#16: Can You Strength Train On A Calorie Deficit?
We talked about how important it is to have a caloric surplus when you’re building muscle. But what if you try doing so, while on a caloric deficit?
One study actually put this to the test by making a group of untrained women do just that: strength train while on a calorie deficit. And you know what happened?
They gained 2kg of muscle, lost 1.6kg of fat and increased their strength by 52-103% across the exercise they performed over 12 weeks.
One could assume that the results would have been greater if it were done on men. That in mind, another study was carried out.
We all know how deep the fear of muscle loss is in ‘trained men’ cutting back on calories. Luckily, we have a study that tested this hypothesis on them too.
18-31 year old men who had been training for over four years had the same results as the untrained women. Like the untrained women, more muscle mass, bigger strength gains and lower fat mass were all seen over a 12-week stint.
So we looked at both untrained and trained folks. But what about seriously trained folks? Another study checked that out too.
These guys also gained muscle mass and lost fat. Incredibly, their body fat went from 8% (already low) to a staggering 5%. All this whilst training for several hours per day.
Considering the three studies we talked about, I guess it’s perfectly safe to say you can gain muscle mass while on a calorie deficit. But why isn’t everyone doing it?
The process of gaining muscle while on a calorie deficit is a slower (and less enjoyable) one. In normal circumstances, strength training on a deficit is only done if you want to be lean AF. I mean lean to the point where the striations on your muscle can be easily seen.
So what’s the best way to go about it?
If you’re in the process of gaining muscle while on a calorie deficit, make sure you’re still meeting your protein needs. Up to 1.5 grams per kg bodyweight is more than enough.
Don’t create too big a deficit. To maximize muscle gain, go for a small deficit. Be sure you aren’t losing more than 1% of your bodyweight per week. Naturally, the more fat mass you have, the greater the leeway you have for a deficit.
Prioritise recovery through sleep. Devoid of nutrients, sleep becomes the single most important path to muscle recovery.
