What is the difference between strength and muscle mass?

[Michael65907]

Right now im trying to lose weight im 147 5'6 trying to get around 140. I'm eating at a calorie deficit right now and i heard you wont be able to gain muscle like that. Which is why people bulk right? Well my main priority right now is losing that extra fat. I am still lifting and making a few gains. But i am only gaining strength right not mass? Is there a limit of how much strength i can gain before i have to bulk or something?

[jakestorm]

Right now im trying to lose weight im 147 5'6 trying to get around 140. I'm eating at a calorie deficit right now and i heard you wont be able to gain muscle like that. Which is why people bulk right? Well my main priority right now is losing that extra fat. I am still lifting and making a few gains. But i am only gaining strength right not mass? Is there a limit of how much strength i can gain before i have to bulk or something?

If you are losing weight, you are not producing muscle tissue. Thats it thats all.

Yes you can make strength gains even if you do lose weight as long as that weight is primarily fat and not all muscle.

I dont know the science behind it but ive been living that (still am accually).

I made strength gains by staying at a constant weight of 147lbs.

[illiniStrive]

Think about it this way. Usually the biggest guy is not the strongest guy, and the strongest guy is not the biggest guy... but whatever their goals may be, the biggest guy is obviously going to gain strength on the way and the strongest guy is going to naturally put on some mass.

So you may still experience strength gains and possibly size gains (depending on how much of a newbie you are), even if you aren't explicitly trying to build mass. But ideally once your satisfied with how much weight you want to lose you'd up your cals and slowly bulk to gain size.