Your Complete Guide to Body Recomp - losing fat while keeping muscle!

 

Although challenging - it is possible to lose body fat while increasing muscle mass. This is called Body Recomposition.  To accomplish this challenging feat – you must have a comprehensive plan and meticulous execution.  

Body recomposition is changing the fat-to-muscle ratio of your body.  The challenge is that fat loss requires a caloric deficit while muscle gain is easiest while consuming a calorie surplus.   The trick is precise nutrition, periodized strength training and strategic supplementation.

Styku Body Scan

The first step is getting a precise measurement of your body including your lean mass, visceral fat, and fat mass, and the easiest and most accurate way to do this without spending a lot of time or money is to get a Styku Body Scan.

Advanced Resistance Training for Body Recomposition

The first pillar of effective body recomposition is a resistance training program to optimize muscle mass during fat loss. There are several key elements for a successful resistance training program.

Periodization for Optimal Progress

Periodization involves using different resistance levels and rep schemes to target the main inputs required for muscle growth: Muscle Tension, Metabolic Stress, and Muscle Damage.  This strategy keeps muscles constantly adapting, preventing stagnation and optimizing recomposition.

• Train each muscle group two to three times per week to maximize muscle protein synthesis while allowing adequate recovery.

• Alternate rep schemes between sessions:

· Day 1 (Strength Focus, 3-6 reps): Heavy compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses to build provide high levels of mechanical tension.

· Day 2 (Hypertrophy Focus, 8-12 reps): Moderate loads with controlled tempo to enhance metabolic stress and muscle damage.

· Day 3 (Endurance/Metabolic Focus, 15-20+ reps): Light to moderate loads with short rest intervals to optimize fat oxidation and muscular endurance.

· Mix in strategic use of heavy eccentric loading – this means using advanced techniques that allow for much heavier loading during the eccentric/weight lowering phases of exercises such as leg extensions where you lift the weight up with two legs then slowly lower the weight with one leg or doing the same thing with leg presses or other exercises. This is very taxing on the nervous system and causes a lot of muscle damage so be careful not to do this too often or you will overtrain.

• Exercise Variation: Rotate specific exercises every six to eight weeks to challenge muscles from different angles and prevent adaptation.

Training Volume

Studies indicate that performing 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week produces the best outcomes for muscle growth and fat loss.

Best Practices:

• New to Resistance Training: if you are just starting out great results can come from just 2 – 3 training sessions per week with just one set to momentary muscular failure for all major muscle groups.   Over time you will notice your progress will begin to stall and it will be necessary to add more volume in the form of more sets.

• Beginners: 10-12 sets per muscle group per week, split into at least two sessions.

• Intermediate: 12-16 sets per muscle group per week, across three to four training days.

• Advanced: 16-20 sets per muscle group per week, across four to six training days.

Prioritize Compound Movements

Isolation exercises like leg extensions and pec flies have their place, but compound lifts provide a superior stimulus for both hypertrophy and fat loss due to their high metabolic demand. Studies indicate that exercises like squats, deadlifts, and presses significantly increase post-exercise energy expenditure and muscle activation.

Best Practices:

• Priority Lifts: Squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, rows, pull-ups

• Accessory Work: Lunges, dips, bicep curls, lateral raises

• Isolation Training: If time allows, you can integrate isolation work to focus on weak links 

Diet

Resistance training is critical, but so is your diet!   To get this right it is essential to weigh and measure your food.   Eyeballing portion size results in big errors and can quickly stall progress.   If you want recomp it is essential to eat precisely  to achieve this challenging goal. 

Using a food scale and prepping your food for the week become really important or you end up missing meals, eating too much or eating the wrong foods which only derail your progress.  There is a reason you see bodybuilders and physique competitors carrying all their meals with them – it works!   There are several keys to optimizing your body recomposition when it comes to diet:

High Protein Intake

Protein is critical for body recomposition.  Research shows that a protein intake of 1 to 1.2 grams per pound of body weight per day is ideal for individuals attempting to build muscle while losing fat.

Best Practices:

• Aim for 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

• Spread out your total protein intake over four to five meals.

• Prioritize lean sources like chicken, fish, egg whites, and whey protein isolate or an Essential Amino Acid Supplement.

• For detailed information on protein sources and ideal protein intake check out this previous blogpost which includes information on the most effective (and low calorie) protein supplement available:   https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-importance-of-protein-during-weight.html

Calorie and Carb Cycling

Deliberately cycling your calorie intake around days you train can enhance fat loss and muscle gain. Taking a similar approach with carbohydrate intake allows you to maintain optimal glycogen stores and performance without overdoing it. (Excess carbohydrates can kill fat loss quickly.)

Best Practices:

• On training days: Be in a slight calorie surplus (200 to 300 calories extra), and a higher amount of carbs (around 1.5 to 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound) 

• On rest days: Maintain a caloric deficit (about 200 to 300 below baseline) and lower carb intake (around 0.5 to one gram per pound of body weight, prioritizing fiber-rich vegetables). Increasing protein further can help you achieve the deficit you’re after on these days.

Time Your Carbs Intake

Proper timing of carb intake can optimize energy for training without stalling fat loss.  Consuming most of your carbs pre and post workout is ideal.  Your body handles carbs differently during and after workouts because working out improves insulin sensitivity and pre-workout carbs help maintain energy during your workouts.

Best Practices:

• Consume one-third to half of daily carbs around workouts (pre- and post-training).

• Stick to complex carbs like rice, oats, and sweet potatoes.

Supplements

A proper supplementation plan can enhance muscle growth, fat loss, and recovery, making the recomposition process more efficient. The following science-backed supplements can help optimize your results.

Creatine Monohydrate

In case you have been hiding under a rock – know that creatine works and is one of the most research proven supplements available.   It is also very inexpensive.  Creatine improves strength, power and muscle mass and aids in recovery enabling more effective training sessions.

Dosage: Three to five grams daily, taken at any time

Whey Protein or Optimal Amino - www.optimalamino.com

A fast-digesting protein source that stimulates muscle protein synthesis, whey protein and in particular whey protein isolate helps meet daily protein requirements and supports muscle recovery.  An even more efficient protein source is a properly designed essential amino acid supplement like Optimal Amino.   Less calories for a big increase in muscle protein synthesis. 

Using Optimal Amino is something to consider – particularly if you are over 45 when anabolic resistance begins to take hold.   Anabolic resistance is real and means you become much less efficient at digesting, transporting and using amino acids and less responsive to resistance training as you get older.

Dosage: 20 to 40 grams of whey protein isolate post-workout or two – three scoops of Optimal Amino 2 – 3 times per day depending on your whole food protein intake.

NOTE:  It is best to choose a protein supplement that is NSF certified for sport or Informed Sport certified which ensures you are getting a high quality supplement that does not contain high levels of heavy metals.   Heavy metals are very bad for your health and can present in very high levels in certain protein powders - particularly plant based proteins and chocolate flavor powders because plants (chocolate comes from the cacao plant) absorb heavy metals from the soil they grow in.    Great brands include Momentous, Optimal Amino, Thorne, Transparent Labs, dotFIT, Garden of Life, Klean, and Ladder, etc.    Also organic proteins can still contain high levels of heavy metals because organic certification does NOT address naturally occurring high levels of heavy metals in plants!

Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB)

HMB is a metabolite of the highly anabolic amino acid leucine that helps reduce muscle protein breakdown while promoting muscle preservation during caloric restriction.  Research suggests that HMB can be especially useful for preventing muscle loss while dieting.

Dosage: Three grams daily, split into two doses

Caffeine

Simple, inexpensive and a proven ergogenic aid meaning it improves workout performance unless you know you have issues with caffeine.

Dosage: 200 to 400 milligrams 30 to 60 minutes before training

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplement

Omega-3 Fatty acids support joint health, heart health, insulin sensitivity, and enhance muscle recovery.   Taking a clean, high quality omega-3 fatty acid supplement is a good idea for all these reasons.  A great product that will not break the bank and is available at Costco and Amazon is Sports Research Triple Strength Omega-3 Fish Oil.  1,250mg of Omega 3’s per capsule, no fishy aftertaste and in the preferred Triglyceride form.   

Dosage: one to three grams of EPA/DHA per day.

Summary

Body recomposition requires careful planning and paying attention to the details.   Having a structured resistance training program that includes progressive overload and undulating periodization can keep you making progress.  Ensuring optimal protein intake with calorie cycling can help can effectively manipulate body composition and increase muscle while losing fat.. Finally, incorporating key targeted supplements like creatine, whey protein, and HMB can enhance results.

 

Nutrition Strategies for Spring Allergies

 

Season allergies to pollen and mold seem to get more and more prevalent each year with progressively more severe symptoms in sufferers.    Treating allergies with nutrition and nutrition supplements can have big advantages.    

Allergy medication most commonly comes in the form of Antihistamines, and there are some problems with long-term use of these medications.     It is now known that prolonged use of antihistamines decreases levels of acetylcholine which is a key neurotransmitter involved in memory and other important functions.   In fact, antihistamine use increase the risk of senility, dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

What are Allergies Anyway?

Allergies are abnormal immune reactions to specific agents (proteins) known as antigens/allergens, which include many substances such as foods, drugs, pollens, dust mites, animal danders, feathers, along with many others.  Allergies may also develop when an otherwise innocent substance has significant contact with an already inflamed surface (known as sensitization).  For example, when sick with a respiratory illness, respiratory surfaces are already inflamed and substances present at this time may be “remembered” as being foreign.  

Since there are multiple pro-inflammatory substances involved with allergies it is rare to obtain adequate control with single products/medications.  The most potent chemical mediators in allergies and asthma are leukotrienes.  Some leukotrienes are one thousand times more potent than histamine as stimulators of bronchial constriction and allergy.  

Interestingly, many medications that reduce one inflammatory pathway actually boost leukotrienes.  For example, Aspirin and other NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs like Ibuprofen) result in the production of excessive levels of leukotrienes in sensitive individuals although they decrease prostaglandins associated with inflammation and thereby relieve pain.  So long term they can create a more severe problem.

Asthma is linked to allergies and can be a severe and life threatening condition.   Do NOT try to self-treat Asthma – see a physician!

Strategies for Allergies

Try to avoid allergens by using air filters, regularly cleaning all surfaces and vacuuming and keeping your air-conditioning system on while regularly changing filters to filter out as many allergens as possible.   Remember your car cabin filter as well, and take showers and wash clothes after being outside for long periods of time.

Change your diet to reduce inflammation.    Dramatically reduce your intake of refined carbohydrate – sugars and starches - which drive insulin which drives inflammation.

Boost your intake of low glycemic, organic fruits and vegetables such as berries, broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, etc.   These plant foods contain polyphenols which are potent antioxidants and help to reduce inflammation and allergies without side effects.

Increase your intake of Omega 3 Fatty Acids from cold water fish such as Alaskan Wild Salmon and/or take an Omega 3 Supplement such as Krill Oil.    Omega 3 fatty acids will always reduce inflammation if taken in sufficient doses so this should be a primary strategy for allergy sufferers because they produce many side benefits.   The only exception is people taking any type of medication to thin blood and reduce clotting like Coumadin.   In this case the combination can be dangerous! 

Nutritional Supplements for Allergies

There are several highly effective nutrition supplements for allergies including some key herbs.

Local Raw Honey – it MUST be local and must be raw because it will contain small amounts of local pollen and works by getting the body used to pollen much like an allergy shot.     A tablespoon a day is as much as you need.   Many people swear by this simple and safe remedy!

Stinging Nettle Extract – this herb has a long history of effective use for allergies and freeze dried preparations seem to work the best and are best taken BEFORE allergy season even begins to put a damper on symptoms before they start – this is true of all nutritional approaches to allergy by the way!

Euphrasia Officianalis – aka “Eyebright” is an herb whose name says it all – it is highly effective for eye allergy symptoms.

Quercetin – is a flavonoid contained in high amounts in apples, peppers, red wine, dark cherries and berries, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and sprouts, and raw red onions.   To treat allergies, taking supplemental quercetin is the way to go.   However standard quercetin supplements are not very bioavailable, but there is a form of quercetin which are highly bioavailable (10 - 50 times more!).     This form is Quercetin Phytosome.  High quality brands using this form available on Amazon include:  Mercola Quercetin,  Natural Factors, Now, and Thorne.

This form of quercetin really works and not just for allergies - quercetin is proven to prevent and mitigate just about every virus out there.   It helps prevent viruses from entering the cell and replicating and also acts as a zinc ionophore meaning it helps shuttle zinc into cells where zinc can help defeat viruses.     At the first sign of symptoms double or triple the dose for allergies - it works for colds and flu as well.

To get a sense of just how powerful quercetin can be for prevention and mitigation of viral illness check out these previous blogpost:  http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2020/04/quercetin-for-allergies-and-inhibition.html 

Boswellia Extract – Boswellia aka Frankincense (yes the herb mentioned in the bible!) can be highly effective for allergies and other forms of inflammation including arthritis because it blocks the formation of leukotrienes!    To get the benefits you must take 5-loxin which is a specific extract.   Note that in some individuals 5-loxin can cause or exacerbate heart burn so it is not for everyone, but when it works it can be highly effective!

Butterbur Extract – this plant extract can be highly effective for inhibiting leukotrienes and allergy symptoms or side effects.   You need to take a standardized extract with standardized levels of Petasin and Isopetasin) and free of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids aka PA.  High quality brands include Life Extension, Swanson, and Enzymatic Therapy to name a few.   This product can also help many migraine sufferers and is a well-researched, proven treatment. 

NAC – N-Acetyl Cysteine - helps thin mucus naturally and boost levels of the body’s most important antioxidant Glutathione – every allergy sufferer should be taking 600 – 1,200mg per day!

You will also find combination of these ingredients in particular products, and it is worth experimenting a bit because if you find the right product or combination of natural products you can find relief without sedation and without the side effects associated with antihistamines and more potent drugs like steroid nasal sprays or oral steroids.

As always those on any type of blood thinning medication need to avoid most supplements because many plant chemicals thin the blood slightly as do omega 3 fatty acids.    Combined with blood thinning medication this can cause a serious problem.   It is always best to check with your physician to look up drug nutrient interactions for any medications you are taking to avoid the small chance of issues with a nutrition supplement.

The Benefits of the Styku Health and Fitness Scan

 

Whether your goal is losing weight, getting lean, building muscle, improving your health or a combination of goals, the Styku Health and Fitness Scan is a powerful tool for optimizing your results!  The Styku Scan should be your first step when focusing on achieving any health and fitness goal.

As the picture above shows, Styku allows you to quickly obtain an extremely accurate set of baseline body measurements and literally see your body in 3D.  This process is simple and involves standing on a large turntable that rotates as the scanning tanner uses harmless infrared light to obtain your exact body measurements from head to toe in less than 2 minutes.  You can perform the scan by yourself or have a trainer assist you and explain the results.  

The Styku Health and Fitness Scan Report provides a baseline for health and fitness including:

Current body measurements

Current levels of body fat

Current levels of lean mass including lean muscle mass and bone mass

Visceral Fat

Based on body measurements, body fat, lean mass, bone mass, and visceral fat the Styku Health Scan provides you with valuable insight into your current health status including current risk levels for:

Heart Disease

Stroke

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Diabetes

High cholesterol and triglycerides

Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

Certain cancers including Colorectal, Breast, Endometrial and Liver Cancer

Osteoporosis 

The scan report also provides specific suggestions for follow-up testing and clarifies how to reach your goals such as:

How much weekly exercise and daily calorie intake you need to achieve your unique goals by a specific goal date including:

Weight loss

Reduction of Bodyfat

Muscle gain

By repeating the scan every 4 – 6 weeks you can see exactly how you are doing and how much progress you are making towards your goal.  As you can see from the pictures in this article Styku shows you exactly what is happening.  For example in the picture below this woman only lost about 2lbs over 7 weeks of exercise.  However her comparison scan showed big changes in body measurements with a significant loss of body fat and increase in lean muscle mass.   She was smaller and firmer!  

To learn more about Styku watch this short video: https://youtu.be/uPqdWDQrxN0?si=vxfPQDo6cwfBfuUw

To get your Styku Health and Fitness Scan talk to a Workout Anytime staff member. 

How to Deal with the Spring Time Change

It’s that time of year again – we just “sprung forward” and set our clocks forward one hour.  Resetting clocks in devices is simple.  Unfortunately, your body clock is not nearly as easy to reprogram.  This can come with real health consequences.  An hour time shift does not seem like a lot, but your body runs on a tight schedule and this one-hour change throws us off.

Scientists have documented that the shift to daylight saving time in the spring, when we lose an hour of sleep, is linked to a much higher rate of attacks and car accidents.  The change throws off the sleep cycle and that is where all the problems come from. 

Over the last 20 years, scientists have documented that, in addition to the master clock in our brains, every cell in our body has a circadian rhythm and time-keeping mechanism. The body and cell’s circadian rhythm help regulate important functions such as sleep and metabolism. And increasingly, there's evidence that when our habits — such as when we eat and sleep — are out of sync with our internal clocks, it can harm us. 

When we disrupt our routines with erratic sleep or eating habits, it can increase the risk of metabolic disease. For instance, overnight shift workers are at much higher risk of developing diabetes and obesity. Research also shows that kids who don't have set bedtimes and mealtimes are also more likely to become overweight.

Regulating light exposure is key to regulating circadian rhythm.  It is the primary signal to turn on the body’s metabolic processes from sleep and rest to active and alert in the morning.

Maximize Exposure to Bright Light During the Day

It is important to maximize your exposure to daylight in the morning. This simple step is every bit as powerful as avoiding blue light at night.   Ideally get outside immediately upon waking – just five minutes of outside light can do the trick!

Outdoor sunlight is about 1500 lux on a cloudy and 100,000 lux on a sunny day while indoor lighting typically maxes out at 500 lux! Bright OVERHEAD light is the primary signal to shut-down melatonin production and wake up.

If it is too cold to go outside, consider buying a 10,000-lux light – ideal one that you can set to shine down on your face from above you.    

Minimize Evening and Nighttime Light

Exposure to light and electromagnetic fields from computers, phones, tablets, and T.V.’s all act as a stimulant, so it is important to minimize nighttime light exposure and blue light exposure in particular.  Blue light comes from artificial lighting.   Blue wavelengths – which are beneficial during daylight hours because they boost attention, reaction times, and mood – are disruptive at night.   Energy efficient lighting is packed with blue light as our electronics.

Turn off lights or dim them as much as possible.   If you must use a computer or your phone install blue light filtering programs on both that will adjust the amount of blue light emitted by your computer, phone, and tablets. Flux – https://justgetflux.com is a free program for your laptop or tablet and the Twilight app for your phone.   Both allow you to set times and adjust blue light output of your devices automatically based on time of day! 

You can also buy blue blocking glasses to use in the evening.   This may seem gimmicky but there is very well-done research supporting the effectiveness of reducing blue light in the evening through these and other measures! 

For night-time bathroom trips use a red-light nightlight as redlight does NOT disrupt sleep which is why you see it used by the military on ships and submarines!

Avoid Alcohol!

Alcohol intake is extremely disruptive to sleep and for many just eliminating it results in much higher sleep quality within a week.  Consider cutting down or completely eliminating alcohol intake particularly during the work week!

Stop all food and beverage by 8pm!

Ideally stop all food and beverage intake 3 hours before bed – late food intake can create digestive issues and late beverage intake can force bathroom trips disrupting your sleep.

Stay on a consistent sleep/wake cycle!

Get up and go to bed at the same time each day – this trains the body and mind.   It is NOT a good idea to sleep in on weekends – this just disrupts your circadian rhythm.

Minimize Caffeine intake after 10am!

There are slow and fast caffeine metabolizers and if you are a slow metabolizer it is critical to stop any and all caffeine intake by 10am!   

Exercise!

Yes – it’s true – for many a consistent exercise habit will dramatically improve sleep quality and duration!

Finish your morning shower with a cold shower! 

While this may seem unpleasant at first, cold showers dramatically ramp up the secretion of norepinephrine which is the brain's primary stimulant.  See this blogpost for the many benefits of cold showers:  http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2022/04/can-cold-showers-improve-exercise.html