First of all, the bitter truth: No nutritional strategies, training systems or supplements allow you to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. There are only two exceptions, which I will go into at the end.
Why do both not usually work at the same time?
The requirements for both goals – muscle building or muscle building . Fat loss – are different.
Requirements for building muscle
To build muscle you need a calorie surplus. So you have to provide your body with more calories than you consume. With this positive calorie balance, you signal to your body that a) enough energy and b) sufficient nutrients and building materials are available. If this calorie surplus consists of an optimal ratio between your macros, your body can optimally produce hormones that it needs to be able to. a. To be able to build up muscles.
Another requirement is a well-functioning hormone balance. If your diet provides the necessary energy, but has a poor macro distribution (e.g. too little fat), not enough hormones can be produced, but these are the basic prerequisites for your muscles to grow.
Requirements for fat loss
For fat loss, you need a calorie deficit. Accordingly, you have to supply your body with fewer calories than you consume. This is called a negative calorie balance and will force your body to attack its reserves, the fat stores, in order to compensate for the negative balance. You will lose body fat. But here too, the hormonal balance plays a not insignificant role. If this has been taken to the proverbial cellar because of poor diet or poor nutrition, then losing weight can suddenly come to an end. Your body will ensure that you no longer simply waste its beloved reserves! 😉
For whom does it work anyway?
As mentioned at the beginning, there are two groups of people who can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time:
- overweight training beginners who have not been involved in the sport for more than one or two years
- supported athletes , d. H. those who take performance-enhancing substances
Why does both work with (overweight) training beginners?
As a beginner, your body will get used to the still absolutely unknown loads and will react to it with adaptation. He will therefore build up muscles relatively quickly (the beginners’ progress is the fastest, as the more experienced trainers among you have probably already noticed 😉). This is also due to the fact that regular training improves the insulin sensitivity and the nutrient absorption of the corresponding muscles.
The goal of building muscle with simultaneous fat loss works especially if you are not only a beginner, but also have a high percentage of body fat. The reason for this is that, overfed ‘fat cells tend not to want to store anything anymore – an insulin resistance develops. Instead of putting the excess energy into the cells, it remains in the blood and can be used to build muscle.
Why is both possible with supported athletes?
Because these athletes To supply your body with the hormones, hormone-like substances etc. that it needs exogenously (from the outside), you are not dependent on its own production of your hormones. Even with a calorie deficit, you can continue to build muscles under certain conditions, as you are supplied in sufficient quantities by the building up hormones.
Conclusion
Do not try to achieve both goals at the same time track – even if this is possible in exceptional cases. Not for nothing is there such. B. In bodybuilding, build-up and diet phases that alternate. It makes sense to maintain this procedure continuously, because both phases – as explained above – have different requirements.
If, on the other hand, you try to achieve muscle growth and fat loss at the same time, you will initially only achieve very little and later no success at all.
