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Originally Posted by Naxis 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!!!
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John
Re: goals: fat loss or muscle gain? or both? 
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