Do you need fat, to build muscle?

[0908]

I was told, that you need fat to build muscle. Is that true? I'm over-weight. Should I be cutting down bodyfat before weight-training?

[benjamin88]

no you dont need a significant amount of fat on your body, and you CANNOT turn fat into muscle

[0908]

no you dont need a significant amount of fat on your body, and you CANNOT turn fat into muscle

I know you cannot turn fat into muscle. What should I do first. Like i said, i'm over-weight, so should i decrease my bodyfat before working out, to get ripped?

[Abyss]

That's crap, you don't need fat to gain muscle not at all. Ever heard of lean gaining yeah that is exatcly the way to go, you may gain a slight bit of fat but that won't be nothing compared to the lean mass you will have packed on. Some people don't gain no fat at all and just muscle. If you say you are overweight post a picture, the reason I ask this is because this is the teen section, these teens see a small bit of fat and think they are patheticly fat! When in reality they need muscle, so post a pic.

[Aquilius]

you need fat to build muscle

You need a certain amount of dietary fat (i.e. from your food) in your diet, specifically EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids, i.e. those fats the body can't make up from scratch) for your body to be able to run (and synthesize muscle protein) at full efficiency.

You do not need to be fat to build muscle, though.

It seems that some people have a "comfort" zone, where they can most easily gain, with the highest amount of muscle and the lowest amount of fat. IIRC most of those guys seem to describe that "comfort zone" to be around 12% BF. At much lower BF%, the body will usually try to build more fat first, if you let it.

Some people here (e.g. fittnessman, our mod) have gained loads of strength/muscle around 20%BF. At much higher BF%, though, you are just that: to fat. Though many people don't seem to have problems to add strength/muscle even with higher BF%, the problem with that is that often also adds even more fat, which you later have to get rid off. And then it gets difficult to maintain the muscle you gained while losing the fat.

Read http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1268956 for some pointers on "clean" bulking.

Try to determine your BF% first. If it is over, say, 15%, you should maybe try to lose some fat first.

If you are overweight (25%BF or more), and have not yet trained much (a noob), you may well gain some muscle while whittling down on the fat, for a certain time. But IMHO you definitely do not want to bulk at this point.

Regards,
Aquilius

[0908]

Understood, Thanks guys.

Well - I'll try get a picture ASAP. Abyss.

Major help. Thanks guys
By-the-way, so should I go about HIIT? or Low-Intensity to cut my excess BF?

[JoKing]

No but I can see y one would think that. When in hte bulking stage you need to eat more calories, which usually realtes in more fat. Also having fat naturally makes your body make more muscle, cuz ur body has to adapt to the extra weight.

[0908]

So i should cut my excess fat first. Until i get to around 10% Bodyfat. Then get started on weight training.

[Defiant]

So i should cut my excess fat first. Until i get to around 10% Bodyfat. Then get started on weight training.

we don't know, post a picture?

[coolkid19]

you need to eat fat and good calories to get good muscle, not BE Fat. two seperate tissues.

[Vipersg123]

WHY, ... WHY do allteens think that they should lose weight before they start lifting weights... how does that make sense?!?!? DO THEM BOTH!

[0908]

WHY, ... WHY do allteens think that they should lose weight before they start lifting weights... how does that make sense?!?!? DO THEM BOTH!

I don't know - care to explain. I just started.

[Vipersg123]

alright, you wanna lose fat. Your target is to lower calories, increase caloric expenditure making you lose weight. This is done by eating less and by adding exercise and manipulating your metabolism. Doing cardio burns calories and increases your metabolism. Weight lifting burns calories and increases your metabolism both directly and indirectly. The lifting increases your metabolism directly ebcause your body needs to asses the damage being done to your muscles. Indirectly it increases your muscle mass, muscle mass is one of the main determinants of your basal metabolic rate(how many calories you burn by just sitting doing nothing) more muscle more fat burn. Not to mention lifting will help you retain the muscle you already have, if you just did cardio you would lose so much muscle because you are telling your body that you don't need the muscle so it can burn it for fuel, if you workout your body requires the muscle because you work them constantly so it burns more fat than muscle.

[Mtguy8787]

I was told, that you need fat to build muscle. Is that true? I'm over-weight. Should I be cutting down bodyfat before weight-training?

Dietary fat & bodyfat are not the same thing.

Dietary fat is essential. Excess bodyfat will not help, and may hurt your gains.

[ps2cho]

Before thinking about doing any cutting....just start a workout program such as Rippetoes...and see if the weight comes off simply by that.

If you do not see a loss of weight over like lets say a month...start doing some running or cardio to burn more calories.

If that still causes you to not move a lbs....then start reducing the calories.

Last thing you want is to stop eating! That is the LAST RESORT.

Never EVER take any of those BS weight cutting supplements such as hydroxycut. Even though they work...its not natural...and its not good for your heart. There is no shortcut in weightlifting without consequences.

[0908]

I'll do alot of cardio & low-intensity weight-training, to shave off the bodyfat, until i come down to about 10%. Then high-intensity weight-training, and low-intensity, cardio.

[ps2cho]

Low intensity weight training is pointless. You won't build much muscle at all.

You either train your muscles...or you don't.

[imchill123]

You need dietary fat, but not fat on your body to build muscle

excessive fat raises estrogen levels. Fat is source of energy, not protein. Muscle is made of protein. Your body stored fat so it can be used for later.

[0908]

Thanks again, guys.

In conclusion, I should drop my bf% before I begin to focus alot on weight-training?

[advanc3d]

but i do read somewhere ( i think on bodybuilding.com )
that its easier to gain muscle from fat then to gain muscle from nothing..
is this wrong?

[0908]

SO, What is the recommended BF% before hitting the weights hard, and getting lean muscle mass, ripped that is?

[0908]

SO, What is the recommended BF% before hitting the weights hard, and getting lean muscle mass, ripped that is?

[Aquilius]

In conclusion, I should drop my bf% before I begin to focus alot on weight-training?

No. You should start a regime consisting of proper nutrition, cardio exercise AND weightlifting, with the nutrition being essential for fat loss, the cardio to support that and provide cardiovascular benefits, and the weightlifting to also aid the fat loss and to prevent the loss of existing muscle, and to possibly even start building some more.

ANY exercise regime, if cutting or bulking, should incorporate all three aspects, with the main difference being in the diet, and the balance between cardio and lifting.

SO, What is the recommended BF% before hitting the weights hard, and getting lean muscle mass, ripped that is?

You should always hit the weights hard. But you may wish to consider changing from a cutting diet and slightly decrease cardio when you've reached 12%. However, that depends on what your goals are. If you want to see your abs, you'll probably have to get much lower than that.

that its easier to gain muscle from fat then to gain muscle from nothing.. is this wrong?

Yes, it is wrong. At least if stated in such a way.

Regards,
Aquilius