Can i do both? Or one at a time?
Replies
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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?
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.
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"at least as toned", as the top photo? wow. Personally I think she could do with a little more body fat.0
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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
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Ok so weighing at 175 it is ok for me to start lifting/resistence training?0
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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.
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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 -
jeremywm1977 wrote: »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.
yes it is- the only people who are truly putting on any size while cutting hard for a show are on gear.
no one is expecting to put on size while cutting- they make LOOK bigger because the muscles start to pop as they lose fat- but they aren't putting on size. If that was the case- no one would ever bulk!!!0 -
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.
Building or maintaining muscle now also has the great benefit of keeping your metabolism higher, making the diet calories less restrictive. A 500 calorie deficit from a TDEE of 2200 is much easier than a 500 calorie deficit from a TDEE of 1700.
Yes it's true you may not gain muscle at the same rate as having a surplus, but absolutely every bit helps.0 -
jeremywm1977 wrote: »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.
If that is the case I guess you wont mind posting links to these resources... If they are not peer reviewed studies I would take them with a grain of salt, probably someone trying to sell you something.
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rankinsect wrote: »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.
Building or maintaining muscle now also has the great benefit of keeping your metabolism higher, making the diet calories less restrictive. A 500 calorie deficit from a TDEE of 2200 is much easier than a 500 calorie deficit from a TDEE of 1700.
Yes it's true you may not gain muscle at the same rate as having a surplus, but absolutely every bit helps.
You will also be a lower BF% at every weight while you lose while gaining strength.
Another benefit of the maintaining muscle as you lose is that it is easier to maintain what you already have than it is to build new muscle.0 -
jeremywm1977 wrote: »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.
If that is the case I guess you wont mind posting links to these resources... If they are not peer reviewed studies I would take them with a grain of salt, probably someone trying to sell you something.
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rankinsect wrote: »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.
Building or maintaining muscle now also has the great benefit of keeping your metabolism higher, making the diet calories less restrictive. A 500 calorie deficit from a TDEE of 2200 is much easier than a 500 calorie deficit from a TDEE of 1700.
Yes it's true you may not gain muscle at the same rate as having a surplus, but absolutely every bit helps.
You will also be a lower BF% at every weight while you lose while gaining strength.
Another benefit of the maintaining muscle as you lose is that it is easier to maintain what you already have than it is to build new muscle.
And for a final benefit - you'll feel fitter, and that helps give the psychological push to keep going. I've done diet alone, diet plus cardio, and diet plus strength training plus HIIT, and the results of the last (so far) are significantly better than either of the other two. I feel a lot better, physically and mentally.0 -
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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.
thanks for clearing that up0 -
You will also be a lower BF% at every weight while you lose while gaining strength.
Another benefit of the maintaining muscle as you lose is that it is easier to maintain what you already have than it is to build new muscle.[/quote]
Thats a great benefit, I was thinking of purchasing a resistence band. Is this ok for beginners? Or should i do something a bit more intense?
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Are you not gym member?
If the gym is not an option, and purchasing equipment isn't either, go for a bodyweight program.
Something like:
You are your own gym
Concict conditioning
Nerdfitness bodyweight beginner routine
Strong curves (has one 12 week bodyweight program).
Or perhaps a suspension trainer (like the trx, or trx knock off).
Because other than gym not being an option, I get the feeling you are a bit resistant to the idea of lifting heavy/barbells and dumbbells.
Is that correct? If yes, can you explain why?
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.
No i said i did only cardio for 18 months and i felt weak i was saying you should lift weights from the start with cardio but your fat loss results will come slower however you will be stronger and more toned than you would with pure cardio0 -
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?
She wont gain muscle or loose fat unless she gets her nutrition down pat. Its 10% fitness 90% nutrition. You can lift n do cardio all u want but if u dont bulk you wont gain muscle if you dont cut i.e eat at a deficit you wont loose weight simple. Ive known too many ppl who work their *kitten* off in the gym only to ruin it all by dinner time. Macro nutritrient ratios are crucial to measure you must get the right amount of vitamins and protein or youll lack energy and do yourself in. Fyi i have a cert 3 in fitness and ive sucessfully lost weight and built muscle so i do know what im talking about.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.
That's a great goal to have darl just remember this will take you years to achive i recently did a blog post as an academic i like to research and i did research on ripped toned women and the median time it took them to get from fat to ripped was three years. This journey reqires hard work and patience for more info i reccomend looking at bodybuilding.com lots of pros giving advice for newbies0 -
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.
Bs eating back exercise calories is a farce she needs a caloric deficit to lose fat and a surplus to gain muscle its science. That is why i suggest a slight deficit and a slight surplus whilst lifting and doing some cardio. Eating back exercise calories isnt right ive been on mfp for 2.5 years, know how many ppl whi i have seen eat back calories and loose weight n gain muscle? NONE! In fact i started with 100's of mfp friends lots who did this and where r they now? Most of them quit as they saw no results others are still fat all these years later. One woman is still obese though she works out regularly she gets frustrated coz she ruins all her hard work in the kitchen yet she still wont listen about her caloric intake and macro ratio0 -
Overall op i suggest following a program like body beast etc then you can learn about nutrition, macros, how to lift properly etc. Then once you are knowledgeable you can tweak your plan to suit your needs. I was a newbie lifter i bought bodybeast followed the plan to the t now i create my own plan n my profile pic results speak for themselves. Ive built muscle, lost fat n my abs n obliques r starting to show. I have a motivational micro blog on instagram n tumblr under the name http://instagram.com /the_summer_belle0
-
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.
Bs eating back exercise calories is a farce she needs a caloric deficit to lose fat and a surplus to gain muscle its science. That is why i suggest a slight deficit and a slight surplus whilst lifting and doing some cardio. Eating back exercise calories isnt right ive been on mfp for 2.5 years, know how many ppl whi i have seen eat back calories and loose weight n gain muscle? NONE! In fact i started with 100's of mfp friends lots who did this and where r they now? Most of them quit as they saw no results others are still fat all these years later. One woman is still obese though she works out regularly she gets frustrated coz she ruins all her hard work in the kitchen yet she still wont listen about her caloric intake and macro ratio
Sorry but this is utter nonsense. Your grasp of "science" is bro science I'm afraid.
Have a read of the recomp thread in the maintaining weight forum for all the people who have successfully recomped, including me. No way should the OP go straight into bulk/cut cycles.
You may need/want to cycle but doesn't mean everybody has to!
And yes I've always eaten back exercise calories using the MFP method.
And everyone who does the TDEE method eats them back as well.0 -
Bs eating back exercise calories is a farce she needs a caloric deficit to lose fat and a surplus to gain muscle its science.
No, it's not.
It's true that there is a point where you cannot build additional muscle at a caloric deficit, but that point isn't when you're brand new to lifting. Advanced weightlifters really do need to have a caloric surplus, and if you're really going to reach the absolute peak potential musculature that you can have, you do need a surplus.
On the other hand, a novice doesn't need a surplus to build muscle. Your typical sedentary individual who has never lifted is going to be able to make gains even in a caloric deficit, because they are so far away from their maximum potential musculature. They're not worried about getting the last few percent to reach their peak potential, they're all the way at the other end of the curve where the rates of protein anabolism and catabolism are in their favor.
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.
Bs eating back exercise calories is a farce she needs a caloric deficit to lose fat and a surplus to gain muscle its science. That is why i suggest a slight deficit and a slight surplus whilst lifting and doing some cardio. Eating back exercise calories isnt right ive been on mfp for 2.5 years, know how many ppl whi i have seen eat back calories and loose weight n gain muscle? NONE! In fact i started with 100's of mfp friends lots who did this and where r they now? Most of them quit as they saw no results others are still fat all these years later. One woman is still obese though she works out regularly she gets frustrated coz she ruins all her hard work in the kitchen yet she still wont listen about her caloric intake and macro ratio
I am sorry but I have to disagree. When eating at a slight surplus on lifting days, and defecit onnon lifting days, I'd say that they'd cancel eachother out and you would be eating at maintenance. Furthermore, on non lifting days your muscle needs recover (and grow). So basically it would need a surplus on those days...
Also, nothing wrong with eating back exercise calories. Mind you, not all since MFP tends to overestimate. Why eat back? Because the way MFP works is that you can lose weight without working out. The suggested defecit is high enough for a steady weightloss. If you don't eat back exercise calories you are making that defecit even bigger. In that case (when people set MFP to 2lbs loss a week, which most people do) the resulting net calories often don't contain enough food to fuel the body. Furthermore, they might not get enough micronutrients in on that limited diet, which can lead to malnourishment.
That particular lady you mention, does she accuratly weight and measure her food? Because I know plenty of people that work out, and feel theey deserve a reward afterwwards, not only eating back all exercise calories, but going even over that. Cancelling out their defecit in the process.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?
She wont gain muscle or loose fat unless she gets her nutrition down pat. Its 10% fitness 90% nutrition. You can lift n do cardio all u want but if u dont bulk you wont gain muscle if you dont cut i.e eat at a deficit you wont loose weight simple. Ive known too many ppl who work their *kitten* off in the gym only to ruin it all by dinner time. Macro nutritrient ratios are crucial to measure you must get the right amount of vitamins and protein or youll lack energy and do yourself in. Fyi i have a cert 3 in fitness and ive sucessfully lost weight and built muscle so i do know what im talking about.
Basically, at this point, OP wants to lose weight and look great at the end.
Right now what she needs is to lose fat and maintain muscle. The only way* to add muscle and lose fat at the same time is a body recomposition. Eating at maintenance and therefore retaining the same weight. Which is not what is needed here since OP wants to lose weight.
* Well actually there is a second way. People that are new to lifting are able to add a little muscle while they just begin lifting. Even while eating at a defecit. These are often referred to as noob gains, amd are very limited. Other than this, there is no way to lose weight, lose fat, and gain muscle.
I agree that 90% is diet. That is why I suggested the OP to eat according to the defecit MFP gives, and eat back exercise calories for the reasons I listed above. And yes, micronutrients are important. Maybe I shouldn't just assume that the OP know to eat a varied diet that includes fruits and vegetables. (OP, consider yourself reminded.)
As to macronutrients, yes they play a role. In order to help maintain muscle it is advicable to eat enough protein.
So why do I put emphasis on the lifting? Well, because if she doesn't do it now, she'll lose existing muscle, which then she has to add back again.
So yes, for weightloss diet is most important. For maintaining muscle, exercise does play a big role.0 -
Forget cardio, pump iron.0
Good to know. Will do today after i finish some cardio 
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