After getting into weight training, something is confusing me. They say that you cannot gain muscles by weight training if you are in a caloric deficit. But if someone is actively working on their muscles through weight training, why is this?
Would this rule carry over to someone who had a high % of body fat or does this only apply to people with low body fat %? If someone had a high body fat %, will they still not gain any muscles if they are weight training but in a calorie deficit?
I genuinely don’t understand! TIA!
In: Biology
How can you build an addition on your house if you don’t have any wood to build it with? You need supplies to add on to your house, just like your body needs calories to build muscle.
The “stuff” that turns into fat is the same “stuff” that turns into muscle, in a grossly oversimplified way. If you have less “stuff”, you can’t make anything out of it, for better or worse.
Your body has Ideas(TM) of How Things Should Go. If you’re in a calorie surplus, it thinks “Oh cool beans, bro, we got extra to work with” and will be happy to go about making muscle.
In a calorie deficit, it’ll go “OH GOD WE’RE STARVING” and will be more reluctant to build muscle.
You CAN build muscle while in a calorie deficit – especially in the first year of your training if you’re new, you can do this and it’s actually somewhat effective. As you grow more experienced and have more muscle built, your body will be more and more reluctant to build muscle while in a calorie deficit. It doesn’t mean you *can’t*, it just won’t be worth it eventually – and at that point is when you start doing the bulk/cut thing.
Also, yes – if you’re fat, you have more calorie storage to work with so you can have an easier time building muscle while losing fat, whereas if you’re lean it’s much more difficult.
In short: It’s not *impossible*, it’s just increasingly difficult, and can very quickly get to the point where bulking/cutting is more worthwhile. If you’re in your first year of training and/or you’re fat, you’re fine. Otherwise, probably bulk/cut. Technically you can still build muscle without the deficit once you get on in experience, but insofar as I can tell it’s just not worth it for the effort and people who get that far are also the sorts who are likely to just bulk/cut anyway.
you can, your body just isnt very good at it
its a lot faster and easier to build a house when you have lots of materials available to choose from
you can also build a house with the absolute bare minimum material required but its going to take longer and be more difficult
You can if you have excess bodyfat. The only people who NEED to bulk to gain muscle mass are extremely lean people
You can, and it’s called body recomposition. It’s incredibly hard to study scientifically, but lots of studies have tried and come to the conclusion that you can lose fat while building muscle. It’s also said to be easier for those who are new to fitness or those who have a large amount of excess fat, but one study I linked claims it is doable for even those who are relatively fit.
[https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2020/10000/body_recomposition__can_trained_individuals_build.3.aspx](https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2020/10000/body_recomposition__can_trained_individuals_build.3.aspx)
[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm)
OP, it can be done and it’s not rocket science.
I’m 6 foot 1. I went from 230 pounds post-COVID to 190, and built a ton of muscle in the process. My caloric intake sat around 1300 (I go hard) and my protein was about 120g daily. I went to the gym 5+ times a week with a clear workout plan. Consistency was key.
If you’re just getting into weight training, this can be done easily. Just be consistent
When I first began I had a very high body fat percentage and gained muscle like crazy. I couldn’t even lose weight on the scale because the fat was turning into muscle. Even now, I gain muscle a lot faster than smaller guys due to my high body fat. For instance, much smaller people can take months to see definite muscle growth, but I’ll see it usually within 1-2 weeks. A big downside though is that if I work my abs, then I just get bigger. The muscle grows beneath the fat but my belly just gets larger
Your question really depends on your own body type and it can take years of physical training or various diets to figure out what’s going to get you from where you are to your ideal body type
I’ve done it? So you can.
As long as you are continually strength training and training with progressive weight loaded, and your calorie deficit prioritizes protein intake, you can
The analogy I use is in terms of financial budgeting. Fat is like cash or your checking account. It’s easy to make and easy to break down. When your body needs energy, breaking down fat gets you most of the energy back. Muscle is more like long term investments such as property or high yield saving accounts: it’s harder to make and break down. If you end up needing energy, your body doesn’t get as much back from breaking down muscle.
Now, let’s answer your question about building muscle in a deficit. If you’re spending more money than you make and decreasing your cash (ie burning more calories than you consume and losing fat), the last thing you want to do is lock up assets in non-liquid investments like property. You don’t want to risk running out of cash.
Your body is stingy and risk averse. It only wants to invest in stuff like muscle when it feels like there’s plenty of cash flow. In terms of your body, this means you’re eating in a surplus or you have a lot of body fat, which are exactly the scenarios where it’s possible to gain muscle.
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