How to Gain Muscles and Lose Fat successfully

It’s difficult, but not impossible, to lose weight and build muscle. In this post, you’ll discover several ideas for building muscle and reducing Fat while maintaining a healthy weight.

Most gym-goers pursue the goal of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Recomposition is the practice of combining elements from different categories.

Recomposition is difficult, but it is not entirely impossible. Therefore, most individuals who try to do so will fail. Most individuals attempting to increase muscle and lose weight usually cannot do so. They don’t lose much Fat or acquire a significant amount of muscle. They go to the gym and train, but they don’t seem to change. Therefore, I have alerted so many people against attempting to recompose.

That doesn’t mean you should give up recomposition entirely. To succeed, you’ll need to fulfill several requirements, have a keen eye for detail, and have a strong work ethic.

This should come as no surprise, though. Isn’t it true that striving to reach everything in life is extremely difficult?

Difficult Vs. Impossible

“I first came upon the following statement in my school’s careers; counselor’s office, “Difficult we do immediately; The impossible takes a little longer.”Whether they were attempting to be motivational or remarking on how difficult it would be for them to assist me in obtaining a successful career, I’m not sure. No matter what, recomposition has been labeled as nearly impossible. This is incorrect and unfortunate. It’s hard, but it isn’t impossible. I’ve seen it, and I’ve worked with a lot of people who have done it.

I’ll Take My Share of the Blame

I am certainly responsible for spreading the idea that recomposition is impossible. I’ve said it’s unattainable because I have acknowledged the difficulties, specified the specific circumstances needed for it to happen, and emphasized the need for a calorie surplus for skinny guys to gain weight (all of this is true). Unfortunately, the black and white world in which we live necessitates that we seek absolutes. And the idea that something is challenging is frequently characterized as impossible.

Good Coaches Reflect and Adapt

After careful evaluation, I believe that I was mistaken. I used to tell you that recomposition is only possible under one of five circumstances:

As a complete beginner
After a long layoff from training
When you finally train “properly.”
If you’ve been training correctly, but your diet has been terrible, and you correct it,
If you use performance-enhancing drugs,

I think it’s achievable outside of these circumstances now. Rather than these five situations, I believe that most individuals can achieve a recomposition effect. This influence is expressed on a sliding scale of variables, with the magnitude depending on where they fall.

The Sliding Scale of Recomposition

Even if I provided all the above, I could still advise that recomposition is not the best option for you. I like to think of the chances for a significant recomposition to occur being triangulated among three variables after speaking with Chris Barakat, author of a study on recomposition. These are:

Training age
Training status
Body fat%

1. Training age

The term “training age” refers to how long you’ve been training. The number of times you’ve completed a certain activity determines your training status. How powerful you are is an excellent indicator of your training condition. This will offer you a good indication of the effectiveness of your training (which may, of course, be influenced by genetic potential). The percentage of body fat is straightforward to understand. You can use these three criteria to determine whether recomposition is feasible for you.

2. Training status

A low-training-age, high-status, and high-body-fat individual is a good candidate for recomposition. If this describes you, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to make significant changes in your physique. Conversely, a substantial recomposition is highly improbable if you have a large training age and status and are lean.

3. Body fat%

Another significant factor is lifestyle and diet. It’s certainly true that these play an essential role. I didn’t include these as separate variables because, in my opinion, body fat percentage is a pretty reliable indicator of both the quality of your diet and sleep. Consider how many people who sleep 8 hours or more and consume a diet rich in healthy proteins, fruits, veggies, whole grains, and good fats are fat. Nope, I didn’t think there would be many of them.

If you look at your current training age, level, and body fat, you can decide whether or not recomposition is something you should consider.

In the author’s note, I’d like to clarify that almost no one is as advanced as they would want. If you have over 15% body fat, I’d be willing to claim that you have some recomposition potential.

What the Science Says

In a moment, I’ll go through how to give yourself the most excellent chance of a successful recomposition. First, let’s look at some fascinating scientific research on recomposition. The scientific literature offers convincing evidence of the potential for recomposition effects, and I’ve noticed it with many of my clients and myself. I’ve seen it anecdotally in a variety of situations. On the other hand, Chris Barakat claims this is not an exception but rather the norm in his research career.

Here are some examples:

In 8 weeks, participants who followed a particular training program gained 1.5kg of lean muscle and lost 1.5% of body fat, according to Alcaraz et al.’s study. In only six weeks, they gained 1.4kg of muscle and lost 2.4kg of Fat in separate research. According to a recent study by Colquhoun et al., individuals who trained 6 times per week in their research gained 2.6kg of fat-free mass and lost 0.1kg of body fat.

The fascinating aspect of these studies is that the participants did not change their diet. They were expected to continue with their usual diet. If these outcomes are feasible without a nutritional intervention that focuses on improving outcomes, consider what might be achievable if you can get your training and diet to operate in tandem.

Recomposition Effects

Recomposition effects have been observed in several nutrition studies. According to these studies, body composition modifications are more complicated than calories in versus calories out. The study has discovered that various nutritional methods (e.g., high-protein diets, post-workout nutrition, hypocaloric diets, etc.) might aid body recomposition.

Diet

The following is an excellent example of what may be accomplished when a diet is factored into the equation. This research looked at the impact of protein intake (high 1.14g pro/lb vs. low .41g pro/lb) on body composition in female figure competitors. Despite eating an additional 423 calories daily, the high-protein group gained 4.62 pounds (2.1 kilograms) of fat-free mass, whereas the low-protein group lost 2.42 pounds (1.1 kg) of fat mass over the same period. This demonstrates the potency of nutrition, as both groups were taught using the same training program!

Calories

This further underlines that it did not produce all calories equal! You are more likely to lose or gain weight than you want if you eat too few or far too many calories, but other elements play a role. After calories, the essential component is macronutrients and their balance. This study demonstrates that if you increase your protein intake, you may be able to eat more total calories without gaining weight. The good news is that if everything else is in order, you may simultaneously develop muscle and lose Fat.

Protien

The second benefit is that protein has the most excellent thermic effect of any macronutrient, which means that eating protein costs more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fats. When it comes to power, 100 calories of protein require more effort to break down than 100 calories of carbohydrates or fats.

The researchers of the recomposition study offered the following practical applications based on their findings:

Perform a minimum of three weekly sessions by utilizing a progressive resistance training program.
It’s crucial to track the speed of development and pay attention to performance and recovery to make timely adjustments in training.
Protein consumption of 2.6–3.5 grams per kilogram of fat-free mass might boost the rate or extent of recomposition.
Protein supplements (such as whey and casein) may increase protein intake in the diet and help promote muscle protein synthesis. This may be more crucial after a workout to optimize the recomposition effect.
Another variable that may significantly influence performance, recovery, and body composition is prioritizing sleep quality and quantity.

To boost your chances of success, I’ll add six key pointers that have helped me in achieving recomposition:

Time frame (this should be a short-term goal)
Hyper-Focused on a Specific Goal (i.e., physique show, photoshoot, holiday, event)
Assessment, Re-evaluation, and Curriculum Correction
Tightly Controlled Calories
Embrace the Anabolic Window (Focus on Peri-Workout Nutrition)
Maximum Recomposition Results with Lifting and Cardio

Tip 1: Timeframe

You can’t just recompose endlessly in the hopes of eventually getting 20 pounds heavier and leaner than you are right now. To achieve successful recomposition, you must be laser-focused on the details. Even the most committed bodybuilders limit how long they can keep up with the boxes to be checked off for decomposition.

Even if you could transform into full robot mode and keep on track, your body would adjust. You’ll need a strong signal for it to keep changing. As you’ll quickly discover, a successful recompose demands that you be moderate enough in your calorie intake and training intensity levels to allow for a gradual(ish) rate of fat loss. If you lose muscle too quickly, there’s a good chance you’ll never build it back. Because the decomposition method is low in calorie restriction, it isn’t a strong or convincing enough stimulus to overcome adaptive resistance. Because the recomposition technique is moderate in terms of calorie restriction, it is not a forceful or resilient enough stimulus to overcome adaptive resistance. As a result, I propose a 6-12-week recomposition window. In most situations, I find that 10 to 12 weeks is the ideal range.

This is long enough for you to lose a significant amount of Fat at a steady enough rate that you may also gain some muscle mass. It is also the period during which most highly motivated people appear to be able to follow the plan without difficulty. It would be best if you had a solid strategy and flawless execution to accomplish the nearly impossible. Is it possible for some individuals to live longer? Yes. Do I believe you should attempt it? No. For 12 weeks, I’d commit to getting the most out of yourself, your training, and your diet, then taking a break from recomposition.

Tip 2: Choose a goal that will keep you hyper-focused.

In the previous section, I emphasized the importance of being focused and driven to achieve a re-comp as a seasoned lifter. I believe you must be ultra-focused. To acquire what you desire, you must develop a tunnel-like perspective with your eyes on the prize. The best approach I’ve discovered to make it happen with my clients is to link it to an established event or outcome. Photoshoots, competing in a physique contest, dieting for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, or preparing for a major occasion like a wedding or notable birthday have all worked as powerful incentives for my clients.

With these goals in sight and the added responsibility, people frequently discover a new level of commitment, dedication, and focus. They are single-mindedly focused on attaining their goal and do everything they can to accomplish it.

This hyper-focused technique is fantastic for short-term objectives but can cause burnout if you try to redline your way through life. Choose a time moment to push. Make sure you’ve got a strong ‘why’ to keep you driven and a strong desire to see things through since if you want to accomplish something major, you can’t afford slip-ups.

Tip 3: Assess, Re-Assess, and Course Correct

The entire procedure will be managed by outcome-based decision-making, and the result is apparent. Lose weight and build muscle. Depending on your position and outcomes, you’ll approach it differently. If you have skinny Fat, eating at maintenance and exercising correctly is an excellent choice since you want to fill out your arms. You don’t want to become skinny. If you’re a heavier beginner, you probably have decent muscle mass beneath your body fat. You’ll need to lose enough Fat to expose it and get more muscle at the end.

According to the researchers, keep a close eye on your development and track your gym performance. Your energy levels should be enough that your gym performance improves when you recompense. It’s simple to keep track of your fitness at the gym. You may also track your body weight on the scales to get an overall picture of your progress. The goal you should aim for on the scales when coming varies depending on your starting point. I have seen significant recomposition effects with two different sorts of clients:

Skinny-fat guys
People who are 10-20lbs over their ideal weight

For skinny-fat men, the aim is to maintain their weight constant throughout the process while boosting gym performance. They may see fantastic results if they work out regularly, eat enough to maintain weight, increase protein consumption to around 1.2g per pound (2.6g per kg), and control lifestyle elements like sleep and stress levels.

For guys weighing 10-20 pounds more than ideal, the same lifestyle choices, difficult training, and high protein are still critical. However, they should strive to reduce weight. In my experience, the best rate of weight loss in this scenario is 0.25-0.5% of their weight each week. For a 200-pound guy, this represents 0.5 to 1 pound each week.

In reality, the leaner you become, the more likely you lose muscle. As a result, I start these guys at the higher end of the target loss rate (0.5 percent) for the first few weeks. Finally, I cut my growth rate to 0.25% each week. Taking this approach has worked well for me.

Tip 4: Tightly Controlled Calories

Following my previous point about weight loss rates, it’s vital to recognize that you’ll have to pay close attention to your calorie consumption.

You can’t lose weight too rapidly or risk losing muscle tissue. You’ll have to put off the immediate satisfaction of seeing the scales drop each day to develop the ability to accept a slower weight loss, allowing you the opportunity to maintain and build muscle.

You also must follow the strategy each day. Every day off plan has a more significant influence as the deadline approaches. With just 12 weeks to go, you can’t afford to waste a minute.

It knows how your body responds to the calories and nutrients you consume. It is critical to have the correct information when changing your diet. A food diary, on the other hand, might provide that information.

If 12 weeks of food tracking seems too much work, that’s fine, but you must accept that your chances of achieving a recomposition are slim to none. As I stated at the start, recomposing isn’t impossible but rather difficult. It takes significant effort, consistency, and attention to detail to accomplish challenging objectives.

Tip 5: Embrace the Anabolic Window

All about attention to detail is required for effective recomposition. The sum of marginal improvements. These little advantages may add up to a significant impact. Taking care of your peri-workout nutrition is another great example. Peri stands for “perimeter,” so I’m talking about concentrating on your nutrition during and after your workout.

According to the recomposition study, drinking a carbohydrate and protein drink after your workout may improve your results. As a rule of thumb, take 25-40g of whey protein with 30-50g of carbohydrate (e.g., maltodextrin) immediately after your workout.

The post-workout smoothie won’t perform the task for you. It simply takes advantage of the work you’ve completed in the gym. Doing regularly may help slightly boost the body’s response to training. Over time, this can translate to a little more muscle and less Fat. That’s an excellent combination for the simple habit of consuming a post-workout shake.

Tip 6: Do Cardio and Lift for Maximum Recomposition Results

The most effective recomposition outcomes have been achieved with clients who lift four days a week but also include some cardio in their routine.

I prefer to train each muscle group twice a week, with an upper/lower split that allows for two weekly training sessions. The split and training frequency is designed to provide an equilibrium between training and not too much.

When pursuing a hyper-focused objective, it’s easy to overdo things. I’m familiar with this temptation. It’s something I’ve fallen prey to in the past. It’s a very emotional process of body transformation. When emotion takes precedence over reason, logic typically goes missing. It’s simple to convince yourself that more training equals a more significant muscle-building stimulus and more calories burned. It doesn’t, however, take into account the rest of the picture.

It’s essential to keep in mind that while attempting to recompose, your calorie consumption will be pretty limited. A reduced calorie intake will result in a reduction in energy and tolerance for training volume. You will suffer negative repercussions if you overdo it. The dangers of muscle loss, overtraining, injury, and driving stress hormones like Cortisol are only a few of the issues that can occur.

Keep your gains under control by lifting four times a week, following a push/pull split, and doing some sensible cardio. My favorite form of cardio is low-intensity, constant strain (LISS). I don’t mean endurance training. This is not the time to attempt a marathon! I’m referring to an activity that will help you burn calories while relaxing. This will help you recover more quickly and burn more calories.

Getting out for a 30-40 minute walk daily is my most effective cure for this. My personal preference is to perform it first thing in the morning. It allows you to start the day off on the right foot by winning and having a positive mental attitude, which should boost cortisol levels at this time. Studies have shown that Cortisol aids fat mobilization, making an early morning walk more likely beneficial for weight reduction.

Conclusion: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

It is possible to recompose your blog, but it’s tough. To determine if it is a good fit, assess where you fall on the training age, status, and body fat spectrum gradations. Take it easy if you believe recomposition is on the horizon for you.

Your recomposition method should be deliberate and gradual, much like your approach to cardio. You’ll fail if you try to speed up the procedure. Instead of searching for a quick solution, give yourself 12 weeks of unyielding consistency, and you can build muscle and reduce body fat. After this, the chance of further repositioning is minimal. I recommend that you move on from the hyper-focused recomposition phase to a dedicated muscle gain or fat loss phase as soon as possible.

Remember, you cannot see recomposition forever!

For most individuals, achieving a calorie surplus and striving to gain muscle is the best option. If you still want to lose excess fat after your recomposition phase is finished, I recommend taking a diet break where you eat slightly more for a month. Your body and mind will be able to recover from the punishing regimen of following the recomposition plan and rejuvenate themselves for your next attempt to get even leaner if you follow this advice.

How to Gain Muscles and Lose Fat successfully