how do you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time (1 Viewer)

skynet89

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And yes i have tried googling this but there seems to be no one answer.

I normally do weight training 5 days a week and 20 minute cardio on 3 days.

I'm eating a fair bit of carbs/protein but trying to avoid oportos/fast food so i can cut down on fat.

I'd say i'm a bit of an ectomorph, i'm not fat but you cant see my abs so that's why i want to cut it down a bit more.

Any help? based on experience or otherwise would be great.
 

Pace_T

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when you cut you'll look more muscular because there will be less fat on top of the muscles
my advice is to just cut, but also make sure you have a good diet to maintain as much muscle as you can.
there will be a ton of articles on how to cut if you look on google.

dont hold me to it, but i think the only time you can do both at the same time is when you are a beginner and it only lasts for a little while. after that they have to be done separately.
 

historykidd

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imo its possible to do both with plenty of dedication.

just have a clean, high protein diet with 3500+ calories and stick to lifting most days with cardio included (preferably HIIT or something of the like).
 

A High Way Man

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historykidd said:
imo its possible to do both with plenty of dedication.

just have a clean, high protein diet with 3500+ calories and stick to lifting most days with cardio included (preferably HIIT or something of the like).
do u eat 3500+ calories / day?
 

Pace_T

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historykidd said:
imo its possible to do both with plenty of dedication.

just have a clean, high protein diet with 3500+ calories and stick to lifting most days with cardio included (preferably HIIT or something of the like).
to lose fat you need a calorie deficit, i.e. you burn more than you eat
to put on muscle you need a calorie surplus, i.e. you burn less than you eat

what you are saying is you eat more AND eat less than how much you burn, at the SAME time.

further, giving a figure of 3500+ calories for the threadstarter isn't a bright idea. it depends on a lot of things. he needs to use a basic calculator on a fitness forum to work out his maintenance intake and eat slightly less + HIIT to lose fat and minimise muscle loss. keep up the weight training otherwise you will lose a lot of muscle.

assuming what you meant was to eat "lots", i wouldn't recommend this if the guy wants to lose weight. by doing cardio and eating lots at the same time, you're wasting time. in essence they work against each other.

try to reduce the amount of simple carbs you eat, like white bread and pasta and all that. it spikes your insulin and you hold a lot of water and look bloated. high protein, and carbs (only as a side) with lots of veggies should do the trick.
 

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skynet89 said:
I'd say i'm a bit of an ectomorph, i'm not fat but you cant see my abs so that's why i want to cut it down a bit more.
abs are muscles. The bigger they are, the better they will look.

You have low body fat, there is no need to cut.

if you cut now, you will always have small abs.

clean bulk, then cut
 

historykidd

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Pace_T said:
to lose fat you need a calorie deficit, i.e. you burn more than you eat
to put on muscle you need a calorie surplus, i.e. you burn less than you eat


what you are saying is you eat more AND eat less than how much you burn, at the SAME time.

further, giving a figure of 3500+ calories for the threadstarter isn't a bright idea. it depends on a lot of things. he needs to use a basic calculator on a fitness forum to work out his maintenance intake and eat slightly less + HIIT to lose fat and minimise muscle loss. keep up the weight training otherwise you will lose a lot of muscle.

assuming what you meant was to eat "lots", i wouldn't recommend this if the guy wants to lose weight. by doing cardio and eating lots at the same time, you're wasting time. in essence they work against each other.

try to reduce the amount of simple carbs you eat, like white bread and pasta and all that. it spikes your insulin and you hold a lot of water and look bloated. high protein, and carbs (only as a side) with lots of veggies should do the trick.
your right I shouldn't have given an EXACT number for putting on muscle, i'm only speaking from personal experience. you do highlight the route that most bb'ers take and i agree with most of what you've said.

however,once again, from personal experience, eating a moderate amount of food for your weight (which is, for me, 3500+ calories), combined with exercise and a consistent, heavy and high-volume routine can yield a slow fat loss coupled with muscle growth. whether this growth/loss is slower then the typical route of cutting/bulking and deficit/surplus which you proposed is certainly up for question.

once again, this is from personal experience: utilizing HIIT and a high volume routine over the last six months has seen me loss body fat and gain muscle. this probably has to do a bit with muscle memory etc which may not be applicable to the op but *shrugs*.

i remember reading a t-nation article which suggested the exact same thing although i can't be fucked finding it atm.
 

friction

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My mate did this cut carbs right down and jsut go mostly protien. However bulking then slimming is the way to go.
 

historykidd

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adnan91 said:
how abt when ur done bulking how do lose fat but maintain the muscle
thats known as cutting.

i suggest you go to a reputable bbing site such as t-nation or bb.com and read some of the basic routines/diets that outlay.
 

skynet89

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I was thinking of keeping regular cardio and weights. high protein low fat diet.


My cardio each day is only 20 minutes max, don't know if that will affect my muscle loss.

I do it on the same day too i don't know if that's bad. I do cardio after my weight workout.

So Pace_t you reckon i should do it in sections like a period bulking up then a period of cutting down?
 

HalcyonSky

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skynet89 said:
I was thinking of keeping regular cardio and weights. high protein low fat diet.


My cardio each day is only 20 minutes max, don't know if that will affect my muscle loss.

I do it on the same day too i don't know if that's bad. I do cardio after my weight workout.

So Pace_t you reckon i should do it in sections like a period bulking up then a period of cutting down?
bulking and cutting is the standard way to go

doing cardio after weights is totally counterproductive
 

Nat3skiz

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HalcyonSky said:
bulking and cutting is the standard way to go

doing cardio after weights is totally counterproductive
this isn't true.
You just have to eat more calories to make up for the extra exercise.
Cardio isn't just about losing fat, its essential for a healthy heart.
 

HalcyonSky

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Nat3skiz said:
this isn't true.
You just have to eat more calories to make up for the extra exercise.
Cardio isn't just about losing fat, its essential for a healthy heart.
um yeah, because doubling your calorie intake just to make up for the cardio you do after working out is totally reasonable.
 

allex-10

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skynet89 said:
And yes i have tried googling this but there seems to be no one answer.

quote]

thats cause theres no answer

ive been training for about 1 and a half years lol
 
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More protein less carbs. Carbs aren't good for metabolism which in turn help lose fat.
 

mrpet3rr

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You should have around 5 small meals a day.
Havving a few big meals aint good.
Try do more cardio, like a morning jog each day around the block, drink heaps of water no soft drink.. Eat chicken & fish. And motivate yourself
You can't expect to lose massive amounts of weight quickly. so keep on motivating ur self.
Look here for diets its a really good site
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=CuttingUpDiets
And for work out routines and excersises

Good luck
Also
IF all fails
Join biggest loser or something
 
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Nat3skiz

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HalcyonSky said:
um yeah, because doubling your calorie intake just to make up for the cardio you do after working out is totally reasonable.
its hardly doubling.
But it isn't unreasonable.
I hope you realise it isn't supposed to be maximum intensity cardio.
 

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