Lose weight and build lean muscle at the same time?

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Lights and Waves

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Hi GAF,

I need some help with a fitness conundrum I'm facing. I've gained a wee bit of weight during the holiday. Maybe 5 lbs or so.

Over the past 6 months, I've been trying to build some muscle–lean muscle. I like to think of it like this–I don't want to look like Batman, I want to look like Nightwing (or maybe Robin, I don't want to be that muscular).

Now most of my life I've been pretty skinny, scrawny (and sometimes borderline skinny "fat" but that's probably just body dysmorphia). So I've made a concentrated effort to try and get fit over the past two years. I would say that I am very in shape, but my body just isn't showing the gains that it should be by this point. It's just recently (within the past 6 months) that I've made a concentrated effort to really get where I want to be (maybe nswf, model in underwear.)

I am 99% sure that this is because of nutrition. I simply don't eat enough protein/food, and I'm not making the right food choices with what I do eat. When I was younger, I had some really serious eating disorder issues so the thought of eating anything more than the bare minimum (which is why I can't put on the muscle that my workouts should have afforded my by now) freaks me out. It feels like I'll somehow do something wrong, build no muscle, and just end up getting fat.

Bottom line tl;dr: I want to slim down the weight around my midsection, but I also want to continue to build the muscles on my shoulders, arms and pecs. Can I do both at the same time? Oor do I have to do one and then the other? Or only one?

Any advice/answers would truly be appreciated.
 
It'd be much easier if you first slim down and then gain muscle slowly.

But if you want to gain muscles fast, getting tons of calories and lifting heavy is the only way to do that. Which means you'll pack on some extra fat with dat muscle.
 
Yes, you can lose fat and build lean muscle at the same time. Just make sure you are getting a good amount of protein and not starving yourself. Avoid eating garbage. I recommend a low-carb approach, but not everyone will agree.

You cannot "spot reduce," and the midsection fat is often what comes on first and goes last for most people.

It will take a lot of dedication and a good amount of time to get close to your ideal as seen in the image you linked. Don't expect overnight results. This stuff takes time and dedication, but it's worth it.

If you can get access to a gym or free weights, then find a good compound lifting program and stick to it. Learn form and don't try to jump ahead or up the weight too early. The first step to success in fitness is checking your pride at the door. Hit up the GAF Fitness OT, read the first post thoroughly and then ask for help. Lots of great people there willing to offer sound advice.
 
Dude if you wanna get muscle and have been scrawny for a long time, just eat eat eat and lift with a smart consistent program. Eat clean obvy. If you got questions about routines and nutrition, there are lots of places to get advice, including FitGAF in the OT community.

If you're like me or most other people, you will think you're putting on too much fat, but it's basically inevitable, and you can be sure you're being too critical of yourself. Losing that fat after a year or two (or more) of putting on muscle is exponentially easier than the time you spent gaining muscle.
 
Yes you can. You don't need to plow through 5000 calories a day to put on muscle. Eat clean and get enough protein and you're golden.
 
Hellraizer said:
I'd say it's the hardest way, and if you are not dedicated to it, you will be stuck in no-mans skiny fat land forever.
Click to expand...

It's the easiest way if you don't want to be fat half or more of the year. If your goal is to put on as much muscle and gain as much strength as possible in the shortest amount of time, then sure, the bulk and cut method makes sense, but if you're not in a huge rush and want to be generally healthy throughout the year, then the "lean bulk" strategy is better and more manageable.
 
You should get a blood test done to make sure you are not deficient in testosterone. Also I would recommend a keto diet.
 
Many will say its impossible, its not. However the rates of which you will lose weight and gain muscle will be so slow you wouldn't want to attempt it. Time is money, and you want results right?

Cut to slim down, then clean bulk to rebuild muscle where you want. Rinse repeat for best results. Doing both at the same time is a crawl and mostly ... "mostly" a waste of ones time. I mean, in contrast to alternatives.
 
P90X with a good diet. Doesn't have to be P90X either but any high intensity interval training
 
P90X - It gets you mad lean and toned without adding tons of mass. It also increases your flexibility.

You'll look slim, but solidly built when dressed, but totally shredded when you take of your shirt - kind of like Bruce Lee but with a slightly bigger chest. Its the best way to do what you're describing, OP. More importantly, it will work faster than anything else you try, and it will leave you feeling good as opposed to a lot of other diet/exercise regimens.

I specifically recommend the original P90X. Not any sequels or competing products. It also contains a diet plan that will show you exactly what to eat based on your height/weight. - this is key.
 
All muscle is lean muscle, but I get your meaning OP.

You can lose fat and build muscle simultaneously. Eat healthy, lift hard.

If you want to get really lean while building muscle, as in popped abs and bicep veins and striated shoulders, you need to be on drugs or genetically gifted.
 
Draft said:
All muscle is lean muscle, but I get your meaning OP.

You can lose fat and build muscle simultaneously. Eat healthy, lift hard.

If you want to get really lean while building muscle, as in popped abs and bicep veins and striated shoulders, you need to be on drugs or genetically gifted.
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Depends on how ripped you're talking. Action figure ripped? Yea, that's rarely obtainable. Bruce Lee ripped? I genuinely think it's obtainable for nearly anyone who puts the work in and diets deliberately enough.
 
Doing power yoga (DDP yoga) was the answer for me. I lost a ton of weight at first and now after doing it for about 9 months, I've toned and added muscle density and muscle weight without adding any bulk size.

Anything focusing Dynamic resistance without weights will work for you.
Swimming will work too.
 
How hard are u hitting core workouts like squats deadlifts bench? Those go a long way. Don't skimp on abs either! U should post a pic of your body progress tho, curious now
 
Free body exercises. You'll build muscle, but it's pretty much impossible to look like a bodybuilder doing it. Plus you can do it from home, so it's a win win.

If you don't want to do that, do high reps lo weight, which it makes it hard to gain tons of muscle.
 
Lights and Waves said:
Spider-man's body versus Thor's.
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If you don't want to look like Batman or Thor then the only rule you need to follow is don't do steroids. You won't accidentally become overly buff by lifting and working out.

Focus on lifting and eating right. If you're new to lifting you may notice yourself slimming up while building muscle.
 
So I've been trying to build muscle for a while and have had decent results, but now I want to slim down a little bit and get rid of the belly fat. What's the best way to work cardio into a routine? Should I do a day or 2 of HIIT and then lift the rest of the week or what?
 
OP: You're gonna have a hard time asking GAF this kind of stuff. You have people throwing out whatever they were told works and then you have people who know what to do who are barely on the board.

I'd recommend going to the www.reddit.com/r/fitness and starting from there.
 
Peltz said:
Depends on how ripped you're talking. Action figure ripped? Yea, that's rarely obtainable. Bruce Lee ripped? I genuinely think it's obtainable for nearly anyone who puts the work in and diets deliberately enough.
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Don't get me wrong, I agree. Bruce Lee lean is obtainable by most men. However, I bet movie shoot fitness for Bruce Lee was a very strict diet to keep his BF low. Walking around/training Bruce Lee was probably 5-10 pounds heavier.

Nobody is really lean all the time. It's too miserable.
 
I've been doing the basic starting strength program for the last few weeks coupled with a clean (ish) high protein diet. Early signs have been promising!
 
You should still do weight lifting. You don't get to look like Bruce unless you're specifically trying to.

Run too if you want, but to achieve what you want you should start lifting.
 
It's absolutely doable but it requires expertise. I just started working with a trainer to help me break through a wall I've been hitting for the past few months. Everything we're starting out with is about building core strength and improving flexibility, balance, and posture. It's amazing how hard you can get worked when using nothing but your own body weight.

I do my cardio on my own time. The biggest game changer there is that I switched to a self-powered, curved treadmill. This is an EVIL machine, as in it works the hell out of you in the most simple of ways.
 
Draft said:
Don't get me wrong, I agree. Bruce Lee lean is obtainable by most men. However, I bet movie shoot fitness for Bruce Lee was a very strict diet to keep his BF low. Walking around/training Bruce Lee was probably 5-10 pounds heavier.

Nobody is really lean all the time. It's too miserable.
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If you do it long and consistently enough, your metabolism becomes a furnace. Maybe your abs won't pop quite as hard as Lee's after eating a cheat meal, but it's still possible to recover from that quickly.
 
xxracerxx said:
Haha OP is worried he will bulk up like Batman if he isn't careful . Come on.
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Pretty much, unless you're on something, you won't turn into a mass of muscle. Nooby gains stop pretty quick a few months in and the real struggle begins. If you're really scrawny as shit and you know you're not eating enough then chances are good you won't gain shit anyway after the first few months.

If you want to get big, even your target, you HAVE to eat big. There's no way around it for skinny dudes. Take it from a skinny bastard, you're not going to become swole af without feeling like you're a fat fuck on your massive calorie diet. Now excuse me it's 2PM and I have to eat some oats. Fuck me.
 
Its possible but its slow going if youre an intermediate+. If youre just starting out, you can cut and build muscle up to a point. Just dont slash your caloric intake too much and keep your protein 1g per lb of lean muscle. Or .8 your total bodyweight.
 
every time i read "eat clean" I cringe and then debate what kinds of beers I should have with my oversized burger and tots for dinner
 
HawksWinStanley said:
Yeah I don't mean to laugh at people who say that but it's tough not to. People really believe they're going to turn into oops their way into being Mr. Olympia.
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To be fair, a lot of women are concerned with getting any sort of bulk at all. It's not hard to imagine some types of men having the same concern and prefer to be super skinny.

I'd rather bulk up, personally.
 
Lights and Waves said:
Bottom line tl;dr: I want to slim down the weight around my midsection, but I also want to continue to build the muscles on my shoulders, arms and pecs. Can I do both at the same time? Oor do I have to do one and then the other? Or only one?

Any advice/answers would truly be appreciated.
Click to expand...

From everyone i've personally asked who's done this (and my own personal experience...to a tiny degree)

Just start lifting.

Doesn't matter how big you're trying to get. It's not like you're going to shoot past "Nightwing" and go straight into "Batman". If it was that easy, every guy who lifts would be Batman.

This applies to females too. Just lift, your whole body will look better, stop when you're satisfied. You aint' going to magically become russian lifter girl. Besides, "fit" is the new "skinny" these days.


Comparatively, gains come extremely easy when you're first starting out vs. when you've already gained alot of muscle and are trying to get bigger.

Every pound of muscle will increase your metabolism by way more than a pound of fat, because muscle actually uses energy. So simply getting muscle will make it easier for your body to burn fat. Simple thermodynamics. Doesn't even really matter which muscle you're working. Your body takes fat from everywhere, so muscle anywhere will contribute to the effect.

(Though the size of the muscle in question does matter. Which is probably why people call Squats the king of all excercises, since those are the biggest and strongest muscles on your body.)

(also, it gives you a nice ass.)



/compiled facts from a regular guy with fit friends
 
Peltz said:
To be fair, a lot of women are concerned with getting any sort of bulk at all. It's not hard to imagine some types of men having the same concern and prefer to be super skinny.

I'd rather bulk up, personally.
Click to expand...

Aye, when I think of threads like these it reminds me of the bodybuilding forum disaster kind of threads where dudes fuck up hard, like so.

oDi9dA1.jpg


I mean this shit is when people eat big for too long on their bulks and don't ever cut or cut way too late. This isn't what's going to happen to 99% of people who go 'I want to get stronger'

Most people aren't going to eat a ridiculous bulking diet and do this much for years on end.
 
One thing that worked really well for me in this regard was the Slow Carb Diet that Tim Ferriss champions in the 4 hour work week. Check out the wiki page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow-Carb_Diet

Anyway, I didn't do any of the supplements and I LOVE to eat so I had no problem eating a huge voluminous amount of food. I just continued to work out and the extra flab just melted right off. It was awesome.

xxracerxx said:
Haha OP is worried he will bulk up like Batman if he isn't careful . Come on.
Click to expand...

One time I was playing basketball and accidentally Lebron'd. Be careful out there.

Edit - Just to be clear, I have a crazy metabolism. I ended up growing from 180 to 220 over the course of a year.
 
studyguy said:
Aye, when I think of threads like these it reminds me of the bodybuilding forum disaster kind of threads where dudes fuck up hard, like so.

oDi9dA1.jpg


I mean this shit is when people eat big for too long on their bulks and don't ever cut or cut way too late. This isn't what's going to happen to 99% of people who go 'I want to get stronger'

Most people aren't going to eat a ridiculous bulking diet and do this much for years on end.
Click to expand...

lol

it looks like he just worked the shit out of his traps and then touched literally nothing else on his entire body

If the rest of his muscles grew like his traps did then he'd look like a beast right now
 
xxracerxx said:
Haha OP is worried he will bulk up like Batman if he isn't careful . Come on.
Click to expand...

This sure is a really strange yet extremely common fear that people have when it comes to weight training and fitness. As if they'll hulk out just by being near dumbbells.
 
I'd do one or the other, you'll see results much more quickly and the meal plan is easier.

pizzaparty said:
You probably aren't going to look like Thor without illegal drugs.
Click to expand...

Man, it must suck to look at someone who's in shape and think "I'll never get there". Stop doing that. You can easily get to his Thor 1 physique with enough time and dedication.
 
Lights and Waves said:
Hi GAF,

Now most of my life I've been pretty skinny, scrawny (and sometimes borderline skinny "fat" but that's probably just body dysmorphia). So I've made a concentrated effort to try and get fit over the past two years. I would say that I am very in shape, but my body just isn't showing the gains that it should be by this point. It's just recently (within the past 6 months) that I've made a concentrated effort to really get where I want to be (maybe nswf, model in underwear.)


Bottom line tl;dr: I want to slim down the weight around my midsection, but I also want to continue to build the muscles on my shoulders, arms and pecs. Can I do both at the same time? Oor do I have to do one and then the other? Or only one?

Any advice/answers would truly be appreciated.
Click to expand...

He has a dancer's shape. From the dancer's perspective: they train long hours and monitor calories and coloric intake.

Basically, what everyone else has already posted.

There's nothing complex about gaining muscle and being fit beyond that threshold.
 
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