If you asked me if you should gain muscle or lose fat, I would reply with, “Why?”.

That would be my answer. Why would you have to choose one over the other? Sure, all the geeky scientists say that we can’t simultaneously do both. But whether you’re a man or woman, you can certainly do both.

No, seriously. Where is Waldo?? Waldo needs a meathead workout.

Now don’t get me wrong. If you know you need to focus on fat loss, then you focus on fat loss. If you you’re mistaken for a piece of plywood with hair, than it’s time to focus on putting on muscle.

Be honest with yourself.

But we’ve all been there. You wouldn’t mind putting on a few lbs of muscle to show off more definition or to make the sleeves a little tighter. Is it vanity? Sure it is. Is it OK? Yeah, it is. It’s human nature.

Mikey, I’m a science nerd. Can you show me some studies that prove that you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?

There’s always one of “those”. For you, I posted that study right here.

However, one of the most interesting studies I found yesterday was one on 14 women who were on a 800-calorie, high protein diet. Seven of the women lifted weights for 30-40 minutes 3 days per week, and the other seven dieted but did not weight train.

Both groups of women lost 33 lbs, but the group that weight lifted actually increased their lean muscle mass by 6%, whereas the women that didn’t lift lost muscle along with fat.

The truth is that most people make mistakes when trying to achieve both. They have the 1990’s mentality of making these mistakes:

Mistake # 1 – You Train Too Often

Yep, you can deny yourself rock hard muscle by training too much. Whether you’re working out for 90 minutes or hitting the gym 7 days per week, this is impacting your ability to put on muscle. By the way, it can also increase your risk for overuse injury.

You need brief and focused 45-minute workouts 3-4 days per week like found in the TT Meathead Programs. Allow yourself recovery periods between your heavy lifting. That’s where the “magic” happens. You can do some foam rolling and mobility work to improve recovery, too.

“But I have to do something or I’ll get fat.” No, you won’t. Chill out and play with your dog. By the way, calm down.

Mistake # 2 – You Do Way Too Much Cardio to Lose Fat While Gaining Muscle

If you’re trying to pack on muscle, but you’re worried about getting fat, don’t go to cardio. That’s old school. Instead, incorporate finishers or intervals with your meathead programs.

Just make sure you do this immediately after your workout. If you’re focused on fat loss, than do the finishers after each workout. But if you want to focus on muscle gaining, than cut back to 2 days per week on the finishers.

You’re going to be lifting pretty heavy, so don’t do the finishers on your “off” days. You want to use this time to recover.

Mistake # 3 – You Overdo it on Calories When Trying to Put On Muscle

“I’m wanting biceps with their own zipcode, so I’m going to eat 7,000 calories per day.”

The right program design will help you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

How about no? That’s crazy. Most of the time, when you increase your caloric intake on the meal immediately after your workout, and try to make it liquid calories, you can put on muscle and lose fat at the same time.

This of course, takes the right program design. Aim for about 200 more calories on your post workout meal after each Meathead workout and see what happens. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Can you train like a meathead and go for fat loss only? Sure you can. That’s my favorite part about TT Meathead programs. Simply focus on fat loss nutrition. See? Train like a meathead and lose fat? #Winning.

This week, Craig has 3 Meathead programs for $7.

Grab them here ===> 3 Meathead Programs for Just $7

Boom goes the “Look Ma, I Can Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time” dynamite,

Mikey, CTT

Tags: build muscle and lose fat at the same time, muscle building workouts