Gain muscle first? Or lose fat first? Help!

Here is what I want to do, in no particular order:

- build muscle, especially in my upper body (my legs and butt are crazy muscled already)

- get rid of some bodyfat

- look like I can kick some butt (I've been skinny, don't want that again)

I'm 5'1" and female, currently 131 and 29% bodyfat.  I lift heavy (squats, deadlifts, leg press, bench press, more--all that stuff, try to vary each workout) for 30-40 minutes 3 days a week with a 10-15 minute cardio warmup (rowing).  I'm about to throw some HIIT in there, too, but haven't started that yet.  Right now I'm eating maintenence (around 1600) most days, but I know I need to adjust that.  I just don't know whether to adjust up or down!

So,  do I first concentrate on building muscle for a while (increase calories) and THEN cut back calories to get rid of the fat?

OR, do I cut the calories, lose the fat, and THEN work on building the muscle?

It's funny because losing fat and building muscle go hand in hand when you lift weights. Building muscle is the best way to lose bodyfat. Over the years, cardio got a lot of focus and people started stepping away from the weights. When it is actually weight lifting that leads to a better overall body transformation. Cardio is still a component of fitness, just not as important as people think. As a whole it isn't really about what you do first. It all goes together.

Overall fitness basically comes in a three step process.

1) Nutrition - All the exercise in the world won't matter if you aren't eating the right way. So the first thing to do is to re-examine your nutrition plan. You have to make sure you are eating enough calories of the right types of foods. More often than not, people who exercise aren't eating enough. They think getting too many calories will make them fat. You need food to help with recovery and to get stronger. The trick is eating the right types of foods. So you want to eat 5-6 small meals a day (1 meal every 2-4 hours), and aim for one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 1.5 grams of complex carbs per pound of bodyweight from whole grains/vegetables/fruits, and healthy fats. Also drink a lot of water. If you follow this six times a week and have only one day where you eat what you want, it will get you results.

2) Weight Lifting- Lifting weights is second most important in body transformation. Building muscle is what leads to losing bodyfat. Also, when you gain muscle you raise your metabolic rate which helps to burn more calories through out the day. Make sure to lift at least three times a week for 45-60 minutes. Free weights yield the best results. Also, make sure that you lift heavy (a weight you can only do 6-8 times) because it helps build muscle better. You don't have to worry about it bulking you up either.

3) HIIT Cardio - A lot of people waste hours and hours per week doing regular cardio. It does burn calories and help to maintain weight. However, the weight people are losing more times than not , is from losing muscle. That is what you don't want. You only need 90-120 minutes per week to maintain cardiovascular fitness. So the secret is doing an effective form of cardio that will spare muscle, target bodyfat, and keep your heart in shape. The answer is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). You can read more about it here :http://caloriecount.about.com/hiit-thread-pos t-all-questions-routines-ft143813

I'd suggest working on building up muscle first, since it raises your metabolism and helps you lose fat. Make sure to eat a mostly-clean diet, and get plenty of protein throughout the day. Your body doesn't store it, so you need to eat protein with every meal, every 2-4 hours! Also, have some protein right before you go to bed. That's the longest you go without eating, and sometimes your body will break down your muscle to power it's sleepy time activities.  I just have some casein protein powder with milk before I go to bed. The casein is absorbed slower by your body than whey protein.  Make sure you are calculating all of your activities when trying to figure out your daily caloric needs. On my most active days I burn around 3000 calories! A lot more than I could have guessed!!

Thanks, Hayley.  I wish I could burn 3000, but at my height and with my desk job that would be tough to acheive!  For me "maintainece" is what would be a pretty restrictive diet for most people. 

Vyper, great tips, but I'm still not sure which you think should come first--higher calorie eating for muscle building OR lower calorie eating for fat loss. 

I know to eat clean, get protien and complex carbs and all of that, which I would need to do regardless.  But I'm thinking of how bodybuilders cycle through muscle building phases and fat loss phases, with calorie intake adjusted accordingly--so for someone starting out and wanting to get more muscular AND lose fat, which should I focus on first?  More calories to build or fewer calories to lose?

No problem on the tips. :)

As I said before at the top of my post, there is no "first". It is a three step process that all comes together done at the same time. The best way to lose bodyfat is by building muscle. Lower calorie eating doesn't lead to muscle gain/bodyfat loss. Eating less helps to maintain weight and lose it if you have a big enough deficit. However, the weight you are most likely going to lose is from muscle loss. Since the best way to lose bodyfat is by gaining muscle, you want to eat towards building muscle. This is done by consuming more calories of the right foods spread out over 5-6 small meals. Then to take the bodyfat loss up an extra notch, you do HIIT cardio.

It is funny because people often need to eat more then they are, and it is their calorie counting that is holding them back from getting results. My bodyfat didn't really drop, until I started eating more calories, hitting the weights hard, and doing HIIT. I get 3000 plus cals a day and my bodyfat dropped from 19% down to under 10%. When I used to only eat 2000 cals a day and do 5-6 hours of cardio a week, my bodyfat stayed the same.

Thanks for the clarification, Vyper! 

Original Post by apophenia:

Thanks for the clarification, Vyper! 

Happy to help. I wish you all the best on achieving your goals!

I'm doing both at the same time right now because I'm an impatient perfectionist :P

I spread both my daily calorie and protein intake throughout 5 meals roughly 3 hours apart. This takes a lot of thought and planning as trying to ensure I get 25-30g of protein in each meal on a reduced calorie limit isn't easy. But it's certainly possible as it's been working for me. In 2 months I've lost 4.5kg (and I didn't have much to lose to begin with) and have been building muscle with strength training. Getting the muscle mass I'm after will take some time but my physique is already way better and I no longer fear the mirror.

If you've got the time and motivation to plan your nutrition and prepare the food as well as do your weights and cardio, then I'd suggest aiming for both at the same time.