Question for weight training types
Discussion
It's not really that simple.
It depends on:
- Your body fat before you start to put muscle on
- What you want your body fat to be once you have 'cut' (i.e. stripped away the fat after building muscle)
- How much time you have
As a rule, I wouldn't like going over 20% when 'bulking' - it's just not necessary. I bulk for around 6 months, cut for around 2 months, then maintain for the final 4 months of the year. I never get super ripped - around 11% is where I tend to end up.
It depends on:
- Your body fat before you start to put muscle on
- What you want your body fat to be once you have 'cut' (i.e. stripped away the fat after building muscle)
- How much time you have
As a rule, I wouldn't like going over 20% when 'bulking' - it's just not necessary. I bulk for around 6 months, cut for around 2 months, then maintain for the final 4 months of the year. I never get super ripped - around 11% is where I tend to end up.
StangGT said:
Ok... I am around 16% ATM, and i am trying to get lower. Certainly wouldn't want to get any higher if I started an anabolic phase, but was trying to figure out what is 'normal'... Not that there is such a thing 
16% is a fairly healthy bulk number - nothing to worry about in my non-expert opinion.Westy Carl said:
Is it possible to put musscle on and loose BF?
Yes.No offence to 22s but I train to look good all year round not just for 4 months of the summer. I've never had a gut in 17 years of training and don't plan to. I train hard for 45 minutes 4 times a week, lifting heavy. The only cardio I do is football for 90 minutes once a week. But I'm also not one of these who thinks cardio makes you smaller either, both have their place in building up whilst retaining a low body fat.
StangGT said:
Ok, simple question; how high do you/should you let your body fat % go while you are trying to put muscle on?
Cheers
As long as you're healthy it's entirely subjective. There is little correlation between the two other than the internet myth that suggests you cannot increase muscle mass and decrease bf at the same time.Cheers
Warnie said:
Yes.
No offence to 22s but I train to look good all year round not just for 4 months of the summer. I've never had a gut in 17 years of training and don't plan to. I train hard for 45 minutes 4 times a week, lifting heavy. The only cardio I do is football for 90 minutes once a week. But I'm also not one of these who thinks cardio makes you smaller either, both have their place in building up whilst retaining a low body fat.
Yep fair enough; I just like doing a dirty bulk cos I can eat whatever I want. Don't want to have to eat clean all the time!No offence to 22s but I train to look good all year round not just for 4 months of the summer. I've never had a gut in 17 years of training and don't plan to. I train hard for 45 minutes 4 times a week, lifting heavy. The only cardio I do is football for 90 minutes once a week. But I'm also not one of these who thinks cardio makes you smaller either, both have their place in building up whilst retaining a low body fat.
didelydoo said:
StangGT said:
Ah... Really? I thought that was part of accepted wisdom? (Fully admit that I personally am fairly clueless!)
Goldblum says it's easy, didelydoo said:
...but there's a reason why there aren't loads of big, muscular, ripped people going about....
Contrary to the world concept of the self-obsessed weightlifter there are a great many athletes who are well defined as well as being well above averagely big, muscular and ripped. These people manage to keep their bf low and their lean mass high. Boxers, MMA athletes, short and middle distance runners, wrestlers, gymnasts, bbuilders, swimmers etc etc. Really, discussing whether it's easy or not clouds the issue - it's straightforward fact that competitive athletes have been shown for decades. Whether you succeed in your long term training goals depends largely on whether you have the intelligence and dedication to follow these protocols.StangGT said:
goldblum said:
internet myth that suggests you cannot increase muscle mass and decrease bf at the same time.
Ah... Really? I thought that was part of accepted wisdom? (Fully admit that I personally am fairly clueless!)I recall that you'd previously said it was easy (or simple perhaps?), though I may be wrong... You are correct though, in the main people who strive to do this often don't manage as they lack the consistency or will to do so. It isn't easy however, and that's why it tends to be competitive athletes who fall into this category.
didelydoo said:
It isn't easy however, and that's why it tends to be competitive athletes who fall into this category.
It's as straightforward as training properly and watching your diet. I know many people for whom the word 'competition' applies to running the occasional 5k/10k during the weightlifing season who are in incredibly good shape. Honestly, stop peddling b
ks. goldblum said:
It's as straightforward as training properly and watching your diet. I know many people for whom the word 'competition' applies to running the occasional 5k/10k during the weightlifing season who are in incredibly good shape. Honestly, stop peddling bks.
Not much of a competition?ks. Honestly, suck my balls.
StangGT said:
So... I can stop all this dieting bks, hit the training hard and eat well and I'll be a Demi-god by Xmas. Marvellous.
Now I just have to figure out what the hell I should be eating and what training to do
Yes, you still need to diet right but also train properly. Providing you have a whiff of knowledge about weightlifting and nutrition you'll be fine. Like I said 16 yr olds at college possess this information, why it takes so long to seep into the brains of 'adults' is beyond me. One word of caution though - I'm sure it will be obvious but time your diet to match the start of your growth cycle: It's easier that way than starting a random diet and hoping to force a growth spurt when you're knackered! ks, hit the training hard and eat well and I'll be a Demi-god by Xmas. Marvellous.Now I just have to figure out what the hell I should be eating and what training to do
StangGT said:
For me, it's the amount of conflicting info that's so confusing.
E.g.: convention says avoid animal fat; paleo followers say embrace animal fat...
So what to do?
Eat whatever fat you like, but keep within the recommended percentages for fats, carbs and protein. If you want to lose weight then cut the fats and carbs, and DO NOT increase the protein.E.g.: convention says avoid animal fat; paleo followers say embrace animal fat...
So what to do?
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