Clarification on cutting and weightlifting at the same time

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Hey all,

I have spoken to different physicians, trainers and just general 'beef' and well toned individuals. They all give me mixed views on cutting and weightlifting at the same time. I understand that weightlifting intensly during lets say in the morning of a day followed by intense cardio in the evening does not really do justice for the body as your undergoing two different metabolic cycles in the body, - by trying to bulk on muscle AND loose fat. I understand that this is wrong, but is it so bad to actually weight lift intensly at the beginning of one week for 2-3 days, allowing a days rest for the muscles to recover, and then finish off with intense cardio in the last few days of the week. Would this particular regime still though lead to you loosing more muscle mass then you actually bargained for?

Cheers

[Bleeding Lion]

IMHO cutting and bulking at the same time is 80% about how good your genes are (dont question the %, i made it up to illustrate my point). Some people will do the described routine and be fine while others will do it and lose a lot of muscle mass.

I dont have the credentials necessary to actually analyse what the routine might do to your body. hopefully somebody more experienced (master jules?) will.

[Jazzstorm]

It is possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. To do this,you must make sure your macros(protein,carbs,fat) are in the right percentages....sometimes this takes some tweaking,as everyone's body is different. Rest is also very important,as is balancing your workouts.

I am currently doing this under the direction of a bodybuilder with many years experience.I have lost over 2%BF,but have not lost any weight(gained muscle)

I want to add,it's easier to do them separately.(from what I've read)

Good Luck

[SevenStar]

here's the scientific explanation - the body cannot be in anabolic and catabolic states at the same time. it is either in burn mode or on gain mode for optimal efficiency. look at body builders. They lift heavy weights and eat lots of food in the off season. in the on season, they do more cardio and work to cut down to their competition weight. Why? it's more efficient, as that's how the body operates.

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here's the scientific explanation - the body cannot be in anabolic and catabolic states at the same time.quote]

When you say at the same time, do you mean doing cardio and weightlifting sessions both during a day, several days or a week. If not more?

[Exponential]

Is lifting for endurance (12 to 15 reps) better for bulking or cutting? I know that 8 reps is what builds the most muscle, but I've also heard that lifting for endurance builds some lean mass.

Also, how does a pro fighter at the lower level, who has to fight every couple months to keep up anyway find time to bulk when they have to work so hard on their cardiovascular conditioning for the fight?

Thanks.

[SevenStar]

here's the scientific explanation - the body cannot be in anabolic and catabolic states at the same time.quote]

When you say at the same time, do you mean doing cardio and weightlifting sessions both during a day, several days or a week. If not more?

No. I'm talking about the body's internal processes. your body is either in mode to gain weight or it is not.

[SevenStar]

Is lifting for endurance (12 to 15 reps) better for bulking or cutting? I know that 8 reps is what builds the most muscle, but I've also heard that lifting for endurance builds some lean mass.

Also, how does a pro fighter at the lower level, who has to fight every couple months to keep up anyway find time to bulk when they have to work so hard on their cardiovascular conditioning for the fight?

Thanks.

12-15 reps is good for endurance. You won't build any serious muscle size that way, because you are not recruiting all of your muscle fibers; the body is lazy by nature - it does the bare minimum it needs to in order to get by. In other words, by lifting high reps, you will use only enough muscle fibers to perform those reps with that weight. now, when you lift heavy, maximal weights, your body HAS to use all of it's available fibers to push the weight because you put a load on it that it cannot handle. it will then stimulate growth, because the body will try to adapt to that weight so that it can move it easier.

As for bulking, a fighter will not worry about that. he fights within his weight class. bulking can push him above his weight and cause him to forfeit his fight. a fighters goal is to be in the best shape possible for his weight. they often lose weight to compete, rarely to they go up.

[Exponential]

Thanks, sevenstar. How do you know what your wieght class should be?

[SevenStar]

that's up to you. when are you planning on fighting? how much time do you have to cut weight? If you feel that you would be more effective at a lighter weight, then lose the weight before you take a match. If you feel you would be more effective at your current weight, then stay there.

another thing to look at is advantage - if you are currently at the low end of what your weight division would be, then you may want to drop a little - just enough so that you are the heaviest in the division below you. It can suck when you always have to fight bigger guys than you. if you ARE the biggest though, then it can work to your advantage.