How to Lose Weight & Gain Muscle Fast

A commonly strived for fitness goal is to lose weight while gaining muscle fast. However, to achieve these two opposing goals at the same time requires following a specific formula involving both proper nutrition and a strong workout program.

Instructions

1

In order to lose weight you need to burn off more calories everyday than you ingest through diet, and to gain muscle you need to essentially eat more calories than you otherwise need. The good news is that lifting weights burns calories, and the muscle you build will burn more calories as well.

2

Set a specific weight you want to reach and a date you want to reach it by. Blindly hoping to just "improve" or "feel better" may sound like realistic and effective ways to begin your journey, however, specifically laid out goals are the ones that are easiest to achieve.

3

Follow a strict workout strategy that you plan ahead of time. Having a schedule of when you are supposed to workout will help motivate you to follow through and get you to the gym. You should plan on four weightlifting sessions and one additional workout to lose weight and gain muscle fast.

4

Eat one gram of protein for every pound of your ideal body weight. If you want to be 175 pounds, you should eat 175 grams of protein everyday. But you still want to lose weight, so constrict your total calories each day to roughly 2,000.

5

Do the math. If your goal is to eat no more than 2,000 calories per day, every 100 calories is 5 percent of that total. With experience you'll learn that most pieces of bread are about 100 calories and with other basic estimations you can quickly add up how much you have eaten and plan your meals accordingly.

6

Eating five-seven small meals throughout the day will keep your metabolism revving and your body burning calories. This not only helps you lose weight, but enables you to meet your protein requirements and provide a more sustained energy level all day long.

7

Eating within one hour of completing a workout is essential to make sure your muscles can repair themselves and grow. Skipping this meal or delaying it can cost you considerably.

8

Keep track of your progress. Your journal should include for each day whether or not you worked out and what you ate. Use your total percentage intake for that day, if you estimated you ate 1800 calories, write 90 percent. At the end of the week note if you beat your goal, met it or didn't reach it and note any weak spots or places for improvement.

9

Use compound exercises. Compound exercises are movements that require the use of more than one joint. For example, when using a bench press both your elbows and shoulders are involved. Other great compound exercises include squats, dead-lifts and the clean and press. Compound exercises are intensive so they keep your heart rate up, torch calories and help you gain muscle fast.

10

Work larger muscles. By focusing on the largest muscle groups in your body you are helping to increase your overall strength level, metabolism and muscle building capabilities. Larger muscles release more testosterone, so by working them, you help your entire body build muscle more effectively.

11

Perform exercises with weights that you can only stably control for between four to six repetitions. Using heavier weights such as these help you gain muscle fast as opposed to lighter weights which are meant more for toning.

12

Finish off. With four weightlifting sessions per week, you should finish off at least two or three of them with cardio. Whether you use the rowing machine, treadmill, stationary bike or anything else, just use something that keeps your interest. Always start with weights and end with cardio machines.

13

Switch things up. To avoid hitting plateaus in your weightlifting program, change your workouts from week to week. That means pairing up different muscle groups with each other, using different exercises and performing weightlifting exercises in different orders.

14

Losing weight and gaining muscle fast is an ongoing process. After several weeks, take a look at your diet and your workouts and see if you are succeeding or where you are lacking. Change your strategy to focus on weak spots, whether they are physical or mental.