Gaining Muscle
destinykeith22
Posts: 17 Member
I have been successful in gaining 6lbs of muscle. I started at 110lbs and now I am currently 116lbs!
I'm wondering if I go back to a calorie deficiency in order to lower my body fat percentage can I still gain muscle? If so, any tips? I lift heavy at least 3-4x a week and 1 day of intense cardio.
Thanks!
I'm wondering if I go back to a calorie deficiency in order to lower my body fat percentage can I still gain muscle? If so, any tips? I lift heavy at least 3-4x a week and 1 day of intense cardio.
Thanks!
6
Replies
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Nope. As woman in calorie deficit, additional gains would be very unlikely. The idea of cutting after muscle gains is to reduce body fat while continuing to lift and preserve the gains.
Are you positive the 6 lbs was all muscle mass? A 6 lb weight increase would usually be a combination of both fat and muscle gain.10 -
Sounds like you are doing well! However, the 6lbs you gained was unfortunately not pure muscle, at least 50% (if not more) was fat gain as well. If you decide to cut now to lower your bodyfat % you may not see that much difference with a smaller amount gained, that is why some people may have to bulk/cut several times before they are satisfied.
When you cut, the aim is to preserve as much of the muscle you built, most likely you will not build much or any in a deficit. When I cut, I keep protein high (at least 1g per lb bodyweight), continue to lift, and keep the deficit small to moderate (nothing too aggressive).4 -
I also concur the 6 pounds being all muscle gains. Its hard to gain muscle being a women, and you maybe have gained 1/2 of your weight gain in muscle.
Sounds like you are ready to recomp, eat at maintenance (with a slight deficit if you choose), continue to lift and be sure you consume ample protein during this process daily. I look at protein, especially if adding in a small cals deficit for you to be around 1 gram per your body weight.
Recomp takes quite a while to start achieving any measurable results, so be patient and stick with your regime! Good luck!0 -
It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.11
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destinykeith22 wrote: »It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.
so how much fat do you now want to lose?0 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »I have been successful in gaining 6lbs of muscle. I started at 110lbs and now I am currently 116lbs!
I'm wondering if I go back to a calorie deficiency in order to lower my body fat percentage can I still gain muscle? If so, any tips? I lift heavy at least 3-4x a week and 1 day of intense cardio.
Thanks!
No, you won't gain muscle in a deficit.
With proper programming/nutrition , you will continue to gain strength if you were in a caloric deficit.
Depending on how small a deficit you would be at, you could still see changes in you body you might desire.2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.
so how much fat do you now want to lose?
I would like to get down to 10-15% body fat to see definition in my muscles. Right now I'm a fit thick chick. I'm 5 even, and I weigh 116lbs.. most of that is my lower body..2 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.
so how much fat do you now want to lose?
I would like to get down to 10-15% body fat to see definition in my muscles. Right now I'm a fit thick chick. I'm 5 even, and I weigh 116lbs.. most of that is my lower body..
i thought 10-15% for a woman is competition level and not at all sustainable for any length of time?
do you know what your current bodyfat % is?4 -
TavistockToad wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.
so how much fat do you now want to lose?
I would like to get down to 10-15% body fat to see definition in my muscles. Right now I'm a fit thick chick. I'm 5 even, and I weigh 116lbs.. most of that is my lower body..
i thought 10-15% for a woman is competition level and not at all sustainable for any length of time?
do you know what your current bodyfat % is?
This.
10-15% is very lean for a woman and not a place you want to stay too long. I am not ripped but I see decent definition in my muscles and I am nowhere near that level, if anything I am closer to 20%.
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I'm at 21% body fat right now and have baby abs. I'm 5'3, 135lbs. It's possible that at your size (5', 116, which is very small), you don't have the muscularity to really see muscle definition.
If this is the case, eating at a deficit isn't going to reveal muscles that you haven't built. It's possible to gain 6lbs of muscle in a year; I put on 10. I think you need to continue what your doing, continue to build muscle, and then cut.3 -
deputy_randolph wrote: »I'm at 21% body fat right now and have baby abs. I'm 5'3, 135lbs. It's possible that at your size (5', 116, which is very small), you don't have the muscularity to really see muscle definition.
If this is the case, eating at a deficit isn't going to reveal muscles that you haven't built. It's possible to gain 6lbs of muscle in a year; I put on 10. I think you need to continue what your doing, continue to build muscle, and then cut.
Thank you! I lift heavy and have went up in weight over the past year. It just seems that no matter how much I lift my muscles are staying the same. I have hit a tough spot.. I also use the correct supplements.... Protein and BCAAs
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I bulked for a full year...maintained...cut (which was terrible)...bulked again. It's a process and takes a long time and a lot of patience. I've been working on bulking/cutting for almost 3 years now and am finally pleased with my level of muscularity.2
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destinykeith22 wrote: »deputy_randolph wrote: »I'm at 21% body fat right now and have baby abs. I'm 5'3, 135lbs. It's possible that at your size (5', 116, which is very small), you don't have the muscularity to really see muscle definition.
If this is the case, eating at a deficit isn't going to reveal muscles that you haven't built. It's possible to gain 6lbs of muscle in a year; I put on 10. I think you need to continue what your doing, continue to build muscle, and then cut.
Thank you! I lift heavy and have went up in weight over the past year. It just seems that no matter how much I lift my muscles are staying the same. I have hit a tough spot.. I also use the correct supplements.... Protein and BCAAs
if your muscles are staying the same its because you're not in a surplus or enough of one, or you arent on a progressive overload lifting programme.1 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »deputy_randolph wrote: »I'm at 21% body fat right now and have baby abs. I'm 5'3, 135lbs. It's possible that at your size (5', 116, which is very small), you don't have the muscularity to really see muscle definition.
If this is the case, eating at a deficit isn't going to reveal muscles that you haven't built. It's possible to gain 6lbs of muscle in a year; I put on 10. I think you need to continue what your doing, continue to build muscle, and then cut.
Thank you! I lift heavy and have went up in weight over the past year. It just seems that no matter how much I lift my muscles are staying the same. I have hit a tough spot.. I also use the correct supplements.... Protein and BCAAs
You don't need supplements to gain muscle. If you are not in surplus or your training is not optimal, that could be why. It also takes time as mentioned.. I am going on my third bulk cycle.1 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.
if you bulked for a year at a .5 per pound week gain, that would be two pounds a month and would mean that you gained 24 pounds with 12 of it being muscle and 12 being fat.
since you bulked for a year at 6 pounds you can assume that you gained three pounds of muscle and three pounds of fat, and that is a fairly aggressive assumption for a female.
the only way to gain six pounds of pure muscle in one year is to use steroids...and even that won't ensure 100% muscle gain ..
what is your trainer using to measure this 100% muscle gain...?2 -
ITavistockToad wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »deputy_randolph wrote: »I'm at 21% body fat right now and have baby abs. I'm 5'3, 135lbs. It's possible that at your size (5', 116, which is very small), you don't have the muscularity to really see muscle definition.
If this is the case, eating at a deficit isn't going to reveal muscles that you haven't built. It's possible to gain 6lbs of muscle in a year; I put on 10. I think you need to continue what your doing, continue to build muscle, and then cut.
Thank you! I lift heavy and have went up in weight over the past year. It just seems that no matter how much I lift my muscles are staying the same. I have hit a tough spot.. I also use the correct supplements.... Protein and BCAAs
if your muscles are staying the same its because you're not in a surplus or enough of one, or you arent on a progressive overload lifting programme.
Okay, thank you! I may up my surplus then! I usually do the heaviest I can for 6-8 reps. If I can do more then I go heavier..
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destinykeith22 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.
so how much fat do you now want to lose?
I would like to get down to 10-15% body fat to see definition in my muscles. Right now I'm a fit thick chick. I'm 5 even, and I weigh 116lbs.. most of that is my lower body..
Your build sounds similar to mine. I'm the same height and I have pretty decent muscle mass. Not a ton, but a good amount. At 104/105 I'm probably in the 20%BF range and have oblique definition but not abs unless I really restrict carbs to lose water weight. I have to get around 100 or below to be fairly lean with abs. If you've been lifting heavy for a while at your current weight, you probably have a bit more muscle mass so you may not have to get as low.0 -
Btw, here's proof that I dropped the fat and gained muscle... it's been a year.. I'm positive it was a mostly (not all) muscle gain6
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destinykeith22 wrote: »Btw, here's proof that I dropped the fat and gained muscle... it's been a year.. I'm positive it was a mostly (not all) muscle gain
no one is doubting your progress...
we are just doubting the 6 pound of pure muscle gain...
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destinykeith22 wrote: »Btw, here's proof that I dropped the fat and gained muscle... it's been a year.. I'm positive it was a mostly (not all) muscle gain
no one is doubting your progress...
we are just doubting the 6 pound of pure muscle gain...
^This. Great progress, but 100% muscle gain and zero fat gain isn't possible - even with gear.2 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »I have been successful in gaining 6lbs of muscle. I started at 110lbs and now I am currently 116lbs!
I'm wondering if I go back to a calorie deficiency in order to lower my body fat percentage can I still gain muscle? If so, any tips? I lift heavy at least 3-4x a week and 1 day of intense cardio.
Thanks!
Muscle is always gained with fat. You have to eat more in order to obtain muscle and with that comes some amount of fat gain. Most people suggest taking body measurements and keeping track of BF% throughout your bulk and then cutting or switching to maintenance + cardio once you hit a certain %. That way you can do a slow cut and hold as much muscle as possible while decreasing the fat %.2 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »deputy_randolph wrote: »I'm at 21% body fat right now and have baby abs. I'm 5'3, 135lbs. It's possible that at your size (5', 116, which is very small), you don't have the muscularity to really see muscle definition.
If this is the case, eating at a deficit isn't going to reveal muscles that you haven't built. It's possible to gain 6lbs of muscle in a year; I put on 10. I think you need to continue what your doing, continue to build muscle, and then cut.
Thank you! I lift heavy and have went up in weight over the past year. It just seems that no matter how much I lift my muscles are staying the same. I have hit a tough spot.. I also use the correct supplements.... Protein and BICAAs
I'm 4' 11" and 113-115 lbs. so I know the struggle. I started at 98 lbs. and over the course of 3 years put on more weight. It's all about staying consistent and eating enough (which I still struggle with sometimes). Your muscles are growing, they are building, but the process takes a ton of time. I always thought I would be a freaking bikini pro after three years and here I am still struggling to get abs (which I basically gave up on because I'd rather be stronger and have definition than be cut and lose that strength).1 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »Btw, here's proof that I dropped the fat and gained muscle... it's been a year.. I'm positive it was a mostly (not all) muscle gain
Great progress! I'd just keep on doing what your doing and have patience unless you have a goal to compete at bodybuilding or something. It looks like you are on the right track to me.3 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »It has taken a whole year to gain the 6 lbs ladies, so thanks but my trainer does keep track my measurements. It's not mostly fat.. especially since it's my stomach that has gotten flatter.. I have abs now. The gains have mostly been lower body with a little upper body.
so how much fat do you now want to lose?
I would like to get down to 10-15% body fat to see definition in my muscles. Right now I'm a fit thick chick. I'm 5 even, and I weigh 116lbs.. most of that is my lower body..
I know a couple of lady physique competitors and they're only that lean right before the stage...they don't walk around at 10-15%...that's way too low for walking around %. Their walking around % is around 18-20%.destinykeith22 wrote: »deputy_randolph wrote: »I'm at 21% body fat right now and have baby abs. I'm 5'3, 135lbs. It's possible that at your size (5', 116, which is very small), you don't have the muscularity to really see muscle definition.
If this is the case, eating at a deficit isn't going to reveal muscles that you haven't built. It's possible to gain 6lbs of muscle in a year; I put on 10. I think you need to continue what your doing, continue to build muscle, and then cut.
Thank you! I lift heavy and have went up in weight over the past year. It just seems that no matter how much I lift my muscles are staying the same. I have hit a tough spot.. I also use the correct supplements.... Protein and BCAAs
You've put on 6 Lbs over a year which would suggest that you have a very tiny surplus (like basically 250 calories per month)...closer to a re-comp than a bulk. You're not putting on mass because you're not eating enough to support putting on mass or at least putting on mass at an efficient rate if that's your goal...
Nothing wrong with what you're doing at all, but that's what's going on...2 -
destinykeith22 wrote: »Btw, here's proof that I dropped the fat and gained muscle... it's been a year.. I'm positive it was a mostly (not all) muscle gain
Muscle-fat-muscle-fat....WHO CARES! Have you seen the new shape of your tush. Nice job! I do believe like pp said. They are negating your 'more muscle than fat' "theory" as opposed to your progress. Keep at it
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SmithsonianEmpress wrote: »destinykeith22 wrote: »Btw, here's proof that I dropped the fat and gained muscle... it's been a year.. I'm positive it was a mostly (not all) muscle gain
Muscle-fat-muscle-fat....WHO CARES! Have you seen the new shape of your tush. Nice job! I do believe like pp said. They are negating your 'more muscle than fat' "theory" as opposed to your progress. Keep at it
The Booty is my biggest accomplishment! LOL Hubby has definitely enjoyed the improvement! Thanks girl!
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I put on a nice amount of muscle, but when i started cutting, it was getting tuff to even lift the same weight i used to.
Its extremely tuff to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time.
So my answer would be No.0 -
Your progress looks great---did you increase your calories over time continuously while bulking?1
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rachelfetterley wrote: »Your progress looks great---did you increase your calories over time continuously while bulking?
I did not, should I? Would that help?
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Your progress is amazing!1
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