Can You Actually Burn Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?

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IF YOU'RE LOOKING to get in shape, your goals probably boil down to achieving two specific things: losing fat and gaining muscle.

Achieving just one of these is no small feat. Achieving them together is a whole different ballgame. This is called "body recomposition" by scientists and fitness professionals—in other words, the process of changing the composition of your body by lowering body fat mass and increasing muscle mass.

The biggest hurdle you'll have to clear on your journey to accomplishing these goals is that they require largely different demands. To lose fat, you need to be burning more calories then you're taking in. To build muscle, you need to increase your protein intake and prioritizing strength training, so your body can build more muscle fibers. Eager to make big changes, people often try to achieve both at the same time. Is it even possible to both lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously? We asked the experts.

Can You Burn Fat And Build Muscle at the Same Time?

A 2020 meta-data analysis from the Strength and Conditioning Journal suggests that it may be possible to lose fat mass and gain muscle at the same time. There's one issue with this, however—all of the studies compiled for the report were based on small samples of young athletes, lacking an inclusive sample population. Further research needs to be conducted to understand exactly how body recomposition happens to different types of subjects, and if these results are applicable to different demographics.

 

Though burning fat and building muscle concurrently may be possible, it's not necessarily optimal, says Lee Boyce, C.S.C.S., an MH Advisory Board member. He warns that aiming for both at the same time may cause a slower rate of change for both goals to be reached.

 

MORE ON THIS ....

[katie99]

 I've been diving into the world of fitness and body transformation lately,  For those who have experienced success, what strategies or routines worked best for you? Did you focus more on nutrition, specific workouts, or a combination of both? 

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On 8/24/2023 at 4:15 PM, katie99 said:

 I've been diving into the world of fitness and body transformation lately,  For those who have experienced success, what strategies or routines worked best for you? Did you focus more on nutrition, specific workouts, or a combination of both? 

Has to be Nutrition first, then strength/flexibility then Cardio depending on age and condition of course.

[KhunLA]

People really do like to complicate the easiest processes.

 

Lose weight ... burn more than you take in.

 

Build muscle ... use/lift more than usual.

 

Yes, you can fine tune both, but most of it, is marketing.  Easy to do both with little effort, simply takes a bit longer..

 

#1 factor ... desire & will power to do.