The goal of many bodybuilders is to gain muscle mass and lose fat at the same time. Unfortunately, most of those who train for this purpose in their heads stay in one place for several months, if not years. This calls for bodybuilders to use more radical training methods.
Anyone who has ever gone through the phases of weight gain or fat burning knows exactly what extremes will be discussed now. To gain muscle mass, the body needs a lot of food and a reduction in all extraneous activity. To lose fat after this kind of mass gain, the body needs enough calories and a lot more vigorous cardio training. Finding a trade-off between clean bulk and fat loss involves taking steps in both directions, understanding how different body systems function.
Cardio is key to losing fat
Some types of cardio should be done 3-6 days a week, and alternate between long, low-intensity and high-intensity weight loss workouts. Walking the incline treadmill for 45 minutes is ideal for extended cardio workouts that should be done on strength training days (up to 3 times a week). Outdoor running, treadmill, and / or cycling are great options for high-intensity workouts that should be done on non-strength days (2-3 times a week).
Maintain your maximum performance limits: 3 cardio workouts and 3 high-intensity workouts per week. For athletes with an average metabolic rate, 3 high-intensity workouts, no cardio, are suitable. Those with a high metabolic rate only need 1 or 2 high-intensity workouts per week.
Power training
Your strength training regimen is sometimes more important than the training itself. In order to build muscle while burning fat at the same time, it is important that strength training occurs in the afternoon / early evening, which will allow you to burn fat throughout the day.
During this time, you eat a low carb / calorie diet. Also, when planning strength training, you should take into account that they should take place no later than 6 hours before bedtime. This is the time when you overeat to stimulate protein synthesis and replenish glycogen stores.
If you do this too early, you will stop burning fat for the rest of the day.
Strength training for relief should be done 3 times a week every other day. Training sessions should consist of heavy basic exercises with some overlap of work on different muscle groups. In other words, don’t single out one workout just for the arms. You need workouts that stimulate high levels of anabolic hormones and muscle growth.
Useful Supplements
Sports nutrition – protein, creatine, gainer, arginine, amino acids will help speed up the process of gaining muscle mass. These supplements are specially formulated for athletes and fitness active people of different fitness levels. Such drugs are completely safe, and their effectiveness has already been proven.
Lose fat and tone the body
If you want to get rid of fat first, your main concern will be to normalize your diet. You must create a calorie deficit in your diet: consume less than you expend. In this mode, the fat burning process starts. This is a prerequisite for losing weight, because increased training without a diet will give the opposite result.
Your training plan should be dominated by intense, moderate heart rate cardio to burn fat effectively. To maintain and tone your muscles, add moderate weight strength training at an energetic pace. This will “convert” fat into muscle, and you can start targeting specific muscle groups.
Maintain muscle mass while losing weight
How to get a clean bulk and burn fat at the same time is a trickier task. This process of qualitatively changing the “composition” of the body is called re-composition. You need a balance between training and nutrition, in which the body has time to receive energy and the load necessary for muscle growth, and fat deposits do not have time to appear. For a better re-composition, the following conditions are important.
▪ Adequate long-term sleep for at least eight hours. If the body does not recover, the muscles do not receive the energy to grow, and you are not motivated to exercise.
▪ Minor calorie deficit, no more than 25% of your usual diet in a weight maintenance regimen.
▪ Sufficient amount of protein in the diet to strengthen muscle fibers. On a protein diet, the body burns fat, not muscle.
▪ Do not avoid “good” fatty acids in foods (fatty fish, avocados, olive oil, nuts). In fact, they are very important for building muscle cells.
▪ You must have a strict drinking regimen to replenish the lack of water in the body and maintain a stable water-salt balance during exercise.
▪ Make every effort to maintain the already developed muscles. Use low-repetition (5-8 or 8-10) exercises with a lot of weight, do not waste energy on unnecessary elements.
▪ Take enough time to rest, do not exercise for wear and tear.
Workout tips
To gain muscle mass, the main focus should be on strength training using basic exercises. The load must progress over time in order for the muscles to experience stress and continue to grow. Add high-intensity interval training to your program, which burns more fat, improves metabolism and insulin sensitivity (good for muscle growth).
Speed-strength exercises with short rest intervals will force your body to use up its energy reserves with power, give your muscles and heart more endurance. Calorie burning will continue even after exercise due to the accelerated metabolism.
You can combine heart and muscle training with the clean bulk lessons. The alternation of different types of exercises (with a barbell and speed plyometric) makes it possible to work out all muscle groups and improve your own endurance. By “accelerating” the metabolism, you will spend a maximum of calories and will be able to take your body to a sporty relief.
Conclusion
If all these conditions are met, the accumulated fat will be broken down, and the muscles will retain their shape and even continue to grow. Is it possible to convert fat into muscle this way? No, the fabrics will never transform into one another, but the processes of their change can be “paralleled”.