Weight lifting without calorie increase

[thebowen]

What happens when I do lift weight to build mass (high weight, low reps), but do not have a 500 cal/day surplus? Do I simply build strength instead of mass? Burn fat?

[muscletrainerdh]

Originally Posted by thebowen

What happens when I do lift weight to build mass (high weight, low reps), but do not have a 500 cal/day surplus? Do I simply build strength instead of mass? Burn fat?

If you have just started weight training and are in the "High Testosterone" years, you may experience some muscle growth without a calorie surplus. But these won't continue. You got to give your body the materials it needs to repair and build new muscle tissue.

You could burn some fat as your activity level has increased and your calories have not, so your deficit created through the calorie burn of exercise may cause you to lose fat. But as a rule, weight training without a calorie deficit is a pretty slow way to burn/lose fat.

Strength gains will be from training your CNS, but after your CNS adapts to your routine you'll need to add some fuel to get further strength gains.

Dave

[thebowen]

Originally Posted by muscletrainerdh

If you have just started weight training and are in the "High Testosterone" years, you may experience some muscle growth without a calorie surplus. But these won't continue. You got to give your body the materials it needs to repair and build new muscle tissue.

You could burn some fat as your activity level has increased and your calories have not, so your deficit created through the calorie burn of exercise may cause you to lose fat. But as a rule, weight training without a calorie deficit is a pretty slow way to burn/lose fat.

Strength gains will be from training your CNS, but after your CNS adapts to your routine you'll need to add some fuel to get further strength gains.

Dave

So currently, my main goal is trying to lose fat. If I weight train with a calorie deficit, that would burn fat faster but do what to the muscles?

[muscletrainerdh]

Originally Posted by thebowen

So currently, my main goal is trying to lose fat. If I weight train with a calorie deficit, that would burn fat faster but do what to the muscles?

Depends on how big your deficit is and how much protein grams you are taking in.

Usually you can maintain your muscle mass whilst in a calorie deficit if you keep your protein grams up (at least 1gram per pound of body weight). But some muscle loss is probable.