Many athletes have two goals. On the one hand, they naturally want to build muscle - because nothing is quite as satisfying as massive biceps . However, on the other hand, they also want to lose fat. After all, you don't see much of those abs if there is still a soft layer over it.
The problem? These two objectives make things quite difficult for each other! Those who lose fat often automatically lose muscle mass. We will discuss this in detail in this blog. In addition, we give you some practical tips for losing fat while preserving muscle mass as much as possible!
Fat loss vs. weight loss
An important point to start with is the difference between fat loss and weight loss . Many people say they want to 'lose weight'. However, that's a pretty pointless statement. Losing weight has little to do with losing fat: you can also lose weight by losing muscle , for example.
Conversely, fat burning does not always make you lighter. Muscles are heavier than fat. So you can become visibly slimmer, without noticing a real difference on the scales .
The moral of this story is that you shouldn't be desperate for weight loss on its own. You will also lose a lot of muscle, so that you will not quickly look tight and slim. Rather go for fat loss .
A calorie deficit for fat loss
The craziest things are said about losing fat, but in the end only one thing works: a constant calorie deficit . Your body then has to look for other energy sources and will get energy from fat reserves. The downside is that fat isn't the only potential energy supplier. Muscle mass can also fulfill that role.
In other words, if you only regulate a calorie deficit, you can also lose a lot of muscle mass. Not what you are waiting for! Fortunately, there are ways to maintain as much muscle mass as possible. This way you can lose fat without immediately losing that sporty appearance.
Fat lose tips
1. Eat more protein
Of course you need all the macronutrients to create a balanced diet . However, protein is clearly number 1 when you want to keep enough muscle mass. The reason is very simple: to maintain muscles, you need the building material from which they are made. And those are amino acids , which you get from proteins.
Research shows that sufficient protein in your diet provides significantly more muscle maintenance - even if you would not train in the meantime. So make sure you don't save on protein when creating a calorie deficit, 1.8 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a good guideline. Instead, just cut down on fats and carbohydrates ( also read THE BEST WAY TO CALCULATE YOUR MACROS ).
2. Continue to train 'hard'
If you want to lose fat, the temptation is to train less hard. After all, you eat less, so your body does not really have any nutrients left to build more muscle. In part, that's true: strength gains may be a bit too ambitious at a time when you want to lose fat. After all, you are mainly concerned with making your body smaller in a controlled manner.
However, that does not mean that you cannot maintain your current strength level. If you have finally built up some muscle mass with a lot of effort by training relatively hard with 8-12 repetitions, then during a period of fat loss there is absolutely no reason to suddenly switch this to, for example, 20 repetitions.
Continue to work with the same weights as you did before. That way you give your muscles the stimulus that you really need them. Your body will then do its best to maintain as much muscle mass as possible.
3. Reduce the training volume
But, you may think now, with a calorie deficit you have a lot less energy. Can your body handle that, such a tough workout? And that's a good point: not only the training, but also the recovery costs you a lot of energy. When you don't actually have one, it becomes dangerous - after all, you don't want to lose your recovery.
The solution is to reduce the volume of your workout. Keep the weight the same, but reduce the number of reps , sets, or exercises you do in total. This way you still limit the muscle damage and the ' repair effort' , without making the load lighter.
4. Don't eat too few calories
Of course, a calorie deficit is necessary to lose fat, otherwise your body will never have to start on those fat reserves. However, this does not mean that bigger is necessarily better. Resist the temptation to create a massive deficit right away to see results faster. Your body has no choice but to use your muscles as a source of energy.
In addition, muscle recovery after workouts becomes virtually impossible if you simply do not consume enough. Crash diets with huge deficiencies usually cause you to end up with huge strength reductions. A good calorie deficit consists of about 10 to 20% of your daily energy requirement . For many people, this amounts to a maximum of 500 calories per day , and often less.
5. Forget the cardio
Cardio is often seen as the sports method for losing fat, because it does indeed burn calories . Especially if you want to preserve muscle tissue, it is better to ignore long cardio sessions. First of all, you usually don't have to burn extra calories if your diet is in order. In fact, less energy can actually cause problems for your muscle recovery.
In addition, cardio does nothing to keep your muscles stronger. In contrast to strength training , it simply does not provide any incentive to maintain strength. For most people it is therefore easiest to let that run sit comfortably.
Only those who really have a good reason to want to work on their stamina can possibly get started. Do you still want to combine strength training and cardio? Then take a look at High-Intensity Interval Training!
6. Calorie cycling
If you do not have enough energy for heavy strength training on sports days, you can consider calorie cycling . The idea of this mechanism is that you don't eat the same amount of calories every day. For example, instead of 1600 a day, you eat 1800 calories on a sports day, and 1400 on a rest day. In addition, you mainly shift the carbohydrates and fats to make that possible - after all, you always want to be able to get enough protein.
The big advantage of calorie cycling is that you get enough nutrients when you need them, thus avoiding hunger pangs . On rest days, when you are less active, you can do fine with a little less. This way you maintain the general deficit and you can lose fat without the disadvantages that are often associated with it!
7. Give yourself breaks
One last tip for fat loss: break up your diet every now and then. Of course, that doesn't mean you have to go crazy on pizza and chips for a week - keep it a bit reasonable. Your pause isn't supposed to wipe out all of your progress, after all. Eating for a week on your actual energy needs, without a shortage, can work wonders for body and mind.
Your body receives the signal again that there is enough food available to maintain muscles. Any breakdown can be immediately rebuilt. And you can recover from the quite exhausting diet regimen yourself. For some people it also works to have shorter breaks, such as the occasional cheat day . See what feels best for you!
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