“I want to build muscle but keep reading that I should get lean first. Is that BS?”
Sorta.
The gurus say you have to be lean before you try to add muscle. Some even give targets like under 10% body fat.
Why?
Broadly speaking, the leaner you are, the more insulin sensitive you are, which means better nutrition partitioning.
Surplus calories/carbs get “shuttled” towards muscle cells as opposed to fat cells. You get more jacked.
Conversely, the fatter you are, the opposite takes effect. Extra energy gets shifted more towards fat cells. You get fatter.
I’m generalizing BIG TIME but that’s the gist. So what’s the problem?
First, the separate phases thing is a red herring. You CAN build muscle in a modest calorie deficit. Your body will break down body fat to fuel it.
It’s not as effective as building muscle in a calorie surplus. If you’re an experienced lifter it’s REALLY slow. But it happens, especially if new to training. My clients do it all the time.
Next, most people I work with just want to look better, and that typically means fat loss. And the most visually impactful thing you can do with a physique is drop excess body fat.
It also happens FAST. You can lose 25 pounds of fat in 3-4 months and look much better, and have better health markers.
Building muscle on the other hand is slow. What you build in 3-4 months of even focused gaining isn’t as visually impactful.
This slow rate of progress is a reason I might put someone who wants to add muscle through a quick fat loss phase: to restore aforementioned insulin sensitivity but also to extend their muscle building runway.
If you start a muscle building phase on the chubby side you not only add more fat than optimal, you also reach the “uncomfortably chubby & can’t fit my pants” stage much sooner.
The longer you can extend a muscle building phase and stay lean and insulin sensitive, the more successful you’ll be.
Finally, as a coach, success is driven by consistency and compliance. These qualities are supported by structure and habits.
NOTHING teaches these essential skills like a strict fat loss phase.
If the goal is to build a big beautiful home, you must first pour a solid foundation.
– Coach Bryan