Should You Lose Fat, Build Muscle, or Maintain? (Nutrition & Training Audit) | Ep 315

Wits & Weights | Fat Loss, Nutrition, & Strength Training for Lifters

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Book your FREE 15-minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment (not a sales pitch) and have me personally audit your training and nutrition approach or go to witsandweights.com and click "Free Nutrition Audit"

Feeling stuck between competing fitness goals? Unsure whether to focus on fat loss, muscle building, or maintenance?

In this episode, I share a real live recording of a 15-minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment with Sam, who wasn't sure which direction to take her fitness journey next despite already establishing solid nutrition and training habits.

Sam has made impressive progress with her nutrition and training habits but struggles with competing goals: wanting to build muscle and improve bone density while maintaining the lean physique she worked hard to achieve.

Having previously reached 14% body fat, she loved how she looked and felt, but found this difficult to maintain long-term. Now at 18%, she's hesitant about entering a building phase that might push her away from her aesthetic comfort zone.

You'll discover why the choice between building muscle and staying lean doesn't have to be binary, and how finding the right balance can transform both your physique and long-term health.

Main Takeaways:

Why "aggressive maintenance" might be the perfect approach for building muscle without sacrificing leanness
How to increase training intensity to improve bone density and muscle growth
The importance of strength-focused training versus hypertrophy for overall health outcomes
Why adding just 50-100 calories can make a significant difference in your body's ability to build muscle

Timestamps:

0:01 - Why you might be torn between competing fitness goals
4:11 - Bone density, muscle building, and training intensity
12:04 - Choosing between maintenance, fat loss, or muscle gain
15:44 - Why small calorie increases help with building muscle
19:44 - What is true maintenance?
21:51 - Improving bone density

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Chapters

1. The Fitness Crossroads Dilemma (00:00:00)

2. Sam's Journey and Fitness Goals (00:01:36)

3. Training Intensity and RPE Discussion (00:05:26)

4. Build, Cut or Maintain Options (00:08:04)

5. The Case for Aggressive Maintenance (00:11:35)

6. Training Focus for Bone Density (00:17:23)

7. Closing Thoughts and Recommendations (00:26:24)

467 episodes

#Fitness #Nutrition #Philip Pape #Training #Exercise #Workouts #Self-Improvement #Weight Loss #Podcasting Education #Health and Well-Being #Lift #Diet #Macro #Build Muscle #Fat Loss