Fat loss versus muscle gain

Once you dip below the 10% range, its pretty hard to lose fat and gain muscle.

At what point is this true, is this an accurate number (10%)

My body fat is in the low 20% i mainly lift but do cardio about 2 times a week for 20 minutes. I currently eat slightly below maintaince level, I do slowly lose weight and continue to get stronger. I have had great results in the past year losing fat and gaining muscle, but was thinking about cutting back on my lifting and increasing cardio to lose more fat.

My question is when do you get to the point where you stop gaining muscle while losing fat?

Thanks
 
actually, it is near impossible (i think) to gain muscle while losing fat. What you are actually doing is gaining strength (via synchroniztion, muscle memory, firing more muscle fibers) and losing bodyfat %.

Hey, if you are getting stronger while losing fat. NICE, keep it up. Keep it up man.
 
than you confirm what i originally thought. I think it is time for me to decrease my lifting and increase my cardio. My gains have slowed down lately

thanks
 
Oooo, contre..

Personally, I think you outta rev-up the lifting. Try doing a Fullbody workout with 3-5 sets at 10-15 reps per set and 1 minute rest period or less. Then proceed to do cardio and if you can do it, try to do HIITS.

Weight lifting helps to deplete the stored glycogen so that when you do cardio, your body is more ready to burn off the fat.
 
i agree, thats kinda what i am thinking about doing. Right now i'm doing chest on mon, legs on tues, back on wed, etc.

I am looking at some of the workouts on the site right now. I want a good full body workout that will elave me with enough energy to do the cardio at the end. I definitely do now want to complete cut out the lifting, just cut back.
 
Calorie deficit = fat loss
Calorie surplus = muscle gain (assuming you're doing the work necessary to gain muscle)

Resistance training is important to both, since if you're in a deficit, it will help you protect the muscle you already have, so your body won't convert as much of it to energy when it needs it (it will use more fat). Also, fat loss can happen without working out, but then you'd probably end up looking skinny-fat, without the muscle tone you'd like to see at the end.

An exception is beginners - they actually can gain muscle and lose fat when they start working out, but that tends to tail off into a choice of cutting (fat loss) or bulking (muscle gain).
 
From what i have been reading lately on this site and others, it really doesent matter too much if you are a beginner or not, it matters how much fattness you stary with. The fatter you start out the more your body has the ability to use fat as energy. If you are a beginner that is skinny, your fat burnng ability is lower.
 
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