On the contrary though, it can be argued that a lot of your muscle growth occurs on that day away from the weights, so by eating in a deficit, you aren't really giving your body enough fuel to grow. And on a fat loss side, your body is put in a deficit on the non-training days, but in a surplus on the training days, so it can't really shed any fat either. This is why I believe it's just better to either eat in a surplus for an extended period of time, or eat in a deficit for a extended period of time...no harm in testing it out, maybe you will blow me away.
Keeping it simple, and having one grasp "fully" the basic fundamentals of diet structure is important. It is the super-glue that allows the more advanced methods to work. Grasping the basics is vastly under rated, and is what most new to training and dieting need the most to pave their way to their goal future. Some don't take the "necessary" time to learn this, and sometimes get frustrated, not "necessarily" through lack of effort, but failing to look at themselves in an educated manner. Simple basics within dietary mechanics can be deadly when applied appropriately and specifically to the person.
Taking the "time" to learn is MORE important than the time spent in the gym, because the elements learned in this time, is what is "put into the mechanics of the diet and time in training"; therefore, the quality in what is
learned can determine the
type of quality you get from your dieting and fitness efforts. It follows then, that if one believes taking time to learn is a CRIME, then one shouldn't mind wasting their gym TIME.
However, ones not so new and have bridged the gap between learning the basics of diet and fitness and advanced techniques, can utilize various methods in an attempt to optimize their goal path according to what they desire.
Its "simply" not ALL about being in the weight room.
In my opinion, your mental attitude, how you manage your time away from the gym (through educating yourself), and how intensely and smartly you apply yourself in and out of the gym--will determine your results.
Most of your results come through: Preparation, which can bring the correct perspiration, and is inspired through education.
One's personal results, are "largely" determined by what they do "away from the weight room" rather than in the weight room.
And, a lot fail to connect the activity away from the weight room to the importance of the logistics of being in the weight room: As "one".
If one thinks about it. We actually spend very little time in the gym as compared to the hours in a day. For example, if you train for an hour 4 times per week: There is 168 hours in a week, minus the 4 hours. This leaves 164 hours one is not training.
Dependent on what one does with these 164 hours, it can have a HUGE impact on your results.
Growth and/or strength increases occur out of the gym (not in it), and what one does away from the gym or what one doesn't do away from the gym, will have an impact on the sweat you applied in the gym.
For example, if one is on a fat loss quest, they can squander their efforts in the gym---in a matter of "minutes"--by activating and reacting to hunger cravings "inappropriately"--especially when one is acting on a whim, and a trend history isn't supporting this activity, nor being applied in an educated fashion.
I don't know about any on else, I don't like the idea of working my butt off for an hour, and then allow the remaining 23 hours to knowingly cause an undesirable impact on my personal fitness goals.
I don't like "knowingly" wasting my time.
Rather I try to "optimize" what I can, with what I know about myself, and I do this simply through education, and try to apply it correctly to the my personal particulars: This is in fact what ROCKS. It is in fact a 24 hour attack on one's goal, not an hour (or 4 hours per week as in my example).
This is one of the reasons why most in the fitness field recommend trying to implement a: Life style change.
I love diet and fitness, and this is a gross understatement. And, I learned many things in my own personal battles, and one of the most important ones are:
Separating the mind from the
feed back the body gives you, and
react using your mind that is
supported with education
in what you are attempting to do.
You will always be fighting your "variable" bodily biological processes (that is effected through diet, training, and other personal factors), and while these can effect your head, there is still a piece of you in your mind, that is the stronger one, and its this piece you need to use to guide yourself.
Where it becomes weak is when one doesn't know what to do, because it isn't supported and backed by education. And, you learn what to do by educating yourself--and learning to apply it as you go. It is a learn as you go process.
The diet is the driving force and catalyst to solicit lean muscle mass; it is biologically expensive to create muscle mass.
The diet can
prevent muscle growth,
cause muscle growth,
prevent fat loss,
cause fat loss , and
effect a person biologically and psychologically. It is the catalyst within a fitness plan that makes everything else that one should
"also attempt to make optimal" work.
It seems to be "least expensive" to
new persons beginning a weight program when they have had a extreme time off or just beginning a program, and "most expensive" when one has been
training for long and consistent periods.
In other words, (keeping things equal) a lot of new persons to weight training can obtain extraordinary results from fitness training for a short time (until the body adapts), while one fitness training for a considerable length it can be much more difficult, pricey, and strength/gains "can be" much slower coming.
In both examples, the diet is still the cornerstone to solicit muscle mass and the weight training is the stimulus to solicit muscle strength/growth IF you continue to give the body "a reason" to remove itself from homeostasis (wanting to be the same).
And, this is through being proactive with "progression" when making/creating your workout, and being active "on-the-fly" with progression while in the gym "performing your routine"; you simply must make the body adapt, and when it seems it doesn't want to (dependent feedback results) reasonably force progression.
You support being able to apply effective progression in the gym, by "continually" educating yourself on weight training exercises, the basic mechanics, some advanced methods, keeping diet and weight training history on yourself, and applying an educated change as you move along with your personal fitness plan.
You simply write your own personal novel and insert an addendum (an update) where its needed based on solid educational foundation.
One of you greats foes to your muscle gains is going to be consistency and persistence in application:
The best thing for energy is this:
1. Well constructed diet, 2. Surrounded with proper fitness exercise and rest, 3. Continually feeding and educating your brain the personally-proper input that motivates you to do 1 and 2.
The education behind diet and fitness (basics and fundamentals) are easy to understand. But, applying it to build muscle is the difficult part. It isn't a mistake why trainers apply a diet and training program to a specific person. Its because though we are all human, we are not all put together the same, and as such, you have to write your own fitness novel, and figure yourself out. Which means you are going to fall on your face a few times, get some bumps and bruises, before you figure yourself out. You really have no choice but to get through this process---TO MAKE IT.
Basic fundamentals work for most (keeping things equal):
1. Construct your calories personally to you, and adapt these calories that is applicable to your personal goal you seek. (LEARN diet structure)
2. Construct a sound Full Body Routine. (LEARN the different types of exercises, EDUCATE yourself on the body parts, LEARN calories burned during exercises, etc)
3. Work HARD. (Intensity, progression, consistency,)
4. Give it time. (Have patience, and adapt to your body through EDUCATION).
5. And, good things happen.
With this said, I have always utilized a deficit/surplus calorie strategy and a macro-nutrient manipulation structure within my diet--nearly from the very beginning (over simplifying); I was able to gain about 9 pounds of muscle mass in 10 months, while my BF never topped 12% (September 07 through July 08). And, this year with my diet and fitness journals behind me, I will perform the same functions, and gain 10 more pounds while keeping control of my BF.
Hope your day is well
Chillen
