Do I need to build muscle if I have 30+ pounds to lose?
Why going through a muscle-building phase may get you to your goal faster
“Do I need to bulk if I have weight to lose”
👆 The #1 question in my DMs.
Rather than wax on about the benefits of building muscle, let’s walk through the scenario side-by-side.
With our clients, we like to spend a maximum of ~20 weeks a year in a fat-loss phase to mitigate some of the negative effects of dieting and make the time we spend more effective.
So, if your goal is to be a leaner, fitter, and more muscular version of yourself, how should you spend the other 32 weeks of the year?
Let’s Walk Through an Example:
So, let’s play it out. Client A is a 180-lb female with 35% body fat; she thinks her goal weight is 150 lbs. She has improved health goals and would like to be leaner and look like she works out.
Scenario 1: Maintenance Only
Each spring she spends 20 weeks in fat loss phase, the rest of the year at maintenance, and strength trains year round.
Scenario 2: Muscle Build & Fat Loss
She still spends the spring in a 20-week fat loss phase, but after 4 weeks of maintenance, she spends the rest of the year building.
Which process helps her get to her goal faster?
Scenario 1: Maintenance & Fat loss
In the fat loss phases, she’s choosing a moderate and sustainable rate of loss at 0.5% bodyweight / week, and we also have to assume there is a bit of lean tissue (LBM) lost in the process.
Total time: 70 Weeks
Ending Stats: 150 lbs / 24.7% bodyfat / 115.1lb LBM
Scenario 2: What if She Builds?
Now, instead of spending time at maintenance between deficits, what if she builds muscle at a conservative rate (0.5-0.75% per month), maximizing muscle gain and minimizing additional body fat gain?
Total time: 72 Weeks
Ending Stats: 156.8 lbs / 24.2% bodyfat / 118.9lb LBM
Now Let’s Compare The Two:
After ~16 months, Client A has spent significant time working towards her goal of becoming a leaner, fitter, and more muscular version of herself.
At maintenance, she’s achieved her goal weight, but she’s visibly more muscular through the build process.
Maintenance Only:
Weight: 150 lbs Body fat: 24.7% Lean Mass: 115.1lb
Build Phases:
Weight: 156.8 lbs Body fat: 24.2% Lean Mass: 118.9lb
Even though her scale weight is heavier in the building scenario, she has a lower body fat percentage and more muscle, making her leaner than in the scenario where she did maintenance only.
Now, what if we play it out for a full two years?
Results After 2 Years:
The differences become extreme after periodizing nutrition for just over two years.
Maintenance Only:
Weight: 137 lbs Body fat: 18.9% Lean Mass: 111.1lb
Build Phases:
Weight: 147.6 lbs Body fat: 18.5% Lean Mass: 120.2lb
Client A had they spent the off-season building muscle rather than maintaining, would have 9+ pounds more muscle than had they just maintained chasing smaller.
They would likely also appear leaner and more muscular than the 10lbs lighter version of themselves.
A Couple of Notes:
These numbers and timelines are for the sake of easy illustration. Life happens, and most people, including myself, don’t spend 52 weeks a year completely dialed into chasing aesthetic goals.
Some people are not in a place, either because of life stresses or other factors, where a building season makes sense for them, and that’s okay.
If your goals include being not just smaller but leaner and more muscular, devoting time to chasing gains will help you get to that goal more efficiently than just trying to cut to see the muscle
If you’re afraid to do this process yourself, let me teach you how to build muscle efficiently and effectively. Take a look at our upcoming muscle build cohorts and see if they’re a good fit for you.
