Physiology

Body recomposition: can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

Losing fat while gaining muscle is not a myth. It is easiest for beginners and returning lifters, but it can work for others with the right setup.

Body recomposition means losing fat and gaining muscle over the same period, so your body shape changes more than your scale weight does. It used to be described as impossible, since building muscle needs energy and losing fat requires an energy deficit. In reality, the body can draw on stored fat for energy while still using protein and a training stimulus to build new muscle tissue, so both processes can run side by side.

Recomposition is most likely in people who are new to strength training, returning after a break, carrying more body fat, or who have only just started eating enough protein. Well-trained, lean lifters can still recompose, but much more slowly, and they usually make faster progress by alternating focused periods of muscle gain and fat loss. The key ingredients are the same for everyone: progressive strength training with enough hard sets, a high protein intake of roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, a calorie intake near maintenance or a small deficit, and good sleep.

Because fat loss and muscle gain cancel each other out on the scale, body weight is a poor guide during recomposition. Track waist measurements, progress photos and, most importantly, strength in your main lifts. If your waist is shrinking while the weights you lift are slowly going up, the process is working, even if the scale barely moves for weeks.

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