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I'm 137 and according to measurements on the web. I'm at about 24% body fat. I'm trying to gain muscle and I'm just confused as to what to do. I've been lifting for about 4 months now. I have my calories set at 1600 but I eat more because I calculate what I burn. I usually do fasted cardio in the morning. I've just read that if I want to gain muscle I shouldn't be doing cardio...
So any help would truly be appreciated :)
You don't need to do cardio for muscle gain or fat loss. If you do it because you enjoy it then that's fine. The important factor is that you eat enough and 1600 is likely way too low.
Use the sticky's in the nutrition section to calculate your daily calorie/macro needs (you'll want to eat at a surplus for muscle gain) and ditch the whole eating back calories that you burn thing.
[QUOTE=Gia85;1059586671]You don't need to do cardio for muscle gain or fat loss. If you do it because you enjoy it then that's fine. The important factor is that you eat enough and 1600 is likely way too low.
Use the sticky's in the nutrition section to calculate your daily calorie/macro needs (you'll want to eat at a surplus for muscle gain) and ditch the whole eating back calories that you burn thing.[/QUOTE]
This. Cardio isn't necessary for any physique goals. That's not to say it doesn't have health benefits or shouldn't be done if you enjoy it, just that if your goals are related to physique, cardio isn't needed to get you there.
At 24% body fat, are you looking to gain muscle or lose fat? You'll need a caloric surplus to gain muscle, and a deficit to lose fat. Need to pick one goal. If your goal is to gain muscle, you'll most likely need more than 1600 calories.
[QUOTE=oregonchick76;1059612981]At 24% body fat, are you looking to gain muscle or lose fat? You'll need a caloric surplus to gain muscle, and a deficit to lose fat. Need to pick one goal. If your goal is to gain muscle, you'll most likely need more than 1600 calories.[/QUOTE]
I would like to gain muscle. I heard in gaining muscle you also lose weight...
I'm new at this 😕
I would like to get my bf% down. So I'm not sure what direction to go.
[QUOTE=kwak1546;1059634371]I would like to gain muscle. I heard in gaining muscle you also lose weight...
I'm new at this 😕
I would like to get my bf% down. So I'm not sure what direction to go.[/QUOTE]as you put muscle on, your scale weight will go up. When you make muscle gains some* fat is gained with it.
Once you have a solid muscle base, you can diet off the excess bodyfat. But you can't do both at once. First build muscle then diet off the fat. Or, vise versa depending on goals.
[QUOTE=kwak1546;1059634371]I would like to gain muscle. I heard in gaining muscle you also lose weight...
I'm new at this ��
I would like to get my bf% down. So I'm not sure what direction to go.[/QUOTE]I'd diet down first, but lift heavy regardless. Your bf% will not go down just by adding muscle, and you can't add muscle in a caloric deficit, so you need to pick one goal at a time. At 24% I would focus on fat loss first, but since most methods of measuring body fat are highly inaccurate, a good look in the mirror will suffice. If you have a lot of extra fat, lose first. You need to be committed for the long haul when you decide to gain muscle, since women can only gain around 1/2 lb of muscle per month. Get lean enough that you feel comfortable committing to gaining around 5-10lbs at least.
[QUOTE=oregonchick76;1059698131]I'd diet down first, but lift heavy regardless. Your bf% will not go down just by adding muscle, and you can't add muscle in a caloric deficit, so you need to pick one goal at a time. At 24% I would focus on fat loss first, but since most methods of measuring body fat are highly inaccurate, a good look in the mirror will suffice. If you have a lot of extra fat, lose first. You need to be committed for the long haul when you decide to gain muscle, since women can only gain around 1/2 lb of muscle per month. Get lean enough that you feel comfortable committing to gaining around 5-10lbs at least.[/QUOTE]
Yeah I still have the horrible love handles that I would like to get rid of. It's just so much to take in. I'm trying to do things the right way but I just keep reading different ways to go. So i get confused in which way to pick. Lol
[QUOTE=kwak1546;1059699131]So you think I should give up the fasted cardio for now so I can work on gaining muscle?[/QUOTE] depends on what your prioritizing. If you are ok at your current stats gaining some fat while working to build muscle then do it that way. If you want to get a bit leaner first so your more comfortable with the gains when you bulk, that's ok too. Fasted cardio is a choice but not a necessity to either goal.
[QUOTE=BEEvon;1059707071]depends on what your prioritizing. If you are ok at your current stats gaining some fat while working to build muscle then do it that way. If you want to get a bit leaner first so your more comfortable with the gains when you bulk, that's ok too. Fasted cardio is a choice but not a necessity to either goal.[/QUOTE]
Ok thanks! I feel like a complete idiot when it comes to this. Lol
I don't know anyone into bodybuilding so I come on here and IG for info.
Is there a good place on here that can help with meal planning?