One of the biggest dilemmas for a lot of people getting going in
bodybuilding is being able to build muscle and lose fat at the same
time. In fact, the general consensus is that it cannot be done as you
obviously have to consume the extra calories for weight gain yet at the
same time you are trying to cut weight. The good news is that it you can
build muscle and lose fat at the same time, you just have to be clever
with the foods that you eat and how you train.
If we take into consideration how our muscles grow it is by increasing the amount of weight that they have to handle which in turn makes them bigger and therefore stronger: so while lifting heavy weights is important the next part of the equation is the muscle fuel that they receive. Most people that know anything about the muscles know that one of the most important food groups to aid growth is protein; this is because protein is the building blocks of your muscles.
The main sources of protein will probably come in the form of food groups such as chicken, eggs and fish but to really enhance growth you ideally want to include some kind of supplement such as protein shakes to help you pack on that extra muscle. So, knowing that lifting heavy weights and increasing the amount of protein you eat will help create muscular growth how can we lose weight at the same time?
The fact is that your body uses food for fuel, either to be burnt up straight away or stored for future use. If your diet is protein rich then it will want to use that for fuel, unless that is your carbohydrate intake is high. This is not to say all carbs are bad for you, but if you are consistently eating foods that contain sugar or are made from refined white flour then your body is going to burn that off first and then store everything else as fat. So ideally you want to be eliminating these types of foods from your diet but still get some natural carbs that are found in fruit and veg (although you should really give potatoes a bit of a miss while you are cutting weight).
The next step is to make sure that your metabolism is kept high so that your body is always using up fuel. The problem here is you cannot achieve this by weight lifting alone as you have to have plenty of rest to ensure your muscles repair and achieve growth, the answer lies in cardiovascular work, the secret is though that it has to be gentle.
If you include running or cycling as your routine when you are not lifting weights then you need to keep it at a pace where you can go and do it again the next day as you have not been exercising too strenuously. If you really push it on the treadmill or bike then first of all you will need recovery time which means you wont be able to run or cycle the next day, therefore you wont be keeping your metabolism at a constant higher rate, and secondly going at it too hard will be detrimental to the muscular weight gain that you are trying to achieve.
So, in essence to lose weight and build muscle at the same time you need to lift heavy weights, increase your protein, cut out white flour and sugar and do gentle cardiovascular work. By doing this you should be able to accomplish the goals you set for yourself.
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If we take into consideration how our muscles grow it is by increasing the amount of weight that they have to handle which in turn makes them bigger and therefore stronger: so while lifting heavy weights is important the next part of the equation is the muscle fuel that they receive. Most people that know anything about the muscles know that one of the most important food groups to aid growth is protein; this is because protein is the building blocks of your muscles.
The main sources of protein will probably come in the form of food groups such as chicken, eggs and fish but to really enhance growth you ideally want to include some kind of supplement such as protein shakes to help you pack on that extra muscle. So, knowing that lifting heavy weights and increasing the amount of protein you eat will help create muscular growth how can we lose weight at the same time?
The fact is that your body uses food for fuel, either to be burnt up straight away or stored for future use. If your diet is protein rich then it will want to use that for fuel, unless that is your carbohydrate intake is high. This is not to say all carbs are bad for you, but if you are consistently eating foods that contain sugar or are made from refined white flour then your body is going to burn that off first and then store everything else as fat. So ideally you want to be eliminating these types of foods from your diet but still get some natural carbs that are found in fruit and veg (although you should really give potatoes a bit of a miss while you are cutting weight).
The next step is to make sure that your metabolism is kept high so that your body is always using up fuel. The problem here is you cannot achieve this by weight lifting alone as you have to have plenty of rest to ensure your muscles repair and achieve growth, the answer lies in cardiovascular work, the secret is though that it has to be gentle.
If you include running or cycling as your routine when you are not lifting weights then you need to keep it at a pace where you can go and do it again the next day as you have not been exercising too strenuously. If you really push it on the treadmill or bike then first of all you will need recovery time which means you wont be able to run or cycle the next day, therefore you wont be keeping your metabolism at a constant higher rate, and secondly going at it too hard will be detrimental to the muscular weight gain that you are trying to achieve.
So, in essence to lose weight and build muscle at the same time you need to lift heavy weights, increase your protein, cut out white flour and sugar and do gentle cardiovascular work. By doing this you should be able to accomplish the goals you set for yourself.