Increasing muscle while decreasing body fat??

frantzcr
frantzcr Posts: 129 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
I am working out 5x a week doing mostly weight training and limited cardio. I am trying to built better glutes and back muscles. I am at 1,500calories/day. I push to eat >100g protein/day. I'm eating to lower my %bf and am curious if I will be able to maintain or build muscle at the same time? I doing a slow cut of about a pound a week. Thanks for your kind wisdom.

Replies

  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited November 2016
    People will say otherwise but, yes, it is possible. I did it recently but what worked for me may not work for you. FWIW, here's my story.

    I lost a net 5# in 2 months by gaining 3# LBM & losing 8# BF reducing my weight from 171 to 166 and reducing my BF% from 20.3 to 16.7%. This was based on the results of 2 DXA scans 2 months apart.

    I ate an ave of 1800 cal/day at about a 10% deficit from my TDEE of about 2055 w/a macro of 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20%fat while doing heavy lifting in linear progression at 80-85% of my 1RM max in the Big 4 5 days a week doing only 1x5 in DL and 3x5 in the other lifts.

    The emphasis was and still is on losing fat and building strength. I'm currently down to 162# but my strength based on the wt lifted has increased 10% from where it was at 166. I'm due for another DXA scan in a wk and am hoping for a further increase in LBM by 1# and reduction of BF by 5# which reduce my BF% below 15% which is my current goal.
  • frantzcr
    frantzcr Posts: 129 Member
    What does LBM stand for? I don't have a set program for exercise but I do muscle group days and work until muscle failure. As I get more into it I hope to note what exercises I do and how many sets/reps but for just starting out I'm doing good to make it to the gym! Lol
  • evilokc
    evilokc Posts: 263 Member
    You can but its a slow process. Worth it though
  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
    Personally I am not sure 1pd per week is a slow cut although I cant see your stats.

    I would also recommend following a program rather than just making up your own. Strong curves is another one worth mentioning.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    People will say otherwise but, yes, it is possible. I did it recently but what worked for me may not work for you. FWIW, here's my story.

    I lost a net 5# in 2 months by gaining 3# LBM & losing 8# BF reducing my weight from 171 to 166 and reducing my BF% from 20.3 to 16.7%. This was based on the results of 2 DXA scans 2 months apart.

    I ate an ave of 1800 cal/day at about a 10% deficit from my TDEE of about 2055 w/a macro of 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20%fat while doing heavy lifting in linear progression at 80-85% of my 1RM max in the Big 4 5 days a week doing only 1x5 in DL and 3x5 in the other lifts.

    The emphasis was and still is on losing fat and building strength. I'm currently down to 162# but my strength based on the wt lifted has increased 10% from where it was at 166. I'm due for another DXA scan in a wk and am hoping for a further increase in LBM by 1# and reduction of BF by 5# which reduce my BF% below 15% which is my current goal.

    you are male and she is female. big difference is men will gain muscle quicker than women due to more testosterone.if you lift you will get stronger.OP its hard to build muscle in a deficit.you can either cut,maintain and work on building some muscle or eat in a surplus and gain muscle. but its hard to build in a deficit(even for a male),it also has to do with genetics, if you previous lifted and are getting back to it,newbie gains,etc. while its possible to gain some muscle in a deficit,its not that cut and dry.
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    Yes, slowly. But mostly what happens is you lose body fat therefore you can see more muscle definition, hence people assume they are increasing muscle mass. Still you should expect some lean muscle gains with progressive overload even if you are in a small deficit
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    As a woman it is highly unlikely. On a "perfect" bulk with diet and training in check you could hope to gain 1lb in a month. At maintenance it will be even less.

    The illusion of losing bodyfat makes you look bigger though so maybe focus on that first.
  • frantzcr
    frantzcr Posts: 129 Member
    So I won't gain muscle but I can minimize muscle lose during a cut if I workout? I'm 29%bf and would like to get to 24% by Christmas. Is this attainable?
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    frantzcr wrote: »
    So I won't gain muscle but I can minimize muscle lose during a cut if I workout? I'm 29%bf and would like to get to 24% by Christmas. Is this attainable?

    Maybe not by Christmas, no. But simply losing weight will reduce your bodyfat %, because if you have excess fat, you will lose fat more than anything else.

    And working out will help maintain your shape, help you create a deficit, make you stronger, give you energy, better mood. Maybe you will build some muscle, maybe you won't, but your experience will be better.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited November 2016
    frantzcr wrote: »
    So I won't gain muscle but I can minimize muscle lose during a cut if I workout? I'm 29%bf and would like to get to 24% by Christmas. Is this attainable?

    Sub-optimal training regime, female and cutting at a pound a week makes gaining muscle unlikely.
    In your favour is being a beginner and young.

    Doing the "right things" (moderate deficit, adequate protein and good training) will get you the best results you can personally achieve - if that's simply retaining your existing muscle or gaining a little it doesn't change the best for you part.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    frantzcr wrote: »
    So I won't gain muscle but I can minimize muscle lose during a cut if I workout? I'm 29%bf and would like to get to 24% by Christmas. Is this attainable?

    you can only lose so much body fat at a time anyway,so just keep lifting and eating in a deficit,it will change how your body looks trust me. you may also see some definition(due to losing the fat over what muscle you have already). if you gain some great, if not there are other benefits of lifting.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    The quickest way gain 10lbs of muscle is to lose 10lbs of fat.
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    frantzcr wrote: »
    So I won't gain muscle but I can minimize muscle lose during a cut if I workout? I'm 29%bf and would like to get to 24% by Christmas. Is this attainable?

    You can minimize muscle loss by strength training and adequate protein intake. By Christmas, that's a 1% drop per week which is pretty steep. I am comfortable around 1% per month but I am not really in a rush. Why don't you aim for 27% by xmas? That way you won't have to cut you calories significantly especially as you are training so much. Check out this article: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm
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