Is losing weight before building muscle a good idea? Now that’s the question that’s going through your mind and you’re trying to find an answer to.
You can count on me!
Adding muscle will cause you to gain weight, so you’re not alone if you want to lose weight but worry about gaining weight.
Health issues and time constraints are among the reasons people are hesitant to lose weight or gain muscle.
When you are trying to build muscle mass on your frame, it can be difficult to decide which route to take.
Various ways are illustrated in this article to achieve a desired physique while still maintaining weight loss goals.
Muscle Build-Up vs Weight Loss
Muscle building is the process of gaining muscle mass and losing weight at the same time.
For any new muscle to be incorporated, about 100 calories more than maintenance must be consumed.
Gaining weight requires an extra 100 calories or 30-50% more energy intake to maintain a caloric surplus.
In order to figure out how many calories you should consume on a regular basis, multiply your weight by 10 for men and by 12 for women.
Losing weight involves losing body fat while retaining as much muscle as possible.
Therefore, after every workout (if you are training hard) there should be at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity.
You must adjust your priorities if you are interested in building muscle instead of losing weight.
Is losing weight necessary before building muscle? Definitely! Muscle building and fat burning go hand-in-hand.
As part of my weight loss journey, I asked myself: am I able to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time? The answer is yes.
Losing weight and building muscle can both be done, but not without effort.
It can be tough to get down to your goal weight if you’re a bodybuilder who wants to gain muscle mass but doesn’t want to gain weight.
If you plan to try this, you will need to do extra cardio exercise or consume a low-calorie diet.
Exactly for this reason, I first lost weight then toned up, a few years ago.
What Are the Benefits of Losing Weight Before Building Muscle?
There are many people who are afraid of gaining weight, so they don’t want to gain muscle.
Although it might be tempting to gain muscle first, lose weight first.
It is important for you to lose weight first before building muscle. Here are a few examples:
You can start building muscle right away if you want the easy way out.
It is easier to build muscle if you lose weight first, as your body will remain lean longer.
When your muscles are lean, you can build them up more easily because they appear smaller and lighter in shape.
Let’s continue our conversation about whether I should lose weight before building muscle.
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Lose weight first to stay leaner for a longer period of time
Your muscles are significantly smaller when you first begin your journey to weight loss, so it is extremely difficult to build muscle.
You’ll see your muscle mass grow as time goes on.
Your muscles won’t fill out as much if you lose weight before building muscle, but they would if you built muscle after you lost weight.
If you first built muscle, you would lose more weight; this is not the case if you start losing weight immediately.
You Need Motivation to Persist
Scales that continually go down will motivate you to continue working toward your fitness goals.
You may also feel stretched too thin after a period of time if you lose weight first, followed by building muscle.
If you lose weight before building muscles, you will be more motivated because your goal will be to reach a certain weight and not to build muscle.
Your flexibility will increase
You’ll be able to move more easily because you’ll be lighter than you would be if you began building muscle.
Consequently, your muscles will be able to take on the stress associated with the exercises that you’re performing.
As your muscles grow after you’ve lost weight, they will feel thicker and not as flexible as they would if you were starting from a smaller base.
Keeps you active
Keeping your body moving can be one of the benefits of weight loss.
For a quicker weight loss, you should eat right and exercise lightly.
If you lose the weight, you will probably still have just enough fat to keep you from getting too sore after working out.
You’re more likely to get stiff muscles if you start building muscle first.
Eliminates fat from undesirable areas
So that fat doesn’t accumulate in your body, you should lose weight first.
It is easier to lose weight when building muscle, as opposed to gaining muscle first.
In the event that you do not lose weight first, you are more likely to gain fat in your faces, stomachs, and arms.
When you lose weight first, you have a greater chance of having a leaner physique if you have any fat remaining on your body.
Confidence will increase
Finally, losing weight before building muscle will make you feel more confident.
Confidence is crucial when you’re working toward your fitness goals.
You will be more likely to achieve your fitness goals if you feel good about yourself.
To prevent too much damage, you may need to minimize your workouts when building muscle.
You will lose confidence and fall off the weight-loss wagon if you take a break from your fitness goals.
Build muscle before you lose weight, but there are cons to that
Although building muscle before losing weight is not prohibited, this method of training does have some risks.
As a result, it’s important that you learn about the pros and cons of building muscle before losing weight in order to get in shape by making an educated decision.
Weight Loss Takes More Time
Firstly, if you are trying to lose weight, you should reduce your caloric intake and exercise on a regular basis to burn fat as quickly as possible.
By doing this, you will prevent yourself from taking in unnecessary calories, which result in you gaining weight.
It is more difficult to build muscle if you lose weight first before you build muscle.
Muscle damage
In order to lose weight first, you must keep in mind there are no “safe” weights when you’re training with weights.
Your muscles will be at risk for damage even if you are strong enough to lift weights.
You will lose weight if you damage your muscles because you will not build muscle as a result.
Overtraining Risk
You risk becoming overtrained very fast if you build muscle before losing weight.
By overtraining, your body will break down muscle first before fat, preventing the muscles from being built.
To avoid overtraining, it is important to restrict the amount of weight training you do during this process.
Calories and weight are not strictly measurable
The more calories you burn each day, the easier it will be for you to lose weight.
Knowing the amount of energy you burn will make deciding what kind of food to eat much easier.
The exact number of calories you burn when building muscle is impossible to know before you lose weight.
As a result, your body may consume more calories than the body needs throughout the day.
Dehydration Can Happen
Getting dehydrated during weight loss while building muscle is very easy.
You cannot lose weight when you are dehydrated because it causes muscle breakdown.
So it is essential that you drink enough water during the day so that you stay hydrated.
You can become too big
Though it may seem logical to build muscle before losing weight, it is extremely dangerous.
Your jeans might not fit if you continue building your muscles.
Unless your size has changed already, you will have to buy new pants.
Injury is possible
When you are trying to lose weight before you gain muscle, make sure you don’t overtrain because your body may become deconditioned very quickly.
You will have a harder time losing fat if you become de-conditioned.
Having muscle imbalances may even make it difficult to lose weight.
Weight lifting during the process is important, so be careful about how much you do
Getting Muscle Before Losing Weight: How Does It Work?
In order to achieve the body that you want, you need to take things slowly and ease into it before starting to build muscle.
In order to decrease your weight, you will need to increase your activity level as well as monitor your calorie intake.
Trying to gain too much muscle mass at once would be dangerous because it would take a lot of time.
By developing each muscle group separately, you should take it slow and easy.
Thus, you’ll keep your body lean while building muscle.
The key to losing weight before gaining muscle is to eat fewer calories than your body needs in order to convert the excess energy into fat.
In order to lose weight before building muscle, it’s essential that you keep a consistent routine because your body will have a harder time burning fat if you stop exercising or take breaks from your diet.
Gaining muscle first, losing fat second
It will be a good idea for you to change a few things if you want to lose weight before going back to building muscle.
Adding muscle before you lose fat can be accomplished in some ways:
- Reduce your calorie intake to the absolute minimum
For muscle building, it is also vital for you to consume more calories than your body needs in order to store more fat as energy.
For those who want to lose weight first, they should consume fewer calories than their body needs.
It is recommended that you eat slightly less than 2000 calories per day if your body needs that many for energy. This will prevent you from storing the extra energy as fat.
- Sugar should be reduced
Your body does not require refined sugar, so you should avoid it.
You will be more likely to follow your weight loss plan when you cut back on your sugar intake.
- Increase Your Protein Consumption
The digestion of protein-rich foods, such as protein shakes and eggs, can help you to lose weight since fat and carbs are more difficult to digest than protein.
As a result, you will lose weight faster since your body burns calories at a slower rate.
- Snacking is not as good for you as eating
Most people will find it difficult to stop eating junk food cold turkey.
In place of eating snacks between your meals, you should try eating more meals through the day.
- Exercising often is essential
You can ensure your body burns fat faster by lifting weights and running.
In order to build muscle while losing weight, it’s important you follow a two-week workout program that aims to improve your muscles.
Exercise sessions should be quick and high-intensity by using compound exercises.
- Foods that are high in fiber
Fruits and vegetables with a lot of fiber will make you feel full for a long time, thus making you lose weight.
Therefore, in order to burn fat more quickly, you need to eat more fiber-rich food before you exercise.
- Get Enough Sleep
A sufficient amount of sleep is the best way to prevent muscle overuse.
A lack of sleep causes the body to start burning muscles before fat, resulting in weight loss without building muscle.
Be sure to get a good night’s sleep before exercising.
- Make sure you consume enough protein
You can control your appetite by keeping your protein levels at an optimal level.
You should therefore double your protein intake in order to avoid overeating.
- Drink water instead of sugary beverages
A calorie-free beverage like water is the best choice when it comes to keeping your body healthy.
In order to avoid this, try replacing all of your sugary drinks with water.
The decrease in energy intake will help you lose weight.
Drink plenty of water
Drinking enough water each day is crucial if you want to build muscle before losing fat because your body will not become dehydrated.
The process of losing weight is slowed down when you become dehydrated. Your muscles breakdown when you may be dehydrated.
In order to prevent negative side effects such as muscle breakdown and dehydration, the weight loss process must be slow and easy.
Conclusion – Should I Lose Weight Before Building Muscle
We hope that now you know enough about “should I lose weight before building muscle” that you can make a wise decision about how you will achieve your fitness goals.
It takes a little longer to build muscle before losing weight, but you will lose weight faster as a result.
There are too many risks involved with building muscle before losing weight, so building muscle first is not a good idea.
Consequently, I highly recommend that you try one of the other ways mentioned in this article in order to get in shape quickly.