This is Part 2 of our series about making visible changes to your body. Most fitness professionals will tell you that it is possible to lose about 1-2 pounds of body fat in a week. This of course depends on how much you have to lose. These numbers come from the fact that one lb of body fat is roughly equal to 3500 calories. You must be in a 3500 calorie deficit from either eating less, or moving more or a combination of both to lose 1 lb over the course of a week. 2 lbs in a week would require a 7000 calorie deficit. If we break this down mathematically, you will need to be in about a 500-1000 calorie deficit a day to yield a 1-2 lb fat loss in a week. You could try to go about this faster but how sustainable does it sound being at a 1500-2000 calorie deficit every day? Furthermore, how much energy do you think you will have to do other things?
Muscle gain is on a much different curve and is highly related to how long you have been training. How long you have been training is known as your training age. This does not mean how long you have been exercising or doing a few group fitness classes here and there. This means how long you have been consistently using resistance training with a progressive overload focus. With each year you have been lifting, the potential to gain muscle decreases. It breaks down as follows:
Newbie – 2lbs per month in first year
2nd year – 1lb a month
3rd year – ½ lb a month
4+ years – ¼ lb-½ lb a month
Now of course there are always exceptions to every rule and genetics play a massive role here.
Training, eating and recovering correctly is what is key to all this. You must have proper exercise selection, give adequate effort and must be training muscles and movement patterns with the appropriate frequency of 10-20 sets per week to see the progress you are seeking. When it comes to nutrition, we need a system for being accountable for the quantity of calories taken in. Bulk = 250-500 cal surplus Cut = 500 calories under maintenance. Protein consumption must become a priority aiming for 0.7-1.0 gram of protein per pound you weigh. Sleeping 6-8 hours a night, going to bed and getting up around the same time and incorporating rest days are paramount for recovery. Although when you read this it is simple but none of this is easy. That is why we exist. We are here to help you through this process. We hope this information helps.
Good Vibes. Hard Work.