Buildin muscle loosing bodyfat same time?

[poppawheely]

Building muscle losing bodyfat

I am new and been reading up. Eating very clean diet, but confess I have a hard time keeping up with recomended 1.5g protein per # of body weight.Taking RippedFuel fat burner 4-5 days a week. Eating a respectable distribution: 40%protein 40% carbs 20%healthy fats.

wt 182
ht 5'7"
bf 21%


Ques: to continue my RECOMP successfully. My goal is to build muscle/definition and be at weight 170 and 15% bf after the next 6-8 weeks. WIll cardio reduce my gains? I seem to have hit a plateau at 21%,but cardio seems to bring down my weight and blood pressure. I am 46 yrs old. THX

 

[PROness]

I would stick with strictly HIIT everyday if you're body can handle it and drop the cardio entirely while. If you can't handle HIIT everyday then do it strictly on training days to give your body a rest. Cardio isn't means to an end and merely creates a calorie "hole" instead of burning fat. Sure cardio can burn fat if you restrict your calories but then you won't gain any sufficient amount of muscle mass. To do both you need to simultaneously up your calories and restrict them depending on your training days and the program you use.

So in my opinion I think you should:

-Up your calories on training days ~25% maintenance (days you do a sufficient amount of weight training)
-Restrict your calories on off days ~ 25% of maintenance (days you do little or no weight training)
-HIIT strictly on training days or everyday if your CNS can handle it.
-Eat clean and eat smart


BTW to calculate your maintenance calories just do a web search and plug in your numbers.

 

[poppawheely]

OK. thx proness. Well that gives me quite a bit to work on. I tend to be kind of a lite eater, so realistically I can do some fasting days as I often have to encourage myself to eat enough. I would guess by my weight that I have a fairly slow metabolism which is why I get 'stuck" at plateaus easily. And also my age is playing a factor now. I will start learning about HIIT training as I haven't tried that but I had considered the Jim Stoppani SHortcut to size program if you know who he is (on Bodybuilding.com) Let me know if that is a suitable program so I can fall right in line and keep my training regimen on track. I have a long ways to go, been a weight lifter all my life but always do a few months and then quit for a few years! Currently I have been training 14 months stright so I have made the lifestyle change but need a lot of guidance to not overdo it, and to get the best results for my efforts.

I thought I should add this: last year from Jan-June i did cardio 4 days a week: then lifted on machines for 30-45 min
my bodyfat went from 27% down to 20%
pulse went from 90 down to 70
BP went from 145 down to 110/70

From July thru Dec I QUIT doing cardio and focused totally on lifting; made great muscle gains butactually fell out of shape pulse went back up and BP went back up also. thus, this is why i am kind of clinging to cardio because it keeps me in the better state of health.

 

[PROness]

OK. thx proness. Well that gives me quite a bit to work on. I tend to be kind of a lite eater, so realistically I can do some fasting days as I often have to encourage myself to eat enough. I would guess by my weight that I have a fairly slow metabolism which is why I get 'stuck" at plateaus easily. And also my age is playing a factor now. I will start learning about HIIT training as I haven't tried that but I had considered the Jim Stoppani SHortcut to size program if you know who he is (on Bodybuilding.com) Let me know if that is a suitable program so I can fall right in line and keep my training regimen on track. I have a long ways to go, been a weight lifter all my life but always do a few months and then quit for a few years! Currently I have been training 14 months stright so I have made the lifestyle change but need a lot of guidance to not overdo it, and to get the best results for my efforts.

I thought I should add this: last year from Jan-June i did cardio 4 days a week: then lifted on machines for 30-45 min
my bodyfat went from 27% down to 20%
pulse went from 90 down to 70
BP went from 145 down to 110/70

From July thru Dec I QUIT doing cardio and focused totally on lifting; made great muscle gains butactually fell out of shape pulse went back up and BP went back up also. thus, this is why i am kind of clinging to cardio because it keeps me in the better state of health.

It isn't important what program you use, but how long you use it. Find a solid program from a reputable and professional source and stick with it. The worst thing you can do is program-hop.

Read up on HIIT and begin to make the transition into free weights. If your gym doesn't have free weights, find one that does. Also look into getting some supplements to give you an edge in losing fat such as caffeine pills and whey protein.

As far as over-training goes I wouldn't worry about it at this point in time. Learn what you need to and get into the gym. You have to crawl before you can walk and...