Thread: Slight Possibility for Stupid Question of the Year...maybe not though ;o)

as for some(dependant on genetics, etc) loosing fat and gaining muscle while in a deficeit is possible, while for most IMO its very difficult, for the simple reason that in order to be in an anabolic state(muscle growth) one needs to have a postive energy intake(calories) to facilitate the new growth.

I would think that if you kept your lifts heavy you might be able to have gains in muscle. I know with me, once I clean up my diet and lift heavy consistantly, I gain some while in a deficit while leaning out. But then my body might be a freak...who knows.

You could always give it a try and see how it works for you.

Thank you both for your feedback! I've been on here for a few months and greatly admire both of you, your knowledge, and the control you have over your physiques! I'm definitely giving it a shot. I'm in my second week of maintaining a 5250 weekly caloric deficit while lifting fairly heavy. I'm keeping my protein intake up, taking Vitamin C for recovery etc... I like what I'm seeing so far but it's pretty early on. I think my primary goal right now is just to lean up as much as possible for summer (I've got about 12-15 lbs of fat to lose to get to that point). If I could make minimal muscle gains during that time I'd be happy enough! Then maybe I could address a positive caloic intake for more gains. Wouldn't that be great if all of the energy required to build the muscle came 100% from the fat stores while in a calorie deficit?! Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

By the way JLB...I think I consumed close to 500 calories just staring at your avatar!