Muscle gain/fat loss

RunningMyButtOff
RunningMyButtOff Posts: 15 Member
edited October 5 in Fitness and Exercise
I would love some advice on how to gain muscle while losing fat. It's very hard to do these two at the same time, and welcome and and all feedback. I'm fine with my current weight, but I definitely need to tone up.

Replies

  • BenderFitness
    BenderFitness Posts: 349
    I do intense short workouts that combine strength training and fat burning. The cardio burns fat, while the strength training builds muscle. I have a blog where I film my workout of the day: www.fitnessbender.blogspot.com (It's 100% free, I am not selling anything, I am just passionate about fitness and working out and it's my way to express myself).
  • jonzo21
    jonzo21 Posts: 446 Member
    gaining muscle while losing fat goes hand in hand, as muscle turns to muscle FROM fat! A combo of strength training and cardio works really well to turn that fat into muscle. I've been doing the 30 day shred and its a combo of Strength, Cardio, and Abs, and can definitely see my muscles toned a bit and have lost some fat
  • AmyG1982
    AmyG1982 Posts: 1,040 Member
    Muscle burns a ton of calories so building muscle will ultimately help you lose fat. many people recommend alternating one day of cardio one day of muscle building. I personally am not a fan of weight training so I wear ancle or wrist weights while I do my cardio. Its not going to be the same as weight training but its my way of comprimising ;)
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    gaining muscle while losing fat goes hand in hand, as muscle turns to muscle FROM fat! A combo of strength training and cardio works really well to turn that fat into muscle. I've been doing the 30 day shred and its a combo of Strength, Cardio, and Abs, and can definitely see my muscles toned a bit and have lost some fat

    uh no. fat does not turn into muscle. completely wrong.

    Just lift heavy, throw in some HIIT, and eat at a moderate deficit
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    Muscle and fat are two different things. Fat doesn't turn into muscle nor does muscle turns into fat.

    If I can suggest anything, I would go with cardio strength (cardio sculpt) workouts.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Lift heavy while eating a calorie surplus and do intense cardio while in a calorie deficit. I'm not sure how to do both at the same time.
  • scsuval
    scsuval Posts: 4
    Zumba! It's an hour long cardio workout-- which you can combine weights with, and it's awesome for both fat-buring and muscle toning. The key is to keep your abs tight while doing it (a quality Zumba instructor should be constantly reminding his/her class to engage their abs, cause you will get too distracted with the dance moves otherwise to remember) and it really works wonders. It burns a different amount of calories for everyone (you can figure out what your caloric rate is off the Zumba website by entering in your weight) but for me, it burns 700 cal/hour. Which equates to more dinner/dessert space in my daily calorie intake. :)
    Also, hiking. HIKE your butt off. Carry a day-pack with all your water and get lost in the wilderness, it works wonders as well. My problem area is my flabby tummy, but my *kitten* is fantastic (lol) and that is due to hiking it up mountains with 20-30 lb packs.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    Lift heavy while eating a calorie surplus and do intense cardio while in a calorie deficit. I'm not sure how to do both at the same time.

    this^^ gaining muscle on a deficit is barely possible IMO
    The lower your body fat % is the more "tone" you are going to look
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 749 Member
    Get. Protein
  • baileyjmxlt
    baileyjmxlt Posts: 2
    As everyone else has basically said, if you want to gain muscle and lose fat, then just lift weights and mix it up with some cardio. Keep in mind you'll burn more calories lifting weights than you will doing cardio, and you'll reap the benefits of becoming stronger and more ripped (if that's your goal). Don't fall into the trap of most people and eat more because you're lifting weights. You'll still need to keep a moderate diet in order to allow your body to burn the extra fat off but ensure you replenish your body with enough protein immediately after your workout. Most of all experiment. Different things work for different people, everyone's advice is great, but if it doesn't work for you, then try something else.
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    gaining muscle while losing fat goes hand in hand, as muscle turns to muscle FROM fat! A combo of strength training and cardio works really well to turn that fat into muscle. I've been doing the 30 day shred and its a combo of Strength, Cardio, and Abs, and can definitely see my muscles toned a bit and have lost some fat

    *insert random facepalm image here*
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
    bodybuilding.com has a few great articles on doing just that. Its more nutrition than exercise but off the top of my head cant recall the exact macros. im carb cycling with 45 min of hiit a day and 3 days a week of strength training. It seems to be working :)
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I would love some advice on how to gain muscle while losing fat. It's very hard to do these two at the same time, and welcome and and all feedback. I'm fine with my current weight, but I definitely need to tone up.

    Eat at a slight calorie surplus, lift heavy weights 3-4 times a week. Gain muscle. Do this for 6 months. Eat at a slight calorie deficit. Do this until you are happy with your body.
  • chelleydee33
    chelleydee33 Posts: 10
    I have been told to keep fat macros to 15%-20% but not to cut calories since muscle needs calories. I only do 15 minutes of cardio on days I lift heavy weights. I lift heavy twice at week at fewer reps (4 sets of 8-10 or sooner if to failure) and lighter once a week with more reps (3 sets of 15-20).

    I had a hard time gaining muscle until I nearly doubled my protein intake. Then once I had a ton of protein in my diet magically muscle was gained. I don't know if this is healthy or would work for everyone but it worked for me. I was also told that someone who wants to gain muscle can over do cardio and cause your body to feed off of the muscle instead of fat. Again I do not know if these are sound pieces of advice but they are what I have been told and what works for me.

    When I bulked up my protein intake, cut back to only 30 minutes of cardio, and changed to 4 sets heavy lifting I gained more than 10 pounds of muscle in a month. Good luck!
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