Lift heavier without gaining Mass?

Craigjessop1
Craigjessop1 Posts: 21 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building

I’ve tried to find this answer in a few places now, but as always you get a lot of social media BS. I’ve being training now for 6 weeks, last 4 weeks really started to track everything so I can track progress. Get min 10-15k steps a day.

I’m in a calorie deficit but the scales are not moving, eating 1g protein per lb of body weight.

Is it likely I’m building muscle and mass if I’m lifting heavier weights? And that my weigh is actual muscle growth and water retention?


attached is an example of my pec deck 1RM from the app I use..

IMG_2249.jpeg

Replies

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,283 Member

    Sounds like you're doing everything right. That small a span, the odds are you are not growing muscle, it's mostly water retention as the body is still adjusting to this new normal of lifting, breaking down the muscle so it can be rebuilt during rest.

    So why are you getting stronger, if it's not from more muscle? The answer is you are establishing a better mind-muscle connection. Before you began lifting, your brain and your muscles were strangers, barely communicating, and any action you did the muscles were giving half-hearted effort, not using their full capacity. But weightlifting (and any exercise in general, but especially lifting) is forcing the body, and the brain, to adapt. It's no longer enough to barely do enough to move; the muscles are being forced to activate parts of the muscle which have been idle, and the brain is being forced to establish newer, stronger connections to the muscle.

    The combination means you are growing stronger due to the brain getting better at activating the entire muscle, not just part of it. Eventually the connection will be as strong as it can get, and the only choice to continue to get stronger will be to build new muscle cells, but that can be several months down the road.

    For now, just keep lifting, keep giving the body the protein it needs. You're on the right track, keep it up! And welcome to the brotherhood/sisterhood of iron!

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 2,067 Member
    edited May 11

    It sounds like you're training is going well. You're tracking, and doing progressive overload. You probably are making some beginner gains. As well as water retention for recovery.

    Are you sure you need to be in a calorie deficit and losing weight? Maybe some recomp is good for you, I don't know, you didn't mention your stats.

    If you're genuinely targeting strength without weight gain, that is as Tom describes a skill. The body learns it by doing rep range 1-6. Yes, you'll gain strength via higher rep ranges too, as a side effect of having more muscle mass which higher rep progressive overload promotes, but the big strength gains are via neural adaptions from low reps.

  • Craigjessop1
    Craigjessop1 Posts: 21 Member

    I’m 5,11, Male, 91kg.
    Programme is Push, Pull, lower body.

    Was 120kg on 1st October, helped using Monjaro.

    Around 22% body fat according to my writhing scales.


    im not ‘new to weights’ used to train around 8-10 years ago. And was using TRX over a year ago.

    Sets are generally 3-4 and around 12 reps, sometimes more sometimes less depending on the newness of the weight.

    I started taking creatine in the last 4 weeks so assume water retention to muscles is also apart of the process too.

    I’ve started to measure the my in the last 2 weeks to get an idea if I’m in a body rerecomp. I’ve noticed that my legs (&calfs) are more ’defined’ and my chest is looking ‘better’..


    My calories are around 1500, and this week I’ve started to fast on Mondays. Although tomorrow may have a protein fast and just hit my protein number using tuna. I know what people will say about this much of a deficit, and I should be losing weight, but with my training at least 5 days a week and hitting steps I assume that I have some water retention and mass growth.

    I think my tracking is pretty good. Scan a barcode and weigh. Almost obsessive, but really want to shift another 5-10kg before holiday in August. If losing this weight isn’t possible but becoming more ‘tinned’ I’d be fine with that. I’m not after a 6pack, but want to be leaner.


    IMG_2251.png IMG_2252.png
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,840 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48606285#Comment_48606285

    Mate, if you really are taking in only 1500 a day you’ll bomb pretty soon with your lifts. I’m 5’3 and 56.5kg and I need c2200 a day just to train hard 3x a week. And I’m female and 50.

    Check your logging, if that is all you’re eating then your body is probably holding onto water for dear life. You’re certainly not fuelling it enough.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,700 Member

    When using the barcode scanner, still check the calorie/nutrient data against the package: The barcoded entries aren't a direct pipeline to manufacturer data, they're just whatever the first person - regular MFP user - who scanned that barcode entered when the barcode wasn't already in the database. That data can be incorrect or outdated.

    I agree with others that water retention is the most probable explanation of the scale stall at this point. Also, your stall correlates pretty well with when you started to train, judging from your chart. That makes water retention from muscle repair, creatine, and maybe some stress from a long/big deficit possible triggers for water retention.

    When losing a meaningful amount of weight, a generic rule of thumb (from research findings) is that losing 75% fat mass and 25% lean mass (which of course includes more than muscle) is a pretty good result. Estimated body fat percent dropping isn't the whole story: Converting that into estimated pounds/kilos of fat and lean can provide more insight for most people. Increasing deficit - increasing speed of weight loss - will make muscle mass gain less likely. Preserving existing muscle is a worthwhile goal in itself, so of course lifting is a great plan for that and other reasons.

  • Craigjessop1
    Craigjessop1 Posts: 21 Member

    thanks. If I read around I should like jump up to maintenance calories or just above for a while to let my body repairs. I’d be glad of the extra food! Over Easter I did an 20:4 fast, during a period of this I was still taking monjauro so it’s likely body stress I didn’t take into account.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,700 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48607170#Comment_48607170

    Yes, that's the concept.

    If you want more detailed information, this thread goes into more detail about the research that's leading to that suggestion, plus some info about tactics, plus discussion of others' experiences:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,208 Member

    Based on many things: six month 10lb a month loss, loss bottoming at six months, discontinuation of glp1…

    don't make too many deliberate permissive changes to your eating yet. Don't double down on creating larger deficits either. Goldilocks...

    Your weight loss bottoming is explainable by recent exercise, -60lbs of weight, discontinuation of glp1, and addition of creatine. Creatine adds to water weight, as does your new/resumed lifting.

    You have no indication yet (scale, BMI, other) that you are too lean to continue losing weight, so deliberately seeking to stop your weight-loss does not seem like a good play.

    Aiming to create a more reasonable deficit? For sure. Probably a good long term play. The Goldilocks of some but not too much downward pressure.

    But aiming to stop losing or to deliberately gain? Not before you've kept this 60+ loss for several years (not days or months but years)

    Most people start fighting for maintenance and to avoid regain between months six and twelve and then give up and regain.

    Your fight is to keep your weight even, maybe with a slight push down. Not to seek bulking.

    Add no more than 500 Cal to what you've been consuming would be my take. And I would be tempted to say just 300 or so and to then re evaluate in another month and another month etc. but also to NOT double down on deficits or worry about events!

    Dude: life and health come before events. Don't be a statistic. Protecting your loss and feathering a landing to long term maintenance is the meal ticket. And between now and August continuous progress at the gym will make you feel like a gazillion bucks anyway!

    I admit to only glancing at the thread and only posting because my eye caught stoping glp1 and a six month tapering graph which to me screamed all hands on deck to consolidate and protect this loss and fight to land at maintenance and avoid giving up due to "not enough reward for the effort".

    The reward is the lack of regain. Losing slowly is an oversized most wonderful reward. The more time spent at reduced weight as compared to prior obesity, the better off one is.

    So, If I've wildly missed the point due to hurry/dictation/lack of reading comprehension, etc, my sincere apologies, please ignore me... and do carry on with your regular programming!

    But otherwise treasure the loss and proceed carefully with some (but not too much) increase in intake, good exercise, and an intense concentration (but maybe also figuring out how to do all this with maybe less effort too) in seeking out how to keep the weight management effort going for 2x, 4x, 6x, 12x, 24x the current length of time.

    Hopefully, at about 20x you will find yourself where I'm at today weight wise... still normal weight after having been morbidly obese most of my adult life... still caring enough to make sure that I put in some (but not too much) effort so that I can remain so!

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