If you want to lose weight, you may think you have to drop the fat first and build muscle later, or vice versa. Conventional fitness thinking has long treated them as two separate goals. But new research has turned that idea on its head. Study participants managed to gain around 1.5kg of lean muscle mass and lose around 1.6 kg of body fat at the same time in just eight weeks, a new paper in the Strength and Conditioning Journal finds. The secret behind their success? The right resistance training moves, and enough protein to support muscle growth and stay full. So, if you focus on these two things, you too can start to change your body composition for the better.
Focus on resistance training
So the American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 2-3 days of resistance training per week, but ideally 3-5 days for maximum muscle growth. Well, resistance training can be great for putting stress on your muscles and causing tiny micro-tears in your muscle fibers. And then, your body heals and repairs the damaged fibers, turning them into stronger and larger muscles. Always look to progress the routine so that your body does not get used to it and you do not hit a plateau. For example, if you can do 10 reps with correct form with a given weight, you are ready to increase the weight and the last 3-5 reps should be extremely difficult. If you do not want to increase the weight, you can increase the amount of reps in order to continue to challenge your muscles.
Eat enough protein
If you are looking to lose fat and build lean muscle mass, you will want to consume at least a gram of protein per pound of body weight. So why is protein important? Protein synthesis is the bodily process that converts amino acids into your muscles. The more protein you have in your diet, the more muscle mass you will have. When trying to cut weight and enter a calorie deficit, it is tempting to cut back on protein in order to meet your daily calorie needs. However, this is counter-productive and will result in the loss of muscle mass. In order to achieve weight loss while preserving or building muscle mass, you will want to be in a calorie deficit while consuming a high amount of protein. Some of the best low calorie, low fat protein sources include: tofu, beans, chicken, and turkey.
Protein will also cause you to have less of the “hunger hormone” called ghrelin. When levels of ghrelin decrease, you will take in less food and will be in a better caloric balance for burning fat. Controlling hunger and portion control are often the hardest parts of dieting for most. And what is the number one goal of most people in the world? To lose weight, and estimates have it that 50% of the world would like to lose weight, but only about 26% are trying to lose weight. This is partly why GLP-1 medications have gained so much attention, as they mimic a natural hormone in your body that slows digestion and keeps you fuller for longer. This makes it easier to stick to a calorie deficit and lose fat without feeling too hungry.
Compound lifts and supersets for faster gains
Tip 1: Focus on your compound exercises. If you want to get the most out of every single one of your workouts, then make sure to focus on your compound exercises: squats, presses, rows and deadlifts. As you are probably well aware, these exercises work far more muscles than most other exercises, so they need to be given priority in a workout. However, they can quickly become very repetitive if you do the same compound exercises in every workout. Rotating these exercises is essential to ensure variety in your training.
Tip 2: Do some supersets. The tip I’m about to give you is very straightforward, but works incredibly well! Essentially a superset is two or more sets of one or more exercises, this means doing two different exercises one after the other with little to no rest, which can help you burn almost twice as many calories as you would with regular sets.
Although it isn’t really a gym tip in the traditional sense, I reckon it’s a worthwhile one. An example of a good superset of opposing muscles would be the bench press and the bent-over row, because while your chest is resting your back is working, and whilst your back is resting your chest is working. An example of a superset for opposing muscles in your legs would be pairing a squat with some form of Romanian deadlift, as your quads get to rest whilst your hamstrings work instead, and your hamstrings get to rest whilst your quads work instead.
I hear it all the time. You can’t build muscle and burn fat at the same time. Really? It’s a common misconception that they are mutually exclusive. The truth is that it can be challenging to achieve both at the same time, but it is not impossible. It simply requires some knowledge and planning of your training and nutrition. Achieving your fitness goals is not a remote possibility, it’s a reality.
Written by bessie@
