Can I gain muscle and burn fat?
Hello. I am 5′9″. 141pounds. and my waist is about 31′ which supposedly means that I have about 13% of body fat and a BMI of 21. Ive been going to the gym for more than a month now and I have made some gains (Ive been taking why protein) but now I want to burn some body fat to achieve 10% bodyfat. Ive been walking 3 miles on the morning, I do weightlifting on the afternoon and I think I eat well enough while trying to avoid fats. Am I on the right track? Can I really burn fat and build muscle at the same time? I ve heard some people say its impossible but I dont think it is. What kinds of food are benefitial for someone on my situation?. Well, thanks a lot in advance!
Most scientists and experts in human physiology will tell you that it is a physiological impossibility to burn fat and build muscle at the same time (at least naturally anyway). I would tend to agree with their assertions based on research and my own experience in fitness. To build muscle, you typically have to be in a positive nitrogen balance and daily calorie surplus to create the optimal anabolic environment for muscle growth. The opposite is true for fat loss, as you need to be in a daily calorie deficit and ensure you are expending more calories than you ingest to maximize fat loss. This is the most difficult journey for bodybuilders and for that reason must resort to some kind of anabolic agents to assist in this process to achieve their goals and stay competitive in their sport (as unhealthy as that may be).
Think about it in these terms…in order to build muscle, you need to feed your body the correct amount of nutrients, protein, fats and carbs that is required for growth. You cannot do this by reducing your overall caloric intake that is needed to lose weight and burn fat. In fact most exercise scientists agree that a minimum of 500-1000 calories above your DER (Daily Energy Requirement) which is your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) + AMR (Active Metabolic Rate) is necessary to support adequate muscle growth. The same scientists insist that you must achieve a minimum of 300-500 calories below your DER for bodyfat loss. So you can’t possibly do both. But you can find a happy medium depending on where you are in your training regimen depending on the season. More on DER here:
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtools/articles/bmr.html
If you’re trying to maximize fat loss. You need to curb all processed foods and simple carbohydrates period. Yes, that means no bread whatsoever too. Your last complex carb meal should be no later than 3pm (unless you have a very tough training session after this point). Your last meal should be no later than 4-5 hour before you retire. If you must have something after this point, it should only be a protein shake if that. So the majority of your calories are in the first 6-7 hours of your day.
The hardest thing about training for a specific body image is balancing muscle and fat. It is a very tough objective to achieve for most. Hope that gives you a general overview on the topic.
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