Should you lose fat or build muscle first?
A simple decision for choosing maintenance, a small deficit or a small surplus.
The short answer
Most untrained people at an average or higher body-fat level can begin around maintenance or a small deficit while gaining strength; already-lean people can start at maintenance or a small surplus.
A practical starting decision
- Want to lose some fat and are new to training: begin about 5-10% below estimated maintenance.
- Already fairly lean and happy with weight: begin around maintenance.
- Lean and primarily want faster muscle gain: consider about 5-8% above maintenance.
- Underweight, losing weight unintentionally or managing a medical issue: seek appropriate professional advice before dieting.
Why beginners can often recomp
A new training stimulus creates substantial room to adapt. With adequate protein and sensible training, a beginner can often gain strength and some muscle while losing fat slowly. This becomes harder as training experience increases.
Remember: Avoid aggressive deficits. A plan that damages training performance is working against half of the goal.
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