Weightlifting people, here! Ongoing chat thread...

[MaidOfStars]

We are a bit cut off in the designated forum so here's a shiny new thread to populate.

Hello to anyone that hasn't ventured over to The Weights Room but is lifting/resistance training.

Hi closet, here’s my macros from yesterday. I did arms and a slow bike ride and then had my protein shakes otherwise I never get the lbs v gs thing.

On days am not training I tend to eat more carbs but not much more. To be honest am not 100% sure about my nutrition but have noticed a different when I take the protein shakes.

Just noticed am
Actually quite a bit over what I should be on the protein 😳

Yes, I've found too that if I have a protein shake then I can get up to the 1:1 protein thing. But I don't really want to have a protein shake every day (I tend to only have them as a post-weights thing).

It's been interesting tracking on myfitnesspal the last few days. I think I have tended to not eat enough carbs (I'm not trying to lose any weight, in particular, more aiming for that elusive 'body recomposition').

Does anyone have any particular insight on what the best macro split is? I've read so, so many conflicting things. Right now, I'm working towards a 40:30:30 carb:protein:fat ratio. That has me aiming for 1g of protein per lb and keeping my fat under 60g a day. So I think that's probably a good ratio to be aiming for. Really interesting that this requires me to eat far more carbs than I had been in the past. Might explain why I have recently hit a bit of a plateau on the weights.

I'm not trying to lose any weight, in particular, more aiming for that elusive 'body recomposition'
I think bulk/cut cycles are considered a more efficient (and far less fiddly) method of gaining muscle and losing fat.

If you're a healthy weight, you can stand to gain a few pounds while you build some muscle, then go into maintenance mode while you cut fat.

Does anyone have any particular insight on what the best macro split is?
It really depends on your food preferences.

0.8g of protein per lb BW.
0.5g of fat per lb BW.

The rest of your intake is "free".

My MFP log yesterday (no weights, 40 mins cardio).

So this week's summary (so far)...

Tuesday morning:
Strict split squats (rear leg completely useless), 10 x 3 x 12kg carry weight.
Dips (8) + skater jumps onto a high step (1 min) + inverted rows (10) + toe taps onto a high step (1 min) x 4.
Bent over rows (10kg per arm) + resistance sprints x 3.

I don't understand how I can pull my bodyweight up on a near horizontal inverted row (50kg) but can only manage 10kg each side on a bent over row. Any ideas?

This morning:
Deadlifts, 3 x 8 x 62kg (working back towards my PB of 72kg), 1 x 15 x 40kg (for volume )
Dumbbell bench press (10kg per arm, 3 x 8) + Sissy squats (3 x 8)
Bike interval sprints.

Hi everyone, interesting on the protein. I've been aiming for close to 1 gram of protein per pound but it is tricky. I end up having a protein bar most days which probably isn't the best.

I managed 8 x 90kg trap bar deadlifts yesterday. My trainer said I would be up to 100kg by Christmas. I'm really loving it.

Arms tomorrow which I'm a lot weaker on.

*I think bulk/cut cycles are considered a more efficient (and far less fiddly) method of gaining muscle and losing fat.

If you're a healthy weight, you can stand to gain a few pounds while you build some muscle, then go into maintenance mode while you cut fat. *

Hmm. Interesting. I had read that the bulk/cut thing didn't work so well for women? I am a healthy weight (pretty much at my ideal weight), but I still carry some fat in my hips, lower butt and upper thighs. I'm wary of eating above maintenance because I think I'll just gain more fat in those areas...

Gains in 'bulk' should be fairly minimal. But yes, you will add a bit. The point is that you are smashing weights during this time, so that when you drop the calories, you gave a banging six pack!

banging six pack yes please!

How much over your maintenance calories do you eat on a bulk?

I'm eating around 1600 a day at the moment. That's up from 1200 a day about three months ago, and I'm 4lb heavier.

I feel good. No injuries, full of energy. Weights are creeping up again. Am going to continue until February, then start another marathon training cycle (essentially, a cut).

I can cope with being a bit softer than usual. My muscles are still there, just a slightly thicker coating. And I'm excited to make them bigger

Should say: my BMR is 1234 (easiest thing I've ever had to remember). I rack up 20k steps a day with no exercise. I run, play sports, and lift. My maintenance, according to calculators, is around 1600-1700, but I know myself well enough to know that will cause gains. Which right now, I'm psychologically comfortable with.

A bulk diet should be just enough excess to add a couple of lb a month. The minimum to stay in excess calories, basically.

I don't think about macros really. It was only recently I found out what a macro even was. I tend to think that recreational fitness enthusiasts such as myself are in danger of drowning in too much information, and most of us (NB I did say most) don't have the years of learning to give it proper context.

I do try to include different sources of protein in my diet (especially since I don't eat meat) but I have no idea how many grams per day I consume. I have been getting stronger and building muscle since I started training so I assume I'm doing something right.

Good session this morning - deadlifts I worked up to 5 x 3 x 100kg, which is the most I've lifted in maybe three months, and the first rep of each set felt like it floated off the floor. One of those freakish superpower days that make all the grind worthwhile. I wish I'd gone for a one rep max actually but I'm always a wuss about that. And bench is nearly what it was when I was strongest - 5 x 5 x 52.5kg.

I've been losing weight for the past couple of months and I think, as I'm approaching my goal weight, I'm in less of a deficit so I have more energy and am feeling stronger. I will never have a 'banging six pack', but I'm OK with that. I am quite pleased with the way my traps and shoulders are looking tho.

Hey Findo I love the Wonder Woman days. Stalking around the gym looking for stuff to lift, rahhh.

I don't think I knew you are veggie. Me too. What proteins do you eat?

I eat lots of:
Milk
Greek yogurt
Eggs
Beans (any kind)
TVP type sausages
Whey protein products

These are probably my main sources. I eat small amounts of cheese and falafel weekly. I rarely eat Quorn pieces/mince but have recently discovered their cocktail sausages which are pretty good to snack on. I don't eat tofu/soy/related products.

I swapped rice for quinoa a while ago, to get more in.

Can anyone tell me how to lose weight but gain muscle? I am at a total loss!

The only way to gain muscle is to lift increasingly heavy weights. So that is the most obvious starting point.

In order to build muscle in response to heavy weight bearing exercise, your body needs fuel. This comes from your diet.

A bulk:
This entails a calorie intake in excess of your normal daily requirement. This means you always have enough in the tank to build new muscle. Because it's difficult to accurately gauge just enough extra to allow for new muscle growth, people building muscle during a bulk period often put on a few pounds of fat.

A cut:
After bulking up muscle (and gaining fat), you can then start a cut. This involves reducing calorie intake to below maintenance to reduce your newly gained fat, but not so much that can't maintain your new bigger muscles.

People will go through a bulk:cut cycle over the course of several months. Winter is always a good time to bulk because you can hide the fat gains under woolly jumpers! Then start to cut in spring, ready for summer bikinis.

It is very difficult to simultaneously build muscle and lose fat (body recomposition). The only scientific evidence of it happening is in new lifters (who will make the fastest muscle gain in their first year) who are obese (so have huge excesses of fuel to rely on). If you are a regular BMI, there's very little evidence to support body recomposition.

Snap with milk - I have a whey protein chocolate milkshake for breakfast pretty much every day. I eat a lot of cheese too.
Eggs do feature a lot, and I love a legume! Lentils are a staple and we have them in all sorts of things.
I don't eat tofu either (only because I don't like it) but I do sometimes eat Quorn stuff for convenience - everyone else in my family is an omnivore so for big Sunday roasts etc, if I can't be arsed making something fancy just for me, it makes sense to chuck an escalope in the oven.

Having said that, when I started lifting, I was also dieting and I continued to lose fat for a few months while increasing muscle growth.

But.

I was already pretty fit, with a solid muscle base. My legs/core were strong and my form decent. I felt fatigued a lot, but had enough base strength and stamina to keep lifting.

Lifting as a complete newbie with no solid foundation and in a calorie deficit is not a great idea.

And to be honest, I was probably verging into ED/exercise addiction territory, so I really wouldn't advise pushing yourself like I did.

I have managed to do a body recomposition, albeit in a very slow and disorganised way! In just over a year, my body fat percentage has gone from 34% to 24% whilst I have stayed at basically the same weight (grand total of 4lbs weight loss over that time.) whilst I am nearly the same weight I do look different - definitely have a bit of muscle definition now and am less wobbly! I think body recomposition only works in people who are a healthy weight anyway (or close to it) and are newbies as muscle gains come easier then. Progress has been very slow for me though - I was vaguely attempting to eat at a small deficit but could never be bothered to track. This might have worked in my favour a bit in terms of muscle gains, because building muscle in a calorie deficit is pretty much impossible.
I think the reason that bulk / cut works better for most people is because it's faster to see results. For most women, getting into the mindset of intentionally bulking is a difficult one though.

On a separate note it's nice to see some vegetarians on the thread - so many people think that weight training means eating loads of meat! I'm vegan and somehow get enough protein!

Thanks for the info it’s grrat to get someone else’s perspective. I’ve no one really to ask in RL as my gym is basically a walk-in/out with no real trainer their just reception staff.

I am currently about 7lbs overweight & 20lbs if my ideal weight. So probably cardio & calories deficits are the way to go. I’ll up the cardio lots and hopefully get the body fat Percentage down then I can focus on the weights after that. I won’t cut them out completely.

Thanks for all the cut/bulk info. Food for thought!
What happens if you just eat at maintenance and lift heavy? Will I neither gain strength nor lose fat, I wonder?

hazelnut I absolutely agree that psychologically, deliberately putting on weight is tough for women. But my PT says: if you want quad definition, you have to have quads, unless you start nurturing a heroin addiction.

I hate the idea that if we are skinny enough, we look lean. You don’t get a six pack by being thin, you get a six pack by building those muscles. And then meet it somewhere in the middle regarding body fat.

Closet theoretically you should lose fat if you eat at maintenance and lift heavy, I would have thought. And you would get stronger, if not necessarily build muscle (they're not the same thing - you can have a read online about strength vs hypertrophy)