Gain lean muscle and lose fat simultaneously

[Johnsmith1003]

I'm on a regimen of strength training Mon/Wed/Fri and intense interval cardio Tues and Thurs. Its promised that you'll "lose weight and gain lean muscle mass" but that's impossible right? You're doing "either or" not both. Does it mean if having a caloric surplus on strength days mean muscle gain and caloric deficit on cardio days I'll lose fat? I could do both? Or does the body not work like that?

[LifeNomad]

yes you can do both but probably at a slower pace that someone who is doing just one. You still need to be taking your protein even when your not strength training as muscles are still growing.

 

 

I would say depending on your age weight and height, set a goal. If you know your overweight focus on cutting fat first, once you get to your target weight/body fat percentage focus on strength training with cardio days for body maintenance. just my opinion

[empresario]

I'm on a regimen of strength training Mon/Wed/Fri and intense interval cardio Tues and Thurs. Its promised that you'll "lose weight and gain lean muscle mass" but that's impossible right? You're doing "either or" not both. Does it mean if having a caloric surplus on strength days mean muscle gain and caloric deficit on cardio days I'll lose fat? I could do both? Or does the body not work like that?

 

There was a good 2 year stretch where I gained 20 lbs but lost 5% body fat. It's definitely possible...and as an ectomorph it's normally the only way I can gain weight as my body rebels if I go over 180.

 

 

It depends on body type. I need more context to give recommendations.

[thefooloftheyear]

I am fortunate to have been blessed with great genetics for muscle building..But even I haven't found a way to pack on quality lean muscle without taking on some fat...I don't go crazy like some guys do as I don't let myself get over like 15 % BF..

 

The issue is I don't care how hard you work or what you do. you don't gain muscle without eating a surplus of quality, clean food...Its like bringing a hundred guys to a job site to build a house,, but then not giving them the wood, concrete, etc to build...Result? nothing gets built...

 

TFY

[Mr Scorpio]

I don't doubt that it is possible given a long enough time, as in years. Beyond that? It is like Fool said: you have to have a surplus of calories in order to build muscle.

 

That isn't to say that you won't get very lean and cut and have definition from your regimen. But doing intense cardio is going to slow down your gains both in terms of strength AND building mass.

 

That being said, I alternate between weeks with 3 days lifting/2 days cardio and weeks of just 5 days lifting. However, I'm trying to lose weight (along with other goals) and not gain it.

[hotpotato]

Impossible my ever-growing butt.

 

I'm glad I have mostly kept to myself all these years and not been listening to gurus...My oh my, the advice. A lot of gurus are gonna have issues building muscle anyways...Working a muscle 1x a week, 2 or 3 exercises 4x10,15 reps. Please! I've done cardio for years and bulked up my legs There are a lot of factors, it's not always so cut and dry.

 

Just look around and you'll see that cardio doesn't necessarily hurt gains. Ex, there are some muscular dancers. They probably don't all have superior genetics, but for a ballerina every day is calf day plus cardio, so enter killer calves.

 

I've cut weight and gained muscle simultaneously. There are quite a few times in my life where I have done so. No one ever told me I couldn't.

 

I do cardio 2x day several days a week, plus weights, plus a week off(just started doing this), still have results and looking better than most men. Just like they said I can't put on muscle because Im vegetarian(diet is nearly all plant based) or because of X. Heh.

 

Think about this. What do we tell people all the time when they start losing weight and lifting? Don't look at the scale, look at how your clothes fit. Why? Because they were gaining lean mass while losing fat so they come out weighing the same or more.

 

Anywayz, people are always gonna say, "You can't A,bc...x,y,z!" At the end of the day, you have to find out what works for you. *nods*

[Phoe]

It's difficult to do, and often people will reach a point after doing both, where both no longer will happen simultaneously, but yes, it can be done.

 

It does, however, take longer, requires more patience, and requires a VERY keen watch on calories and macronutrients. You've got to find a very specific balance with food intake, fat burning, and muscle building.

[thefooloftheyear]

If you think of it logically, you have to go into caloric deficit to lose fat...but then you need to be in caloric surplus(could be a very heavy surplus. depending on many factors, including genetics)...Thats why its so difficult...

 

I will say this though...

 

When you have a truly muscular body, then you become less susceptible to store fat...

 

I consume a ton of calories daily(5500-7K)...I don't really get too fat as I generally run 10-15% BF depending on what I am doing..But if I want to bulk and put on mass, I realize its always a "two steps forward -one step back" deal...

 

TFY

[fitnessfan365]

To gain muscle you need to be on a calorie surplus. To lose fat you need to be on a calorie deficit. So it can't be done naturally. The only guys who manage to pull off both are getting "help".

 

1) You can get stronger on a calorie deficit.

 

2) When you drop fat, muscle you already have becomes more prominent and noticeable.

 

So people often mistake 1&2 for gaining "new muscle". But in the end, measurements and the scale don't lie. If you're dropping weight and not increasing size, you're not gaining "new muscle". If you're putting on new muscle, it's because you're on a surplus which in turn also increases body fat. How much of an increase in fat is determined by calorie intake and nutrition habits.

 

The reason why I did powerlifting for so many years is because it was far more functional and strength based. The bulked out "body builders" doing all the isolation exercises couldn't come close to my strength level. But at the same time, I was able to train like an athlete and be fit overall. Unlike the guys that were getting winded walking up flights of stairs. But I haven't touched free weights in nearly two years. Now I just stick to body weight compound exercises and a lot of athletic performance training. Do I miss hardcore strength training? Yes. But I am not going to lie. I feel so much better since I stopped.

Edited May 22, 2015 by fitnessfan365

[xxoo]

If you're weak and flabby, it's easy to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. When I started running again after years of pregnancies, I quickly shed inches on my waist and gained size in my legs. My jeans were loose in the waist and tight in the calf and thigh.

[PogoStick]

I disagree when people say you need a EAT a calorie surplus to build muscle. Yes it takes calories to build new muscle but the calorie surplus is already there in the form of fat.

 

Would you say I can't burn (exercise) 2000 calories in a day because I only consume 1500.

 

If building muscle requires an extra 500 calories then why can't the body take that from immense fat stores of 100,000+ calories?

[thefooloftheyear]

I disagree when people say you need a EAT a calorie surplus to build muscle. Yes it takes calories to build new muscle but the calorie surplus is already there in the form of fat.

 

Would you say I can't burn (exercise) 2000 calories in a day because I only consume 1500.

 

If building muscle requires an extra 500 calories then why can't the body take that from immense fat stores of 100,000+ calories?

 

Interesting point...I hadn't thought of it in that way...

 

Ill only say this, as an average idiot and not trained in this area and haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn Express recently..Only using logic and first hand experience..

 

When a body has gone into "fat burning" mode, then I would tend to think that fat catabolism would more than likely go toward basic metabolic functions rather than muscle building..As a matter of fact, I always thought that while its virtually impossible to gain only lean muscle, its also the same virtual impossibility that some muscle wouldn't be depleted along with the fat, when in a caloric deficiency /catabolism mode....

 

But of course I could be wrong here..

 

TFY

[amaysngrace]

When you reduce your caloric intake you need to up your protein intake in order to burn off stored fat and not lose muscle.