If the calorie deficit is too low, it can lead to muscle loss. However, a slight to moderate calorie deficit can actually help with body recomposition and preserve muscle mass while losing fat. What is body recomposition? Body recomposition is the process of losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously.
No, it is not possible to gain lean muscle while eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current size/weight. In order to build muscle, you need to create a slight caloric surplus and provide your body with enough protein to support the muscle growth.
Yes, you can definitely build muscle when you are skinny without eating a lot of food. In fact, some people build muscle more easily when they're not eating as many calories.
Gaining Muscle When Eating Less
If you want to lose weight and still build muscle, it's possible as long as you find a balance in your routine, which includes: Eating enough protein: The body uses protein to build muscle, so you need to eat enough for your body to convert to muscle tissue.
To make gains you have to have the right nutrients in your body to construct muscle. This means that what you eat, and how much, is essential in making muscle gains. Lifting and doing strength training without adequate nutrition, especially without enough protein, can actually lead to loss of muscle tissue.
Even if you want to lose body fat, which does require a calorie deficit, cutting calories too much can cause you to lose muscle rather than maintaining muscle while burning fat. Watch out for clear signs that your body isn't getting enough nutrients as a cue to eat more for better gains, Asche said.
There are other terms for this, such as build mode, but bulking is a common term for this caloric surplus. Dirty bulking is when an individual is in a caloric surplus to build muscle (build mode). However, the individual is eating foods that are carb dense, unhealthy, and ultra-processed out of convenience.
“Some studies have argued that muscle gains are manageable on an energy deficit up to 500 calories per day,” says Dr Adam. “In theory, this type of deficit would cover traditional calorie-restricted diets, as well as intermittent fasting, which often averages out at 500 calories per day across the week.”
Overtraining and undereating can not only cause you to lose efficiency, but it can also cause you to lose muscle mass. If you have weight loss goals, eating less may sound like a good idea, but if it doesn't align with your fitness goals, you won't see the results you're hoping for.
Increase the intensity of your workouts instead of working out for long periods of time. Make sure you're getting enough calories and protein in your diet for muscle growth. Get plenty of sleep and give your muscles time for recovery. Try supplements for more strength, energy, and power, like creatine and HMB.
Unfortunately, that's a misleading and oversimplified statement. That's not what science has shown us for a long time. The real answer is, it's complicated. Yes, your body will burn fat before it starts breaking down significant amounts of muscle.
In order to build muscle, your body does require additional nutrients and calories, but that doesn't give you license to eat as much as you want. If you take in more calories than you burn – whether from unhealthy, fatty, sugary foods or from a healthy well-balanced diet – those calories will get stored as body fat.
Interestingly while a calorie deficit can impair muscle growth, it doesn't necessarily stop you from gaining strength. A recent review found that while those training in a calorie deficit saw impaired muscle growth, their strength gains weren't affected.
You'll typically start to see results in 6-8 weeks, and more significant gains after three months. Yet however long it takes, developing your muscles and making them stronger is something we should all be doing to improve our overall health and quality of life.
Can You Be in a Calorie Deficit and Gain Muscle? For some people, yes, it is possible to build muscle in a calorie deficit. For example, those who are new to resistance training and/or have higher BMIs may find a heightened response to lifting weights and experience greater losses of fat mass in a calorie deficit.
Studies show for example that the production of metabolic hormones (among others adrenalin) increases when fasting up to 180%. The level of growth hormones (especially somatropin) also multiplies. This interaction is the reason why intermittent fasting can preserve or build muscles and at the same time reduce body fat!
Lean muscle is all about that shredded, sculpted look, while muscle bulk is more about sheer size and power. It's like the difference between a sleek race car and a hulking tank. Both have their advantages, so it all comes down to personal preference.
What does “skinny fat” look like? Phenotypically, they look lean and healthy, but when we check them out they have high levels of body fat and inflammation. This ectomorph body build has hidden high levels of body fat. They appear thin and flabby.
Now, for the age-old question: should you do cardio during bulking? The answer is yes, but with a balanced approach. Too much cardio can counteract the calorie surplus you need for muscle growth, making it harder to see progress.