19 Y/o M - When to stop cutting and starting gaining muscle?

[chefcaleb]

I've been in a calorie deficit of around 400-500 calories for around 8 weeks now with the ultimate goal of losing body fat, and my week will usually consist of a variety of exercises including long walks, bodyweight circuit training, HIIT workouts, and runs. Over these 8 weeks, I have seen positive results, losing around 8kg in weight (around 76kg to 68kg). From my current body composition, it is mainly fat loss but admittedly a bit of muscle too. To keep muscle loss to a minimum my protein intake is around 100kg a day.

I am not entirely satisfied with my current body composition, and I could definitely lose more body fat. I also know that I could start to build muscle and that I would need a slight calorie surplus for this. I am worried that I will gain the fat back. What would be the best thing for me to do?

 

[thailessons]

@chefcaleb If you think you could still lose fat, like if you still leave very little ab definition, start a strength training routine (eg: the recommended routine from r/bodyweightfitness) and reduce your deficit to maybe 100-300 calories. If you are a beginner you will still see muscle growth, and continue to lose fat in the process! When you lose manage to lose enough fat, switch to maintenance calories and continue to progressively overload your muscles to continue to grow. You don't need to bulk, it will result in muscle gain yes but also unnecessary fat gain. Check out Greg Doucette on YouTube for more info, he is very knowledgeable

 

[chefcaleb]

@thailessons Thank you so much! This is amazing!