Building Mass/Burning Fat Simultaneously?

It is extremely difficult to bulk and lose weight at the same time and not worth trying if your initial goal is weight loss. For bodybuilders this is more achievable (still extreme). But, if your goal is weight loss understand that you CANNOT achieve both a caloric surplus AND a caloric deficit at the same time. They are to be achieved separately with weight loss being your first focus (usually, probably best). For gaining muscle mass you NEED a caloric surplus. For weight loss you NEED a caloric deficit. Now, how bodybuilders do it is that they go through phases of bulking (massively increasing caloric intake) and cutting (massively reducing caloric intake). To add to that, they are cutting to reduce the amount of fat in between muscles to produce a more lean physique. They don't have mass amounts sitting in one place like that of a general person with a weight loss goal may have. In a weight loss situation though the length of time you'd need for one of these cutting phases would be extremely unhealthy and would also put your body into starvation mode, breaking down muscle through catabolism thus not only reducing body fat % but, also lean mass and strength. Lets try this out. Lets say you want to lose 2 lbs a week. While gaining 2 lb of muscle per week. You’d need to burn 7000 cals alone for your weight loss goal and somehow end up at a surplus of 7000 cals a week. Looking at the numbers offhand you'd notice that they cancel each other out (lets continue though just for some depth on the situation.) Now to achieve a deficit you’d need to burn those cals in your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) through exercise + your RMR (resting metabolic rate) + your NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis or the amount of calories you burn doing regular activities throughout the day) . The best way to burn calories is through various avenues of metabolic stress, including Interval Training (HIIT, HVIT, VIIT), Steady state cardio, and some intense weightlifting (ie: circuit training & low weight/high rep sets.) BUT you’d still need to get to a surplus as well which requires more (much more) caloric intake, less metabolic stress, and resistance training which does not burn very many calories in raw form. These processes counteract each other. So, in short It would be a counterproductive process to embark upon. Do them separately. Keep in mind making a goal should be obtainable and realistic. Focus on weight loss first , then building muscle mass. Its an easier route if your goal is weight loss and much more achievable.

#fitness #musclebuilding #mass #fatloss