If building muscle and losing fat are opposing goals, then should one shed the fat then start to work on muscles? I ask because I don’t want to be much smaller than I am now size wise. However I do want to build more muscle..but I’d hate to go down to a string bean in the mean time. I hear it is very hard to do both...butwhat i'm hearing in that it is..."not impossible". If it helps I’m 5’6 130 lbs. I run 4 to 6 times a week and I just started to do some weights, mostly arms for about 15 min..and another 15 - 20 minutes doing alternative exercises..crunches..squates..pushups..l unges..etc.. 3 times a week. So I guess my question is how hard exactly is it to gain muscle and loose fat at the same time? And what would be the best plan of attack if someone was going to go for it and make that attempt? Hehehehe love a good challenge. Oh and would it be any faster to do both at the same time or faster to continue with fat loss then focus on muscle? Just curious. Thanks all.

Krissy, I don't have an answer to your questions, but I'm also interested in any responses. Hopefully "Dexter" will reply because he seems to know a lot about fitness!

They are opposing goals, but no, it isn't impossible. But in order to make it work (and it will be very slow progress for both muscle gain and fat loss this way) you have to be very familiar with your body and how much protein you need, how it reacts to carbohydrates, how many calories you need, and how much is too much. Timing of meals is also very important, as are the proper workouts. It's definitely faster and more effective to do one and then the other. But what you DO have going for you is that you have just started with weights, and in the beginning, you tend to gain muscle/tone regardless of calories, even if eating for weight loss (unless starving, of course). So if you get yourself a good weight routine, you will see some muscle gain, but not a ton - which is probably good. 15 minutes of arms isn't going to cut it, however. Alternate days of cardio and weights and dedicate 30-45 minutes to a full body workout 2-3x a week. Use compound movements like dumbell presses, rows and squats which are excellent for overall muscle development. Don't waste your time with isolation movements like curls and leg extentions. Use a weight that you can do 10-12 reps with and do 3-4 sets per exercise. Make sure that the last reps are really tough, but not too tough that you lose form. If it's too easy, it's useless. The muscle you're building will also help up your metabolism which will burn more fat, so it's good all around. :) Just know that after maybe 4-6 weeks you will probably plateau with muscle tone/strength gain and then you'll have to decide which way you want to go.
Good luck!

They are opposing goals, but no, it isn't impossible. But in order to make it work (and it will be very slow progress for both muscle gain and fat loss this way) you have to be very familiar with your body and how much protein you need, how it reacts to carbohydrates, how many calories you need, and how much is too much. Timing of meals is also very important, as are the proper workouts. It's definitely faster and more effective to do one and then the other. But what you DO have going for you is that you have just started with weights, and in the beginning, you tend to gain muscle/tone regardless of calories (unless starving, of course). So if you get yourself a good weight routine, you will see some muscle gain, but not a ton - which is probably good. 15 minutes of arms isn't going to cut it, however. Alternate days of cardio and weights and dedicate 30-45 minutes to a full body workout 2-3x a week. Use compound movements like dumbell presses, rows and squats which are excellent for overall muscle development. Don't waste your time with isolation movements like curls and leg extentions. Use a weight that you can do 10-12 reps with and do 3-4 sets per exercise. Make sure that the last reps are really tough, but not too tough that you lose form. If it's too easy, it's useless. The muscle you're building will also help up your metabolism which will burn more fat, so it's good all around. :) Just know that after maybe 4-6 weeks you will probably plateau with muscle tone/strength gain and then you'll have to decide which way you want to go.
Good luck!


This is an excellent post Naxis!!!!. It's the route I chose several months ago. It is a slow, slow process. You have to be very "anal" about your diet. You have to eat very clean, swallow a lot of protien, and eat 5 to six small meals a day. And you have to be very, very aware of your body and your energy level.

You run the risk of not having enough calories to build muscle, and not enough to lose fat. If you don't eat enough calories your energy level during workouts will go down, and you risk going into starvation mode. If that happens your muscle gain will be non-existant and your metabolsm will be all screwed up. That will mean bye bye to fat loss.

You are also right about re-evaluating your situation after a month or two. I just popped into a bulking stage after 3 months because the above process is just so slow. I lost inches around the waist and added muscle to my legs and upper body. But I figure it's time to pack another 15 lbs of muscle on and cut later.

If I had to do it all over again I would pack on the muscle first, then cut. It's a lot easier to get rid of fat if you have lean muscle underneith to keep your metablosm going while the fat is coming off.

Once again Naxis.........Great post!!!

--
John

Well thank you. I have something to think about. I just don't want to get much smaller is all. I don't mind getting rid of the fat..but i don't want to end up looking like sickly before gaining muscles. Maybe ill try to shed a few more pounds then give it a go from there. Or maybe after those last stubron pounds come off i'll work on muscle then see where that leads me. I have a few weeks to think about it anyway. Thanks again! Snuggle377: hope you got some answers too!

So just to clarify, it's best to drop the fat, then once thats done look at putting muscle and not do both at the sametime?

Whichever order you want to do it in. If you eat for muscle gain now, you can lose fat later as well. But like I said, if you're just starting out with weight training you will gain some amount of muscle in the beginning even if you're keeping a calorie deficit. Being summer in The States, now would probably be a better time to drop some fat first and then gain mass later on (while staying lean) as long as your concern isn't getting *too* skinny, but it's just up to personal choice.

I'm confused about this whole concept of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. I thought that when one is weight training, the result is fat loss with some muscle mass in addition. Thus, muscle burns fat even at rest. So if somebody's goal were to lose weight but continue a weight training routine and cardio exercise simultaneously, then wouldn't the ultimate result be a toned body low in fat?i.e weight loss? Where did you learn that doing it at the same time is hard? You are still burning calories when weight training and burning fat at the same time. You'll gain muscle mass and STILL lose weight right? Sorry if i seem confusing, lol.

I always believed in the notion that weight training AND aerobics is the best regimine for losing weight and of course a clean diet. SO again, this whole concept of losing fat FIRST then weight training is new to me and I'm very curious. Thanks. :)

How long have you been running 4-6 times a week?
If you've just started weight training, three times a week is fine but later you can increase it to 4-5 times. At the same time, I would cut cardio time because it burns too much calories which you would need to build muscles. Do all changes gradually, not in days or one-two weeks.

With regards to your weight training session, I would focus on specific muscle groups each time you go to the gym, instead of performing the same routine every time. E.g., on day one chest and back, day two legs and calves, day three arms and shoulders. In this way you could devote sufficient time to each muscle group, and your body would have enough time for recovery which is a key in muscle development. As you are progressing with weight training, you can perform more exercises/sets per muscle group, so you can split, for instance, arms and shoulders or chest and back.

Nutrition is key. I don't know how your current diet looks like but if you describe it here, I may be able to tell you if you need to make any changes to it. But in general, high (lean) protein intake is a must, and I would recommend 6-8 smaller meals per day. Some supplements like whey protein, but they are only to supplement your wholesome foods-based diet.

I never said you shouldn't weight train when trying to lose fat. :) Weights and cardio are both very important. It's all in *caloric intake* that will determine whether you continue to gain muscle or whether you will continue to lose fat after the initial plateau. You absolutely need to weight train to *maintain* the muscle mass so you can keep your metabolism high in addition to cardio.

I never said you shouldn't weight train when trying to lose fat. :) Weights and cardio are both very important. It's all in *caloric intake* that will determine whether you continue to gain muscle or whether you will continue to lose fat after the initial plateau. You absolutely need to weight train to *maintain* the muscle mass so you can keep your metabolism high in addition to cardio.
Okay i see.
Say for example that my maintence caloric intake is 1900 calories. ANd if i'm cutting my calories by 500 a day, eating adequate protein, keeping a clean diet, doing cardio in conjunction with weight trianing, would muscle gain AND fat loss still result(again even with a caloric deficit?) Like even if i'm eating less than I should would muscle still be accounted for?
Thanks again Nax :)
Jess

Okay i see.
Say for example that my maintence caloric intake is 1900 calories. ANd if i'm cutting my calories by 500 a day, eating adequate protein, keeping a clean diet, doing cardio in conjunction with weight trianing, would muscle gain AND fat loss still result(again even with a caloric deficit?) Like even if i'm eating less than I should would muscle still be accounted for?
Thanks again Nax :)
Jess

Well, initially - when you first start weight training - you would gain some muscle as well as lose the fat even with lower calories, but after you have gotten your body conditioned, the muscle *gain* will stop if you're keeping the calorie deficit as you continue to lose fat. At that point you can maintain the muscle you have built to keep metabolism high through sufficient protein and weight training, but now in order to gain more muscle you'll have to increase calorie intake which will halt fat loss.
That make more sense?

I started running in March. I may be entering a race in the fall so i'm more likely to increase my running..it is however my main cardio..i sometimes will do a video if i don't get out for a run but it's rare. My weight loss has been going good so far..my diet is geared towards losing fat right now..i posted it about a week ago so i'll pass on that right now. Perhaps if i wait it out drop the last bit of fat i can adjust my diet to gain muscle after that. I'll be back looking for help at that point i'm sure. lol..I am worried about getting too thin and also looking like a small softer me than i was a few months back. Thanks everyone for the replies.

Well, initially - when you first start weight training - you would gain some muscle as well as lose the fat even with lower calories, but after you have gotten your body conditioned, the muscle *gain* will stop if you're keeping the calorie deficit as you continue to lose fat. At that point you can maintain the muscle you have built to keep metabolism high through sufficient protein and weight training, but now in order to gain more muscle you'll have to increase calorie intake which will halt fat loss.
That make more sense?
Yes it does!
THanks again :)