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Losing fat while gaining muscle can be considered holy grail for some when they think about getting in shape. A common question we get asked is, “can I gain muscle and lose weight at the same time?”. The short answer, yes it’s possible. Losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time is called body recomposition. Put simply, if body recomposition is your goal then you should know that it usually works well for some people. Impressive body recompositioning can be accomplished by people who are new trainees to weightlifting who eat right. In this post we’ll cover who should attempt body “recomping”, how to body recomp then provide you with a sample 12 week workout and diet plan for body recomposition.
What is body recomposition?
Body recomposition is when someone is trying to increase lean muscle mass while decreasing fat mass. There are plenty of supplements or tricks you will see advertised that promise you exactly this but the truth is, noticeable body recomposition usually is only naturally achievable if:
You’re new to eating properly and weight training with less than one year of consistent resistance training under your belt
You’ve taken a long hiatus from training and haven’t been eating properly
You have a high bodyfat percentage usually over 25%
You’re a beginner-intermediate trainee that can stay dedicated to a slow cutting process
Generally speaking, if you want to lose weight you’ll have to be at a caloric deficit and to gain muscle you’ll have to eat at a caloric surplus. In the fitness world staying at a caloric deficit is usually related to a cutting program while being at a caloric surplus is part of a bulking program.
If you’re someone who doesn’t want to stay natural and is willing to take health risks then there are compounds to help people achieve body recompositioning that don’t fit the parameters mentioned above.
Can You Actually Gain Muscle While Losing Fat?
Yes, you can gain muscle while losing fat. The most common scenario of successful body recomposition is the person who has just started resistance training and has decided to make positive changes surrounding their diet.
The reason why body recomp is most likely to happen for a newbie is that their muscles are more responsive to the effects of resistance training. These newbie gains surprisingly can be achieved with losing fat. With proper training plan and nutrition newbies can often gain 1-2 pounds of muscle per month in their first year of serious training, that’s an astounding 12-24 pounds of muscle gain in one calendar year. So if you're out of shape, fat, have an endomorph body type, are skinny-fat, or are average but want to get healthy then body recomposition is for you.
What’s maybe even more remarkable for newcomers is that it’s possible to put on muscle even with calorie restriction. With seasoned lifters, once calories are restricted or in a deficit it’s difficult to gain any amount of considerable muscle.
Science of Body recomposition
You will hear multiple point of views surrounding body recomp regarding if it’s possible to do, how to do it and who should do it. So, it’s best we start off with the science first as many studies have been conducted around the phenomenon of body recomp.
Starting at the point where most people agree, new trainees can effectively body recomp.
Here is one study that compared the effects of a moderate hypocaloric high protein diet and resistance training on untrained overweight police officers over the course of 12 weeks. They were split up into three groups:
Group 1 - 20% caloric deficit
Group 2 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of casein protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
Group 3 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of whey protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
The results
Weight loss of 2.5 kilograms (5.5lbs)
Group 1- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 25%. Fat loss 2.5 kgs or 5.5lbs. No lean mass gain.
Group 2 – Body fat percentage went from 27% to 18%. Fat loss 7kgs or 15.4 pounds. Muscle gain 4kgs or 8.8 lbs. Almost double the strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs compared to Group 3. It’s thought that the casein protein produced superior results due to improved nitrogen retention and anticatabolic effects of the peptides components found within.
Group 3- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 23%. Fat loss 4.2kgs or 9.2 pounds. Muscle gain 2kgs or 4.4 lbs. Strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs.
The key findings here:
Even with a significant caloric deficit it’s possible to lose fat and gain muscle and strength.
Moving on..
Now let’s have a look at trained individuals and their capacity to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. We believe that this is possible to do but without the drastic changes that you’d see in newbies.
This meta-analysis looked at multiple studies which demonstrated the possibility of body recomposition in resistance trained people. They found that the determining factors that make body recompositioning possible for trained individuals are evidence based nutritional strategies combined with progressive resistance training. Other factors that play a crucial role here are sleep and hormones.
Here is another study that once again showed it’s possible to improve body composition even in trained men and women when they ate a high-protein diet combined with periodized heavy resistance training. There were 48 healthy resistance trained men and women whom were split into two groups, one with normal protein intake of 2.3 grams/kg (~1gr/lb) of bodyweight and the other high protein intake of over 3.5 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight per day(1.5gr/lb).
Results:
Normal protein group: Body weight increase 1.3kg(2.86lbs) Fat mass -.3kg(-.66lbs). Body fat percentage -.7%
High protein group: Body weight increase -.1kg(-.22lbs). Fat mass -1.7kg(-3.74lbs). Body fat percentage -2.4%.
Key takeaways: Consuming the high protein diet combined with heavy resistance training can result in positive body composition changes for trained people.
So now you can see there are scientific studies that prove it is possible for people to achieve some slight degree of body recomp even if they are trained however the results aren’t nearly as pronounced compared to untrained people.
You may be thinking, so what about the highly trained people like professional bodybuilders, are they able to accomplish body recomp?
People that compete in physique competitions might be out of luck when it comes to body recomposition through the manipulation of training and nutritional programs. Once people are close to attaining peak physical potential, body recompostion becomes extremely difficult to achieve without the use of highly potent substances. When the body has come close to it’s maximum genetic potential the progress made through body recomposition is minimal and will be difficult to even see the difference. The reason for this is that your muscles aren’t as sensitive and won’t react to the same stimuli compared with people who are fresh out the gates plus advanced trainees usually won’t be starting with a high bodyfat percentage. This is why advanced lifters primarily rely on bulking and cutting plans to make consistent gains. To better understand this, we’ll cover the mechanisms of losing fat and gaining muscle below.
Who can do body recomposition?
The people that are best served by attempting a body recomp are those who have less than one year of consistent weight training experience. Beginners who are new to resistance training with an average to overweight body fat percentage can see significant changes by employing a body recomp plan.
Those who have 1-3 years weight training experience can still recomp but the results won't be close to what a novice can experience. There have been multiple studies showing trained individuals recomping but at a slower rate. However, this group of trained people would better be served by a bulking or cutting program to see more drastic changes in a shorter amount of time.
Advanced trainees and bodybuilders will see very little results with a body recomp as they are probably closer to their genetic potential.
How Long Does It Take For Body Recomp?
The length of time for body recomp largely depends on the starting point and end goal. Are you a beginner new to lifting and eating right? If so, then you can see some amazing changes in a few months.
If you’re someone with multiple years of lifting under the belt then body recomp is a slow process. It’s hard to gain muscle while at a caloric deficit and if you can it will be at a much slower rate compared with gaining muscle while on a caloric surplus. In this case you’d be better off with traditional cutting and bulking techniques.
Body Recomposition: How To Gain Muscle While Losing Fat
To recap what we’ve covered so far.
Body recomposition is possible but with varying results depending on the individual situation and person
Body recomp usually requires a calorie deficit
Body recomp requires adequate protein and calorie intake
Strategies to successfully body recomp
Set Goals: Body recomp is the general goal but in order for you to get to that goal you should define the why, when and how. Are you doing this to get in better shape for summer? Have a wedding coming up? Participating in a physique show?
When you set a specific end goal of when it should be accomplished and how you need to accomplish it, you will have a better chance of succeeding. Body recomposition may be easier for some compared to others but make no mistake about it, body recomp is hard. It takes dedication and discipline to pull it off so in order to stay focused and accountable, set a plan and goal then get after it.
Long term body recomp usually doesn’t pan out well because it’s not easy to stick to a caloric deficit for prolonged periods of time while also training hard. Set short attainable mini-goals with 8-12 week time frames so that once you hit your goal you will be happy with what you’ve accomplished or it will give you more motivation to set another 8-12 mini-goal.
Calorie/Carb Cycle Close to Workouts: One way to stay on track in your bodyrecomposition with losing fat and gaining muscle is through the use of various methods such as calorie/carb cycling. This is when you’ll eat more calories and carbs around your workouts. So you might be at a slight caloric surplus for short periods of time after your workouts then you can be back down to a caloric deficit on your off days.
The reason to do this is to feed your body on the days you’re resistance training when your muscles are ready to grow and will use this extra fuel for muscle growth. These anabolic re-feeding windows are based on your training level. If you are new to training you might have a 24-hour window whereas an advanced lifter may only have 6 hours. If you don't have a strong understanding of the anabolic re-feeding window, or anabolic vs. catabolic differences in general, we highly recommend reading up on them, as they're essential for muscle building.
Eat High Protein Diet: To have any chance at pulling off a successful body recomp you must consume enough protein to keep a positive MPS balance while in a caloric deficit. Without this your muscles won’t have enough fuel for growth. As we covered before multiple studies have shown that with the right protein intake body recomp can be attained even by those who are trained. In normal circumstances, studies have shown adequate protein intake for muscle growth and maintenance to be around .73 grams per pound of bodyweight (1.6gram/kg). But remember our goal here is body recomposition so protein intake should be higher, with some studies showing effective protein ranges from 1-1.55 grams of protein per pound (2.4-3.4gr/kg) of bodyweight. We recommend eating the protein sources found on our list of best food for muscles.
To get your protein level where it should be you might need to supplement your diet with protein powder. Protein powder is relatively inexpensive these days with plenty of options ranging from vegan-friendly options such as soy, pea, rice and hemp to traditional whey or casein protein with options such as concentrate, isolate or hydrolysate. A good protein powder tastes great just with water, but you can also use it to make a smoothie, or elevate your morning cup of Joe by combining the two and making protein coffee. It's also important to consider nutrition timing for optimal body recomp results. Know how much protein to eat and when, along with when and what to eat before a workout and what to eat after a workout for best results.
Related:
Follow a Training Program: Without a solid training program in place your body recomp probably won’t go as planned. There isn’t a particular program you must follow, this will be dependent on your goals and starting point. Seeing how you’re here to learn about body recomp, you should focus your training program around hypertrophy rather than strength or power. Hypertrophy or muscle gain is usually achieved with a rep range of 6-20. Try to hit each muscle group twice a week with a total of 10-20 working sets per week. Regardless of what program you settle the key is to push yourself session after session week after week. Also, determine how long you should workout so you're not spending too little or too much time training.
You can check out these strength training programs:
Keep a Caloric Deficit: As covered before, if you want to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time you must be a slight caloric deficit. The degree to which you restrict calories should be based on your goals and current situation, use your judgement here. If you keep a large caloric deficit, you will hinder your chances of gaining muscle. You should start with a 10%-15% caloric deficit then reassess after a week to see if you’ve managed to hit your goals. If you aren’t losing fat as fast as you’d like you can increase your caloric deficit by another 100-200 calories for the next week the once again reassess then make changes.
The best way to achieve this caloric deficit is by means of a slow cut. With a slow cut you will lose weight gradually. This study suggests to aim for a maximum .7% of bodyweight per week. So, if you’re a 250 man a weekly loss would be 1.7 pounds. This method of cutting slowly makes the body recomp manageable but also makes it easier for you to stay on track in the muscle gain department.
?Related:
Get Quality Sleep: Sleep is essential to staying healthy as it allows our bodies to recover and recharge. This study measured fat loss between two groups of people; one group slept 5.5 hours a night while the other group slept 8.5 hours. The subjects didn’t perform exercise and only consumed 1.18 grams of protein per kilogram(.54gr/lb) of bodyweight per day. The group that slept 8.5 hours lost more fat but they both lost the same amount of total weight. The amount of muscle loss was 80% of the total weight loss in the 5.5 hour group but only 48% in the 8.5 hour group showing how powerful sleep can be when it comes to retaining muscle.
This study provides more ammunition to show the importance of sleep as it pertains to body composition. Researchers had two groups of participants that were both following a resistance training program but one group also received a sleep education program to improve sleep habits. The results showed that the sleep educated group had a slight edge in both muscle gain (3.74 vs 2.86 lb) and fat loss ( -3.96 vs -1.76 lb).
There are numerous studies that should the relation of sleep to muscle gain and/or retention. The bottom line is that the more sleep the better. You should aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.
Limit Cardio: This may be music to some people’s ears, rarely will you hear people advocate for less cardio in the fitness world. In the case of body recomposition the point of limiting the volume or intensity of cardio is so that it’s still possible to build muscle while being at a caloric deficit. While your goal is body recomp let cardio take the backseat for a little while. Instead of doing multiple HIIT workouts or long runs opt for 20-30 min walks on a treadmill or better yet outside if possible.
Stay Hydrated: It’s always a good idea to stay hydrated whether you’re in the midst of a body recomp or not. This study concluded that hypohydration (body water deficit larger than normal daily changes) significantly changed the endocrine and metabolic internal environments before and after resistance training. A positive metabolic and hormonal response to resistance training is vital for body recomp to work. Don’t forget to drink your water, shoot for 8-10 glasses daily. This water consumption will also help with satiate hunger after being on a caloric deficit.
Reduce Stress: Stress can slow down your body recomp. Stress will cause changes in hormone levels such as cortisol which can lead to insulin resistance. This insulin resistance can make it more difficult for you to lose the fat that you’re aiming for. Your body won’t efficiently convert carbs into energy so even with cutting calories it will make it more difficult for your body to lose the fat. You can try meditation to help manage stress as this age-old practice works wonders for many people.
How to lose fat
In the simplest terms for fat loss to happen you must use more calories than you consume. The old age saying of calories in less than calories out still holds true. The exact nutrients and the foods you consume aren’t the driver of losing fat however if you are cutting then you will want to pay attention to your macronutrients if your goal is to lose fat and gain muscle.
To lose fat you must be at a caloric deficit. Getting started in your fat loss goal you must establish a baseline of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), you can find plenty of free calculators online to assist you with this. Once you have this baseline you know how many calories you can consume per day to lose fat. If the goal is simply to lose weight or fat then a calorie is a calorie.
Now because we are trying to lose fat as part of a body recomp we need to make smart decisions about how many calories we consume and what those calories consist of. Generally, you should start with a caloric deficit of 200-500 a day depending on your starting point and end goal. Most importantly you need to be aware that if calories drop too much then you might become catabolic where your body can start breaking down muscle and fat to fuel the body. If this happens building muscle is out of the question.
To lose fat and retain and/or build muscle the most essential component of your calorie breakdown has to have an adequate amount of protein intake because the only way to build muscle is through muscle protein synthesis.
The next question you might ask is, “how much protein should I eat?”. The answer to this can range but you will need at least 1 gram of protein per pound (2.2gr/kg) of bodyweight but could be higher depending on individual parameters.
Figure out your weekly caloric needs
We’ve seen the best results of body recomposition where there was set goals and the individual knew what they had to do before starting in order to achieve their goal. For newbies, body recomp might be easier but it’s still important to have some benchmarks so you know what direction you should be heading in and don’t stray too far off course.
To stay on track, you should calculate your calorie balance and how fast you’d like to reasonably lose fat and gain muscle. Keep in mind these are rough guidelines that will differ dependent on the individual. Age, genetics, hormones and lifestyle play an important role in the rate you’ll gain or lose muscle.
To Lose Fat:
Obese: Men (over 30% Bodyfat) Women (over 40% bodyfat): Can lose up to 2% of bodyweight per week
Overfat: Men (22-30% BF) Women (32-40% BF): Can lose up to 1.25% bodyweight per week
Average: Men (15-22% BF) Women (24-32% BF): Can lose up to .75% of bodyweight per week
Athletic: Men (8-15% BF) Women (14-24% BF): Can lose up to .5% bodyweight per week
Bodybuilder: Men (Under 8%) Women (Under 14%): Can lose up to .2% bodyweight per week
To Gain Muscle:
Newcomers: .5% bodyweight/week
Intermediate: .3% bodyweight/week
Advanced Intermediate: .2% bodyweight/week
Elite: .1% of bodyweight/week
Now you can see how difficult body recomposition can be for highly trained people. It’s also apparent that obese or overfat people should see decent results by just following a lean cutting program because it’s possible to lose fat easily while at the same time their bodies probably have some musculature that was needed to carry their weight around.
Putting this into practice…
Even though there’s 3,500 calories in a pound of fat when you lose weight 100% of it won’t be fat. Roughly 10% will be from muscle or protein loss and some water weight. Therefore, it takes a deficit of 3,850 calories to lose a pound of fat. Meanwhile, it takes around a surplus of 2,500 calories to build one pound of muscle. With these numbers you can find out your weekly body recomp goals in terms of your target calorie ratio.
Here’s a look at what this all means in an example real-life situation of a man who weighs 210 pounds with a body fat percentage of 21% and is new to weight training.
He should try to lose 1.575 pounds per week (210lb *.0075). This would translate to a 6,063 caloric deficit. Because he is a novice when it comes to training he should aim for 1.05 pounds of muscle gain weekly (210*.005). This would be around 2,625 calorie surplus. Adding the caloric deficit to the surplus would give you 3,438 calories as a weekly net deficit. In total, a daily calorie deficit should be around 490 calories.
How much fat can you lose weekly?
The amount of weight you can lose weekly once again depends on your starting point. If you have a very high body fat percentage then you will be able to lose more fat per week. For example, if you’re a man weighing in at 320 pounds with a body fat percentage of over 30% could lose 2-3 pounds of fat weekly with a moderate calorie restriction whereas a man weight 220 pounds at 18% bodyfat percentage might need a more aggressive calorie restriction to even lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week.
It’s also important to note that losing fat and/or gaining muscle isn’t a linear progression. Some weeks you might lose more fat than others. To break through potential plateaus in your fat loss there are a few strategies you can use to continue on the right track which we’ll cover in the tips below.
Related: How To Speed Up Your Metabolism & Lose Fat Fast
How To Gain Muscle
On the other side of the fat loss component of body recomp is gaining muscle. To gain muscle two things must happen:
Do some type of consistent resistance training
Eat enough calories and more specifically; protein
We’ll start with the first part here of resistance training. The underlying principle of getting bigger and stronger is the concept of progressive overload. Progressive overload simply means by adding more stress on your muscles over time you activate muscle growth. This can be done through lifting more weight and/or more volume. When performing weight bearing exercises tension placed on the muscles causing the muscle fibers to break so that they can rebuild bigger and stronger.
In order to continue to see gains in strength and size you have to keep pushing the envelop as the body quickly adapts to this stress. To avoid stalling out on building muscle you need to either lift heavier weights over time or do more reps or both. There are numerous methods of avoiding these potential stall-out periods in your fitness journey. You can play with different rep/set ranges, rest times, lifting methods to keep your body on its toes. At the end of the day, you must lift enough weight and often enough to stimulate muscle growth. Don’t be one of those people that keeps doing the same routine for months on end then wonder why they aren’t seeing any progress. It's also important to understand how long it takes for muscles to grow so you can monitor and track your progress.
The second aspect of gaining muscle comes from nutrition. Muscles can’t grow without the stimulus of strength training combined with protein and calorie consumption. The building block of muscles is protein. Muscle protein synthesis or MPS is the process where protein is produced to repair damaged muscle as the result of exercise. On the flip side muscle protein breakdown or MPB is when protein is lost as a result from intense exercise. Therefore, the balance of MPS to MPB dictates if muscle tissue is lost or built. This is why diet is vitally important when trying to gain muscle. You will need to keep a positive balance of MPS to MPB to build muscle.
There are a few ways to boost MPS including ingesting protein after exercise as the amino acids in the protein will be directed to your muscles to replace any that was lost during exertion. Timing a protein shake for post-workout, as a snack to keep protein levels high throughout the day, and before bed will help your body build more muscle mass. MPS can be impacted by your training regimen, nutrition, sleep and hormones. The best method of enhancing MPS is through strength training and progressive overload as described above.
Apart from your first year of strength training, gaining muscle is a long arduous process. If your first year of training you could potentially put on 20-25 pounds of muscle without gaining any fat or in some cases while losing fat. This type of progress won’t continue at that same rate over time unfortunately. You can gradually progress with muscle and strength gains but it won’t be at the same rate as when you start your fitness journey.
Related: How To Gain Muscle Without Fail
Body Recomp Diet Tips & Tricks
For your body recomp to actually work, slow and steady will usually produce the best results. Forget about going on a crash diet of any sort. We are looking for sustainable nutrition plans to ensure we meet our goals.
Here are some tips to help you with the nutrition side of body recomp:
Try to get 20-30 grams of protein in with each meal
Supplement your protein intake with protein powders
Include a moderate amount of healthy fats and carbohydrates
Eat plenty of vegetables including a good mix of fibrous, leafy and colorful
Eat more of your carb heavy meals/days on workout days and close to your pre and post workout times
Avoid foods with added sugars
Avoid drinking your calories apart from protein shakes
Avoid processed foods
The exact breakdown of the macros is most important when considering protein intake and total calories. Always strive for consuming whole foods. Use your common sense here.
Sample Body Recomposition Plan To Build Muscle & Lose Weight
We wanted to give you an idea of the types of foods you should strive to consume during your body recomp with a training plan to match. Below you’ll find some food items that should be included in your nutrition plan with and example of what 3 days of eating might look like. You’ll need to make adjustments to fit your current situation but nonetheless this can serve as a reminder of the types of whole foods to eat.
Body Recomposition Diet
To lose fat you will have to restrict calories and eat a high protein diet. Let’s have a look at some food choices you can make. We won’t go into depth here on food choices because this information is readily available online and our main goal is to get protein intake over 1 gram per pound of bodyweight while keeping our calories at a deficit.
You have to make the smart choices on how you want to fill out your caloric needs. With each meal try to get at least 20-30 grams of protein and at least one serving of fibrous greens. Concerning carbs and fats you’ll have to monitor your intake as these are usually higher calorie foods.
Protein Sources:
We’ll consider a portion roughly the size of your fist a standard serving size
Food
Serving Size
Protein Grams
Chicken
4 oz
35
Turkey
4 oz
34
Pork Loin
4 oz
29
Hamburger Patty
4 oz
28
Steak
6 oz
42
Tuna Packet
4 oz
24
Shrimp
4 oz
24
Salmon
4 oz
23
Eggs
3 eggs
18
Milk
1 cup
8
Cottage Cheese 2%
1 cup
30
Yogurt
1 cup
8-12
Firm Tofu
1.5 cups
30
Black & Pinto Beans, Lentils
.5 cups cooked
7-10
Protein shake w/ water
Average Serving
25-30
Healthy Fats
Avocadoes
Almonds
Cashews
Olive Oil
Nut Butter
Peanuts
Sunflower seeds
Complex Carbs
Whole wheat bread
Barley
Brown Rice
Granola
Honey Oatmeal
Oats
Quinoa
Sweet Potatoes/yams
Beans (Kidney, black, pinto)
Fibrous Greens
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Green beans
Spinach
Celery
Lettuce
Kale
Fruit
Apples
Bananas
Berries
Grapefruit
Orange
Peach
Papaya
Watermelon
Beverages
Water
Black Coffee
Tea (green, pu’er, yerba mate)
Sweeteners
Monk fruit extract
Stevia extract
Erythritol
Sample 3 Day Body Recomp Meal Plan
Meal planning can be an important component of body recomposition because it will help take the guess work out of what and when to eat. We wanted to give you an example of what some meals could look like. You will have to tailor your meal planning to your specific circumstances. The integral points are that you need to consume enough protein to build muscle and keep your calories at a slight deficit. Most people find it easier to pull off a body recomp with the aid of protein supplements whether it’s protein powder or protein bars.
Follow these rough guidelines for your body recomp diet. Add more calories and carbs on your workout days with the majority of the intake coming pre and post exercise.
Breakfast: Protein & Complex carbs
Snack: Protein & Fats
Lunch: Protein & Carbs
Snack: Protein
Dinner: Protein & Fats
Snack: Protein
Day 1
Morning
3 Eggs, Oatmeal, Yogurt with blueberries
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water/low-fat milk & Nut butter
Lunch
Steak with refried beans and quinoa
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Dinner
Pork chops sauteed with apples with roasted vegetables
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Day 2
Morning
Omelet with ham and veggies
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water/low-fat milk & Nut butter
Lunch
Baked Salmon with sweet potato mash and asparagus
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Dinner
Roasted whole chicken with vegetables
Evening
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Day 3
Morning
Cottage cheese with apples
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water/low-fat milk & Nut butter
Lunch
Chicken stir fry with vegetables on brown rice
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Dinner
Fish tacos in whole wheat fajitas with guacamole
Evening
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Body Recomposition Workout Plan
The other half of a successful body recomp is a thorough workout plan. The following workout plan is geared towards a beginner who has started lifting and has the basic techniques down of most lifts and has time to workout 3-4 days a week.
With this body recomp workout plan the goal is hypertrophy. At the end of the 12 week mini-goal you can reassess your progress and either switch up your diet and/or your workout routine. With this body recomposition 12 week workout plan you will hit the gym 3 days a week. Each training session will include 2 of the major lifts and/or its variation including bench press, overhead press, squats and deadlifts.
If you eat right and train hard, this 12 week beginner body recomp workout plan can have you lose between 15-20 lbs of fat while gaining 10-15 lbs of muscle.
Note: Results will can vary depending on the individual’s personal situation.
Guidelines for the 12 Week Body Recomposition Workout For Beginners
Train 3 days a week with a rest day in between each training session
You must do the main lifts. (*If you’re not comfortable yet with a main lift using free-weights just yet then complete a variation of it with equipment that you’re able to use properly)
Schedule your rest days between your workout days
Cardio can take place on rest days with light intensity sessions of 20-30 minutes
Rest times can be up to 2-4 minutes for the main lifts but assistance or accessory lifts should have shorter rests of 1-2 minutes max.
Try to increase the weight you’re lifting each week. For upper body main lifts like bench and overhead press try to add 5 lbs weekly. For lower body main lifts like squats and deadlifts try to add 10 lbs. If you can’t add weight then add reps.
Workout 1
Exercise
Sets x Reps
Overhead Press
3 x 8-10
Squat
3 x 8
Bench Press
3 x 6-8
Lat Pulldowns
3 x 10-12
Cable Lateral Raise
2 x 10-12
Preacher Curls
2 x 12-15
Cable Crunches
3 x 10-15
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets x Reps
Incline Bench Press
4 x 8
Deadlift
3 x 8-10
Dumbbell Press
4 x 8
Bent Over Rows
4 x 10
Skull Crushers
3 x 10-12
Hanging Leg Raise (*Captain’s chair)
3 x 15
Workout 3
Exercise
Sets x Reps
Bench Press
3 x 8-10
Front Squat
3 x 10
Overhead Press
3 x 8-10
Pull ups (*assisted if needed)
2 x 10
Seated Dumbbell Rear Flys
2 x 10-12
Cable Hammer Curls
2 x 12-15
Planks
3 x As long as possible
Final Note
To cap it off if you’re attempting a body recomposition of losing fat and gaining muscle and you’re a new lifter then you should see some truly astonishing changes in the first 6-12 months if you lift with intention and follow a strength program while also restricting calories.
If you’re more of an intermediate lifter and have been training for 1-3 years then you’ll have to be a tad more diligent if you want to body recomp. We generally recommend that intermediate to advanced lifters stick with the easier to manage methods of lean bulking and cutting rather than body recomp.
What ever you decide to do, body recomposition, cut or bulk it comes down to your current situation, your desired goal and how hard you’re willing to work to get there.
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Losing fat while gaining muscle can be considered holy grail for some when they think about getting in shape. A common question we get asked is, “can I gain muscle and lose weight at the same time?”. The short answer, yes it’s possible. Losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time is called body recomposition. Put simply, if body recomposition is your goal then you should know that it usually works well for some people. Impressive body recompositioning can be accomplished by people who are new trainees to weightlifting who eat right. In this post we’ll cover who should attempt body “recomping”, how to body recomp then provide you with a sample 12 week workout and diet plan for body recomposition.
What is body recomposition?
Body recomposition is when someone is trying to increase lean muscle mass while decreasing fat mass. There are plenty of supplements or tricks you will see advertised that promise you exactly this but the truth is, noticeable body recomposition usually is only naturally achievable if:
If you’re someone who doesn’t want to stay natural and is willing to take health risks then there are compounds to help people achieve body recompositioning that don’t fit the parameters mentioned above.
Can You Actually Gain Muscle While Losing Fat?
Yes, you can gain muscle while losing fat. The most common scenario of successful body recomposition is the person who has just started resistance training and has decided to make positive changes surrounding their diet.
The reason why body recomp is most likely to happen for a newbie is that their muscles are more responsive to the effects of resistance training. These newbie gains surprisingly can be achieved with losing fat. With proper training plan and nutrition newbies can often gain 1-2 pounds of muscle per month in their first year of serious training, that’s an astounding 12-24 pounds of muscle gain in one calendar year. So if you're out of shape, fat, have an endomorph body type, are skinny-fat, or are average but want to get healthy then body recomposition is for you.
What’s maybe even more remarkable for newcomers is that it’s possible to put on muscle even with calorie restriction. With seasoned lifters, once calories are restricted or in a deficit it’s difficult to gain any amount of considerable muscle.
Science of Body recomposition
You will hear multiple point of views surrounding body recomp regarding if it’s possible to do, how to do it and who should do it. So, it’s best we start off with the science first as many studies have been conducted around the phenomenon of body recomp.
Starting at the point where most people agree, new trainees can effectively body recomp.
Here is one study that compared the effects of a moderate hypocaloric high protein diet and resistance training on untrained overweight police officers over the course of 12 weeks. They were split up into three groups:
Group 1 - 20% caloric deficit
Group 2 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of casein protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
Group 3 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of whey protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
The results
Weight loss of 2.5 kilograms (5.5lbs)
Group 1- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 25%. Fat loss 2.5 kgs or 5.5lbs. No lean mass gain.
Group 2 – Body fat percentage went from 27% to 18%. Fat loss 7kgs or 15.4 pounds. Muscle gain 4kgs or 8.8 lbs. Almost double the strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs compared to Group 3. It’s thought that the casein protein produced superior results due to improved nitrogen retention and anticatabolic effects of the peptides components found within.
Group 3- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 23%. Fat loss 4.2kgs or 9.2 pounds. Muscle gain 2kgs or 4.4 lbs. Strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs.
The key findings here:
Even with a significant caloric deficit it’s possible to lose fat and gain muscle and strength.
Moving on..
Now let’s have a look at trained individuals and their capacity to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. We believe that this is possible to do but without the drastic changes that you’d see in newbies.
This meta-analysis looked at multiple studies which demonstrated the possibility of body recomposition in resistance trained people. They found that the determining factors that make body recompositioning possible for trained individuals are evidence based nutritional strategies combined with progressive resistance training. Other factors that play a crucial role here are sleep and hormones.
Here is another study that once again showed it’s possible to improve body composition even in trained men and women when they ate a high-protein diet combined with periodized heavy resistance training. There were 48 healthy resistance trained men and women whom were split into two groups, one with normal protein intake of 2.3 grams/kg (~1gr/lb) of bodyweight and the other high protein intake of over 3.5 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight per day(1.5gr/lb).
Results:
Normal protein group: Body weight increase 1.3kg(2.86lbs) Fat mass -.3kg(-.66lbs). Body fat percentage -.7%
High protein group: Body weight increase -.1kg(-.22lbs). Fat mass -1.7kg(-3.74lbs). Body fat percentage -2.4%.
Key takeaways: Consuming the high protein diet combined with heavy resistance training can result in positive body composition changes for trained people.
So now you can see there are scientific studies that prove it is possible for people to achieve some slight degree of body recomp even if they are trained however the results aren’t nearly as pronounced compared to untrained people.
You may be thinking, so what about the highly trained people like professional bodybuilders, are they able to accomplish body recomp?
People that compete in physique competitions might be out of luck when it comes to body recomposition through the manipulation of training and nutritional programs. Once people are close to attaining peak physical potential, body recompostion becomes extremely difficult to achieve without the use of highly potent substances. When the body has come close to it’s maximum genetic potential the progress made through body recomposition is minimal and will be difficult to even see the difference. The reason for this is that your muscles aren’t as sensitive and won’t react to the same stimuli compared with people who are fresh out the gates plus advanced trainees usually won’t be starting with a high bodyfat percentage. This is why advanced lifters primarily rely on bulking and cutting plans to make consistent gains. To better understand this, we’ll cover the mechanisms of losing fat and gaining muscle below.
Who can do body recomposition?
The people that are best served by attempting a body recomp are those who have less than one year of consistent weight training experience. Beginners who are new to resistance training with an average to overweight body fat percentage can see significant changes by employing a body recomp plan.
Those who have 1-3 years weight training experience can still recomp but the results won't be close to what a novice can experience. There have been multiple studies showing trained individuals recomping but at a slower rate. However, this group of trained people would better be served by a bulking or cutting program to see more drastic changes in a shorter amount of time.
Advanced trainees and bodybuilders will see very little results with a body recomp as they are probably closer to their genetic potential.
How Long Does It Take For Body Recomp?
The length of time for body recomp largely depends on the starting point and end goal. Are you a beginner new to lifting and eating right? If so, then you can see some amazing changes in a few months.
If you’re someone with multiple years of lifting under the belt then body recomp is a slow process. It’s hard to gain muscle while at a caloric deficit and if you can it will be at a much slower rate compared with gaining muscle while on a caloric surplus. In this case you’d be better off with traditional cutting and bulking techniques.
Body Recomposition: How To Gain Muscle While Losing Fat
To recap what we’ve covered so far.
Set Goals: Body recomp is the general goal but in order for you to get to that goal you should define the why, when and how. Are you doing this to get in better shape for summer? Have a wedding coming up? Participating in a physique show?
When you set a specific end goal of when it should be accomplished and how you need to accomplish it, you will have a better chance of succeeding. Body recomposition may be easier for some compared to others but make no mistake about it, body recomp is hard. It takes dedication and discipline to pull it off so in order to stay focused and accountable, set a plan and goal then get after it.
Long term body recomp usually doesn’t pan out well because it’s not easy to stick to a caloric deficit for prolonged periods of time while also training hard. Set short attainable mini-goals with 8-12 week time frames so that once you hit your goal you will be happy with what you’ve accomplished or it will give you more motivation to set another 8-12 mini-goal.
Calorie/Carb Cycle Close to Workouts: One way to stay on track in your bodyrecomposition with losing fat and gaining muscle is through the use of various methods such as calorie/carb cycling. This is when you’ll eat more calories and carbs around your workouts. So you might be at a slight caloric surplus for short periods of time after your workouts then you can be back down to a caloric deficit on your off days.
The reason to do this is to feed your body on the days you’re resistance training when your muscles are ready to grow and will use this extra fuel for muscle growth. These anabolic re-feeding windows are based on your training level. If you are new to training you might have a 24-hour window whereas an advanced lifter may only have 6 hours. If you don't have a strong understanding of the anabolic re-feeding window, or anabolic vs. catabolic differences in general, we highly recommend reading up on them, as they're essential for muscle building.
Eat High Protein Diet: To have any chance at pulling off a successful body recomp you must consume enough protein to keep a positive MPS balance while in a caloric deficit. Without this your muscles won’t have enough fuel for growth. As we covered before multiple studies have shown that with the right protein intake body recomp can be attained even by those who are trained. In normal circumstances, studies have shown adequate protein intake for muscle growth and maintenance to be around .73 grams per pound of bodyweight (1.6gram/kg). But remember our goal here is body recomposition so protein intake should be higher, with some studies showing effective protein ranges from 1-1.55 grams of protein per pound (2.4-3.4gr/kg) of bodyweight. We recommend eating the protein sources found on our list of best food for muscles.
To get your protein level where it should be you might need to supplement your diet with protein powder. Protein powder is relatively inexpensive these days with plenty of options ranging from vegan-friendly options such as soy, pea, rice and hemp to traditional whey or casein protein with options such as concentrate, isolate or hydrolysate. A good protein powder tastes great just with water, but you can also use it to make a smoothie, or elevate your morning cup of Joe by combining the two and making protein coffee. It's also important to consider nutrition timing for optimal body recomp results. Know how much protein to eat and when, along with when and what to eat before a workout and what to eat after a workout for best results.
Related:
Follow a Training Program: Without a solid training program in place your body recomp probably won’t go as planned. There isn’t a particular program you must follow, this will be dependent on your goals and starting point. Seeing how you’re here to learn about body recomp, you should focus your training program around hypertrophy rather than strength or power. Hypertrophy or muscle gain is usually achieved with a rep range of 6-20. Try to hit each muscle group twice a week with a total of 10-20 working sets per week. Regardless of what program you settle the key is to push yourself session after session week after week. Also, determine how long you should workout so you're not spending too little or too much time training.
You can check out these strength training programs:
Keep a Caloric Deficit: As covered before, if you want to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time you must be a slight caloric deficit. The degree to which you restrict calories should be based on your goals and current situation, use your judgement here. If you keep a large caloric deficit, you will hinder your chances of gaining muscle. You should start with a 10%-15% caloric deficit then reassess after a week to see if you’ve managed to hit your goals. If you aren’t losing fat as fast as you’d like you can increase your caloric deficit by another 100-200 calories for the next week the once again reassess then make changes.
The best way to achieve this caloric deficit is by means of a slow cut. With a slow cut you will lose weight gradually. This study suggests to aim for a maximum .7% of bodyweight per week. So, if you’re a 250 man a weekly loss would be 1.7 pounds. This method of cutting slowly makes the body recomp manageable but also makes it easier for you to stay on track in the muscle gain department.
?Related:
Get Quality Sleep: Sleep is essential to staying healthy as it allows our bodies to recover and recharge. This study measured fat loss between two groups of people; one group slept 5.5 hours a night while the other group slept 8.5 hours. The subjects didn’t perform exercise and only consumed 1.18 grams of protein per kilogram(.54gr/lb) of bodyweight per day. The group that slept 8.5 hours lost more fat but they both lost the same amount of total weight. The amount of muscle loss was 80% of the total weight loss in the 5.5 hour group but only 48% in the 8.5 hour group showing how powerful sleep can be when it comes to retaining muscle.
This study provides more ammunition to show the importance of sleep as it pertains to body composition. Researchers had two groups of participants that were both following a resistance training program but one group also received a sleep education program to improve sleep habits. The results showed that the sleep educated group had a slight edge in both muscle gain (3.74 vs 2.86 lb) and fat loss ( -3.96 vs -1.76 lb).
There are numerous studies that should the relation of sleep to muscle gain and/or retention. The bottom line is that the more sleep the better. You should aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.
Limit Cardio: This may be music to some people’s ears, rarely will you hear people advocate for less cardio in the fitness world. In the case of body recomposition the point of limiting the volume or intensity of cardio is so that it’s still possible to build muscle while being at a caloric deficit. While your goal is body recomp let cardio take the backseat for a little while. Instead of doing multiple HIIT workouts or long runs opt for 20-30 min walks on a treadmill or better yet outside if possible.
Stay Hydrated: It’s always a good idea to stay hydrated whether you’re in the midst of a body recomp or not. This study concluded that hypohydration (body water deficit larger than normal daily changes) significantly changed the endocrine and metabolic internal environments before and after resistance training. A positive metabolic and hormonal response to resistance training is vital for body recomp to work. Don’t forget to drink your water, shoot for 8-10 glasses daily. This water consumption will also help with satiate hunger after being on a caloric deficit.
Reduce Stress: Stress can slow down your body recomp. Stress will cause changes in hormone levels such as cortisol which can lead to insulin resistance. This insulin resistance can make it more difficult for you to lose the fat that you’re aiming for. Your body won’t efficiently convert carbs into energy so even with cutting calories it will make it more difficult for your body to lose the fat. You can try meditation to help manage stress as this age-old practice works wonders for many people.
How to lose fat
In the simplest terms for fat loss to happen you must use more calories than you consume. The old age saying of calories in less than calories out still holds true. The exact nutrients and the foods you consume aren’t the driver of losing fat however if you are cutting then you will want to pay attention to your macronutrients if your goal is to lose fat and gain muscle.
To lose fat you must be at a caloric deficit. Getting started in your fat loss goal you must establish a baseline of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), you can find plenty of free calculators online to assist you with this. Once you have this baseline you know how many calories you can consume per day to lose fat. If the goal is simply to lose weight or fat then a calorie is a calorie.
Now because we are trying to lose fat as part of a body recomp we need to make smart decisions about how many calories we consume and what those calories consist of. Generally, you should start with a caloric deficit of 200-500 a day depending on your starting point and end goal. Most importantly you need to be aware that if calories drop too much then you might become catabolic where your body can start breaking down muscle and fat to fuel the body. If this happens building muscle is out of the question.
To lose fat and retain and/or build muscle the most essential component of your calorie breakdown has to have an adequate amount of protein intake because the only way to build muscle is through muscle protein synthesis.
The next question you might ask is, “how much protein should I eat?”. The answer to this can range but you will need at least 1 gram of protein per pound (2.2gr/kg) of bodyweight but could be higher depending on individual parameters.
Figure out your weekly caloric needs
We’ve seen the best results of body recomposition where there was set goals and the individual knew what they had to do before starting in order to achieve their goal. For newbies, body recomp might be easier but it’s still important to have some benchmarks so you know what direction you should be heading in and don’t stray too far off course.
To stay on track, you should calculate your calorie balance and how fast you’d like to reasonably lose fat and gain muscle. Keep in mind these are rough guidelines that will differ dependent on the individual. Age, genetics, hormones and lifestyle play an important role in the rate you’ll gain or lose muscle.
To Lose Fat:
Putting this into practice…
Even though there’s 3,500 calories in a pound of fat when you lose weight 100% of it won’t be fat. Roughly 10% will be from muscle or protein loss and some water weight. Therefore, it takes a deficit of 3,850 calories to lose a pound of fat. Meanwhile, it takes around a surplus of 2,500 calories to build one pound of muscle. With these numbers you can find out your weekly body recomp goals in terms of your target calorie ratio.
Here’s a look at what this all means in an example real-life situation of a man who weighs 210 pounds with a body fat percentage of 21% and is new to weight training.
He should try to lose 1.575 pounds per week (210lb *.0075). This would translate to a 6,063 caloric deficit. Because he is a novice when it comes to training he should aim for 1.05 pounds of muscle gain weekly (210*.005). This would be around 2,625 calorie surplus. Adding the caloric deficit to the surplus would give you 3,438 calories as a weekly net deficit. In total, a daily calorie deficit should be around 490 calories.
How much fat can you lose weekly?
The amount of weight you can lose weekly once again depends on your starting point. If you have a very high body fat percentage then you will be able to lose more fat per week. For example, if you’re a man weighing in at 320 pounds with a body fat percentage of over 30% could lose 2-3 pounds of fat weekly with a moderate calorie restriction whereas a man weight 220 pounds at 18% bodyfat percentage might need a more aggressive calorie restriction to even lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week.
It’s also important to note that losing fat and/or gaining muscle isn’t a linear progression. Some weeks you might lose more fat than others. To break through potential plateaus in your fat loss there are a few strategies you can use to continue on the right track which we’ll cover in the tips below.
Related: How To Speed Up Your Metabolism & Lose Fat Fast
How To Gain Muscle
On the other side of the fat loss component of body recomp is gaining muscle. To gain muscle two things must happen:
In order to continue to see gains in strength and size you have to keep pushing the envelop as the body quickly adapts to this stress. To avoid stalling out on building muscle you need to either lift heavier weights over time or do more reps or both. There are numerous methods of avoiding these potential stall-out periods in your fitness journey. You can play with different rep/set ranges, rest times, lifting methods to keep your body on its toes. At...
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What is body recomposition?
Body recomposition is when someone is trying to increase lean muscle mass while decreasing fat mass. There are plenty of supplements or tricks you will see advertised that promise you exactly this but the truth is, noticeable body recomposition usually is only naturally achievable if:
You’re new to eating properly and weight training with less than one year of consistent resistance training under your belt
You’ve taken a long hiatus from training and haven’t been eating properly
You have a high bodyfat percentage usually over 25%
You’re a beginner-intermediate trainee that can stay dedicated to a slow cutting process
Generally speaking, if you want to lose weight you’ll have to be at a caloric deficit and to gain muscle you’ll have to eat at a caloric surplus. In the fitness world staying at a caloric deficit is usually related to a cutting program while being at a caloric surplus is part of a bulking program.
If you’re someone who doesn’t want to stay natural and is willing to take health risks then there are compounds to help people achieve body recompositioning that don’t fit the parameters mentioned above.
Can You Actually Gain Muscle While Losing Fat?
Yes, you can gain muscle while losing fat. The most common scenario of successful body recomposition is the person who has just started resistance training and has decided to make positive changes surrounding their diet.
The reason why body recomp is most likely to happen for a newbie is that their muscles are more responsive to the effects of resistance training. These newbie gains surprisingly can be achieved with losing fat. With proper training plan and nutrition newbies can often gain 1-2 pounds of muscle per month in their first year of serious training, that’s an astounding 12-24 pounds of muscle gain in one calendar year. So if you're out of shape, fat, have an endomorph body type, are skinny-fat, or are average but want to get healthy then body recomposition is for you.
What’s maybe even more remarkable for newcomers is that it’s possible to put on muscle even with calorie restriction. With seasoned lifters, once calories are restricted or in a deficit it’s difficult to gain any amount of considerable muscle.
Science of Body recomposition
You will hear multiple point of views surrounding body recomp regarding if it’s possible to do, how to do it and who should do it. So, it’s best we start off with the science first as many studies have been conducted around the phenomenon of body recomp.
Starting at the point where most people agree, new trainees can effectively body recomp.
Here is one study that compared the effects of a moderate hypocaloric high protein diet and resistance training on untrained overweight police officers over the course of 12 weeks. They were split up into three groups:
Group 1 - 20% caloric deficit
Group 2 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of casein protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
Group 3 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of whey protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
The results
Weight loss of 2.5 kilograms (5.5lbs)
Group 1- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 25%. Fat loss 2.5 kgs or 5.5lbs. No lean mass gain.
Group 2 – Body fat percentage went from 27% to 18%. Fat loss 7kgs or 15.4 pounds. Muscle gain 4kgs or 8.8 lbs. Almost double the strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs compared to Group 3. It’s thought that the casein protein produced superior results due to improved nitrogen retention and anticatabolic effects of the peptides components found within.
Group 3- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 23%. Fat loss 4.2kgs or 9.2 pounds. Muscle gain 2kgs or 4.4 lbs. Strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs.
The key findings here:
Even with a significant caloric deficit it’s possible to lose fat and gain muscle and strength.
Moving on..
Now let’s have a look at trained individuals and their capacity to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. We believe that this is possible to do but without the drastic changes that you’d see in newbies.
This meta-analysis looked at multiple studies which demonstrated the possibility of body recomposition in resistance trained people. They found that the determining factors that make body recompositioning possible for trained individuals are evidence based nutritional strategies combined with progressive resistance training. Other factors that play a crucial role here are sleep and hormones.
Here is another study that once again showed it’s possible to improve body composition even in trained men and women when they ate a high-protein diet combined with periodized heavy resistance training. There were 48 healthy resistance trained men and women whom were split into two groups, one with normal protein intake of 2.3 grams/kg (~1gr/lb) of bodyweight and the other high protein intake of over 3.5 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight per day(1.5gr/lb).
Results:
Normal protein group: Body weight increase 1.3kg(2.86lbs) Fat mass -.3kg(-.66lbs). Body fat percentage -.7%
High protein group: Body weight increase -.1kg(-.22lbs). Fat mass -1.7kg(-3.74lbs). Body fat percentage -2.4%.
Key takeaways: Consuming the high protein diet combined with heavy resistance training can result in positive body composition changes for trained people.
So now you can see there are scientific studies that prove it is possible for people to achieve some slight degree of body recomp even if they are trained however the results aren’t nearly as pronounced compared to untrained people.
You may be thinking, so what about the highly trained people like professional bodybuilders, are they able to accomplish body recomp?
People that compete in physique competitions might be out of luck when it comes to body recomposition through the manipulation of training and nutritional programs. Once people are close to attaining peak physical potential, body recompostion becomes extremely difficult to achieve without the use of highly potent substances. When the body has come close to it’s maximum genetic potential the progress made through body recomposition is minimal and will be difficult to even see the difference. The reason for this is that your muscles aren’t as sensitive and won’t react to the same stimuli compared with people who are fresh out the gates plus advanced trainees usually won’t be starting with a high bodyfat percentage. This is why advanced lifters primarily rely on bulking and cutting plans to make consistent gains. To better understand this, we’ll cover the mechanisms of losing fat and gaining muscle below.
Who can do body recomposition?
The people that are best served by attempting a body recomp are those who have less than one year of consistent weight training experience. Beginners who are new to resistance training with an average to overweight body fat percentage can see significant changes by employing a body recomp plan.
Those who have 1-3 years weight training experience can still recomp but the results won't be close to what a novice can experience. There have been multiple studies showing trained individuals recomping but at a slower rate. However, this group of trained people would better be served by a bulking or cutting program to see more drastic changes in a shorter amount of time.
Advanced trainees and bodybuilders will see very little results with a body recomp as they are probably closer to their genetic potential.
How Long Does It Take For Body Recomp?
The length of time for body recomp largely depends on the starting point and end goal. Are you a beginner new to lifting and eating right? If so, then you can see some amazing changes in a few months.
If you’re someone with multiple years of lifting under the belt then body recomp is a slow process. It’s hard to gain muscle while at a caloric deficit and if you can it will be at a much slower rate compared with gaining muscle while on a caloric surplus. In this case you’d be better off with traditional cutting and bulking techniques.
Body Recomposition: How To Gain Muscle While Losing Fat
To recap what we’ve covered so far.
Body recomposition is possible but with varying results depending on the individual situation and person
Body recomp usually requires a calorie deficit
Body recomp requires adequate protein and calorie intake
Strategies to successfully body recomp
Set Goals: Body recomp is the general goal but in order for you to get to that goal you should define the why, when and how. Are you doing this to get in better shape for summer? Have a wedding coming up? Participating in a physique show?
When you set a specific end goal of when it should be accomplished and how you need to accomplish it, you will have a better chance of succeeding. Body recomposition may be easier for some compared to others but make no mistake about it, body recomp is hard. It takes dedication and discipline to pull it off so in order to stay focused and accountable, set a plan and goal then get after it.
Long term body recomp usually doesn’t pan out well because it’s not easy to stick to a caloric deficit for prolonged periods of time while also training hard. Set short attainable mini-goals with 8-12 week time frames so that once you hit your goal you will be happy with what you’ve accomplished or it will give you more motivation to set another 8-12 mini-goal.
Calorie/Carb Cycle Close to Workouts: One way to stay on track in your bodyrecomposition with losing fat and gaining muscle is through the use of various methods such as calorie/carb cycling. This is when you’ll eat more calories and carbs around your workouts. So you might be at a slight caloric surplus for short periods of time after your workouts then you can be back down to a caloric deficit on your off days.
The reason to do this is to feed your body on the days you’re resistance training when your muscles are ready to grow and will use this extra fuel for muscle growth. These anabolic re-feeding windows are based on your training level. If you are new to training you might have a 24-hour window whereas an advanced lifter may only have 6 hours. If you don't have a strong understanding of the anabolic re-feeding window, or anabolic vs. catabolic differences in general, we highly recommend reading up on them, as they're essential for muscle building.
Eat High Protein Diet: To have any chance at pulling off a successful body recomp you must consume enough protein to keep a positive MPS balance while in a caloric deficit. Without this your muscles won’t have enough fuel for growth. As we covered before multiple studies have shown that with the right protein intake body recomp can be attained even by those who are trained. In normal circumstances, studies have shown adequate protein intake for muscle growth and maintenance to be around .73 grams per pound of bodyweight (1.6gram/kg). But remember our goal here is body recomposition so protein intake should be higher, with some studies showing effective protein ranges from 1-1.55 grams of protein per pound (2.4-3.4gr/kg) of bodyweight. We recommend eating the protein sources found on our list of best food for muscles.
To get your protein level where it should be you might need to supplement your diet with protein powder. Protein powder is relatively inexpensive these days with plenty of options ranging from vegan-friendly options such as soy, pea, rice and hemp to traditional whey or casein protein with options such as concentrate, isolate or hydrolysate. A good protein powder tastes great just with water, but you can also use it to make a smoothie, or elevate your morning cup of Joe by combining the two and making protein coffee. It's also important to consider nutrition timing for optimal body recomp results. Know how much protein to eat and when, along with when and what to eat before a workout and what to eat after a workout for best results.
Related:
Follow a Training Program: Without a solid training program in place your body recomp probably won’t go as planned. There isn’t a particular program you must follow, this will be dependent on your goals and starting point. Seeing how you’re here to learn about body recomp, you should focus your training program around hypertrophy rather than strength or power. Hypertrophy or muscle gain is usually achieved with a rep range of 6-20. Try to hit each muscle group twice a week with a total of 10-20 working sets per week. Regardless of what program you settle the key is to push yourself session after session week after week. Also, determine how long you should workout so you're not spending too little or too much time training.
You can check out these strength training programs:
Keep a Caloric Deficit: As covered before, if you want to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time you must be a slight caloric deficit. The degree to which you restrict calories should be based on your goals and current situation, use your judgement here. If you keep a large caloric deficit, you will hinder your chances of gaining muscle. You should start with a 10%-15% caloric deficit then reassess after a week to see if you’ve managed to hit your goals. If you aren’t losing fat as fast as you’d like you can increase your caloric deficit by another 100-200 calories for the next week the once again reassess then make changes.
The best way to achieve this caloric deficit is by means of a slow cut. With a slow cut you will lose weight gradually. This study suggests to aim for a maximum .7% of bodyweight per week. So, if you’re a 250 man a weekly loss would be 1.7 pounds. This method of cutting slowly makes the body recomp manageable but also makes it easier for you to stay on track in the muscle gain department.
?Related:
Get Quality Sleep: Sleep is essential to staying healthy as it allows our bodies to recover and recharge. This study measured fat loss between two groups of people; one group slept 5.5 hours a night while the other group slept 8.5 hours. The subjects didn’t perform exercise and only consumed 1.18 grams of protein per kilogram(.54gr/lb) of bodyweight per day. The group that slept 8.5 hours lost more fat but they both lost the same amount of total weight. The amount of muscle loss was 80% of the total weight loss in the 5.5 hour group but only 48% in the 8.5 hour group showing how powerful sleep can be when it comes to retaining muscle.
This study provides more ammunition to show the importance of sleep as it pertains to body composition. Researchers had two groups of participants that were both following a resistance training program but one group also received a sleep education program to improve sleep habits. The results showed that the sleep educated group had a slight edge in both muscle gain (3.74 vs 2.86 lb) and fat loss ( -3.96 vs -1.76 lb).
There are numerous studies that should the relation of sleep to muscle gain and/or retention. The bottom line is that the more sleep the better. You should aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.
Limit Cardio: This may be music to some people’s ears, rarely will you hear people advocate for less cardio in the fitness world. In the case of body recomposition the point of limiting the volume or intensity of cardio is so that it’s still possible to build muscle while being at a caloric deficit. While your goal is body recomp let cardio take the backseat for a little while. Instead of doing multiple HIIT workouts or long runs opt for 20-30 min walks on a treadmill or better yet outside if possible.
Stay Hydrated: It’s always a good idea to stay hydrated whether you’re in the midst of a body recomp or not. This study concluded that hypohydration (body water deficit larger than normal daily changes) significantly changed the endocrine and metabolic internal environments before and after resistance training. A positive metabolic and hormonal response to resistance training is vital for body recomp to work. Don’t forget to drink your water, shoot for 8-10 glasses daily. This water consumption will also help with satiate hunger after being on a caloric deficit.
Reduce Stress: Stress can slow down your body recomp. Stress will cause changes in hormone levels such as cortisol which can lead to insulin resistance. This insulin resistance can make it more difficult for you to lose the fat that you’re aiming for. Your body won’t efficiently convert carbs into energy so even with cutting calories it will make it more difficult for your body to lose the fat. You can try meditation to help manage stress as this age-old practice works wonders for many people.
How to lose fat
In the simplest terms for fat loss to happen you must use more calories than you consume. The old age saying of calories in less than calories out still holds true. The exact nutrients and the foods you consume aren’t the driver of losing fat however if you are cutting then you will want to pay attention to your macronutrients if your goal is to lose fat and gain muscle.
To lose fat you must be at a caloric deficit. Getting started in your fat loss goal you must establish a baseline of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), you can find plenty of free calculators online to assist you with this. Once you have this baseline you know how many calories you can consume per day to lose fat. If the goal is simply to lose weight or fat then a calorie is a calorie.
Now because we are trying to lose fat as part of a body recomp we need to make smart decisions about how many calories we consume and what those calories consist of. Generally, you should start with a caloric deficit of 200-500 a day depending on your starting point and end goal. Most importantly you need to be aware that if calories drop too much then you might become catabolic where your body can start breaking down muscle and fat to fuel the body. If this happens building muscle is out of the question.
To lose fat and retain and/or build muscle the most essential component of your calorie breakdown has to have an adequate amount of protein intake because the only way to build muscle is through muscle protein synthesis.
The next question you might ask is, “how much protein should I eat?”. The answer to this can range but you will need at least 1 gram of protein per pound (2.2gr/kg) of bodyweight but could be higher depending on individual parameters.
Figure out your weekly caloric needs
We’ve seen the best results of body recomposition where there was set goals and the individual knew what they had to do before starting in order to achieve their goal. For newbies, body recomp might be easier but it’s still important to have some benchmarks so you know what direction you should be heading in and don’t stray too far off course.
To stay on track, you should calculate your calorie balance and how fast you’d like to reasonably lose fat and gain muscle. Keep in mind these are rough guidelines that will differ dependent on the individual. Age, genetics, hormones and lifestyle play an important role in the rate you’ll gain or lose muscle.
To Lose Fat:
Obese: Men (over 30% Bodyfat) Women (over 40% bodyfat): Can lose up to 2% of bodyweight per week
Overfat: Men (22-30% BF) Women (32-40% BF): Can lose up to 1.25% bodyweight per week
Average: Men (15-22% BF) Women (24-32% BF): Can lose up to .75% of bodyweight per week
Athletic: Men (8-15% BF) Women (14-24% BF): Can lose up to .5% bodyweight per week
Bodybuilder: Men (Under 8%) Women (Under 14%): Can lose up to .2% bodyweight per week
To Gain Muscle:
Newcomers: .5% bodyweight/week
Intermediate: .3% bodyweight/week
Advanced Intermediate: .2% bodyweight/week
Elite: .1% of bodyweight/week
Now you can see how difficult body recomposition can be for highly trained people. It’s also apparent that obese or overfat people should see decent results by just following a lean cutting program because it’s possible to lose fat easily while at the same time their bodies probably have some musculature that was needed to carry their weight around.
Putting this into practice…
Even though there’s 3,500 calories in a pound of fat when you lose weight 100% of it won’t be fat. Roughly 10% will be from muscle or protein loss and some water weight. Therefore, it takes a deficit of 3,850 calories to lose a pound of fat. Meanwhile, it takes around a surplus of 2,500 calories to build one pound of muscle. With these numbers you can find out your weekly body recomp goals in terms of your target calorie ratio.
Here’s a look at what this all means in an example real-life situation of a man who weighs 210 pounds with a body fat percentage of 21% and is new to weight training.
He should try to lose 1.575 pounds per week (210lb *.0075). This would translate to a 6,063 caloric deficit. Because he is a novice when it comes to training he should aim for 1.05 pounds of muscle gain weekly (210*.005). This would be around 2,625 calorie surplus. Adding the caloric deficit to the surplus would give you 3,438 calories as a weekly net deficit. In total, a daily calorie deficit should be around 490 calories.
How much fat can you lose weekly?
The amount of weight you can lose weekly once again depends on your starting point. If you have a very high body fat percentage then you will be able to lose more fat per week. For example, if you’re a man weighing in at 320 pounds with a body fat percentage of over 30% could lose 2-3 pounds of fat weekly with a moderate calorie restriction whereas a man weight 220 pounds at 18% bodyfat percentage might need a more aggressive calorie restriction to even lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week.
It’s also important to note that losing fat and/or gaining muscle isn’t a linear progression. Some weeks you might lose more fat than others. To break through potential plateaus in your fat loss there are a few strategies you can use to continue on the right track which we’ll cover in the tips below.
Related: How To Speed Up Your Metabolism & Lose Fat Fast
How To Gain Muscle
On the other side of the fat loss component of body recomp is gaining muscle. To gain muscle two things must happen:
Do some type of consistent resistance training
Eat enough calories and more specifically; protein
We’ll start with the first part here of resistance training. The underlying principle of getting bigger and stronger is the concept of progressive overload. Progressive overload simply means by adding more stress on your muscles over time you activate muscle growth. This can be done through lifting more weight and/or more volume. When performing weight bearing exercises tension placed on the muscles causing the muscle fibers to break so that they can rebuild bigger and stronger.
In order to continue to see gains in strength and size you have to keep pushing the envelop as the body quickly adapts to this stress. To avoid stalling out on building muscle you need to either lift heavier weights over time or do more reps or both. There are numerous methods of avoiding these potential stall-out periods in your fitness journey. You can play with different rep/set ranges, rest times, lifting methods to keep your body on its toes. At the end of the day, you must lift enough weight and often enough to stimulate muscle growth. Don’t be one of those people that keeps doing the same routine for months on end then wonder why they aren’t seeing any progress. It's also important to understand how long it takes for muscles to grow so you can monitor and track your progress.
The second aspect of gaining muscle comes from nutrition. Muscles can’t grow without the stimulus of strength training combined with protein and calorie consumption. The building block of muscles is protein. Muscle protein synthesis or MPS is the process where protein is produced to repair damaged muscle as the result of exercise. On the flip side muscle protein breakdown or MPB is when protein is lost as a result from intense exercise. Therefore, the balance of MPS to MPB dictates if muscle tissue is lost or built. This is why diet is vitally important when trying to gain muscle. You will need to keep a positive balance of MPS to MPB to build muscle.
There are a few ways to boost MPS including ingesting protein after exercise as the amino acids in the protein will be directed to your muscles to replace any that was lost during exertion. Timing a protein shake for post-workout, as a snack to keep protein levels high throughout the day, and before bed will help your body build more muscle mass. MPS can be impacted by your training regimen, nutrition, sleep and hormones. The best method of enhancing MPS is through strength training and progressive overload as described above.
Apart from your first year of strength training, gaining muscle is a long arduous process. If your first year of training you could potentially put on 20-25 pounds of muscle without gaining any fat or in some cases while losing fat. This type of progress won’t continue at that same rate over time unfortunately. You can gradually progress with muscle and strength gains but it won’t be at the same rate as when you start your fitness journey.
Related: How To Gain Muscle Without Fail
Body Recomp Diet Tips & Tricks
For your body recomp to actually work, slow and steady will usually produce the best results. Forget about going on a crash diet of any sort. We are looking for sustainable nutrition plans to ensure we meet our goals.
Here are some tips to help you with the nutrition side of body recomp:
Try to get 20-30 grams of protein in with each meal
Supplement your protein intake with protein powders
Include a moderate amount of healthy fats and carbohydrates
Eat plenty of vegetables including a good mix of fibrous, leafy and colorful
Eat more of your carb heavy meals/days on workout days and close to your pre and post workout times
Avoid foods with added sugars
Avoid drinking your calories apart from protein shakes
Avoid processed foods
The exact breakdown of the macros is most important when considering protein intake and total calories. Always strive for consuming whole foods. Use your common sense here.
Sample Body Recomposition Plan To Build Muscle & Lose Weight
We wanted to give you an idea of the types of foods you should strive to consume during your body recomp with a training plan to match. Below you’ll find some food items that should be included in your nutrition plan with and example of what 3 days of eating might look like. You’ll need to make adjustments to fit your current situation but nonetheless this can serve as a reminder of the types of whole foods to eat.
Body Recomposition Diet
To lose fat you will have to restrict calories and eat a high protein diet. Let’s have a look at some food choices you can make. We won’t go into depth here on food choices because this information is readily available online and our main goal is to get protein intake over 1 gram per pound of bodyweight while keeping our calories at a deficit.
You have to make the smart choices on how you want to fill out your caloric needs. With each meal try to get at least 20-30 grams of protein and at least one serving of fibrous greens. Concerning carbs and fats you’ll have to monitor your intake as these are usually higher calorie foods.
Protein Sources:
We’ll consider a portion roughly the size of your fist a standard serving size
Food
Serving Size
Protein Grams
Chicken
4 oz
35
Turkey
4 oz
34
Pork Loin
4 oz
29
Hamburger Patty
4 oz
28
Steak
6 oz
42
Tuna Packet
4 oz
24
Shrimp
4 oz
24
Salmon
4 oz
23
Eggs
3 eggs
18
Milk
1 cup
8
Cottage Cheese 2%
1 cup
30
Yogurt
1 cup
8-12
Firm Tofu
1.5 cups
30
Black & Pinto Beans, Lentils
.5 cups cooked
7-10
Protein shake w/ water
Average Serving
25-30
Healthy Fats
Avocadoes
Almonds
Cashews
Olive Oil
Nut Butter
Peanuts
Sunflower seeds
Complex Carbs
Whole wheat bread
Barley
Brown Rice
Granola
Honey Oatmeal
Oats
Quinoa
Sweet Potatoes/yams
Beans (Kidney, black, pinto)
Fibrous Greens
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Green beans
Spinach
Celery
Lettuce
Kale
Fruit
Apples
Bananas
Berries
Grapefruit
Orange
Peach
Papaya
Watermelon
Beverages
Water
Black Coffee
Tea (green, pu’er, yerba mate)
Sweeteners
Monk fruit extract
Stevia extract
Erythritol
Sample 3 Day Body Recomp Meal Plan
Meal planning can be an important component of body recomposition because it will help take the guess work out of what and when to eat. We wanted to give you an example of what some meals could look like. You will have to tailor your meal planning to your specific circumstances. The integral points are that you need to consume enough protein to build muscle and keep your calories at a slight deficit. Most people find it easier to pull off a body recomp with the aid of protein supplements whether it’s protein powder or protein bars.
Follow these rough guidelines for your body recomp diet. Add more calories and carbs on your workout days with the majority of the intake coming pre and post exercise.
Breakfast: Protein & Complex carbs
Snack: Protein & Fats
Lunch: Protein & Carbs
Snack: Protein
Dinner: Protein & Fats
Snack: Protein
Day 1
Morning
3 Eggs, Oatmeal, Yogurt with blueberries
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water/low-fat milk & Nut butter
Lunch
Steak with refried beans and quinoa
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Dinner
Pork chops sauteed with apples with roasted vegetables
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Day 2
Morning
Omelet with ham and veggies
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water/low-fat milk & Nut butter
Lunch
Baked Salmon with sweet potato mash and asparagus
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Dinner
Roasted whole chicken with vegetables
Evening
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Day 3
Morning
Cottage cheese with apples
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water/low-fat milk & Nut butter
Lunch
Chicken stir fry with vegetables on brown rice
Snack
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Dinner
Fish tacos in whole wheat fajitas with guacamole
Evening
Protein Shake with 8-12 oz of water
Body Recomposition Workout Plan
The other half of a successful body recomp is a thorough workout plan. The following workout plan is geared towards a beginner who has started lifting and has the basic techniques down of most lifts and has time to workout 3-4 days a week.
With this body recomp workout plan the goal is hypertrophy. At the end of the 12 week mini-goal you can reassess your progress and either switch up your diet and/or your workout routine. With this body recomposition 12 week workout plan you will hit the gym 3 days a week. Each training session will include 2 of the major lifts and/or its variation including bench press, overhead press, squats and deadlifts.
If you eat right and train hard, this 12 week beginner body recomp workout plan can have you lose between 15-20 lbs of fat while gaining 10-15 lbs of muscle.
Note: Results will can vary depending on the individual’s personal situation.
Guidelines for the 12 Week Body Recomposition Workout For Beginners
Train 3 days a week with a rest day in between each training session
You must do the main lifts. (*If you’re not comfortable yet with a main lift using free-weights just yet then complete a variation of it with equipment that you’re able to use properly)
Schedule your rest days between your workout days
Cardio can take place on rest days with light intensity sessions of 20-30 minutes
Rest times can be up to 2-4 minutes for the main lifts but assistance or accessory lifts should have shorter rests of 1-2 minutes max.
Try to increase the weight you’re lifting each week. For upper body main lifts like bench and overhead press try to add 5 lbs weekly. For lower body main lifts like squats and deadlifts try to add 10 lbs. If you can’t add weight then add reps.
Workout 1
Exercise
Sets x Reps
Overhead Press
3 x 8-10
Squat
3 x 8
Bench Press
3 x 6-8
Lat Pulldowns
3 x 10-12
Cable Lateral Raise
2 x 10-12
Preacher Curls
2 x 12-15
Cable Crunches
3 x 10-15
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets x Reps
Incline Bench Press
4 x 8
Deadlift
3 x 8-10
Dumbbell Press
4 x 8
Bent Over Rows
4 x 10
Skull Crushers
3 x 10-12
Hanging Leg Raise (*Captain’s chair)
3 x 15
Workout 3
Exercise
Sets x Reps
Bench Press
3 x 8-10
Front Squat
3 x 10
Overhead Press
3 x 8-10
Pull ups (*assisted if needed)
2 x 10
Seated Dumbbell Rear Flys
2 x 10-12
Cable Hammer Curls
2 x 12-15
Planks
3 x As long as possible
Final Note
To cap it off if you’re attempting a body recomposition of losing fat and gaining muscle and you’re a new lifter then you should see some truly astonishing changes in the first 6-12 months if you lift with intention and follow a strength program while also restricting calories.
If you’re more of an intermediate lifter and have been training for 1-3 years then you’ll have to be a tad more diligent if you want to body recomp. We generally recommend that intermediate to advanced lifters stick with the easier to manage methods of lean bulking and cutting rather than body recomp.
What ever you decide to do, body recomposition, cut or bulk it comes down to your current situation, your desired goal and how hard you’re willing to work to get there.
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Losing fat while gaining muscle can be considered holy grail for some when they think about getting in shape. A common question we get asked is, “can I gain muscle and lose weight at the same time?”. The short answer, yes it’s possible. Losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time is called body recomposition. Put simply, if body recomposition is your goal then you should know that it usually works well for some people. Impressive body recompositioning can be accomplished by people who are new trainees to weightlifting who eat right. In this post we’ll cover who should attempt body “recomping”, how to body recomp then provide you with a sample 12 week workout and diet plan for body recomposition.
What is body recomposition?
Body recomposition is when someone is trying to increase lean muscle mass while decreasing fat mass. There are plenty of supplements or tricks you will see advertised that promise you exactly this but the truth is, noticeable body recomposition usually is only naturally achievable if:
- You’re new to eating properly and weight training with less than one year of consistent resistance training under your belt
- You’ve taken a long hiatus from training and haven’t been eating properly
- You have a high bodyfat percentage usually over 25%
- You’re a beginner-intermediate trainee that can stay dedicated to a slow cutting process
If you’re someone who doesn’t want to stay natural and is willing to take health risks then there are compounds to help people achieve body recompositioning that don’t fit the parameters mentioned above.
Can You Actually Gain Muscle While Losing Fat?
Yes, you can gain muscle while losing fat. The most common scenario of successful body recomposition is the person who has just started resistance training and has decided to make positive changes surrounding their diet.
The reason why body recomp is most likely to happen for a newbie is that their muscles are more responsive to the effects of resistance training. These newbie gains surprisingly can be achieved with losing fat. With proper training plan and nutrition newbies can often gain 1-2 pounds of muscle per month in their first year of serious training, that’s an astounding 12-24 pounds of muscle gain in one calendar year. So if you're out of shape, fat, have an endomorph body type, are skinny-fat, or are average but want to get healthy then body recomposition is for you.
What’s maybe even more remarkable for newcomers is that it’s possible to put on muscle even with calorie restriction. With seasoned lifters, once calories are restricted or in a deficit it’s difficult to gain any amount of considerable muscle.
Science of Body recomposition
You will hear multiple point of views surrounding body recomp regarding if it’s possible to do, how to do it and who should do it. So, it’s best we start off with the science first as many studies have been conducted around the phenomenon of body recomp.
Starting at the point where most people agree, new trainees can effectively body recomp.
Here is one study that compared the effects of a moderate hypocaloric high protein diet and resistance training on untrained overweight police officers over the course of 12 weeks. They were split up into three groups:
Group 1 - 20% caloric deficit
Group 2 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of casein protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
Group 3 - 20% caloric deficit plus resistance training and intake of 1.5 grams of whey protein hydrolysate per kg of bodyweight per day
The results
Weight loss of 2.5 kilograms (5.5lbs)
Group 1- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 25%. Fat loss 2.5 kgs or 5.5lbs. No lean mass gain.
Group 2 – Body fat percentage went from 27% to 18%. Fat loss 7kgs or 15.4 pounds. Muscle gain 4kgs or 8.8 lbs. Almost double the strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs compared to Group 3. It’s thought that the casein protein produced superior results due to improved nitrogen retention and anticatabolic effects of the peptides components found within.
Group 3- Body fat percentage went from 27% to 23%. Fat loss 4.2kgs or 9.2 pounds. Muscle gain 2kgs or 4.4 lbs. Strength gain in chest, shoulders and legs.
The key findings here:
Even with a significant caloric deficit it’s possible to lose fat and gain muscle and strength.
Moving on..
Now let’s have a look at trained individuals and their capacity to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. We believe that this is possible to do but without the drastic changes that you’d see in newbies.
This meta-analysis looked at multiple studies which demonstrated the possibility of body recomposition in resistance trained people. They found that the determining factors that make body recompositioning possible for trained individuals are evidence based nutritional strategies combined with progressive resistance training. Other factors that play a crucial role here are sleep and hormones.
Here is another study that once again showed it’s possible to improve body composition even in trained men and women when they ate a high-protein diet combined with periodized heavy resistance training. There were 48 healthy resistance trained men and women whom were split into two groups, one with normal protein intake of 2.3 grams/kg (~1gr/lb) of bodyweight and the other high protein intake of over 3.5 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight per day(1.5gr/lb).
Results:
Normal protein group: Body weight increase 1.3kg(2.86lbs) Fat mass -.3kg(-.66lbs). Body fat percentage -.7%
High protein group: Body weight increase -.1kg(-.22lbs). Fat mass -1.7kg(-3.74lbs). Body fat percentage -2.4%.
Key takeaways: Consuming the high protein diet combined with heavy resistance training can result in positive body composition changes for trained people.
So now you can see there are scientific studies that prove it is possible for people to achieve some slight degree of body recomp even if they are trained however the results aren’t nearly as pronounced compared to untrained people.
You may be thinking, so what about the highly trained people like professional bodybuilders, are they able to accomplish body recomp?
People that compete in physique competitions might be out of luck when it comes to body recomposition through the manipulation of training and nutritional programs. Once people are close to attaining peak physical potential, body recompostion becomes extremely difficult to achieve without the use of highly potent substances. When the body has come close to it’s maximum genetic potential the progress made through body recomposition is minimal and will be difficult to even see the difference. The reason for this is that your muscles aren’t as sensitive and won’t react to the same stimuli compared with people who are fresh out the gates plus advanced trainees usually won’t be starting with a high bodyfat percentage. This is why advanced lifters primarily rely on bulking and cutting plans to make consistent gains. To better understand this, we’ll cover the mechanisms of losing fat and gaining muscle below.
Who can do body recomposition?
The people that are best served by attempting a body recomp are those who have less than one year of consistent weight training experience. Beginners who are new to resistance training with an average to overweight body fat percentage can see significant changes by employing a body recomp plan.
Those who have 1-3 years weight training experience can still recomp but the results won't be close to what a novice can experience. There have been multiple studies showing trained individuals recomping but at a slower rate. However, this group of trained people would better be served by a bulking or cutting program to see more drastic changes in a shorter amount of time.
Advanced trainees and bodybuilders will see very little results with a body recomp as they are probably closer to their genetic potential.
How Long Does It Take For Body Recomp?
The length of time for body recomp largely depends on the starting point and end goal. Are you a beginner new to lifting and eating right? If so, then you can see some amazing changes in a few months.
If you’re someone with multiple years of lifting under the belt then body recomp is a slow process. It’s hard to gain muscle while at a caloric deficit and if you can it will be at a much slower rate compared with gaining muscle while on a caloric surplus. In this case you’d be better off with traditional cutting and bulking techniques.
Body Recomposition: How To Gain Muscle While Losing Fat
To recap what we’ve covered so far.
- Body recomposition is possible but with varying results depending on the individual situation and person
- Body recomp usually requires a calorie deficit
- Body recomp requires adequate protein and calorie intake
Set Goals: Body recomp is the general goal but in order for you to get to that goal you should define the why, when and how. Are you doing this to get in better shape for summer? Have a wedding coming up? Participating in a physique show?
When you set a specific end goal of when it should be accomplished and how you need to accomplish it, you will have a better chance of succeeding. Body recomposition may be easier for some compared to others but make no mistake about it, body recomp is hard. It takes dedication and discipline to pull it off so in order to stay focused and accountable, set a plan and goal then get after it.
Long term body recomp usually doesn’t pan out well because it’s not easy to stick to a caloric deficit for prolonged periods of time while also training hard. Set short attainable mini-goals with 8-12 week time frames so that once you hit your goal you will be happy with what you’ve accomplished or it will give you more motivation to set another 8-12 mini-goal.
Calorie/Carb Cycle Close to Workouts: One way to stay on track in your bodyrecomposition with losing fat and gaining muscle is through the use of various methods such as calorie/carb cycling. This is when you’ll eat more calories and carbs around your workouts. So you might be at a slight caloric surplus for short periods of time after your workouts then you can be back down to a caloric deficit on your off days.
The reason to do this is to feed your body on the days you’re resistance training when your muscles are ready to grow and will use this extra fuel for muscle growth. These anabolic re-feeding windows are based on your training level. If you are new to training you might have a 24-hour window whereas an advanced lifter may only have 6 hours. If you don't have a strong understanding of the anabolic re-feeding window, or anabolic vs. catabolic differences in general, we highly recommend reading up on them, as they're essential for muscle building.
Eat High Protein Diet: To have any chance at pulling off a successful body recomp you must consume enough protein to keep a positive MPS balance while in a caloric deficit. Without this your muscles won’t have enough fuel for growth. As we covered before multiple studies have shown that with the right protein intake body recomp can be attained even by those who are trained. In normal circumstances, studies have shown adequate protein intake for muscle growth and maintenance to be around .73 grams per pound of bodyweight (1.6gram/kg). But remember our goal here is body recomposition so protein intake should be higher, with some studies showing effective protein ranges from 1-1.55 grams of protein per pound (2.4-3.4gr/kg) of bodyweight. We recommend eating the protein sources found on our list of best food for muscles.
To get your protein level where it should be you might need to supplement your diet with protein powder. Protein powder is relatively inexpensive these days with plenty of options ranging from vegan-friendly options such as soy, pea, rice and hemp to traditional whey or casein protein with options such as concentrate, isolate or hydrolysate. A good protein powder tastes great just with water, but you can also use it to make a smoothie, or elevate your morning cup of Joe by combining the two and making protein coffee. It's also important to consider nutrition timing for optimal body recomp results. Know how much protein to eat and when, along with when and what to eat before a workout and what to eat after a workout for best results.
Related:
Follow a Training Program: Without a solid training program in place your body recomp probably won’t go as planned. There isn’t a particular program you must follow, this will be dependent on your goals and starting point. Seeing how you’re here to learn about body recomp, you should focus your training program around hypertrophy rather than strength or power. Hypertrophy or muscle gain is usually achieved with a rep range of 6-20. Try to hit each muscle group twice a week with a total of 10-20 working sets per week. Regardless of what program you settle the key is to push yourself session after session week after week. Also, determine how long you should workout so you're not spending too little or too much time training.
You can check out these strength training programs:
Keep a Caloric Deficit: As covered before, if you want to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time you must be a slight caloric deficit. The degree to which you restrict calories should be based on your goals and current situation, use your judgement here. If you keep a large caloric deficit, you will hinder your chances of gaining muscle. You should start with a 10%-15% caloric deficit then reassess after a week to see if you’ve managed to hit your goals. If you aren’t losing fat as fast as you’d like you can increase your caloric deficit by another 100-200 calories for the next week the once again reassess then make changes.
The best way to achieve this caloric deficit is by means of a slow cut. With a slow cut you will lose weight gradually. This study suggests to aim for a maximum .7% of bodyweight per week. So, if you’re a 250 man a weekly loss would be 1.7 pounds. This method of cutting slowly makes the body recomp manageable but also makes it easier for you to stay on track in the muscle gain department.
?Related:
Get Quality Sleep: Sleep is essential to staying healthy as it allows our bodies to recover and recharge. This study measured fat loss between two groups of people; one group slept 5.5 hours a night while the other group slept 8.5 hours. The subjects didn’t perform exercise and only consumed 1.18 grams of protein per kilogram(.54gr/lb) of bodyweight per day. The group that slept 8.5 hours lost more fat but they both lost the same amount of total weight. The amount of muscle loss was 80% of the total weight loss in the 5.5 hour group but only 48% in the 8.5 hour group showing how powerful sleep can be when it comes to retaining muscle.
This study provides more ammunition to show the importance of sleep as it pertains to body composition. Researchers had two groups of participants that were both following a resistance training program but one group also received a sleep education program to improve sleep habits. The results showed that the sleep educated group had a slight edge in both muscle gain (3.74 vs 2.86 lb) and fat loss ( -3.96 vs -1.76 lb).
There are numerous studies that should the relation of sleep to muscle gain and/or retention. The bottom line is that the more sleep the better. You should aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.
Limit Cardio: This may be music to some people’s ears, rarely will you hear people advocate for less cardio in the fitness world. In the case of body recomposition the point of limiting the volume or intensity of cardio is so that it’s still possible to build muscle while being at a caloric deficit. While your goal is body recomp let cardio take the backseat for a little while. Instead of doing multiple HIIT workouts or long runs opt for 20-30 min walks on a treadmill or better yet outside if possible.
Stay Hydrated: It’s always a good idea to stay hydrated whether you’re in the midst of a body recomp or not. This study concluded that hypohydration (body water deficit larger than normal daily changes) significantly changed the endocrine and metabolic internal environments before and after resistance training. A positive metabolic and hormonal response to resistance training is vital for body recomp to work. Don’t forget to drink your water, shoot for 8-10 glasses daily. This water consumption will also help with satiate hunger after being on a caloric deficit.
Reduce Stress: Stress can slow down your body recomp. Stress will cause changes in hormone levels such as cortisol which can lead to insulin resistance. This insulin resistance can make it more difficult for you to lose the fat that you’re aiming for. Your body won’t efficiently convert carbs into energy so even with cutting calories it will make it more difficult for your body to lose the fat. You can try meditation to help manage stress as this age-old practice works wonders for many people.
How to lose fat
In the simplest terms for fat loss to happen you must use more calories than you consume. The old age saying of calories in less than calories out still holds true. The exact nutrients and the foods you consume aren’t the driver of losing fat however if you are cutting then you will want to pay attention to your macronutrients if your goal is to lose fat and gain muscle.
To lose fat you must be at a caloric deficit. Getting started in your fat loss goal you must establish a baseline of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), you can find plenty of free calculators online to assist you with this. Once you have this baseline you know how many calories you can consume per day to lose fat. If the goal is simply to lose weight or fat then a calorie is a calorie.
Now because we are trying to lose fat as part of a body recomp we need to make smart decisions about how many calories we consume and what those calories consist of. Generally, you should start with a caloric deficit of 200-500 a day depending on your starting point and end goal. Most importantly you need to be aware that if calories drop too much then you might become catabolic where your body can start breaking down muscle and fat to fuel the body. If this happens building muscle is out of the question.
To lose fat and retain and/or build muscle the most essential component of your calorie breakdown has to have an adequate amount of protein intake because the only way to build muscle is through muscle protein synthesis.
The next question you might ask is, “how much protein should I eat?”. The answer to this can range but you will need at least 1 gram of protein per pound (2.2gr/kg) of bodyweight but could be higher depending on individual parameters.
Figure out your weekly caloric needs
We’ve seen the best results of body recomposition where there was set goals and the individual knew what they had to do before starting in order to achieve their goal. For newbies, body recomp might be easier but it’s still important to have some benchmarks so you know what direction you should be heading in and don’t stray too far off course.
To stay on track, you should calculate your calorie balance and how fast you’d like to reasonably lose fat and gain muscle. Keep in mind these are rough guidelines that will differ dependent on the individual. Age, genetics, hormones and lifestyle play an important role in the rate you’ll gain or lose muscle.
To Lose Fat:
Obese: Men (over 30% Bodyfat) Women (over 40% bodyfat): Can lose up to 2% of bodyweight per week
Overfat: Men (22-30% BF) Women (32-40% BF): Can lose up to 1.25% bodyweight per week
Average: Men (15-22% BF) Women (24-32% BF): Can lose up to .75% of bodyweight per week
Athletic: Men (8-15% BF) Women (14-24% BF): Can lose up to .5% bodyweight per week
Bodybuilder: Men (Under 8%) Women (Under 14%): Can lose up to .2% bodyweight per week
Newcomers: .5% bodyweight/week
Intermediate: .3% bodyweight/week
Advanced Intermediate: .2% bodyweight/week
Elite: .1% of bodyweight/week
Putting this into practice…
Even though there’s 3,500 calories in a pound of fat when you lose weight 100% of it won’t be fat. Roughly 10% will be from muscle or protein loss and some water weight. Therefore, it takes a deficit of 3,850 calories to lose a pound of fat. Meanwhile, it takes around a surplus of 2,500 calories to build one pound of muscle. With these numbers you can find out your weekly body recomp goals in terms of your target calorie ratio.
Here’s a look at what this all means in an example real-life situation of a man who weighs 210 pounds with a body fat percentage of 21% and is new to weight training.
He should try to lose 1.575 pounds per week (210lb *.0075). This would translate to a 6,063 caloric deficit. Because he is a novice when it comes to training he should aim for 1.05 pounds of muscle gain weekly (210*.005). This would be around 2,625 calorie surplus. Adding the caloric deficit to the surplus would give you 3,438 calories as a weekly net deficit. In total, a daily calorie deficit should be around 490 calories.
How much fat can you lose weekly?
The amount of weight you can lose weekly once again depends on your starting point. If you have a very high body fat percentage then you will be able to lose more fat per week. For example, if you’re a man weighing in at 320 pounds with a body fat percentage of over 30% could lose 2-3 pounds of fat weekly with a moderate calorie restriction whereas a man weight 220 pounds at 18% bodyfat percentage might need a more aggressive calorie restriction to even lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week.
It’s also important to note that losing fat and/or gaining muscle isn’t a linear progression. Some weeks you might lose more fat than others. To break through potential plateaus in your fat loss there are a few strategies you can use to continue on the right track which we’ll cover in the tips below.
Related: How To Speed Up Your Metabolism & Lose Fat Fast
How To Gain Muscle
On the other side of the fat loss component of body recomp is gaining muscle. To gain muscle two things must happen:
- Do some type of consistent resistance training
- Eat enough calories and more specifically; protein
In order to continue to see gains in strength and size you have to keep pushing the envelop as the body quickly adapts to this stress. To avoid stalling out on building muscle you need to either lift heavier weights over time or do more reps or both. There are numerous methods of avoiding these potential stall-out periods in your fitness journey. You can play with different rep/set ranges, rest times, lifting methods to keep your body on its toes. At...
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