Man, this video came at just the right time for me. I’m completely untrained, new to lifting, and out of shape, and I also weigh 300lbs. I spent so much time suffering from “analysis paralysis” trying to figure out how to best approach a transformation that it hindered me from doing the most important thing, just going to the gym and LIFTING instead of thinking about it. I’m currently in my second week of consistent training, and videos like yours give me the confidence that I’m on the right path. Thanks Dr. Norton!
I’m just a random guy on the Internet but I’ve been lifting for 10+ years and I would say something helpful to keep in mind when starting - keep it super simple, you’re new so almost everything you do in the gym will work. So why overcomplicate it, only worry about safety when you’re new. - learn to enjoy it first, it’s a long process and if you hate every second of it, it will be horrible. - be consistent, go the days you said you would but again you’re new don’t kill yourself trying to go 7 days a week if that’s not sustainable - give it time, give it a few months of consistency. This stuff takes time, it’s a marathon not a sprint. I wish you the best, we are all rooting for you.
@@tpespos Great tips about enjoying it and sustainability. Listen to this guy. You're way better off erring on the side of working out too lightly then going too hard. You can always increase the intensity later. This is a long-term thing. One month spent easing your way into it is nothing. That's much smarter than killing yourself for a week, then feeling so exhausted that the very thought of going to the gym turns your stomach - the chances that you'll give up lifting entirely are very high at this point. Good luck on your journey. This stuff is definitely doable, so don't lose faith.
I know layne has probably had to write about or make videos about this same topic thousands of times over the years, but I appreciate the time taken to continue to reiterate this even today with new information or in new ways for anyone to be able to understand it.
Oh wow. I used to watch your videos back in high school when I was trying to learn about lifting and nutrition. That was 10 years ago. Glad that you’re still making these great vids.
This video applies to me for sure! I have easily 30-40 lbs of excess body fat and while I have been strength training for a few years, by no means have I been consistent, lifting often enough or heavy enough. I’ve now been working harder, more consistently and with a training program and am eating at a bit of a deficit and I’m noticing major body shape changes this year and am slowly losing or at times dropped clothes sizes without much of a scale change! I’m going to be more focused through next year.
I fully agree man. some of my favorite *educated* youtubers have been preaching body recomp, but they all look impressive bc at some point they did a bulking face… it would be transparent to say that you can try body recomp but won’t have the same results. i think we all need to bulk at some point. Great video man
On the contrary, consider that the vast, vast, vast majority of people who do bulk and cut cycles don't have an impressive physique at all. This advice has been around for at least 25 years now and in terms of the population at large, the results just aren't there. There are maybe a relative handful who can make bulk and cut work... and many of them are on drugs. Or who knows, maybe they have phenomenal hormones and genetics.
I say it can be done! I have been weight training for a few years and just recently decided to lose more body fat and get more muscle and guess what it's happening. Slowly but surely! While the numbers of the scale are going down I can see more body definition and toning all over. It's a slow process but it can be done. Everyone's body is different and what works for me might not work for you but I always say don't knock it until you try it!
I share exactly your opinion. I do both at the same time, the process is longer but the feeling is deeper, at least that's how I feel overall. I also do intermittent fasting which gives me overall "unlimited" energy level. I do all these for health fist, a holistic approach rather than focusing on pure muscle gain is what I feel is best for longevity and health. No one should be a specialist when it comes to one's health, it's a complex puzzle where many pieces are needed.
Absolutely agree. A ton of people swear by recomposition, and unless you're detrained obese or on drugs it's just unproductive. As you mentioned, science clearly confirms that manipulating energy balance with separate periods of "cutting" and "bulking" is much more efficient in the long run, and literally everybody that has gained a significant amount of muscle has done that too. Great informations
I agree, but the vast majority of people wanting to get into training are well over 15% bodyfat (and many are also delusional about how lean they are), and so would most benefit in getting to 15% or below before considering any bulking or cutting phases.
Layne cites impatience, but from what I’ve seen there’s also a lot of fear of fat gain. Some folks would rather spend years trying to recomp than get a little uncomfortable, gain a bit of weight over a few months, and then diet the fat off. (It’s not even that much weight. For a 175lb/80kg male novice, most of your leading coaches would be cool with a gain rate around 2 lb/1 kg per month. It’s not exactly a rocket trip to obesity.)
As someone who trained for 20 years and then took 3 years off due to injuries + divorce + 2020… and started back at 30%ish bf, now in striking distance of single digits, for me the answer is yes. But for me the muscle gain was because I was a detrained athlete who was once 240, 218 shredded. So I gained significant muscle back while on a deficit losing tons of body fat. It’s not optimal. I’m not gaining as much muscle as I can be if I was on a surplus or even maintenance etc. but at 30% I felt like a fat shit. So, get shredded first while building as much muscle as I can, and now that I’m close to the shred being complete, I’ll start increasing calories and prioritizing muscle gain. Slow and steady though.
I'm definitely in the same boat as you. For me personally comes to eating right and sticking to it. I know I get my calories on the weekend which I need to stop.
I’m the poster child for this video. I used to lift weights years ago and I was obese just under 23 months ago. I was 402 pounds January 22nd 2020 and I was 213 pounds this morning. That’s 189 pounds lost and I have very noticeable muscle gains including 17 inch biceps.
I just saw this TikTok on how carcogenic vegetable oils are, and they use your favorite word ‘inflammation’ left and right. Would love to see a what-the-fitness video on it, or related topic (If you haven’t made one of course)!
soemthing I didn't even know until Layne talked about it in his what the fitness is that there are 2 types of inflammation, systemic and local, and they're not the same. so I'm going to assume this tiktok you're referencing mixes the 2 up
@@kamo7293 Yes, they talk about ‘systemic inflammation’ just from eating vegetable oil, and the say something like ‘vegetable oil should belongs in your car, not on your salad’ and some other extreme stuff. I’d be curious to see the properties of canola and sunflower oil stacked against olive oil from an actual expert
I'm 56 years old. I've been working out since before Elvis died. I had two DEXA scans this year. The first one, on 2/24, I was 13% body fat. Then next one, 7/24, exactly 5 months later, I was 9.9% body fat. During that time, I lost a total of 3 lbs but 6 lbs of fat and gained 3 lbs of muscle.
I was both category 1 and 2. December 2018, i was fat as fuck at 269 pounds (5'8). Started going to the gym (never really weightlifted outside of PE in high school), and quickly got hooked on weightlifting. I've spent about 20 hours a week (15-16 weights/4-5 cardio) exercising in the gym for the past 3 years while in a calorie deficit. Went from extremely fat at 269 pounds, to buff at 170 pounds (my lowest in past month was 167.0), a 100 pound weight loss while gaining significant muscle and strength, 100% naturally. At 34 years old, 5'8, 170 pounds (10-12% BF), Natty, with 3 years lifting experience (2.5 of deadlifting) and cutting on a 1,700 calorie diet (my maintenance is 2,600-2,800), i can conventional deadlift 535 pounds (potentially 545) beltless, which is an Elite level lift for my bodyweight. Body Recomposition is VERY real, and can achieve significant results if you're in at least one of those three categories described, and apply yourself (i've spent more time lifting in the past 3 years, than most lifters do in 10 years). That being said, i'm probably at the point where i do need to enter a slight calorie surplus to gain significant more muscle. I've basically tapped out my fat reserves for muscle growth. I plan on continuing cutting and shredding down until i receive a surgery to fix a SLAP Tear, then as i'm healing from the surgery, i'll perform a reverse-diet to slowly return to maintenance level calories over a couple months, and then enter a "lean-bulk" (200 calorie surplus) as i rebuild upper-body muscle and strength. I'm eager to see just how much muscle and strength i can build in an actual surplus, especially considering i'll be injury-free then. I already had an "Advanced" level bench press even with the SLAP Tear injury (until the pain made me pull back from benching), so curious to see if i'll be able to obtain an "Elite" level bench press to match the level of my deadlift.
I have been doing body recomposition since July… down from 250 to 200 so far and have significantly increased weights on all exercises and increased my bicep circumference by 1 inch. It’s definitely possible.
If you were 250 coming down to 200, you had plenty of bodyfat to spare*, so that puts you in at least one of the categories Layne mentioned. It totally makes sense that you got both. Where this pseudo-myth causes trouble is when someone has been at it for a year or two and made good progress (healthy bodyfat range, reasonably strong and muscular by general-population standards) but they aren’t where they want to be. They aren’t happy with their bodyfat level but they don’t want to diet, and they’re not happy with the amount of muscle they have but they’re afraid of gaining weight**. So they keep trying to do both at once and make slow to no progress toward either. * Not judging, I topped out at 304 lbs myself, right on the threshold of Class III Obesity. ** Thing is, it’s not even that much weight. For a novice-to-intermediate male who weighs 175 lbs / 80 kg, most of the experts would recommend something around 2 lbs / 1 kg per month. The guy could do that for 3-6 months to efficiently put on muscle, then diet for 3-6 weeks to lose whatever fat he gained in the process.
@@Magic_beans_ Making “little/slow to none progress” is misinformation. It is slowed down yes, however it never stops. You will add more muscle and lose more weight the longer you are in a calorie deficit. If you are ever not “losing weight” then you are by definition no longer in a calorie deficit For some of us it takes weeks or months and for others it can be one or multiple years to reach our ideal weight. Just don’t give up and never think that it won’t happen. I have 30 weeks left on my cutting phase. I have a goal of losing 15/45 lbs so quite a lot for someone in the 5’8 height. Bringing me from obese to 12% bf. I have previously been 15% bf before corona.
Anecdotally, I am in the process of recomposition now. “New” to lifting(never been consistent before), and see the inches come off my waist as my muscle size increases, and the weight numbers that I track increase so I know I’m building muscle. I’m in a caloric deficit of 1900 calories, 5’5”, 215 lbs.
Layne, long time follower. Love your material. I’ve noticed this about myself, particularly when I have to lay off due to an injury, that I am able to build a descent amount of lean muscle and in a not so long amount of time. However, nothing will compare to my very first 1-1.5 years of training
muscles are mainly from water anyway. Main portion of our muscle gains is always water/glycogen not tissues. I cant see reason why people wouldnt built slight amount of muscle while cutting also when they are not newbies or after training break. As long as u are not in drastic caloric deficit you have your saccharides to do your training and stimulate muscles. You will supply enough proteins to them and they will grow. The energy or ATP respectively that is needed for muscle growth can be also from your fat stocks because it usually happens in the low intensity after training (while u rest), so fats can be easily utilized🙂. What also helps to obese to built muscle mass while cutting is (free) blood testosterone rise. When u cut your calories u need to start very light and then see what happens, then cut slihtly more and see what happens. Also you need to think about from what macronutrients you are cutting (starting always with the carbs, but slightly). Basically what u have said but, put via my words 😄.
I 100% agree! For most of my time lifting/dieting, i’ve been in a sort of “permacut”. I’m not really eating enough to maximize muscle growth, yet not eating in enough of a deficit to burn significant body fat. In fact, if only in a slight deficit, a couple cheat meals can wipe out a week’s worth of gains. So I agree Layne, pick 1 and go with it, then pick the other when your goals have been reached!
The things most people don’t take into account, is muscle memory. If you have been muscular before, then become detrained and get fat, your body will regain a significant portion of your original size while burning fat...to a point. Muscle memory is POWERFUL.
This. Initial muscle gain involves bringing satellite stem cells into becoming muscle, next time you already have those cells, they just need to grow in size.
I can say I personally have never seen anyone ever put on a significant amount of muscle mass without getting a little puffy at a few points. Not a fat tub of lard, but yes some puffyness. When I say significant, I mean it clearly looks like you workout even with a loose sweatshirt on type muscle mass. I have seen many people below in the 170-190lb range that look amazing and are lean but never put on any more muscle mass. When I tell them if they want more, they are probably going to have to up their calories, they either say they don't have the appetite to do so or are scared of getting even the slightest bit puffy or gaining even a small amount of bodyfat.
Ayy this was me, I was 175 and it was hard for me to eat and subconsciously I was nervous about gaining fat because I didn’t think I could cut it off. I’m currently 200 Lbs at 11% body fat measured with impedance, and I’m loving it all. It took some faith
For the algorithm! I'm actually doing a recomp right now, almost completely on accident. Over the past two months, I've gone from 41% bf to 32% bf. Despite trying to diet for the past 6 months, all of my lifts also grew, so I know that the muscle has grown. The other key thing is that I've stayed at 330lb for the past 6 months.
100% agreed. Not a huge fan of doing both at the same time. First lean out and then build muscle. Both at the same time not physiologically possible. If you’re obese lose all the fat and yes you will lose some muscle in the process and then start building muscle. Be smart and don’t become fat again and enjoy your great physique.
The primary factor for bulding muscels is ttaining when you are on a surpluss you just have more energy to push your limits so you challenge the muscle to grow
Yes, this video is correct on all point. I build small amounts of muscle while dropping small amounts of fat. Never been able to " build and cut " dramatically at the same time.
If you just want to look fit and strong, it’s easy. If you want to be a huge muscular BODYBUILDER, then Layne is correct. It depends on just how muscular you intend to be.
So basically, to get really fit looking, is to do a series of bulks and cuts, Body Recomp can happen at the beginning a bit, but at a certain point if you want to continue to build muscle you need to have slight surpluses, and then to lean out you need to have slight deficits.
I went from 360 to 168 THEN I began lifting. I think I did it wrong. Oh well almost months of lifting and using the Carbon App the results are showing, Thanks for what you do Layne!
In my experience working on building lean mass while losing fat mass is most beneficial by reducing the amount of lean mass that is lost while cutting.
Last week (Feb 10th) i started my gym routine to add to my new calorie deficit routine. I weighed in at 291 the beginning of my first gym week with a goal of 250 by the end of June (4.5months). I'm currently taking it patiently with these first few weeks by limiting the amount of lifting to 50% of my time at the gym; the other 50% being cardio/endurance. I have a pretty active day job that easily can put me at 10,000 steps a day with stairs/ladders/etc in the mix. No supplements at the moment and honestly I can tell when I've reached my energy limit with lifting and that's usually when I call it (diminishing returns) and switch to cardio mode to burn the extra calories I want for the day. My first week was pretty much 30min/30min split between lifting/isolated exercises and cardio this second week I've increased to about 45/45 which I will sustain for a good duration of the next month or two. 250 by June will be my starting point for significant weight training/diet changes but a professional bmi/scan will be scheduled at that time to truly determine where I need to go next.
the reason I started lifting is because after watching Jeff nippards video on body recomp I realised I was in 2 camps for body recomp, obese and newbie. so I started.
Exactly it cna be done even with an advanced lifter in some cases. Earlier this year, because of gym closing, I spend a few month only doing callisthenics (I have been lifting for 10 years). After that, I redid Colossus by Meadows with my friend while in a deficit and natty, and we both gained muscle and strength and lost fat
Former NBA star, Alonzo Mourning, wrote in his biography that he during an 8 months span (after his kidney surgery) put on nearly 40 pounds of muscle and lost 35 pounds of fat simultaniously and went down from a 13 percent bodyfat to 6, which I always found interesting.
Why nobody takes in account the intrinsical need of fat for muscle building? Indeed there is a need of amimoacids to build proteins which will be.. encapsulated by a phospholipidic membrane Not to mention the variety of internal membranes, the mithocondrial the most important of all In a muscle building diet wouldn't be interesting to add some good quality lipids sources aiming to help the liver in converting carbo to carboxylic acids and at same time building better cell membranes less prone to oxidation?
You definitely can over a long period of time in a small calorie deficit. I lost a lot of fat an gained a strength at the same time. But it’s not something I would do all year round, because it’s still easier to gain strength on a slight surplus.
He’s talking about muscle mass though not strength, there’s a lot more that goes into strength besides muscle size. Not sure if I’m just misinterpreting you though.
@@tpespos layne is talking about significant amounts of mass. Not a couple or three pounds like this guy is saying. It is definitely possible. I’ve done it multiple times, it’s just waaaaaaaay slower.
You are absolutely right, I like winter season to build muscle and summer for more of deficit fat loss phase without loosing the muscle i gained, thats the idea , secondly our body stops loosing fat if you are always in deficit, you got to keep your metabolism and hormones happy by keeping things in balance
so there comes a time that body recomp is foolish to strive for and thus it's much better to bulk and cut. I like that you talked about body recomp because many people still will preach bulk+cut to newbies when that's not the most helpful thing they can do
Spot on as usual, makes alot of sense! I struggle to gain muscle and think being too lean is part of it. Been in a 9mo surplus to see how adding body fat effects lean mass and without a doubt ive gained more strength and size (including fat). But seeing my last inbody surpass my lean plateau was encouraging, so will see if I can keep the 4lb lean gains when in a 1lb week cut in the new year.
I busted my ass all through highscool, lifting for my sport teams, had a personal trainer, lifted recreationally and had basically no progress for 4 years. I was cut up, could do Pushups and Pullups all day, but could never fill out a shirt the way I wanted. I discovered eating in college and my world changed. I ate my face off and finally saw the results I'd been pining for. But I got so enraptured with chasing size that I got a bit fat for a period of time, but that at least facilitated an environment for growth that hard gainers truly need. Now I've dialed it back to a healthy bf% and have retained most of the muscle I'd received during my "bulking" years. All these hard gainers listening to guys with freak genetics or juicers like Doucette telling them to "main-gain" or that you don't need to put fat on to build muscle are so full of shit it makes me want to rake my ears off. The war for hard gainers is not won in the weight room, it's won in the kitchen. Doesn't mean you should live on Little Debbie's. But treat everyday like it's Thanksgiving. Build muscle and strength (and some fat) in your early adult years when you're prime for growth when your hormones are firing, your joints are healthy and your metabolism is still churning then ease off the calories, still get your lifts in and you'll have muscle for the rest of your life. I'm in grad school for exercise science now and only wish I'd told myself earlier when I was a competitive athlete.
Well, you were a lean and mean athlete, already in shape with low bodyfat, of course a guy like u needs to eat. But many times beginners aren't like u, they're already fat when starting out, not necessarily overweight, but high fat % and out of shape cardio wise too. A guy like that starts with a bulk right from the get go, is going to be a fat fuck in no time lol. So that's the other side of the coin
I'd love to see a video on rapid fat loss when you're really overweight. I already know it's not the best idea for people who don't know how to eat, I'm talking about people who suffered injuries that resulted in weight gain and already know how to eat at maintenance. Slow weight loss is the ideal for most of us, but not everyone
Intermittent fasting. Massive calorie reduction, while taking a good multi-vitamin with methylated B vitamins. Exercise with weights, while adding SIT (Sprint Interval Training) occasionally. Put your headphones on, and go for LONG walks.
Great info! Could you make a video talking about how to avoid plaque buildup in arteries? Kali muscle is shredded but still had a heart attack due to plaque buildup; therefore, we know body fat is a factor but definitely not the deciding factor.
I am in the middle of this process. I'm experiencing some SLIGHT mental setbacks, but I'm good. I am slimming up, but gaining weight. It seems that I'm gaining muscle faster than losing. I am a newbie so to speak so the gains are there. I'm eating a dozen eggs a day and meat. Lots of meat. It seems to be building well. I'm just up 5 lbs and am coming to terms why and understanding it's ok.
I'm glad you said bulk without getting "fat". You've said before if I remember correctly. In a bulk you shouldn't really be over 20% bodyfat. Some where between 15-20.
It's a yes, but you will be capped if you want to build significant muscle. His question is very broad, but it's a yes when you only pay attention to the question being asked. He never factored anything else.
at 140 lbs and 8% BF that equates to about 11 lbs of fat. at 208 lbs and 9% BF that equates to about 19 lbs of body fat. That's an increase of 8 lbs of fat and 60 lbs of lean mass.
I feel like this is question isn't helpful to anyone, it only creates confusion and gives people the false idea of shortcuts. Recomp is a real process on a physiological level, but it is NOT an effective strategy for building significant amounts of muscle. 1. If you're obese, you shouldn't worry about maximum gains. 2. If you're a normal weight, bulking/cutting is going to prove your noob/muscle memory gains (and maybe 6-pack) way faster than recomp. 3. If you're intermediate and lean, you're gonna end up spinning your wheels for years if you refuse to bulk. 4. If you're advanced, you need all the help you can get to build additional muscle.
It is possible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. For a natural trainee, losing fat will come through maintaining a calorie deficit and building muscle will be through intense resistance training with adequate recovery and nutrition. Food is not what stimulates muscle growth; training does! A slight calorie surplus (100-300 calories extra) is optimal provided you're training with a high amount of intensity and stimulating the muscles adequately but not required if the goal is to maintain a lean body composition. With that said, people also need to reduce their expectations of what it means to lose fat and gain muscles. Its a lot easier to lose fat because your body is taking something that is already there and mobilizing it. With muscle, its essentially building it from raw materials which takes a lot longer to do for someone with average genetics.
you forgot the most important category: people who dont train to failure. If you´ve never trained to TRUE failure before, meaning you have not realized you're full strength, and you start training to true failure, you will definitely gain muscle while in small deficit. And truth is, 90%+ of people never train to true failure where they leave the gym completely destroyed after smashing prs.
Fat newbie here. According to the InBody machine, over 5 weeks I've lost 10.5 pounds of fat, and gained 0 lean body mass. That said my shoulders have visually grown, so that machine can't be 100% correct. Anyhow, I appreciate this video and it's very helpful in my planning.
Typically when someone loses weight around 25-30% comes from lean body mass*. If your lean mass really is unchanged (and any method has a wide margin of error), it could be that you gained a bit of muscle and that nets out against some other lean mass that you lost. That sounds like a win to me. Tangent, but another thing I think people overlook when they want to recomp is that muscle gain is a much slower process than fat loss. Most adult males who have fat to lose could drop a kilo in a week (it may not be the best idea, but they could). Adding a kilo of muscle takes a month even under really favorable circumstances. * Bearing in mind that lean mass is everything else in your body besides fat. Unless you’re getting super lean, you’re a really advanced lifter, or you’re crash dieting, this lean mass should just be water, connective tissue, and organ tissue.
I am trying to do both and kinda getting some results. Only reason I am trying to do both is because I got a belly from all the boozing over last few years. Soon as belly gone I'll focus on 1 at a time. Lost 16 pounds in last 3 month. And muscles are still getting better. But it's very hard to keep at it for so long since I love drinking haha 😄
Depends on the soreness. If you are really sore and have trouble moving, then no. Just recover. If it's just some light DOMS, go for it. I normally only get sore the first few sessions of a new program.
@@tonyh6620 I'm sure there is but I don't know off the top of my head. I've heard Dr Mike and Nick Bare say that your nutrition will normally go towards repairing the last thing you did. Then the other thing is even if it doesn't affect hypertrophy by itself, the fact you are sore will mean you can't train at 100%, so you are getting less stimulus but similar or more fatigue.
@@tonyh6620 also, if you are too sore to move, you've probably overdone it and are already inefficiently utilising your protein intake as it's going to actually repairing damage, rather than synthesising new muscle. Over the long term I doubt it makes too much difference, other than needing to deload a bit sooner, or risking injury if you really push it.
@@CaptainBrash thats exactly what Dr Schoenfeld says. Basically if the soreness doesnt impeded training performance, then training through it can be beneficial as its more volume and likely to result in more hypertrophy. But if youre sore to the point that u cant train optimally, its not good to train.
More people are in those categories then you seem to suggest, and for obese people in particular, they should train and diet to pursue both and only begin a proper bulk after they have reached their healthy weight goal and have maintained it for a while (like 3-4 months at least).
If you are 19% bodyfat, a healthy bodyfat, and probably the easiest bodyfat to gain mass, if you want to stay at 19% and put 10kg you still need to put 1.9 kg of fat on. Is easier if you put 8.1 muscle 3kg of fat, if you have been training a long time. Will still only put you at like 20% bodyfat. If you aren't in those categories, it is best to try to maintain as much muscle mass as you can, and take your time. Eat surplus one day and it will just replenish your muscle glycogen stores to full and build some muscle. You may be 1 lb heavier, but it will be all muscle material, effectively dropping your bodyfat percentage that day
4:15 Does LM necessarily mean muscle tho? Maybe the reason why the energy deficit groups had less LM gained is because they gained less water/glycogen rather than muscle tissue.
its called maingaining and i believe it only works if your a little chubby as your body makes up the surpluses with your excess body fat ... if you're already a bit lean it will work very very slowly or not at all
Only in degree. Eating at maintenance puts you at less of a handicap because you’re not actively working against one of your goals, but you’re also not providing the impetus for either muscle growth or fat loss.
Hey Layne, love the content. Just curious, is there benefit to someone older (50s) cycling bulking and cutting phases while keeping a reasonable weight, or should the focus be more directed to actively reaching and maintaining a healthy bodyweight and health markers. Should we not care about getting jacked at this point, lol?
My experience: after 10 years of lifting I decided do my first natural bodybuilding competition. I started the prep when I was 89kg and on stage I weighted just under 87kg even though I expected I may need to drop to even 80kg! My guess is when I started I may have been like 12% bodyfat and when ended I was maybe 8%…dont know but I had striated glutes and ended up second. As the weeks were passing by I was getting leaner but my weight stayed the same! I saw I’m getting leaner so I didnt push it harder. I was really suprised it went so good, maybe just by the increased protein cause I never ate as much protein as during that diet.
A lot of things can impact a weigh-in besides fat mass and muscle mass. If you truly lost 4% BF, that is 3.5kg. You probably didn't build 1.5kg of muscle during prep. The lack of such weight difference is probably from water weight. You may have been eating more voluminous food and drinking more water to feel more full in a deficit.
there a way to do it but maybe one or 2 bodyparts while maintaining the others. surplus on said body part day plus the day after or around maintanance with a decent defecit on the other days. could still do this if your training that bodypart twice a week and then on the other 3 days just a bigger deficit.
Hey layne not sure if you read these comments but I will try anyways lol can you make videos about organic and non organic about GMO and about hydrogenated oils because you slightly hint at it in your videos that there ok but don’t really go in-depth if you can that would be awesome and also content for you and even like a what I eat in a day video these videos would help more then you can imagine
Hard pill to swallow. Going to Europe for the summer. I have been lifting like crazy and start my day with a five mile run. Three months and no significant muscle gain/no significant fat loss.
Man, this video came at just the right time for me. I’m completely untrained, new to lifting, and out of shape, and I also weigh 300lbs. I spent so much time suffering from “analysis paralysis” trying to figure out how to best approach a transformation that it hindered me from doing the most important thing, just going to the gym and LIFTING instead of thinking about it. I’m currently in my second week of consistent training, and videos like yours give me the confidence that I’m on the right path. Thanks Dr. Norton!
I’m just a random guy on the Internet but I’ve been lifting for 10+ years and I would say something helpful to keep in mind when starting
- keep it super simple, you’re new so almost everything you do in the gym will work. So why overcomplicate it, only worry about safety when you’re new.
- learn to enjoy it first, it’s a long process and if you hate every second of it, it will be horrible.
- be consistent, go the days you said you would but again you’re new don’t kill yourself trying to go 7 days a week if that’s not sustainable
- give it time, give it a few months of consistency. This stuff takes time, it’s a marathon not a sprint.
I wish you the best, we are all rooting for you.
You're doing great, king
@@tpespos Great tips about enjoying it and sustainability. Listen to this guy. You're way better off erring on the side of working out too lightly then going too hard. You can always increase the intensity later. This is a long-term thing. One month spent easing your way into it is nothing. That's much smarter than killing yourself for a week, then feeling so exhausted that the very thought of going to the gym turns your stomach - the chances that you'll give up lifting entirely are very high at this point. Good luck on your journey. This stuff is definitely doable, so don't lose faith.
^Thank you all for your advice, kind words, and support! I will carry your words with me when I’m at the gym later tonight! 💪
@@ozymandias3097 kill it brother
Short answer yes long answer it depends
Ah yes, the coach himself 👑
Jesus who? 👀😳
basically
Hey coach
Waiting for your response video!
I know layne has probably had to write about or make videos about this same topic thousands of times over the years, but I appreciate the time taken to continue to reiterate this even today with new information or in new ways for anyone to be able to understand it.
Oh wow. I used to watch your videos back in high school when I was trying to learn about lifting and nutrition. That was 10 years ago. Glad that you’re still making these great vids.
This video applies to me for sure! I have easily 30-40 lbs of excess body fat and while I have been strength training for a few years, by no means have I been consistent, lifting often enough or heavy enough. I’ve now been working harder, more consistently and with a training program and am eating at a bit of a deficit and I’m noticing major body shape changes this year and am slowly losing or at times dropped clothes sizes without much of a scale change! I’m going to be more focused through next year.
That sounds like fantastic results.
Keep it up!
I fully agree man. some of my favorite *educated* youtubers have been preaching body recomp, but they all look impressive bc at some point they did a bulking face… it would be transparent to say that you can try body recomp but won’t have the same results. i think we all need to bulk at some point.
Great video man
On the contrary, consider that the vast, vast, vast majority of people who do bulk and cut cycles don't have an impressive physique at all. This advice has been around for at least 25 years now and in terms of the population at large, the results just aren't there. There are maybe a relative handful who can make bulk and cut work... and many of them are on drugs. Or who knows, maybe they have phenomenal hormones and genetics.
The best Nutrition educational channel with no doubt!
I say it can be done! I have been weight training for a few years and just recently decided to lose more body fat and get more muscle and guess what it's happening. Slowly but surely! While the numbers of the scale are going down I can see more body definition and toning all over. It's a slow process but it can be done. Everyone's body is different and what works for me might not work for you but I always say don't knock it until you try it!
I share exactly your opinion. I do both at the same time, the process is longer but the feeling is deeper, at least that's how I feel overall. I also do intermittent fasting which gives me overall "unlimited" energy level. I do all these for health fist, a holistic approach rather than focusing on pure muscle gain is what I feel is best for longevity and health. No one should be a specialist when it comes to one's health, it's a complex puzzle where many pieces are needed.
Absolutely agree. A ton of people swear by recomposition, and unless you're detrained obese or on drugs it's just unproductive. As you mentioned, science clearly confirms that manipulating energy balance with separate periods of "cutting" and "bulking" is much more efficient in the long run, and literally everybody that has gained a significant amount of muscle has done that too.
Great informations
I agree, but the vast majority of people wanting to get into training are well over 15% bodyfat (and many are also delusional about how lean they are), and so would most benefit in getting to 15% or below before considering any bulking or cutting phases.
Layne cites impatience, but from what I’ve seen there’s also a lot of fear of fat gain. Some folks would rather spend years trying to recomp than get a little uncomfortable, gain a bit of weight over a few months, and then diet the fat off.
(It’s not even that much weight. For a 175lb/80kg male novice, most of your leading coaches would be cool with a gain rate around 2 lb/1 kg per month. It’s not exactly a rocket trip to obesity.)
As someone who trained for 20 years and then took 3 years off due to injuries + divorce + 2020… and started back at 30%ish bf, now in striking distance of single digits, for me the answer is yes. But for me the muscle gain was because I was a detrained athlete who was once 240, 218 shredded. So I gained significant muscle back while on a deficit losing tons of body fat.
It’s not optimal. I’m not gaining as much muscle as I can be if I was on a surplus or even maintenance etc. but at 30% I felt like a fat shit. So, get shredded first while building as much muscle as I can, and now that I’m close to the shred being complete, I’ll start increasing calories and prioritizing muscle gain. Slow and steady though.
I'm definitely in the same boat as you. For me personally comes to eating right and sticking to it. I know I get my calories on the weekend which I need to stop.
At a body fat range of 10-20% you will have increased testosterone aka build muscle faster and recover faster.
I’m the poster child for this video.
I used to lift weights years ago and I was obese just under 23 months ago.
I was 402 pounds January 22nd 2020 and I was 213 pounds this morning. That’s 189 pounds lost and I have very noticeable muscle gains including 17 inch biceps.
That's really impressive bro 👏🏻 Congrats on your results. That's a lot of hard work. Respect.
only 17 ? rookie numbers
@@tekkas4 Yeah, I’m just a little guy.
I just saw this TikTok on how carcogenic vegetable oils are, and they use your favorite word ‘inflammation’ left and right. Would love to see a what-the-fitness video on it, or related topic (If you haven’t made one of course)!
soemthing I didn't even know until Layne talked about it in his what the fitness is that there are 2 types of inflammation, systemic and local, and they're not the same.
so I'm going to assume this tiktok you're referencing mixes the 2 up
@@kamo7293 Yes, they talk about ‘systemic inflammation’ just from eating vegetable oil, and the say something like ‘vegetable oil should belongs in your car, not on your salad’ and some other extreme stuff. I’d be curious to see the properties of canola and sunflower oil stacked against olive oil from an actual expert
I'm 56 years old. I've been working out since before Elvis died. I had two DEXA scans this year. The first one, on 2/24, I was 13% body fat. Then next one, 7/24, exactly 5 months later, I was 9.9% body fat. During that time, I lost a total of 3 lbs but 6 lbs of fat and gained 3 lbs of muscle.
LBM is not the same thing as muscle
@@biolayne1 True but your video's titled refers to muscle and fat.
I was both category 1 and 2. December 2018, i was fat as fuck at 269 pounds (5'8). Started going to the gym (never really weightlifted outside of PE in high school), and quickly got hooked on weightlifting. I've spent about 20 hours a week (15-16 weights/4-5 cardio) exercising in the gym for the past 3 years while in a calorie deficit. Went from extremely fat at 269 pounds, to buff at 170 pounds (my lowest in past month was 167.0), a 100 pound weight loss while gaining significant muscle and strength, 100% naturally.
At 34 years old, 5'8, 170 pounds (10-12% BF), Natty, with 3 years lifting experience (2.5 of deadlifting) and cutting on a 1,700 calorie diet (my maintenance is 2,600-2,800), i can conventional deadlift 535 pounds (potentially 545) beltless, which is an Elite level lift for my bodyweight.
Body Recomposition is VERY real, and can achieve significant results if you're in at least one of those three categories described, and apply yourself (i've spent more time lifting in the past 3 years, than most lifters do in 10 years).
That being said, i'm probably at the point where i do need to enter a slight calorie surplus to gain significant more muscle. I've basically tapped out my fat reserves for muscle growth. I plan on continuing cutting and shredding down until i receive a surgery to fix a SLAP Tear, then as i'm healing from the surgery, i'll perform a reverse-diet to slowly return to maintenance level calories over a couple months, and then enter a "lean-bulk" (200 calorie surplus) as i rebuild upper-body muscle and strength. I'm eager to see just how much muscle and strength i can build in an actual surplus, especially considering i'll be injury-free then. I already had an "Advanced" level bench press even with the SLAP Tear injury (until the pain made me pull back from benching), so curious to see if i'll be able to obtain an "Elite" level bench press to match the level of my deadlift.
So glad I found this channel! You're a wealth of knowledge Layne.
I have been doing body recomposition since July… down from 250 to 200 so far and have significantly increased weights on all exercises and increased my bicep circumference by 1 inch. It’s definitely possible.
If you were 250 coming down to 200, you had plenty of bodyfat to spare*, so that puts you in at least one of the categories Layne mentioned. It totally makes sense that you got both.
Where this pseudo-myth causes trouble is when someone has been at it for a year or two and made good progress (healthy bodyfat range, reasonably strong and muscular by general-population standards) but they aren’t where they want to be. They aren’t happy with their bodyfat level but they don’t want to diet, and they’re not happy with the amount of muscle they have but they’re afraid of gaining weight**. So they keep trying to do both at once and make slow to no progress toward either.
* Not judging, I topped out at 304 lbs myself, right on the threshold of Class III Obesity.
** Thing is, it’s not even that much weight. For a novice-to-intermediate male who weighs 175 lbs / 80 kg, most of the experts would recommend something around 2 lbs / 1 kg per month. The guy could do that for 3-6 months to efficiently put on muscle, then diet for 3-6 weeks to lose whatever fat he gained in the process.
You are not recomping if you are in a calorie deficit.
Body recomposition is when you are at maintenance calories and gain muscle and lose body fat.
@@Magic_beans_
Making “little/slow to none progress” is misinformation.
It is slowed down yes, however it never stops.
You will add more muscle and lose more weight the longer you are in a calorie deficit.
If you are ever not “losing weight” then you are by definition no longer in a calorie deficit
For some of us it takes weeks or months and for others it can be one or multiple years to reach our ideal weight.
Just don’t give up and never think that it won’t happen.
I have 30 weeks left on my cutting phase.
I have a goal of losing 15/45 lbs so quite a lot for someone in the 5’8 height.
Bringing me from obese to 12% bf.
I have previously been 15% bf before corona.
Anecdotally, I am in the process of recomposition now. “New” to lifting(never been consistent before), and see the inches come off my waist as my muscle size increases, and the weight numbers that I track increase so I know I’m building muscle. I’m in a caloric deficit of 1900 calories, 5’5”, 215 lbs.
Layne, long time follower. Love your material.
I’ve noticed this about myself, particularly when I have to lay off due to an injury, that I am able to build a descent amount of lean muscle and in a not so long amount of time. However, nothing will compare to my very first 1-1.5 years of training
muscles are mainly from water anyway. Main portion of our muscle gains is always water/glycogen not tissues. I cant see reason why people wouldnt built slight amount of muscle while cutting also when they are not newbies or after training break. As long as u are not in drastic caloric deficit you have your saccharides to do your training and stimulate muscles. You will supply enough proteins to them and they will grow. The energy or ATP respectively that is needed for muscle growth can be also from your fat stocks because it usually happens in the low intensity after training (while u rest), so fats can be easily utilized🙂. What also helps to obese to built muscle mass while cutting is (free) blood testosterone rise. When u cut your calories u need to start very light and then see what happens, then cut slihtly more and see what happens. Also you need to think about from what macronutrients you are cutting (starting always with the carbs, but slightly). Basically what u have said but, put via my words 😄.
Timely video - gives me motivation to do my 2 month cut after 10 months of lean bulking.
I 100% agree! For most of my time lifting/dieting, i’ve been in a sort of “permacut”. I’m not really eating enough to maximize muscle growth, yet not eating in enough of a deficit to burn significant body fat. In fact, if only in a slight deficit, a couple cheat meals can wipe out a week’s worth of gains. So I agree Layne, pick 1 and go with it, then pick the other when your goals have been reached!
Thank you, Layne. This was very educational.
The things most people don’t take into account, is muscle memory. If you have been muscular before, then become detrained and get fat, your body will regain a significant portion of your original size while burning fat...to a point. Muscle memory is POWERFUL.
This. Initial muscle gain involves bringing satellite stem cells into becoming muscle, next time you already have those cells, they just need to grow in size.
Just found this guy from one of Spencer’s videos. Why doesn’t this guy have more followers?
I can say I personally have never seen anyone ever put on a significant amount of muscle mass without getting a little puffy at a few points. Not a fat tub of lard, but yes some puffyness. When I say significant, I mean it clearly looks like you workout even with a loose sweatshirt on type muscle mass. I have seen many people below in the 170-190lb range that look amazing and are lean but never put on any more muscle mass. When I tell them if they want more, they are probably going to have to up their calories, they either say they don't have the appetite to do so or are scared of getting even the slightest bit puffy or gaining even a small amount of bodyfat.
Ayy this was me, I was 175 and it was hard for me to eat and subconsciously I was nervous about gaining fat because I didn’t think I could cut it off. I’m currently 200 Lbs at 11% body fat measured with impedance, and I’m loving it all. It took some faith
m for moderation.
it's really important not to try too much too fast, cause it won't be good
Basically you're talking about the roided look.
Were you skinny fat?
For the algorithm!
I'm actually doing a recomp right now, almost completely on accident. Over the past two months, I've gone from 41% bf to 32% bf. Despite trying to diet for the past 6 months, all of my lifts also grew, so I know that the muscle has grown. The other key thing is that I've stayed at 330lb for the past 6 months.
Layne, just wanted you to know I appreciate you bro.
100% agreed. Not a huge fan of doing both at the same time. First lean out and then build muscle. Both at the same time not physiologically possible. If you’re obese lose all the fat and yes you will lose some muscle in the process and then start building muscle. Be smart and don’t become fat again and enjoy your great physique.
Wow layne, what a creative topic this week... haven´t you answered this question for a thousand times already ?
I hope the answers YES, because I do it all the time. Okay, time to start the video.
The primary factor for bulding muscels is ttaining when you are on a surpluss you just have more energy to push your limits so you challenge the muscle to grow
Yes, this video is correct on all point. I build small amounts of muscle while dropping small amounts of fat. Never been able to " build and cut " dramatically at the same time.
If you just want to look fit and strong, it’s easy. If you want to be a huge muscular BODYBUILDER, then Layne is correct. It depends on just how muscular you intend to be.
200-300 calorie surplus is the sweet spot.
So basically, to get really fit looking, is to do a series of bulks and cuts, Body Recomp can happen at the beginning a bit, but at a certain point if you want to continue to build muscle you need to have slight surpluses, and then to lean out you need to have slight deficits.
I went from 360 to 168 THEN I began lifting. I think I did it wrong. Oh well almost months of lifting and using the Carbon App the results are showing, Thanks for what you do Layne!
I've watched 8 of your videos so I subscribed you earned
Always educational. Appreciate you.
very concise interpretation, with all the info we people do overcomplicate things
In my experience working on building lean mass while losing fat mass is most beneficial by reducing the amount of lean mass that is lost while cutting.
Last week (Feb 10th) i started my gym routine to add to my new calorie deficit routine. I weighed in at 291 the beginning of my first gym week with a goal of 250 by the end of June (4.5months). I'm currently taking it patiently with these first few weeks by limiting the amount of lifting to 50% of my time at the gym; the other 50% being cardio/endurance. I have a pretty active day job that easily can put me at 10,000 steps a day with stairs/ladders/etc in the mix. No supplements at the moment and honestly I can tell when I've reached my energy limit with lifting and that's usually when I call it (diminishing returns) and switch to cardio mode to burn the extra calories I want for the day. My first week was pretty much 30min/30min split between lifting/isolated exercises and cardio this second week I've increased to about 45/45 which I will sustain for a good duration of the next month or two. 250 by June will be my starting point for significant weight training/diet changes but a professional bmi/scan will be scheduled at that time to truly determine where I need to go next.
We've been doing periodization with mesocycles and it's been effective for decades now. I don't know why people keep on dying to recomp.
Completely agree. Back to training after 2 years off. In a defecit but visually recomping nicely. Newbie gains all over again 😂
God damn Layne you are always so spot on
Love your videos and knowledge.. thx man..💪🏽💪🏽
the reason I started lifting is because after watching Jeff nippards video on body recomp I realised I was in 2 camps for body recomp, obese and newbie. so I started.
Layne needs 1 mil subscribers asap!!
Exactly it cna be done even with an advanced lifter in some cases. Earlier this year, because of gym closing, I spend a few month only doing callisthenics (I have been lifting for 10 years). After that, I redid Colossus by Meadows with my friend while in a deficit and natty, and we both gained muscle and strength and lost fat
I suck at losing fat anyway I guess Im gonna try to stick with a bulk now and see what that does for my overall composition
Former NBA star, Alonzo Mourning, wrote in his biography that he during an 8 months span (after his kidney surgery) put on nearly 40 pounds of muscle and lost 35 pounds of fat simultaniously and went down from a 13 percent bodyfat to 6, which I always found interesting.
Keto helped me do this.
You aren’t going to diet your way into a muscular physique. On point
Why nobody takes in account the intrinsical need of fat for muscle building?
Indeed there is a need of amimoacids to build proteins which will be.. encapsulated by a phospholipidic membrane
Not to mention the variety of internal membranes, the mithocondrial the most important of all
In a muscle building diet wouldn't be interesting to add some good quality lipids sources aiming to help the liver in converting carbo to carboxylic acids and at same time building better cell membranes less prone to oxidation?
You definitely can over a long period of time in a small calorie deficit. I lost a lot of fat an gained a strength at the same time. But it’s not something I would do all year round, because it’s still easier to gain strength on a slight surplus.
He’s talking about muscle mass though not strength, there’s a lot more that goes into strength besides muscle size. Not sure if I’m just misinterpreting you though.
@@tpespos layne is talking about significant amounts of mass. Not a couple or three pounds like this guy is saying. It is definitely possible. I’ve done it multiple times, it’s just waaaaaaaay slower.
Such a useful video
I can almost hear him screeching in the distance..
You are absolutely right, I like winter season to build muscle and summer for more of deficit fat loss phase without loosing the muscle i gained, thats the idea , secondly our body stops loosing fat if you are always in deficit, you got to keep your metabolism and hormones happy by keeping things in balance
>body stops losing fat if you are always in a deficit
right...
I'm all 3
so there comes a time that body recomp is foolish to strive for and thus it's much better to bulk and cut.
I like that you talked about body recomp because many people still will preach bulk+cut to newbies when that's not the most helpful thing they can do
Great video
Spot on as usual, makes alot of sense! I struggle to gain muscle and think being too lean is part of it. Been in a 9mo surplus to see how adding body fat effects lean mass and without a doubt ive gained more strength and size (including fat). But seeing my last inbody surpass my lean plateau was encouraging, so will see if I can keep the 4lb lean gains when in a 1lb week cut in the new year.
You don’t lose muscle when you cut in a smaller deficit (500 deficit calories or leas).
If that is what you wondered though.
I've gone from 225 lbs to now 280 lbs within 2.5 years. I was around mid 20s bf now at 20% bf
I busted my ass all through highscool, lifting for my sport teams, had a personal trainer, lifted recreationally and had basically no progress for 4 years. I was cut up, could do Pushups and Pullups all day, but could never fill out a shirt the way I wanted.
I discovered eating in college and my world changed. I ate my face off and finally saw the results I'd been pining for. But I got so enraptured with chasing size that I got a bit fat for a period of time, but that at least facilitated an environment for growth that hard gainers truly need. Now I've dialed it back to a healthy bf% and have retained most of the muscle I'd received during my "bulking" years.
All these hard gainers listening to guys with freak genetics or juicers like Doucette telling them to "main-gain" or that you don't need to put fat on to build muscle are so full of shit it makes me want to rake my ears off.
The war for hard gainers is not won in the weight room, it's won in the kitchen. Doesn't mean you should live on Little Debbie's. But treat everyday like it's Thanksgiving. Build muscle and strength (and some fat) in your early adult years when you're prime for growth when your hormones are firing, your joints are healthy and your metabolism is still churning then ease off the calories, still get your lifts in and you'll have muscle for the rest of your life.
I'm in grad school for exercise science now and only wish I'd told myself earlier when I was a competitive athlete.
Yes sir
Well, you were a lean and mean athlete, already in shape with low bodyfat, of course a guy like u needs to eat. But many times beginners aren't like u, they're already fat when starting out, not necessarily overweight, but high fat % and out of shape cardio wise too. A guy like that starts with a bulk right from the get go, is going to be a fat fuck in no time lol. So that's the other side of the coin
Thank you
I'd love to see a video on rapid fat loss when you're really overweight. I already know it's not the best idea for people who don't know how to eat, I'm talking about people who suffered injuries that resulted in weight gain and already know how to eat at maintenance. Slow weight loss is the ideal for most of us, but not everyone
Intermittent fasting. Massive calorie reduction, while taking a good multi-vitamin with methylated B vitamins. Exercise with weights, while adding SIT (Sprint Interval Training) occasionally. Put your headphones on, and go for LONG walks.
Great info!
Could you make a video talking about how to avoid plaque buildup in arteries? Kali muscle is shredded but still had a heart attack due to plaque buildup; therefore, we know body fat is a factor but definitely not the deciding factor.
Just go watch what Kali muscle ate and don’t do that.
Eat as many veggies and fruit and whole grains as possible. Limit animal fat (saturated fat) + cholesterol.
And do cardio 3-4 times a week 30 to 60 minutes, low intensity steady state
The only sure-fire way is to get LDL cholesterol under 80. Which, depending on your genetics, may or may not require a statin.
@@johncalla2151 agreed, and that is only possible with the things i stated above
very informative video indeed
I am in the middle of this process. I'm experiencing some SLIGHT mental setbacks, but I'm good. I am slimming up, but gaining weight. It seems that I'm gaining muscle faster than losing. I am a newbie so to speak so the gains are there.
I'm eating a dozen eggs a day and meat. Lots of meat. It seems to be building well. I'm just up 5 lbs and am coming to terms why and understanding it's ok.
He is correct this time
I'm glad you said bulk without getting "fat". You've said before if I remember correctly. In a bulk you shouldn't really be over 20% bodyfat. Some where between 15-20.
It's a yes, but you will be capped if you want to build significant muscle. His question is very broad, but it's a yes when you only pay attention to the question being asked. He never factored anything else.
perfection
at 140 lbs and 8% BF that equates to about 11 lbs of fat.
at 208 lbs and 9% BF that equates to about 19 lbs of body fat. That's an increase of 8 lbs of fat and 60 lbs of lean mass.
8 percent bro?
Yeah, 8% at 210 lbs...I don't think that's even possible as a natty.
@@JoshBenware right that would mean he is 2 percent away from ifbb competition winning shape . Idk bout that
I feel like this is question isn't helpful to anyone, it only creates confusion and gives people the false idea of shortcuts. Recomp is a real process on a physiological level, but it is NOT an effective strategy for building significant amounts of muscle.
1. If you're obese, you shouldn't worry about maximum gains.
2. If you're a normal weight, bulking/cutting is going to prove your noob/muscle memory gains (and maybe 6-pack) way faster than recomp.
3. If you're intermediate and lean, you're gonna end up spinning your wheels for years if you refuse to bulk.
4. If you're advanced, you need all the help you can get to build additional muscle.
It is possible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. For a natural trainee, losing fat will come through maintaining a calorie deficit and building muscle will be through intense resistance training with adequate recovery and nutrition. Food is not what stimulates muscle growth; training does! A slight calorie surplus (100-300 calories extra) is optimal provided you're training with a high amount of intensity and stimulating the muscles adequately but not required if the goal is to maintain a lean body composition.
With that said, people also need to reduce their expectations of what it means to lose fat and gain muscles. Its a lot easier to lose fat because your body is taking something that is already there and mobilizing it. With muscle, its essentially building it from raw materials which takes a lot longer to do for someone with average genetics.
Thanks
you forgot the most important category: people who dont train to failure. If you´ve never trained to TRUE failure before, meaning you have not realized you're full strength, and you start training to true failure, you will definitely gain muscle while in small deficit. And truth is, 90%+ of people never train to true failure where they leave the gym completely destroyed after smashing prs.
Isn't a big factor with this to do with hormones? s which I find interesting after coming straight from your video on hormones and calories.
Would be interested in your thoughts on fermented foods like Natto of Kimchi.
Fat newbie here. According to the InBody machine, over 5 weeks I've lost 10.5 pounds of fat, and gained 0 lean body mass. That said my shoulders have visually grown, so that machine can't be 100% correct.
Anyhow, I appreciate this video and it's very helpful in my planning.
Sometimes you look 'bigger' when you lose some fats though. So visual cues arent 100% accurate either.
Typically when someone loses weight around 25-30% comes from lean body mass*. If your lean mass really is unchanged (and any method has a wide margin of error), it could be that you gained a bit of muscle and that nets out against some other lean mass that you lost. That sounds like a win to me.
Tangent, but another thing I think people overlook when they want to recomp is that muscle gain is a much slower process than fat loss. Most adult males who have fat to lose could drop a kilo in a week (it may not be the best idea, but they could). Adding a kilo of muscle takes a month even under really favorable circumstances.
* Bearing in mind that lean mass is everything else in your body besides fat. Unless you’re getting super lean, you’re a really advanced lifter, or you’re crash dieting, this lean mass should just be water, connective tissue, and organ tissue.
@@Magic_beans_ thank you for that clarification.
I am trying to do both and kinda getting some results. Only reason I am trying to do both is because I got a belly from all the boozing over last few years. Soon as belly gone I'll focus on 1 at a time. Lost 16 pounds in last 3 month. And muscles are still getting better. But it's very hard to keep at it for so long since I love drinking haha 😄
You can get ripped and still enjoy some drinking, my friend.
Love ur vidoss bro
what about "main gaining" as per CG:?
@Jo Jocan't you use excess body fat, with adequate protein intake, to fuel energy requirements?
Layne could u make a video on muscle soreness, if its ok to train when sore, etc? Love the content. Youre my most trusted source of info bro
Depends on the soreness.
If you are really sore and have trouble moving, then no. Just recover.
If it's just some light DOMS, go for it. I normally only get sore the first few sessions of a new program.
@@CaptainBrash same. Im curious though if theres any evidence or studies suggesting if training while moderately sore effects hypertrophy.
@@tonyh6620 I'm sure there is but I don't know off the top of my head. I've heard Dr Mike and Nick Bare say that your nutrition will normally go towards repairing the last thing you did.
Then the other thing is even if it doesn't affect hypertrophy by itself, the fact you are sore will mean you can't train at 100%, so you are getting less stimulus but similar or more fatigue.
@@tonyh6620 also, if you are too sore to move, you've probably overdone it and are already inefficiently utilising your protein intake as it's going to actually repairing damage, rather than synthesising new muscle.
Over the long term I doubt it makes too much difference, other than needing to deload a bit sooner, or risking injury if you really push it.
@@CaptainBrash thats exactly what Dr Schoenfeld says. Basically if the soreness doesnt impeded training performance, then training through it can be beneficial as its more volume and likely to result in more hypertrophy. But if youre sore to the point that u cant train optimally, its not good to train.
More people are in those categories then you seem to suggest, and for obese people in particular, they should train and diet to pursue both and only begin a proper bulk after they have reached their healthy weight goal and have maintained it for a while (like 3-4 months at least).
I think the video is directed at those people that are not in the 3 categories
Can you do a video on mini cut and mini bulk phases?
If you are 19% bodyfat, a healthy bodyfat, and probably the easiest bodyfat to gain mass, if you want to stay at 19% and put 10kg you still need to put 1.9 kg of fat on. Is easier if you put 8.1 muscle 3kg of fat, if you have been training a long time. Will still only put you at like 20% bodyfat. If you aren't in those categories, it is best to try to maintain as much muscle mass as you can, and take your time. Eat surplus one day and it will just replenish your muscle glycogen stores to full and build some muscle. You may be 1 lb heavier, but it will be all muscle material, effectively dropping your bodyfat percentage that day
4:15 Does LM necessarily mean muscle tho? Maybe the reason why the energy deficit groups had less LM gained is because they gained less water/glycogen rather than muscle tissue.
One thing I rarely hear about is building muscle at maintenance. Is that very different from being in a deficit?
its called maingaining and i believe it only works if your a little chubby as your body makes up the surpluses with your excess body fat ... if you're already a bit lean it will work very very slowly or not at all
Only in degree. Eating at maintenance puts you at less of a handicap because you’re not actively working against one of your goals, but you’re also not providing the impetus for either muscle growth or fat loss.
Hey Layne, love the content. Just curious, is there benefit to someone older (50s) cycling bulking and cutting phases while keeping a reasonable weight, or should the focus be more directed to actively reaching and maintaining a healthy bodyweight and health markers. Should we not care about getting jacked at this point, lol?
My experience: after 10 years of lifting I decided do my first natural bodybuilding competition. I started the prep when I was 89kg and on stage I weighted just under 87kg even though I expected I may need to drop to even 80kg! My guess is when I started I may have been like 12% bodyfat and when ended I was maybe 8%…dont know but I had striated glutes and ended up second. As the weeks were passing by I was getting leaner but my weight stayed the same! I saw I’m getting leaner so I didnt push it harder. I was really suprised it went so good, maybe just by the increased protein cause I never ate as much protein as during that diet.
A lot of things can impact a weigh-in besides fat mass and muscle mass. If you truly lost 4% BF, that is 3.5kg. You probably didn't build 1.5kg of muscle during prep. The lack of such weight difference is probably from water weight. You may have been eating more voluminous food and drinking more water to feel more full in a deficit.
Great video, I was getting tired of the teenagers thinking they are going to “maingain” their way to 40 lbs heavier.
I like rabbit comparison oh, really make sense
there a way to do it but maybe one or 2 bodyparts while maintaining the others. surplus on said body part day plus the day after or around maintanance with a decent defecit on the other days. could still do this if your training that bodypart twice a week and then on the other 3 days just a bigger deficit.
is 100-200 cal suplus enough
Hey layne not sure if you read these comments but I will try anyways lol can you make videos about organic and non organic about GMO and about hydrogenated oils because you slightly hint at it in your videos that there ok but don’t really go in-depth if you can that would be awesome and also content for you and even like a what I eat in a day video these videos would help more then you can imagine
With Trenbolone you can!💪
0:14 - Two goals at the same time.
Hard pill to swallow. Going to Europe for the summer. I have been lifting like crazy and start my day with a five mile run. Three months and no significant muscle gain/no significant fat loss.