He specialises in working with people that have busy lives and don't necessarily have time to exercise and cook complex nutritious meals. Having had a 9-5 desk-job, Joe understands the struggles of juggling a hectic life with trying to maintain a good physique.
Joe has helped over 100 professionals lose weight and feel better about themselves using simple, repeatable daily habits and an easy-to-use spreadsheet to track everything.
Joe has also been quoted on several respected sites including Nike, Live Science and Health.com.
While Joe mainly works online these days, he also offers 1-2-1 personal training sessions across Sussex and Surrey.
If you want to know more, check out the about page, or get in touch
- How Much Weight Can You Realistically Lose in 3 Months? - January 14, 2024
- How To Lose 1kg a Week (Guaranteed) - August 20, 2023
- How To Count Calories (or Estimate) and Stay on Track When Eating Out at Restaurants - July 25, 2023
Ok, I get it, we all want to be 200lbs and sub 10% body fat.
Of course we do
I mean, why wouldnât you?
I donât think Iâve ever met anyone who doesnât want MORE muscle and LESS fat. Whether youâre a guy or a girl, young or old, supermarket shelf stacker or invest banker, this is the holy grail for all of us.
The good news is that building muscle while in a calorie deficit is technically possible.
The bad news is that is pretty damn difficult.
The second bit of bad news is that even if you can achieve it, the level of muscle growth youâll achieve will be so small and insificanât, that you wonât even notice it.
But it is possible.
But just because you can, doesnât mean you shouldâŠ
Spoiler alert: Iâm going to spend the rest of this post trying to convince you NOT to try and build muscle AND lose fat at the same time, but first, letâs understand the processes behind those two thingsâŠ
HOW CALORIE DEFICITS WORK đ
A calorie deficit is just the term for being in a state whereby youâre eating FEWER calories than you use each day.
What the hell does that mean?
Well, letâs say you used 2000 calories a day.
If you ate 1,500 calories a day, that would mean you were in a 500-calorie deficit, and youâd lose roughly 1lb (0.5kg) per week.
If you want to work out what your calorie deficit should be, use this handy calculator
Sounds really simple, doesnât it?
Thatâs because it is.
But just because itâs simple, doesnât mean itâs easy.
The key to maintaining weight loss is to consistently be in a calorie deficit. That doesnât mean focus on it for one week then go wild.
It means being in a calorie deficit, week after week, month after month.
It also means monitoring your results closely, and changing things up when your weight plateaus because that WILL happen.
HOW MUSCLE BUILDING WORKS đȘ
To be clear, muscle building is a totally separate process to fat loss.
You canât âconvert fat into muscleâ
There is no such thing as âlean muscleâ or âfat muscleâ
They are two distinct, unrelated processes (although they can affect each other indirectly).
So how does muscle building work?
Well, when you lift weights, you recruit muscle fibers. If you lift intensely enough youâll tear some of those fibers.
When you rest, those fibers will be rebuilt a little stronger and thicker than last time.
This is an incredibly s l o w process.
To create the ideal environment for muscle growth to occur, you should be in a calorie surplus, i.e. eating MORE calories than you use on a daily basis (yes thatâs the OPPOSITE to a calorie deficit).
You should also be eating around 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight.
The mistake most people make with building muscle is that theyâll eat WAY more calories than they need, and while they might gain some muscle, theyâll also gain a lot of fat along with it.
The problem is, if you gain 5lbs of muscle by 10lbs of fat, youâll most likely end up looking worse than you did when you started.
Yes youâll be bigger, but youâll be MUCH less defined, and you wonât be able to see the muscle youâve built.
Youâll want to diet off all that fat, which takes time.
Time you could be using to build muscle instead.
So how many calories do you need to build muscle? Well probably only around 50 calories above maintenance per day STUDY
So if you need 2,000 calories to maintain your weight, you only need 2,050 to build muscle.
IS BUILDING MUSCLE IN A CALORIE DEFICIT POSSIBLE? đȘđ
So , you want to avoid gaining too much fat when you build muscle.
Well, what if you just killed two birds with one stone and build muscle and lost fat AT THE SAME TIMEâŠ
Aka, body recomposition.
Building muscle in a calorie deficit IS possible, but that doesnât necessarily mean itâs the best way to go about it.
Letâs get scientific for a second.
This study suggests that a surplus of 350-480 calories a day is a good starting point for people looking to build muscle, but I’d actually disagree with this.
Here’s why;
For people that have been lifting weights for a while, 1-3kg of extra muscle per year is the best you could hope for. Side note â if you want to know how much Muscle I built in a year, check out this other post!
Youâll never really KNOW how much you could potentially gain, so itâs best to have a realistic target in mind.
So letâs say we aim for 3kg of muscle in a year.
It takes roughly 5,940 calories to build 1kg of muscle (or 2,700 to build 1lb), so that means over a year weâd need to eat in a surplus of 49 calories per day.
Yes 49 extra calories. Thatâs half a scoop of protein powder or about a quarter of a protein bar. Lol.
That means that if you maintain your weight on 2,000 calories per day (again you can use the calculator above to work this out), you only need 2,049 per day to build 3kg of muscle in one year.
The process of digesting and synthesizing protein is calorically expensive, so it might take more calories than that.
You might then want to aim for an extra 100 then.
To help you make a decision, I threw this table together, assuming your maintenance calories are 2,000 per day
| EXPERIENCE LEVEL | % INCREASE ON MAINTENANCE CALORIES | ACTUAL CALORIE GOAL |
| Beginner | 10% | 2200 |
| Intermediate | 5% | 2100 |
| Advanced | 2.5% | 2050 |
SHOULD YOU TRY TO BUILD MUSCLE IN A CALORIE DEFICIT? đ€
No, you shouldnât try to build muscle in a calorie deficit, hereâs why.
Whether youâre trying to lose fat or build muscle, you really want to create the OPTIMAL conditions for doing either of those things
The optimal conditions for losing fat are a calorie deficit of between 300-700 calories per day, and an exercise plan that doesnât stimulate appetite to the degree that you might not be able to stick to that deficit.
The optimal conditions for building muscle are a calorie surplus (granted, a very small calorie surplus) and enough energy to to train with an intensity that allows you to progressively overload the muscles (i.e. lift more weight over time).
Can you see where these two things start to conflict?
If you really want to focus on building muscle, you need energy to push yourself.
Energy comes from calories, and you need to limit calories if youâre in a calorie deficit.
AIM TO MAINTAIN MUSCLE INSTEAD đŻ
Rather than trying to build muscle (even though itâs technically possible) what you should be trying to do is maintain what you already have.
I know that sounds boring, and isnât as glamorous as
âGET SHREDDED WHILE PACKING ON SLABS OF LEAN MUSCLEâ
But itâs realistic and achievable.
And remember, even if you donât gain any muscle at all, but you keep what you have and lose a significant amount of body fat, youâll look a lot more defined and a lot bigger anyway, which is ultimately what you want, right?
Building muscle while losing fat (body recomposition) is very difficult, but even maintaining muscle while losing fat can be tough, here are five things you can do to make it more likely that youâll retain muscle in a calorie deficit
Donât Change Your Mindset
Just because youâre in a calorie deficit, little else should change.
You should be still training with the same intensity, volume and frequency that you were before you went into a deficit. Arguably, you should be training even more intensely than you were before because you need to give your body clear signals that you want to hold onto the muscle you have.
Implement Progressive Overload
How do you make sure youâre training intensely? Incorporate progressive overload into your training.
This means adding an extra rep, or a little extra weight each time you train.
Use an app like Rep Count to ensure youâre progressively overloading, if you are, you canât fail to at least maintain the muscle you have.
Keep Protein Intake High
Not quite as important as progressive overload, but still really important.
Regardless of where youâre in a deficit, losing fat or trying to gain muscle, you should always be looking to get a significant amount of protein in your diet.
What is âsignficantâ? Most people should be aiming for around 1.6g-2.2 grams of protein per Kg of body weight.
Any more wonât do any harm, but remember; the more protein ou eat, the fewer calories youâll have for carbs which youâll need for energy. Speaking of whichâŠ
Calorie and Carb Cycle
When youâre dieting, you have fewer calories to play with so youâll need to be careful how and when you use them.
If you want to have the best chance of building or maintaining muscle, youâll need to make sure you have adequate fuel for your workouts, so make sure youâre consuming a good amount of carbs (50-100g) around an hour or two before you train.
That energy may be all you need to push out that one extra rep, which could make all the difference.
Sleep
This goes without saying (or it should anyway), but sleep is crucial for gaining and maintaining muscle.
Sleep gives the body a chance to rest and recuperate, which is when muscle repair takes place.
Make sure youâre getting 7-9 hours per night, every night.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE GAINING MUSCLE? đ€·ââïž
Weâre casually talking about muscle gain here like itâs something that happens quickly, and something youâll notice immediately.
Newsflash: You wonât.
Muscle gain is so gradual that you wonât notice it, so how can you be sure that youâre gaining and/or maintaining muscle when youâre in a calorie deficit?
DEXA Scan
DEXA is a whole-body scan thatâll give you a detailed picture of your muscle-to-fat ratio. This is the most accurate way to measure changes in muscle mass.
The downside is, DEXA scans are really expensive (around ÂŁ150 a pop last time I checked) and still arenât 100% accurate.
Gym Performance
By and large, if your performance in the gym improves, then you can be confident that youâre at least maintaining the muscle you have.
Whatâs more likely is that youâre gaining muscle. More muscle mass leads to more strength, which leads to more muscle, etc etc
Progress Photos
We all look at ourselves in the mirror multiple times a day, so itâs unlikely youâll notice very gradual changes in muscle mass.
Regular progress photos (every month, for example) however will allow you to back and compare.
Just remember to take the photos in the same location in the same lighting, at the same time of day.
Measurements
Measurements are pretty objective so theyâre a good way of judging if muscle growth has taken place.
The only issue is that if youâre in a calorie deficit youâll be losing fat too, so if your limb measurements ARE going down, remember this is likely because youâre losing fat, not necessarily muscle.
Clothes
The fit of your clothes will also give you a good clue as to whatâs going on.
If your shirts and t-shirts are getting looser around the waist, but staying just as tight on the arms, chest, back, and shoulders you can be confident youâre losing fat and at least maintaining muscle in a deficit.
Similarly, if the waist on your jeans is getting looser but theyâre just as tight around your quads and hamstrings, that should also tell you youâre losing fat and maintaining or gaining muscle.
In reality, should be using all these signals as feedback in combination since thereâs no one perfect way of gauging that youâre definitely gaining or maintaining muscle
THE BEST LONG-TERM APPROACH đ
The sad reality is, a lot of people switch between wanting to lose fat and wanting to build muscle, they spin their wheels and never get near to either goal.
This is because when most people start getting lean, they feel like theyâre losing muscle and they stop.
Conversely, when people start building muscle, they feel like theyâre gaining too much fat and stop.
If this sounds like you, stop.
So many people get caught in this never-ending cycle and never significantly improve the way they look
In my opinion; everyone should follow this formula for being muscular and lean.
- Look in the mirror. Are you as lean as you want to be? Be honest with yourself.
2a. If yes, cool, start slowly building muscle
- If the answer is ânoâ, then focus on getting lean first (because it’s a faster process than building muscle).
- Aim to lose 0.5%-1% of your body weight per week (thatâs 1-2lb per week if you weigh 200lb)
- Keep training as intensely as you were before, at least attempting to progressively overload
- Once you reach your desired level of leanness, then start building muscle
- Remember that building muscle (if youâre natural) is an incredibly slow process; have it in your mind that youâll only gain a maximum of 6lb (3kg) per year
FAQs â
Can you gain muscle on a 100 Calorie Deficit?
Hell yes.
If youâve paid any attention at all to this post, youâve probably noticed that Iâm against attempting to build muscle in a deficit. HOWEVERâŠ
If youâre going to ignore my advice and do it anyway, youâre best off going for a very small deficit, as itâll mean youâll have more calories in your diet to train intensely.
Remember, a 100-calorie deficit will mean you only lose around 0.2 lbs per week, or 0.8 lbs per month.
Will you definitely lose muscle in a deficit?
While it’s possible to lose muscle mass in a calorie deficit, the extent to which this occurs can vary depending on several factors, including:
- The degree of calorie restriction: The more severe the calorie restriction, the greater the likelihood of losing muscle mass.
- Your protein intake: Consuming enough protein can help preserve muscle mass during a calorie deficit.
- Your exercise routine: Resistance training and other forms of exercise can also help preserve muscle mass during a calorie deficit.
Therefore, if you want to minimize muscle loss while in a calorie deficit, you should aim to consume adequate amounts of protein and engage in regular resistance training exercises. Additionally, it’s important to note that losing some muscle mass may be inevitable during a calorie deficit, but you can take steps to minimize the amount of muscle lost.
Do you need carbs to build muscle?
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy for high-intensity exercises, such as weightlifting, which is an essential component of building muscle.
Carbs replenish muscle glycogen stores (the energy held within muscle tissue), which can become depleted during exercise and can impair muscle recovery and growth.
Carbohydrates also stimulate insulin release, which is a potent anabolic hormone that can help to promote muscle protein synthesis (the process by which muscles repair and grow). Insulin can also help to prevent muscle breakdown and promote muscle recovery after exercise.
So while it’s possible to build muscle without consuming carbohydrates, including carbohydrates in your diet can provide indirect benefits for muscle growth.
How much protein should you eat to build muscle?
A general guideline for protein intake for muscle building is to consume between 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For example, if you weigh 70 kilograms (154 pounds), you would aim to consume between 112 to 154 grams of protein per day.
It’s important to note that the upper end of this range may not be necessary for everyone, as research suggests that consuming more than 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day does not provide any additional muscle-building benefits, but if you like protein, hey, go for it.
It’s also important to distribute your protein intake evenly throughout the day and consume protein-rich foods both before and after exercise to support muscle recovery and growth.
Whatâs the best diet to build muscle?
here isn’t a “best” diet for building muscle, as individual nutrition needs and preferences can vary widely. However, there are several dietary principles that are generally recommended for supporting muscle growth:
- Sufficient protein intake: As mentioned earlier, consuming enough protein is essential for muscle growth. Aim for 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, distributed evenly throughout the day.
- Caloric surplus: Consuming more calories than your body burns (i.e., a calorie surplus) is necessary to support muscle growth. Aim for a modest calorie surplus of around 10% above your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
- Adequate carbohydrate intake: Carbohydrates provide energy for high-intensity exercise, and can help to replenish muscle glycogen stores. Aim to consume complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, to support muscle growth and overall health.
- Sufficient healthy fats: Consuming sufficient healthy fats, such as those found in nuts, seeds, avocado, and fatty fish, can help support hormone production, which is essential for muscle growth and recovery.
- Consistent nutrient timing: Eating nutrient-dense foods both before and after exercise can help to support muscle recovery and growth.
In addition to these dietary principles, it’s important to stay well-hydrated and consume a variety of nutrient-dense whole foods to support overall health and well-being.
THE BOTTOM LINE
You can build muscle in a calorie deficit, but unless youâre an elite sportsperson or taking steroids, then you shouldnât aim to do this.
Instead, pick a goal (either losing fat our building muscle) and tailor everything towards that.
If youâre not sure what your goal should be, ask yourself if youâre happy with your current level of leanness (i.e muscle definition), if the answer is ânoâ, aim to lose fat until youâre happy with how lean you are, their aim to slowly build muscle over time from that point.
REFERENCES đ
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2019.00131/full
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