# Losing Muscle - Gaining Fat



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Hey Guys,

Since October I have been working hard on gaining some mass, now this is abit harder for me as I am a competitive swimmer, I do swimming drills for 90mins every morning 6 days a week.

Therefore I am on 5500kcal's per day as I also walk the dog, and I get a minimal of 250g of protein per day.










At the start I was gaining a good 0.5lb per week and going well and I can see quite a difference between the 4month photos. However recently since then my weight gain has dropped to more like 0.3lb per week.



















However I feel I am not gaining more fat and not gaining any muscle any more. Strength gains have seriously started to slow up as well and things are feeling harder. Any idea to why I would be gaining fat but losing muscle?

Any help would be appreciated guys.


----------



## bigtoe900 (Jul 26, 2012)

Dont look like there is much fat there bro lol. Your looking good (no ****) put up your training routine and how long youve been doing that for. Could be as simple as changing that up a bit. Calories seem a bit high also as you look small in stature.


----------



## GolfDelta (Jan 5, 2010)

You've done really well mate.I would not be worried about fat gain tbh you are very lean.If you have stalled putting weight on then you need to eat more,simple as that!


----------



## dentylad (Nov 19, 2011)

Overtraining could be a reason I suppose? Swimming is like a full body workout everytime you do it and adding weight training on top can take its toll, you may be genetically limited and naturally small. Try changing your routine and mix things up. Try more compounds and bodyweight movements and up the overall food intake if its possible for you. Swimming on a full stomach is like trying to sh!t a bowling ball!


----------



## Ricky12345 (Jun 13, 2012)

Overtraining is a myth


----------



## dentylad (Nov 19, 2011)

Haha right oh mate :whistling:


----------



## Talaria (Jun 30, 2011)

Ricky12345 said:


> Overtraining is a myth


only to over trainers.


----------



## dentylad (Nov 19, 2011)

Its the same feeling as working a 60hour shift whilst getting whacked with a bamboo stick. Everyone can overtrain. Even more so with evil heavy weights


----------



## Fletch68 (Mar 17, 2013)

dentylad said:


> Its the same feeling as working a 60hour shift whilst getting whacked with a bamboo stick. Everyone can overtrain. Even more so with evil heavy weights


A good night out is that....


----------



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Thanks for the advice guys my current routine is:

*Monday*

7am - 90mins lap swimming - 4Miles

4pm - Chest and Back 1.5 with warmup etc 8-12reps.

*Tuesday*

7am - 90mins lap swimming - 4Miles

*Wednesday*

7am - 90mins lap swimming - 4Miles

*Thursday*

7am - 90mins lap swimming - 4Miles

4pm - legs and shoulders

Legs include squats and DL at 8reps struggle with these though due to poor hip flexors.

Other leg exercises 14-20reps

*Friday*

7am - 90mins lap swimming - 4Miles

*Saturday*

7am - 90mins lap swimming - 4Miles

4pm - arms and shoulders

*Sunday*

Rest

Each day I also have about a hour or so of walking the dog.

I know the mix and timing might seem odd, however I need to save my shoulder and arms to last due to the effect it has on swimming performance.

Any advice always appreciated.


----------



## k3z (Oct 17, 2007)

Have a few days of doing absolutely nothing then return to training, CNS could be fried!


----------



## Ginger Ben (Oct 5, 2010)

Eat more


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

swimming 4 miles in 90 minutes is quite impressive. nicely done.

post up your food intake/ choices/ quantities- grams per serving sort of thing.

it would be beneficial to see how much fat/carbs you are getting to hit the 5500 Calorie range.

My next point is open to debate but that amount of protein for your size may be considered to be a bit excessive.

what food are you eating and how much and when/ how often.


----------



## Kloob (Jun 3, 2012)

Try adding a few hundred calories on your diet after a few days off.


----------



## Talaria (Jun 30, 2011)

Matutu said:


> Thanks for the advice guys my current routine is:
> 
> *Monday*
> 
> ...


post your diet up as said.


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

Ginger Ben said:


> Eat more


/\ this.

and

\/ This.



> Have a few days of doing absolutely nothing then return to training


 by k3z

As you have gained muscle, I believe that your metabolic rate has increased, due to the increased muscle. take a few days rest.

Are you coming up for a swim meet competition? is that amount of swimming normal for you/ your team or do you usually do less/more?


----------



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Here was yesterdays eating guys.


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

MY eyes !!!

hang on while I get a magnifiying glass.. ( old grumpy ar$e here ) .

you are 10% off from 5500 Calories. this is only one day though so it may not be a proper indication. .

and you wrote that you get at least 250 g of protein.

while that is true, you are getting 350 grams of protein. 40% more than what you mentioned.

nothing wrong with these errors but is there something else you are forgetting to mention?

are you doing any other activities that could burn off calories? you seem quite athletic so perhaps you are not mentioning something since to you, it is just another thing

post up some of your other days.


----------



## Heath (Mar 3, 2011)

Get some burgers and full fat milk down.

With all the swimming it will be hard to hit your cals with 'clean foods' so just eat everything that ain't tied down :lol:


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

I get the impression that the OP is analytical about this, in a positive way.

The photo is now ~ 3 months old so please post up a recent pic.

as you don't have much fat on your body yet you write that you are gaining fat.

where do you see fat on yourself?


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

Matutu said:


> Thanks for the advice guys my current routine is:
> 
> *Monday*
> 
> ...


you say 'current':

How many weeks, months or years have you been swimming at this schedule - 6 days per week for 90 minutes each time ( 4 miles ) . Did you ramp up to this amount volume?


----------



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Hey Guys,

Sorry been abit busy tonight with work so not time to reply in full however here is my updated picture.


----------



## Tassotti (Feb 27, 2011)

More Food

Heavy Squats

Heavy Deadlifts


----------



## loganator (Mar 19, 2011)

Matutu said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Since October I have been working hard on gaining some mass, now this is abit harder for me as I am a competitive swimmer, I do swimming drills for 90mins every morning 6 days a week.
> 
> ...


Its a well known fact that swimming encorages the body to hold more fat , I think its somesthing to do with the amount of bodyheat lost in water and the bodys natural coping mecanism , thats why swimming is not a recommended form of cv for competetive bodybuilders


----------



## ujelly (May 5, 2013)

You look more ripped to me, lol. Not seeing the fat gains...



loganator said:


> Its a *well known fact* that swimming encorages the body to hold more fat , I think its somesthing to do with the amount of bodyheat lost in water and the bodys natural coping mecanism , thats why swimming is not a recommended form of cv for competetive bodybuilders


Really? Would never have guessed that.


----------



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

I have never heard that before :S. Ill have to look into that.


----------



## cas (Jan 9, 2011)

loganator said:


> Its a well known fact that swimming encorages the body to hold more fat , I think its somesthing to do with the amount of bodyheat lost in water and the bodys natural coping mecanism , thats why swimming is not a recommended form of cv for competetive bodybuilders


Really? Have you seen the condition of some Olympic swimmers?


----------



## loganator (Mar 19, 2011)

cas said:


> Really? Have you seen the condition of some Olympic swimmers?


ys mate but you hit the nail on the head when you said Olympic ....i never said that all swimmers are fat but it is a fact non the less


----------



## loganator (Mar 19, 2011)

swimming opens up metabolic pathways in the body to lay down subcutaneous fat for hours after you have left the pool , so you have to work a lot lot harder to get ripped by swimming , not saying it's not possible but thats why you only reall see top level guys with really low bf


----------



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Even so I dont think I could ever give up my swimming, such a lovely day had to even hit it this afternoon  .


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

afaik, what loganator says is true: it may not be ideal for competitive bodybuilders who are getting ready for a show. This has been long known, as logan has said- it was mentioned back int he late 70[s or early 80s when I first heard about it. They weren't sure what came first, people with subcutaneous fat being better at swimming or that the swimming caused the body to hold fat in those places. Something that I remember is that the fat improves buoyancy as well as improvements in fluid dynamics ( water flow over the body ). the studies may have been done after I heard about it.

anyway, that doesn't really apply to you as you have minimal fat and currently gaining muscle. and you want to max the muscle.

I asked how long you've been keeping up with this volume of training.

Someone else came up with a great idea: focus on the major lifts. squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, bent rowing. it is quite possible that you are overtraining. so Tassotti's post of hitting the major lifts and eating more is an ideal answer.

you are burning too many calories.

if you wouldn't mind telling us, how old are you? perhaps you have said this already but I missed it, if that is the case,then I apologize.

this photo shows that you scuba dive. you are quite energetic. or do you swim in open water?

or

is there anything else that you do that you could tell us now, rather than have us wait until the 10th page to discover that you are also entering triathlon events?

For your requirements, every one has told you what you need to do:

rest a bit more,

eat more.

focus on the main lifts- reduce your sets /time in the gym.

keep swimming as this is your primary activity.


----------



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi dominimo,

I have been doing swimming for years, however this Volume has been since around February 2012, as this was the time that I really pushed my swimming into gear.

I am 26 years old sorry I did not mention this earlier. The photo was from open water swimming I do, that was the first swim in the sea yesterday.

I do nothing else apart from the swimming in the morning and walking the dog for a hour or so a day, Sunday is my day off and yesterday couldnt resist trying my new Wet Suit. So No I keep to the original routine I posted on the first page.

In terms of big lifts Deads/Squats I really struggle with as have real problems with my hip flexors and flexibility which causes issues, I am working on this though with my Physio etc. I do, do all other major lifts though, including bent rows bench etc etc.

I was a little concerned at about eating more as currently with my current activity level I seem to be gaining slowly, its just more at the moment it seems to be more fat than Muscle or less muscle in my eyes.

Thankyou for the advise and help!


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

Matutu said:


> Hi dominimo,
> 
> I have been doing swimming for years, however this Volume has been since around February 2012, as this was the time that I really pushed my swimming into gear.
> 
> ...


for the most part, I am merely recapping what others have said:

Loganator ( swimming, eat more, train )

Tassotti ( focus on main lifts ),

BigToe ( you're not fat, eat ) ,

K3Z ( overtraining nervous system over load ) ,

GingerBen ( eat eat eat ) ,

Mutant X ( get some burgers and milk in you ! ) ,

those pants that are currently in the comparison pictures, hanging on the wall behind you, are they / were they yours?

if so, how old were you when you were able to fit into them ?

is there a history of obesity/ tendency towards being fat in your family?

parents overweight sort of thing?

I ask this as you seem pre-occupied with the idea that you are fat yet no one else sees fat on you.

you are showing some pretty crisp abs ( relatively speaking ) yet you insist that you are getting fatter.

you are eating a lot of food but you are at 5000 not 5500. did you drop the calories to 5000 AFTER you became concerned about getting fat?

grab a screen shot of your food consumption from during the time that you were eating your maximum.

post it up.

more Questions:

how tall are you?

how much do you weigh right now?

Are you willing to eat more?

Are you willing to train less while focusing on the main lifts that your injuries will allow you to perform?

it may be that you have to take a step back in order to continue moving forward.

That is a nice wetsuit.. 2 or 4 mm? what is the brand?


----------



## dominimo (Oct 26, 2012)

Matutu,

I am very sorry if I offended you in any way with my comment about wondering if you were once fat.

I just now went through your previous posts and understand now.

you've come a long way and could be a source of inspiration for many people, on here and in the real world.

I dont' believe that I could swim 4 laps let alone 4 miles. and to have made the positive changes that you have done.

I apologize for the intrusion.

I wish you all the best, I really do.


----------



## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi Domino,

No need to apologise at all!!!

Sorry it has just been abit manic with work and for some reason UKM has stopped sending me reply emails, so didnt have chance to check.

Yes I was once 22stone........ so abig guy and yes those are my old 44" trousers nailed into my wall  . I have been to both extremes 22stone -10stone - 8stone...... Then now where I am now.

The wetsuit is a ORCA Equip, very very nice, didnt feel the cold at all in the sea and should do me well for the river trials coming up.

Yes though due to my past I do have abit of a think with putting on fat.... for obvious reasons. This has alot to do with the loose skin I still carry around my body, even with a tummy tuck areas are still there, I have accepted that I will never be able to see my Quads on my legs due to this. However I do really struggle with the gain of fat.

I have no problem eating more at the moment, only that obviously I feel that would push me further into the gaining fat area.

Many thanks and again really no need to apologise and Thankyou for all the help!


----------

