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Most people think that building muscle and losing fat at the same time is impossible and if at all it’s possible then it can only be achieved by doing steroids.

People think that Bulking is the only way to build muscle and while its true that bulking does help you to gain muscle but you also tend to gain tremendous amount of fat at the same time. Also people think that for losing body fat they need to go on a cutting phase.

This idea of bulking and cutting came from the old bodybuilding era where bodybuilders used to eat massive caloric surplus to put on size and then trim down or cut for competition.

But times have changed and there’s a technique which can build muscle and lose fat at the same time which very few people know of, its called Body Recomposition.

After reading this article, you will understand the science behind Body recomposition and you will also learn it can help you to build muscle and lose fat at the same time without going through the tedious cycles of Bulking and Cutting.

So let’s get started.

What is Body Recomposition?

The process of body recomposition completely changes your body’s composition and helps you to increase your muscle mass and lower your body fat percentage simultaneously, its the process of changing the composition of your body.

Body recomposition is the process of losing fat and building muscle at the same time, and this process is a bit different from the traditional focus of weight loss – rather than focusing on losing weight, this process emphasizes the focus to shifting the composition of your body to be more lean muscle rather than fat while maintaining that same weight.

How Does Body Recomposition Work?

Body recomposition works by losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously while maintaining your weight. This can be achieved through a combination of strength training, a protein-rich diet, and taking adequate rest.

A Proper Strength training program with Progressive overloading helps build muscle, while a protein-rich diet Like Carnivore Diet provides the necessary nutrients for muscle growth and repair. I personally do it with Intermittent fasting and sometimes OMAD (One Meal a Day)

Adequate rest is also crucial as it allows the body to recover and rebuild after workouts. It’s important to note that body recomposition is a slow process and requires consistency and patience.

So All the three elements – Training, Diet and Rest should be properly managed to get the best results for Body Recomposition.

Who Can do Body Recomposition?

Body recomposition is a fitness goal that can be pursued by anyone, regardless of their current fitness level or body type. However, it’s important to note that this process requires consistency, patience, and a well-balanced approach to diet and exercise to get the desired results.

Below are the type of people who get the most benefit out of Body Recomposition

1. Newbie Lifters: Newbie lifters get Newbie gains fast and with proper diet, exercise program, and sleep then can get the best results
2. Overweight persons: they can use their stored body fat for muscle building process while being on a caloric deficit
3. Detrained Individuals – People who used to train heavy in the past who for some reason doesn’t train anymore can also take the benefit of Body Recomposition because their body will catch up fast, their muscle memory will help them to get results faster.

How To Do Body Recomposition

1. Follow Proper Exercise Program with progressive overload – with using proper technique
   • Train each muscle group twice per week
2. Eat a Balanced Diet prioritizing Protein – Aim to eat 50g protein in each meal
   • if you eat once a day try to eat 200g of protein
   • if you eat twice a day then eat 100g protein in each meal
   • If you eat thrice a day then try to eat 70g protein in each meal
3. Add some supplements if you can (they make this whole process faster) – Protein, Creatine, Pre Workout
4. do Cardio everyday – Helps in improving metabolism and losing fat
5. Take care of your metabolism – To make this whole process faster
6. Sleep 7 Hours everyday and Minimize stress

My Body Recomposition Transformation (Before and After)

Body Recomposition Workout Plan / Program and Exercises

Days of the Week	Workout Day	Body Recomposition exercises and Workout	Sets, Reps and Rets Time	Target Muscles
Monday	Push Day	Pushups, Incline Pushups, Decline Pushups, One Leg Pushups, Diamond Pushups, bodyweight dips, One Hand Pushups (Optional)	6 sets, 20 Repetitions and 30 second rest in between sets for each exercise.	Chest, Shoulder and Triceps
Tuesday	Pull Day	Normal Pullups. Close grip pullups, Wide Grip Pull ups, Neutral Grip Pullups, Chin Ups, close grip chin ups, Wide grip chin ups, Commando Pullups, One hand Pullups (Optional).	6 sets, 10 Repetitions and 30 second rest in between sets for each exercise.	Biceps, Forearms, Abs Lats, Complete Back
Wednesday	Leg Day	Bodyweight squats, Bulgarian split squats, Alternating Switching lunges, Normal Lunges, Jumping Squats, Hamstring Forward Bend, Bodyweight Calf Raises, Pistol Squats (Optional)	6 sets, 20 Repetitions and 30 second rest in between sets for each exercise.	Glutes, Calves, Hamstrings, Quadriceps.
Thursday	Push Day	Pushups, Incline Pushups, Decline Pushups, One Leg Pushups, One Hand Pushups, Diamond Pushups, bodyweight dips	6 sets, 20 Repetitions and 30 second rest in between sets for each exercise.	Chest, Shoulder and Triceps
Friday	Pull Day	Normal Pullups. Close grip pullups, Wide Grip Pull ups, Neutral Grip Pullups, Chin Ups, close grip chin ups, Wide grip chin ups, Commando Pullups, One hand Pullups	6 sets, 10 Repetitions and 30 second rest in between sets for each exercise.	Biceps, Forearms, Abs Lats, Complete Back
Saturday	Leg Day	Pistol Squats, Bodyweight squats, Bulgarian split squats, Alternating Switching lunges, Normal Lunges, Jumping Squats, Hamstring Forward Bend, Bodyweight Calf Raises	6 sets, 20 Repetitions and 30 second rest in between sets for each exercise.	Glutes, Calves, Hamstrings, Quadriceps.
Sunday	Take Rest or start again from Push Day	Pushups, Incline Pushups, Decline Pushups, One Leg Pushups, One Hand Pushups, Diamond Pushups, bodyweight dips	6 sets, 20 Repetitions and 30 second rest in between sets for each exercise.	Chest, Shoulder and Triceps

There’s no specific workout plan for body recomposition, Whatever workout program you are following, just perform them in progressive overload and that will massively help you build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Body Recomposition can be achieved with any type of training and exercise – Gym Exercise, Bodyweight Exercises, CrossFit, Powerlifting, Gymnastics etc.

And if possible focus on the compound movements which engages more than one muscle groups of your body during the exercise like Squats, Deadlifts, Shoulder presses, Bench Presses for chest etc.

These Compound movements burns more calories as it engages more muscle groups and also helps in developing stronger muscles and also helps to lose fat at the same time.

I personally did my body recomposition with bodyweight exercises, I was a skinny fat guy when I started Body recomposition and within 3 months I got amazing results with Body recomposition, I was also eating a proper whole food diet, I was Not eating any processed, junk or sugary foods also I was taking adequate rest properly. That’s what has significantly boosted my Body recomposition results.

I did my body recomposition just with the help of Bodyweight exercises, I followed a Push, Pull, Legs plan and Never took the rest days straight for 3 months.

On some days I took rest days only when my body needed it the most i.e. on days when my body was very fatigued, tired and not able to perform like not even able to walk, I took rest on those days, other than that I never took rest days for 3 months.

Even now that’s how I take rest days, I don’t take rest when every once a week or thrice a week. I take rest days on days when my body demands for it the most, other than that I never take rest days.

Body Recomposition Diet (Meal Plan)

There’s no specific diet related to body recomposition however you can adjust what you are already eating to make this whole process more effective.

When it comes to body recomposition, a balanced diet is key to achieving your fitness goals. You have to make sure you are consuming all the macros in a balanced way and prioritizing protein in your each meal.

1. Protein: Consuming enough protein is crucial as it’s the building block of muscle. Lean meats, fish, eggs, and plant-based proteins like lentils and tofu are all good choices. Aim for 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight daily.
2. Carbohydrates: Carbs are your body’s main source of energy. Choose complex carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables which also provide necessary fiber and nutrients. If you don’t want to eat carbs then you can also follow a Carnivore Diet which prioritizes fats and proteins as its energy source and is also very effective in burning body fat faster.
3. Fats: Healthy fats are necessary for overall health. Include sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil in your diet.
4. Vegetables: Include a variety of colorful vegetables in your meals for a wide range of nutrients.
5. Water: Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

But firstly you should know your maintenance calories, Maintenance calories is the amount of calories you need to consume per day to maintain your current body shape without losing muscle and gaining fat.

If you don’t know what’s your daily maintenance calories are then you can take the help of this online calories calculator which will help you to find out your daily maintenance calories, also it will show you how much calories you need to eat per day to lose fat as well as how much calories you need to eat to gain muscle.

After you have found out your maintenance calories, you need to decide your primary goal, yeah it does fat loss and building muscle at the same time but you need to decide it first whether its Fat loss or muscle building. If the primary goals is muscle building then you need to consume 500 calories in surplus, if the primary goal is fat loss then you need to eat 500 calories deficit.

The best way to decide your primary goal is to check your body fat percentage.

1. Men – If Body Fat is 8-12% (The primary goal is Building muscle and they should be in a caloric surplus)
2. Women – If Body Fat is 18-22% (The primary goal is Building muscle and they should be in a caloric surplus)
3. Men – If Body Fat is 15-20% (The primary goal is losing fat and they should be in a caloric deficit)
4. Women – If Body Fat is 25-30% BF (The primary goal is losing fat and they should be in a caloric deficit)

You should prioritize protein in your each meal because its the most important macro of this whole process, it will help you to build more muscle and lose fat faster.

Body Recomposition Macros

Counting macros doesn’t really matter in body recomposition but you have to make sure the major chunk of your calories is coming from protein

1. Carbohydrates – 60% (You can consume high amount of protein if you don’t have any kidney diseases)
2. Protein – 20%
3. Fats 20%

How Long Does Body Recomposition Take?

The body recomposition timeline differs person to person because every individual is different, some person might have more body fat to lose while the other may have less body fat, so the results timeline will also differ from person to person.

If you want to get satisfactory results from body recomposition then you should follow your recomp schedule for at least 3 months, That’s when people get the most out of a body recomposition program.

While the results duration may vary from person to person but if you follow a strict schedule for recomp then you can achieve recomp in 3 months. after 3 months you will have a body with less body fat at high muscle mass.

Conclusion

Body recomposition is quite a simple process which builds muscle and loses fat at the same time but it requires patience and dedication.

Some people may get delayed results if they don’t follow a strict schedule for diet, exercise and rest but if you follow a proper training program, eat nutritious whole foods, and sleep well then you will be well on your way to achieve your body recomposition goals faster.

And as always see how your body responds and optimize your training and your diet accordingly

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