While there are many people who strive for athletic performance, it’s more like that the the average person just wants to look good naked. That approximately translates to more muscle and less fat (and ladies, you get ‘curves’ by having more muscle as well).
After the miracle period of beginner gains, we face a fundamental dilemmas. To get more muscle, the body has to be in an anabolic state with a surplus of nutrients. To lose fat, the body needs to be in an energy deficit.
In other words, at any period of time, the body can’t simultaneously lose fat and gain muscle.
Hence, bodybuilders over the years have practiced bulking and cutting cycles. They eat more and push bodyweight up, hoping to net as much muscle gain as possible while accepting some fat gain. They then strip off the fat with a dieting phase while trying to maintain the newly built muscle.
Sounds fine in theory, but we’re assuming that you actually build some muscle during the bulks, and hang on to all of it during the cuts. Unfortunately…
We can only build muscle so quickly
And the rate of gains is dismal compared to what people expect. More importantly, eating more isn’t going to increase this rate by very much at all.
So what is the solution?
The only real solution is to get a great coach right from the start. Someone who takes responsibility for one’s diet and training and ensures that the beginner trainee doesn’t stray off course. I’m not referring to a personal trainer here, who has a transactional relationship with the client. An example of this is more akin to the relationship between a high school football coach and his players.
Of course, rarely is one fortunate enough to land in that scenario, and ultimately, we have to take things into our own hands.
The next best solution is to actively seek out someone who can provide the right kind of advice and support. This oftentimes means hiring a personal trainer or nutritional consultant. An example would be Martin Berkhan of Leangains.com, who has a proven track record with turning people from fat to fit.
The first problem is that such an approach costs money, which many beginners don’t have. The next problem is that by definition, a beginner trainee cannot judge if a trainer is good or not.
Another solution is to take it very slow, building muscle and losing fat at the same time. But that takes a lot of micro-management, and is certainly not for the beginner.
Ultimately, it’s going to come down to committing to a single goal. That means practicing cycles where you cut and bulk to pre-determined body fat levels. Lyle McDonald discusses this in his article, ‘General Philosophies of Muscle Mass Gain‘
Personal Preference
With the numerous benefits associated with leanness, both physiological and psychological, I’d opt for cutting down to or below the 12-14% body fat range for anyone but absolute beginners.
For absolute beginners (those who have never touched a weight), the focus should be on gaining strength and eating wholesome foods. While food quality doesn’t matter in the short run, establishing the habit of eating whole, unprocessed foods will pay off in the long run, especially when it comes time to diet.
In Summary
Recomposition approaches are possible, but require a little micro-management. Bulking too fast will only get you fat, and cutting too fast will lose you muscle.
The quick and easy solution to this is to hire someone that knows what he/she is doing. The longer-term solution is to educate oneself in how to go about achieving your goals, something which I will cover in a future post.
Whatever you do, keep your eyes on the prize, and keep moving.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post, Tan.
You bring up a ton of great points. Something I’m finding to become more and more important is making that client choose ONE goal. Accomplishing a million things at once often sounds awesome but it usually ends up in discouragement as it can take forever as opposed to placing your drive and ambition behind a single task.
Totally agree, and excuse me while I go on a rant.
Having a good coach isn’t going to help unless the client truly trusts the coach. Even then, due to the contractual relationship between client and coach, the coach is always subject to the client’s demands, which are dictated by the coach’s ability to deliver results. Hence, by focusing on a single goal, it’s probably more likely that the client sees tangible results and then trust slowly develops. IMO it’s why some coaches decide to continue giving advice even after the contractual period is over – now that the client trusts you, it feels great to offer truly helpful advice. And of course, there’s the good karma, both emotionally (feeling good) and literally (by referrals from that client).
In other words: you can only coach the people who are willing to be coached. Respect those who want to be coached, because they trust you, and trust is your greatest asset.