Skinny fat is the term describing an individual that is carrying a higher than normal body fat percentage with little to no muscle mass on their frame.

Generally, the fat is stored around the belly, lower back and chest area with skinny looking arms and legs.

There are many causes that lead to a skinny fat physique such as neglecting nutrition, high stress levels, inadequate sleep, lack of exercise or a combination of all, but now you want to make a change, so what’s the best route to take?

Should you bulk (growth phase) or cut (fat loss phase) first?

 

Traditional Bulk & Cut Dieting is Outdated

Traditional bulk-and-cut diets are antiquated and inefficient.

You’re probably thinking ( as I have in the past) “I’m going to eat a ton of calories and get massive and then I’ll cut all my fat away and look shredded and huge.”

You know what really happens? Your bulk ends up leaving you looking like the Michelin Man, and your cut leaves you looking like a marathon runner.

Thing is you don’t need to add layers of fat to add muscle, nor do you have to burn muscle to lean out.

Your nutrition should create an environment where your food goes toward building muscle, not being stored as fat.

The traditional bulking diet does the opposite of this: By always staying in a caloric surplus, your body becomes used to storage.

The fatter you get, the fatter your body allows you to become.

 

The Solution to Skinny Fat: Recomp Phase

A re-composition( or recomp for short) phase is designed to place your body in an environment where it uses fat as fuel, while building some lean tissue in the same time.

“What’s the secret?” You work with your body.

Fluctuating between periods of caloric deficit and caloric surplus will maximize the anabolic response of training on workout days while facilitating fat loss on off days.

By playing off the interaction between these anabolic and catabolic processes, you can achieve the best physique of your life.

 

How does that work?

Nutrient timing will be of utmost importance for you, primarily carbohydrates.

The best time to have carbs in this situation is immediately post-workout only.

Resistance training temporarily signals the increase of anabolic hormones in the body which among other benefits, increases nutrient partitioning.  

This results in the post-workout meal to be shuttled into muscle cells rather than fat cells.

Post-workout meal should consist of carbs and protein with minimal fat.

Post-workout nutrition replenishes the muscle glycogen stores to kick-start the recovery process, optimizing your performance for the next training session.

The remaining of your meals should come from lean protein and healthy fats from whole food sources.

Eating a primarily fat (and protein) based diet, your body will learn to prioritize fats as the primary source of fuel instead of carbohydrates. 

Processed foods or foods that come in boxes/packages should be avoided.

Often, they contain weird substances and additives that disrupt the digestive system and negatively impact your overall health.

 

Why not just “bulk” first?

Note* “Bulk” or “bulking” is referred to eating in a calorie surplus as a way to build muscle.

There are many reasons why “bulking” to gain lean tissue is not most optimal when you are skinny fat:

• Poor nutrient partitioning, favoring fat stores deposit
• Sub-optimal hormone levels – higher estrogen levels, lower testosterone levels
• Poor insulin sensitivity – insulin is the main energy storing hormone in the body
• Eating in a caloric surplus has a point of diminishing returns. As you body-fat increases, the excess calories will be mainly be stored in fat cells.
• Excess total body inflammation

These are some of the possible consequences of having an unfavorable body composition.

The guideline to follow is right around 12& body-fat, the body’s ability to build lean muscle optimally starts declining.

As that body-fat percentage increases, so does its ability for fat gain.

 

Fasting 

Fasting is an additional tool that can be extremely beneficial to your overall results.

• Improves insulin sensitivity (better nutrient partitioning)
• Potentially increases testosterone levels
• Improves gut function/digestion
• Allows for longer periods of time to burn fat as fuel
• Promotes autophagy (repair of damaged cells and regeneration of new cells). Autophagy can promote tightening of loose skin.

Since it takes about 12 hours to fully digest the last meal, fasting should be done for at least 14-16 hours.

Some go as long as 72 hours before the benefits begin stalling.

Intermittent fasting is a great method to use for turning the skinny-fat bod into a work of art.

 

Takeaway message

You can work towards muscle gain and fat loss at the same time (aka re-composition, or “recomp” for short), even though you’ve probably been led to believe differently.

Especially as a beginner, your muscles will be extremely sensitive to any stimulus given.

Your entire first year of training should be full of constant progress and results.

If this is not the case, I recommend you hire a knowledgeable coach to help you achieve your best physique. This will save you a ton of possible pain and discouragement.

Once you beat the skinny fat syndrome and achieve a lean state with some extra muscle tissue on your frame – 12% or lower body fat percentage – now will be a good time to switch gears and go all out solely on growing.

Cycling calories and nutrient timing still applies in order to minimize unnecessary fat gain and maximize lean muscle gain.

 

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So you want to drop some wanted body fat? Here i have broken down the process in three different elements that may be implemented in order to successfully reach your fat loss goals.

Just like with any other goal, an intelligent strategic plan must be determined in order to attain it. When it comes to fat loss, you must begin with the things that will have the overall largest impact and utilize the rest of the tools further along the way, as needed.

1. Nutrition
2. Training: High Intensity & Metabolic
3. Cardio: High Intensity & Low Intensity

1. Nutrition

Nutrition will be the foundation of your fat loss journey that will lead the entire way. Like Ying and Yang, nutrition must be set-up based on your training needs. If you are serious about losing fat and getting in shape, prioritizing nutrition will be essential to your success. Stacking up your home and fridge with the right foods and preparing your meals ahead of time will be key to staying on track. Plan, prepare and be consistent.

 

a. Calories in vs Calories out

In order to start losing body fat, you must be eating in a caloric deficit.

In other words; you must eat less than your body burns in order to tap into the fat stores for energy.

Initial drop in calories should be minimal. The idea is that you want to get the most out of doing the least. If you can lose fat by dropping 100 calories, do just that.

There is absolutely no need to suddenly jump into a big caloric restriction when transitioning into a fat loss phase.

That is the quickest route to hit a plateau and back yourself into a wall which can potentially result in muscle loss, frustration and discouragement.

When you decrease calories, metabolic down-regulation is inevitable. Decreasing calories too much, too soon will slow down your metabolism leaving you no where to go except ramping up a different variable such as more cardio or more weights. Not a good place to be. You may lose a bit of weight initially but you’ll soon plateau with a very slow metabolism. The moment you start eating normally again you’ll gain it all back and some. This should be avoided.

 

b. Macronutrient timing

Since carbohydrates are primarily utilized as an energy source, they are best consumed around a strenuous activity such as a weight training session or a physically demanding sport. Especially right after to replenish glycogen stores.

Timing your carbohydrates around your workout session is a great method to make good use of them and improve your performance in the gym. This will allow your body to utilize mostly fats for energy most of the day.

• Consume a low-carb breakfast that consists of protein, healthy fats and vegetables.
• Consume your carbohydrates around your workout – within 90 mins pre and post.
• Avoid eating high carbs (especially sugar) and high fat in the same meal
• Consume fast digesting carbs post-workout with fast digesting protein. Avoid fats.

Work-out days will be more energy demanding than rest days. Therefore it is the logical approach to consume less carbohydrates (primarily used for energy) and total calories than on training days since the body does not need them.

Cycling your macros will be very beneficial in optimizing your performance in them gym while keeping your body in a fat burning state the rest of the day.

 

2. Training

If you are transitioning from a growth (bulk) phase into a fat loss phase, training should not be changed. Most people immediately relate fat loss to high rep training which is not the case.

High rep training or metabolic training is only one aspect of it.

 

a. High Intensity

The larger the muscle, the more energy it will require to function and the more calories it will burn when used. Intense training using compound lifts such as the squat, deadlift and push-press with proper exercise execution will burn the most calories and more importantly preserve lean tissue.

When doing a fat loss phase the goal is not only to lose bodyfat but also to preserve as much lean tissue as possible. Having muscle on your frame is what will give your physique the ‘toned’ and defined look when your body fat levels are low enough to reveal it.

As part of your training plan, it is crucial to utilize some heavy loads in order to adequately stimulate your fast-twitch muscle fibers and maintain your muscle and strength.

If you don’t use it, you lose it. However, this does not mean ramping up your training intensity to the max. Starting your workout with a compound lift and working up to a couple of top sets of 6-8 reps with proper form will do the job.

• Compound lifts are your friend here
• Performing higher intensity compound lifts will require a drop in volume to account for recovery
• Exercise execution must still be priority, not just moving weight from point A to B
• 2-3 top heavy sets of 6-8 reps per compound exercise will be sufficient

Another great benefit of intense training is it’s effects on the metabolism.

Intense resistance training will induce in what is known as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), which means your metabolism will be increased and burning extra calories up to 24-48 hours post-workout.

 

b. Metabolic Training

Once you have completed your intense compound lifts training, incorporating metabolic training would be next in line.

Metabolic training is a form of high intensity training by utilizing lower rest periods. Circuits, drop sets, super sets and giant sets are all a form of metabolic training.

Metabolic training done for 15-30 minutes also induces EPOC allowing your body to burn extra calories even after the training session is finished.

Since the rest periods are much shorter and the reps are usually higher, the weight utilized will naturally be lower.

The “burn” you feel during this type of workout is lactic acid build-up which stimulates many beneficial hormonal responses such as increased growth hormone release and increased lipolysis which further aid in fat loss.

• Utilize metabolic training in the latter portion of your training session
• Start low and increase metabolic training as the weeks go on
• Lower weights, higher reps and short rest period

 

3. Cardio

 

a. High Intensity Interval Training

High intensity interval training also known as HIIT is an excellent method for body re-composition and fat loss.

HIIT is a form of cardio which consists of switching back and forth from a short duration of maximum intensity output to a low intensity output. Sprints, windmill bike, battle ropes, rowing machines and sled/prowler pushes are all a form of HIIT.

• Very time efficient if done right (10-15min sessions)
• Induces EPOC and elevates your metabolic rate
• Minimal muscle damage which means recovery is fast
• HIIT must be done with maximum intensity
• Avoid doing HIIT right after a heavy leg or deadlift session
• Utilize HIIT to break through plateaus along the way

 

b. Low Intensity Steady State

Low intensity steady state cardio also known as LISS is best utilized towards the end of your fat loss phase to avoid dropping calories further. Unlike HIIT, LISS only burns calories during the duration of your cardio session and does not induce EPOC.

When you’ve already dropped down your calories low enough and have utilized the other fat loss tools, introducing LISS will be beneficial in burning some extra calories putting you in a further caloric deficit and continue burning body fat.

• Easy, safe way to burn extra calories
• Does not induce EPOC or increase metabolic rate
• Use as the last tool in your fat loss arsenal
• Body adapts and becomes efficient fairly quickly, requiring you to increase the duration of your cardio session often to burn the same amount of calories

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In order to make a successful physique transformation and accomplishing your fat loss goals, a strategic use of these 3 major tools must be timely incorporated.

Doing too much, too soon more often than not leads to plateaus, frustration and disappointment. Utilize these tools as needed, nutrition and training as your base.

Slowly decrease calories and/or increase work output by introducing metabolic or various forms of cardio to get you past plateaus along the way.

You’ve been working out, eating healthy and still not seeing the results you are looking for. For the first few weeks you have experienced some progress but it seems like it stagnated ever since. In this article i have broken down four main variables to pay attention to in order to resume your progress and achieve your fitness goals.

 

1. TRAINING

Before any value can be given to a workout program, exercise selection or numbers of sets and reps, the most important variable that will dictate your results in the gym is exercise execution.

We are all built slightly different, therefore logically it doesn’t make sense to blindly follow someone’s else routine. How you perform an exercise is much more important than which exercise you do. Just because John the Biceps Guy says to do barbell curls for arms does not mean you will benefit as much or any from doing them since your body may be structurally much different than his.

Focus on learning the correct movement patterns for your body, making sure your muscles are fully engaged and doing as much work as possible with each repetition.

Allowing your mind to drift away into paradise while working out and simply moving weight from point A to point B is insufficient. A muscle must be put under mechanical stress and unless you are one of the 1% of the genetically blessed individuals, you must consciously pay attention to what your muscles are doing during your workout.

Lighten the weight if you have to and focus on learning the proper exercise execution for your body type. You will undoubtedly experience a new wave of progress  and results.

 

2. NUTRITION

This is probably the toughest part for most people. The workout part is only one hour of the day, nutrition part is the rest of the day.

Nutrition must go hand in hand with the type of training your doing and your specific goal you are working towards. It will dictate whether you will be maintaining your current physique, lose weight & body-fat or build muscle mass.

Once you figure out what you exact goal is, align your nutrition with your goal.

If your goal is fat loss then you must be eating in a caloric deficit. If your goal is to build muscle then you must be eating in a slight surplus.

Working out hard and eating whatever you find around the house hoping it will somehow get you to your goal or that your workout will cancel out the poor food choices is most likely not going to happen.

In addition, eating ‘healthy’ and losing body fat are not necessarily one and the same. At the end of the day, total caloric intake will make the difference whether you will be losing weight or not.

Eating healthy and losing fat most definitely can be congruent, but careful attention must payed to the amount of healthy calories you are consuming daily.

Tracking your food intake will simplify the process, giving you the opportunity to make daily adjustments so that you stay on track and get the results you’re after.

 

3. RECOVERY

This may be one of the most overlook variables when it comes to health and fitness. In a world where coffee rules, sleep deprivation is increasing. Regardless if your goal is fat loss or muscle gain, sleep and recovery plays a significant role.

Studies show that sleep curtailment decreased the fraction of weight lost as fat by 55% and increased the loss of fat-free body mass by 60%. In addition, the body became more adapted to the caloric restriction, burning less fat while hunger was increased. (1)

Sleep deprivation also leads to decreased insulin sensitivity which has a great impact on fat storage.

In an ideal world, 7 to 8 hours of consistent restful sleep would be a goal to strive for but sleeping less than 6 hours on an ongoing basis may be the culprit blocking your results in the gym.

 

4. CONSISTENCY

After you’ve assembled all the pieces together, you will require consistency to glue it all together.

No matter what you are trying to accomplish in life, consistent repetition will be the deciding factor whether you will achieve it or not.

Practicing your 3-point shot once in a while will not make you a great basketball player. Consuming your daily target macros once in a while will not help you achieve your fitness goals. Just like eating a donut once will not make you fat, working out once will not make you fit.

Consistency is key to your success.

 

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Truth is everyone  experiences plateaus because no success ever comes in a linear pattern. Assess your current situation and pinpoint what may be the cause to your stagnation. Make the necessary adjustments and keep chasing after your goals.

Change the plan, never the goal.