Deficit, maintenance or surplus?

ajcc500
ajcc500 Posts: 32 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey everybody,

I’m looking for some advice from people who know more than I do about how much I should be eating. I want to reduce my body fat and increase muscle mass/strength. I currently do Zumba twice a week, and lift weights twice a week. Weights are heavy (for me) rather than lots of reps with light weight.
I cringe at these photos, but I am serious about changing my body for the better. I am 5’7” and weigh around 9st, give or take a couple of pounds depending on when I weigh. I am not bothered if the number on the scale changes as I am a healthy weight, I’m more aware of what I want to achieve with regards to how my body looks and what it can do!
Advice is much appreciated!
0g7uvf6ok88f.jpeg
5choc4g4ddek.jpeg

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    You look great and you are in a great place to start.

    I agree with @Davidsdottir ... start eating around maintenance and recomp for a while. Then I would consider a bulk at some point if you are up for it. But definitely start by following a program if not already and make lifting your priority, so more than twice a week if you can. Cardio like Zumba is great especially if you enjoy it.. but for body composition, lifting is King.
  • ajcc500
    ajcc500 Posts: 32 Member
    Thanks @Davidsdottir and @sardelsa, I thought the same thing about maintenance but I don’t know that much about it. I LOVE lifting heavy but at the moment I can’t afford a gym membership - my friend works at the YMCA and I am able to use the gym there for free but it’s about a 50minute drive so only really possible twice a week. I have recently bought some weights for home use but will not be able to lift as heavy as I do with my friend as I live alone and don’t want to injure myself! She has done bodybuilding in the past so I trust her guidance with the weights aspect, but I will look into a program that I could incorporate at home as well to try and increase how many times a week I lift.
    Speaking of which - I’m going tomorrow after work and can’t wait!
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    Your body is my twin. As others have mentioned, you are in a great spot to maintain. At max, you could lose another 1-3lbs if you wanted to get really lean. But if you are in for the long haul, just keep lifting heavy. Use your two gym days for lower body and do your upper body at home. You don't need anything other a pull-up bar. If you did nothing other than pull-ups, dips, push-ups and body weight rows, you'd be fine upper body. You can progress with harder variations or my adding weight.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    Your body is my twin. As others have mentioned, you are in a great spot to maintain. At max, you could lose another 1-3lbs if you wanted to get really lean. But if you are in for the long haul, just keep lifting heavy. Use your two gym days for lower body and do your upper body at home. You don't need anything other a pull-up bar. If you did nothing other than pull-ups, dips, push-ups and body weight rows, you'd be fine upper body. You can progress with harder variations or my adding weight.

    With what the OP had access to, this is a great suggestion
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    You look great and you are in a great place to start.

    I agree with @Davidsdottir ... start eating around maintenance and recomp for a while. Then I would consider a bulk at some point if you are up for it. But definitely start by following a program if not already and make lifting your priority, so more than twice a week if you can. Cardio like Zumba is great especially if you enjoy it.. but for body composition, lifting is King.
    I agree with this ^^^^ Start at recomp, I believe you're a newbie lifter, so you will still able to build muscles at recomp while maintaining your weight and then do a lean bulk.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I agree with the others. You don't have much excess body fat and a good base of shape. Eating at maintenance and developing your muscle structure will have you looking fabulous.

    I love the idea of legs at the gym and upper at home. Recent research has shown 2x each is optimal. I would also vary rep range. 1 day each low rep high weight and 1 day each lower weight and 8 to 12 reps. This is how the P.H.A.T. and P.H.U.L. programs by Layne Norton are designed.

Categories