Losing body fat and gaining muscle go hand in hand. This shift in body composition, sometimes known as “becoming lean,” is not necessarily a priority for everyone, but discovering how to gain muscle and reduce fat is something you’re interested in.
Maintaining lean muscle mass while losing weight is essential for overall health and well-being, even though it’s not always easy to do. Keeping muscle may help your weight-loss goals. Skeletal muscle burns more calories than fat because it has a higher metabolic activity. Your resting metabolic rate, or the quantity of calories your body burns while at rest, will consequently be higher the more muscle you have.
Cutting calories can also cause some of your lean muscle mass to disappear, making that challenge more challenging while losing weight and lowering body fat percentages. Additionally, muscle promotes better heart, metabolic, and joint health. Your total health and welfare will always be supported by the best way to shed weight while maintaining muscle.
1. Put enough weight on the bar
We must challenge ourselves by gradually increasing the weight we lift in order to gain muscle and strength. This is one of the most significant recommendations for building lean muscle since pushing the boundaries of your strength necessitates adaptation in your body. Find a weight for each exercise that allows you to complete 3-5 sets of 6–8 repetitions with perfect technique.
2. Concentrate on full-body lifts
Only target one muscle at a time, start your workout with total-body lifts rather than seated leg curls and extensions and conclude with smaller, isolated movements to target any weaker areas, such as your biceps, triceps, and abs.
Putting your attention on the big, all-body motions initially is the best method to lose fat while maintaining muscle. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, pull-ups, and push-ups are compound exercises. They are the best for increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat, as well as being excellent for developing core strength.
3. Minimize your calorie deficit
You will definitely lose weight, but it will be a mix of fat and muscle. However, maintaining a smaller calorie deficit will result in less muscle breakdown as you lose weight. You’re more likely to be able to actively build muscle if your deficit is smaller. A smaller deficit is just enough to result in about half a kilogram or 1.1 pounds per week.
4. Exercise to recover
Cardio is not the best exercise for muscle growth or maintenance when you have a calorie deficit. However, it’s a fantastic tool to aid in your recovery after strength-training sessions because it enables you to preserve and develop the maximum amount of muscle.
Low-intensity cardio exercises like walking, jogging, light cycling, and swimming enhance blood flow throughout the body to supply oxygen and other nutrients to your muscle cells.
5. Sleep Well
It’s more crucial than you might realize to get quality sleep. Never sacrifice your sleep if you want to advance your fitness goals. Lack of sleep not only affects how well you exercise but also makes it more difficult for your body to recover and rebuild itself after a workout.
Our immune system, mental clarity, ability to recover from activity and even our insulin sensitivity all depend on getting enough sleep. Sleep must also be a major priority if learning how to gain muscle and lose fat is one of your top priorities.
Additionally, it’s crucial to take both regular rest days and additional rest days as needed. Don’t starve your muscles on rest days, instead, use them to repair and strengthen them.
These long-term, sustainable, and healthy routines can help you build lean muscle and reduce body fat. Keep track of your performance enhancements, and adjustments with Speciality Care Clinics at (469) 545-9983.