Does elliptical training on non workout day build mass on legs ?
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MassarDv
Posts: 76 Member
Does elliptical training on non workout day build mass on legs when on a cut with a deficit of 500 cals below maitenance and with a Protien intake of around 200 grams ( body weight 163 pounds) and usage of 1 scoop of creatine every day ?
Level 10 resistance 10 setting on elliptical for your reference ( 30 minute training )
Level 10 resistance 10 setting on elliptical for your reference ( 30 minute training )
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Replies
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No... a few things to consider
Building muscle is hard (doesn't happen by accident). it takes a proper training program, a caloric surplus (in most cases), adequate protein, adequate, and rest.
Cardio, including elliptical, will not build muscle in a deficit (you usually lose a little muscle while in a deficit, along with the fat loss). Even in a surplus, you will not gain muscle from cardio. gaining muscle is HARD to do11 -
If you are progressively overloading the legs it can help maintain some of the muscle in a deficit.. but to be honest this would not be the most optimal way to do it at all. To actually build that way would be very difficult and minimal to not, even in a surplus. Not only that if you go too hard and fatigue the legs that way you run the risk of it potentially affecting your leg workouts which would defeat the purpose.
Are you lifting right now, following a program? Are you training the lower body at least twice per week?7 -
Also to anyone that doesn't agree with what is posted, I'd love to hear your perspective and experiences about it.3
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If you are progressively overloading the legs it can help maintain some of the muscle in a deficit.. but to be honest this would not be the most optimal way to do it at all. To actually build that way would be very difficult and minimal to not, even in a surplus. Not only that if you go too hard and fatigue the legs that way you run the risk of it potentially affecting your leg workouts which would defeat the purpose.
Are you lifting right now, following a program? Are you training the lower body at least twice per week?
Yes I m on a cut and I m lifting 3 times a week and hit legs atleast 2 times a week .
I amazes me from the responses I have got that you can’t actually put on muscle even with high supply of protien . The fat loss programs I have assessed usually do put on muscle .
Even a article from Livestrong site says you can build leg muscle mass with elliptical training .
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If you are progressively overloading the legs it can help maintain some of the muscle in a deficit.. but to be honest this would not be the most optimal way to do it at all. To actually build that way would be very difficult and minimal to not, even in a surplus. Not only that if you go too hard and fatigue the legs that way you run the risk of it potentially affecting your leg workouts which would defeat the purpose.
Are you lifting right now, following a program? Are you training the lower body at least twice per week?
Yes I m on a cut and I m lifting 3 times a week and hit legs atleast 2 times a week .
I amazes me from the responses I have got that you can’t actually put on muscle even with high supply of protien . The fat loss programs I have assessed usually do put on muscle .
Even a article from Livestrong site says you can build leg muscle mass with elliptical training .
To be fair, a good portion of what I've read on LiveStrong seems to be poorly sourced nonsense.13 -
If you are progressively overloading the legs it can help maintain some of the muscle in a deficit.. but to be honest this would not be the most optimal way to do it at all. To actually build that way would be very difficult and minimal to not, even in a surplus. Not only that if you go too hard and fatigue the legs that way you run the risk of it potentially affecting your leg workouts which would defeat the purpose.
Are you lifting right now, following a program? Are you training the lower body at least twice per week?
Yes I m on a cut and I m lifting 3 times a week and hit legs atleast 2 times a week .
I amazes me from the responses I have got that you can’t actually put on muscle even with high supply of protien . The fat loss programs I have assessed usually do put on muscle .
Even a article from Livestrong site says you can build leg muscle mass with elliptical training .
Protein doesn't automatically equal muscle gain, unfortunately. Building muscle in a deficit typically doesn't happen (only in some cases, ex. you are just starting out, you are overweight or obese, coming back from a lifting hiatus etc) not only that but building muscle is not an easy process that comes from simple cardio training (otherwise all marathon runners would have very large legs, they are muscular and lean but not typically very big compared to a bodybuilder). It requires progressive overload, calories and adequate macros.
Doing cardio that stimulates the muscle is great, but like I said I would save your energy for leg days.. that is where the magic will happen.
To build muscle and put on actual size, you need fuel.. eat at a surplus.. or at least maintenance. While you are cutting the goal should be to preserve as much muscle as possible.8 -
If you are progressively overloading the legs it can help maintain some of the muscle in a deficit.. but to be honest this would not be the most optimal way to do it at all. To actually build that way would be very difficult and minimal to not, even in a surplus. Not only that if you go too hard and fatigue the legs that way you run the risk of it potentially affecting your leg workouts which would defeat the purpose.
Are you lifting right now, following a program? Are you training the lower body at least twice per week?
Yes I m on a cut and I m lifting 3 times a week and hit legs atleast 2 times a week .
I amazes me from the responses I have got that you can’t actually put on muscle even with high supply of protien . The fat loss programs I have assessed usually do put on muscle .
Even a article from Livestrong site says you can build leg muscle mass with elliptical training .
It would be very limited and further limited to someone doing basically zero exercise to starting exercise. Building muscle mass requires progressive overload.
Outside of newb gains which are fairly minimal, you can't really put on muscle mass in a calorie deficit...when you are in a calorie deficit, you are catabolic...building muscle is anabolic.6 -
Thanks all .
I don’t know why these people who are making fat loss programs promise muscle building in a deficit .
I m actually fed up being on a cut for over 4 months now and would start lean bulking .
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Does elliptical training on non workout day build mass on legs when on a cut with a deficit of 500 cals below maitenance and with a Protien intake of around 200 grams ( body weight 163 pounds) and usage of 1 scoop of creatine every day ?
Level 10 resistance 10 setting on elliptical for your reference ( 30 minute training )
Have you considered a bicycle / spinning instead of the elliptical?
I have calves everyone wants, and do a fair bit of cycling and spin classes. (I tell people my love handles come with them as a packaged set that isn't to be broken apart, LOL.)
You can work in both the push and pull if you wear cycle shoes and clip into the pedals? Can't get that on the elliptical where your only effort is the push. Not to mention your arms help.
You might try it, without the cycle shoes to see if you even like it. If you do, and you find it helping, you could get the cycle shoes so you can work your legs in both the push and pull.
Seated on the bike, heavy resistance and it's not your body weight moving the pedals but the muscles in your legs.
Standing exercises can give you a body weight advantage that means you are not using as much strength, but gravity to move the pedals of a bike or pads of an elliptical trainer.0 -
Thanks all .
I don’t know why these people who are making fat loss programs promise muscle building in a deficit .
I m actually fed up being on a cut for over 4 months now and would start lean bulking .
I do. To sell magazines, books and online content. It's important to vet the sources and possibly look at PubMed for actual studies instead of these kinds of articles.
BTW, I agree with the rest that you will not gain muscle doing cardio on the elliptical. You may not even gain muscle doing weight training while cutting.
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tbright1965 wrote: »Does elliptical training on non workout day build mass on legs when on a cut with a deficit of 500 cals below maitenance and with a Protien intake of around 200 grams ( body weight 163 pounds) and usage of 1 scoop of creatine every day ?
Level 10 resistance 10 setting on elliptical for your reference ( 30 minute training )
Have you considered a bicycle / spinning instead of the elliptical?
I have calves everyone wants, and do a fair bit of cycling and spin classes. (I tell people my love handles come with them as a packaged set that isn't to be broken apart, LOL.)
You can work in both the push and pull if you wear cycle shoes and clip into the pedals? Can't get that on the elliptical where your only effort is the push. Not to mention your arms help.
You might try it, without the cycle shoes to see if you even like it. If you do, and you find it helping, you could get the cycle shoes so you can work your legs in both the push and pull.
Seated on the bike, heavy resistance and it's not your body weight moving the pedals but the muscles in your legs.
Standing exercises can give you a body weight advantage that means you are not using as much strength, but gravity to move the pedals of a bike or pads of an elliptical trainer.
This will strengthen and condition the leg muscles but won't cause hypertrophy beyond newbie gains.3 -
This will strengthen and condition the leg muscles but won't cause hypertrophy beyond newbie gains.
Depends on the resistance faced.
There are plenty of cyclists who have large legs. Not just from cycling, as they do have a leg day.
But someone who lifts and cycles probably will not get stick legs. No one will be asking them if they skipped leg day.
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tbright1965 wrote: »
This will strengthen and condition the leg muscles but won't cause hypertrophy beyond newbie gains.
Depends on the resistance faced.
There are plenty of cyclists who have large legs. Not just from cycling, as they do have a leg day.
But someone who lifts and cycles probably will not get stick legs. No one will be asking them if they skipped leg day.
I had lots of exposure to professional cyclist while being part of a Gran Prix cycling event for several years. They are extremely lean and have muscular legs and great conditioning but not massive legs or massive anything else for that matter. When competing at that level, mass = weight and finding the nexus of maximum strength and minimum weight is the goal. And yes they do train for strength in the weight room.
But hypertrophy from cycling alone beyond newbie gains? Nope.4 -
The only cyclists I know with large muscular legs are sprinters and they also work in the weight room more than your typical endurance cyclist.
Most competitive endurance cyclists are very slight.
Lance Armstrong has pretty skinny legs...5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »The only cyclists I know with large muscular legs are sprinters and they also work in the weight room more than your typical endurance cyclist.
Most competitive endurance cyclists are very slight.
Lance Armstrong has pretty skinny legs...
True, I should have been more specific. If you look at photos of sprinter's legs, one of them makes up both of Lance's legs in the above image.
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I'm guessing that sprinter has spent a lot of time in the weight room.3
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If you are progressively overloading the legs it can help maintain some of the muscle in a deficit.. but to be honest this would not be the most optimal way to do it at all. To actually build that way would be very difficult and minimal to not, even in a surplus. Not only that if you go too hard and fatigue the legs that way you run the risk of it potentially affecting your leg workouts which would defeat the purpose.
Are you lifting right now, following a program? Are you training the lower body at least twice per week?
Yes I m on a cut and I m lifting 3 times a week and hit legs atleast 2 times a week .
I amazes me from the responses I have got that you can’t actually put on muscle even with high supply of protien . The fat loss programs I have assessed usually do put on muscle .
Even a article from Livestrong site says you can build leg muscle mass with elliptical training .
Bro, protein isn't magic. Just because you're eating higher protein doesn't mean you're going to gain muscle in a deficit.1 -
Real science says no...Broscience says yes
"At the end of the day, you can..." believe "...whatever the **** you want"4 -
tbright1965 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »The only cyclists I know with large muscular legs are sprinters and they also work in the weight room more than your typical endurance cyclist.
Most competitive endurance cyclists are very slight.
Lance Armstrong has pretty skinny legs...
True, I should have been more specific. If you look at photos of sprinter's legs, one of them makes up both of Lance's legs in the above image.
There is a huge difference between the long distance cyclists and the sprinters. Do you ever watch the Tour?1
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