Losing Fat And Gaining Muscle At The Same Time
To understand why losing fat while gaining muscle can be problematic, we need to explore both processes.
Lets consider the following points:
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To lose fat, your body needs to be in a caloric deficit. This deficit forces your body to use pre-existing fat stores for fuel.
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To gain muscle, your body needs to be in a caloric surplus. This surplus provides the energy your body requires to repair and build bigger muscles.
Given this, losing fat at the same time one is gaining muscle seems impossible.
However, if we go a few steps deeper into the science, it IS possible!
To appreciate the nuance here, letâs get into some specifics on losing fat and gaining muscle separately, and then weâll combine them.
How To Bulk Up Without Gaining Belly Fat
A dedicated workout ethic and proper diet are key to bulking up. Eating whole foods rich in lean protein, rather than junk food, is especially important when it comes to putting on muscle rather than fat.
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Besides marring a buff physique, belly fat is especially concerning as it’s inflammatory and raises your risk of disease. If you’re serious about hitting the weight rack and fuel well throughout the day you can add pounds of muscle without expanding your belly.
Add Vinegar To Your Diet
If youre trying to lose weight, vinegar is an excellent addition to your diet. Whether white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, vinegar is one of the most versatile condiments regarding health benefits. One study found that a mere 15 to 30 ml of vinegar daily reduced body weight, belly fat and waist circumference over a three-month period.
According to one study, adding vinegar to your diet will reduce your daily caloric intake by 275 calories. Considering there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, you can lose over half a pound of fat per week with this one simple change. To increase your metabolism and satiety, try adding white vinegar to refreshing, hydrating salads and tangy barbecue sauces.
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We Asked An Expert If Building Muscle Burns Belly Fat Here’s What He Said
There’s no one perfect way to lose belly fat or body fat in general, but making nutritional changes and building muscle can help tremendously. If you’re already thinking about what ab workouts you should be doing to build muscle in your core since that’s where belly fat is you may want to reconsider.
Doing all your favorite ab exercises every day will more than likely strengthen your core muscles, but they won’t burn belly fat because spot reduction doesn’t work. Instead, you should focus on strength training in order to get rid of belly fat.
Weight Gain: Tips To Gain Weight Without Affecting Your Health
Eating right and weight training are the two key practices that can help you gain weight, without compromising on your health. Note that you need to gain a balanced amount of muscle mass and unhealthy belly fat. Here are some tips that can help:
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1. Your overall calorie intake should be more than your body burns: You can aim for consuming 300-500 calories than you burn. This will help you gain weight at a slow and steady space.
2. Eat sufficient protein: Protein-rich foods help in building muscle mass. 1.5-2.2 gms of protein per kg of body weight can help you gain weight. Eggs, fish, milk and dairy products, legums, nuts and seeds and chicken are all examples of healthy protein sources that you can bank on for weight gain. However, remember that protein-rich foods are also filling in nature and may reduce your appetite if you eat them in high amount. Balance their intake by consuming healthy, carbs, fats and fibre.
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3. Eat carbs and fats: Healthy sources of carbs and fats can be helpful if you want to gain weight. Include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Healthy fat sources like ghee, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, mustard oil, etc can also help. Eat a minimum of three meals in a day.
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Understanding Weight Loss Vs Fat Loss
Losing weight is exactly what it sounds like: It means that the number on the scale is getting lower.
Your total body weight is comprised of lean body mass and fat mass, says Anna Em, certified personal trainer and creator of The Weight Training Goddess.
Your lean body mass is made up of muscle mass, water mass, bone mass, organs, and tissue. Therefore, if you lose weight, you could be losing fat or lean body mass.
Whats more, losing body fat while gaining muscle requires somewhat conflicting approaches. The traditional path for losing body fat is caloric deficit via diet and exercise.
Gaining muscle typically involves a caloric surplus, which supports the development of new tissue, says Elliot Upton, a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer at Ultimate Performance and Head of LiveUP Online Coaching.
To muddle things even further, fat and muscle are closely linked, making it difficult to prioritize losing one without impacting the other, says Jonathan Jordan, a certified personal trainer, massage therapist, and group fitness instructor for Equinox in San Francisco, CA.
Weight Loss Vs Fat Loss
What has worked for you up until this point, may not be the solution you need anymore. It might be time to shake it up and give your metabolism a little kick in the butt. And it could be that you don’t need to lose weight, you really just need to change your body composition – there’s a difference! Getting a six-pack often requires a more strategic approach in fitness and tightly controlled nutrition to drive results.
Weight loss can be a decrease in either muscle, body, or usually a combination of the two. Whereas changing your body composition is focused primarily on increasing lean mass and decreasing body fat. This could mean the number on the scale goes up or stays the same, even though you are losing body fat!
So throw out your scale and grab your measuring tape, or get your body fat percentage analyzed, and track your progress using a different metric. Your ideal body fat percentage depends on age and genetics, but should fall somewhere around one of the following:
| Ideal Body Fat Percentage |
| > 32% |
If your current percentage falls below the athlete range, you probably do not need to lose any more weight. But if you are at a higher range and looking to decrease, there are a few things you can try.
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Choose Hiit For Cardio
For the fat loss side of things, balance your strength training with exercises that will raise your heart rate.
“If you’re going to perform cardio training, focus on high intensity interval training ,” Clark said.
Sprinting outdoors or on a treadmill and cycling are ideal forms of HIIT cardio which should be done on weight training off days .
“This type of cardio training incorporates intense periods of work with short recovery segments. HIIT helps you give maximum intensity within the session and keeps your body burning fat even after you finish.”
Dennaoui also recommends alternating HIIT with longer, slow duration cardio.
“Some form of cardio should be done 3-6 days per week,” he said. “Walking on a slightly inclined treadmill for 45 minutes is an ideal form of the longer duration cardio, which should be performed on weight training days .
“Sprinting outdoors or on a treadmill and cycling are ideal forms of HIIT cardio which should be done on weight training off days .”
Building Muscle Is Tricky In Itself Doing That While Losing The Unwanted Belly Fat Is Perhaps Trickier Here Are Some Things That You Need To Incorporate In Your Workout Routines To Meet Your Goals
New Delhi: The year 2018 is almost over. Kudos to those who met their weight loss goals this year and to those who didn’t, one month is all that is left to lose those extra kilos and get that beach bod’, which you may have aimed to achieve when this year commenced. Contrary to your procrastination, it is not too late. There is still time for you to step into 2019 confidently and as the best version of yourself.
So, to help you get that perfectly chiselled body and ripped six-pack abs, here we have listed some of the best diet and fitness tips that will enhance weight loss and fat burning while adding muscle. Below are five simple diet and workout tips every man should know to stay fit and healthy. Take a look below and try to include them in your daily routine to achieve your dream. Read – The Fast Metabolism Diet for weight loss: Should you opt for this meal plan to lose belly fat?
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Build Muscle With Strength Training Exercises
Building muscle requires strength training with each workout, you’ll challenge your muscles and cause microscopic tears within your muscle tissue, so it will grow back bigger and stronger. You’ll get the greatest muscle-building benefits performing 6 to 12 repetitions of each exercise, choosing a weight that feels extremely difficult for the last 2 to 3 reps in each set. Perform exercises for your upper body, such as rows, pull-ups and pushups, as well as squats and dead lifts to build muscle in your lower body. Include abdominal exercises like side planks and wood chops.
Use resistance training to tone your abs and flatten your stomach. Make planks a regular part of your workout. Start by using your body weight, then increase the intensity by asking your spotter to place barbell plates on your back for additional resistance. Consider rounding out your routine with a yoga class — many yoga poses challenge and strengthen your abdominals, and yoga also helps improve your posture so you’ll look healthier and more confident.
- Building muscle requires strength training with each workout, you’ll challenge your muscles and cause microscopic tears within your muscle tissue, so it will grow back bigger and stronger.
- Consider rounding out your routine with a yoga class — many yoga poses challenge and strengthen your abdominals, and yoga also helps improve your posture so you’ll look healthier and more confident.
Switch From Bodybuilding To Strength Training
If youre still using body-part splits, incorporate more strength training exercises into your routine that simultaneously target several muscle groups like squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, and presses. First, youll burn more calories than before as you put a larger stress on your muscular system. Second, youll create a higher metabolic effect after you finish your workout.
Youll also elevate your testosterone levels because heavy strength exercises put a massive stimulus on your hormonal system. This will help you get your six-pack because theres growing evidence to suggest the annoying layer of fat around your belly is related to lower levels of testosterone.
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Why Can’t I Lose My Belly Fat What Can I Do About It
EMMIE SATRAZEMIS, RD, CSSD March 30, 2018
Why is it the last few pounds are always the hardest to lose? It doesnt seem fair that it is often easier to lose 20 pounds than it is to drop the last five.
If youve been cutting calories, eating better, and hitting the gym, but still cant seem to shake that last little bit of belly fat, you are not alone. By design, your body doesnt want to lose any more weight, especially if you are already close to your optimal weight range.
If you’re tired of feeling stuck in your diet, keep reading to learn the most common reasons why stubborn belly fat won’t go away and hear a few things you can do to change that.
Know That You Won’t Achieve Your Goals Overnight
Changing your body composition is a long journey, and you need to be prepared for this to take some time.
Fat loss doesn’t happen overnight, and muscle gain typically takes even longer. Don’t rush it.
“Unlike weight loss that can be very rapid , building muscle is a notoriously slow process, and, therefore recomping is no different,” Carpenter said.
A post shared by Rachel Hosie May 19, 2020 at 11:05am PDT
Instead of waiting for aesthetic results to keep yourself motivated, set training goals to work toward, like deadlifting 1.5 times your body weight or doing an unassisted pull-up.
“Implementing some performance-based gym goals may be good for a motivational perspective, as physique changes are likely going to be slower changes that are harder to monitor,” Carpenter said.
Essentially, there are many ways to get strong and lean, but resistance training, protein, and patience are key.
It’s doable and you can do it.
Wishing you well,
Rachel
As a senior lifestyle reporter at Insider and a self-described fitness fanatic with an Association for Nutrition certified nutrition course under her belt, Rachel Hosie is immersed in the wellness scene and here to answer all your burning questions. Whether you’re struggling to find the motivation to go for a run, confused about light versus heavy weights, or unsure whether you should be worried about how much sugar is in a mango, Rachel is here to give you the no-nonsense answers and advice you need, with strictly no fad diets in sight.
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Walk For 30 Minutes A Day
On top of other exercises, adding a 30-minute walk each day can help a person burn more calories, reduce stress, and sneak in extra movement.
Taking 30 minutes to walk at lunchtime can help reduce stubborn fat, and it can also help a person feel more productive in the afternoon.
A 30-minute walk after dinner can aid digestion and stop someone from spending this time being sedentary in front of the television.
The Ultimate Fitness Tips For Men To Lose Weight And Build Muscle
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Be Aware Of Your Carbohydrates
No, I didn’t say “beware of carbs.” But if you want to build and burn at the same time, I wouldn’t advise consuming carbs when you don’t need them!
The best times to give yourself larger portions of carbs is before and after workouts. This is when they can power your workouts and get burned off. The rest of the time, limit yourself to no more than 25-35 grams in other meals, and make them high-fiber, vegetable-based carbs.
How To Lose Fat While Maintaining And Building Muscle
Maintaining and building muscle while losing fat requires much of the same as just losing fat: You need to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly, incorporating strength training into your workout routine.
These are consistent routines that you can try to maintain on a daily basis. In other words, you want to think beyond a fad diet that promises quick results.
And dont forget these additional tips:
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Strength Training Can Be High
All that is not to say there won’t be benefits to getting a sweat on. In fact, getting your heart rate up in the right way could help you get lean while building muscle.
That’s why Ngo Okafor, a celebrity personal trainer and transformation coach, recommends following a program combining high-intensity strength-training circuits using light weights and high repetitions with cardio bursts mixed in.
He told Insider that while lifting weights or strength training builds muscle, “your heart rate is not as elevated as it would be if you were doing cardiovascular activity.”
“However, the process of breaking down muscle and rebuilding them continues long after the activity ends,” he said. “Strength training actually burns calories for several hours after the workout had ended.”
Cardio, on the other hand, may blast calories while you’re doing it, but this burn “slows down immensely when the cardiovascular activity ends,” he added. “Combining cardio and strength training elevates the heart rate and keeps it elevated throughout the workout, thereby causing a higher calorie burn during the workout.
“Because strength training builds muscle and the body requires energy to rebuild muscle, the calorie burn will continue for several hours after the workout has been completed.”
An example of a lower-body workout that would fit Okafor’s training style? Strength movements like squats and deadlifts along with cardio bursts like 60 seconds of high knees.