Can you build muscle and lose fat at the same time?

Yes, you can, and it's called body recomposition. It works best if you're new to lifting, coming back after a break, or carrying more body fat. It's slower than focusing on one goal at a time, but it does work.

Who it works for

• Beginners. Your body responds strongly to lifting at first, so muscle can grow even in a small calorie deficit or at maintenance.
• People returning after a layoff, thanks to muscle memory.
• People with more body fat, who have more stored energy to fuel growth.

If you've been lifting for years and are already lean, recomposition is very slow. In that case, it's usually more effective to separate periods of eating a bit more from periods of eating a bit less.

What you need

1. Lift with progression. Train each muscle about twice a week, and add weight or reps over time. Muscle only grows if there's a reason. See progressive overload.
2. Eat enough protein: about 0.7 to 1 g per pound of bodyweight (1.6 to 2.2 g/kg). Our page on how much protein you need has the details.
3. Keep calories around maintenance or a modest deficit. A large deficit makes it hard to recover and build muscle.
4. Sleep 7 or more hours.
5. Be patient. Think months, not weeks.

The regular lifting is the part that depends on showing up week after week. League of Fitness syncs your lifting sessions from Apple Health and gives you a daily match against someone near your level, which helps with that. It doesn't track food, so the protein and calorie side is still on you.

How you'll know it's working

The scale may barely move, which confuses people. You could lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, so weight stays flat while your body changes. That's why the scale is a poor guide here. Better signs:

• Your lifts are going up
• Your waist measurement is stable or shrinking
• Photos taken every month show a different shape
• Clothes fit differently

Track these using the methods in how to track progress at the gym.

Keep it calm

Don't crash diet. Extreme restriction costs you muscle, wrecks your energy and is hard to sustain. A slow, steady approach is the one that holds up.

If you have a medical condition, a history of disordered eating, or you're pregnant, talk to a doctor or dietitian before changing how you eat.