Body recomp question?

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violetpurdy
violetpurdy Posts: 39 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm aware that this takes time and is difficult, however, is body recomp possible when you still have some fat on your body? I'm just worried I'll be gaining muscle under fat if I do this.

Long story short, I'm 110lbs, 5'3, and a body fat % of about 22/23 depending on the calculator. I'm seeing a therapist who doesn't really want me to lose any more weight, but I'd still like to better my body a bit.

I started looking into body recomposition and it seems like the fit for me. But I look in the mirror and I know there's still fat on my body, like my arms and lower stomach. Is body recomposition just for people who are super skinny and want to build muscle? Or with the right work, can I rid of the fat and have muscle too?

Also, I used to do cardio daily but I'm trying to reevaluate a bit now. Any suggestions for plans to achieve body recomposition? I don't have access to a gym, but I do have a variety of weights at home.

How many days a week should I weight train? And for how long should I weight train?

Are 10lbs weights okay for a beginner? Any other tips?

Thanks :)

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
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    OP, yes body recomp is what you want. And you will build some muscle whilst loosing fat simultaneously, and yes this takes a really long time to do and precision with your nutrition and protein intake is important.

    You are going to want to participate in a progressive overloading strength program to do this. Need a lot more than 10 pound weights. I am not sure how serious you are about this, but consider a program and possibly joining a gym.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    You will want to check this thread out.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    It may take time but it doesn't have to be difficult - it's just a totally normal reaction to muscle stimulus. It's just an outcome from my training and exercise so not difficult at all. It's just slow because I'm an old fart! :wink:

    Fatter people actually have an advantage over skinny people for recomp - a store of easily accessible energy. The leaner you are the harder it gets.

    You won't "add muscle under fat" at maintenance - you will be building muscle while reducing fat.

    "Cardio daily" - what does that actually mean? I did five and a half hours of cardio exercise today but I don't do that daily and guess you don't either! The answer to the question "why are you doing cardio daily?" would reveal to you if you should be or not.

    How many days a week depends on your goal, program and exercise recovery needs.
    Ditto how long per session.

    10lb weights are OK (possibly...) for some isolation exercises but totally inadequate for the big compound lifts you should base a regime around.
    Maybe look at bodyweight programs?

  • violetpurdy
    violetpurdy Posts: 39 Member
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    @RoxieDawn thank you for the links and advice, I'm going to check them both out!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    I would go for a recomp and follow a program. I started with a power lifting team, learned the lifts, and then did Stronglifts 5x5 on my own. 10lbs is not going to work for long. You need to lift progressively, adding weight weekly if possible.
  • violetpurdy
    violetpurdy Posts: 39 Member
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    @sijomial Thank you for answering all my questions and giving some advice!
    Cardio daily currently is 30 minutes a day for me, but I used to do like 80 minutes a day. I do this much cardio because at one point in time I was obsessed with losing weight. I'm trying to cut back a bit now. I've heard cardio (in high amounts) isn't the best for body recomposition anyways.
    What exactly are isolation exercises and compound lifts? Sorry, I'm totally new to this :p

    Thanks again!

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    Isolation lifts is when you focus on one muscle, like doing bicep curls. Compound lifts use many muscles, like doing a squat or a bench press. Progressive lifting programs usually focus on compound lifts. Stronglifts has 5: bench, squat, dead lift, over head press, and row. You can add in some isolations, but they aren't really necessary unless you have a weakness in a particular area.
  • violetpurdy
    violetpurdy Posts: 39 Member
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    @DancingMoosie That all makes sense, and I've heard good things about Stronglifts 5x5. Is this a program you have to do at a gym? If so, do any programs exist that can be done at home? Or is that pretty much out of the question for good lifting programs? Thanks :)
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    You would need access to barbells, plates, bench and squat rack. Some people set these up at home, most need to go to a gym. If you don't have equipment accessible to you, you might need to look into a different type of program, like body weight conditioning.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    I'm thinking of convict conditioning or you are your own gym.

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