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How can I figure out if I need kcal surplus or deficit ? (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by Grogon@lemmy.world to c/fitness@lemmy.world
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Hey, im skinny fat... currently 83 kg, started last year at 83.9 kg, droped to 75.5 kg and since july slowly going up in kgs sgain

I was able to do 1 Wide Grip Pull Up and 0.5 Close Grip this time last year. Now I can do 5x6-8 weighted Neutral Grip Pull Ups with about 5 kgs on me.

So I must have also gained muscle.

But if I look in the mirror I still didnt change lol.

Im 175 cm, 83.3 kg now and male. Id say thin arms, belly,...

Here is a pic for reference if me.

What would you guys do if you were me? Skinny arms, fat belly/ chest, skinny legs.

Working on few key lifts...

  • Overhead Barbell 5RM is 45 kg
  • Bench Dumbbells is 5RM 27.5 kg
  • Barbell Squart 5RM 80 kg ...

So not very strong either lol. I think I barbell Benchpress 65 kg for 5 Reps Max :(

Trying to hit 2800 kcal a day and about 2g protein per kg/ bodyweight. Doing upper lower splitwith cardio zone 2 on wednesday and saturday

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[–] illusionist@lemmy.zip 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Light cut

You train two times a week? Do full body, not UL.

You don't need 2g per kg

Log your workout. Progressive overload.

[–] Grogon@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

I workout upper lower 4x per week and 2x cardio, so 6x

[–] Monkyhands@feddit.dk 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It really depends what your goals are. Do you want to be slimmer? Or do you want to be thicker/ wider/ more muscular?

You may have built some muscle, but it takes a long time to build enough for it to be obviously visible.

So if your goal is to look more muscular, keep going. And make sure you are doing progressive overload, perhaps revamp your split or your programme, if you feel progress has stalled. If building muscle is your goal, I would also consider dropping one or both of your cardio days, to do more resistance sessions- you could then switch to PPL maybe

[–] gamenac@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I second a program revamp. Starting simple is great for getting a good habit going of rotating muscle groups for days, then move on to more targeted/complex programming. Push, Pull, Legs is super simple and gives a good rotation of muscle groups to start. Definitely log or note where your maximum weight for reps is and then base your sets around that number until you can move up. You want to push your body into building muscle without overdoing it and risking injury. Diet is a huge point of developing muscle and a better build, but it won't happen if you don't also train properly. Eat well, update your programming, and don't forget rest days to allow your body to rebuild and heal up. It will take time, but it will get there.

[–] Grogon@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I heard full body 5x5 on Strogg Lifts is better than PPL or Upper Lower etc...

So basically Id do Squats Bench Rows Curls and in the other workout Deadlifts, Pull Ups and Overhead Presses.

But dunno... I read too much lol

[–] Monkyhands@feddit.dk 4 points 6 days ago

There is not one workout split that is categorically "better". You have to start with your goals, then look at things like how long you can realistically spend at the gym when you go, and how many times a week you can go. The combination of those factors define the best suited split and programme for you.

What you need, no matter the split, is consistency, and progressive overload.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 1 points 4 days ago

You need a deficit because you've got a few kg of fat. But you are lifting weights so you dont want to do a hard cut and lose motivation or impact your workouts. I'd suggest a 250cal deficit until you reach about 77kg. Then eat whatever you need to maintain and keep working out hard. You'll could look good in 6 months.

[–] howrar@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You're pushing some respectable numbers on your main lifts. Are they progressing well? If so, I wouldn't worry so much about everything else. Anything from a slight deficit to a slight surplus will still move you towards getting overall leaner and more muscular. I would say to choose whichever option is easier for adherence.

[–] Grogon@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Thanks!

Yeah I dunno, 27.5 kg is weird (Dumbbell Bench Press) I heard it's "beginner" level, and for a male its low.

I workout since half a year, I am so bad lol.

I started at 20 kgs, but I somehow can't do 30 kg Dumbbells. It's like I can't even pick them out of the rack... 27.5 kg 5x5 no problem, I can even do another 7-8 reps on my last set of 5x5 and the program says go up in weight if you can do 5x5. It's not happening lol...

[–] temmink@feddit.org 3 points 5 days ago

For reference: going up 2.5kg per dumbbell, i.e., going up 5kg in total is a pretty big step for the upper body. In your case this means going up 9.1% which is a pretty big jump. This might just bring you too close to "really heavy" and your muscles might just need a bit more stimulus and time. To me, it doesn't sound odd.

[–] howrar@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 days ago

You're looking at these strength standards as if "beginner" means "bad". It doesn't. It's just an arbitrary label someone decided to slap on arbitrary numbers. What you should be focusing on is whether or not you're progressing. That's where you can make judgements on whether you're doing well or not.

As for your issue with DB bench, my solution would be to drop the weight and do something differently to make it harder when using lighter weights. That can mean any combination of the following: increasing the number of reps, increasing the range of motion, or increasing the duration of the pause at the bottom. For comparison, my work sets for DB bench are typically 30-40% of the numbers I use on barbell bench. You're currently doing 85%.

[–] AstaKask@lemmy.cafe 2 points 6 days ago

Just eat normal balanced meals and take walks/bike, maybe lift a bit twice a week. If you have an eating disorder, CBT works great. Fitness autism is cringe.

[–] jet@hackertalks.com -3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Use a capacitive scale that monitors muscle and bone density. Map that over time

Monitor your insulin resistance (skinny fat): tg/HDL or fasting insulin/homa-ir

Keep your workout program going.

Remove carbohydrates from your diet, or if you can't do that, limit them to once a day. Don't worry about + - calorie targets, just eat until you are not hungry without carbohydrates

The most dangerous thing about being skinny fat is poor metabolic health.

Every time you eat carbs you raise your insulin for 4 hours, overriding your bodies efforts to recompose and repair. Removing this will help your body eliminate excess fat, skin tone, and increase your general health.