Cardio and booty gains;)
Nikkimaxim
Posts: 221 Member
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.
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Replies
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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.4 -
I'm old enough to remember the days when girls dreaded having a big booty. Girls in my school avoided lifting weights because of it. My, how times have changed...for the better of course.11
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Squat!!!
I do cardio because I enjoy the endorphins flying, but sometimes I will lunge walk on the treadmill at a 15% incline to get my cardio and work on the booty.
While building muscle mass and lowering fat, I increased my calories - good carbs to power my workouts, enough protein, etc.
Don't be afraid to lift heavy!5 -
I'm old enough to remember the days when girls dreaded having a big booty. Girls in my school avoided lifting weights because of it. My, how times have changed...for the better of course.
Same here. Grew up in the south in the eighties. Everyone wanted a small butt, everyone laughed at my nice round backside, NOW who's laughing? XD I lifted weights despite being told "girls don't lift" (I was on the swim team, so that wasn't weird in high school) and I lift now and they all look like crap and I still look good.
At worst I was thick for several years, but never obese... and am not thick now. The booty is something I prize and work on! 3 -
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).0 -
I can't gain an ounce unless I stop cardio altogether and just focus on weights. I'm 5'6 112 lbs, currently eating 2600-3000 cals a day, doing cardio and weights, at maintenance.
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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...
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@divcara great advice, never thought about lunges on the treadmill....that would be a good warm up before runs. Gonna have to steal this little tidbit.2
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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?1 -
johnnylloyd0618 wrote: »@divcara great advice, never thought about lunges on the treadmill....that would be a good warm up before runs. Gonna have to steal this little tidbit.
Just don't go above 1.2 for speed. Trust me.3 -
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.
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Have you ever tried a Barre class? It does wonders for your booty!0
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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.0 -
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@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.2
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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/p10 -
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?0 -
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
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?
No-one can answer that. Everyone responds differently.
Some people struggle to make progress recomping, some people recomp quickly.
Some people gain a really poor ratio of muscle to fat when bulking.
Some people really struggle with training in a deficit.
Whichever path you choose you won't know which route would have been faster unless you have an identical twin.
Make a decision, stick to it and train hard. Reassess after six months.
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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.2 -
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?
whatever you decide to do ...come up with a game plan and stick to it for at least six months to a year...these things just don't happen over night...0 -
A lot of women (and a fair amount of men) have trouble bulking once they start to see fat being put on and they end up giving up on it entirely making the re-comp the better way to go for them. Re-comps can take a lot of time to get the desired effect and a lot more exact calorie counting making them more difficult in my opinion. Depending on how well you handle calorie counting exactly and gaining fat mentally makes for which of the two options is better for you individually. Both can be very successful.0
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musclegood_fatbad wrote: »A lot of women (and a fair amount of men) have trouble bulking once they start to see fat being put on and they end up giving up on it entirely making the re-comp the better way to go for them. Re-comps can take a lot of time to get the desired effect and a lot more exact calorie counting making them more difficult in my opinion. Depending on how well you handle calorie counting exactly and gaining fat mentally makes for which of the two options is better for you individually. Both can be very successful.
If you can get through your very first bulk and still stand your self after the weight gain, you have made a great achievement.. the first bulk was the hardest to do and yes I bailed out.. Not fun, a bit frustrating, but I just went back to a cut and started over..
This is a huge learning curve.. take that into consideration that you will not get this perfect the first time. I would not go straight from a deficit to bulking.. bad idea IMHO.. finding maintenance is on it own hard for some, some find it by mistake.
Genetics are a huge factor. Stilling lose some weight if you must and concentrate on that first, or then recomp, does not have to be 6 months, just long enough to find the sweet spot both in your maintenance calories and your mindset for adding more calories and dealing with fat gain again..
Make a plan and stick to it to the end if you can!
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Has anyone ever alternated between bulk and recompile with success0
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Nikkimaxim wrote: »Has anyone ever alternated between bulk and recompile with success
Bulk and recomp? I bulked, tried to cut and failed, and then hung out at maintenance. After the bulk I only lost about 3-4 lbs, but my body changed a lot in the months after while eating at maintenance. It looks like I had lost more.3 -
arditarose wrote: »Nikkimaxim wrote: »Has anyone ever alternated between bulk and recompile with success
Bulk and recomp? I bulked, tried to cut and failed, and then hung out at maintenance. After the bulk I only lost about 3-4 lbs, but my body changed a lot in the months after while eating at maintenance. It looks like I had lost more.
Yes, recomp.. Good to know! Cut scares me just as much as a bulk. I'm afraid to lose muscle.0
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