What body recomposition is
The usual approach goes in phases: first you eat a surplus to build muscle, then a deficit to lose the fat that came with it. Body recomposition tries to do both at once: muscle grows while fat goes down.
Because one offsets the other, your weight can stay almost the same. In a trial of people who had been lifting for years, the group that ate more protein ended at the same weight (0.1 kg lighter) but with 1.7 kg less fat and 1.5 kg more lean mass (Antonio et al., 2015). That is why the scale alone cannot measure it.
Who it works best for
It does not go the same for everyone. The more body fat you have, the easier it is for your body to use that reserve to build muscle while you slim down (Forbes, 2000). And the newer the training stimulus, the more room there is to grow.
| Profile | What to expect | What to prioritize |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner or carrying more body fat | Clear recomposition over the first months | Lifting and eating enough protein |
| Coming back after a break | Muscle comes back fast while fat drops | Building the loads back up gradually |
| Trained and lean | Slow, small changes | Picking one goal: build muscle or cut |
In a review of lean, trained athletes in a deficit, the few groups that did not lose lean mass were the ones with more body fat, the smallest deficit or a training program that was new to them (Helms et al., 2014). In people with overweight, combining lifting with a weight loss diet took off 5.3 kg of fat and kept lean mass (Lopez et al., 2022).
How many calories to eat
The deficit has to be small. A meta-analysis found that lifting in a deficit brings smaller lean mass gains than lifting at energy balance, and that a deficit of about 500 calories a day is already enough to stop them (Murphy and Koehler, 2022). Strength, on the other hand, keeps improving just the same.
- Find your maintenance. The calories you burn in a day based on your age, height, weight and activity. The calorie calculator gives it to you in a minute.
- Stay close to it. Eat between your maintenance and 500 calories below it. If you have a fair amount of fat to lose, lean toward the lower end; if you are lean, stay closer to maintenance.
- Split your macros. Protein first, then carbs and fat. The macro calculator does the math for your goal.
Example: if your maintenance is 2,400 kcal, you would eat between 1,900 and 2,400 kcal a day. If you want to lose fat faster, that is a calorie deficit, and the usual outcome there is keeping muscle, not gaining it.
How much protein to eat
- At least 1.6 g per kilo a day. 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilo of body weight covers most people who lift (Morton et al., 2018). Work out yours with the protein calculator.
- More if you are in a deficit. In a 4-week trial with a large deficit and hard training, those who ate 2.4 g per kilo gained 1.2 kg of lean mass and lost 4.8 kg of fat; on 1.2 g per kilo they gained 0.1 kg of lean mass and lost 3.5 kg of fat (Longland et al., 2016).
- More if you are lean. For lean athletes in a deficit, the Helms review suggests 2.3 to 3.1 g per kilo of lean mass, higher the leaner you are and the bigger the deficit (Helms et al., 2014).
How to train to recomp
No lifting, no recomposition: it is what gives your body a reason to build muscle on less food. In people with overweight, strength training added 0.8 kg of lean mass compared with not training (Lopez et al., 2022).
- Train each muscle at least twice a week. Twice works better than once for growth (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). Use basic lifts such as squats, presses and rows. You can start from the muscle building routines.
- Add weight or reps. Log what you lift and aim to improve little by little. If your strength goes up while you eat near maintenance, that is a good sign.
- Add movement if you like. Cardio helps you burn more, but it does not replace lifting. For how to set up training for growth, see the guide on how to build muscle.
How to tell it is working
- Measure your waist. If your waist goes down while your weight holds, you are losing fat without losing the rest.
- Log your strength. Lifting more on the same calories is one of the clearest signs that muscle is not going anywhere.
- Take photos in the same light. One a month, same place, same time of day. Slow changes are easier to see in side-by-side photos than in the mirror.
- Watch your average weight. Weigh yourself several mornings a week. If the average drops fast, you are eating less than you think; if it climbs month after month, you are eating too much.
Questions
How long does body recomposition take?
It depends on where you start. In a tightly controlled trial there were measurable changes at 4 weeks (Longland et al., 2016), but those were people training six days a week with their meals provided. In real life it goes slower, so compare measurements and photos month to month.
Is it better to recomp or to bulk and cut?
If you are new, coming back from a break or have fat to lose, recomping usually pays off. If you have been lifting for a while and are lean, you will progress faster with one goal at a time: eat a little more to [build muscle](guia:ganar-masa-muscular), then run a [calorie deficit](guia:deficit-calorico).
Can you recomp if you have been lifting for years?
Yes, just more slowly. In the Antonio trial the participants had been training for several years and still lost fat and gained lean mass without their weight changing (Antonio et al., 2015).
Do you need cardio to recomp?
It is not required. Combining lifting and cardio cut fat in people with overweight, but lifting was what added the most lean mass (Lopez et al., 2022). If you enjoy cardio, add it without taking time away from the weights.
Sources
- Forbes GB. Body fat content influences the body composition response to nutrition and exercise. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;904:359-365. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06482.x
- Murphy C, Koehler K. Energy deficiency impairs resistance training gains in lean mass but not strength: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2022;32(1):125-137. doi:10.1111/sms.14075
- Longland TM, Oikawa SY, Mitchell CJ, Devries MC, Phillips SM. Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(3):738-746. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.119339
- Antonio J, Ellerbroek A, Silver T, et al. A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women: a follow-up investigation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12:39. doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0100-0
- Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014;24(2):127-138. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2013-0054
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
- Lopez P, Taaffe DR, Galvão DA, et al. Resistance training effectiveness on body composition and body weight outcomes in individuals with overweight and obesity across the lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2022;23(5):e13428. doi:10.1111/obr.13428
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
This guide is for information only and does not replace advice from a health professional.
