I want my muscle back!

Marwanyne · January 2012

Okay I'll try to make it short for you. I've lost nearly 44 lbs in 5 months of diet only - a one that I was eating 3 meals a day , around 900 calories - no cardio or weight lifting, I knew recently what's right to do and not starving myself isn't what its about , but unfortunately it was late to know. I'm now 130 lbs and 172cm (5'8") tall , so i guess that's a very small weight for a guy.

I assume at least i've lost around 16lbs of muscle during that time . I'm now doing insanity and p90x hybrid , i do 3 days cardio , 3 days weight training .

1- If i'm going to eat clean , consume all my calories from healthy food only , will i gain fat with muscle doing p90x ? it has been a long journey losing fat already
2-I know in order to gain mass i should be on surplus , does that mean surplus on weight lifting days only or the whole week ? can I go on surplus on weight lifting days and on a little deficit on cardio days ? maintenance on rest ?

I'd really appreciate some help/tip , thanks for your time.

jacksonpt · January 2012

To put on weight you have to be in a calorie surplus. A clean diet and lots of weight training will help limit the amount of fat you put on, but some fat is unavoidable.

Try not to look at this so short term (day by day) - most people's bodies don't adjust that quickly. Be on a modest surplus over the course of the week and you'll be fine.

koosdel · January 2012

I made the same mistake. On the bright side, you get to eat a surplus! So its not all bad.

slowcheetah16 · January 2012

You definitely need to be in a surplus to gain the muscle. I would eat more on weight lifting days and a little less on rest days, but still a surplus everyday. You should check out a routine like Stronglifts or Starting Strength, if you really want to pack on the muscle. P90 and insanity burn so many calories, you may gain some muscle but nothing like you would on the said routines...

MaximalLife · January 2012

Okay I'll try to make it short for you. I've lost nearly 44 lbs in 5 months of diet only - a one that I was eating 3 meals a day , around 900 calories - no cardio or weight lifting, I knew recently what's right to do and not starving myself isn't what its about , but unfortunately it was late to know. I'm now 130 lbs and 172cm (5'8") tall , so i guess that's a very small weight for a guy.

I assume at least i've lost around 16lbs of muscle during that time . I'm now doing insanity and p90x hybrid , i do 3 days cardio , 3 days weight training .

1- If i'm going to eat clean , consume all my calories from healthy food only , will i gain fat with muscle doing p90x ? it has been a long journey losing fat already
2-I know in order to gain mass i should be on surplus , does that mean surplus on weight lifting days only or the whole week ? can I go on surplus on weight lifting days and on a little deficit on cardio days ? maintenance on rest ?

I'd really appreciate some help/tip , thanks for your time.

This has been my biggest fear - losing muscle.
In any fat loss program, reduction of lean body mass is part of the price; however, slow progress shifts the ratio of fat loss to muscle, so I've been good about that.

And still I feel small....

The solution is to shift gears into a weight gain mode where you are focusing on heavy resistance, moderate cardio and a slight calorie surplus. Again, slow weight gain shifts the ratios, because with any muscle increase comes fat as well.

That's how our bodies work.

Some guys are into cycling mass and cut phases, so you can research that as it's an effective way to build muscle over time.

Good luck - ALL IS POSSIBLE!

gregpack · January 2012

Yep, as much as I hate to say this( I actually enjoy runnng) , cut back on the Cardio and concentrate on the strength training. Don't worry so much about isolation exercises. Squats, deadlifts, and bench pressing works the major muscle groups.

Eat a lot of protein.

Be less concerned about what the scale says. Get a tape measure and measure your waist.

lacewitch · January 2012

I would suggest smart snakcing protein and carbs beore and a protein snakc after. eat a surplus in food that will help musckle growth ( protein) and the minerals and vitamins you need) rather than any old snack and you should be fine.
Good Luck

Meggles63 · January 2012

Yep, as much as I hate to say this( I actually enjoy runnng) , cut back on the Cardio and concentrate on the strength training. Don't worry so much about isolation exercises. Squats, deadlifts, and bench pressing works the major muscle groups.

Eat a lot of protein.

Be less concerned about what the scale says. Get a tape measure and measure your waist.

This^^^ I was doing P90x/Insanity hybrid and I've basically had to stop the HIIT on my non-weight days, as I was losing strength. I'm considering doing some intervals on my off days, but these programs really, really burn a lot, and you need to take full advantage of recovery days, if you want to progress with building muscles.

ninerbuff · January 2012

Okay I'll try to make it short for you. I've lost nearly 44 lbs in 5 months of diet only - a one that I was eating 3 meals a day , around 900 calories - no cardio or weight lifting, I knew recently what's right to do and not starving myself isn't what its about , but unfortunately it was late to know. I'm now 130 lbs and 172cm (5'8") tall , so i guess that's a very small weight for a guy.

I assume at least i've lost around 16lbs of muscle during that time . I'm now doing insanity and p90x hybrid , i do 3 days cardio , 3 days weight training .

1- If i'm going to eat clean , consume all my calories from healthy food only , will i gain fat with muscle doing p90x ? it has been a long journey losing fat already
2-I know in order to gain mass i should be on surplus , does that mean surplus on weight lifting days only or the whole week ? can I go on surplus on weight lifting days and on a little deficit on cardio days ? maintenance on rest ?

I'd really appreciate some help/tip , thanks for your time.

Your muscle rebuilds on rest days. To gain muscle you need surplus daily.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Sublog · January 2012

Okay I'll try to make it short for you. I've lost nearly 44 lbs in 5 months of diet only - a one that I was eating 3 meals a day , around 900 calories - no cardio or weight lifting, I knew recently what's right to do and not starving myself isn't what its about , but unfortunately it was late to know. I'm now 130 lbs and 172cm (5'8") tall , so i guess that's a very small weight for a guy.

I assume at least i've lost around 16lbs of muscle during that time . I'm now doing insanity and p90x hybrid , i do 3 days cardio , 3 days weight training .

1- If i'm going to eat clean , consume all my calories from healthy food only , will i gain fat with muscle doing p90x ? it has been a long journey losing fat already
2-I know in order to gain mass i should be on surplus , does that mean surplus on weight lifting days only or the whole week ? can I go on surplus on weight lifting days and on a little deficit on cardio days ? maintenance on rest ?

I'd really appreciate some help/tip , thanks for your time.

You're not going to gain much if any muscle mass with your training routine. It sucks and you can't cardio your way to more muscle mass. Join a gym and get training with a real routine. I'd suggest starting strength routine. It focuses on the major compound lifts and will help you grow your muscle far far better than p90x.

I did p90x for 6 months and lost a ton of weight doing it. But I didn't start making new muscle until I joined a real gym and starting doing real lifts.

Yanicka1 · January 2012

First I want to smack you behind the head. Maintaining muscle is so much easier than gaining it. Now what is done, is done.

Eat at a surplus everyday. Include plenty of protein
Cut on the cardio
Lift heavy 3 times a week (free weight is best)
You will gain muscle and you will gain fat......hide your scale, embrace you mesuring tape.

Around May. start a cutting phase.

Good luck

Marwanyne · January 2012

Thank you all for your replies , I guess i'll be going on a surplus for a trial month with 3 days of lifting in gym instead of p90x + cutting off cardio , as these are the dominant advices.

Thank you all again

)

I want my muscle back!

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