In this post, I wanted to discuss the methods of how to lose fat and build muscle and the same time. Which is very possible, granted, you do these few things correctly.
Now keep in mind, some of you may or may not be able to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, and I’ll explain why shortly.
How to Lose Fat and Build Muscle at the Same Time?
First, we must take a look at what actually causes muscle growth and fat loss.
How to Build Muscle
You build muscle as a functional response to training. Muscle growth doesn’t happen from merely eating more food.
Your muscles grow and develop from you putting new demands on your body.
When I got back into working out after my elbow injury, I wasn’t lifting super heavy yet, but some muscle growth was still occurring because I was placing new demands on my body.
How to Lose Body Fat
No calorie deficit, no weight loss. Period. You must put your body in a calorie deficit (eating less calories than your body burns in a day) at some point in time to lose body fat. It’s the law of energy balance.
Okay, let’s paint the big picture on how to lose fat and gain muscle fast… it’s actually quite simple.
How Does Kinobody Set You Up For Success With Diet And Training?
Learning how to lose fat and build muscle is simple, you must:
1) Eat at a calorie deficit for fat loss
2) Get stronger in the gym
Even though you’re in a calorie deficit, you still need to ensure you are getting in enough nutrients, sufficient protein (.7g – .8g per pound of body weight) and a balance of fats and carbs.
I prefer, and the hundreds of Kinobody Success Stories also agree, that they do best on their diets when they set fat intake to roughly 30% to 35% of total daily calories and fill the remainder with carbs. Carbs are going to support the release of neurotransmitters that support cognitive function, mood, and sleep. Not to mention carbs also support testosterone and training performance.
And most importantly, eating plenty of fats and carbs is going to keep you feeling full and satisfied on your diet.
Now, the only way you’re going to get stronger in the gym is if you have a progression model in place. This is seriously so important.
It’s quite surprising that most programs don’t have a plan for you to make continual progress. You can’t simply go through your workouts without a purpose and expect to see results.
All of the Kinobody Courses are structured with a model to get you stronger on a handful of key exercises. For example, that could be with the use of micro plates which allow for small strength increases each and every workout.
Another method I enjoy using is the double progression model. Here, you are adding weight and reps in a given range. When you hit the top end of the rep range, let’s say 6 reps (4-6), this is now the time to add weight to the bar and start over at 4 reps and begin building yourself up again.
Hopefully, you weren’t reading this article worried about if you could actually lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Although, I do need to add; if you have some lifting experience under your belt and are close to your genetic potential in terms of muscle growth, then it’s unlikely you’ll be able to experience this.
In that particular case, muscle growth will happen much slower.
How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle: The Strategy
A special strategy (that could apply to anyone) I use with clients is to focus on a lagging body part while cutting.
Maybe a person has no problem adding muscle to their arms but their shoulders are lacking size. The trick is to put more emphasis on the shoulders and only do maintenance work on the arms and other parts.
When the fat comes off, they look damn good because they built up nice proportions. This can really make a night and day difference.
The majority of Kinobody Transformations lose around 20-30 lbs of fat and gain 5 to 6 pounds of muscle.
Check out these Aggressive Fat Loss Transformations:
The Power Of Intermittent Fasting
Another important strategy on how to lose fat and build muscle at the same time is to use intermittent fasting.
During the fast, you increase fat burning and mobilization dramatically. And eating the majority calories and carbs later in the day has been shown to lead to greater weight loss.
You Need To Train Only 3 Days Per Week
Your body isn’t going to be in an optimal state for building muscle in a calorie deficit. Yes, you can still progress in your workouts. And that’s why I train no more than 3 days per week.
Training more than this makes it harder for your body to adapt and make progress.
During the workouts, I use reverse pyramid training. This is where you hit your heavy set and most of the time, a personal record, then you can follow up with some lighter sets for extra volume without burning yourself out. Combining this with the proper progression model such as micro loading (with microplates) or double progression, is how you make consistent strength gains even while in a calorie deficit.
With all the strategies on how to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time laid out for you, let’s briefly touch on the mistakes most people make so you can avoid them.
Common Mistakes when Learning How to Lose Fat and Build Muscle
Most are unable to experience building muscle and losing fat at the same time because they are making common diet and training mistakes that impair muscle building and even accelerate muscle loss!
As you probably concluded from above, you need to make sure you aren’t doing too much.
Going on a crazy low calorie diet with tons of cardio and lifting 5 days a week is going to put too much stress on your body. How could you progress on something if you’re burnt out? It’s nearly impossible.
Your body can’t simply adapt to that, especially while in a calorie deficit. It can only handle so much. And following a diet that leaves you feeling hungry and starved will inevitably lead you to failure.
Conclusion on How to Lose Fat and Build Muscle
To conclude on this topic, yes, you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time.
But in reality, it is one more than the other. You cannot eat at maintenance calories or at a recomp and expect this to take place. If you’re trying to lose body fat, eat in a calorie deficit and make sure you are progressing in your workouts. And if you’re trying to build muscle, eat in a surplus.
If you structure your training and diet so you are:
1) Eating in a calorie deficit
2) Getting in sufficient protein and a balance of carbs and fats
3) Progressing in your workouts
There is a great chance that you will be able to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.
NEW Article - Get Shredded on 2 Workouts Per Week
How I stayed lean while gaining muscle traveling Europe this summer, training just 2 times per week. You need to try this. Click Here to Read...
*Training just 2 times per week has allowed me to gain strength and muscle at rate I never knew was possible.
Makes it easier to stay lean as well. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but let me show you precisely the body part split I’m using.