Cardio and booty gains;)

Cardio while great for heart health can be counterproductive to gaining muscle if you don't make up for it with your intake. The more you burn the more you will have to eat to maintain a surplus, it will not help prevent fat gain. The key is to keep surplus calories moderate.

What worked for me.. surplus of 250 cals or ~0.5lb gain per week, running a progressive lifting program (I did Strong Curves) and starting off with a fairly lean build or lower bf%.

I did incorporate a few HIIT sessions per week at the start of my bulk because I enjoyed them but by the end I found I was constantly chasing my surplus so I gave all cardio up until I started to cut.

If you are still minimizing fat gainz, then you are not doing a surplus (BULK) yet by incorporating cardio.

Here the deal, you gonna gain some fat doing a clean bulk. And for us women those gainz are more to muscle gain ratio. Hands down.. You gotta get the mind right in order to do a bulk. This next time around (as I am doing now), getting really lean this time.. I might not like myself this lean, so when end of October comes I can go ahead with the plan.. my third bulk.

So I see your goal specifically as doing recomp. Eat maintenance and use some cardio to put you in a slight deficit (very slight).

ndj1979 wrote: »

Nikkimaxim wrote: »

I know gaining muscle means being at a surplus. However, have any of you noticed whether or not you were able to minimize fat gains by incorporating some cardio into your routine while being in a surplus? I know some fat gains are unavoidable. What works for all of you ladies? I'm 5'3" about 118 pounds. My goal is to gain muscle, while minimizing fat gains. I want a big booty lol. .any advice is appreciated. I want to know what has worked for you all.

if you are minimizing fat gains then your a minimizing your surplus, which minimizes your bulk.

if you are not ready to accept the inevitable fat gain that comes with bulking then maybe you are not ready to bulk yet...

belaboring this point...

That's not to say that you shouldn't do cardio...but that should be for your cardiovascular health, not to minimize fat gains. I would say that maybe you aren't mentally in a place to do a bulk...why not just eat and train and re-comp?

I've read that a "slow bulk" minimizes fat gain - eating only 250-300 calories over maintenance. I would also do lots of heavy squats to build the booty.

RoxieDawn wrote: »

If you are still minimizing fat gainz, then you are not doing a surplus (BULK) yet by incorporating cardio.

Here the deal, you gonna gain some fat doing a clean bulk. And for us women those gainz are more to muscle gain ratio. Hands down.. You gotta get the mind right in order to do a bulk. This next time around (as I am doing now), getting really lean this time.. I might not like myself this lean, so when end of October comes I can go ahead with the plan.. my third bulk.

So I see your goal specifically as doing recomp. Eat maintenance and use some cardio to put you in a slight deficit (very slight).

That is exactly what I've done and have had GREAT results over the course of a year. I usually did 15-20 minutes of cardio, just to build up endurance, work off any excess calories when I really overate, etc. Lifted for 45-70 minutes per session 5 x week and switched between lower (low weight/high rep accessory work and heavy day) and upper (arm/shoulders and back split with ab focus every upper body day). Do you research on "building the glutes." There is a lot more to it than just squats.

@leajas1 I hear ya. Not looking to do "speed" work with lunges. Just more ammo in my arsenal. Sounds like a nice alternative to walking lunges before runs.

Nikkimaxim wrote: »

jessiefrancine wrote: »

Recomp is what you want. Here is a long but awesome thread for you to check out.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

I'm 5'3" and about 124 pounds. I don't really care to lose that much more weight, only about 4-6 pounds. I would like to lose fat and gain muscle. .i would like a big booty. .haha..would recomp be beneficial for someone like me? What I'm getting is that it would be beneficial for me, but the process of losing fat and gaining a bum would take a lot longer than if i were to bulk/cut? Therefore, with bulking i would gain a bum faster but then have to deal with the whole cutting ordeal later?

Like @sijomial said, there is really no way to know which will be faster for you. Genetics will also come into play especially when it comes to muscle building (and booty gains!)
Since you still have a bit of fat to lose recomp is one option. Another option you can cut first.. then bulk.. then cut again (which may not necessarily be faster).

I would say try recomping first.. eat at maintenance, follow a structured progressive lifting program with glute focus (Strong Curves or something like that)... but again it is up to you and what you are comfortable with.