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Today we’re going to tackle a controversial topic: can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time? We had always heard that we had to choose between one and the other, given that to gain muscle we had to be in a certain calorie surplus, while to lose fat we had to be in a deficit, right? Well, the truth is that, while it’s not easy, it can be done. According to a meta-study in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, even people with years of training experience can achieve it. Here are the prerequisites if you want to go for it.
A total of 18 studies were analysed. In four of them, no information was provided about the nutritional guidelines of the participants, in eight of them, training and nutritional info were provided. In the remaining six, in addition to information about training and nutrition, information was also provided about the nutritional supplements that were administered.
From the observation of these studies, we can draw the following conclusions:
Training
We observed that the groups assigned a lower training frequency (more rest between sessions) had better results in terms of fat loss.
Protein intake
Unanimously, groups assigned to a higher amount of protein lost more fat and gained more muscle. The most striking case is one of the studies in which the high protein intake group (4.4 g/kg/d), with a significantly higher total caloric intake than the low protein group (2.4 g/kg/d) achieved greater muscle gains and greater fat losses.
Rest
A key factor in fat loss, as demonstrated by a number of studies, is the quantity and quality of sleep. In groups with similar calorie deficit and total weight loss, fat loss was much lower in those deprived of one hour of sleep per day. Specifically, the group that slept less showed a muscle Vs fat loss of 84.8 Vs 15.2 while the group that slept one hour more showed a ratio of 17.3 Vs 82.7. It is worth noting that in this case, the study subjects were not doing any strength training.
What does this mean for you?
The good news is that, regardless of your starting fitness level and training experience, it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. To achieve this, you need to consider the following:
Strength Training
Logically, if we want to gain muscle, we have to train strength. As we mentioned in this article, an effective strength training program must necessarily incorporate a progressive overload, either by adding weight, or by increasing repetitions. From what we see in the studies, the results are better with lower training frequencies. Which makes sense when we see the importance of rest. Three to four sessions a week will give the best results.
Cardio Training
Cardio training is necessary in any routine, for the reasons explained in this article. We need to train our cardiovascular endurance, but we need to do it in a way that doesn’t harm our muscle gains. In this sense, long-duration, moderate-intensity cardio is counterproductive to our goal. The recommended option is high-intensity, low-duration cardio, such as sprints or HIIT, as discussed in this article.
Sufficient Protein Intake
We never tire of repeating it, and it is still the point where 99% of people fail. We need to take in more protein. We should aim for 1.5 grams per kilo of body weight per day, but if we want to gain muscle, we need to aim for 2 grams per kilo of body weight. If you’re thinking that taking in so much protein is dangerous for your kidneys, science has more than proven that this is not true in healthy kidneys (see here for the facts).
Enough Rest
The process of muscle repair and supercompensation occurs while we rest. Specifically, while we sleep, all of our metabolic functions are reversed and our body is fully engaged in this task. To ensure our goal of muscle growth, it is imperative that we get sufficient quantity and quality of sleep. At least seven to eight hours of good quality sleep a day. Sleep!
Therefore, although not optimal, it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time if you follow this indications. We hope you have found this information useful. If this is the case, we invite you to share it with your contacts so that more people can benefit from it. If you don’t want to miss out on the content we publish on other platforms, we leave our Linktree here so you can follow us. Thanks for reading us!