I have questions about recomping that I couldn't find in threads

shirazum2023
shirazum2023 Posts: 54 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So I have been reading about recomping and I have these questions.

1. When you are recomping, how do you gauge your calories and macros? What changes do you make as opposed to cutting or bulking when it comes to recomping?

2. Do you check your weight daily/regularly and the median seems same but your lifts improve? What do you do when the weight increases or decreases? How long do you wait to tweak in your routine if the weight increases or decreases?

3. How often do you take progress pictures and measurements?

4. What will be your advice on someone trying to recomp and has recently started lifting only and want to gain about 3lbs of muscle in one year. 30 Female, is that a realistic enough goal?

Thank you for answering in advance.

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Set your calories to either maintain your current weight or slightly either side if you want to slowly lose or gain weight. Use the feedback loop of your weight trend to adjust calorie balance based on results.

    My macros didn't really change from cutting to maintaining (I set a minimum goal for protein which is suitable for both). But I have a high calorie allowance which makes exceeding minimum macro goals very easy.

    I've weighed daily for the majority of my adult life, just part of my routine. I adjust my intake according to my casually assessed trend weight. I don't need to perform any mathematical analysis but some people like to.

    If you have only just started lifting then your strength will improve rapidly and that's not a linear reflection on how much muscle you are gaining, recruiting and firing existing muscles better plus technique improvements mostly.
    (I've been helping a 60 YO newby to lifting this year and most of her strength gains have simply been from increased confidence at doing something new and initially intimidating.)
    After a significant period of time the relationship between muscle and strength gets closer and becomes a more reliable indicator.

    When I did a deliberate recomp (as opposed to recomp just as an effect of my training for performance) I took tape measurements once a month. Apart from my profile picture (when I was moaning to my wife about lack of visible progress on my front....) I rarely took pictures, my reflection in the mirror works for me as I don't have a problem being self-critical.

    If you want to gain a little weight then eat in a small surplus. Your potential rate of muscle gain is very individual (size, training history, quality and consistency of training, how you respond to training stimulus) but 3lbs doesn't jump out as being unrealistic - refreshingly modest in fact.

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