Losing Fat AND Gaining Muscle

Is it possible? Actually yes, it is... but your circumstances need to be right for it to happen for you. I posted this infographic to my Instagram feed to help explain how it can be possible for some.

So the basis of what I'm saying here is that if your bodyfat percentage is higher, and your training experience is lower, you stand a greater chance of losing fat while gaining muscle simultaneously. And vice-versa, the lower your bodyfat percentage alongside a higher training age, the less likely the phenomena is. But why? Let me explain by breaking it onto the two component parts... fat loss and muscle gain. Fat Loss If you've been following reputable training resources for a wile you'll know that the driver for losing weight and body-fat is a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume over a period of time). If you don't know that, reconsider your training resources and unfollow everyone but me immediately. A calorie deficit is always true. It is what it is. If you're not in a calorie deficit, you won't be losing body-fat. Plain and simple. Case closed. Full stop, capital letter... you get the point. The more body fat you have, the more potential for body fat loss you have, making it more likely that will happen when training, ESPECIALLY when you're new to training (your exercise calorie expenditure goes from zero to something... big change). So we know to lose fat (while gaining muscle), you need to be in a calorie deficit. So the actual question here is how can I build muscle while in a calorie deficit? Building Muscle While In A Calorie Deficit Traditionally, building muscle means gaining bodyweight (muscle weighs something, we want more of it, so we gain weight). Reversing the calorie equation to a calorie surplus (consuming more calories than we burn) is the route to achieving that...usually. BUT... If you are new to resistance training, the stimulus from beginning resistance training is HUGE... and forces your body to adapt REGARDLESS of calorie balance. Think of these two scenarios. 1. You do your first ever training sessions. You go from lifting zero weights. Not a single one. No intentional strain on the body or muscles. Then, you start training 3 times a week. The signal those training sessions send to you body is immense. It outweighs any percentage increase on your barbell as an experienced trainee because you're going from NO stimulus to A stimulus... and because of that, no matter how light the load, that stimulus is HUGE. It's novel and it's HARD. So your body changes as a matter of urgency to be better prepared for this new occurrence in future. Other things go on hold. The body needs to adapt or risk being damaged if it doesn't prepare for this new load bearing. So your body builds muscle, even if in a calorie deficit. 2. You accumulate your first 6/12/18 months of training. In this time, your body is adapting quickly in a ton of ways.

• Your muscles get stronger.
  

• Your aerobic system gets more efficient.

• You learn new movement skills.

• Your nervous system fires better.

• You become more co-ordinated.

• You gain significant confidence in your ability.

Heard of the phrase "Newbie Gains"? This is what that is. A load of adaptations are happening really quickly which mean that you can rapidly move more and more weight. What's a really good stimulus for gaining muscle? Moving more a more weight over time. Is this happening in your first 6-18 months of training quicker and more frequently than at any other time? Hell yes. When you've got a couple of years of good training under your belt, you'll know that adding 1.25kg to the bar is good progress. Sometimes that itself is a big challenge and you get stuck at a weight for a while. Sometime you work your ass off for 12 weeks to get a 2.5kg PB and you're really happy. That doesn't happen to a new trainee. They laugh in the face of that kind of progress. You can add 1.25kg every week quite easily. They can add 10kg a month quite frequently. And this constant overload, repeated over and over and over again, week after week for 6-18 months just keeps telling your body to adapt, regardless of calorie balance. You could go from an empty bar to a 100kg squat in 18 months. Probably less than that. A 500% increase. Can an experienced trainee increase their 100kg squat by 500%... The World Record says that is unlikely. And that's why, when your training age is older, and your bodyfat likely lower because of that training, losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously is hard and unlikely. You'll probably need to eat more to gain significant strength (weight moves weight), which will impact your body composition. Then you'll need to trim back down which will affect your strength. You'll have to repeat this cycle a few times to make good jumps in progress if physique is your main priority. But remember, if you're a more advanced trainee this isn't a bad thing... This is the game that we love. The constant pursuit of better, overcoming of challenges, building of discipline and forging of character. And it means a lot more to you as a person than abs 24/7, 365. Hope this helps your training. Ian.