You want to lose body fat [1] and gain muscle definition at the same time. Is it possible to do both simultaneously? Yes! This pyramid designed by personal trainer Dimitri Peskin from @evolvetrainingsystem [2] breaks down what it takes to lean bulk, which Dimitri described as "putting on muscle while keeping fat gain extremely low." Here are the five thing you need to prioritize.
Track Your Daily Calorie Intake
"Lean bulking requires a slight calorie surplus [4]," Dimitri wrote in his caption. "If you're not tracking there is no chance you're going to be able to control the amount of fat you put on while putting on muscle size."
Use an app like My Fitness Pal to make tracking easier [5]. Then, if you're not making progress, it'll be easier to see why and to make changes to your nutrition to meet your goals.
Train For Strength and Muscle Growth
"Utilize different rep ranges and different loads," suggested Dimitri. Use different types of equipment, vary the exercises and the order and pace you do them, and work on high reps with low weight and low reps with high weight (don't be afraid to lift heavy! [6]). This helps challenge your muscles and is proven to help with hypertrophy [7] (muscle growth).
Gradually Increase Your Calorie Intake
Gradually increase your calorie intake to support your muscle growth. Protein and complex carbs [8] are the best fuel for strength training so make sure you're eating enough to repair your muscle fibers and to encourage growth.
During the process plateaus will happen, so make small changes to see what happens. If you're tracking your calories and macros as suggested and you don't see progress within a couple weeks, make another small change.
Do 0 to 2 Weekly Cardio Sessions
Cardio isn't necessary for fat loss [9], but it could help — it depends on the individual.
Dimitri said, "If your weight-training sessions (especially legs) are intense enough to challenge you" and you're consuming your goal intake of daily calories, this will usually be enough to prevent fat gain. If it isn't, try adding one to two additional cardio sessions. They don't have to be very long. They can be short and intense, such as HIIT sessions [10].
Be Patient!
Changing your body composition takes time, and there will be days when the scale numbers go up, and the scale numbers go down — it's not linear. "Enjoy the process and train hard," Dimitri said. Results will come [11] so try to focus on the big picture of progress instead of each day.