can't build muscle on a calorie deficit?
Grimmerick
Posts: 3,342 Member
This confuses me can someone clear this up. I hear that you cannot build muscle on a calorie deficit, but I have been doing bootcamp which has circuits and a lot of strength training and while I have lost inches I have gained weight telling me that I have gained muscle I can also see more muscular definition and I am on a calorie deficit. So is that statement really not true or are they talking about something else?
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Replies
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For someone who has not done strengthening exercises in a while, yes for a little bit you will gain muscle at first. After a few weeks though, the gain will back off as long as you are at a deficit.
That being said, more then just a gain in muscle mass can cause the weight gain at first as well. When starting any kind of strengthening, your muscles will surround their cells in water to help with healing the micro-tears, etc. So its not uncommon to gain between 2% - 4% of your total body weight in water right at first.
Also, while on a deficit, you will start to define yourself as the fat goes away and the muscle stays which would give you a "cut".
Hope that helps!!0 -
You can't gain muscle mass in much quantities as to be any form of noticeable.
What you are experiencing is the muscle you DO have being used more efficiently (getting stronger) and being supplied with needed water and nutrients (small size gains, slight weight gain through water). Definition is created via body fat loss.
The body has two phases... Anabolic (creation) and Catabolic (break down). You can CREATE fat and muscle or be BREAKING DOWN fat and muscle.
What you are doing is breaking down. The little time spent in anabolic states (usually during sleep since you have a calorie deficit), is spent repairing the muscle as you use it. Since you body sees you using muscle, it is less likely to use it to aid in daily energy, and thus use even more body fat for energy.
You ARE...
1. Breaking down body fat
2. Getting stronger
3. Getting definition
4. The muscles you ALREADY have are getting trained and supplied
You ARE NOT...
1. Getting fatter
2. Gaining muscle MASS
Once you reach a body fat % that you are happy with, you then will need to have a calorie surplus (you will gain weight), and then continue weight training, this will then make the body in a mostly anabolic state, allowing for a lot of time to repair your muscles and add more. Anobolic state is made through calorie surpluses.
In the end, what you are doing is EXACTLY what you should be for now.0 -
A brand new trainee can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time for 3-4 months. Along with the water as stated above, your muscles get better with storing nutrients, glycogen being a biggy, which also gives size increase. A lot of the strength increase comes from Central Nervous System training by which your CNS gets more efficient and effective at firing muscle fibers. In particular it gains the ability to fire more fibers at the same instant which produces a good amount of strength gain.0
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These guys are right, believe me I try. I lift heavy and protein is 40% of my diet, best I can do is try and keep what muscle I have. I feel stronger, I look stronger. But believe me I haven't added mass.
Oh yea im trying everything possible to milk the "noob gains" for all they are worth but it's pretty minimal.0 -
Its a series in life! Lower the body fat, then switch to building muscle till the body fat percentage is too high for your personal liking, then switch back to weight loss and muscle maintenance and keep going.
This is the basis for the bulking-cutting mentality.0 -
Your muscles feeling more solid and being a hair bigger that occurs when on a deficit is not a permanent condition. If you stop strength training for a while those adaptations will disappear. It it just your muscles being pumped full of water and glycogen. If you gain actual mass, were you to quit strength training a while, you would retain that extra mass.0
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Thanks guys you cleared that right up for me!0
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I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.0
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You can gain a small amount if you are new to lifting, or returning after a long break.
Most of the time, an increase in definition, or the look/feel that muscle is appearing is really just the loss of fat over the top, making the muscle you already have more prominent.0 -
Question: My body fat isn't quite here I want it to be (it's at 24.5% and I'd like to get to 22%) but I don't want to lose any more weight. And I do want to gain muscle. SO -- do I keep at the calorie deficit and lose weight that I don't want to lose just to get the body fat down, and then up the calories to gain muscle? Or do I up the calories now, focus on strength training, and the body fat will eventually come down as muscle comes up?0
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I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.
no0 -
I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.
no
Agree totally and found this the funniest post I've seen in ages!0 -
Although you undoubtedly are getting anaerobicaly more fit, it is very difficult (not imposible) to gain muscle in a caloric deficit. The fact that you are getting in better condition is why you are seeing improvement.
The fact that you are seeing more muscle is because more is being revealed as you shed the body fat. Most of this is a good illusion...for example, as I compete in bodybuilding, I started my season this year at 245lbs, as I compete in October I will be 220lbs...I will look much larger at 220 than I did at 245. This of course is an illusion, because I really am bigger at 245, but will look much larger when I have no bodyfat to cover it.0 -
In that case, since you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit, is there any point to weight lifting while dieting?0
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thanks for the post OP, and the responses...cleared up a lot of my questions
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In that case, since you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit, is there any point to weight lifting while dieting?
Yes!
When a person loses weight they tend to lose a combination of both muscle and fat. With strength training (and adequate protein) you can help you maintain as much of that muscle as possible, meaning that afterwards you look more "toned" and less "jiggly"
You may gain a tiny bit, newbie gains. Most of the time though, the main aim of strength training while dieting is to preserve muscle. Plus you can get stronger!!!0 -
I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.
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Agree totally and found this the funniest post I've seen in ages!
Bravo!!0 -
I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.
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Too flippin funny!!!0 -
I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.
And I can definitely feel my liver rotting with each beer. :drinker:0 -
I'm enjoying my n00b gains while they last (not loving the weight gain but am hoping that will go soon)0
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I guess the real question is do you want more muscle or do you want more definition of the muscles you have. My leg muscles are much bigger than they were, but I've tried to keep my upper body a bit less bulky because, well, I just don't like the look of it, and neither does my wife. If you want to be a powerlifter, that's one thing. For most people the appearance is what is important, so you should probably figure out what your goal is, like, whether you are looking to look good or you want to bench press a buick, and go from there. I've done both, and was able to build muscle, albeit slowly, on a normal calorie intake. It also depends on how you calculate your deficit, where your BMR is, etc. There are a lot of factors involved.0
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I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.
no
Agree totally and found this the funniest post I've seen in ages!
Bravo!!
:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:0 -
I'm on a 1,000 calories per day deficit and can definitely feel muscles growing larger now from my workouts.
no
This is the funniest **** evah!! BWWAHH AHHAAAA HAAA Well done, sir.0 -
This confuses me can someone clear this up. I hear that you cannot build muscle on a calorie deficit, but I have been doing bootcamp which has circuits and a lot of strength training and while I have lost inches I have gained weight telling me that I have gained muscle I can also see more muscular definition and I am on a calorie deficit. So is that statement really not true or are they talking about something else?
You can build muscle on a deficit. Just not as fast. The potential muscle gain is less. You won't bulk up.0 -
I think I'll keep doing what I am doing then.I have good muscle tone underneath the fat layer so at least my strength training will keep that there while I get the fat layer off. My goal is to have a soft but toned pin up style figure (I would have said feminine but muscular chicks are feminine too and I didn't want to offend). I am a natural hourglass so I want to go with that. I definitely don't want to be skinny fat, just toned but soft. Imagine Selma Hayak in From Dusk til Dawn................now that's a figure! Thanks I am glad to know I am headed in the right direction.0
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Haha0
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This confuses me can someone clear this up. I hear that you cannot build muscle on a calorie deficit, but I have been doing bootcamp which has circuits and a lot of strength training and while I have lost inches I have gained weight telling me that I have gained muscle I can also see more muscular definition and I am on a calorie deficit. So is that statement really not true or are they talking about something else?
Not trying to be rude, but who cares? What you are doing is working and working well! So keep at it and don't get sucked into this debate. IMO much too much time gets spent on topics like this on MFP. For 90% of the people here it doesn't matter. Lift heavy, cut your calories, do cardio if you want. Do that, and your body will improve every time. What difference does it make as long as you look awesome?0 -
Great topic and great responses. Thanks.0
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I wish it was possible. I have been putting in a lot of hard work for almost a year while losing my weight. I had the same experience as all new lifters where I actually thought I was gaining mass. Sadly it was not actual mass as everyone has stated above.
I have had a lot of people tell me I am getting bigger but it is just an illusion. I can also get a huge pump from working out and get all swollen which again makes you look bigger but is not real mass. The body I have now would fit inside the overweight body I started with.
About the most you can hope for is maintaining the lean mass you have.
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