How To Lose Fat & Build Muscle

(At The Same Time)

//THREAD//

The question I most commonly get asked by people is:

"Hey, how do I lose fat and build muscle at the same time?'

The truth is, it's possible, but not for everyone.

When we look at transforming our body, there are usually two main routes:

1. Fat loss

2. Muscle building

To lose fat, you must eat fewer calories than you burn.

To build muscle, you must eat more calories than you burn.

However, there are some circumstances and certain individuals that can lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

This is known as a body recomposition and there are 4 main types of people who can usually do this.

1. Beginners

If you're within your first year of training, it's possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time

2. Detrained individuals

If you're someone who has had a break from lifting for 2-3 months because of an injury or just not training

A recomposition is possible too

3. People with very high body fat percentage

If you have a body fat percentage of around 25%+ for a guy and 30%+ for a woman, this is also possible too

4. People wanting to cut slowly

I've personally done this myself despite having lots of training experience

The process is a lot slower but it can be beneficial to make marginal gains in both muscle building and fat loss

If you're in one of these 4 categories, you need to follow the below 3 steps to ensure your body recomposition is successful.

1. Eat in a slight calorie deficit

If you want to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, it's a smart idea to cut down slowly.

This means not reducing your calories too low.

You want to aim to lose around 0.5-1% of total body weight on a weekly basis.

If you weigh 160 LBs, you should aim to lose 0.8-1.6 LBs.

You may find that your weight stays the same or even increases slightly.

This happens because you’re losing fat but gaining an equal amount of muscle simultaneously.

2. Consume a high protein diet

Protein is the king macronutrient when it comes to muscle building and aiding recovery.

In studies where subjects were able to achieve a successful body recomposition, they were often intaking roughly 1g to 1.6g/LB of bodyweight.

If you are a 160 LB person, this should equate to between 160g-250g protein per day.

Yes, that is a lot of protein to consume.

From personal experience, I recommend between 1-1.2g/LB as this amount usually suffices.

3. Lifting progressively overtime

Getting stronger and lifting more volume (sets, reps, weight) over time is the biggest driver of muscle building.

If you are a beginner, then this will be fairly easy as you have the potential to progress very quickly.

You should focus on increasing the weight on your main compound lifts each week, so long as you are lifting with proper form.

If you are more intermediate/advanced, you should focus on making incremental progress, such as additional reps and sets.

So in summary, to lose fat and build muscle at the same time you must be either:

1. A Beginner

2. A Detrained individual

3. Person with a very high body fat percentage

4. Person wanting to cut slowly

To achieve a recomposition successfully, you need to:

1. Eat in a slight calorie deficit

2. Consume a high protein diet

3. Lift progressively overtime

NOTE:

Whilst you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time during a recomposition

You are not maximising either of the two

If you want to make the most progress possible, you should opt for a singular muscle building or fat loss phase

I hope you found this thread useful

If you want more no-nonsense, practical, and actionable fitness advice to help level up your mind, body, and energy around your career

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