Introduction
Whether it is possible to lose body fat and build body muscles at the same time is one of the most controversial and complex issues in the world of exercise and health. For some people, these two health and exercise goals amount to an oxymoron. Consequently, a majority of the people who embark on comprehensive exercise programs either target muscle gain or mass/fat reduction goals. Nevertheless, most experts agree that it is “inaccurate to say that it is impossible to build muscle and lose body fat at the same time” (Watanabe & Ishii, 2014, p. 464).
The need to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time has been fueled by the need to gain ultimate health benefits from exercise programs. For instance, most of the existing lifestyle diseases are often linked to increases in body fat. On the other hand, individuals are concerned with reaping the aesthetic benefits of exercise programs whereby they gain desirable body shapes. The elusive muscle gain-fat loss combination is not easy to achieve according to most experts.
However, the plan requires a well-monitored diet and exercise regimen. Any contradictions to the laid out exercise plans might lead to imbalanced or undesired results. Various programs are promoted as having the ability to enable individuals to lose body fat and gain body fat at the same time. Nevertheless, most of these programs are likely to be commercially motivated without necessarily delivering the promised results. This essay presents a 12-week plan to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time. The plan takes into account the difficulties of the program, the role of catabolic and anabolic hormones. The plan also provides examples of training methods and hormonal manipulations that could be effective and the expected losses or gains.
The Challenge
From the onset, losing weight requires eating less and working out while building muscles involves eating more and exercising. When these two goals are combined, they seemingly lead to two different directions. This complex balancing act is the main reason “why it is hard to lose and gain weight at the same time” (Christin, 2008). Trainers and nutritionists have to find a way to turn body fat into muscles and this presents a major challenge.
Moreover, the process that burns fats in the body and the one that leads to muscle gain has opposed demand on the body’s metabolic processes. Muscle building depends on a process known as protein biosynthesis whereby the body seeks to perform cell maintenance by replacing damaged cells from the body tissue. In the course of normal bodily functions, “muscle tissue is fairly stable and the cycle of cellular regeneration remains balanced whereby an average person does not lose or gain muscle at an accelerated rate and his/her lean mass more or less remains level on a day-to-day basis” (Hanson, 2014).
The two hormonal processes that are involved in the processes of breaking down fats and building more body tissue are catabolism and anabolism. Anabolism aids in the addition of body mass while catabolism is the process that helps the body to turn fat into useful energy (Tipton & Wolfe, 2001). The two metabolic processes are not complementary and at one point or another one of them will have more visible effects than the other one.
This complex situation means that the process of gaining muscle and losing fat does not depend on the advertised routines but on the ability to harness catabolism and anabolism. The easy option, in this case, is to utilize the synthetic forms of the hormones (sold as hormonal drugs) to ensure that the process of gaining muscle is rigged. However, experts have pointed out that this process often interferes with normal human growth and could also lead to health complications. Most of these drugs trigger the exogenesis of thyroid hormones that regulate the metabolic processes in the body. The success of the 12-week plan lies in the ability to manipulate the hormones using a well-laid out diet and exercise program.
The Strategy
During training exercises, the cells in the muscles are damaged and this is the trigger to the metabolic process to increase protein synthesis to account for the lost/damaged cells. If the rate of damaged cells (as a result of repeated exercises) continues to increase, the body makes adaptations that lead to the muscles becoming bigger and stronger. Consequently, this is why the 12-week plan needs to incorporate routines that lead to progressive overload. It is also important to understand that the growth in muscles is a process that is chiefly influenced by protein synthesis. Overall, any potential bodybuilder understands the importance of increasing anabolism whilst suppressing the rates through which the rate of protein degradation in the body is occurring.
When it comes to fat loss, the secret to losing it is to ensure “that the body is supplied with less energy than it breaks down, therefore creating a calorie-deficit” (Hanson, 2014, p. 28). The simplicity of the weight/fat loss program also means that the bottom line is that if an individual is taking in more energy than he/she is burning fat loss is not going to happen. Reducing calorie intake leads the body to adapt by reducing anabolic processes and the levels at which protein is synthesized in the body. Consequently, at normal rates, the body will not lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. In other instances, calorie deficits accelerate the rate of muscle loss.
Gaining muscle and losing fat involves a delicately outlined routine that involves weightlifting exercises that highlight a pattern of progressive overload. Therefore, it is easier for inexperienced weightlifters to accomplish this goal than it is for individuals who have already embarked on ‘unprogressive’ routines. The individuals who find it difficult to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time are the ones who are in the middle of routines that they have undertaken for long periods. To accomplish this goal, the key is to combine exercises that incorporate muscle gain and fat loss at different intervals as such “add muscle and fat and lose fat and not muscle, respectively” (Fife, 2005, p. 23). In the initial days of the 12-week program, an individual is expected to gain muscles at a very fast rate.
Methods
In the first four weeks of the plan, an individual should engage in a calorie deficit. Nevertheless, the calorie deficit is a timed process that encompasses gradual cutbacks. The important aspect of this deficit is the ability to determine how much of a deficit is too much for the muscle gain- fat loss plan. In a research that was conducted on sprinters’ diets, it became clear that a calorie deficit of approximately 20 to 25% is the ideal standard for the 12-week plan (Stoppani, 2006).
Another important component of the 12-week program is the heavy-compound weightlifting. However, it is important to note that the myth of using highly repetitive exercises does not favor muscle gain. The heavy-compound weightlifting does not incorporate any particular routine and it can involve various approaches. The overall goal is to ensure any chosen regimen incorporates heavy-compound weightlifting. Compound exercises touch on various muscle-groups and tasks the body fully in terms of strength and effort through activities such as squats, deadlifts, and bench-press exercises (Watanabe & Ishii, 2014, p. 465).
Heavy training throughout the 12-week plan is expected to cause high amounts of metabolic stress and consequent activation of muscle fibers. The only requirement in this process is to focus on increasing the number of lifted weights and not on adding the number of repetitions per workout.
The process of losing fat is not as pronounced as that of muscle gain. Consequently, this process can incorporate either simple activities such as walking or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises. Nevertheless, HIIT burns more fat in less time than other light cardio exercises. Also, this type of exercise “preserves more muscles than steady-cardio, and this is a necessity in this 12-week plan.
Getting enough amounts of sleep in the course of the 12-week plan is also important because it encourages normal hormonal processes (Christin, 2008, p. 468). Sleep deprivation also promotes processes that act against muscle gain and fat loss processes. In the course of the 12-week program, participants need to use the right supplements. However, supplements are not important to this plan, but when they are used properly they can improve the overall results in the course of the 12-week program.
References
Christin, L. (2008). Reduced rate of energy expenditure as a risk factor for body-weight gain. New England Journal of Medicine, 318(8), 467-472.
Fife, B. (2005). Eat fat look thin: A safe and natural way to lose weight permanently. London: Piccadilly Books.
Hanson, H. (2014). Within-day energy balance and protein intake affect body composition in physically active young adult females. Boston: Pearson Press.
Stoppani, J. (2006). Encyclopedia of muscle & strength. New York: Human Kinetics.
Tipton, K., & Wolfe, R. R. (2001). Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth. Boston: Boston Press.
Watanabe, Y., & Ishii, N. (2014). Effect of very low‐intensity resistance training with slow movement on muscle size and strength in healthy older adults. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 34(6), 463-470.