Tag: Muscle Science
Fat vs. Muscle Weight: How to Tell the Difference
Many exercisers judge their progress by their body weight. Religiously they hop on the scales, hoping to see their weight moving toward their goal. Whether you want to build muscle or lose fat, stalled scales can be a source of frustration, leaving you wondering if you need to change your diet or your workout – again.
Here’s the problem with relying on your weight to assess your progress: the scales cannot differentiate between fat, muscle, or any of the other substances that make up your total body mass.
As such, you could be succeeding despite the reading on the scale. For example, you could lose fat, gain muscle, and your weight remains unchanged. This may look like a failure on paper, but in reality, it will have a significant impact on how you look, feel, and perform.
In this article, we discuss the differences between fat and muscle, and how to really tell if you are making good progress.
An Introduction to Body Composition
When you get on your scales, whatever device you are using measures your total body mass. This includes whatever clothes you are wearing and any food in your digestive system.
Broadly speaking, your body mass can be broken down into two components:
Fat mass
Fat-free mass (FFM)
The relationship between your fat mass and FFM mass is generally referred to as your body composition, which is expressed as a percentage. This percentage, e.g., 15%, is the amount of your total weight that’s made up of body fat. The remaining percentage is deemed to be your fat-free mass.
Your FFM can be sub-divided into several more components, including:
Water
Skin
Organs
Bones
Substrates and chemicals
So, when you lose or gain weight, the quantities of any of these components could have changed. For example, you could be more or less hydrated, have more or less glycogen (stored glucose) in your liver and muscles, or have lost bone mass.
Your weight can even fluctuate throughout the day. Most people gain and lose several pounds each day. For example, you may weigh less after a workout because of dehydration but more after a meal because of the undigested food in your stomach. Most people are lightest on waking and heaviest at the end of the day.
However, none of these transitory changes means you’ve gained or lost muscle or fat. Instead, the only thing that has changed is your body weight. This is akin to weighing yourself naked and then fully clothed.
Because of all these potential variables, your weight is an unreliable indicator of your body composition. Instead, you need to be able to differentiate between changes in fat and fat-free mass. Body composition changes are MUCH more important than your body weight and tend not to fluctuate as much.
Related: FFMI Calculator: Find Your Fat Free Mass Index
Body Fat Basics
In simple terms, body fat is stored energy. When you eat too much food, your body converts it into fat for later use. Fat cells are called adipocytes, and body fat is stored as adipose tissue.
Cosmetologist Using Caliper To Measure Body Fat
Then, if you fail to consume enough food and have insufficient energy, your body will release and burn body fat for fuel. It’s estimated that one pound of body fat contains around 3,500 calories.
However, body fat is more than just an inert substance your body can use for energy; it’s also an organ with several additional functions. That’s why very low body fat levels are often considered unhealthy and can even be dangerous; you NEED body fat to live and function correctly.
The additional functions of body fat include:
Shape
Insulation and temperature regulation
Protection of internal organs, including the brain
Storage and utilization of vitamins A, D, E, and K
Protein utilization
Hormone regulation, e.g., production of the satiety hormone leptin and the hunger hormone ghrelin
Body fat can be classified according to where it’s located in your body – visceral and subcutaneous (1). Visceral fat is stored around the internal organs and is considered to be a risk to health. Visceral fat is also known as belly fat and can only be accurately detected by MRI or CT scan.
In contrast, subcutaneous fat is found between the skin and muscles and presents less of a health risk than visceral fat. You can see and even pinch subcutaneous body fat. You also store a small amount of fat in your bone marrow.
Body fat can be divided into two more categories – white fat cells and brown fat cells.
White fat makes up the majority of fat in adults and is used for energy and energy storage. Brown fat, on the other hand, is mainly used for thermogenesis or heat production. Babies have a lot of brown fat and use it to stay warm in infancy, while adults tend to have less.
Because of its myriad functions, a certain amount of body fat is deemed essential, and lowering your body fat below this level could harm your health.
The percentage of essential body fat is:
2-5 percent for men
10-13% for women
While athletes can achieve very low levels of body fat, e.g., for bodybuilding competitions, they usually only maintain this level of extreme leanness for a few days or weeks. Then, out of season, they return to a more sustainable and healthy body fat percentage.
Try: Body Fat US Navy and Body Fat Skinfold Calculator
Muscle Basics
There are three types of muscle tissue in the human body. Each is highly specialized and has specific functions. The three types of muscle tissue are:
Cardiac muscle – found in the heart
Smooth muscle – used to make tubes and organs
Skeletal muscle – responsible for movement
Of these three, skeletal muscle is the most important for body composition.
There are over 600 muscles in the human body, ranging from huge to tiny. For example, the gluteus maximus is the biggest skeletal muscle, the sartorius is the longest, and the stapedius, an auditory muscle, is the smallest. Some muscles are very well known, such as the biceps, while others are much less so, such as the quadratus lumborum.
Muscles are contractile, meaning they shorten to produce force. Innervated or controlled by motor nerves, muscles cross joints and are connected to your bones by tough fibrous cords and straps called tendons. Muscles are made up of bundles and bundles of muscle fibers. The smallest contractile unit of a muscle is called a sarcomere.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of muscles:
Tonic
Phasic
Tonic muscles produce low amounts of force for long periods to maintain your posture. They’re the endurance muscles of the human body. In contrast, phasic muscles produce force intermittently and on demand to produce movements. Phasic muscles tend to be more powerful but are quick to fatigue.
All muscle fibers fall into one of three types:
Type 1a – also known as slow twitch muscle fibers. Type 1a fibers are red in color and have an excellent blood supply. They are very enduring but are not very strong, and nor do they have much potential for hypertrophy or growth.
Type 2b – also known as fast twitch muscle fibers. Type 2b fibers are white and have a relatively poor blood supply. They’re very powerful but also tend to fatigue quickly. They have the greatest potential for hypertrophy.
Type 2a – this type of fiber is trainable and adapts to the demands placed on them. They can become like type 1a or type 2b fibers depending on the kind of workouts you do. They can switch back and forth between jobs as required, e.g., if you quit lifting weights and take up running.
Your muscle fiber mix is determined by your genetics. Some people are slow-twitch dominant and naturally good at endurance activities such as long-distance cycling. Other people are equipped with more fast-twitch fibers and tend to be naturally stronger, faster, and more muscular.
Regardless of this, because of type 2b fibers, you can always train and improve your strength or endurance despite the dominance of one particular fiber type. However, your potential is limited by your genetics, which is why some people are better at certain sports than others.
Fat vs. Muscle – The Differences
Now you know a little more about fat and muscle, let’s take a moment to compare these two types of tissue:
Contractility
While you can flex and contract your muscles, you cannot contract fat. This is why someone can be big but weak or small but strong.
Sure, strongman competitors and some powerlifters carry a lot of body fat, but beneath that fat are some massive muscles. Many heavyweight lifters believe that “it takes mass to move mass,” and the extra weight can be helpful in dragging and pushing events.
Summary: Muscle contracts, while fat does not.
Blood Supply
Muscle tissue has e very good blood supply, even those muscles deemed to be fast twitch. This ensures they receive a steady supply of oxygen, and that carbon dioxide, the by-product of aerobic respiration, can easily be removed.
Blood supply increases with training, so even more, oxygen can be delivered to the working muscles. This is achieved through capillarization, which is the increase in the number of capillaries (thread-like veins) that supply the muscle.
Adipose tissue also has a blood supply. However, it tends to be lower than for muscle tissue.
Summary: Both muscle and fat have a blood supply. However, the blood supply to muscles tends to be greater.
Metabolic Activity
Metabolic activity is the amount of energy your body burns at rest. It’s also known as your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, and is expressed in calories per 24 hours. A higher BMR can make it easier to lose or maintain a healthy body weight and body fat percentage.
Muscle is more metabolically active than the same amount of fat. For example, it’s estimated that a pound of muscle uses 4-7 calories per hour. In contrast, a pound of fat uses just two (2).
As such, depending on body composition, two people who weigh the same can have very different resting metabolic rates, with the more muscular person burning more calories per 24 hours, even without added physical activity. This explains why some muscular people need to eat more to maintain their weight.
Summary: Muscle tissue burns 200-300% more calories than fat.
Density
Contrary to what many people believe, muscle is not heavier than fat, and a pound of fat and a pound of muscle both weigh one pound!
However, muscle IS denser than fat. This means a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. Because of this, you can lose fat, gain muscle, and completely change your clothing size despite your body weight remaining relatively unchanged.
Fat has a density of about 0.9g/cm3, and muscle has a density of 1.06g/cm3 (3+4). So, if you put one pound of muscle and one pound of fat on a scale, there would be more fat than muscle.
Summary: Muscle is roughly 10% more dense than fat. As such, fat takes up more space than the same amount of muscle.
How to Tell If You Are Gaining or Losing Fat or Muscle
Because of things like fat vs. muscle density and how changeable your body weight can be, it’s clear that the scales are not a reliable way to assess your progress. In fact, the scales can tell you are failing when, in fact, you are knocking it out of the park and making significant changes to your body composition.
So, how can you tell if you are gaining or losing fat or muscle? Use the following strategies and discover the truth.
Get a body composition assessment
Body composition assessments determine your body fat percentage. There are several assessment options to choose from, all offering varying degrees of accuracy. But, at the end of your test, you will have an estimate of your body fat percentage.
Assessment options include:
Monitoring your body fat percentage over the coming months will reveal if you are losing or gaining fat or muscle.
You’re gaining weight but losing inches
Gaining or maintaining weight while losing inches, e.g., around your hips or waist, is an excellent indicator that you are shedding fat while building muscle. Remember, muscle is denser than fat, so fat takes up more space on your body. The process of losing fat while gaining muscle is often called recomping.
Read more about recomping here.
You’re getting stronger
Strength increases are a good indicator that you’re building muscle. After all, muscle is contractile tissue, whereas body fat is not.
However, you can also get stronger because of improved neurological function and better lifting technique. That said, if your lifts are increasing from week to week, it’s a safe bet that at least some of your progress is due to increased muscle mass.
Conversely, while the occasional bad workout doesn’t mean much, if you are getting consistently weaker, you could be losing muscle. Although, consistent training should make this less of a likelihood.
Your muscle definition is improving
Has the outline of your abs started to emerge? Can you see some separation between your quadriceps or deltoids? Are your veins more visible? Congratulations – this strongly suggests your body fat percentage is starting to fall.
Most of your body fat is subcutaneous, i.e., between your skin and muscles. As your levels of subcutaneous body fat decrease, there will be less tissue between your skin and your muscles, so the underlying musculature will become more visible.
The best way to see and track this is with progress photos.
Remember, though, your definition will worsen if you gain body fat. So, if your abs and veins are fading away, it may be because your body fat levels are starting to rise.
Changes in clothing size
Your clothes are an excellent way to measure your progress. For example, if your pants are getting loose around the waist, it’s safe to say you are losing fat. Conversely, if they’re getting tight, you are probably gaining fat.
Your belt notch is often a much better indicator of body composition changes than your scales.
Body composition assessments are the most accurate way to determine if you are gaining or losing fat or muscle. However, you can also use things like your clothing sizes, gym performance, and definition to assess your progress.
While these things aren’t as quantifiable as body composition testing, they will tell you subjectively if your muscle and fat mass are changing, which is something the scales cannot do.
Fat vs. Muscle Weight – FAQ
Do you have a question about fat vs. muscle weight or body composition? No problem, because we’ve got the answers!
1. Can I lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
Contrary to what many people think, you can gain muscle while losing fat. As you know, fat and muscle are entirely different things, and they exist independently. As such, you can burn fat for energy and use that energy to work out and build muscle.
However, it is worth noting that pursuing these two goals simultaneously often means slower progress than focusing on one goal at a time, i.e., bulking and then cutting.
2. What is the ideal body fat percentage?
The ideal body fat percentage varies from person to person. For example, a competitive male bodybuilder may get their BF% as low as five percent for a competition. In contrast, a heavyweight powerlifter could be strongest with their body fat at 30%.
As such, your body fat percentage should match your goals. That said, the accepted fat percentages by gender and age are:
Sex
Age
Low
Normal
High
Very High
Female
20 – 39
< 21
21.0 – 32.9
33.0 – 38.9
39
40 – 59
< 23
23.0 – 33,9
34.0 – 39,9
40
60 79
< 24
24.0 – 35.9
36.0 – 41.9
42
Male
20 – 39
< 8
8.0 – 19.9
20.0 – 24.9
25
40 – 59
< 11
11.0 – 21.9
22.0 – 27.9
28
60 – 79
< 13
13.0 – 24.9
25.0 – 29.9
30
3. Is it possible to be fat and fit?
Having a high body fat percentage doesn’t mean you can’t be fit. There are many examples of overweight athletes performing incredible feats of strength and endurance. Football, baseball, wrestling, boxing, and field athletes are often heavy, and yet they compete at the highest level of their chosen sports.
That said, there is a massive difference between being fit and being healthy. Fit means you can handle the demands of your chosen activity, while healthy means the absence of disease. As such, it’s entirely possible to be fit but unhealthy.
For example, being over-fat can increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, all of which can shorten your life.
So, yes, you CAN be fat and fit, but it’s much harder to be fat and healthy.
4. What is the best body recomposition workout and diet?
Body recomposition involves losing fat while building muscle. Invariably, achieving these goals consists of a combination of strength training, cardio, and an intelligent diet.
Strength training is critical for maintaining or increasing muscle mass and is usually involves a bodybuilding-style program. Cardio helps burn fat by expending additional calories. In addition, your diet needs to support training, recovery, and muscle growth while reducing your calorie intake to promote fat burning.
While it’s beyond the scope of this article to tell you how to achieve body recomposition, you can read all about it in these two articles:
5. What are the best exercises for burning fat and building muscle?
The best exercises for body recomp are challenging, burn a lot of calories, and provide plenty of overload for the target muscles. They are usually compound in nature, meaning they use multiple joints and muscles together.
Good examples include:
Squats
Deadlifts
Bench press
Overhead presses
Pull-ups/chin-ups
Exercises that combine two or more movements are also good options for body recomp. Examples include:
Front squat to push-press (thrusters)
Clean to overhead press
Sumo deadlift high pull
Burpees
Clusters (squat clean and thruster)
Read more about the best body recomp exercises here.
Fat vs. Muscle Weight – Closing Thoughts
While there is nothing wrong with keeping track of your body weight, the scales don’t tell the whole truth about your progress. In fact, they can be very misleading and even make you think your workouts and diet are failing you.
That’s because the scales cannot tell the difference between fat and muscle weight, and, as you know, these are very different substances.
Tracking your body composition is much more accurate and will reveal far more about your progress.
So, stop living and dying by your daily weigh-ins. Instead, pay more attention to how your clothes fit, your waist measurement, your gym performance, and your muscle definition. Better yet, get a body composition assessment and discover your true body fat percentage.
After all, your weight doesn’t really matter, and it’s what that weight is made up of that counts.
References:
Mittal B. Subcutaneous adipose tissue & visceral adipose tissue. Indian J Med Res. 2019 May;149(5):571-573. doi: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1910_18. PMID: 31417024; PMCID: PMC6702693. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6702693/
University of New Mexico: Controversies in metabolism https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/metabolismcontroversy.html
Abe T, Thiebaud RS, Loenneke JP. The mysterious values of adipose tissue density and fat content in infants: MRI-measured body composition studies. Pediatr Res. 2021 Nov;90(5):963-965. doi: 10.1038/s41390-021-01376-y. Epub 2021 Jan 27. PMID: 33504969. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33504969/
Ward SR, Lieber RL. Density and hydration of fresh and fixed human skeletal muscle. J Biomech. 2005 Nov;38(11):2317-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2004.10.001. Epub 2004 Dec 30. PMID: 16154420. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16154420/
Losing 50 Pounds in 6 Months: Tips and Tricks To Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals
Most people join a gym or start dieting to lose weight. However, most of these folks quit the fitness lifestyle before meeting their weight loss objective. There are several reasons for these weight loss lapses.
Failing to set a weight loss goal is one of the biggest reasons most people never make progress. You must have a definite objective and a plan to achieve it before you embark on your fitness journey.
Ask a newbie in your gym about their fitness goal, and they probably reply with ‘lose weight’ or ‘build muscle.’ However, these goals are too vague to set you on the right path. Your fitness goals must be more actionable and specific to push you in the right direction. For example, you must switch from ‘lose weight’ to ‘lose 50 pounds in six months.’ The new goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
The new goal gives you the exact amount of weight you must lose in a particular period. Before we go any further, let’s take a step back. Most dieters have no idea what to expect from a weight loss program. They know they need to lose weight but are unsure of what is attainable.
Tell a newbie exerciser that he must lose 50 pounds in six months, and they will look like they’ve seen a ghost. In this article, we will give you 23 tips for losing 50 pounds in six months. Additionally, you’ll learn about how much weight you should aim to lose safely in a given period. There is a lot to cover, so sit tight and read on.
23 Tips For Losing 50 Pounds in Six Months
Losing 50 pounds in 26 weeks might sound impossible to people struggling with weight loss. However, it is entirely possible with the right approach. Here are the 23 tips for weight loss that will help you see the needle budge in the right direction:
Set Realistic Goals
Most people falter on the first step of their weight loss journey as they have no clue about setting an achievable goal. Some people start exercising without a specific goal, whereas others begin with a vague objective.
Your weight loss goal should be realistic, objective, and actionable. Trying to lose too much weight too soon will lead to disappointment, and most people in this category drop off their weight loss journey as they are overwhelmed with the big numbers staring them in their faces.
You must break your main objective into smaller goals to make your weight loss journey less intimidating. Furthermore, checking smaller goals off your list each week will work as positive reinforcement and keep you motivated.
Related: Weight Loss Target Date Calculator
Run a Calorie Deficit
You must enter a calorie deficit to shed excess weight, meaning you have to burn more calories daily than you consume. However, most people have no idea how many calories they should cut out from their diet to lose the spare tire.
It is believed that you can lose a pound weekly if you cut 500 calories from your daily diet. Similarly, reducing 1,000 calories from your diet will help you lose two pounds each week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends limiting your daily calorie cut to 1,000 kcal to keep your weight loss journey gradual, steady, and sustainable. [1]
Cutting 1,000 calories from your daily diet will help you lose 50 pounds in 25 weeks (2 kcal X 25). Notably, six months roughly consist of 26 weeks, meaning you can safely lose 52 pounds in half a year. This proves that our goal of losing 50 pounds in six months is attainable and safe.
Notably, you don’t have to cut 1,000 calories exclusively from your diet to enter a deficit. If this was the case, losing two pounds every week would be near impossible for folks consuming 2,000-2,500 kcal daily.
To achieve the 1,000-calorie deficit, you should cut 500 calories from your diet and burn the remaining 500 calories through an exercise program. This is why following an effective diet and exercise program is a must for achieving your weight loss goals.
Nutrient-Dense Foods
You must follow a personalized diet program to meet your weight loss goals. Plus, your diet should consist of nutrient-dense whole foods as they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which keep you feeling full throughout the day.
Depending on your dietary preferences, your meals should comprise veggies, fruits, grains, non-starchy carbs, and a source of lean protein. Furthermore, you must reduce your sugar intake to limit visceral fat buildup.
Controlling your portion sizes can help ensure you don’t overshoot your calorie intake goals. Invest in a food scale or measuring cups to ensure you eat the correct portions of each food. Additionally, switching to smaller plates and bowls can help curb the risk of overeating.
You must also develop the habit of reading nutrition labels before buying packed foods. It will ensure that you only buy foods that fit your macro goals and stay away from ‘dirty calories.’ Whole foods are generally lower in calories than processed and junk foods, making them a perfect fit for your weight loss journey.
Calculate Your BMR
The role of basal metabolic rate (BMR) is often overlooked in a weight loss program. BMR determines the calories your body needs to accomplish its most basic (basal) life-sustaining functions. BMR is often used interchangeably with resting metabolic rate (RMR).
Your BMR depends on multiple factors, including age, body size, amount of lean muscle tissue, gender, genetics, etc. According to the BMR calculations, a 25-year-old, 180-pound, 5-foot-10-inch male burns 1,910 daily calories when not working out or moving around.
To lose a pound of body weight weekly, this individual will have to cut 500 calories from his diet, meaning he’ll be consuming 1,410 daily calories. Furthermore, if this individual wants to shed an additional pound, he should burn an extra 500 calories during an exercise regimen.
Alternatively, you could determine your average daily calorie intake using a calorie-tracking app, such as MyFitnessPal, by analyzing your calorie intake for the last five days. Once you have your average calorie intake number, deduct 500 calories from your diet by reducing your serving size across all meals or skipping a meal. This will help you lose a pound of body weight weekly.
Remember, everyone is built differently and responds to different stimuli uniquely. Finding the right amount of calories to cut from your daily routine might require some trial and error.
Related: Weight Loss Calculator
Reevaluate Your Macros
Understanding the three macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) is a must for fitness enthusiasts. You must limit your carb and fat intake during a weight loss program and follow a protein-rich diet.
Notably, many people consider carbs their arch-enemies in a weight loss program. However, cutting out carbs entirely from your diet will be a blunder as your body relies on glycogen (which comes from carbohydrates) as its primary energy source.
Minimize the intake of refined carbohydrate foods such as white bread, white rice, pasta, baked goods, sugary drinks, sweets, and junk food. You must consume at least 130 calories daily to maintain your overall health and performance. [2]
According to a study, your macronutrient split should be between fat (40%-20%), carbs (35%-65%), and protein (25%-15%) to promote weight loss. [3]
Exercise
Although exercising is not mandatory on a weight loss program, working out three to six days a week can help speed up your results. A 150-pound individual can burn around 500 calories in about 40 minutes if they maintain a 12-minute mile pace (5 mph).
You must include cardiovascular and strength training into your training regime for optimal weight loss results.
Cardio
Your training sessions should consist of aerobic and anaerobic workouts to optimize weight loss. Furthermore, HIIT workouts (high-intensity interval training) are incredibly effective at burning calories. They are also usually shorter than conventional cardio workouts, making them an excellent fit for people with busy schedules. [4]
Strength Training
Many people leave gains on the table by staying away from the free weight section during their weight loss program. Strength training helps burn calories during a workout and increases your metabolic rate, which enables you to burn more calories throughout the day, even when you’re physically inactive. [5]
Check Out: Calories Burned Running Calculator
Hire a Nutritionist and Personal Trainer
Contrary to what most people think, designing a diet program falls out of the scope of practice for a certified personal trainer. While a personal trainer can help you with a personalized training plan according to your physical fitness levels, limitations, and goals, you must seek a registered nutritionist’s help for a customized diet plan.
You could ask your trainer for a dietitian’s reference. The nutritionist and trainer can work together to streamline your training and recovery program and maximize your output.
You could design a training and diet program on your own; however, it will require significant trial and error. Hiring a nutritionist and trainer can help save you a tremendous amount of time, effort, and money in the long run.
Furthermore, a personal trainer can help you build a solid training foundation by teaching you the correct exercise form, which can lower your risk of injury.
Lifestyle Changes
Your weight loss program should not be limited to your diet and training program. Losing 50 pounds in six months demands a lifestyle change. You must make healthier choices in every aspect. For example, always take the stairs instead of the elevator, eat more vegetables and fruits in each meal, and go to bed on time each night.
You should also clear out all the junk food from your kitchen cupboard. Remember, what is in the cupboard, will eventually end up in your stomach. Minimize the chances of going off track by snacking on junk food.
Furthermore, you must keep moving throughout the day. Schedule a 5-10 minute walk break every couple of hours. Setting a 10,000 daily step goal can push you to walk more throughout the day. Notably, 10,000 daily steps can be a little overwhelming for most people; you could start with a 5,000-step goal and slowly build on it.
Hydrate
Water is your best friend on a fat loss program. During your cardio exercises, you’ll lose a lot of water through sweat, increasing your risk of dehydration. You must drink at least a gallon of water throughout the day to keep yourself hydrated.
It also has several other benefits, such as regulating your body temperature, protecting your tissues, spinal cord, and joints, helping excrete waste through perspiration, urination, and defecation, improving digestion and blood oxygen circulation, boosting cognitive function, and enhancing skin quality.
Furthermore, drinking water throughout the day will keep you feeling satiated, which will reduce your probability of feasting on junk food. You should drink a glass of water before meals when you feel extra hungry, as it will help curb your appetite. [6]
Stay Away From Fad Diets
The fitness community regularly witnesses new fad diets that promise mind-boggling results. Some of these diets include the boiled egg diet and the cabbage soup diet.
Fad diets rapidly gain popularity, but they are equally quick to disappear. Since these diets encourage extreme dietary choices, some people believe that fad diets can help them achieve their weight loss goals faster.
Most fad diets claim extraordinary results; however, they have little to no scientific evidence backing them. Sticking to a fad diet can not only lead you to a weight loss plateau, but it can also cause chronic health issues as these diets comprise restrictive and imbalanced eating patterns, such as eliminating entire food groups or severely limiting calorie intake. Plus, the weight loss achieved through fad diets is often not sustainable.
You must only follow a diet protocol with scientific research supporting it and a proven track record.
Fasting
Fasting is one of the best ways to enter a calorie deficit and lose weight. The rise of intermittent fasting has breathed new life into fasting. Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of fasting and eating. [7]
You could choose between several intermittent fasting (IF) protocols depending on your preferences and schedule. The 16/8 method is the most popular IF schedule; it involves fasting for 16 hours daily and eating during the remaining eight hours.
Besides its weight loss benefits, intermittent fasting can improve insulin sensitivity, help fight against chronic inflammation, improve heart health, boost cognitive function and immunity, and reduce the risk of cancer.
In contrast to the typical diet programs that dictate what you should and shouldn’t eat, an intermittent fasting program focuses on your eating schedule. Although your dietary choices aren’t restricted on an IF plan, you should stick to healthy dietary choices to speed up your weight loss progress.
Do Not Starve
In defiance of popular opinion, you aren’t supposed to starve yourself on a weight loss program. Going too harsh on yourself during a diet can lead to developing a negative relationship with food, where you might experience feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, or fear related to food and eating.
A negative relationship with food can have the opposite effects on your weight loss progress as it can result in a pattern of disordered eating habits such as binge eating, purging, or using food as a coping mechanism for emotional stress. Further, it can have negative consequences on your physical and mental well-being.
Starving can also hamper your performance in physiological and psychological tasks as it can leave you feeling weak, drained, and exhausted throughout the day. Even on a weight loss program, you should eat small but regular meals throughout the day if you are not following a fasting protocol.
Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time
Leaving your meals to chance is a sure-shot way of falling off track on your weight loss journey. If you want to lose 50 pounds in six months, planning at least a week’s worth of meals in advance will help minimize your risk of giving in to cravings and sticking to your diet. It also saves you the stress of coming up with meal ideas on the fly.
Planning your meals helps you meticulously break down your calorie goal into an ideal macro split. On the other hand, if you enter a restaurant feeling insanely hungry, you’ll probably end up ordering the most unhealthy dish on the menu. Remember, you must control your environment and not be controlled by it.
Plus, planning your meals can save time and money by reducing the need for last-minute meal decisions. It allows you to buy your food in bulk, significantly reducing your grocery bill. Not to mention, it also minimizes food wastage.
Reduce Stress
Chronic stress is one of the biggest factors behind weight gain. Stress increases cortisol production in your body, leading to increased body fat stores.
Many people resort to eating unhealthy and binge eating junk food when stressed, leading to a bulging waistline.
If all this isn’t enough, chronic stress increases your appetite and can interfere with your sleep. It can also lead to decreased physical activity, contributing to weight gain and difficulty losing weight.
Exercise, meditation, and yoga are some of the best ways to manage cortisol levels, combat stress, and improve overall health and well-being. Seek a medical professional’s help if you cannot control your stress levels with these three methods.
Supplements
Adding a fat-burning supplement to your routine can help speed up your weight loss progress by increasing your metabolism, suppressing your appetite, boosting the fat-loss process, and blocking dietary fat absorption.
Notably, the effects of a fat-burning supplement can change depending on its ingredients. You must thoroughly analyze a supplement’s ingredients before making a purchase.
Whey protein supplements can boost your metabolism and curb your appetite by keeping you feeling full throughout the day. Furthermore, protein supplements will ensure you don’t lose muscle mass during your weight loss program.
Natural supplements, such as caffeine and green tea extract, can also help expedite your fat loss progress. Plus, caffeine can temporarily boost your metabolism by up to 16% over one to two hours, which can help burn more calories. [8]
You must consult your healthcare provider before starting a new supplement. Also, you should favor natural fat burners over synthetic formulas to ensure safe weight loss and that the weight doesn’t come back on shortly after stopping the supplement.
Cheat Meals
If losing weight was easy, flabs would be a thing of the past. Most people start craving junk food a few days after starting a weight loss diet. When discussing a weight loss diet with a newbie, their first questions usually revolve around permitted weekly cheat meals.
Although six months is a long time, you must stay away from cheat meals to achieve your goals and avoid derailing from your weight loss journey.
Plus, if you do eat a cheat meal, you must account for its calories. Deduct the excess calories you consumed in your cheat meal from your weekly calorie goal. Since eating a cheat meal on this program can be a hassle, we recommend avoiding junk food until you meet your objective. Cheat meals can also increase your cravings as calorie-dense, highly palatable foods can stimulate your brain’s reward centers.
Sleep
Sleeping seven to eight hours gives your body enough time to recuperate, helping you shed excess weight. Getting a good night’s sleep is especially important for exercisers and folks with a hectic schedule.
It is no secret that getting adequate sleep each night can help you wake up feeling fresh and energized. Focusing on your recovery will help you perform better in your workouts and reduce your risk of injury.
Sleep deprivation can increase cravings for unhealthy foods, resulting in overeating and weight gain. There is a high probability that you will end up at your favorite fast-food restaurant for dinner if you are fatigued because of a lack of sleep.
Furthermore, a lack of sleep can spike ghrelin levels (hunger hormone) in your body and decrease leptin levels, which can increase your appetite and make it harder to lose excess weight. Besides the hunger hormones, sleeping for seven to eight hours daily can improve your body’s hormone balance.
Alcohol
Alcohol can be detrimental to your weight loss journey. It is packed with empty calories, meaning alcohol has no nutritional value, and the calories you consume through alcohol will end up as body fat.
Alcohol can increase your appetite. Not only that, it makes it harder to resist unhealthy food choices, leading to overeating. This is one of the reasons why you’ll never see grilled chicken breast as a bestseller in a pub. Fries, pizzas, and beer are a match made in heaven — the unhealthy kind.
Alcohol can also disrupt your sleep, wreaking havoc on your recovery and weight loss progress. Waking up tired can negatively affect your motivation to follow a healthy lifestyle, which can lead you to eat junk food and skip exercising. If losing 50 pounds in six months is a priority for you, you should stay away from alcohol until you meet your weight loss objective.
Track Your Progress
Tracking your fitness progress is underrated. Putting your goals on paper will give you a sense of urgency. Furthermore, most people that track their progress also have detailed daily and weekly action steps to help them achieve their objectives.
You don’t need fancy tech to track your progress. A pen and paper or the notes app on your phone will work wonders. Before starting progress tracking, you must write down your weight loss goal, “lose 50 pounds in six months,” on the first note.
Track all your details, including body weight, body measurements, meals, workouts, weights used, sets, reps, and RPE for each exercise. You can use a calorie-tracking app like MyFitnessPal to count your calories.
Tracking your progress ensures that you are heading in the right direction. It also allows you to steer your ship in the right direction as soon as you find out that you are heading down the right path or if your weight loss progress is unsatisfactory.
Find a Support System
A support system can be a game changer in achieving your physique transformation goals. Most people think exercising is a one-person sport and overlook the importance of a support system.
A supportive system can help you stick to your goals and pick you up when you lack motivation. Your support system can consist of your family and friends. Furthermore, you could also make friends at your gym who can keep you accountable a part of your support system.
Your closest circle plays a crucial role in your transformation journey. If your best friends eat out five days a week and like partying until late, you’ll probably end up giving up on losing 50 pounds in six months.
The right company can help help you achieve your goals by sharing their own experiences and resources, such as healthy recipes and exercise tips.
Consistency
Losing 50 pounds doesn’t happen overnight. You must set realistic goals, make necessary lifestyle adjustments, follow a personalized diet and training program, and stay consistent with them until you achieve your objectives.
Most people lose a few pounds relatively quickly in the form of water weight; however, they soon hit a weight loss plateau and give up on their weight loss goals. A physique transformation will test your grit and determination. Only the people that have the courage and the perseverance to put in the work even when they do not see the needle budge in the right direction will succeed.
You have to be consistent with every aspect of your lifestyle to achieve your transformation goals, including your diet, training, sleeping, and hitting the gym at the same time every day. Slacking in any area can lead to suboptimal results.
A physique transformation program involves several rounds of tinkering. After every two to four weeks, you must analyze your progress and make necessary adjustments.
Practice Mindfulness
Weight loss is as much a psychological challenge as it is physiological. You must remain mindful and conscious of your lifestyle to achieve your objectives.
Paying close attention to your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations at every moment is crucial to controlling your environment and ensuring it doesn’t control you. Practicing mindfulness can help recognize the triggers that lead to unhealthy eating habits. It will also help you monitor the self-talk that may lead you to skip a training session.
Conscious eating can help avoid overeating and consuming excess calories, aiding in maintaining a caloric deficit. Incorporate mindful practices, such as meditation, yoga, exercise, and journaling, into your daily routine for a more positive mindset and reduce stress.
Be Patient
The proverb ‘patience is a virtue’ is apt for a physique transformation. Most people give up on their weight loss goals after losing patience, as it can take too long. For example, losing 50 pounds in six months is not a short-term goal. Only a handful of people have the poise to stick to a strict diet and training program for 25 weeks.
Furthermore, losing too much weight too soon can be healthy. Some people use fad diets to drop a significant amount of weight in a short period; however, this weight comes back on just as quickly after you stop following the radical diet.
You must avoid the temptation of following crash diets or engaging in excessive exercise, as it can hinder your progress and increase your risk of injury. Instead, focus on making sustainable lifestyle changes that you can follow for the long term that will help you achieve your goal physique.
Also read: How To Lose 1 Pound a Day: Shedding Pounds Made Easy
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to exercise to lose weight?
You must be in a calorie deficit to shed excess body weight. Exercising for weight loss is not compulsory, and you could lose weight just by cutting calories from your daily diet. However, combining working out with a calorie-restrictive diet can help expedite your weight loss results.
Is losing two pounds of body weight each week by cutting 1,000 calories safe?
The CDC recommends losing 1-2 pounds weekly to ensure your weight loss progress is gradual, steady, and sustainable. Cutting 500 calories from your diet will help you lose around a pound of body weight each week. Similarly, deducting 1,000 calories from your daily calories can result in shedding two pounds weekly.
However, you should not cut 1,000 calories from your diet. You must cut 500 calories from your diet and burn the remaining 500 calories through exercise. Remember, you must consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting a new diet.
Can I continue my weight loss journey after losing 50 pounds in six months?
Depending on your starting weight, you might experience your weight loss progress tapering close to the end of the program as your body gets used to your new diet regimen. Ideally, you must give your body a little break from dieting after six months and switch to a maintenance diet. Sticking to the same diet for a prolonged period can lead you to a plateau. Take some time off from dieting, regroup, and begin your weight loss program again after a 2-4 week break.
Note: The content on Fitness Volt is for informative purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice to diagnose, prevent, or treat health problems. If you’re suffering from a health issue, are pregnant, or are under 18 years old, you should consult your physician before starting any new supplement, nutrition, or fitness routine.
Wrapping Up
From optimizing your diet to increasing your physical activity, this article provides you with 23 wholesome tips and tricks that will help you in losing 50 pounds in six months and start living a healthier, happier life.
Following these weight loss tips is easier said than done. Adhering to these demands requires a strong mindset, determination, and patience. Remember, you might experience quick weight loss in the initial part of your weight loss journey; however, your progress might seem like it is stalling after you have shed your water weight. Nonetheless, you must keep your head down and put in the work. The results will follow.
Best of luck!
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Losing Weight.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Carbohydrate Goals.
Sacks FM, Bray GA, Carey VJ, Smith SR, Ryan DH, Anton SD, McManus K, Champagne CM, Bishop LM, Laranjo N, Leboff MS, Rood JC, de Jonge L, Greenway FL, Loria CM, Obarzanek E, Williamson DA. Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. N Engl J Med. 2009 Feb 26;360(9):859-73. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0804748. PMID: 19246357; PMCID: PMC2763382.
D’Amuri A, Sanz JM, Capatti E, Di Vece F, Vaccari F, Lazzer S, Zuliani G, Dalla Nora E, Passaro A. Effectiveness of high-intensity interval training for weight loss in adults with obesity: a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2021 Jul 20;7(3):e001021. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-001021. PMID: 34367654; PMCID: PMC8292807.
Bellicha A, van Baak MA, Battista F, Beaulieu K, Blundell JE, Busetto L, Carraça EV, Dicker D, Encantado J, Ermolao A, Farpour-Lambert N, Pramono A, Woodward E, Oppert JM. Effect of exercise training on weight loss, body composition changes, and weight maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: An overview of 12 systematic reviews and 149 studies. Obes Rev. 2021 Jul;22 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):e13256. doi: 10.1111/obr.13256. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33955140; PMCID: PMC8365736.
Stookey, J.D., Constant, F., Popkin, B.M. and Gardner, C.D. (2008), Drinking Water Is Associated With Weight Loss in Overweight Dieting Women Independent of Diet and Activity. Obesity, 16: 2481-2488. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.409
Welton S, Minty R, O’Driscoll T, Willms H, Poirier D, Madden S, Kelly L. Intermittent fasting and weight loss: Systematic review. Can Fam Physician. 2020 Feb;66(2):117-125. PMID: 32060194; PMCID: PMC7021351.
Hollands MA, Arch JR, Cawthorne MA. A simple apparatus for comparative measurements of energy expenditure in human subjects: the thermic effect of caffeine. Am J Clin Nutr. 1981 Oct;34(10):2291-4. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/34.10.2291. PMID: 7293955.
How To Lose 1 Pound a Day: Shedding Pounds Made Easy
Most people would be willing to shed a few pounds at the drop of a hat. Losing weight not only makes you look better, but it can also reduce your risk of contracting chronic health issues. These benefits make losing weight alluring, and it is also what sells gym memberships.
However, the weight loss process can be slow and meticulous, and most people do not have the patience to stick to a weight loss program in the long run. This is also why fad diets that promise significant weight loss in a short period are such a hit.
‘How to lose 1 pound a day’ is a common question personal trainers get asked by beginners. Before we dive into this subject, let’s get the record straight. Losing a pound each day is not entirely safe or sustainable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends limiting your weight loss to 1-2 pounds weekly to keep your physique transformation journey gradual, steady, and sustainable. [1]
According to JAMA, you must burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of body fat. As you can probably tell, burning 3,500 calories daily is not sustainable, safe, or even possible for most folks. Furthermore, a pound of body fat doesn’t necessarily translate to a pound of body weight. [2]
Losing a pound each week means a daily weight drop of 0.14 pounds, which is a far cry from the goal of shedding a pound each day. Also, weight loss doesn’t happen overnight. It might take up to a couple of weeks before a beginner starts seeing progress after switching to a weight loss program.
Prerequisites For Losing 1 Pound a Day
You must enter a calorie deficit to lose weight, meaning you must expend more calories than you consume in a day. You could achieve a calorie deficit by eating less or exercising more. A balance of both is ideal for losing a pound a day.
Remember, each individual is built differently and will react uniquely to different diets and training stimuli. There is no way to promise a pound of weight loss each day for everyone. For example, your results might differ from your training partner’s.
The tips mentioned in this article will help streamline your weight loss process and ensure you get the best bang for your buck.
In this article, we go over the 15 most effective tips to shed the spare tire. We have also included five training programs to ensure optimal weight loss. To ensure your safety, we won’t recommend radical steps. Contrarily, we will only recommend ways that will help achieve safe and sustainable weight loss in the long run.
Sticking to these steps will help you achieve your body weight goal and promote a healthy lifestyle, which will pay dividends in the long run.
15 Steps To Lose 1 Pound a Day
Sadly, there is no magic pill that will help shave off a pound from your belly each day. Losing a pound a day is an ambitious goal that demands commitment, effort, and patience. The tips mentioned below will help you make sustainable lifestyle changes and improve your overall health and well-being:
Hydrate
Cutting water is one of the fastest ways to shed body weight. It is common to lose a few pounds in a single day by dehydrating yourself.
Most fitness models start cutting water 2-3 days before a photoshoot. It helps them get diced and achieve crisp conditioning. Professional bodybuilders take this a step further and use diuretics to get in shape for competitions. However, hobbyist lifters and the general public should stay away from these methods, as they are unsafe and unsustainable.
Plus, once you resume your regular water intake, you will rapidly regain the weight you had previously lost.
Prolonged dehydration can cause headaches, delirium, confusion, fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, and constipation. Left untreated, it can contribute to kidney stones, kidney failure, and heatstroke, all life-threatening illnesses. [3]
Tip: Water Intake Calculator
Stay Away From Fad Diets
Many people flock to fad diets, such as the boiled egg diet and the cabbage soup diet, that promise significant weight loss in a short period. However, these diets have little to no scientific evidence backing them. Most of these diets gain popularity rapidly but are equally quick to disappear.
Most fad diets require you to completely cut out some food sources, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Sticking to an imbalanced diet for an extended period can lead to chronic health conditions, which can worsen over time.
While choosing a diet, you must analyze if it follows a balanced approach to nutrition. Cutting out certain foods from your diet can result in developing a negative relationship with food, which can make matters worse. Plus, the weight lost through radical diets often bounces back as soon as you switch to a regular diet.
You must consult your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise or diet program, especially if you are dealing with any health issues.
Patience
After your body starts adjusting to the changes, you will experience rapid weight loss in the initial days in the form of water weight. However, you might hit a plateau if you don’t consistently change your diet and training program.
Furthermore, setting more realistic objectives can assist you in cultivating more patience and perseverance in the process. For example, you could change your weight loss goal from losing one pound daily to losing 4-5 pounds in a month. This new goal is achievable and safe.
Checking off a monthly weight loss goal can help keep you motivated. It will also act as a reinforcement that you are on the correct path.
Count Your Calories
Calorie tracking is a must if you want to lose weight. You cannot just eat whatever you like and hope for a weight loss miracle. Based on your current weight, you must set a daily calorie consumption goal to meet your target body weight.
You could determine a calorie goal for yourself by using a TDEE calculator. Alternatively, you could use a calorie-tracking app like MyFitnessPal to account for your average calorie intake.
Log your meals in the calorie-tracking app to find out your macronutrient (carbs, proteins, and fat) split. Most calorie-tracking apps have a robust food and recipe database, which makes tracking your meals easy and convenient. Some apps also come with a barcode scanner for tracking the calories of packaged foods.
Enter a Calorie Deficit
After determining your average daily calorie goal, you must enter a deficit to lose weight. Cutting 500 calories from your diet will result in a one-pound weekly weight drop. Similarly, cutting 1,000 calories will help you shed two pounds a week.
For example, if you consume 2,200 calories daily, you must shift to a 1,700 kcal diet to shed the spare tire. Cutting 1,000 calories from a 2,200-calorie diet is not recommended. If you want to shed two pounds weekly, you should cut 500 calories from your diet and burn the remaining 500 calories through exercise.
Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods
On a weight loss diet, you must get your calories from nutrient-dense whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, non-fat and low-fat dairy, fish and seafood, unprocessed lean meat, and skinless poultry, nuts, and legumes.
Avoid empty calories such as alcohol, sugar-laden beverages, and highly processed foods. Eating nutrient-dense whole foods will keep you feeling full and supply the necessary nutrients to your muscles throughout the day.
Fiber is often overlooked in a weight loss diet. Folks following a 2,000-calorie diet should have at least 28 grams of fiber daily, as it helps with macronutrient absorption and getting the most nutritional value out of your food. It also promotes gut health, reduces bloating and the risk of constipation and diarrhea. [4]
Follow a Personalized Diet Plan
No two people will react to the same diet and training program the same. Your training partner might lose more weight than you while eating the same food and doing the same exercises as you. How your body responds to training and diet depends on multiple factors, including genetics, age, gender, body weight.
You must follow a suitable macronutrient split according to your body type and goals to fast-track your progress. Plus, you must plan your meals in advance to ensure you don’t fall off your diet regimen. Dedicate a day of the week to prepping meals; it will reduce the possibility of you ordering junk food from your favorite fast-food restaurant when you are starving and have nothing to eat at home.
To lose one pound a day, you must also watch your portion sizes. Using smaller plates and cutlery can reduce your meal size and calorie intake, helping you take inches off your waistline. You must eat your favorite healthy foods throughout the week to reduce cravings.
Though not necessary, you can also use dietary supplements, such as a whey protein supplement and fat burners, to help with your goal of losing one pound a day.
Avoid Binge Eating
Snacking on junk food is one of the biggest reasons for weight gain. Folks that do not follow a diet plan are at a higher risk of bingeing on snacks throughout the day. Following a structured diet plan keep you satiated and lowers your cravings.
You must avoid high-calories beverages. It is very easy to overshoot your daily calorie goal by chugging on sugar-laden drinks without even realizing it. Plus, you must switch to low or zero-calorie substitutes when and where possible. Making small changes in your diet can lead to big results in the long run.
When snacking, choose healthy snacks, such as mixed nuts, Greek yogurt and berries, and apple slices with peanut butter.
Read also 7 Ways To Stop Binge Eating
Stay Consistent
Consistency is key in a weight loss program. To lose a pound a day, you must be consistent with your daily meals, workouts, and sleep schedule. Consistency is even more crucial when you have a shorter timeframe to work with.
When you are consistent with your diet and training program, your body burns fat more efficiently. Furthermore, staying consistent with a fit lifestyle minimizes the risk of gaining excess body fat and improves your overall health and well-being.
Choose Healthy Fats
Many people blame fats for their excess body fat. However, this assumption is faulty. Consuming healthy fats is essential for optimal body functioning and health. Furthermore, it provides your body with essential nutrients and promotes the feeling of fullness, reducing your overall calorie intake.
Nuts, seeds, avocados, and fatty fish should be the primary sources of fats in your diet. Fats can help reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity, leading to better weight management.
However, you must ensure that you choose healthy fats over unhealthy fats. Staying away from processed and fried foods can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes while promoting overall health.
Tip: Use Fat Intake Calculator
Stress Less
When you are stressed, your body releases the cortisol hormone into your bloodstream, which makes you hold onto body fat. Chronic stress is one of the leading causes of weight gain and increases the risk of health issues like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Increased cortisol levels can also increase appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods. [5]
Chronic stress can also hamper your motivation to train, eat healthily, and stay consistent with a fit lifestyle.
To lose a pound each day, you must keep stress at bay. Meditation, yoga, and exercise are among the best ways of combating stress. Nonetheless, you must consult a healthcare professional if you are dealing with high levels of stress and are unable to control it using these three methods.
Try Fasting
Fasting is an incredibly effective method of shedding body weight. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a rage among fitness enthusiasts. It involves cycling between voluntary fasting and non-fasting. The 16/8 protocol is the most popular IF method, involving fasting for 16 hours a day and eating in the remaining eight-hour window.
Beginners should start with easier fasting protocols, such as the 14/10 method. It involves fasting for 14 hours and a 10-hour feeding window. Advanced lifters can opt for the ‘OMAD’ protocol, which involves eating one meal a day. Fasting protocols with longer fasting windows are more effective at helping you lose a pound each day.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleeping for at least seven to eight hours is essential to allow your body enough time to rest and recuperate. Since losing one pound a day requires you to follow a stringent diet and training program, you must take your recovery just as seriously.
Get ready for what we are about to say next. It is so polarizing that ‘the hardest workers in the room’ might lose sleep over it. Ready? Here we go — don’t hesitate to hit the snooze button. Alarm clocks have a snooze button for a reason. They help you get in the much-needed sleep.
Quality sleep helps balance your hormones, which can help control hunger, satiety, and metabolism. Fatigue due to a lack of sleep increases your risk of feasting on junk food and skipping exercise.
Workout
Although you could lose a pound a day just by cutting your calorie intake, it is not sustainable or healthy. Engaging in cardiovascular and strength training can help speed up your weight loss progress and tone your muscles. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an incredibly effective way of promoting weight loss while keeping your workouts short and exciting.
You must follow a personalized training program to optimize your weight loss, meaning you should choose a workout regimen based on your experience level. Punching up your weight class can lead to burnout and increase your risk of injury. Regular exercise can also help regulate hormones related to appetite and metabolism, such as insulin and cortisol.
Move More
Besides sweating it out in the gym, you must ensure that you are constantly moving throughout the day. A sedentary lifestyle increases your risk of contracting chronic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Set a daily step goal for yourself and reorganize your day to ensure you hit your objectives. You could start with a 5,000-steps-a-day goal and make your way up to walking 10,000 steps daily.
Tip: Try Walking Calorie Calculator
5 Workouts To Lose 1 Pound a Day
Following a balanced training program that includes strength and cardiovascular training will optimize your weight loss. We will focus on HIIT workouts in this article to lose one pound a day.
HIIT Workout 1 — Tabata Workout
Tabata workouts include doing eight rounds of 20 seconds of strenuous exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. Perform each exercise for eight rounds before switching to the next exercise.
Eight rounds of exercise, including working time and rest, will add up to four minutes. Three exercises in this Tabata workout and two recovery periods will take you 14 minutes to complete.
Exercise
Sets
Time (in seconds)
Rest (in seconds)
Burpees
8
20
10
Recovery
60 seconds
Jumping Lunge
8
20
10
Recovery
60 seconds
Spiderman Plank
8
20
10
Many people compromise their form during a HIIT workout to make the exercises easier. However, doing this hampers the effectiveness of the lifts and increases your risk of injury.
HIIT Workout 2
The second HIIT workout in our quest to lose one pound a day includes a balance of strength training and cardio exercises. You will need a pair of dumbbells to perform this workout. This workout comprises performing two rounds of the following circuit:
Exercise
Time (in seconds)
Rest (in seconds)
Close-Grip Chest Press
30
30
Leg Raise
45
30
Squat Hold
45
30
Renegade Row
30
30
Plank
45
30
Dumbbell Overhead Press
30
30
Thruster
75
30
High Knees
45
120
Rest for 30 seconds between exercises in the circuit. You are allowed a two-minute rest between circuits. To stick to the rest duration between exercises, keep all the equipment near you before starting the circuit.
Since the rest durations between exercises are short, use that time to take your position for the next lift. You must complete this workout within 20.5 minutes.
HIIT Workout 3 — EMOM
Every minute-on-the-minute (EMOM) workouts are an underutilized form of HIIT workouts. In an EMOM workout, you must complete an exercise within 60 seconds. Your goal with EMOM exercises is to complete each exercise as quickly as possible as the remainder of the 60 seconds is used as rest between exercises.
Time
Exercise
Reps
Minute 1
Dumbbell Squat
15
Minute 2
Renegade Row Push-Up
20
Minute 3
Squat Jump
15
Minute 4
Sit-Up
20
Minute 5
Burpee
10
Complete the 15 dumbbell squats as quickly as possible without slacking on your exercise form. Use the remainder of the minute as your rest before moving on to the next exercise at the beginning of the second minute.
HIIT Workout 4 — AMRAP
In the following workout, you must complete as many reps as possible (AMRAP) of the following exercises within nine minutes. AMRAP workouts are excellent for competitive folks. In these workouts, there are no defined rest durations. You can take as long as you want between exercises to rest. Furthermore, you can also break an exercise to catch a breath. Your ultimate objective is to complete as many reps as possible within nine minutes.
Exercise
Reps
Butt Kicks
100
Jumping Jack
80
Mountain Climbers
60
Side-To-Side
40
Abdominal Row
20
After completing 100 reps of butt kicks (50 right side and 50 left side), move onto the jumping jack without stopping for rest — if you can. The total number of reps you can complete will be your final score. Challenge your friends to beat your score. You can also set your score as a benchmark for yourself and try to beat it in a subsequent workout.
HIIT Workout 5 — Ladder Workout
When used correctly, ladder HIIT workouts can melt fat off your body. The rep structure of a ladder workout is like climbing a ladder. You start with a few reps and work up to high-rep sets. The rest between exercises increases with the total number of reps. Like in real life, you must also come down a ladder. After performing the set with the highest number of reps, work towards the small rep sets. Also, you must do all of this within a specific time limit.
In this HIIT ladder workout, you’ll perform two exercises on a single ladder rung. For example, for this workout, you will perform one rep of the wall ball and dumbbell thruster before moving on to the two-rep wall ball and thruster.
Exercise and Reps
Rest (in seconds)
1 Wall Ball and 1 Dumbbell Thruster
0
2 Wall Ball and 2 Dumbbell Thruster
10
3 Wall Ball and 3 Dumbbell Thruster
15
4 Wall Ball and 4 Dumbbell Thruster
15
5 Wall Ball and 5 Dumbbell Thruster
20
6 Wall Ball and 6 Dumbbell Thruster
20
7 Wall Ball and 7 Dumbbell Thruster
25
8 Wall Ball and 8 Dumbbell Thruster
25
9 Wall Ball and 9 Dumbbell Thruster
30
10 Wall Ball and 10 Dumbbell Thruster
45
After completing 10 wall balls and dumbbell thrusters, continue back down the ladder as far as possible within the remaining time.
Note: The content on Fitness Volt is for informative purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice to diagnose, prevent, or treat health problems. If you’re suffering from a health issue, are pregnant, or are under 18 years old, you should consult your physician before starting any new supplement, nutrition, or fitness routine.
Wrapping Up
Many people follow fad diets to help them drop their body weight quickly. However, most of these extreme methods are unsafe and unsustainable. To lose one pound a day, you must focus on making lifestyle changes that promote weight loss while improving your overall health.
Although the 15 healthy lifestyle tips and five workout routines detailed in this article might not make you drop a pound daily, it will put you on the right path to sustained weight loss. Now that you have all the knowledge you need to shed the spare tire, go ahead and put it to good use. Best of luck!
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Losing Weight. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/index.html
Wishnofsky M. CALCULATION OF DIETS. JAMA. 1957;163(5):384–385. doi:10.1001/jama.1957.02970400056024
Taylor K, Jones EB. Adult Dehydration. [Updated 2022 Oct 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
Miketinas DC, Bray GA, Beyl RA, Ryan DH, Sacks FM, Champagne CM. Fiber Intake Predicts Weight Loss and Dietary Adherence in Adults Consuming Calorie-Restricted Diets: The POUNDS Lost (Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies) Study. J Nutr. 2019 Oct 1;149(10):1742-1748. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz117. PMID: 31174214; PMCID: PMC6768815.
McEwen BS. Neurobiological and Systemic Effects of Chronic Stress. Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). 2017 Jan-Dec;1:2470547017692328. doi: 10.1177/2470547017692328. Epub 2017 Apr 10. PMID: 28856337; PMCID: PMC5573220.
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The Ultimate Guide to Male Body Types (Ectomorphs, Mesomorphs, and Endomorphs)
If you’re a guy who works out, you know the type of body you want. In fact, you’ve probably got a crystal clear image in mind of your ideal physique, maybe based on the body of a fitness influencer or pro bodybuilder. But do you know about your body type? If you don’t, you’re probably going to end up disappointed. You see, if your body type doesn’t align with that of the body you’re chasing, you’ll never get there.
Knowing your body type is about more than just drawing similarities to your goal physique. It also affects your workouts and your nutrition. Unless you identify your body type, you’re essentially shooting in the dark. In this article, we’ll provide the knowledge you need to identify your body type and how to use that knowledge to tailor your training and nutrition to your body type.
The 3 Body Types
The concept of body types is a relatively new phenomenon. Scientifically called somatypes, it is the creation of a 1940s psychologist named William Sheldon. He proposed that every human body, male and female, can be separated into one of three basic classifications, which he called:
Ectomorphs
Mesomorphs
Endomorphs
Pure ectomorphs are tall, skinny, and generally awkward. They have small joints and narrow hips. Pure mesomorphs are strong, muscular, and lean, with an impressive natural shoulder girdle-to-hip ratio. Pure endomorphs have shorter limbs and carry more body weight. They have narrow shoulders and wide hips.
Very few people are a pure somatotype. A rating scale between 1 and 7 for each somatotype produces a three-digit somatotype rating. People with a ‘normal’ body type will have a somatotype of 444.
Men and women have different body shapes and somatotypes. Men have been described as apples, while women as pears. This relates to the tendency of women to store excess body fat on their hips and buttocks while men collect it around the abdomen.
The key thing to appreciate is that your genetics predetermines your body type. So, you cannot go from being an ectomorph to a mesomorph, no matter how hard you work out. But you can maximize your physical development potential within the bounds of your body type.
To understand what that means, let’s consider a famous example of each of the three body types.
Frank Zane: The Ultimate Ectomorph
Frank Zane / Instagram
Frank Zane is a hall-of-fame bodybuilder who is recognized as the inspiration for the ‘Classic Physique’ division. Zane has a typical ectomorph body. With a small bone structure and long limbs, he was never going to be mistaken for a mass monster. In fact, his highest onstage weight was 190 pounds, at a height of 5’9”. Still, he went on to claim three Mr. Olympia titles and was one of only three men ever to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger — who was a classic mesomorph, by the way!
How did he do it? Zane worked with what he had. Rather than focusing on getting bigger and bigger, he developed the most aesthetic, streamlined, and ripped physique of his era.
Ronnie Coleman: A Classic Mesomorph
Ronnie Coleman / Instagram
Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman was built to pack on muscle mass. In fact, when he first walked into the MetroFlex Gym in Arlington, Texas, the gym owner, Brian Dobson, thought Ronnie was already a veteran bodybuilder. However, Ronnie had only been training for a few months in a home gym. Yet, he had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, low body fat levels, and dense muscle, marking him a classic mesomorph.
As a result, he dominated the pro bodybuilding world of the ’90s, claiming eight straight Mr. Olympia victories.
Jay Cutler: A Typical Endomorph
Jay Cutler / Instagram
Jay Cutler is remembered as a mass monster — and as the man who put a halt to Coleman’s Olympia reign. Yet, if you look at pictures of Jay in his teens, you’ll see that he has a classic endomorph physique, stocky and broad, lacking the natural shoulder-to-hip differential of a mesomorph. He was also prone to putting on body fat.
Yet Jay learned to work within his body type and, through hard work, grit, and determination, was able to forge the physique that took him to four Olympia titles.
How to Determine Your Body Type
So, how do you work out what body type you have? Even though no person is 100% one body type, your body will fit into one of the three categories more naturally than the other two. Here are the physical characteristics to check for to identify which body type you are:
Ectomorph:
You have long, lanky muscles
You struggle to gain weight, including body fat (even when you eat junk food)
It is easy for you to lose weight
You have small bones (you can probably put your hand around your opposite wrist)
You look lean in the mirror but have little to visible muscle mass
Your chest is flat
Your shoulders may be bony
Mesomorph:
Wide shoulders
Narrow hips
V-shaped upper body
Able to gain muscle and lose fat easily
Naturally strong
Endomorph:
You are carrying too much body fat, especially around your middle
You have a big appetite
It’s hard for you to lose weight
Very little muscle definition
In addition to the above, here’s a quick multi-choice test to help you determine your body type. Simply answer 1, 2, or 3 to the following:
Question One: When you try on a new pair of jeans, do they feel:
Snug but not too tight in the butt?
Loose in the butt?
Tight in the butt?
Question Two: Clasp your hand around your opposite wrist. Do the middle finger and thumb:
Barely connect?
Overlap?
Not touch?
Question Three: Would you say that you have:
A V-shaped upper body?
A lean, beanpole torso?
A pear-shaped frame?
Question Four: measure your chest with a tape measure. Is it:
37-44 inches?
Less than 37 inches?
More than 44 inches?
Question Five: Would you say that your metabolism is:
Fast but you can still build muscle?
Too fast to build muscle?
Slow?
Question Six: Do you find it:
Relatively easy to gain fat-free muscle?
Hard to gain either fat or muscle?
Quite easy to gain both muscle and fat?
Question Seven: Would you say that your torso is like a:
Inverted triangle?
Rectangle?
Square?
Question Eight: Is your rib cage:
Thinner than your wider collarbone?
Narrower than your collarbone and hips?
As thick as your collarbone and hips?
Now add up your total score. If your total is 12 or below, you are a mesomorph. If it’s between 13 and 19, you are an ectomorph. A score of 20 or above puts you in the endomorph category.
Body Type & Personality
When William Sheldon propounded his body type theory in the 1940s, he added a controversial aspect that has been lost along the way. Sheldon connected the three different body types with distinct personalities. In his 1954 book Atlas of Men, he wrote about these personality traits, stating:
Ectomorphs are quiet, shy, introverted, and reserved. They tend toward artistic pursuits.
Endomorphs tend to be relaxed, sociable, fun-loving, and peaceful.
Mesomorphs are assertive, aggressive, domineering, and competitive. [1]
Sheldon’s correlations between body type and personality type have since been discredited. However, it has been shown that general stereotypes exist in society that aligns with his writings. As a result, overweight people (endomorphs) are seen by others as more genial, fun-loving, and warm than skinny (ectomorphic) or muscular (mesomorphic) people. Likewise, muscular people were seen as more in control and dominant than overweight or skinny people.
In 1961 a couple of researchers named Wells and Siegel set out to show that Sheldon’s theory about body type personalities was more to do with people’s perceptions than reality. They showed four silhouette drawings (the three somatotypes and an ‘average’ male physique) to 120 people and asked them to rate each body type over 24 traits, including such things as lazy, energetic, intelligent, and talkative.
The study’s results were very much in line with Sheldon’s trait associations. However, they were not backed up by actual experience. People were just as likely to be lazy or energetic regardless of their body type. This showed that the theory was based on stereotypes rather than real-life observations. [2]
The bottom line is that your body type has nothing to do with your personality type.
Training For Your Body Type
Having identified your body type, you can now tailor your workouts to suit your body. Let’s break down the key considerations for each type:
Training For Ectomorphs
If you are an ectomorph, you must maximize every minute on the gym floor. That’s because you do not have energy, or calories, to waste. Therefore, you should skip the cardio section and head directly to the power racks. Focus on the big compound exercises that have been proven to deliver the best band for your buck. Here are six basic mass-building exercises that you should include:
Squat
Deadlift
Pull-Up
Bench Press
Military Press
Bent Over Row
Keep your rep range between 6-12 reps. Pyramid your sets so that you increase the weight and lower the reps on each set. Here’s an example of what this might look like on squats:
Set One: 12 reps (135 pounds)
Set Two: 10 reps (155 pounds)
Set Three: 8 reps (160 pounds)
Set Four: 6 reps (165 pounds)
Perform four sets of each exercise with a decent amount of rest between sets (90-120 seconds). This will allow you to put in maximum effort.
Your basic mindset as an ectomorph should be to get in, work like hell, and then get out. In other words, your workouts need to be short and intense.
If you are a beginner trainer, start with full-body training for the first six months. Choose one exercise per body part and do four sets of reps, done in pyramid style. Here’s a sample workout for an ectomorphic beginner:
Squats: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Lunges: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Bent Over Row: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Military Press: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Alternate Dumbbell Curl: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Lying Triceps Extension: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Calf Raises: 4 x 12/10/8/6
After six months, you can transition to an upper body – lower body split.
Related: Ectomorph Workout: The Skinny Guy’s Training Guide
Training For Mesomorphs
As a mesomorph, you must establish a good balance between fat-stripping cardio and mass-building weight training. Your cardio workouts should involve both steady-state and high-intensity interval training. Do two sessions of each per week.
Steady-state cardio can be done on a rowing machine, elliptical, or treadmill for 20-30 minutes. When it comes to HIIT training, stationary biking, running on a treadmill, and rowing are really effective options. After a warm-up, perform eight twenty-minute sprints with ten-second rest periods between them.
While you can do your steady-state cardio before your weight training sessions, I recommend doing your HIIT training on your weight training off days. That’s because these sessions are very intense and may impact your muscle-building workouts if done on the same day.
As a mesomorph, your body is naturally better suited to resistance training than an ectomorph or an endomorph. That’s why, as a beginner, you can jump directly into a split routine program. As a personal trainer, I often use a three-day on, one-day off program with beginner mesomorphs. A combination of compound and isolation exercises works best for mesomorphs.
Mesomorph workouts should be around an hour long and consist of 15-20 sets. Your rep range should be a little wider than for an ectomorph workout, going as high as 20 reps and as low as five reps. Here is an effective three-way split workout I use with my personal training clients:
Day One: Chest / Triceps
Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 x 20/12/10/8
Incline Fly: 3 x 12
Dips: 3 x 12
Lying Triceps Extension: 4 x 20/12/10/8
Triceps Pressdown: 4 x 20/12/10/8
Day Two: Legs / Shoulders
Squat: 4 x 20/12/10/8
Lunge: 3 x 12
Leg Extension: 3 x 12
Glutes Kickback: 3 x 12
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 4 x 20/12/10/8
Cable Side Lateral Raise: 3 x 12
Day Three: Back / Biceps
Pull-Up: 3 x 8-12
Bent-Over Row: 4 x 20/12/10/8
Seated Cable Row: 3 x 12
Barbell Curl: 4 x 20/12/10/8
Close-Grip Pull-Up: 3 x 8-12
Related: Mesomorph Workout & Diet Program
Training For Endomorphs
When it comes to strength training, an endomorph workout will look pretty similar to that of an ectomorph. The emphasis will be on compound exercises that maximally stimulate the working muscles and allow you to lift the heaviest weight. The difference is that, whereas the ectomorph needs to minimize their calorie burn, the endomorph needs to do the opposite. As a result, endomorph workouts should be significantly longer and involve a wider rep range.
The big difference between ectomorph and endomorph workouts comes down to cardio. As an endomorph, you must burn off the excess calories stored as body fat on your frame. To do that, you should perform cardio workouts 4-5 times per week.
The most effective form of fat-burning cardio is high-intensity interval training, which was mentioned in regard to mesomorph cardio. One of the great things about this form of cardio is that, while it burns a decent amount of calories during the workout, that calorie burn continues in the hours after you leave the gym. That’s due to what is known as the after-burn effect, by which extra oxygen is needed by the body to fuel the cells after the workout. [3]
A new endomorphic trainer should follow a full body routine for the first six months. Here is a sample beginner workout for endomorphs:
Squat: 5 x 20/15/ 12/10/8
Lunge: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Leg Extension: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Dumbbell Bench Press: 5 x 20/15/ 12/10/8
Bent Over Row: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Military Press: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Side Lateral Raise: 3 x 12
Alternate Dumbbell Curl: 5 x 20/15/ 12/10/8
Lying Tricep Extension: 5 x 20/15/ 12/10/8
Cable Crunch: 4 x 30/25/20/15
Standing Calf Raise: 4 x 12/10/8/6
Related: Endomorph Workout and Diet Program
Nutrition For Different Body Types
Making adjustments to the way you eat is just as important as your differentiated training based on body type. In fact, having trained many people of every body type over the past thirty-five years, I’d go as far as to say that eating for your body type is even more important than how you train. Unless you tailor your diet to your somatotype, you will never get close to your potential.
Nutrition for Ectomorphs
As an ectomorph, your number one nutritional goal should be to end each day in a caloric surplus. That means you have supplied all the calorie energy your body needs to carry out its functions and have extra calories left over to build new muscle tissue. Of course, those extra calories need to be the kind that will promote muscle gain — protein and complex carbohydrates.
To get into the caloric surplus, you need to eat more food. That can be challenging and, at times, uncomfortable. At the start, you will probably feel bloated. But your body will soon adapt, and you’ll start to feel more comfortable.
Before you can consume more calories than your body needs each day, you first need to know what that maintenance number is. Here’s an online calorie calculator that will help you work it out.
Having established what your daily caloric maintenance level is, you should increase it by 500 calories. Let’s say that your maintenance level is 2,400 calories. To be in a position to gain muscle, you need to increase that number to 2,900 calories per day.
Now, let’s talk about what those calories should consist of. The ideal macronutrient muscle-building ratio is:
Carbohydrates: 55%
Protein: 30%
Fats: 15%
Having established what your calorie and macro goals are, you now need to stick to them. That means tracking your intake. Not tracking food consumption is the biggest mistake that ectomorphs make. Simply put, this is too important to be left to chance.
The most convenient way to track your calorie and macronutrient intake is by using a food-tracking app. Here are three popular apps that I recommend:
MyFitnessPal
Fitbit App
I recommend discovering the foods that you really like, and that also fit with your macros and then using them as your mainstay. Too often, people try to vary their food choices too much that it becomes too complicated. The key to success is to make it as easy as possible by eating pretty much the same foods day in and day out. That might seem boring, but remember that your goal here is to build muscle, not entice your taste buds.
4 Nutrition Tips for Ectomorphs
Here are four nutrition tips to help ectomorphs build muscle:
Drink Your Calories
A helpful tip that I give to my ectomorphic bodybuilding clients is to drink a decent portion of their calories each day. It is easier to drink calories than it is to eat them. It is also more convenient to whip up a protein shake than to cook a chicken breast. Even better than a protein shake for you as an ectomorph is a weight gainer shake. A weight gainer will have a higher carbohydrate and total calorie count than a protein shake. You can use it as a complete meal replacement or post-workout shake.
Here’s what you should throw into your blender to make your weight gain shake:
Milk
Oats
Whey protein
Peanut butter
Frozen fruit
Eat Every Three Hours
You must eat every three hours. So, if your first meal is at 7 am, you should eat again at 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm. You can have the same number of calories in each meal (by dividing your caloric goal by 5) or have three larger meals and two smaller ones. I recommend trying both to see which works best for you.
Reduce Other Energy Expenditure
Apart from your gym workouts, you should do as little as possible to burn calories. That means no basketball on the weekends and no runs in the woods. Having worked to consume those extra calories, you need to preserve them for building muscle.
Have A Post-Workout Shake
After the workout; your body needs protein and carbs. To get them, have a 3:1 carb-to-protein ratio post-workout shake within an hour of your workout. Check on the product label for branch chain amino acids (BCAAs), glutamine, creatine, fast-acting carbs, and whey isolate protein.
10 Great Food Choices for Ectomorphs
Here’s a sampling of excellent food choices to help ectomorphs meet their nutrition goals:
Carbohydrates:
Brown rice
Sweet potatoes
Yams
Brown pasta
Whole meal bread
Protein:
Fish
Eggs
Protein powder
Eggs
Chicken breast
Fats:
Walnuts
Almonds
Avocados
Eggs
Coconut oil
Nutrition for Mesomorphs
As a mesomorph, you have a muscle-building advantage. But that won’t mean anything unless you can maintain a caloric surplus. Those extra calories beyond what you need to function are required for protein synthesis. That means that, just like the ectomorph, you need to know your maintenance calorie level. Use this online calorie calculator to find out what that number is.
As a mesomorph, you don’t have to be as aggressive as an ectomorph in terms of your caloric surplus. I recommend that you aim for a 250-calorie surplus. So, if your maintenance level is 2,400 calories, you should aim to consume 2,650 calories per day.
You should separate those calories over 5-6 meals per day, spaced three hours apart. Here’s a suggested macronutrient breakdown:
Carbs: 40%
Protein: 30%
Fats: 30%
You’ll notice that the carbs are down while the protein is up compared to the ectomorph macros. That’s because, as a mesomorph, you are more likely to gain fat weight if you let your crabs and fats get too loose. Mesomorphs also tend to get better results with a slightly higher protein intake. Aim to take in one gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Your post-workout shake should have fewer carbs in it than the shake of an ectomorph. I recommend looking for a brand that has a 2:1 carb-to-protein ratio. It should also contain glutamine, BCAAs, and creatine.
As a mesomorph, you will benefit from the same protein, carb, and fat food choices as an ectomorph.
Nutrition for Endomorphs
As an endomorph, you have the challenging task of losing body fat and putting on muscle simultaneously. To do this, you must be very strict about what you eat. Like ectomorphs and mesomorphs, you must create a caloric surplus to provide the fuel to build muscle tissue. But you need to ensure that all those calories are clean, with limited carbs and as little sugar and unhealthy fats as possible.
Once again, you need to establish your daily caloric maintenance level. Go here to find it. Now add 200 calories to that number. So, if your maintenance level is 2,400 calories, set your daily intake at 2,600 calories.
Ectomorphs tend to have a higher level of insulin sensitivity than ectomorphs or mesomorphs. As a result, they have a slower rate of fat oxidation due to more insulin having to be released to transport glucose. You should, therefore, carefully regulate your carbohydrate intake. As far as possible, stay away from simple carbs. Refined grains should also be on your no-go list. The carbs you should consume are fruits, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains.
While you should obviously stay clear of unhealthy fats, your healthy fat intake should increase. Healthy fats will keep you full, helping prevent cravings and cleansing your digestive system. I recommend the following macro breakdown:
Carbs: 25%
Protein: 35%
Fats: 40%
Here are half a dozen smart, healthy fat choices for endomorphs:
Avocado
Almonds
Seeds
Fatty Fish
Dark chocolate
Full-fat yogurt
Body Type Training & Nutrition Summary
Subject
Ectomorph
Mesomorph
Endomorph
Weight Training
Low-Volume
Moderate-Volume
High-Volume
High-Intensity
Moderate-Intensity
Low-Intensity
5-8 reps per set
8-12 reps per set
10-15 reps per set
Total Weekly Training
4 hours
5-6 hours
7-8 hours
Weekly Split
2 days on/1 day off
3 days on/1 day off
2 days on/ 1 day off
Rest Between Sets
90-120 seconds
60-90 seconds
30-60 seconds
Cardio Split
No cardio
30-60 minutes
60 minutes
3 times per week
4-5 times per week
Diet
Carbs: 55%
Carbs: 40%
Carbs: 25%
Protein: 25%
Protein: 30%
Protein: 35%
Fats: 20%
Fats: 30%
Fats: 40%
Wrap Up
If you’re not training and eating according to your body type, then you are operating in the dark. In this article, we’ve outlined how to identify which of the three body types you fit into and what that should mean for your training and nutrition plan. We’ve also learned that while you can’t change your body type, you can maximize its potential to build an awesome physique. If you’re an ectomorph, you’ll never be mistaken for Ronnie Coleman in his prime. But you do have the potential to be your version of Frank Zane — and that’s pretty impressive!
References
Sheldon, W. A. (1954). Atlas of men, a guide for somatotyping the adult male at all ages. Harper.
Wells, W. D., & Siegel, B. (1961). Stereotyped somatotypes. Psychological Reports, 8, 77–78. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1961.8.1.77
Ito S. High-intensity interval training for health benefits and care of cardiac diseases – The key to an efficient exercise protocol. World J Cardiol. 2019 Jul 26;11(7):171-188. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v11.i7.171. PMID: 31565193; PMCID: PMC6763680.
Progressive Overload: The Science Behind Maximizing Muscle Growth
If you have been in the iron game for a while, “progressive overload” might not be something new. It’s a common phrase to help explain what is needed for effective training.
The idea is pretty simple. Training must present progressively larger stressors over time for continued progress. However, as straightforward as it is, there are a ton of misconceptions. Progressive overload is about more than just adding weight to the bar. Yes, lifting heavier is part of it, but it is not the only way to progressively overload the muscles.
In this article, we will address some common fallacies and more as we dig into progressive overload and the science behind maximizing muscle growth.
What is Progressive Overload?
All talk on progressive overload, for better or worse, starts with the story of Milo of Croton. Milo was an ancient Greek wrestler who was known as quite the stud. As legend has it, Milo began lifting a tiny calf on his shoulders daily. As the calf grew, Milo k
ept lifting it until one day, the baby calf grew into a full-grown bull. As a result, Milo grew too.
The story is more myth than fact, but it does help illustrate the concept of progressive overload. In simple terms, progressive overload means training must get progressively more challenging over time to continue stimulating adaptation.
But let’s take a step back.
The human body is a well-balanced machine controlled by homeostasis. It’s like the body’s built-in thermostat. Blood pressure, body temperature, and blood sugar are examples of homeostasis within the body. If the body detects any changes, it takes action to return to balance. It’s why we sweat in the heat and shiver in the cold.
Building muscle is no exception.
The process of building muscle can be described as stimulus, recovery, and adaptation. Or, in a practical sense — train, recover, and then get stronger and more muscular. Lifting weights is the first domino, but the entire process must repeat for continued progress.
The key is the stimulus must represent an overload. Overload is a workload beyond what the lifter is accustomed to.
The adaptation (getting more jacked) is only a result of the overload forcing the body out of homeostasis. This is why doing the same weight for the same reps is eventually a dead end. Progress slows or stops as soon as the workout is no longer challenging, and your body can maintain homeostasis.
Bottom line: Training must get progressively challenging for the workout to continue to deliver results.
Why Progressive Overload Is Essential
The importance of progressive overload comes down to mechanical tension. Mechanical tension is the stress applied to a muscle from external resistance. It’s what happens to the muscle when we lift weights. Although there are many factors for initiating muscle growth, mechanical tension is widely considered the primary factor.
To illustrate how critical tension is for building and maintaining muscle, look no further than astronauts in space. Whether we realize it or not, we are always resisting the force of gravity. Of course, gravity on earth is a low level of tension, but its tension nonetheless.
When astronauts are up in space, they don’t have gravity, so tension is removed. In fact, minimal muscle contraction is needed. According to NASA, astronauts experience up to a 20% loss of muscle mass during spaceflights. In a weightless environment, the body doesn’t require additional muscle mass. If you don’t use it, you lose it.
You may wonder what this has to do with progressive overload and muscle-building.
The reason astronauts lose muscle in space helps explain why progressive overload is essential for progress. The body only wants as much muscle and strength as it needs to carry out daily functions.
Lifting boxes, carrying our kids, and climbing stairs are examples of enough tension to create a hypertrophy stimulus, just a minuscule amount. Once we have enough muscle and strength for these daily functions, they no longer stimulate growth.
To grow additional muscle beyond what is needed for daily functions, we must introduce the body to higher levels of mechanical tension. At first, all forms of resistance training satisfy that requirement. This is why when you first start training, progress is easy. You get bigger and stronger if you show up to the gym a few times per week, give a reasonable effort, and eat halfway decent. But, the newbie gains only last for a brief period.
The body is very good at adapting. Eventually, just showing up will not deliver results. The body adjusted to the workouts the same way it did daily activities. Most of us have experienced this as we transitioned from beginner to intermediate. It’s often called a training rut or plateau.
You must continue overloading the body to break the plateau and stimulate progress.
How to Build Progressive Overload into Your Program
So far, we have talked a lot about the concept of progressive overload but have yet to learn how to implement it. There are many ways to build progressive overload into the training plan. Here are the most common:
Increase the weight lifted: Adding weight to the bar is the easiest way to build progressive overload into any training program. Accomplish this by increasing the weights lifted over time while maintaining the same reps and sets.
Increase the repetitions performed: Another option for progressive overload is adding repetitions over time while keeping the weights and sets performed the same.
Increase the number of sets: One of the most overlooked ways to build progressive overload into your program is by increasing sets. Do this by adding sets over time while maintaining weight and reps. Adding sets is a great way to increase training volume.
Increase the number of exercises performed: Adding exercises is another way to increase training volume and progressive overload. For example, you have implemented progressive overload if you usually do three chest exercises per week and bump it up to four.
Decrease rest periods: Training density refers to the work you can do in a given time. Completing your workouts faster is another form of progressive overload. You can accomplish this by decreasing rest periods between sets. That said, be careful not to reduce rest periods too much that it limits performance. For optimal performance, rest for 1-3 minutes between sets.
Progressive Overload Misconceptions
On the surface, this all seems straightforward. However, there are some common misconceptions we need to address.
Misconception #1: Progress is Linear
Okay, so we have established that doing more work overtime leads to progress. Awesome. Let’s do the math. If you can bench 135 pounds for five reps today and add five pounds to the bar each week for the next two years, you will be benching well over 600 pounds!
We all know it doesn’t work like that. But why?
Progressive overload is the observation of increased performance based on the adaptations that have already occurred. Put another way; you must earn the right to progressively overload your training. It’s not just the act of doing more work. It’s the result, too. Overload is limited by the positive adaptation that results from training. It can’t be forced. The limitations of muscle growth are beyond the scope of this article, but they exist.
Misconception #2: You Need to Progressively Overload Every Workout
Progressive overload does not need to occur in every training session. Beyond the beginner and early intermediate stages, this is unrealistic. However, growth will be limited if you do not add weight to the bar over time. The goal is to keep the big picture in mind.
The more advanced you get, the longer it takes to see meaningful progress. Sometimes you have to do the same thing for a couple of weeks before you can up the ante. The goal is not to do more in each workout but to push for more in each workout. Results will come if the programming is well-designed and the effort is there.
Misconception #3: It’s All About Going Heavy
The biggest misconception about progressive overload is that it’s all about lifting as heavy as possible. Yes, adding weight to the bar is an excellent way to progressive overload, but it’s not the only way. In fact, adding reps is highly effective. Research shows muscle growth occurs with low and high reps [1]. The key is pushing each set close to failure.
Misconception #4: It’s All About Volume
Over the past few years, training volume has received much attention as a primary driver of muscle growth. On the surface, this is true. Research comparing one, three, and five sets per exercise shows that multiple sets are more effective for muscle growth than a single set [2].
However, the response to volume follows an inverted “U” shape curve. What this means is, adding more volume works until it doesn’t. Eventually, volume increases to a point where it exceeds the body’s ability to recover. At that point, progress stalls and, if continued, starts to backslide. Besides, who has all day to spend in the gym?
The right amount of volume will be slightly different for everyone. Based on the current literature, ten sets per muscle group per week is a great spot to build muscle [3]. This doesn’t mean you can’t go beyond ten sets per week. You can. However, once you get beyond ten sets per week, start looking at other ways to build progressive overload into your program to facilitate progress.
Three Examples of Progressive Overload
The key to taking advantage of progressive overload is not leaving it up to chance. Here are three ways to build progressive overload into your program.
Example #1: Increase Weight
The first example is adding weight each week. Don’t be tricked by the simplicity of this setup. A basic linear load progression can be highly effective.
Week 1: 3 sets of 10 reps at 66% of 1RM
Week 2: 3 sets of 10 reps at 68% of 1RM
Week 3: 3 sets of 10 reps at 70% of 1RM
Example #2: Increase Sets
In example two, the number of sets increases weekly while the weight stays the same. Adding sets is a great way to increase volume without lifting heavier each week. Advanced lifters respond well to this style of overload.
Week 1: 3 sets of 10 reps at 68% of 1RM
Week 2: 4 sets of 10 reps at 68% of 1RM
Week 3: 5 sets of 10 reps at 68% of 1RM
Example #3: Increase Reps
The third example involves adding a rep each week while maintaining the sets and weight on the bar. Increasing reps each week is sometimes more feasible than increasing the weight.
Week 1: 3 sets of 8 reps at 70% of 1RM
Week 2: 3 sets of 9 reps at 70% of 1RM
Week 3: 3 sets of 10 reps at 70% of 1RM
Progressive Overload Principles
There are three progressive overload principles you must keep in mind.
Principle 1: Only change one variable at a time
The first principle of progressive overload is only to change one variable at a time. It’s easy to assume that if a bit of progression is good, more must be better. With progressive overload, that muddies the waters, making it hard to know what is driving progress.
Additionally, changing more than one variable at a time can cause you to push beyond your recoverability. For example, if you try adding weight and reps simultaneously, you can outpace your progress and miss reps.
Principle 2: Always maintain good technique
For progressive overload to work, we need natural progression. You can’t use a lousy technique to force weekly advancements that are not there. Adding weight or reps but allowing your form to break down differs from actual progression.
Principle 3: Keep a Training Journal
The key to progressive overload is knowing what you have done during your workouts in previous weeks. Keep a training journal and track the exercises, weights you used, sets, reps, etc. Before each training session, review the journal to know what numbers you need to beat.
Benefits of Using Progressive Overload
Regardless of your goals, there are many benefits to using progressive overload in your training.
Avoid Muscle Building Plateaus:
Once you get past the beginner stage, continuing to build muscle becomes harder. If you don’t have a strategy to build progression into your program, it’s easy to get caught in a muscle-building rut. Eventually, you will stop progressing if you continuously do the same exercises for the same weight, sets, and reps. By constantly planning ahead and building ways to stress the muscles to greater degrees, you can mitigate stalls in progress.
Gain Strength:
To gain strength, you need to lift heavy weights. There is no way around it. That said, you can’t just go to the gym and max out every time and expect to get the best results. Part of quality strength programming is gradually increasing the weights used systematically.
Save Time:
Chances are you live a busy life and can’t spend all day in the gym. Well, using progressive overload is the most time-efficient way to train. One of the problems with training programs that don’t use progressive overload is they end up with a lot of junk volume.
Junk volume is work that needs to be more challenging to stimulate muscle growth. Often this happens when working sets are not close enough to failure to produce enough tension in your muscles. People typically add more sets to make up for the abundance of junk volume. You can train for two hours at a time, but if the workout is 80% junk volume, it won’t deliver results.
Focusing on progressive overload and beating the logbook ensures your program has no wasted sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of progressive overload?
There are many examples of progressive overload. You can increase the weight lifted, the number of sets performed, and do more reps or exercises.
Should I progressive overload every week?
In a perfect world, we could implement progressive overload every week. However, progress is only sometimes linear. As an advanced lifter, you can outpace your progress if you try to force weekly progressions. Think of progressive overload in the big picture. If week-to-week gains are too aggressive, aim for month-to-month.
Is progressive overload safe?
As long as you maintain good form, progressive overload is safe. That said, if you add weight too quickly, you can increase your risk of injury. Only use weights you can handle with good technique.
Can you grow muscle without progressive overload?
Yes, you can grow muscle without progressive overload, but only temporarily. Eventually, your muscles will stop growing unless you continuously apply more stress.
Wrapping Up
Progressive overload is one of the primary principles in strength training. Anyone can make progress for a short time, but as the iron game veterans know, long-term results are a different story. Whether you want to be as strong as possible or look great naked, your workouts must have built-in progressions.
That said, there is more to it than lifting heavier weights. Of course, always aim to get stronger, but don’t avoid the other methods of progressive overload, either. Using all the tools available is the key to long-term progress. Now all you have to do is put in the work!
References:
Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Dec;31(12):3508-3523. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200. PMID: 28834797.
Radaelli R, Fleck SJ, Leite T, Leite RD, Pinto RS, Fernandes L, Simão R. Dose-response of 1, 3, and 5 sets of resistance exercise on strength, local muscular endurance, and hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 May;29(5):1349-58. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000758. PMID: 25546444.
Schoenfeld, Brad J, et al. “Dose-Response Relationship between Weekly Resistance Training Volume and Increases in Muscle Mass: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 35, no. 11, 2017, pp. 1073–1082, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27433992, 10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197.
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