By Fat loss and building muscle mass are very much a goal for most people today, and a great goal to have for that matter. Thankfully there are a few methods which can target these two goals simultaneously, for the best results you can possibly achieve.
Firstly, with any fat loss, and muscle building plan of action, we must first and foremost alter our nutritional standpoint. If this is not the main component of our progression, we will not receive the outstanding results we’re capable of. There is nothing worse when people make a plan to hit the gym, but never even once consider the important nutritional changes that must be made. Months and even years progress, without any significant physique changes, not to mention the same health blunders. I urge you to look very closely at your food choices on a daily basis, and become completely honest about what you are putting into your mouth on a daily basis. I’m also here to tell you, as a tried and tested advocate believing you can out train a bad diet will never, even happen. Therefore, please focus on the things you need to do, and can do, instead of torturing yourself here. Believe me, I speak from experience!
6 effective & simple ways to lose body fat and gain muscle at the same time.
- Meal planning – protein and veggies with every single meal.
If you did this only, as well as hit the gym, you will be in a much better position to lose body fat fast, and begin your muscle building journey. Protein is a vital source for burning body fat because it’s thermogenic, increasing our basal metabolic rate. It also keeps us full for longer stretches of time, inhibiting snacking and cravings. The same goes for vegetables, more so cruciferous veggies. These provide fibre, as well as many vitamins and minerals. These veggies also have a powerful effect in sweeping away toxins. You can have them raw, or sightly steamed, adding your fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and even a drizzle of raw nuts to the mix. Make this a simple, and easy staple in your every day life. Batch cook one day per week, so you can prepare all the meals you need. This will save you time, money and also help you to lose weight a whole lot faster! Remember, if your nutrition is not right, you wont reach your body composition potential. - Lift weights and make them heavy.
Spend your time focusing and perfecting the most important lifts there is. These exercises produce the best fat burning results, as well as increasing muscle mass and strength – all at the same time. Add deadlifts, squats, bench presses, lunges & pull ups to your workouts throughout the week. Although you may not be able to lift a lot, don’t focus on that right now. Perfect your technique with practice, slowly adding on the weight. When it comes to chin ups, don’t perform assisted ones, instead try out the negative versions (search on YouTube) so you can slowly develop the upper body strength to lift your body weight. This is a lot more effective than using assisted mechanisms. The reason why I know is I’ve used both methods to perform a chin ups, and used the negatives method to slowly get my body used to lifting the weight that I am. It got me to doing chin ups a lot faster than using assisted methods. I know it’s hard, and it’s going to be frustrating, but persist. The moment of glory when you can finally perform a chin up will come. Patience and perseverance. - Perform sprint intervals.
Alternating between sprinting as fast as you can, and then recovering actively, will trigger fat loss without subjecting the body to losing muscle mass. You can try this outdoors on a track, or in a park. Try sprinting as fast as you can for 8–12 seconds, then recover for 15 seconds. Do this on and off for about 20–25 minutes only. This is a short and intensive amount of time, but the benefits outweigh any steady state cardio results. You can use this method on the days you are not weight training. Don’t integrate the two together, because one will suffer in intensity. - Don’t forget the incidental activity factor.
Most of us hit the gym 5 days per week, which is great, but to take our fat burning results even further, we also need to keep in mind the amount of incidental activity we do on a daily basis (especially when it’s rest day). That’s not to say you should run a marathon, rather, think of small ways you can integrate activity into your day. My suggestions are; walking to and from work, or to your local cafe instead of taking the car, walk during your lunch break at work, take the stairs instead of the lift, take the longer pathway to get to your destination. I’m sure there are so many more, but do find what is easier for you, and what will allow you flexibility. - Handle stress well – don’t sweat the small stuff.
I know this is easier said than done, but one thing that has helped me handle stress is to exercise patience in the moment. Take a deep breath, and give yourself a few minutes to compose your thoughts. The will be running full speed ahead waiting to fight back or attack. Know the feeling and take control of your breathing. Once you take a few deep breaths, you should feel a lot more calm. In moments like this, we can say and do some thing we regret. It’s the initial response to attack (fight of flight) which triggers cortisol. If you live like this on a daily basis, it will greatly affect your life, health and your ability to lose weight and put on muscle. Learn to find your ways to cope, and put them into action each and every time stress comes up. Soon enough, it will happen without you even trying!
I do hope these ideas help you along your chosen journey. In the meantime, feel free to contact me if you need further assistance. I have plenty of other blog posts on my wesbsite or join me on fb and insta social standpoints. Please feel free to upvote this answer if it has been useful in some way to you.