How to Build Muscle While Losing Fat | Sam Shoe Fitness

I don’t know about you, but my goals in the gym change all the time but there is one constant that I am always hoping to achieve.

Gain muscle and lose fat.

This may not be as difficult as it sounds. While everyone is different, there are clear ways to reach this achievement.

Many people believe you have to choose one or the other, but that's not always true.

While building muscle and losing body fat at the same time can be more challenging than focusing on just one goal, it's absolutely possible, especially if you're new to strength training, returning after a break, or carrying excess body fat.

The key is combining effective strength training with a balanced diet, enough protein, and a small calorie deficit.

You will need to structure your training and your diet around not only building muscle through strength training and consuming enough protein but also dropping fat through high intensity training such as cardio and making sure to keep calories stable.

Cardio versus Strength Training

There is no doubt that doing some cardiovascular exercise is important when you want to lose weight and body fat. Some form of exercise that raises your heart rate above resting will allow you to burn calories quicker than if you do not.

For a fat loss journey, I recommend a few options. The most common client chosen form is steady state cardio. This would involve a set time or distance walking, running (outside or on a treadmill), swimming, biking, etc. This is a very effective form of cardio for burning fat, especially if you are keeping your heart rate in the zone 2 level. This would typically be considered somewhere between 60% and 70% of your max heart rate (a pace where you can still hold a conversation).

One downside to this, however, is how long it takes. That is why I often recommend clients to either move a little quicker in their strength training by utilizing techniques such as super sets (moving from one exercise straight to another with minimum rest) or circuit training. Circuit training involves moving from exercise to exercise the whole time you work out, so the rest time during the workout is very small. These techniques allow you save a lot on time. If you want to more information about how you do not need to spend your entire life in the gym, check out You Don’t Need to Work Out Every Day to Lose Fat.

The key to fat loss is to make sure that you aren’t losing muscle as you’re losing weight. In fact, ideally, we will likely want to be putting on muscle while we’re losing weight.

To do this, it will require stimulating and growing muscle through strength training. That is why I almost always recommend strength training to anyone who is on a weight loss/fat loss journey. If you’re preserving or building muscle while you’re losing weight, that means only one thing is reducing; excess body fat. To make sure you are gaining muscle, you need to be practicing progressive overload in your strength training.

Progressive overload is the process of gradually increasing the challenge placed on your muscles over time. You can do this by lifting more weight, performing more repetitions or sets, improving your exercise technique, or increasing the overall difficulty of the movement.

The result of this may keep the scale from moving much because while you are losing fat, you will also be gaining dense muscle. So do not get discouraged!

Keeping your heart rate high enough to burn excess calories from fat but low enough to maintain high quality form in your movement patterns, while using work out techniques like super sets and circuit training, seems to be a great sweet spot for losing fat and gaining muscle effectively.

If you truly just enjoy exercise like running or biking, please continue to do those things. Finding exercise that you love to do is always a high priority because it will keep you consistent. Fat loss is almost always a process that requires this consistency.

Nutrition

Without oversimplifying it too much, losing weight comes down to one thing, being in a calorie deficit.

You will want to burn more calories than you consume day to day. However, keep the calorie deficit small. An aggressive calorie deficit makes it much harder to build or maintain muscle while losing fat.

Exercise will promote burning extra calories as opposed to not exercising but the largest amount of calorie reduction, day to day, will likely come from what you eat.

I almost always recommend a balanced diet of protein (meats), carbs (fruits, veggies, starches) and healthy fats (eggs, nuts, fats from meats). A very good start to changing your diet to optimize fat loss is to prioritize protein with every meal. This will help to ensure that you're consuming enough protein to recover from your workouts and build muscle. Protein at every meal will also do a good job of keeping you fuller longer, so that you aren’t getting cravings throughout the day.

Try to keep the rest of your plate to as many fruits and vegetables as possible and try to keep refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods to a minimum.

To figure out how much protein you should be consuming for fat loss, check out my article How Much Protein Do You Really Need? Or download a comprehensible nutrition guide on the Programs page.

Another great effective way to jumpstart fat loss in a diet is to replace sugary drinks. Try shifting from full sugar sodas to diet sodas and do no neglect your water intake. You should try and consume between 11 and 15 cups of water per day, especially if it’s a workout day and you were sweating heavily.

Common Mistakes When Trying to Lose Weight

A common mistake I see with clients just beginning their fat loss journey is their expectations are just too high. It’s a slow process to lose fat. You have to think, it took you a long time to put on the fat that you have, it will take a long time to get it off.

Do not let this discourage you or cause you to end your journey. The results will come with time, patience and consistency. It will be worth the wait.

Another common mistake I see is people trying to overdue the cardio. As discussed earlier, I think cardio is a great technique for burning calories but you need to be smart about how you do it. If you start trying to run for an hour ever day right away, that will be hard to maintain and will be easy to burn out.

Incorporate 2-4 days of cardio per week aside from your 2-4 days of weight training. And again, you can almost kill two birds with one stone if you’re using high intensity techniques while strength training through super sets or circuit training.

Lastly, do not mistake the scale not moving for no progress occurring. If you are consistently strength training and consuming a balanced diet, it is likely not the case. In fact, you likely are building muscle and losing fat. A lot of that weight will offset each other. Over time, the mirror will show you more than what the scale does.

Conclusions

Building muscle while losing fat isn't about finding the perfect workout or following a restrictive diet. It's about consistently strength training, eating enough protein, maintaining a small calorie deficit, and giving your body time to recover.

Keeping a consistent gym routine of strength training using progressive overload and eating enough protein will put you in the ideal position to grow muscle. Making sure to include methods of cardio that increase calorie burning while keeping a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables and healthy fats along with your protein will help to ensure the fat comes off with the muscle gain.

If you're ready to gain muscles and lose fat but aren't sure where to start, I'd love to help. My coaching is designed to fit busy schedules with realistic workouts and sustainable nutrition habits. Contact me today to receive my free 7-Day Fat Loss Kickstart Guide, and let's build a plan that works for your schedule and goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yes. Many beginners, people returning to exercise, and those carrying excess body fat can build muscle while losing fat by strength training consistently, eating enough protein, and maintaining a small calorie deficit.

Should I do cardio or lift weights to lose fat?

Ideally, both. Strength training helps build and preserve muscle, while cardio helps increase calorie expenditure and improve cardiovascular health.

How much protein do I need to build muscle and lose fat?

A good guideline is 0.7–1.0 grams of protein per pound of your goal body weight. Eating enough protein helps preserve muscle while you're in a calorie deficit.

Can I lose fat without losing muscle?

Yes. Strength training, eating enough protein, and avoiding an extreme calorie deficit can help you maintain or even build muscle while losing body fat.

How long does body recomposition take?

Most people begin noticing changes within 8–12 weeks when they consistently train, eat well, and recover properly.

Do I need to do cardio every day?

No. Two to four cardio sessions per week, combined with regular strength training, are enough for most people trying to lose fat.

Sam Shoe is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach who helps busy adults lose weight and build sustainable habits through realistic fitness and nutrition coaching.