Here’s what I hear very very often:
« I’d lose 9-22kg (20-50lbs) and I would like to have more muscle too but not too much ! I can have it in 2-3 months ? »
I know what you want, because I also thought of that when I started training. Men want to have « The Secret » to have a slimmer waistline but also have bigger arms and chest. Meanwhile, women want to lose weight and having a toned body without being too muscular.
If you have these kinds of thoughts, today’s article is for you.
Today we will see these goals and see what is the best way to get there.
Here is the truth: we are human beings. Yes, we can do amazing things.
Unfortunately, unlike in superhero movies, there is no super serum that can transform us as Steve Rogers into Captain America in a few minutes or even a few months ! Whatever the type of body you want, it will take hard work ! An insane amount of patience and dedication.
Concentrate yourself on these fundamental principles and be vigilant of Empire’s scammers.
These magazines, DVDs, commercials, youtubers and books are designed to increase your insecurity about your body and show you unrealistic pictures of what you can accomplish in a few months. That’s not cool ! They don’t want you to be healthy; they want to sell you products. If you’re healthy and you continue as you have learned, you don’t need them, never again !
Unless you are a member of the X-men (if you are a member, makes me know) or that you take steroids, it’s very difficult to build muscle and lose fat simultaneously. To build muscle, you need to eat a calories surplus and calorie surplus is used to build your muscles. To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit to force your body to burn fat for energy. How can you eat too much and eat too little at the same time ? It’s like trying to thread a needle into the Space Mountain. It’s not possible, but in a quiet park, surely.
Fortunately, if you just start a strength training, you can seriously gain muscle and lose simultaneously weight. I’ll explain this in another article.
If you are trying to lose weight and your weight on the scale increases, you probably do NOT build muscle. This is a case that often happens with people who are overweight and in the first two weeks of weight loss attempt.
You quickly make the conclusion that « muscle weighs more than fat so I had gained muscle ! ».
Building muscle is not as easy as you think, so it’s likely that you took fat and eating calorie surplus. Or, more likely, you have the water weight surplus or your first weight was not accurate. Remember that scale lies. Increasing carbohydrate/sodium intake for a few days, the menstrual cycle for women or other factor can give you a starting weight quite inaccurate.
If you are overweight, the weight on the scale should decrease if you eat correctly and that you regularly do exercises. If after a month you don’t see results or the weight on the scale increases, you need to make some small adjustments in your diet (look at your total calories and sugar consumption).
Yes you can accomplish each goal if you have a solid plan to follow and you’re dedicated. It depends on how you want it and what you’re willing to give up to get it.
I can tell you that building a body to be proud is certainly worth but it’s better to build a superhero environment step by step, instead of everything at once !
Yes, I hear you ! You want to have a great physique to a wedding in two months and you want to lose 20kg (44lbs) and have bigger arms and chest to look like Daniel Craig in James Bond.
Unfortunately, here on planet Earth, there is a place we call « reality » and it’s different from Hollywood. We’re more interested in using the right track with a solid foundation that you put in place year after year to the success (rather than a 15 minute scene in a movie).
-Steph