Starting a weight routine

chezzabelle82
chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Sorry for a stupid question but I am thinking of starting this routine https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html as I can do it from home, but in the article it says if you want to build muscle you need to eat above your maintenance or you will just gain strength now how far above do the cals need to be, I still have some body fat to lose too so I am worried I will be eating too much and adding to my body fat I need some guidance or advice

Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    It's okay to lift in a deficit. You will retain muscle mass this way. You will also shed the bodyfat you have so that the muscles underneath will show more.

    Once you have reached your ideal bodyfat percentage, then consider eating in a surplus.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If you still have weight to lose, stick to the deficit. A calorie surplus while lifting will mean gaining both muscle and fat.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    i started doing stronglifts when i was in deficit and kept it up for four or five months. nothing wrong with it, and yup, i kept losing fat, got somewhat stronger and gained some muscle definition.

    the only thing i found on my own programme was that i found i maxed out pretty fast on the actual weight i could lift. i'm sure form was a factor as well, as i was learning as i went along. but even so, i changed my mind about not eating much after a couple of months.

    so tl;dr: i lost weight and gained muscle tone, but didn't gain that much absolute strength. mind you, i turned 49 somewhere in the middle of that so if you're younger it might take you much longer to hit that plateau in the strength.
  • chezzabelle82
    chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
    Thanks for the replies, I will stick to my current calorie goal and start the routine later this afternoon, I am determined to stick with it when I go back to work next week after this week off as its only 3 days a week

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