You’ve worked so hard in the gym and on your nutrition to build that muscle. But do to being in a caloric surplus, eating above your body’s caloric requirements, you’ve put on a bit of fat. I’ve definitely been there!. So how do you burn off those extra layers of fat, and reveal that hard earned muscle? Give these methods a shot:
1) Use Conditioning Work: Conditioning exercises like barbell complexes, sprints, sled push/pulls, jump rope and kettle bell workouts are all great for boosting metabolism and burning fat, while also preserving precious muscle mass.
2) Keep Steady-State Cardio to a Minimum: Performing steady-state cardio can aid in fat loss, but too much time spent on the treadmill can bring your muscle-building to a standstill. When your goal is to put on muscle, keep cardio to short bursts with HIIT or conditioning.
3) Don’t Cut Your Calories Too Low: If you’re looking to lose fat, your first thought may be to drop your caloric intake significantly, but not so fast! Eating too few calories can lead to muscle loss and cause fat loss plateaus – the opposite of what we want. I suggest starting with a 10% cut below maintenance to shed fat and keep the muscle gains going. Multiply your bodyweight by 15, these are your maintenance calories. Stick to that for a while, and keep close tabs to how your body reacts. If you plateau, your bodyweight hits a stand still, lower your calories ever so slightly. Track your weight every week, until you start seeing progress.
Bonus Tip: It has been proven in studies that during a low carbohydrate and high fat diet, the oxidation of fat is increased during exercise, especially HIIT cardio (more fat is burned). In addition, fat is a much more highly concentrated source of energy than carbs. “A review by Hultman (1995) found that during a diet where carbs are restricted and a lot of fat is consumed, up to 70% of the energy requirement comes from the stored fat”. So don’t fall for that age old myth of eating fat makes you fat, that is a complete LIE!