Society has conditioned us to be hyper focused on the number on the scale, and pushing “low calorie”, “skinny” and “weight loss” supplements. With all of this messaging, it can force the consumer to believe that weight loss should be the one and only goal, when we would argue that strength training and muscle building is just as, if not more important than just shedding some lbs.
When embarking on your fitness journey of kickboxing, strength training, and proper nutrition, it is important not to hyperfocus on just fat loss. Sure, it would be nice to see your waistline shrink and your arms and legs appear more toned-however actually building up the muscle that lies beneath the fat is vitally important to shifting your overall body composition, and reshaping your health-and here’s why:
When you start to lose weight and lean out, your hormone levels improve, and you set your body up for better insulin sensitivity, your metabolism & energy increases, which will make losing body fat that much easier. Adding strength training exercise into your routine of high intensity interval training (kickboxing) will support better joint health, help control body fat, improve sleep and mood, reduce blood pressure, help manage blood sugar, build strength and stamina, and help build stronger bones, too.
Did you know that muscle is considered highly metabolically-active tissue? This means that the more muscle you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate (or BMR-which means the number of calories your body burns at rest). Simply put-by increasing your muscle mass, you are priming your body for the ability to lose more fat.
Does the term “BMR” sound familiar? During your orientation you stepped on the InBody machine, which gave you a great baseline to see where you stand with your body fat percentage, lean muscle mass, and you guessed it-your BMR. These baseline numbers are important not only to create your caloric budget-but this is a wonderful tool to track your progress as you will get a total breakdown of what’s happening inside your body, and not just that one number on the scale.
At Farrell’s, we focus heavily on overall health transformation and building sustainable habits that will take you through the 10 week session, and beyond. At your 5 week check in, you will hop back on the InBody and you can see for yourself how your body composition has changed thus far. You may see your lbs of body fat decrease, and maybe even a slight uptick in your muscle mass. Building muscle is a slow and steady process, while overall fat loss tends to happen a bit quicker. Don’t let this discourage you! Continue to track your meals, eat within your caloric budget, drink plenty of water, get restorative rest, and hit the mats every day. Building muscle and losing fat aren’t mutually exclusive, and both are absolutely vital for your overall transformation. With a balanced workout and nutrition plan, you can in fact accomplish both body fat decrease, with muscle mass increase simultaneously.
Just starting out on your 10 week session with Farrell’s? For those of us who struggle with a body fat percentage of 25% or higher, you will likely see fat loss prior to muscle gain in your journey. Studies suggest that the higher your body fat percentage, the more difficult it is to gain muscle while minimizing fat gain. If you are starting out with a lower body fat percentage and don’t have much fat to lose, your body will likely start to build muscle, first.
When it comes to losing body fat and gaining muscle, both have a lot in common when it comes to the process. For both, you need to get regular exercise, manage your stress, ensure you are getting proper rest and hydration, and fueling your body with proper nutrition of high quality lean proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. Don’t believe us? A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that for those who focused on high intensity interval training, strength training, ate within a calorie deficit, found those who ate more protein lost 27% more fat and gained eight times as much lean muscle mass.
Aren’t convinced? I challenge you to not skip strength days. Monitor your progress, and log your food in MyFitnessPal. Don’t skip your 5 week check in, OR your Test Out at the end of the 10 week challenge. You will truly be inspired to see the changes happening inside your body, just like I am every single day to see you show up for yourself on the mats!
Until next time, keep livin’ your life at level 10!
