Add muscle loose fat | powerbuilding

For beginners and intermediates

If you've been lifting under a year or are about to start a type of resistance you havn't done before you can do this with minimal effort. You HAVE to make every calorie count!

Calories

Calories will be 500 under maintenance

Protein

You MUST get at least 1 gram per lb of bodyweight. Get a bit more if needed, add on 20 and round to the nearest 10

Carbs

Carbs will be quite high to fuel muscle recovery and growth. 50-60% is the range I would think to be optimal. Might be different for other people but with new lifters you CAN loose fat and gain muscle, carb high, protein high, fats moderate.

Fats

Fats will account for the rest of your calories. 10-20% of your daily calories. I would argue that 15% would be a decent amount while making carbs 55%. Try it out, if the weight doesn't drop in 2 months but your size goes up, down the calories.

Premise

You get enough protein to rebuild the muscle, abundance of carbs to rebuild and grow bigger, fats for body and hormone function and a calorie deficit to shed fat. Simples! Remember, High quality, clean foods!

Advanced Athletes
You've been lifting over a year around 14-16+ months, it's about that time that doing what's described to the left won't work as well or at all anymore. Here's 2 ways I found to gain muscle and loose fat.

You're an experienced lifter by now so I won't say ratios and calories, you SHOULD know all that by now!

Cheating

Pros:

Worked very well

fun

effective

helps with weight loss

great for hormones

Cons:

Doesn't work at lower bodyfats (under 10% give or take 2%)

Only works 1 day a week

What I did was I wanted to fill out my chest, so on sundays, I trained chest on my cheat day. The day before, I did a deplete day, I ate no carbs whatsoever and had half my usual fat. Come chest day, the instant I woke up I started eating carbs. First meal can be quick carbs then eat slow carbs, do a HEALTHY carb up. The instant you START feeling full, stop, wait a few hours then knock out your workout.
When you get back, have your shake then PIG OUT! Dirty bulk till you get full. Once you reach your food wall, stop eating, fast 18-24 hours untill your next workout of cardio session (on an empty stomach) then eat breakfast afterwards. This will fuel recovery and growth in the workout on sunday and help you melt excess calories off the next day. If you can eat LOADS like I can, do a deplete on monday as well.

Carb Cycling

Pros:
COULD potentially grow from 2 workouts a week, not 1

Less possible weight gain (if any) from the process
Melt fat off like mental

Cons:

Much harder to grow while cutting
Extremely hard at lower bodyfat levels to even lift let alone grow

No room to cheat
Still need to be strict

Here is what you do, or what I did:

Your week will consist of no carb days, low carb days and high carb days
7 day cycle:

No carbs, Low carbs, High Carbs, Low Carbs, Low Carbs, Low Carbs, High Carbs

8 Day Cycle:

2x Low Carbs, Low Carbs, Low Carbs, High Carbs

One the high carb days, do the bodyparts you want to grow. This is less reliable that cheating and I can't say it's easy to notice if you do or not. Considering carb cycling is for the already lean getting ripped, you get weaker as you get leaner and more ripped, you get flatter ect. Use it to shed fat like a maniac and hope for growth, don't expect it!