- Can I lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
Many people think they can replace fat with muscle, which is likely to be partly due to many lifestyle magazine articles. There we are taught that we can reduce fat and build muscle with training and the right food at the same time.
However, I have to disappoint you because, in direct exchange, this is unfortunately not as easy as you might think. For scientifically, it is impossible to loose fat and build muscle at the same time. This is because fat loss is catabolic and muscle building is an anabolic process in which different hormones are active.
Anabolic muscle building means that your body needs extra energy to build muscle in the first place. And just the opposite is for catabolic fat loss: Here, the body uses the fat reserves, if not enough energy is available.
But if we extend the time period and focus on one process after another, fat loss and muscle building is possible at the same time. For example, you can gain muscle and lose fat in about 8-10 weeks with the right nutrition and training.
- Does it make sense to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
If we look at the time and effort involved, it makes less sense for most of us. Unless you have no life and the areas relationship, job, family and friends take no place in it and you can and want to focus completely on fitness in your whole life. But even if that would be the case, then it is still better to opt for either muscle building or fat loss. Because if you focus on one or the other, you will ultimately achieve both faster.
As you probably know, bodybuilders and fitness models first focus on building muscle and then lower body fat to make muscle mass visible. Of course, the idea of losing fat and building muscle at the same time sounds very nice, but unfortunately there is no shortcut or trick to your dream body.
So, be clear about your priorities, what is your top priority? And what comes second?
- How can I reduce fat and build muscle at the same time?
Now, if you ask yourself how you can lose muscle and fat at the same time or during the same period, then proper nutrition and time will play a crucial role.
Now that you've decided what's top of your game for you, build muscle or fat loss, you can stay lean and maintain muscle in the definition phase through the right timing of your diet and protein and carbohydrates.
So it's important when you eat, how much and what you eat. The combination of nutrients needs to be considered.
Of course, there are many opinions and nutrition options and I would say, none of them is necessarily wrong or right. In my opinion, there is not the fabulous proper diet, but you have to find out for yourself what is right for YOU.
If you do not know what your first priority is, fat loss or muscle gain, then you should check your body fat percentage, if it is higher than 20 percent percentage for women and over 13 percent or for men) then it would be better to focus on losing fat before building muscle. Most of the time you will also gain some muscles in between.
All those below this percentage may concentrate on building muscle and pay attention to a good nutrition so that the fat content remains relatively constant. But guys, that's just my perception, that's of course individually customizable.
So how can you lose fat? On the one hand there is the possibility to calculate your calorie consumption and the optimal energy deficit and to keep it in the target state. This is quite fast way to lose fat, but I'm not a friend of this kind, because for me I lose my fun of eating when I have to weigh my food and calculate the calories. But of course that is a matter of opinion, there are enough people who drive well with it.
Anyway I think it works best if you concentrate on protein-containing foods (fish, eggs, soy, meat) and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates are also very important for the energy, but this should of course be kept moderate. Best in the morning or before and after the training combined with protein. This is a smart way to do, because your muscles can absorb more protein after training.
But as already mentioned, everyone has to find out for himself what works best for him. The one proper diet does not exist.
Let's move on to the last question, which you may asking yourself.
How should you train during fat loss or muscle building?
I would not make a difference here and train with both high weight and lower reps. If you think, well, but that this type of training is good for muscle gain - Yes, but on the one hand muscle building is largely to rely on the diet and on the other hand, this variant is also one of the best ways to lose fat. You burn more calories during and after exercise. Of course, the exercising with light weights and many repetitions is not wrong, but mostly other goals are pursued here or practiced after injury for example.!
Something went wrong, you have point 1, then again 1 and again 1 :) I think it should be 1, 2, 3. And so a good article, thank you.
Thank you @dignityinside, I appreciate your feedback :)
Yes, I have noticed the mistakes, but I could not change it after posting it.