Body Recomposition: How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle Simultaneously
If your goal is to “tone up” or lose weight in X area, you are most likely desiring to lose fat and build muscle.
The term “tone” is essentially this: building sufficient muscle to notice it while being cut or lean enough to see (so keeping minimal body fat).
This process of fat loss and simultaneous muscle gain is called Body Recomposition.
What is Body Recomposition?
Body recomposition is the increase in lean body mass in relation to fat mass (or your body fat %). Increasing lean body mass = increasing muscle. Doing this while simultaneously decreasing body fat is body recomposition. If the concept is so simple, then why do so many people get tripped up in the process or believe it is not even actually possible in the first place? The confusion derives from the oxymoron that is Body recomposition. This is because losing body fat and gaining muscle require opposing formulas. Here is the math: in order to lose fat, you must eat in a caloric deficit. And, in order to build muscle, you must eat in a caloric surplus.
Therefore, one may ask themselves how body recomposition is possible to achieve. Studies have shown that it is in fact possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Here’s how…
Utilizing diet/nutrition
The two most important things that matter in a successful body recomposition plan are energy balance and protein intake.
Energy balance:
This means you are eating the same amount as you burn
You may still be in a slight deficit/surplus but very minimal so as to avoid rapid muscle, fat, or energy loss (you need energy to lift and stress your muscles enough to keep them)
Protein:
This is very important. There is no such thing as body recomposition without sufficient protein because you need to make sure you don’t lose muscle.
What it does:
Helps balance satiety and hunger levels
Gives your muscles the building blocks it needs to repair. If you don’t repair, you’re just harming your body.
How much you need:
1g-1.3g/body weight in lb.
How to train
Training will consist of keeping the same volume/decreasing volume in order to keep sending the signal that muscle is required, although intensity will depend on each individual.
For example, if you come from being in a surplus and focusing on really building muscle, you may need to cut back on intensity because you will no longer be eating as much to fuel with the same intensity you used to train at, although keeping as much of your strength is ideal and will preserve the most muscle.
On the other hand, if you come from being in a caloric deficit, you may need to slowly bring your calories back up to maintenance. This means upping 100-150 calories/week until you reach target and then maintain there for however long you may need. This is where protein intake becomes crucial (as also in the case above), because you need to ensure that if you do gain a little bit of mass in the process of reverse dieting (which is normal), it is mostly muscle and you are also seeing strength gains. This means don’t neglect strength training! If anything, it should be #1 in your priorities. P.S. You may feel the need to increase intensity/frequency because you are upping your calories. Ignore the urge. This deficit mentality is reversing the whole point of the process, so keep frequency the sameas you increase strength.
Last Note:
Body recomposition is possible and can be the right choice for many individuals that might need to just feel healthy and create an energy balance, neither dieting nor bulking, and may even be a mental respite for many that chronically think about food, etc.
On this note, it is also important to understand what it is and what it is not. It will not make you lose 20lb of body fat and you will not be able to make huge muscle gains either, it is limited on both sides. But it is still great for many people to make “final touches” to their physique or even have sort of a “rest”, whether it be physical or mental.
