym go to a proper gym that encourages mucle building so you can get a proper eduation on how to do it right. If you are doing it at home then id def reccomend Body Beast becuse everything is already planned out for you all you have to do is buy the food, prep it, and stick to the plan and the results will come. But your not going to get ripped in 12 weeks, ignore their marketing push and get real know that most lean people saw no or little results for around 18 months and it took around 3 years to be fully lean.
Using me as an example before i started lifting i weighed 61 kilos (134 pounds) i spent around 18 months doing cardio 6 days a week. I listed weights in some of those session but it was high reps light weight which didnt do much.
When I started lifting i started bulking also at first i lost weight but then in the last 3 weeks i gained weight. After my cut didnt really loose much weight at all but looked way leaner than wheen i first started.
Now i weigh 64 kilos (141 pounds) but i have muscle. So i am only 3 kilos heavier but i look heaps better and i feel way more confident about my body than i did just doing cardio.
So lifting and building muscle is a mental challenge like ive mentioned above that builds character if you do decide to start lifting dont weight yourself every week only do it every 2-4 weeks because your weight is going to go up and down. A better measure of progress is the measuring tape and photos.
my waist was 62cms now its 64cms which did my head in a bit. I though omg what did i do i got fat. but then i looked at picture and kept lifting kept going and realised OMG i have muscles my abs are appearing my obliques are showing up for the party my butt is rounder and my quads well i have quads now! i did not see results for months and months so trust the process , dont trust the scale it will work as long as you get the nutrition right.
Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space and muscle burns fat whilst your at rest. So build muscle its worth it, it changes you inside and out.
Wow thank you for this detailed post it was really helpful, especially being female. You mentioned sticking to cardio for 18 months first, i do want to slim down before i start building muscle. Iam currently 175 goal weight is to be 140. From there i want to tone. I mean, i would love to do both now but i dont want to build muscle on top of fat at this weight. I thought if i do both i would slim down faster.
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Yes you can do both.
Muscle building is all about cycles. You dont eat or lift the same all the time. There are builking cycles and cutting cycles.
First you need to know your maitenance calories once you have that then you can calculate your calories depneding on which cycle your in. Youll also need to calculate your macro ratio. I'd reccoment 50% carbs 25% fat 25% protein in a bulking cycle, and 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein in a cutting cycle.
Bulking cycles is when you eat at a surplus and lift at least 4-6 days a week and do 1-2, 15-30 min HITT sessions of cardio a week. As long as you eat at a surplus during this cycle you'll build muscle. However, muscle building takes a long time this is why you will need to do bulking and cutting cycles for around 3-4 years until you are shredded if that is what you want. Also you'll put on weight but it shouldn't be too much if your sticking to your food plan. Muscle weighs more than fat but building muscle takes time.
However during that time you'll see strength gains, and other results in muscle tone and shape. But again it comes slowly which frustrates people who want it all now and have no perseverance because they dont want to put in the hard yards and be patient. That is why people who have sucessfully built muscle are admired. Not only do they look good it says something about their character. So building muscle goes beyond the physical it really does build character. You must educate yourself, you must, persevere, and you must learn patience, all are great qualities to have.
Cutting cycles involve eating 200-500 calories below maitenance level lifting around 3-5 times a week and doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week. Plan each cycle for around 12 weeks. I know some who bulk for 6 months and cut for 6 months but cutting that long after bulking for that long is extremely hard to stick at and do. After my first bulk i cut too quickly i felt dizzy, sick, moody etc. I only bulked for 9 weeks and cut for 3.
So I reccomend to have 4 seasons a year each lasting 12 weeks.
Autumn - slow bulk - start lowering your cardio and upping the amount you lift. Slowly add 50-100 calories a week to your diet making sure its clean calories.
Winter - hard bulk - By now you should be eating at a pretty good surplus without feel bloated sick etc. reduce cardio to only 1 session a week and lift lift lift heavy all other days. When you rest actually rest this is when your muscles grow.
Spring - slow cut - slowly reeduce your calories by 50 a week or youll feel sick and will have a hard time sticking to your cut. slowly add more cardio and mabey reduce lifting by one day a week. or combine your lifting sessions into full body session rather than focusing on seperate parts.
Summer - hard cut - by now your body is used to eating at a deficit and you should be able to stick t it for 12 weeks add more cardio up to 3-4 sessions a week or no more than 40 mins and dont forget to lift.
Repeat and youll be lean, feel great, have build strength of character and youll be really poud of yourself which builds confidence.
Just know this is a slow process its a marathon not a sprint. The reason why so many people fail is because they are impatient. They want it all now and are not willing to have a vision of the future in their mind and work hard until they have achived it.
I used to do nothing but cardio i lost alot of weight but felt weak then i started lifting weights i gained weight but i look alot leaner and i feel stronger.
If you just want to be skinny then cardio is your friend but if you want muscle then lift heavy.
Currently I am in my Spring slow cutting cycle. I lift for around 40 mins then do 20 mins of HITT afterwards 3 days a week. Then I do 2 leg days a week and have 2 rest days a week. I eat around 1400 calories on lifting days sticking to my macros, i carb cycle and then n my rest days i eat around 1600 calories with high carbs to re-fuel.
I am at a pretty good level of fitness and endurance. But if your starting out just lift 2 days a week cardio 2 days a week and push it every 2 weeks to build endurance so your body can get used to working out. Your going to be sore my god sitting down hurts after leg day which is another reason most people dont stick to their plans. But again this builds character, itll also increse your tolerance to pain and after a while your body gets used to it and your like meh ok DOMS are cool it means im challenging myself.
I started lifting with Body Beast but after a while I was educated enough to know my body so I was able to create a lifting plan for myself. I still use his dvds for my lifting sessions but i also mix it up with UFC FIT dvds for my cardio. If you have Spotify and a treadmill look up Tabata, there are entire albums that are dedicated to HITT workouts that play the song for 30 seconds then stop then start. That way if you do your HITT on a treadmill you dont have to time yourself.
I dont go to a gym ive done this all at home on my own. But if your at a gym go to a proper gym that encourages mucle building so you can get a proper eduation on how to do it right. If you are doing it at home then id def reccomend Body Beast becuse everything is already planned out for you all you have to do is buy the food, prep it, and stick to the plan and the results will come. But your not going to get ripped in 12 weeks, ignore their marketing push and get real know that most lean people saw no or little results for around 18 months and it took around 3 years to be fully lean.
Using me as an example before i started lifting i weighed 61 kilos (134 pounds) i spent around 18 months doing cardio 6 days a week. I listed weights in some of those session but it was high reps light weight which didnt do much.
When I started lifting i started bulking also at first i lost weight but then in the last 3 weeks i gained weight. After my cut didnt really loose much weight at all but looked way leaner than wheen i first started.
Now i weigh 64 kilos (141 pounds) but i have muscle. So i am only 3 kilos heavier but i look heaps better and i feel way more confident about my body than i did just doing cardio.
So lifting and building muscle is a mental challenge like ive mentioned above that builds character if you do decide to start lifting dont weight yourself every week only do it every 2-4 weeks because your weight is going to go up and down. A better measure of progress is the measuring tape and photos.
my waist was 62cms now its 64cms which did my head in a bit. I though omg what did i do i got fat. but then i looked at picture and kept lifting kept going and realised OMG i have muscles my abs are appearing my obliques are showing up for the party my butt is rounder and my quads well i have quads now! i did not see results for months and months so trust the process , dont trust the scale it will work as long as you get the nutrition right.
Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space and muscle burns fat whilst your at rest. So build muscle its worth it, it changes you inside and out.
I am not saying you are right or wrong, but I am already overwhelmed by your post.
You most likely will be overwhelming the OP.
At this point bulk and cut cycles are most likely not yet relevant to the OP. If OP wants to increase muscle mass after losing weight, then bulking becomes relevant. For now what is relevant that adding weight training while losing weight perserves existing muscle.
OP, for now just set MFP to weightloss, follow a beginner lifting program and eat back exercise calories. You will lose weight and maintain muscle.
lol the bulk and cut cycles did confuse me a bit. Thank you, do you have a good beginners program that i can possibly use?0 -
Yes you can do both.
Muscle building is all about cycles. You dont eat or lift the same all the time. There are builking cycles and cutting cycles.
First you need to know your maitenance calories once you have that then you can calculate your calories depneding on which cycle your in. Youll also need to calculate your macro ratio. I'd reccoment 50% carbs 25% fat 25% protein in a bulking cycle, and 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein in a cutting cycle.
Bulking cycles is when you eat at a surplus and lift at least 4-6 days a week and do 1-2, 15-30 min HITT sessions of cardio a week. As long as you eat at a surplus during this cycle you'll build muscle. However, muscle building takes a long time this is why you will need to do bulking and cutting cycles for around 3-4 years until you are shredded if that is what you want. Also you'll put on weight but it shouldn't be too much if your sticking to your food plan. Muscle weighs more than fat but building muscle takes time.
However during that time you'll see strength gains, and other results in muscle tone and shape. But again it comes slowly which frustrates people who want it all now and have no perseverance because they dont want to put in the hard yards and be patient. That is why people who have sucessfully built muscle are admired. Not only do they look good it says something about their character. So building muscle goes beyond the physical it really does build character. You must educate yourself, you must, persevere, and you must learn patience, all are great qualities to have.
Cutting cycles involve eating 200-500 calories below maitenance level lifting around 3-5 times a week and doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week. Plan each cycle for around 12 weeks. I know some who bulk for 6 months and cut for 6 months but cutting that long after bulking for that long is extremely hard to stick at and do. After my first bulk i cut too quickly i felt dizzy, sick, moody etc. I only bulked for 9 weeks and cut for 3.
So I reccomend to have 4 seasons a year each lasting 12 weeks.
Autumn - slow bulk - start lowering your cardio and upping the amount you lift. Slowly add 50-100 calories a week to your diet making sure its clean calories.
Winter - hard bulk - By now you should be eating at a pretty good surplus without feel bloated sick etc. reduce cardio to only 1 session a week and lift lift lift heavy all other days. When you rest actually rest this is when your muscles grow.
Spring - slow cut - slowly reeduce your calories by 50 a week or youll feel sick and will have a hard time sticking to your cut. slowly add more cardio and mabey reduce lifting by one day a week. or combine your lifting sessions into full body session rather than focusing on seperate parts.
Summer - hard cut - by now your body is used to eating at a deficit and you should be able to stick t it for 12 weeks add more cardio up to 3-4 sessions a week or no more than 40 mins and dont forget to lift.
Repeat and youll be lean, feel great, have build strength of character and youll be really poud of yourself which builds confidence.
Just know this is a slow process its a marathon not a sprint. The reason why so many people fail is because they are impatient. They want it all now and are not willing to have a vision of the future in their mind and work hard until they have achived it.
I used to do nothing but cardio i lost alot of weight but felt weak then i started lifting weights i gained weight but i look alot leaner and i feel stronger.
If you just want to be skinny then cardio is your friend but if you want muscle then lift heavy.
Currently I am in my Spring slow cutting cycle. I lift for around 40 mins then do 20 mins of HITT afterwards 3 days a week. Then I do 2 leg days a week and have 2 rest days a week. I eat around 1400 calories on lifting days sticking to my macros, i carb cycle and then n my rest days i eat around 1600 calories with high carbs to re-fuel.
I am at a pretty good level of fitness and endurance. But if your starting out just lift 2 days a week cardio 2 days a week and push it every 2 weeks to build endurance so your body can get used to working out. Your going to be sore my god sitting down hurts after leg day which is another reason most people dont stick to their plans. But again this builds character, itll also increse your tolerance to pain and after a while your body gets used to it and your like meh ok DOMS are cool it means im challenging myself.
I started lifting with Body Beast but after a while I was educated enough to know my body so I was able to create a lifting plan for myself. I still use his dvds for my lifting sessions but i also mix it up with UFC FIT dvds for my cardio. If you have Spotify and a treadmill look up Tabata, there are entire albums that are dedicated to HITT workouts that play the song for 30 seconds then stop then start. That way if you do your HITT on a treadmill you dont have to time yourself.
I dont go to a gym ive done this all at home on my own. But if your at a gym go to a proper gym that encourages mucle building so you can get a proper eduation on how to do it right. If you are doing it at home then id def reccomend Body Beast becuse everything is already planned out for you all you have to do is buy the food, prep it, and stick to the plan and the results will come. But your not going to get ripped in 12 weeks, ignore their marketing push and get real know that most lean people saw no or little results for around 18 months and it took around 3 years to be fully lean.
Using me as an example before i started lifting i weighed 61 kilos (134 pounds) i spent around 18 months doing cardio 6 days a week. I listed weights in some of those session but it was high reps light weight which didnt do much.
When I started lifting i started bulking also at first i lost weight but then in the last 3 weeks i gained weight. After my cut didnt really loose much weight at all but looked way leaner than wheen i first started.
Now i weigh 64 kilos (141 pounds) but i have muscle. So i am only 3 kilos heavier but i look heaps better and i feel way more confident about my body than i did just doing cardio.
So lifting and building muscle is a mental challenge like ive mentioned above that builds character if you do decide to start lifting dont weight yourself every week only do it every 2-4 weeks because your weight is going to go up and down. A better measure of progress is the measuring tape and photos.
my waist was 62cms now its 64cms which did my head in a bit. I though omg what did i do i got fat. but then i looked at picture and kept lifting kept going and realised OMG i have muscles my abs are appearing my obliques are showing up for the party my butt is rounder and my quads well i have quads now! i did not see results for months and months so trust the process , dont trust the scale it will work as long as you get the nutrition right.
Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space and muscle burns fat whilst your at rest. So build muscle its worth it, it changes you inside and out.
I am not saying you are right or wrong, but I am already overwhelmed by your post.
You most likely will be overwhelming the OP.
At this point bulk and cut cycles are most likely not yet relevant to the OP. If OP wants to increase muscle mass after losing weight, then bulking becomes relevant. For now what is relevant that adding weight training while losing weight perserves existing muscle.
OP, for now just set MFP to weightloss, follow a beginner lifting program and eat back exercise calories. You will lose weight and maintain muscle.
lol the bulk and cut cycles did confuse me a bit. Thank you, do you have a good beginners program that i can possibly use?
stronglifts 5x5, Starting strength, new rules of lifting, strong curves, are 4 good beginner programs.0 -
Yes you can do both.
Muscle building is all about cycles. You dont eat or lift the same all the time. There are builking cycles and cutting cycles.
First you need to know your maitenance calories once you have that then you can calculate your calories depneding on which cycle your in. Youll also need to calculate your macro ratio. I'd reccoment 50% carbs 25% fat 25% protein in a bulking cycle, and 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein in a cutting cycle.
Bulking cycles is when you eat at a surplus and lift at least 4-6 days a week and do 1-2, 15-30 min HITT sessions of cardio a week. As long as you eat at a surplus during this cycle you'll build muscle. However, muscle building takes a long time this is why you will need to do bulking and cutting cycles for around 3-4 years until you are shredded if that is what you want. Also you'll put on weight but it shouldn't be too much if your sticking to your food plan. Muscle weighs more than fat but building muscle takes time.
However during that time you'll see strength gains, and other results in muscle tone and shape. But again it comes slowly which frustrates people who want it all now and have no perseverance because they dont want to put in the hard yards and be patient. That is why people who have sucessfully built muscle are admired. Not only do they look good it says something about their character. So building muscle goes beyond the physical it really does build character. You must educate yourself, you must, persevere, and you must learn patience, all are great qualities to have.
Cutting cycles involve eating 200-500 calories below maitenance level lifting around 3-5 times a week and doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week. Plan each cycle for around 12 weeks. I know some who bulk for 6 months and cut for 6 months but cutting that long after bulking for that long is extremely hard to stick at and do. After my first bulk i cut too quickly i felt dizzy, sick, moody etc. I only bulked for 9 weeks and cut for 3.
So I reccomend to have 4 seasons a year each lasting 12 weeks.
Autumn - slow bulk - start lowering your cardio and upping the amount you lift. Slowly add 50-100 calories a week to your diet making sure its clean calories.
Winter - hard bulk - By now you should be eating at a pretty good surplus without feel bloated sick etc. reduce cardio to only 1 session a week and lift lift lift heavy all other days. When you rest actually rest this is when your muscles grow.
Spring - slow cut - slowly reeduce your calories by 50 a week or youll feel sick and will have a hard time sticking to your cut. slowly add more cardio and mabey reduce lifting by one day a week. or combine your lifting sessions into full body session rather than focusing on seperate parts.
Summer - hard cut - by now your body is used to eating at a deficit and you should be able to stick t it for 12 weeks add more cardio up to 3-4 sessions a week or no more than 40 mins and dont forget to lift.
Repeat and youll be lean, feel great, have build strength of character and youll be really poud of yourself which builds confidence.
Just know this is a slow process its a marathon not a sprint. The reason why so many people fail is because they are impatient. They want it all now and are not willing to have a vision of the future in their mind and work hard until they have achived it.
I used to do nothing but cardio i lost alot of weight but felt weak then i started lifting weights i gained weight but i look alot leaner and i feel stronger.
If you just want to be skinny then cardio is your friend but if you want muscle then lift heavy.
Currently I am in my Spring slow cutting cycle. I lift for around 40 mins then do 20 mins of HITT afterwards 3 days a week. Then I do 2 leg days a week and have 2 rest days a week. I eat around 1400 calories on lifting days sticking to my macros, i carb cycle and then n my rest days i eat around 1600 calories with high carbs to re-fuel.
I am at a pretty good level of fitness and endurance. But if your starting out just lift 2 days a week cardio 2 days a week and push it every 2 weeks to build endurance so your body can get used to working out. Your going to be sore my god sitting down hurts after leg day which is another reason most people dont stick to their plans. But again this builds character, itll also increse your tolerance to pain and after a while your body gets used to it and your like meh ok DOMS are cool it means im challenging myself.
I started lifting with Body Beast but after a while I was educated enough to know my body so I was able to create a lifting plan for myself. I still use his dvds for my lifting sessions but i also mix it up with UFC FIT dvds for my cardio. If you have Spotify and a treadmill look up Tabata, there are entire albums that are dedicated to HITT workouts that play the song for 30 seconds then stop then start. That way if you do your HITT on a treadmill you dont have to time yourself.
I dont go to a gym ive done this all at home on my own. But if your at a gym go to a proper gym that encourages mucle building so you can get a proper eduation on how to do it right. If you are doing it at home then id def reccomend Body Beast becuse everything is already planned out for you all you have to do is buy the food, prep it, and stick to the plan and the results will come. But your not going to get ripped in 12 weeks, ignore their marketing push and get real know that most lean people saw no or little results for around 18 months and it took around 3 years to be fully lean.
Using me as an example before i started lifting i weighed 61 kilos (134 pounds) i spent around 18 months doing cardio 6 days a week. I listed weights in some of those session but it was high reps light weight which didnt do much.
When I started lifting i started bulking also at first i lost weight but then in the last 3 weeks i gained weight. After my cut didnt really loose much weight at all but looked way leaner than wheen i first started.
Now i weigh 64 kilos (141 pounds) but i have muscle. So i am only 3 kilos heavier but i look heaps better and i feel way more confident about my body than i did just doing cardio.
So lifting and building muscle is a mental challenge like ive mentioned above that builds character if you do decide to start lifting dont weight yourself every week only do it every 2-4 weeks because your weight is going to go up and down. A better measure of progress is the measuring tape and photos.
my waist was 62cms now its 64cms which did my head in a bit. I though omg what did i do i got fat. but then i looked at picture and kept lifting kept going and realised OMG i have muscles my abs are appearing my obliques are showing up for the party my butt is rounder and my quads well i have quads now! i did not see results for months and months so trust the process , dont trust the scale it will work as long as you get the nutrition right.
Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space and muscle burns fat whilst your at rest. So build muscle its worth it, it changes you inside and out.
I am not saying you are right or wrong, but I am already overwhelmed by your post.
You most likely will be overwhelming the OP.
At this point bulk and cut cycles are most likely not yet relevant to the OP. If OP wants to increase muscle mass after losing weight, then bulking becomes relevant. For now what is relevant that adding weight training while losing weight perserves existing muscle.
OP, for now just set MFP to weightloss, follow a beginner lifting program and eat back exercise calories. You will lose weight and maintain muscle.
lol the bulk and cut cycles did confuse me a bit. Thank you, do you have a good beginners program that i can possibly use?
stronglifts 5x5, Starting strength, new rules of lifting, strong curves, are 4 good beginner programs.
Thanks!0 -
@brityler - lift, starting now. I lost all my weight without lifting. Guess what? I was skinny fat. Was I skinny? Yeah, but I wasn't very tight or lean. I had extra flab (skin and fat) on my legs, arms, and belly. Why? Because when you lose weight without lifting, you lose fat and muscle. Your body doesn't care if you want to lose just fat, when you are in a deficit it uses your excess mass for fuel not caring if it comes from your fat mass or muscle mass.
Pick a beginner program (such as: stronglifts 5x5, new rules of lifting for women, strong curves, or starting strength), do some cardio for your heart health, eat your MFP goal plus some exercise calories**, and give it some time to work.
(**When you put your stats in MFP and pick a weight loss goal, it automatically gives you a calorie deficit. It operates on the assumption that you can't/don't want to workout. When you do workout, you should log that and eat about half of the "extra" calories it gives you. If you don't, you could end up eating too few calories which isn't good for your health.)
Trust me: if I could go back and relose all of my weight again (60 pounds), I'd lift from day 1. It has been an uphill battle to try to gain back my lost muscle mass. Since starting to lift about 18 months ago, I haven't lost a lot of scale weight, but I have lost inches. I now look smaller even though not much has changed scale-wise.
ETA: And don't worry about bulking/cutting cycles. That's for more advanced lifters, people who have expended their newbie gains and need the extra food to get the physique they're after. It may be something you're interested in down the road, but for now focus on eating a calorie deficit, lifting, doing some cardio, and trusting the process.0 -
Yes you can do both.
Muscle building is all about cycles. You dont eat or lift the same all the time. There are builking cycles and cutting cycles.
First you need to know your maitenance calories once you have that then you can calculate your calories depneding on which cycle your in. Youll also need to calculate your macro ratio. I'd reccoment 50% carbs 25% fat 25% protein in a bulking cycle, and 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein in a cutting cycle.
Bulking cycles is when you eat at a surplus and lift at least 4-6 days a week and do 1-2, 15-30 min HITT sessions of cardio a week. As long as you eat at a surplus during this cycle you'll build muscle. However, muscle building takes a long time this is why you will need to do bulking and cutting cycles for around 3-4 years until you are shredded if that is what you want. Also you'll put on weight but it shouldn't be too much if your sticking to your food plan. Muscle weighs more than fat but building muscle takes time.
However during that time you'll see strength gains, and other results in muscle tone and shape. But again it comes slowly which frustrates people who want it all now and have no perseverance because they dont want to put in the hard yards and be patient. That is why people who have sucessfully built muscle are admired. Not only do they look good it says something about their character. So building muscle goes beyond the physical it really does build character. You must educate yourself, you must, persevere, and you must learn patience, all are great qualities to have.
Cutting cycles involve eating 200-500 calories below maitenance level lifting around 3-5 times a week and doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week. Plan each cycle for around 12 weeks. I know some who bulk for 6 months and cut for 6 months but cutting that long after bulking for that long is extremely hard to stick at and do. After my first bulk i cut too quickly i felt dizzy, sick, moody etc. I only bulked for 9 weeks and cut for 3.
So I reccomend to have 4 seasons a year each lasting 12 weeks.
Autumn - slow bulk - start lowering your cardio and upping the amount you lift. Slowly add 50-100 calories a week to your diet making sure its clean calories.
Winter - hard bulk - By now you should be eating at a pretty good surplus without feel bloated sick etc. reduce cardio to only 1 session a week and lift lift lift heavy all other days. When you rest actually rest this is when your muscles grow.
Spring - slow cut - slowly reeduce your calories by 50 a week or youll feel sick and will have a hard time sticking to your cut. slowly add more cardio and mabey reduce lifting by one day a week. or combine your lifting sessions into full body session rather than focusing on seperate parts.
Summer - hard cut - by now your body is used to eating at a deficit and you should be able to stick t it for 12 weeks add more cardio up to 3-4 sessions a week or no more than 40 mins and dont forget to lift.
Repeat and youll be lean, feel great, have build strength of character and youll be really poud of yourself which builds confidence.
Just know this is a slow process its a marathon not a sprint. The reason why so many people fail is because they are impatient. They want it all now and are not willing to have a vision of the future in their mind and work hard until they have achived it.
I used to do nothing but cardio i lost alot of weight but felt weak then i started lifting weights i gained weight but i look alot leaner and i feel stronger.
If you just want to be skinny then cardio is your friend but if you want muscle then lift heavy.
Currently I am in my Spring slow cutting cycle. I lift for around 40 mins then do 20 mins of HITT afterwards 3 days a week. Then I do 2 leg days a week and have 2 rest days a week. I eat around 1400 calories on lifting days sticking to my macros, i carb cycle and then n my rest days i eat around 1600 calories with high carbs to re-fuel.
I am at a pretty good level of fitness and endurance. But if your starting out just lift 2 days a week cardio 2 days a week and push it every 2 weeks to build endurance so your body can get used to working out. Your going to be sore my god sitting down hurts after leg day which is another reason most people dont stick to their plans. But again this builds character, itll also increse your tolerance to pain and after a while your body gets used to it and your like meh ok DOMS are cool it means im challenging myself.
I started lifting with Body Beast but after a while I was educated enough to know my body so I was able to create a lifting plan for myself. I still use his dvds for my lifting sessions but i also mix it up with UFC FIT dvds for my cardio. If you have Spotify and a treadmill look up Tabata, there are entire albums that are dedicated to HITT workouts that play the song for 30 seconds then stop then start. That way if you do your HITT on a treadmill you dont have to time yourself.
I dont go to a gym ive done this all at home on my own. But if your at a gym go to a proper gym that encourages mucle building so you can get a proper eduation on how to do it right. If you are doing it at home then id def reccomend Body Beast becuse everything is already planned out for you all you have to do is buy the food, prep it, and stick to the plan and the results will come. But your not going to get ripped in 12 weeks, ignore their marketing push and get real know that most lean people saw no or little results for around 18 months and it took around 3 years to be fully lean.
Using me as an example before i started lifting i weighed 61 kilos (134 pounds) i spent around 18 months doing cardio 6 days a week. I listed weights in some of those session but it was high reps light weight which didnt do much.
When I started lifting i started bulking also at first i lost weight but then in the last 3 weeks i gained weight. After my cut didnt really loose much weight at all but looked way leaner than wheen i first started.
Now i weigh 64 kilos (141 pounds) but i have muscle. So i am only 3 kilos heavier but i look heaps better and i feel way more confident about my body than i did just doing cardio.
So lifting and building muscle is a mental challenge like ive mentioned above that builds character if you do decide to start lifting dont weight yourself every week only do it every 2-4 weeks because your weight is going to go up and down. A better measure of progress is the measuring tape and photos.
my waist was 62cms now its 64cms which did my head in a bit. I though omg what did i do i got fat. but then i looked at picture and kept lifting kept going and realised OMG i have muscles my abs are appearing my obliques are showing up for the party my butt is rounder and my quads well i have quads now! i did not see results for months and months so trust the process , dont trust the scale it will work as long as you get the nutrition right.
Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space and muscle burns fat whilst your at rest. So build muscle its worth it, it changes you inside and out.
I am not saying you are right or wrong, but I am already overwhelmed by your post.
You most likely will be overwhelming the OP.
At this point bulk and cut cycles are most likely not yet relevant to the OP. If OP wants to increase muscle mass after losing weight, then bulking becomes relevant. For now what is relevant that adding weight training while losing weight perserves existing muscle.
OP, for now just set MFP to weightloss, follow a beginner lifting program and eat back exercise calories. You will lose weight and maintain muscle.
lol the bulk and cut cycles did confuse me a bit. Thank you, do you have a good beginners program that i can possibly use?
stronglifts 5x5, Starting strength, new rules of lifting, strong curves, are 4 good beginner programs.
Yup, would have suggested the same ones.
Read up on them and pick the one that appeals to you most.0 -
My goal is to be atleast toned like this. Not too bulky but a feminine tone. I know i wont look EXACTLY like her due to different body types etc, but i do admire her ab and leg definition.
I can guarantee you they are hitting the weights hard. Don't worry about "bulky". You physically can't get bulky as a woman, plus it's not exactly like you are going to hit the weights, wake up the next day, and be jacked (oh how I wish this was possible). The process of building muscle is extremely gradual, slow, and dare I say, frustrating. Stop when you are happy with your physique. Until then, train hard.
The bodybuilder types of women you likely don't want to look like are using PEDs or if they really are "natty", likely have 5+ years of dedicated training under their belt.
0 -
"at least as toned", as the top photo? wow. Personally I think she could do with a little more body fat.0
-
Yup, the "tone" you see is from the nice amount of muscle under a very thin layer of fat._Bropollo_ wrote: »
My goal is to be atleast toned like this. Not too bulky but a feminine tone. I know i wont look EXACTLY like her due to different body types etc, but i do admire her ab and leg definition.
I can guarantee you they are hitting the weights hard. Don't worry about "bulky". You physically can't get bulky as a woman, plus it's not exactly like you are going to hit the weights, wake up the next day, and be jacked (oh how I wish this was possible). The process of building muscle is extremely gradual, slow, and dare I say, frustrating. Stop when you are happy with your physique. Until then, train hard.
The bodybuilder types of women you likely don't want to look like are using PEDs or if they really are "natty", likely have 5+ years of dedicated training under their belt.
No way to get there without lifting.
Also, you will not get bulky.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1
0 -
Ok so weighing at 175 it is ok for me to start lifting/resistence training?0
-
Wow thank you for this detailed post it was really helpful, especially being female. You mentioned sticking to cardio for 18 months first, i do want to slim down before i start building muscle. Iam currently 175 goal weight is to be 140. From there i want to tone. I mean, i would love to do both now but i dont want to build muscle on top of fat at this weight. I thought if i do both i would slim down faster.
no- don't just do cardio for 18 months.
You want to lift weights- there is no reason to wait to lift.
You need to eat at a small reasonable calorie deficit- a good training program will include lifting and cardiovascular work.
So do you're starting strength- or strong lifts- or strong curves and then do something that gets your heart rate up for 20-30 minutes 1-3 times a week. Is it NEEDED- no- but it's good for you in a GENERAL sense.
As far as "feminine tone" that's rubbish.
What you look like has NOTHING to do with your femininity.0 -
jeremywm1977 wrote: »CasperNaegle wrote: »You can absolutely lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Take a look at Mike Matthews program at muscleforlife.com. He has a specific article on what you are trying to do. Unless you are already heavily muscled and lean you can do both. I do no cardio and lift weights. I have lost about 40 pounds of fat and added 10 pounds of muscle in the last 5 months.
It is difficult to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. if you are new to lifting you will have some initial muscle gain. the biggest reason to lift while losing weight it to maintain the muscle you already have. Usually as you lose weight you lose fat and muscle. eating enough protein, having an appropriate deficit, and partaking in strength training will minimize the amount of muscle you lose, and you will gain strength at the same time.
Stop, stop, stop. Do some research before you begin spouting nonsense that will steer someone in the wrong direction.
Fat loss is achieved by burning more calories than you ingest, and your body burns more calories effectively through building muscle..........meaning that both are, to some degree, happening at the same time. Muscle needs calories to stay alive, and will burn fat to do so, and it doesn't care where that fat is. In other words, do you want to lose some of that belly fat.......work your legs (your leg muscles are your largest muscle groups, hence will burn more calories/fat when muscle is added/regained.......and again, muscle doesn't care where the fat is in order to burn it).
Actually what you are saying is BS... ask any body builder if they gain muscle while cutting for a show, or anyone else who knows what they are talking about.
I have asked people who know what they're talking about, and have read many resources written by people who know what they're talking about, and what I'm stating is not BS.
0 -
You can start at any weight, with any goal.Ok so weighing at 175 it is ok for me to start lifting/resistence training?
If you still need to lose, set MFP to lose and lift.
If you want to maintain, set MFP to maintenance and lift.
If you want to gain, set MFP to gain and lift.
Edit: starting while you still need to lose weight is great. No reason to lose first and start after.
To look like those girls in the pictures you need muscle.
If you lose first, you will lose muscle and fat. Then you would start lifting after to add muscle.
Better to lift now and maintain existing muscle than losing the existing muscle and having to add it back again after.
If you maintain the existing muscle, it will become more visible while your fat decreases.
If you would lose first, you'd be "skinny fat" and would have to again add muscle to get the look you are after.0
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