Thread: Reduce Body Fat/Increase Muscle, possible?

read BFFM, everything you want to know and more is in that book

it's almost physiologically impossible to reduce fat and increase LBM at the same time. Unless you're 100% genetically gifted, most people will experience a little LBM loss when cutting down their BF. But once they reach their desired BF%, then they maintain and their LBM will increase.

Originally Posted by AirCartman

How would you go about doing this. I already cut down on almost all junkfood. I eat high protein meals. I've started to implement cardio twice a week into my routine(20 minutes on treadmill). What have people done in a similar situation to mine?

You'll probably need a lot more cardio than that to reduce body fat unless you have a perfect diet. Also, it's not impossible but it's very difficult to reduce body fat (eat less) and increase muscle (eat more) at the same time.

Originally Posted by shiznit2169

Unless you're 100% genetically gifted, most people will experience a little LBM loss when cutting down their BF.

Right on brother.

it is very possible for a beginner.

twice a week isnt going to do to jack. Try doing HIIT training. It works really well. There's a lot of research on HIIT and what is on Google so I am not going to do the 'splainin.

Originally Posted by AirCartman

At first i thought this was impossible. I went to my gym yesterday and got my BF Tested I'm 14% 5'10, 150 lbs. I want to reduce my BF to maybe 8-9% so i can get a 6 pack but i want to increase my muscles. The nutrionist said this was possible, i thought it was a myth?

Very possible.

Especially if you are new to lifting or if your BF% is on the high end of things. It is also possible (to a much more limited degree) with good training and diet in those a little leaner. Once you get to about 12-ish % in males it doesn't really happen - but you may have a bit of gains left.

How would you go about doing this. I already cut down on almost all junkfood. I eat high protein meals. I've started to implement cardio twice a week into my routine(20 minutes on treadmill). What have people done in a similar situation to mine?

Good diet (cyclic dieting helps in those who are leaner)
Good training (not overtraining)
Adequate cardio (two days may be appropriate or may not be enough...)

You could try bumping up the cardio to at least 40-45 minutes rather than 20 minutes. 20 minutes is alright for maintenance, but to lose fat, you really need to do 40+ minutes. Also, make sure to keep cardio away from lifting days, but if you must do the routines on the same day, lift first, then do the cardio.

You will do fine. Best of luck dude.

You'll see your abs, if they're muscularly there, when you drop BF.

I have one word for the 'can i lose fat while increasing my lean muscle mass' debate - bull**** (excuse the language). It just can't be done. Only people with freakish genetics can put on lean muscle mass without increasing bodyfat. The only way to go about this is to increase your muscle mass to its maximum potential and THEN cut bodyfat to acheive the desired shape. The reason being, to lose bodyfat, your body must be using more calories than your consuming. Therefore, if trying to cut and bulk at the same time, you wont be consuming enough carbs to fuel your body so your body will then break down the precious muscle-building protein to fuel it's fires. Without sufficient amounts of protein, the body just cant build muscle. Then if your trying to cut too fast (reducing carbs drastically), your body will start to eat away at your muscle for energy. I know a lot of people out there won't believe me, but that's just the way it goes. Good day.

Originally Posted by Robert DiMaggio

it is very possible for a beginner.

definetly...actually it's very easy for a person that is new to resistance training to do so.

actually....anytime i clean my diet 100% and do some moderate cardio....i will lose fat and gain muscle...only thing is it doesnt last too long with me...my body adjusts and boom,im at a standstill again...and i been workin out roughly 6 years

Originally Posted by madds

I have one word for the 'can i lose fat while increasing my lean muscle mass' debate - bull**** (excuse the language). It just can't be done. Only people with freakish genetics can put on lean muscle mass without increasing bodyfat. The only way to go about this is to increase your muscle mass to its maximum potential and THEN cut bodyfat to acheive the desired shape. The reason being, to lose bodyfat, your body must be using more calories than your consuming. Therefore, if trying to cut and bulk at the same time, you wont be consuming enough carbs to fuel your body so your body will then break down the precious muscle-building protein to fuel it's fires. Without sufficient amounts of protein, the body just cant build muscle. Then if your trying to cut too fast (reducing carbs drastically), your body will start to eat away at your muscle for energy. I know a lot of people out there won't believe me, but that's just the way it goes. Good day.

I disagree 100%, for a beginner it is not just easy but is the norm. And for people with several years of training it's much harder to do but it can be done. After 4-5 years of steady and serious weight lifting I dropped from 220 to 206 Naturally and with no supplements. My waist went from 31 1/2 to 30, my cold upper arms from 17 1/2 up to 17 3/4, and all my lifts went up ( this was over 3-4 months). However I was only 18 years old at the time, so for people over 30 it might be much harder to do.

Originally Posted by jphess2

You could try bumping up the cardio to at least 40-45 minutes rather than 20 minutes. 20 minutes is alright for maintenance, but to lose fat, you really need to do 40+ minutes. Also, make sure to keep cardio away from lifting days, but if you must do the routines on the same day, lift first, then do the cardio.

You will do fine. Best of luck dude.

I disagree with this.
I do my HIIT training the days that I lift and have never had a problem. The only day I dont do it is on leg day.
And cardio doesnt need to be done for 45 minutes. HIIT takes me 16 minutes and after I'm done, I can barely stand up.
Try alternating low intensity cardio one week for a half hour and the next try the HIIT.

it's very difficult to reduce body fat (eat less) and increase muscle (eat more) at the same time.,you can increase muscle and body fat at first,then reduce body fat.

Should i get a calorie counting book, etc?

Originally Posted by AirCartman

Should i get a calorie counting book, etc?

If you think you need one. A set of scales or good measuring equipment is also advisable (most people do need these - the average person is horrible at estimating calories and portion sizes).

There is also online references for calories/macronutrients:
www.nutritiondata.com
www.nutridiary.com
www.calorieking.com

It sounds like you are new to 'dieting' so you might want to at least check them out and get an idea of what and how much you are eating. It will give you a better idea of how you need to change things to get the results you want.

I bet AirCartman thinks all this conflicting advise is awesome. No cardio with weights, cardio with weights is okay, yes muscle can be added, no it can't! The truth is YES it can be done but only if you are new to the game and you've a pretty thick layer of fat(13%+). After that you begin to experience diminishing returns. When this will happen is hard to say but you're best bet is to just do it and find out for your self. Who knows, you may be one those freaks who can accomplish both simultaneously. The same goes for cardio. Try doing it with your weights. If you feel depleted and superhungry when you're done then it'd be best to separate the two.

well um lets say u stay at your maintnace cals, then i thinks its posible to gain some muscle and lose some fat. and by the way even if u dont lose or gain any fat but only gain muscle your bf% will drop

When I began lifting, I was close to 200lbs. After maybe 10 weeks or so I was down to 185 without even trying, and just looking in the mirror, and keeping track of how much more I was able to lift indeed I've gain muscle as well.

Your body burns fat in order to fuel your muscles and organs. Your body can gain the calories for muscle growth from burning bodyfat. Thats how its possible. But this means you cant gain a ton of muscle, its a slow but successful process. Just because you are cutting/eating less, your body isnt always in a caloric deficit. Your body still gets the cals it needs, just not all from food. Some of your calories will come from bodyfat when cutting, thus how you lose fat. I dont get how so many people dont understand this.