When a client signs up to our services the first thing we ask them is to list their top fitness goal. Now this may sound cliché, but most often their answer reads ‘build muscle/tone up’ AND ‘shred/lose fat’.
Even though we’d love to have a magic wand to redeem this wish instantly, unfortunately things do not work this way.
In the short run, one cannot gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. It’s either one or the other. Gaining muscle requires a daily calorie surplus while losing fat requires a daily calorie deficit…
where,
Calorie surplus = calorie consumption larger than calorie expenditure
And
Calorie deficit = calorie consumption smaller than calorie expenditure
Logic says you cannot go on a surplus and deficit concurrently. Again, it’s either or.
One can of course aim to gain muscle and lose fat over a longer period, by alternating between measured periods of calorie surplus and calorie deficit e.g. 6 months of lean bulk, 3 months of shredding and 3 months of maintenance (calorie consumption = calorie expenditure). This is what I do.
To fitness with love,
Andrew
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