Build Muscle and Burn Fat at the Same Time
This is the most contested subject in the history of bodybuilding. The ‘Holy Grail’ of your time spent in the gym. Are you able to build muscle and burn fat at the same time?
Technically, to build muscle, you need to be in a calorie surplus. And to lose body fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit. So, in this plan you’ll be using both. On weight training days, you’ll be using a calorie surplus. On non – training days, you’ll be using a calorie deficit. On your HIIT (High-intensity interval training) cardio day, you’ll be using maintenance calories.
The other factor that we need to take into account to achieve maximum re-composition is the type of weight training you’ll be doing – and for building as much muscle as possible whilst trying to make a big dent in the body fat, high volume training is what you need to be doing. Carbs will be higher on those days.
For this reason I’ve chosen big German Volume Training supersets. GVT is when you do 10 sets of 10 – so 100 reps. But, we’re super-setting, (when you do 2 exercises back to back), so you’ll be doing 200 reps. You should set the weight to 60% of your 1RM (One Rep Maximum). Go too heavy and you’ll be going home too early. You need to stick to the strict tempo times too, of 3 seconds on the way down, and 1 second on the way back up. We’ll structure the training as follows:
The next area we need to look at is nutrition. Grab your calculator; we’re going to get specific here.
On training days, your nutrition will look like so:
Protein: Multiply your bodyweight in Kg by 2.5g. That is your protein count in grams everyday – for example, a 70kg guy would eat 175g of protein.
Carbs: Multiply your bodyweight in Kg by 3.5 – that is your carbohydrate number in grams for a weight-training day. Eat most of your carbs just before and after your workout, but still eat them at breakfast and in your last meal of the day. The no carbs after 6PM club is banned.
Fats: Your fat count will always stay the same, at 1 gram per 10 kilos of bodyweight.
Rest Days
On rest days, your nutrition will look like so:
Protein: Multiply your bodyweight in Kg by 2.5g.
Carbs: Multiply your bodyweight in Kg by 1 – that is your carbohydrate number in grams for a rest day.
Fats: Your fat count will always stay the same, at 1 gram per 10 kilos of bodyweight.
HIIT Day
On HIIT days, your nutrition will look like so:
Protein: Multiply your bodyweight in Kg by 2.5g.
Carbs: Multiply your bodyweight in Kg by 1.5 – that is your carbohydrate number in grams for a HIIT day.
Fats: Your fat count will always stay the same, at 1 gram per 10 kilos of bodyweight.
Do this for at least 6 weeks. Every 4th week, do a de-load week – this is when you set your weights slightly lighter in the gym so you can train and also recover whilst still exercising. After that it’s back to trying to add a little bit of weight to your workouts each week. This way you get constant development. Don’t just lift the same weights week in week out. Good luck!
