Joel,
Seems like my predictions were correct. Torbjorn Akerfeldt inspired rotation of diet, nice. Kelly Baggett has an excellent version of this in his training book, will be interesting to see what your take is.
Yesterday we began a series on losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously, and with that first post I posed the question:
Can it be done?
The answer? Yes. BUT, only with a VERY strategic approach.
Now, in order to understand how these seemingly mutually exclusive goals can be accomplished simultaneously, we need to understand a few things about achieving your goals in general.
First, your goals are a direct result of both your training and nutrition program.
Second, optimal training for fat loss and optimal training to gain muscle are different.
Third, optimal nutritional strategies for fat loss and optimal nutritional strategies for gaining muscle are different.
Let’s take a look at each.
From a caloric balance perspective, in order to gain muscle you need to be taking in surplus levels of calories – there is simply no way around it. Fact is, it’s nearly impossible to gain muscle mass while in a caloric deficit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Period.
Conversely, if your goal is to lose body fat, you need to create some sort of caloric deficit (i.e. you are eating less than you burn).
Now, those two situations may indeed seem mutually exclusive, but they’re not.
More on that in a minute.
On to training.
Optimal training for fat loss consists of very metabolically demanding resistance training (think circuit training) coupled with high intensity interval style cardio sessions.
Optimal training for gaining muscle is more a product of using heavier weights, more rest, while still performing a large number of repetitions per session (volume).
Those two things also seem mutually exclusive – but they’re not.
Here’s how:
TIMING.
What if you alternated the two types of workouts throughout the week?
Could you burn fat and gain muscle?
Perhaps, but not likely due to the nutrition issue.
But what if you were to feed your muscles with a surplus of calories on muscle building workout days, and remain in a caloric deficit on other days?
Or what if you were to feed your muscles with a MEGA surplus of calories for the several hours after your muscle building workout (when your muscles are most primed to suck up nutrients and much less likely to convert those extra calories to fat)?
Or what if you were to take small bursts of time to concentrate on building muscle – say, two weeks. And then follow it up with an intense one week fat loss phase? Essentially, over a twelve week period you’d be losing fat and gaining muscle “simultaneously,” unlike those who only do one or the other in that time frame.
Or what if you were to do exclusively muscle building workouts (with a caloric surplus on those days), and then burn excess calories via interval training (and not resistance training) combined with dieting on other days?
There are SO many different ways to do this.
Give me at least 300 comments and I’ll be back tomorrow with a number of different specific ways to approach the goal of building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
P.S. Check out the below video from my buddy Kyle explaining one of the NEWEST methods we’re using for simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain:
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332 comments - add yours
It’s all interesting but very much confusing. Please explain in simpler form, and be more precise.
I am at 92kg at the moment. I lost a total of 66kg since last September following a specific program made specifically for me by my nutritionist. I was very pleased by that. But now that I lost all this weight I’m thinking of starting building muscle now. I am still on calorie deficit every day , and even though I spend hours at the gym during the week I still haven’t seen much result to muscle buildup. What’s your suggestions to start building muscle and still go below 10% body fat. I am at 20% right now.
Thanks looking forward for your reply Joel!
The 100th..
Anyways, It’s really interesting. I’ve thought of the short period phases, but never tried.
I never thought of actually eating only on workout days, after workout.
It’s pretty confusing though. I used to alternate my resistance training on one day and cardio the next. Alternating nutrition based on per day would probably much make no sense.
You can’t leave us hanging Joel; please tell us more. We really want to know the combination.
So many options. Which answer should I choose?
Hi Joel
This sounds very encouraging. I am going for my Monday workout and will be sure to start out with a good breakfast. I like oatmeal with raisins and walnuts and ground flax seed and some hemp hearts for good measure. I don’t get hungry all morning. Can’t wait for your next installment!
Thanks, Norma
I think you and your boy Vince need to get on the same page with this issue of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. He says its like trying to date 2 good looking Hollywood women at the same time; it cant be done.
SOunds like some one is confused , lets see some proof these work. I know from experience that trying to do both only gets you mediocre results.
Hey Joel, I have an important question. Can you gain muscle on Cheat Your Way Thin?
I am interested in hearing your program and nutitional prescription for doing this. MM2K had a few articles on a similar approach, they didn’t cycle the two during the week but did two week periods of cycling a mass/bulking phase followed by a two week cutting phase. It didn’t work too well for me. I still say insulin control/manipulation is a big part of the puzzle.
Looking forward to hearing more.
i think theyre some quite good opinions,
but it would be better if its more clear :S
I’d agree with Josh preceeding this post-Insulin control/manipulation- is ‘key’ here. Many ways to sustain optiMal levels. Thanks Joel for these provocative ideas.
I’m biting… I’m biting…
its so simple and easy to understand. because you don’t have any evidence, and i do trust that it works but i will post back with some results in a few weeks!!
thanks for the info joel!!
jake :)
Hi Joel, First of all believe that every one should Know their body type , Ectomorph,endomorph, or mesomorph and their metabolism.
Personally I am a mesomorph and find that feeding the muscles on your on days and mostly peaking out towards the end of your on days including after your workout works well, along with HIIT cardio after each workout.
I also cut my calories on my off days which are when I do ab workouts 3 days a week. I also re-feed one day a week to start the fat burning process again. I still believe that people need to learn their body type, metabolism and just plain out what works for them. LEARN YOUR BODY!
Have a good, healthy,and strong day Joel,
Thanks, Kevin
Yeap makes sense to me. Alot of so called experts would disagree though, perhaps they haven’t considered your approach.
Hello Joel,
Thanks for the new ideas. I am currently under my ideal weight by a couple of pounds in order to loose fat. I do resistive training 3 times a week with some “brisk walking” as part of my cardio as I cannot afford to loose the muscle which I am struggling to gain.
I have a report from some guru who said that it is easy to gain muscle if one is very lean? Well I would be glad with some concrete advise how to do loose fat and gain muscle simultaneously as I am battling here.
Many thanks,
Brian
hi,
it sound to be good way to loose fat and gain muscle coz I have try this for few week and what I feel that time is similar to your word.
Hi Joel, I think I need to clarify myself for my last post. Being a mesomorph body type such as I am, i consume more protein 1.5 grams per pound per body weight.
My carbs are moderate and my fats are also moderate. Percentage wise it would look something like this fat 25%, protein 35%, carbs 40%. 60% of my protein is consumed after my workouts.
If you build more muscle, don’t they burn more fat?
Hi Joel,
Thanks for the explanation and options. That is really interesting and I have done a few of those you mentioned and would like to see what you think.
To summarize what you said these are the options to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.
1. Eating more on workout days and less ( calorie deficit ) on non-workout days. ( I ‘m assuming do the muscle building workouts and not fat-loss circuit type. )
My experience : I tried that but it moves to no-direction. It is like carb-cycling or calorie-cycling but may be my metabolic rate is not so great. The jumps or changes make my body terrible at workouts.
2. Eating MEGA surplus after workout for some hours
My experience : I tried only with Post-workout drink/meals but looks like you mentioned “cheat” -style meals after workout. I have yet to try that.
3. Small bursts of time to cycle between muscle building and fat loss.
My experience: That is what I tried to do currently. Try to get down to single digit bodyfat % and then move on to muscle building and cycle it. 2 weeks seem a bit less to me .. Some authors ( which I won’t name names ) even have one week cycle ( 3 day muscle building and 3 or 4 day fat loss) or 12 days cycle ( 8 days muscle building and 4 days fat loss) etc.
But I’m thinking more like 4 weeks muscle building and 2 weeks fat loss or 8 weeks muscle building and 4 weeks fat loss. Pls let me know what you think.
4. Muscle Building workout only with HIIT for fat loss
My experience: I have bad encounters with this approach. When calorie deficit, I have no energy on muscle building workouts.
While on maintenance and surplus calories, I was tired as hell and overtrain or burn-out very quick that I need to step back from that approach.
I can’t wait to hear more. This is really going to help me out a lot.
Makes sence but sounds a bit confusing.
Please explain in details….
Thanks!!
This all sounds good. However, like most, I want to know how to incorporate this into cheat your way thin. I have been weight training for about a month while doing cheat your way thin and my muscle building goals have not been met (due to lack of calories). Is there a strategy to use cheat your way thin concepts to loose weight while building muscle? Please tell more. Thanks Joel.
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...