Before getting into the strategies, we need to clarify some expectations and explain what body recomposition actually is. Because if you have no knowledge on how much you should lose, how much you should gain, or that you may technically not gain or lose anything at all… you’ll be confused and wondering what to look for.
There are 3 things that I see happen with bodyweight and composition when people lose fat while building more muscle:
#1 – Losing 2-3lbs of fat and gaining 2-3lbs of muscle, leading to zero weight fluctuation at all. Which is why the scale isn’t always the best way to track progress during this phase/journey. I suggest taking weekly progress photos, measurements every 1-3 weeks, and using a higher rep strength indicator (work to build your 6-8RM throughout the process as this is a great indicator of building muscle mass).
#2 – Staying the exact same body fat, while adding muscle mass onto your body and appearing to be leaner. So technically speaking, this actually isn’t losing fat and building muscle… it’s more like staying lean, while gaining muscle – which is also technically lowering your body fat percentage, since your total weight increases while your total fat mass does not. This is just as good as a recomposition! In fact, for some this is even better because it allows the gains to be a bit faster AND if we’re speaking logically here, it is still considered a recomposition.
*We need to remember that many people simply do not look lean because they have very little muscle mass, NOT because they have a high body fat percentage. So for many guys out there, I wouldn’t even suggest trying to lose fat – we just need to slab some muscle mass on you. This will make your skin actually stretch a bit while your muscles start to poke out a bit more, and because of this you end up actually appearing much leaner.
#3 – Shredding body fat, while maintaining 100% of your muscle mass. So again, technically not seeing both fat loss and muscle gain simultaneously… but the truth is, if you can maintain 100% of your muscle mass, which you will be able to do with what’s inside this article, than you’re still above average compared to 99% of people in the gym and you will look much more jacked.