When we follow a diet to lose weight, it is important to take into account the need to try to keep the muscle mass as intact as possible, both for aesthetic reasons and for health.
Carrying out a dissociated diet step by step or the Cornish diet will be a good option, but only if we take into account the advice that we are going to give you so that you know how to lose weight without losing muscle mass.
In general, the fact of reducing calories and losing weight causes us to lose some muscle mass, but by following a few small indications you can deal with it to try to achieve the best result.
The importance of weight training
If you want to know how to lose weight without losing muscle mass, it is important that you maintain a low-calorie diet with which you can preserve muscle mass, but that is accompanied by physical exercise.
A low-calorie diet without accompanying it will lead to the loss of muscle mass, while if you bet on sports practice you will favor getting rid of fat while managing to maintain a large part of your muscle mass.
When talking about exercise we have to indicate that resistance exercise with weights, although in the case of older people aerobic exercise can also be really useful to be able to maintain your physical condition while you get rid of fat.
Deficit control
Physical exercise has been shown to be the key to being able to lose weight without losing muscle mass, although you must bear in mind that no matter how much you manage to train, in the event that there is an excessive caloric deficit, it will mean loss of muscle mass. According to experts, the recommendation is that you bet on a deficit of 500 kcal.
Below this amount, and the greater the deficit, the greater the loss of muscle mass. For this reason, the deficit must be controlled and not exceed the figure in order to preserve the muscle.
Controlled weight loss
Losing weight too fast is something many people are looking for. However, different studies have shown that this is negative and that, in addition, it generates the loss of muscle mass.
When we lose a lot of weight in a short time, we will be reducing the deficit in excess, and we will also cause changes in our body at a hormonal, physiological and psychological level, which negatively influence us when it comes to conserving muscle.
In this case, it must be taken into account that, in addition to losing muscle mass, sports performance is reduced; and different health indicators also worsen.
Protein boost
When you’re on a low-calorie diet, you should increase your protein intake to preserve muscle mass. However, it should be noted that the amount is not completely clear.
Some say that you should eat between 1.5 and 1.8 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. However, there are others who claim that there are more benefits with amounts that are above 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. In any case, it is clear that protein is beneficial during weight loss in order to preserve muscle.
Exercises to burn more fat in the gym
If you are struggling to get rid of excess fat in your body, in addition to the above, it is advisable that you carry out a series of exercises that promote greater fat burning.
There are a large number of exercises that combine perfectly with muscle training. They are high-intensity exercises that allow us to activate the metabolism to the maximum while toning our muscles.
In this case we are going to talk about a series of exercises that are key in your training routines to be able to burn more fat in the gym. Some of the most recommended exercises for this are the following:
- Burgees to burn fat. Burgees are a classic when it comes to burning fat, and our body is only necessary to be able to do this exercise. About 12 repetitions should be performed in four series.
- Barbell man maker. This is a variation of the previous ones, differing in that a bar with two disks will be used, one on each side, which will serve to change the way of performing the exercise and the results.
- Jump rope. A key exercise for burning fat is jumping rope. It is an exercise that helps us speed up the metabolism, thus getting rid of excess fat. In addition, it serves to develop important coordination work.
- Medicine balls. Medicine ball exercises also help burn fat. In addition to working explosive strength, it speeds up metabolism to a great extent. With the right movements they will help us to achieve results that will be incredible.
