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
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04-22-2013, 03:56 AM #1
Do I need cardio when trying to gain muscle?
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04-22-2013, 04:56 AM #2
- Join Date: Feb 2013
- Location: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
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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.
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04-22-2013, 05:49 AM #3
- Join Date: Nov 2008
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04-22-2013, 06:31 AM #4
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.
"Start where you are. It's never too late to change your life."
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04-22-2013, 07:35 AM #5
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04-22-2013, 07:58 AM #6
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.AFAA- CPT
"Make up your mind that, at least for the first year or two, you're not going to worry about body fat levels if you're already lean, because lean is easier to reacquire than strong is to build" (Rippetoe 310).
ASKHOLE: A person who constantly asks for advise, yet always does the opposite of what you told them.
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04-22-2013, 10:16 AM #7
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.
"Start where you are. It's never too late to change your life."
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04-22-2013, 10:27 AM #8
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04-22-2013, 10:35 AM #9
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.
AFAA- CPT
"Make up your mind that, at least for the first year or two, you're not going to worry about body fat levels if you're already lean, because lean is easier to reacquire than strong is to build" (Rippetoe 310).
ASKHOLE: A person who constantly asks for advise, yet always does the opposite of what you told them.
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04-22-2013, 10:40 AM #10
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04-22-2013, 01:21 PM #11
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