Can i do both? Or one at a time?
Replies
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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 If they are not peer reviewed studies I would take them with a grain of salt, probably someone trying to sell you something.
You know what you know based on what you have learned and your experience, and I know what I know based on what I have learned and my experience. We're both right in some aspects, and both wrong in others.
This forum thread is going to get real boring (and annoying) if we get in a back-and-forth of we both sharing our sources, then attempting to discredit the other's. We've both made our peace and shared our points with the OP.......the OP can do their own research and decide on their own.
This is me saying "enough".
Let's hug this out.0 -
Well, to be fair, Eric wasn't wrong in any aspect.0
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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 certainly can do both. In fact if you are losing weight, resistance training can be a good muscle sparing exersice .
Also you can increase your lean mass percentage at the same time.
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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.
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?
[/quote]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_belle
Ok im thinking of starting off with resistence bands, will this be ok until i start to get the hang of lifting?
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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.
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.
Ok so how long should i do cardio for and how long should i lift for? Or should i alternate days?
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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.
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.
Ok so how long should i do cardio for and how long should i lift for? Or should i alternate days?
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Hey guys, I decided to checkout Bodybuilding.com they have a free 30day shred program. I will let you guys know how day 1 goes of practicing what they have planned for me.0
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You can build all the muscle you want, but unless you drop your body fat %, no one is going to be able to see it. What most people call "toned" has to do with having lower body fat. So, yes, absolutely do strength training while you're dropping fat, because they both matter.
Having said that, you can't spot reduce. What I mean is, no matter how hard you work out your abs and legs, your body decides where the fat comes off first.0 -
Ok so how long should i do cardio for and how long should i lift for? Or should i alternate days?
That's personal preference. I sometimes run on lifting days, and sometimes I don't. It all depends on how my body feels and how much time I have available.
As for how long to lift: as long as your program takes you. If it takes you 30 minutes to do everything, then lift for that long. If it takes you 60 minutes, then lift for that long. Right now, the program I'm doing is anywhere for 30-75 minutes a day depending on weight lifted, reps/sets, and rest time.0
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