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- Aug 3, 2010
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It is the ultimate goal of every bodybuilder. We want to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. But is it scientifically possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
It depends on the meaning of “same time”. Could be yes, could be no.
Physiologically speaking, it’s not possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same exact moment in time because one process is catabolic (losing fat) and the other is anabolic (building muscle). It is possible, however, to gain muscle and lose fat over let’s say the course of two months, or even over the course of a day.
Is it worth trying to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
IMHO...I think the answer is a resounding “No”.
Most top fitness model, and competitive bodybuilder's do not attempt to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. For people whose livelihood depends on their ability to transform their bodies, they focus on a muscle building phase of 6-9 months, then fat loss phase of 2-3 months. I think that should tell you everything you need to know.
Losing fat and building muscle at the same time sounds extremely desirable, but it’s NOT an intelligent approach to maximize your results despite all the marketing you see that tells you otherwise.
Building muscle is anabolic, which requires you create a calorie surplus, while losing fat is catabolic and requires that you create a calorie deficit. Why attempt to do both at the same time for only mediocre results at best?
How do you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
The short answer is “nutrient timing” can help you lose fat and build muscle over the course of a few months. Nutrient timing is determined by (1) when you eat, (2) how much you eat, and (3) what you eat that together affect how your body responds. There are different schools of thought regarding nutrient timing and some nutrient timing plans can get so tedious and complicated that you would have to quit your day job to follow them.
So which approach should you focus on? Building muscle or losing fat?
If you have more than 15% body fat (25% body fat for woman), I would strongly recommend focusing on fat loss, with potentially some muscle gain if you’re lucky.
One very easy to implement nutrient timing strategy for primarily fat loss is to reduce calorie intake for most of the week. Around your strength training workouts you can eat a high protein/moderate carb snack (let’s say 30g of protein, 30g of carbs) both 30 minutes before and after your workout to maximize the anabolic window when your muscles are most sensitive to sucking in protein.
In terms of your workout routine, workouts don’t need to be that much different for muscle building and fat loss. Regardless of whether your primary goal is losing fat, or building muscle, lift weights that are heavy for you to handle. The light weight, high rep strategy is just not as effective.
GD
It depends on the meaning of “same time”. Could be yes, could be no.
Physiologically speaking, it’s not possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same exact moment in time because one process is catabolic (losing fat) and the other is anabolic (building muscle). It is possible, however, to gain muscle and lose fat over let’s say the course of two months, or even over the course of a day.
Is it worth trying to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
IMHO...I think the answer is a resounding “No”.
Most top fitness model, and competitive bodybuilder's do not attempt to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. For people whose livelihood depends on their ability to transform their bodies, they focus on a muscle building phase of 6-9 months, then fat loss phase of 2-3 months. I think that should tell you everything you need to know.
Losing fat and building muscle at the same time sounds extremely desirable, but it’s NOT an intelligent approach to maximize your results despite all the marketing you see that tells you otherwise.
Building muscle is anabolic, which requires you create a calorie surplus, while losing fat is catabolic and requires that you create a calorie deficit. Why attempt to do both at the same time for only mediocre results at best?
How do you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
The short answer is “nutrient timing” can help you lose fat and build muscle over the course of a few months. Nutrient timing is determined by (1) when you eat, (2) how much you eat, and (3) what you eat that together affect how your body responds. There are different schools of thought regarding nutrient timing and some nutrient timing plans can get so tedious and complicated that you would have to quit your day job to follow them.
So which approach should you focus on? Building muscle or losing fat?
If you have more than 15% body fat (25% body fat for woman), I would strongly recommend focusing on fat loss, with potentially some muscle gain if you’re lucky.
One very easy to implement nutrient timing strategy for primarily fat loss is to reduce calorie intake for most of the week. Around your strength training workouts you can eat a high protein/moderate carb snack (let’s say 30g of protein, 30g of carbs) both 30 minutes before and after your workout to maximize the anabolic window when your muscles are most sensitive to sucking in protein.
In terms of your workout routine, workouts don’t need to be that much different for muscle building and fat loss. Regardless of whether your primary goal is losing fat, or building muscle, lift weights that are heavy for you to handle. The light weight, high rep strategy is just not as effective.
GD