How to Lose Fat AND Gain Muscle At The Same Time (Step By Step)

1 May 2025


How to Lose Fat AND Gain Muscle At The Same Time (Step By Step)



Lose fat, gain muscle. Known as “body recomposition”, many people believe this is impossible or reserved for a small percentage of people. But that’s not entirely true. Most people can definitely build muscle and lose fat at the same time. With the right nutrition and training plan, you can actually signal your body to use its existing fat stores as energy towards building muscle, and as a result, achieve body recomp. So, how do we do it? Well, there are 3 steps to a successful recomp, starting with nutrition.

Click below for a step-by-step plan to build muscle and lose fat:
https://builtwithscience.com/bws-free-fitness-quiz/gender/?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Body+Recomposition+Calculator%3A+Build+Muscle+And+Lose+Fat&utm_term=02%2F07%2F2023

Although you’ll want to be in a calorie deficit to stimulate fat loss, the calorie deficit you use shouldn’t be as aggressive as it would be during a typical dieting phase. As for what that sweet spot is, a 2021 meta-analysis suggests a deficit of between 300 to 500 calories. That said, the data is from subjects following standard fitness programs employed in research studies, which usually aren’t the most ideal programs for muscle building. So with the optimized training plan I’ll show you later, it’s very possible you’ll be able to build muscle even in a 500-calorie deficit and beyond. However, based on this data, if you want to maximize your odds of being able to recomp, it’s likely that a slight deficit of around 200-300 calories is best.

Click below to use the body recomp calorie calculator:
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Next, protein: eat too little protein, and your body will start to look for it elsewhere, such as your existing muscle mass. As for how much to eat to counteract this for successful body recomposition, I think it’s pretty safe to say that you will be pretty close to maximizing growth potential at about 0.8 g/lb BW. And if you really want to be on the safe side, bump it up to 1 g/lb BW. 

So the next step is to pair your nutrition plan with a training plan designed to force your muscles to grow. Research suggests that both lighter weights and heavier weights can work. But this does heavily depend on one factor: effort. You need to take each of your sets at least within 3 reps short of failure. And this brings me to an important point I want to make. There really isn’t a “special” body recomp training plan. It’s about doing the basics and doing them well. And to make sure you don’t sabotage all the work you put into your nutrition and training, try to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. 

Alright now that we’ve covered how to lose fat and gain muscle, let’s discuss the most important part: who body recomposition is best suited for and whether or not it’s actually worth your time pursuing. So there are 3 main groups of people best suited for body recomp: beginners, those who’re de-trained, and those who’ve been just “going through the motions”. But even if you do fall into one of those groups, note that you cannot be too lean. I’d say around 15% body fat for males and at least 22% for females is a good minimum.

But is trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time worth your time? First off, if you're someone who’s pretty lean or has been training both hard and consistently for at least 6 months, then you’re probably going to have a harder time trying to recomp. Secondly, even if you are likely to recomp, you should also consider what your main goal is right now. I know you want both, but what’s truly more important to you right now — building muscle or losing fat? For example, while you might end up building a little muscle during a recomp, most research suggests that a surplus or “lean bulk” is likely superior. And if your main goal is to lose fat, then a slightly more aggressive deficit would definitely lead to more fat loss with the possibility that you’ll still be able to gain a bit of muscle. 

And perhaps just as important, we as humans like to see things go in the right direction. During a recomp, results can be slow, and your body weight doesn’t really help indicate whether things are going in the right direction. So you’ll have to rely on other metrics like small differences in progress photos, strength in the gym, how your clothes are fitting, and tracking your waist circumference over time. Without proper guidance, this can be a lot more difficult to navigate than a traditional bulk or cut where the scale and quicker body changes can lead the way. That said, I do think for some people it’s worth a shot. Just always remember that proper nutrition and hard, consistent training is what matters the most. Optimize that, and it’s very likely you’ll be able to recomp to some extent regardless of the exact approach you use.

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build muscle lose fat pick what well what if I want to do both at the same time known as body recomposition many people believe this is impossible or only reserved for a small percentage of people but that's not entirely true most people definitely can build muscle and lose fat at the same time in fact it happens all the time in research and not just in beginners this study found positive body recomposition in pro football players already squatting over 382 pounds and benching over 289 pounds and even some women at extreme levels of leanness preparing for a bodybuilding show have been found to gain a bit of muscle during this process so what's the secret well the major problem with trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time is their two opposing goals to typically you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose fat but because muscle building is such an energy demanding process this usually prevents you from building muscle however the energy your muscles need to grow doesn't just have to come from your diet with the right nutrition and training plan you can actually signal your body to use its existing fat stores as energy towards building muscle and as a result build muscle and lose fat simultaneously so how do we do it well there's three steps to this starting with nutrition now the most important part of your nutrition is your calorie intake and although you want to be in a calorie deficit to stimulate fat loss it shouldn't be as aggressive as it is during a typical diet and phase as for what that sweet spot is let's take a look at this 2021 meta-analysis researchers pull together 59 fat loss studies to try to find at what point a calorie deficit becomes too low for building muscle to be possible here is the graph of the results notice how many people were able able to build muscle when the deficit was small but as soon as it surpassed a deficit of around 300 calories muscle growth came to a halt and even began to decrease as soon as the deficit grew larger than 500 calories now keep in mind this data is from subjects following standard fitness programs employed in research studies which usually aren't the most ideal programs for building muscle so with the optimized training plan I'll show you later on in this video it's very possible you'll still be able to build muscle even in a 500 calorie deficit and Beyond however based on this data if you want to maximize your odds of being able to recop it's likely that a slight deficit of around 200 to 300 calories is best and if you do want some help calculating this you can head over to billtoscience.com calculator okay so we have calories figured out but what seems to be just as important is your protein intake you see a calorie deficit reduces your rates of muscle protein synthesis so less of the protein you eat will be used as a building block for building muscle E2 little protein and your body will start to look for it elsewhere such as your existing muscle mass as for how much to eat to counteract this let's take a look at three studies each of them had subjects eat in a calorie deficit but assigned them to either a low or high daily protein intake of different amounts every single study found Superior muscle growth in the high protein group and since subjects were still in a calorie deficit they managed to lose fat at the same time now unfortunately we don't yet have a study that compares protein intakes that are both relatively High during a calorie deficit such as 0.8 versus 1.2 grams per pound of body weight however I think it's pretty safe to say that you'll be pretty much close to maximizing your growth at about 0.8 grams per pound and if you really want to be on the safe side bump it up to one gram per pound so the next step is to pair your nutrition plan with a training plan designed to force your muscles to grow and there's a few relevant studies that can help us determine what the best approach might be one of them is a study published just last year where research just took 130 subjects with at least six months trading experience and compared the effects of having them trained with heavy weights versus lighter weights while in a calorie deficit a common belief is that lighter waste for High Reps is better for fat loss whereas heavier weights for Less reps is best for building muscle but in this case both approaches resulted in a similar amount of fat loss as well as a little bit of muscle gain but this does heavily depend on one factor effort and this is honestly where I believe most of you guys are falling short you see in order to maximize growth you need to take each of your sets at least within three reps short of failure and in fact based on the new pre-print study it might be advantageous to take each set even closer to failure than this thing is most people don't train anywhere close to hard enough to reach this no you got more come on come on come on you have at least three more go and this brings me to an important point I want to make there really isn't a special body composition position training plan it's about doing the basics but doing the well polish hard enough during your sets train with enough volume work each muscle at least twice per week and most importantly stay consistent even if you're an experienced lifter fixing any one of these variables can very well be the stimulus your body needs to continue building muscle despite being in a deficit but before I cover who exactly body recomposition is best suited for there is one more variable you need to make sure you don't overlook sleep okay so the most relevant study we have regarding sleep and body recomposition was published back in 2020 researchers took untrained men and randomly assigned them to either a worker program consisting of two full body workouts per week or that same workout program plus a sleep education program designed to improve both the quantity and the quality of their sleep after 10 weeks both groups had similar increases of muscle with a trend favorite in the Sleep group when it came to Fat Loss however the Sleep group actually he ended up losing a significant amount of fat while the workout only group ended up gaining a little bit of fat other Studies have shown similar effects as well where sleep deprivation negatively affects both muscle gains and fat loss so to make sure you don't sabotage all the work you put into your nutrition and training try to get at least seven hours of sleep per night alright so now that we've covered how to recap let's discuss the most important part who body recomposition is best suited for and whether or not it's actually worth your time pursuing so first off the higher your potential for growth the more likely you'll be able to recall and there's three main groups of people who satisfy this criteria the first group are beginners who can basically touch a weight and end up growing the second group has to do with the fact that muscle regrows far easier than it took to initially grow it Lawrence one of our bill of science members is a good example of this he took some time off training and in his first two months back although his body weight didn't change very much he was able to build some muscle while losing a good amount of fat but the third group is where I think most people fall under and Nick another one of our build science members is a perfect example of this although he had been training for several years he was pretty much just going through the motions he never properly applied Progressive overload and had plenty of other areas where his training could improve I also just didn't know how to approach his nutrition after we helped optimize his plan he quickly saw results and experienced incredible body recomposition over the course of several months although his actual body weight didn't change too much he clearly built a good amount of muscle while losing a ton of fat in the process that said even if they do fall into one of these three groups there's still one more condition you should satisfy and the importance of this is highlighted in a recent 2023 case study researchers analyzed a group of professional bodybuilders during the contest prep and found that as they got leaner building muscle became far less likely and eventually muscle loss became inevitable once they surpassed a certain level of leanness it is interesting however that a few of the female subjects were still able to build a little bit of muscle and another study has actually shown similar results it suggests that body recomposition may be more likely to occur in females even when relatively but we definitely need more research but overall although the exact minimum level of body fat required to recomb isn't entirely clear yet I'd say around 15 body fat for males and at least 22 percent for females is a good minimum but now it's time for the million dollar question is body recomposition even worth your time well first off if you're someone who's pretty lean or has been trained both hard and consistently for at least six months then you're probably gonna have a hard time trying to recall secondly even if you are likely to recall you should also consider what your main goal is right now I know you want to do both but what's truly more important to you right now building muscle or losing fat for example while you might end up building a little bit of muscle during a recomp most research suggests that a surplus or lean ball book is likely Superior whereas if your main goal is to lose fat then a slightly more aggressive deficit would definitely lead to more fat loss with the possibility that you'll still be able to gain a little bit of muscle it's also likely no coincidence that no bodybuilder on the planet at least that I'm aware of natural or enhanced tries to recomp their way to muscle growth they use Balkan and cutting cycles and end up looking better year after year and perhaps just as important we as humans like to see things go in the right direction during a recomp results can be slow and your body weight doesn't really help indicate whether things are going in the right direction so you have to rely on other metrics like small differences in progress photos strengthen the gym have your clothes are fitting and tracking your waist circumference over time without proper guidance this can be a lot more difficult to navigate than a traditional bulker cut where the scale and quicker body changes can lead the way that said I do think for some people it is worth a shot and at the very least it's helpful to be mindful of when dieting in the event that your weight is stuck and you think you're not making progress but you're really just building muscle and losing fat simultaneously and as a recap here's who is best suited for here's how to execute it and here's what to expect and how long it typically lasts and if you need some help optimizing your plan then head to buildtoothscience.com and take our 30 second quiz to find the best step-by-step training and nutrition plan for you and your body I highly recommend that you give this video watch next for some new science-based training techniques you can start applying today to speed up growth thanks for watching I'll see you next time

#Lose #Fat #Gain #Muscle #Time #Step #Step

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29 Comments
  1. What's been your experience with body recomp? Comment below! Also see below for links to all the studies used in the video:

    BODY RECOMPOSITION IN TRAINED ATHLETES
    https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/1990/08000/the_effects_of_self_selection_for_frequency_of.3.aspx

    BODY RECOMPOSITION IN WOMEN AT EXTREME LEVELS OF LEANNESS
    https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/8/2/59

    “SWEET SPOT” OF CALORIE DEFICIT
    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.14075

    CALORIE DEFICIT REDUCES MUSCLE PROTEIN SYNTHESIS RATES
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20164371/

    LOW VS HIGH PROTEIN INTAKE DURING CALORIE DEFICIT
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16046715/
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26817506/
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19927027/

    HEAVY VS LIGHTER WEIGHTS
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35998256/

    TRAIN CLOSE TO FAILURE TO MAXIMIZE GROWTH
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7725035/
    https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/295

    SLEEP’S IMPORTANCE FOR BODY RECOMPOSITION
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32141273/
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20921542/

    GETTING TOO LEAN LOWERS CHANCES OF BODY RECOMPOSITION
    https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/8/2/59

    BODY RECOMPOSITION MAY BE MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN FEMALES
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28119632/

  2. Feel like I’m in group 3 any help?

  3. Hey is face fat related to face type / face structure? Bcs your body seems low in fat % but you still have a bit chubbiness around your cheek bones. I need a chiseled face but im clueless rightnow.

  4. Please hindi dubbed 😅

  5. Can I be in a caloric deficit and lose fat while maintaining/gaining weight as I build muscle? Im 5.9ft 130lbs and only have a 4 pack at best. Im struggling to continue leaning out while maintaining my muscle mass and energy at the gym. I have been eating 2000 calories for a 3 months

  6. Football is staring in 6 months for me and am kind of fat but have muscles. I can't cut because I play on the D line but I want to gain muscles and reduce my fat.

  7. I'm already at 88kg at about 16% body fat at a height of 185cm. The more fat you loose, the longer it takes it seems… but I will get rid of them love handles, even if it is the last thing I do in my life!

  8. This is a great overview of body recomp! It's especially helpful to see the science-backed approach and the focus on sustainable strategies rather than quick fixes. Definitely sharing this with my friends who are also on their fitness journeys.

  9. This video really breaks down the science and provides actionable steps—exactly what I needed to refine my approach! Seeing so many people share their success stories in the comments is super motivating, time to get back to work.

  10. bro translate in bangla, You have a lot of viewers from Bangladesh who don't understand properly

  11. I’m 16 and I’ve been on and off with wrestling Ive lost motivation but now I wanna get back into it, I’ll let yall know how it goes in like a month

  12. I used to be around 350 lbs at my largest during covid. I decided to lose fat before focusing muscle. After losing over 100 lbs I have been switching more focus to muscle, watching videos like this to help learn a bit more as I do not have the money to go to a gym and hire a trainer.

  13. I had terrible sleep for years, since my 18 and during all college. Whem the pandemic happened i was working in a brodcasting Newsroom. waking up different times once every 3 months cuz they kept changing my scheadules. I was 97kg, i still remember. I quit cuz my mom was older and i don't wanted to risk her getting covid. During all the pandemic ultil 2023, i corrected my sleep for the first time in a decade and was eating amost the same things i always had. rice, beans, chicken, eggs… just basic meal for pp wiht little money. in 8 months i was 78kg. My body changed so much i didn't even belived. I wasn't going to gym or exercising in any way. I was just stopping eating deserts, pizzas and etc, and sleeping well. Now, living with my dad, my sleep got bad again, and his eating habits are different. I gained 12kg. Not saying. This is the only factor, but take from someone that literary wasn't making any effort. Sleep helps a lot. I praticed martial arts, i did swimming for 3 years, and i was very good. Yet, i never lost so much weight so easily.

  14. Hi we provide diet chart for fat loss and muscle training in just 99 inr, you will get bonus advisories as well and it includes the breakdown as well so you will just have to follow the diet and achieve your fitness goals.

  15. I don’t know how he talks so cool

  16. Hey. I just wanted to appreciate you for taking the time to produce these really well developed videos. Your graphics, your research as well as the visuals and presentation are all top tier…unlike anything I've ever seen on YouTube unless it's a video commissioned by a large business or institution. Congratulations for being a great media production company in addition to being a great fitness content creator 👏

  17. I am just a little lady trying to get ripped so that i can kick people better:)

  18. Great video, thanks! The emphasis on consistency and realistic expectations is key – body recomp is a marathon, not a sprint. It's also encouraging to see the focus on sleep and recovery; those are often overlooked but essential for progress!

  19. Man…. the sleep part just killed me. My wife and I are on our first kiddo – he doesn't sleep for shit lol. So neither do we.

    Looks like I can keep trying but I'm not expecting to look like I'm in my early 20's again until after were done having kids.

  20. I went from over 400lbs to 210lbs and now Im just skinny with a slight belly. Im trying to build muscle so i dont have noticeable loose skin. Thank you bro

  21. I can’t afford to lose any more weight but I still am at 21% body fat what do I do I am 5-4 135 lbs in gym 6 days a week 3 days weight training 6 days walking treadmill/stair climber

  22. This is basically what exactly I need now! I care about PFC and calories but when I focus on taking P from food. F can be too much. Need to improve.

  23. @7:12 that's what I want for my body recomposition.

  24. I had to stop coffee for sleep it works everytime

  25. To be clear, are you saying that you likely cannot recomp past 15% body fat for males? As in, you can’t safely go lower than 15% body fat and not lose muscle? @8:12

  26. 6:20 what is this song? I know it but can’t remember the name😐

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