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

[Mavs]

I was wondering - If one were to maintain a slight calorie deficit (let's say a weekly deficit of 3500 calories per week based on BMR, activity level, caloric intake, and the like), and at the same time keep their muscles in hypertrophy via a sound progressive weight training program, would the body use fat stores as energy to build the muscle? I'm not entirely sure how these things work. It seems to me like the fat would be the only option left for the body to use as energy to build the muscle that's being forced to adapt. I could be comparing apples and oranges here too (muscle gain and fat loss). If anyone could shed some light on this, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[atherjen]

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.

 

[JLB001]

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.

 

[Mavs]

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.

 

[Mavs]

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

 

[JLB001]

oh my..I'm sorry. If I hear that too much I may have to change it. LOL