female looking to build lean muscle

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Replies

  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,365 Member
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    ythannah wrote: »
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    -I am 6 ft tall and 199 lbs and sitting at 21.5% body fat

    At that height and weight you have a BMI > 25 so if your bf is really 21.5% you already have a lot of lean muscle. Or that body fat number is a little low. For a woman, 21.5% is getting quite lean.

    hmm so maybe i need to just bulk? i research a lot but now im stuck and slightly confused lol!!!! yes bf is 21.5%.

    I think you've gotten a lot of great suggestions. My only question is how are you determining you body fat %? Most methods have a margin of error. Some more than others.

    I have a scale that measures bf, muscle, etc etc. im sure it has room for error :)

    Yes, those scales aren't super accurate. Mine put me at 13% bf when a DEXA scan said 18%.

    You may want to think about doing a recomp for a while. That entails eating at maintenance calories while lifting. It's a fairly slow process but you can build muscle (and lose body fat) without running bulk/cut cycles.
  • ashleymorgan33
    ashleymorgan33 Posts: 13 Member
    Scotty2HotPie wrote: »
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Are you looking to get leaner or build the most muscle you can? Second, if you are looking to cut a little fat but gain a little muscle, you could look at a recomp. That would be eating at maintenance, consuming adequate protein and following a structured lifting program like StrongCurves.

    In terms of calories. How much weight are you losing per week? How long have you been at 1400? Have you taken diet breaks? In the most general terms, 1400 is rather low, especially for someone as tall as you are.


    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Hi! sorry for the delay i am so new to this part of myfitnesspal! I have taken breaks :) I am currently looking to up my calorie intake as well (hence this post hehe). Gosh I think on average like 1-3 lbs a week? I feel like it is low as well!

    Also, thank u so much! I am currently looking at the link u posted. I also realized i did not touch base on my goal; i mean i def want to build lots of muscle! but more like "cutting"? because i dont really want to bulk up. if that makes any sense..

    You don't really to worry about "bulking" and getting too much muscle quickly. It takes a ton of work and eating in surplus to really put on muscle.

    However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do body building type of workout. I really enjoy Micheal Mathews podcast and another one I listen to is the "The Drop Set" (Darin Starr). Darin is strictly an online coach has a few pro women clients. His podcast has several episodes about using MFP for setting macro goals and how to use it to reach your diet goals. I've learned a lot listening to him... He's also great to responding to any questions you send him.



    thank u so much!
  • ashleymorgan33
    ashleymorgan33 Posts: 13 Member
    ythannah wrote: »
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    ythannah wrote: »
    ashleymorgan33 wrote: »
    -I am 6 ft tall and 199 lbs and sitting at 21.5% body fat

    At that height and weight you have a BMI > 25 so if your bf is really 21.5% you already have a lot of lean muscle. Or that body fat number is a little low. For a woman, 21.5% is getting quite lean.

    hmm so maybe i need to just bulk? i research a lot but now im stuck and slightly confused lol!!!! yes bf is 21.5%.

    I think you've gotten a lot of great suggestions. My only question is how are you determining you body fat %? Most methods have a margin of error. Some more than others.

    I have a scale that measures bf, muscle, etc etc. im sure it has room for error :)

    Yes, those scales aren't super accurate. Mine put me at 13% bf when a DEXA scan said 18%.

    You may want to think about doing a recomp for a while. That entails eating at maintenance calories while lifting. It's a fairly slow process but you can build muscle (and lose body fat) without running bulk/cut cycles.

    thank u!

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