Quote:
Originally Posted by Juhi
hi robertw,
u wrote that muscle growth with weight loss is complicated is complicated. would u please elaborate.
i am 22 ...have lost weight in the past went down from 180 to 145....i want to lose another 15 pounds and stop feeling so squishy. i am soft all over, i want to be more toned and firm and want to reduce my body fat of 31%.
Any suggestions?
Juhi
I meant at the exact same time. Building muscle involves gaining "good" weight and requires a caloric surplus, whereas losing bodyfat requires a caloric deficit.
Most bodybuilders go through cycles of muscle building ("bulking") and then cutting to reduce fat. Almost everyone here is focused on the "cutting" aspect and we are lifting weights to retain muscle while reducing bodyfat.
Initially I just focused on lifting and I dropped 30# of weight while adding muscle, but I wasn't dieting. For the past year I have been dieting and doing enough weightlifting to retain 90-95% of my strength while losing about 70# of weight.
If you haven't been lifting, then you should see some fairly dramatic results from adding pretty much any sort weight training to your regimen. Even 30min. or so 3xweek should go along way towards firming up your physique and improving your body composition.
How tall are you? My wife is 5'6", 125# at 22% bodyfat and, although she is very casual about her lifting, she has dramatically improved her bone density and developed a much firmer physique. She basically does 3 sets of 10 reps on dumbell presses and curls plus a circuit in the machine room. Her fibromyalgia and rheumatic problems really limits how hard she can push herself, but even limited weight training gives great results.