Building muscles and other lifting questions

For the last 15 months I have eaten at a calorie deficit and have still gained muscle. People are different. Eating more would I have gained MORE muscle? Probably. But I accomplished my goal, which was to keep my muscles and gain a little muscle, while losing fat. Don't make your deficit huge, eat lots of protein, and combine strength training and cardio. At least that worked for me

If you have a very high BF%, and a total beginner at weight training, it's possible to gain some muscle in a low-moderate calorie deficit. It's going to be slow, and you will hit the wall on gaining muscle quickly.

It's still useful to weight train in a calorie deficit. It will help reduce the amount of lean mass lost while dieting.

LIFT WEIGHTS first!!!! I was about 15lbs overweight - 5'5" weighing 160. I was on the treadmill or elliptical 3-4 times a week for a minimum of 45minutes and dieting. I couldn't get the weight off. Some guys at the gym convinced me to get off the cardio equipment and lift with them. I started lifting 3 days a week for 45 minutes and dropped 10lbs very quickly. I've been at it 12 weeks now and am so pleased with the results. Down 17lbs and lifting 4 days a week. Very little cardio anymore just because I don't have the time, but when I do go for a run or a hike now I have way more endurance. Wish I would have know the "secret" to my success a long time ago!

It's possible, but very complex. It depends on several factors.

1. Your body type (lean, overweight, muscular etc..)
2. The size of you defecit. The larger your calorie defecit the harder it is to gain lean muscle mass as your body looks to deplete fat and muscle stores for energy
3. Your workout, specifically the intensity (reps, sets, rest period, weight used etc...)
4. Your diet/eating habits

For me, someone with a muscular build and low body fat, gaining muscle on a defecit is difficult. My defecit is only 250 calories a day, but alot of guys in my situation who are cutting usually drop a bit of lean muscle mass as they reach their goals. I've been able to maintain my muscle mass but have not gained any.

I would suggest strength training with very little cardio - You can still loose fat and maintain your current muscle mass...

I have lost about 18 lbs in the past 6 months - doing basically strength training with very little Cardio - but have dropped tons of inches and toned up quite a bit....

With strength training and dieting you may find the scale weight goes down a bit slower...I have my things set to loose 1 lbs a week but it is more like .5/week -

I would rather have muscles and tone than see a certain number on the scale...

The best way to keep track is to do measurements of key areas - you may see the scale go down slowly and get frustrated but by keeping measurements you can have something more accurate...Another good option is to grab a pair of jeans or pants that are a little too small on you now and use them as a gauge over time...throw them on every 2 weeks and see how they fit...

If you have been overweight for a while you probably already have nice muscles underneath the fat-it's needed to support the weight. Strength training will help preserve that muscle and burn calories to help reduce your body fat. Keep up the protein and do cardio to burn fat, but add at least body-weight strength training to your regular routine. If you have the resources to do more (e.g. gym) go for it.

Push-ups, chair-dips, planks, squats and lunges are great body-weight exercises that you can modify and make harder/easier depending on your fitness level.

Thanks, BerryH!