Can i do both? Or one at a time?

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.

BriTyler3 wrote: »

nordlead2005 wrote: »

I'll also add that it is easier to build muscle and lose fat the more overweight you are. If you are obese, then yeah, it can happen, if you are only slightly overweight, then not likely. There are various studies that looked at losing fat and building muscle in obese patients and the results were pretty impressive.

However, building muscle or not doesn't really impact the decision to do resistance training while losing weight. Resistance training isn't just to build muscle, but also to prevent muscle loss and increase strength, so yeah, start now.

I'm down 30lb (220 down to ~189), and my strength is up. Maybe I gained muscle, maybe I didn't. I don't really care either way as I can now squat 245lb 5x5, but started around 150lb. I don't think I've ever been able to squat 1.3x my weight (I was probably ~1.2x when I was 18 at 175lb following a poorly constructed program).

Ok so what are some examples of resistence training? My goal is to shed pounds & then start toning my legs & stomach. I would consider myself over weight, pear shape.

Check out any of these beginner lifting programs:
Strong lifts 5x5,
Starting Strength
Strong Curves

BriTyler3 wrote: »

nordlead2005 wrote: »

I'll also add that it is easier to build muscle and lose fat the more overweight you are. If you are obese, then yeah, it can happen, if you are only slightly overweight, then not likely. There are various studies that looked at losing fat and building muscle in obese patients and the results were pretty impressive.

However, building muscle or not doesn't really impact the decision to do resistance training while losing weight. Resistance training isn't just to build muscle, but also to prevent muscle loss and increase strength, so yeah, start now.

I'm down 30lb (220 down to ~189), and my strength is up. Maybe I gained muscle, maybe I didn't. I don't really care either way as I can now squat 245lb 5x5, but started around 150lb. I don't think I've ever been able to squat 1.3x my weight (I was probably ~1.2x when I was 18 at 175lb following a poorly constructed program).

Ok so what are some examples of resistence training? My goal is to shed pounds & then start toning my legs & stomach. I would consider myself over weight, pear shape.

toning is a bit of a misnomer..."toning" is really just shedding the fat to reveal the muscle underneath. of course to do that means you have to have muscle which is where resistance training comes in.

as resistance training goes, you don't want to just focus on this particular area or that particular area...your body is a whole unit machine and should be trained as such. you should look into established programs as it takes a lot of knowledge to program your own training...improper programming can lead to muscular imbalances as well as greater risk of overuse/overtrain injuries. a good program is going to work your entire body...any program worth it's salt is going to have it's foundation in compound, full body movements like squats, dead lifts, bench press, OH press, etc...from there, many programs will also incorporate assistance and isolation movements. unfortunately, many people who program their own routines end up doing a lot of assistance and isolation work which are far less beneficial than compound movements.

BriTyler3 wrote: »

I recently just started working out again. Iam trying to lose 35 pounds. Right now iam doing strictly cardio, but i wanted to know can I incorporate building muscle too? ( working on stomach, legs) Or do i have to wait until i shed the fat first?

Cw:175
Gw: 140

You can gain strength in a deficit, for sure. Your body will get better at using what it has. Strength training is extremely important during fat loss because it signals your body that it is not allowed to thrift muscle for calories, helping you retain your hard-won lean body mass. You might build a little bit of muscle if you are a newbie and have never lifted before, but generally the rule is that losing fat and building muscle are opposing activities.

BriTyler3 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

BriTyler3 wrote: »

nordlead2005 wrote: »

I'll also add that it is easier to build muscle and lose fat the more overweight you are. If you are obese, then yeah, it can happen, if you are only slightly overweight, then not likely. There are various studies that looked at losing fat and building muscle in obese patients and the results were pretty impressive.

However, building muscle or not doesn't really impact the decision to do resistance training while losing weight. Resistance training isn't just to build muscle, but also to prevent muscle loss and increase strength, so yeah, start now.

I'm down 30lb (220 down to ~189), and my strength is up. Maybe I gained muscle, maybe I didn't. I don't really care either way as I can now squat 245lb 5x5, but started around 150lb. I don't think I've ever been able to squat 1.3x my weight (I was probably ~1.2x when I was 18 at 175lb following a poorly constructed program).

Ok so what are some examples of resistence training? My goal is to shed pounds & then start toning my legs & stomach. I would consider myself over weight, pear shape.

toning is a bit of a misnomer..."toning" is really just shedding the fat to reveal the muscle underneath. of course to do that means you have to have muscle which is where resistance training comes in.

as resistance training goes, you don't want to just focus on this particular area or that particular area...your body is a whole unit machine and should be trained as such. you should look into established programs as it takes a lot of knowledge to program your own training...improper programming can lead to muscular imbalances as well as greater risk of overuse/overtrain injuries. a good program is going to work your entire body...any program worth it's salt is going to have it's foundation in compound, full body movements like squats, dead lifts, bench press, OH press, etc...from there, many programs will also incorporate assistance and isolation movements. unfortunately, many people who program their own routines end up doing a lot of assistance and isolation work which are far less beneficial than compound movements.

so do you think resistence training + cardio will help me lose weight faster? Or will i lose at the same pace regardless? Not rushing just curious because it seems as if ill be doing twice as much exercising.

The only thing that dictates weight loss is the caloric deficit. Doing cardio and lifting weights can spend calories so you can eat more without going over your daily allowance. But in the end the weight does not come off from exercise.

I think that saying that weight doesn't come off from exercise is misleading.

Weight loss is a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn. This is called achieving a calorie deficit. You can accomplish this by eating less, burning more (moving more whether that's through exercising more or having a more active lifestyle), or a combination of the two.

If you are using MFP's calorie goal, the calorie deficit is built into your base calorie goal. You can eat that number of calories and do no exercise and you will lose weight. If you exercise, you can log it and that will add calories to your goal for the day. You can eat those calories and still lose weight because the calorie deficit was already built into the goal. Some people find that the calorie burns on MFP are off for them. I suggest eating a certain percentage of them (e.g., 50%, 100%, etc.) for four weeks and then tweaking how much you eat, up or down, based on your results.

BriTyler3 wrote: »

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.

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.

jeremywm1977 wrote: »

erickirb 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.

BriTyler3 wrote: »

AsISmile wrote: »

bindigo30 wrote: »

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.