Body recomp- how long it takes?
csillabrimer978
Posts: 90 Member
Female, 5'1; 116lb with 26% BF I'd obviously categorize myself as skinny fat. I started strength training and want to change my body recomposition to bring that % down. I would hear from people who been there/ done that how long it took you ? What's realistic expectation ? How much you changed in 6m/ 1 year and what was your exercise regimen? Did you just eat the calories back on training days or did you eat more? Can you eat more to build muscle without gaining weight?
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I started to see visual changes in my body around 3 or 4 months - not enough to be satisfied. I am a little over a year in and continue to see small changes in my body. I am completely happy with how my upper body looks. My lower half still needs work! I am very close to needing to put on a little weight though.
I eat at my maintenance calories getting adequate protein and follow a progressive lifting program.0 -
Years
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Recomp is often described as watching grass grow so that should give you an idea of the timeline you are looking at. If you are eating more you will gain muscle and fat, this is typical in a bulk. You can change your look a lot in 6 to 12 months, even 90 days can be a big tansformation if you do it right. However, I would recommend against a recomp and do a standard cut/bulk cycle. Skinny fat people tend to benefit from a bulk first and 26% certainly isn't that high of a BF% for a woman so you could go either for a cut or a bulk first, but I would choose one for 3 months and then do the other for 3 months rather than try to recomp right now.0
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There is no set rate for recomp.
For some it will be fast for some it will be slow.
Depends on your start point, your history, your gender, your genetic potential, your training, your age.....
And of course it depends on your ultimate goal, if you have one. To get to "athletic" will obviously be far faster than if you are aiming to go on stage in bikini/physique competition. Do you have a BF% target? If it's just to improve then see no reason why you wouldn't see and measure improvements in months.
When I was young I could recomp extremely quickly, very fast rate of strength and muscle growth. By my thirties it wasn't so dramatic - a few months would see very good muscle gain. By my fifties it's slowed down but I can still measure change/growth in a couple of months when training particularly hard. Inch off waist and inch on quads in eight weeks for example.
OP for your points in particular:
Female, 5'1; 116lb with 26% BF I'd obviously categorize myself as skinny fat.
- Why do you think that? 116lbs isn't that light for your height so why "skinny"? 26% is only just into average BF% for your age so not fat either.
I started strength training and want to change my body recomposition to bring that % down.
- If you are a beginner your progress will be quicker than if you had a lot of training years. Are you doing a strength or a hypertrophy program? Pick a program for your goals but if a complete beginner would always go for strength first.
I would hear from people who been there/ done that how long it took you ?
- I don't have a specific body composition goal. It's a continuum not a process with an end point.
Did you just eat the calories back on training days or did you eat more? Can you eat more to build muscle without gaining weight?
- Recomp can be exactly at maintenance calories or in a small band either side. Recomp is building muscle/losing fat so no you don't need a surplus. Eat in a pattern that helps adherence, enjoyment and training performance.
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There is no set rate for recomp.
For some it will be fast for some it will be slow.
Depends on your start point, your history, your gender, your genetic potential, your training, your age.....
And of course it depends on your ultimate goal, if you have one. To get to "athletic" will obviously be far faster than if you are aiming to go on stage in bikini/physique competition. Do you have a BF% target? If it's just to improve then see no reason why you wouldn't see and measure improvements in months.
When I was young I could recomp extremely quickly, very fast rate of strength and muscle growth. By my thirties it wasn't so dramatic - a few months would see very good muscle gain. By my fifties it's slowed down but I can still measure change/growth in a couple of months when training particularly hard. Inch off waist and inch on quads in eight weeks for example.
OP for your points in particular:
Female, 5'1; 116lb with 26% BF I'd obviously categorize myself as skinny fat.
- Why do you think that? 116lbs isn't that light for your height so why "skinny"? 26% is only just into average BF% for your age so not fat either.
I started strength training and want to change my body recomposition to bring that % down.
- If you are a beginner your progress will be quicker than if you had a lot of training years. Are you doing a strength or a hypertrophy program? Pick a program for your goals but if a complete beginner would always go for strength first.
I would hear from people who been there/ done that how long it took you ?
- I don't have a specific body composition goal. It's a continuum not a process with an end point.
Did you just eat the calories back on training days or did you eat more? Can you eat more to build muscle without gaining weight?
- Recomp can be exactly at maintenance calories or in a small band either side. Recomp is building muscle/losing fat so no you don't need a surplus. Eat in a pattern that helps adherence, enjoyment and training performance.
Thank you for the advice, that sounds like something I can commit too, and yes I just want to improve my BF %
I'm 30 so I guess I will need at least 6 months to see some results0 -
Body recomposition is slow, so you may not really notice changes from day to day, week to week. I would take some before pictures, then maybe a new one every month or two. That way you can see your changes. Some folks even do body measurements (waist, arms, legs, etc) to track their progress. Even doing body fat analysis. Because in theory, the scale won't change, but your body type will over time.
As far as training, look at doing weight training (Stonglifts seems to be the program of choice here) or progressive body weight programs (YAYOG, convict training, etc), and eat at maintenance or even at a small deficit.
Good luck! Stick with it and you will become stronger, more fit, and your body will respond by looking better than ever!1 -
This is impossible to answer because there are so many variables, the least of which is that it's an ever evolving process into perpetuity.
Beyond that, genetics are going to play a huge roll...as will your starting point. For example, someone who has been involved in sports and athletics for a long time and maybe just let themselves go for awhile is going to probably have faster results than not due to muscle memory kicking in, etc.
You also have to take a look at training protocol...I see people all of the time just spinning their wheels and basically getting nowhere because they're not following a good training protocol and are basically just "wining" it.
The shorter answer is that it basically takes years and really goes into perpetuity...re-comping and achieving fitness body is really a bi-product of good livin' and good training over years and years...and really, you never stop because if you do, it all goes by-by.0 -
It's a life long journey. I now look way better heavier than I ever used to because of the years of work I've put into weight training and climbing (ten years)- When I get serious I can occasionally see some significant results in as few as 60 days (I'm in my twenties)- but some of the major body shifts that I've had (no longer being a person with big hips or thighs) were years of evolution, maybe 1 year of intense action and slow changes every year. So if you want to look good in a bikini in 60 days, I'd say a high protein diet (to maintain muscle mass) with high intensity interval training and progressive resistance will get you looking better in a bathingsuit - but to change the way your body distributes its weight takes years.0
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Just started on a similar program. Read NEW RULES OF LIFTING as he answers a lot of those questions. He has several books out and many ladies like NEW RULES OF LIFTING FOR WOMEN. I checked them both out at the library before buying and like NROL.0
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thanks that's a good tip , I took some pics and I have my measurements down, hope that way I can see a difference in a few monthsbrian_gunther wrote: »Body recomposition is slow, so you may not really notice changes from day to day, week to week. I would take some before pictures, then maybe a new one every month or two. That way you can see your changes. Some folks even do body measurements (waist, arms, legs, etc) to track their progress. Even doing body fat analysis. Because in theory, the scale won't change, but your body type will over time.
As far as training, look at doing weight training (Stonglifts seems to be the program of choice here) or progressive body weight programs (YAYOG, convict training, etc), and eat at maintenance or even at a small deficit.
Good luck! Stick with it and you will become stronger, more fit, and your body will respond by looking better than ever!
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oh I'm not expecting anyone to answer how long it would take me , just wanted to hear how long it took for others to see results and what they did in terms of diet and exercise that's allcwolfman13 wrote: »This is impossible to answer because there are so many variables, the least of which is that it's an ever evolving process into perpetuity.
Beyond that, genetics are going to play a huge roll...as will your starting point. For example, someone who has been involved in sports and athletics for a long time and maybe just let themselves go for awhile is going to probably have faster results than not due to muscle memory kicking in, etc.
You also have to take a look at training protocol...I see people all of the time just spinning their wheels and basically getting nowhere because they're not following a good training protocol and are basically just "wining" it.
The shorter answer is that it basically takes years and really goes into perpetuity...re-comping and achieving fitness body is really a bi-product of good livin' and good training over years and years...and really, you never stop because if you do, it all goes by-by.
Nice to learn from folks who been there and done that
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How many percent of protein should I eat ? MFP is set for 20% - should i eat more ? Or just stick to that ?It's a life long journey. I now look way better heavier than I ever used to because of the years of work I've put into weight training and climbing (ten years)- When I get serious I can occasionally see some significant results in as few as 60 days (I'm in my twenties)- but some of the major body shifts that I've had (no longer being a person with big hips or thighs) were years of evolution, maybe 1 year of intense action and slow changes every year. So if you want to look good in a bikini in 60 days, I'd say a high protein diet (to maintain muscle mass) with high intensity interval training and progressive resistance will get you looking better in a bathingsuit - but to change the way your body distributes its weight takes years.
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thanks I have to check that outpaulandrachelk wrote: »Just started on a similar program. Read NEW RULES OF LIFTING as he answers a lot of those questions. He has several books out and many ladies like NEW RULES OF LIFTING FOR WOMEN. I checked them both out at the library before buying and like NROL.
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csillabrimer978 wrote: »
How many percent of protein should I eat ? MFP is set for 20% - should i eat more ? Or just stick to that ?It's a life long journey. I now look way better heavier than I ever used to because of the years of work I've put into weight training and climbing (ten years)- When I get serious I can occasionally see some significant results in as few as 60 days (I'm in my twenties)- but some of the major body shifts that I've had (no longer being a person with big hips or thighs) were years of evolution, maybe 1 year of intense action and slow changes every year. So if you want to look good in a bikini in 60 days, I'd say a high protein diet (to maintain muscle mass) with high intensity interval training and progressive resistance will get you looking better in a bathingsuit - but to change the way your body distributes its weight takes years.
I find it to difficult to use the macros, so I aim to eat .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight.0 -
Overall it took me about a year. The best part is after 4 months of inactivity due to injury, I'm a bit mushy, but I didn't gain any weight and people I haven't seen in a year are telling me I look totally different than the last time. So I've lost some muscle but not a total loss of all the work.0
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I saw changes after about a year of eating at slightly below maintenance, doing a ton of cycling and lifting heavy. People kept commenting how I looked so great and I must have lost a lot of weight but I had actually only lost 8lbs. I'm 5'6'' and went from being a size 8 at 143 lbs to a size 4 at 135 lbs.2
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