People ofte
n claim they want to lose weight. But “weight loss” can be attributed to many things, including water, muscle or fat. In reality what most want is to lose fat while maintaining lean muscle so the result is a leaner physique with an overall improvement in body composition.
Here are 5 simple nutritional and training tips to help you achieve a leaner more muscular physique.
#1 Burn more calories than you consume
The breakdown of stored fat is dependent on a calorie deficit. This can occur through caloric restriction, addition of physical activity or in many cases a combination of both. Stored fat will be used to produce energy whenever your body runs out of energy from the foods you eat or carbohydrates stored elsewhere. It’s important to note, the calorie deficit does not have to be linear day-to-day, but your calories burned by the end of the week need to exceed your calories ingested. So you can either maintain a daily regular deficit, or include days of maintenance or surplus (while still coming out at a net deficit by the end of the week).
In addition to fat loss, muscle maintenance is of primary concern for anyone with the goal of improving body composition. While the loss of body weight may be due to declines in body fat, skeletal muscle mass is often lost and can account for as much as 25% or more of the total body weight loss. Therefore, optimal caloric intakes and/or deficits should be followed that match the needs that occur with training and other physical activities. This leads to tip #2.
#2 Minimize your caloric deficit
The percentage of weight loss coming from lean body mass tends to increase as the size of the calorie deficit increases. By minimizing your caloric deficit the result is a slower rate of weight loss, however it may help reduce the likelihood of unwanted adaptations that lead to lower resting metabolic rate and muscle tissue losses. It’s important to note, that individuals with more body fat tend to lose less fat-free mass than their leaner counterparts when undergoing the same degree of energy restriction.
So it’s important to reduce the magnitude of the caloric deficit as body fat levels reach very low levels. In a recent review (Helms 2014) the authors surmised that diets yielding weight loss of approximately 0.5 to 1% of bodyweight weekly may be superior for maintenance of lean muscle retention compared to shorter or more aggressive diets.
#3 Eat plenty of protein
Research shows that consuming a high-protein diet during energy deficit can reduce the loss of fat-free mass. This muscle-sparing effect may be related to increased dietary protein-induced alterations in protein turnover, particularly muscle protein synthesis.
How much protein optimal? Research has shown that increasing protein to a level of 2.4 g/kg /day provides no greater lean mass protection as compared to 1.6 g/kg/day in young athletes in energy deficit. (Pasiakos et.al. 2013) This suggests that consuming dietary protein in excess of 2.4 g/ kg/day is likely unnecessary and that a plateau may exist where consuming more dietary protein has no additional benefit for maintaining fat-free mass during short-term weight loss.
(Phillips and Van Loon 2011) suggest that a protein intake of 1.8-2.7 g/kg for athletes training in energy deficit may be optimal. And a recently published systematic review by Helms et al. 2013 on protein intakes in resistance-trained, lean athletes during caloric restriction suggests a range of 2.3-3.1 g/kg of lean body mass (LBM), which may be more appropriate for bodybuilding purposes.
So based on the preponderance of evidence, it appears that the old “1 gram of protein per pound of body weight” recommendation – which is the equivalent of 2.2g/kg – still remains more than adequate for most people.
#4 Focus on Resistance Training
Adding activities that promote or maintain muscle mass will make that muscle mass work harder and elevate the
metabolic rate. This should be a priority with any good a fat loss program.
One of the biggest misconceptions about losing body fat is that it is best accomplished by performing cardiovascular exercise. But in fact, resistance training is generally even more important. Numerous research studies show that resistance training has substantial effects on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), and that the effects can last for up to 48 hours. And perhaps more importantly, as opposed to cardio exercise, resistance-training helps to preserve or even increase muscle mass during calorie deficits, thus preserving or elevating metabolic rate.
#5 Avoid Excessive Amounts of Cardio
As I said earlier, cardio is a very overrated aspect of fat loss. But in terms of improving body composition it almost always becomes the default recommendation. However, excessive amounts of cardio can cut into muscle recovery, both systemically and locally (specific muscle groups). The legs are what typically take a beating since most modalities predominantly involve the muscles of the lower body.
Ideally it’s more preferable to create an energy deficit via diet and use weight training to build and maintain muscle. Cardio exercise can then be used as an adjunct tool for when you reach a point where lowering calories any further becomes too difficult and you’d rather burn extra calories via physical activity instead.
Train smart and good luck!
Vic Tringali M.S. CSCS
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References:
Eric R Helms*, Alan A Aragon and Peter J Fitschen Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation , Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2014, 11:20 doi:10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
Pasiakos SM, Cao JJ, Margolis LM, Sauter ER, Whigham LD, McClung JP, Rood JC, Carbone JW, Combs GF Jr, Young AJ: Effects of high-protein diets on fat-free mass and muscle protein synthesis following weight loss: a randomized controlled trial. FASEB J 2013, 27:3837-3847
Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ: Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci 2011, 29(Suppl 1):S29-S38
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Hall KD: Body fat and fat-free mass inter-relationships: Forbes's theory revisited. Br J Nutr 2007, 97:1059-1063.
Geliebter, Maher, Gerace, Gutin, Heymsfield, Hashim Effects of strength or aerobic training on body composition, resting metabolic rate, and peak oxygen consumption in obese dieting subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Sep;66(3):557-63.
Bryner RW1, Ullrich IH, Sauers J, Donley D, Hornsby G, Kolar M, Yeater R. Effects of resistance vs. aerobic training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate. J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):115-21.
Charles P. Lambert, Laura L. Frank and William J. Evans Macronutrient Considerations for the Sport of Bodybuilding Sports Med 2004; 34 (5): 317-327
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Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR: A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2013.
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