Commonly known as body recomposition, losing fat while simultaneously gaining muscle might seem like an impossible paradox. After all, shedding fat requires a calorie deficit, while muscle gain demands a surplus. However, achieving both is indeed possible, although it requires a lot of effort and copious amounts of discipline.
Here we take a look at the steps needed to achieve body recomposition and we’ll also touch on the importance of diet, as well as explaining how a meal prep service can help you achieve your goals.
Striking The Right Balance
In order to achieve body recomposition, a number of key steps must be taken. These include:
A Balanced Diet
As with any health or exercise programme, the foundation of success lies in your dietary choices. Failure to stay disciplined in your diet will derail your efforts and result in either fat gain or muscle loss – or both!
By consuming a diet that’s rich in high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates you’ll be adequately fuelled and nourished. Protein provides the amino acids that are crucial for muscle growth, while fats and carbs provide the energy you need for workouts and recovery.
Resistance Training
Lifting weights stimulates muscle growth, even within a calorie deficit. Although building muscle will be difficult without a surplus in calories, it is possible with the right exercise and proper form.
Moreover, when you shed fat, your muscles will be more pronounced, so they’ll automatically look bigger even if they haven’t experienced much growth!
Cardio And HIIT
As well as weightlifting, you’ll also need to hit the treadmill or rowing machine for some invaluable cardio training. This will help you burn some of the calories needed for fat loss, while you’ll also improve your cardiovascular health which is always a nice bonus!
For best results, try high intensity interval training (HIIT) such as sprints or burpees which has proven itself to be the best type of cardio for fat loss.
Caloric Balance
To lose fat and gain muscle, you’ll need to strike the right balance in your caloric intake. By maintaining a slight caloric deficit, where you consume slightly fewer calories than you expend, you’ll enable fat loss without severely hindering your efforts to gain muscle.
Along with diet, this is the most important step to achieving body recomposition so don’t overlook calorie intake as it can make all the difference.
Quality Sleep
Ensure you prioritise adequate rest. During sleep, the body undergoes repair and muscle development. Insufficient sleep can hinder your progress.
Carbs – Less Is Best
Reducing your intake of carbohydrates and sugars is a fundamental step along this journey. Although they provide quick energy, carbohydrates can contribute to fat storage when consumed excessively.
By monitoring and controlling your intake of carbs you can keep your body in a state conducive to fat burning. Likewise, replacing simple sugars with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains ensures consistent energy levels and helps keep you full for longer, reducing the urge to snack.
Meal Prep Services
So now we’ve covered the importance of diet for body recomposition, the question is how do you go about ensuring you get the right balance of nutrients and calories. In truth, it can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t have a lot of knowledge on nutrition. This is where meal prep services prove invaluable!
Meal prep services provide carefully portioned meals, which can eliminate the need for guesswork and ensure you consume the right number of calories for your goals. Furthermore, our meals are designed to offer the correct macronutrient and micronutrient balance, with a focus on adequate protein, healthy fats and controlled carbohydrates.
These benefits go hand-in-hand with the usual advantages you get from a meal prep service, including convenience and time saved on preparing your own meals, which allows you to concentrate on your workouts and other commitments.
So those are the steps you need to take if you want to achieve body recomposition. As you can see, losing fat while simultaneously gaining muscle is a lot of effort and not for everyone.
However, if you’re willing to put in the work and take your fitness goals seriously then you can enjoy double the rewards by achieving a physique that carries more muscle and less fat.