The Tips You Need To Lose Fat and Gain Muscle Are Right Here

When it comes to weight loss, we’ve been told that muscle burns more calories than any other tissue in the body. For this reason, strength training is adopted by those hoping to shed excess fat. However, we are also told that to build muscle we need to consume calories. In the same breath, we are told to be in a calorie deficit to lose fat. As you can see, things can quickly become complicated. Fortunately, there actually is a way for you to successfully grow muscle mass and still shed fat. Here are some tried and tested methods of achieving this.

Combine Hypertrophy With Strength

Pure strength training is a type of workout that relies on your body’s neural drive. It is all about how quickly you are able to shift from muscle fibers of Type I to Type II. It’s also something to do with how capable you are of making use of maximal muscle fiber recruitment. All of this is unfortunately not very helpful with maintaining or growing muscle during a cutting phase. A combination of both hypertrophy exercises and strength exercises is key for an intense muscle building regimen.

Slow Aerobic Cardio

Unfortunately, there’s no hiding from cardio. As the old-schoolers swear by, fat loss goes hand-in-hand with cardio. However, not all cardio is created equal and the type of cardio you perform will be the difference between maintaining your muscle growth or losing it. The best type of cardio when building muscle is the slow and easy type. This is aerobic cardio like light jogging, a brisk walk, or an easy bike ride. Maintaining constant easy pace uses Type I muscle fibers. This promotes blood flow and helps clear out lactic acid as well as metabolic waste from body tissues and muscle. Improving your aerobic energy system in this manner will also support more intense workouts as well as better recovery during rest time. All of this adds up to more results from your strength training regimen.

Lean Protein Is King

If you are in a cutting phase, you will be trying to maintain muscle. If you are doing strength training and cardio at the same time, you will be trying to grow muscle. Whether you are maintaining or growing muscle the king of the macros is protein. If you do not consume a sufficient amount of protein, you may suffer muscle loss. In addition to this, lean protein boosts the metabolism and keeps you satiated throughout the day, preventing you form overeating. It’s a win-win situation! The key to obtaining adequate protein intake is to focus on a minimum of 1g per pound of your own body weight. Concentrate on nuts, eggs, fish, meats and quality supplements.

BCAAs Are Your Friend

Branched chain amino acids are a type of essential amino acid. This means that they need to come from your diet. BCAAs are the building blocks for your muscles and they are stored within the muscles. Your body uses BCAAs for energy during exercise as well. If you’re focusing on fat loss using a calorie deficit, you can get away with eating a low-calorie diet without losing muscle mass by consuming BCAA supplements. That’s because they are incredibly low-calorie when compared to protein powders.

Carbs Aren’t Evil

While you are probably steering clear of all types of carbs as you attempt to shed fat, it’s still a good idea to eat carbs after your workout. Your body is at its best ability to tolerate carbs after an intense workout. In fact, if you don’t follow a workout with carbs to help your body recover and replenish energy stores, you could be setting yourself up for a less effective workout next time. Once you put down the weights after your last set, reach for potatoes, rice, sweet potato or something similar to get the recovery process going.

There isn’t any magic that you haven’t been given to help you see gains and weight loss. It is all about knowing what to do and following it through. It might be a pain to track calories but you will get used to it. Track them and make sure you are on the right path. Stick to your workout routine and keep hydrated. Basic health is attainable without too much trouble as long as you invest enough time and effort into it. It is definitely worth it, though. Most of all, enjoy the journey!