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Question about muscles

megann120
megann120 Posts: 47 Member
edited November 14 in Debate Club
I know that it's impossible to gain muscle while in deficit. I am working on my physique for several month now, happy with the result, the scale steadily shows smaller numbers the cms slowly dissapear. I like the way I look.
And more importantly I like the way I feel, stronger and literally harder.
So my question is: what is changing in my muscles that makes me stronger if they are nog getting bigger? Are they denser? Is it just an ilusion that they are harder because there is less fat? But I AM much stronger...
Please share your knowledge x

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    You are not logging calories from what I can tell.. so can I ask how you are keeping up with your calorie intake?
  • megann120
    megann120 Posts: 47 Member
    I was counting for a few month and then I started college and it got too tedious. My biggest problem was always snacking so cutting those seems to do the trick, I am keeping up the changes and new habbits and results are visible.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2017
    megann120 wrote: »
    I was counting for a few month and then I started college and it got too tedious. My biggest problem was always snacking so cutting those seems to do the trick, I am keeping up the changes and new habbits and results are visible.

    You are new to lifting? You can and will gain some muscle in a deficit in the beginning?

    How is your protein intake? How much of a deficit are you in daily/weekly to lose ? pounds a week? What strength training program are you following?

  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    The first and biggest change is your Central nervous system getting used to it. Your muscles only contract if your nerves tell them to and to do that properly it needs to get used to working out.
  • megann120
    megann120 Posts: 47 Member
    I do martial arts, conditioning and jogging, ocasionally bodyweight. Although it's not much it is definitely a huge change from a year ago. So ig definitely makes sense about being new to excercise. I keep my protein between 60 and 70 grams daily (5ft10 and 63 kg).
    It is interesting about nerves getting used to excercise. I feel like it's so easy to tense muscle now, almost like they are 'alert' now so it makes sense
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    1) If you are new to lifting you may have gained some muscle
    2) If you lose fat, your muscles appear more defined (or even bigger)
    3)Strength is not related to muscle gain but more a function of CNS
  • megann120
    megann120 Posts: 47 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    1) If you are new to lifting you may have gained some muscle
    2) If you lose fat, your muscles appear more defined (or even bigger)
    3)Strength is not related to muscle gain but more a function of CNS

    I think it is a combination of all three
    sijomial wrote: »
    megann120 wrote: »
    I know that it's impossible to gain muscle while in deficit.x

    Nope - not true.
    Remember "impossible" is an absolute term and deficit also varies from tiny to huge,
    Your body doesn't completely change its physiology because you may be in a deficit.

    I will remember!
    My deficit is probably quite small.
    Anyway whatever is going on i love it. I just wanted to understand my body better to keep up the good relationships lol
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    What's CNS?

    I do track calorie intake and am in a slight deficit (about 300 under TDEE) and was curious about the same thing- muscles seem to be getting bigger (glutes, deltoids, biceps, calves, quads) and definitely progressively gaining strength (I track all my lifting workouts- not on any specific program and I created my own workouts, but each week I am able to add a rep or 2 and every couple weeks can increase the weight on certain exercises). I think it's mostly newbie gains and also that I'm eating adequate protein for like the first time in my entire life... but also curious of how I'm gaining strength if I'm not supposed to be able to gain muscle while in a caloric deficit.
  • eugenia94102
    eugenia94102 Posts: 126 Member
    edited January 2017
    CNS = central nervous system. Is it possible that you are underestimating your intake and eating at maintenance? Let me also add that, in my opinion, the relation between body composition and performance can only be assessed on an individual basis. You can lose weight and improve performance even if you did not gain muscle. Performance relates to efficiency, muscle to volume.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    megann120 wrote: »
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    1) If you are new to lifting you may have gained some muscle
    2) If you lose fat, your muscles appear more defined (or even bigger)
    3)Strength is not related to muscle gain but more a function of CNS

    I think it is a combination of all three
    sijomial wrote: »
    megann120 wrote: »
    I know that it's impossible to gain muscle while in deficit.x

    Nope - not true.
    Remember "impossible" is an absolute term and deficit also varies from tiny to huge,
    Your body doesn't completely change its physiology because you may be in a deficit.

    I will remember!
    My deficit is probably quite small.
    Anyway whatever is going on i love it. I just wanted to understand my body better to keep up the good relationships lol

    You are slender already, have you actually weighed lately? You may be gaining mass, not losing, and looking more lean. I'm built like that, sometimes it looks like I lost weight when I gain muscle. My sister thought I'd lost weight when I'd actually gained 15lb after changing to heavier workouts. I was bigger, not smaller - needed bigger pants and everything, but the shape was better.

    It doesn't take much muscle to look like muscle when you don't have a lot of fat.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    megann120 wrote: »
    I know that it's impossible to gain muscle while in deficit. I am working on my physique for several month now, happy with the result, the scale steadily shows smaller numbers the cms slowly dissapear. I like the way I look.
    And more importantly I like the way I feel, stronger and literally harder.
    So my question is: what is changing in my muscles that makes me stronger if they are nog getting bigger? Are they denser? Is it just an ilusion that they are harder because there is less fat? But I AM much stronger...
    Please share your knowledge x

    you can gain some muscle while in a deficit if you are new to lifting = newbie gains. however, that phases out after a while and if you keep eating in a deficit you will lose some mass, so the gains are likely minimal.

    strength gains do not equal muscle gains. What you are doing is training the muscle to lift more weight with the same muscle, so, in essence, you are making your muscles "more productive." I believe the term is neuro-muscular adaptation.

    You are losing body fat which makes the existing muscle show more; also, because you are lifting your muscles retain more water for repair. So basically it is newbie gains + less body fat + water retention = appearance of more muscle.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    eugenia94102 wrote: »
    CNS = central nervous system. Is it possible that you are underestimating your intake and eating at maintenance? Let me also add that, in my opinion, the relation between body composition and performance can only be assessed on an individual basis. You can lose weight and improve performance even if you did not gain muscle. Performance relates to efficiency, muscle to volume.

    Nope I'm not eating at maintenance, have been steadily losing at a rate of about 3 pounds per month since August 2016. Maybe at first it was newbie gains and improved nutrition, and now just better performance.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    Strength gains are possible in people new to lifting - regardless of their fitness otherwise - by CNS adaptation.

    There's not a nerve fiber to trigger every muscle cell contraction individually; they're done in bundles of muscle cells to a single nerve impulse. By getting under a barbell you're training the CNS that yes, MORE muscle fibers need to be firing (contracting) to move this heavy weight. This CNS training happens whether you're eating less, more, or at your TDEE.

    Whether you can put on muscle mass while losing weight is a separate question, and partly dependent on how overfat you are compared to a normal body fat percentage. Body fat is fuel, and in obese people can be used to build muscle despite cutting calories. The science is a bit unclear on it.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    CipherZero wrote: »
    Strength gains are possible in people new to lifting - regardless of their fitness otherwise - by CNS adaptation.

    There's not a nerve fiber to trigger every muscle cell contraction individually; they're done in bundles of muscle cells to a single nerve impulse. By getting under a barbell you're training the CNS that yes, MORE muscle fibers need to be firing (contracting) to move this heavy weight. This CNS training happens whether you're eating less, more, or at your TDEE.

    Whether you can put on muscle mass while losing weight is a separate question, and partly dependent on how overfat you are compared to a normal body fat percentage. Body fat is fuel, and in obese people can be used to build muscle despite cutting calories. The science is a bit unclear on it.

    Thanks, that makes sense!
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