Body recomposition is the process of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. It requires a strategic approach to nutrition that supports muscle growth while encouraging your body to burn excess fat for energy. The most important factors for successful body recomposition are your total calorie intake, macronutrient ratios, meal frequency and timing, and ensuring adequate protein consumption. Read on to learn how much you should be eating to achieve an effective body recomposition diet plan.
What is body recomposition?
Body recomposition refers to the goal of losing body fat and gaining lean muscle mass simultaneously. This differs from the traditional approach of “bulking” to gain muscle followed by “cutting” to lose fat. Body recomposition aims to improve your body composition by increasing lean muscle mass and reducing body fat percentage at the same time.
This approach works well for individuals who are new to resistance training or who carry excess body fat but already have some muscle mass underneath. It allows them to see visual improvements in muscle definition and fat loss concurrently. Experienced lifters may also utilize body recomposition periodically to break through strength or aesthetic plateaus without gaining or losing large amounts of overall weight.
Body recomposition requires a coordinated program of progressive strength training and strategic nutrition. When executed properly, it enables you to sculpt a lean yet muscular physique without having to undergo extensive bulking and cutting cycles.
Calorie intake
The most important factor for body recomposition is getting your total daily calorie intake right. You need to eat enough calories to fuel muscle growth but not so many that you gain excess fat.
To determine your calorie needs, first calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is the minimum number of calories your body burns at rest to perform essential functions. An online BMR calculator will estimate your BMR based on details like your height, weight, age and sex.
Next, factor in your activity level. If you workout 3-5 days per week, multiply your BMR by 1.3-1.5 to estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If you train more intensely 6-7 days per week, use a multiplier of 1.6-1.8 instead.
Aim to eat 10-20% below your calculated TDEE. This moderate calorie deficit, paired with strength training, will maximize fat loss while allowing muscle growth. For most men, this equates to eating around 2,400-3,000 calories per day. For most women, aim for 1,800-2,400 calories daily.
Track your weight and body composition weekly. If your weight drops too quickly, increase calories slightly. If progress stalls, lower calories a bit more. Be patient – losing 1-2 pounds per week while maintaining muscle is a sustainable goal.
Macronutrient ratios
In addition to total calories, the ratio of protein, carbs and fat you eat matters for body recomposition. Follow these macronutrient guidelines:
- Protein: Eat 0.8-1 gram per pound of body weight daily. Spread protein intake evenly throughout meals.
- Fat: Get at least 20-30% of calories from healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, and fatty fish.
- Carbs: Fill in remaining calories from carbohydrate sources like quinoa, sweet potato, fruits, and vegetables.
This macronutrient breakdown provides enough protein for muscle growth, sufficient fat for hormone regulation, and carbs to support training intensity. Prioritize whole, minimally processed carbohydrates over refined starches and added sugars.
Meal frequency
Eat 4-6 smaller meals spaced throughout the day rather than 1-2 large meals. Frequent feeding helps regulate appetite hormones, provides a steady supply of nutrients to muscles, and prevents severe energy crashes.
Try to eat a meal or snack every 3-4 hours. For example:
- 7 AM – Breakfast
- 10 AM – Mid-morning snack
- 12 PM – Lunch
- 3 PM – Afternoon snack
- 6 PM – Dinner
- 9 PM – Evening snack (optional)
Meal timing
When you eat is just as important as what you eat for body recomposition. Follow these meal timing best practices:
- Eat a pre-workout meal or snack 60-90 minutes before training to provide energy.
- Consume a fast-digesting post-workout meal within 60 minutes after training to deliver nutrients to fatigued muscles.
- Include 20-40 grams of protein in all meals and snacks to maximize muscle protein synthesis.
- Avoid going longer than 5 hours without eating during the day to prevent muscle breakdown.
Properly timing nutrients around workouts and spreading protein evenly throughout the day will better support muscle building and recovery.
Ensure adequate protein
Getting enough high-quality protein is critical for body recomposition. Protein provides amino acids that are used to repair exercise-induced muscle damage and build new muscle tissue. Here are some tips for optimal protein intake:
- Eat 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily from lean sources like chicken, fish, eggs, lean red meat, whey protein, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.
- Consume a dose of 20-40 grams of protein at each meal and snack.
- Eat both fast-digesting and slow-digesting proteins. Whey protein powder is fast-digesting. Casein protein and meat are slower-digesting.
- If you are vegetarian or vegan, combine plant proteins like beans, lentils, tempeh and seitan to ensure you get all essential amino acids.
Shoot for a minimum of 120 grams of protein per day as a baseline for body recomposition depending on your body size and weight. Spread this evenly over 4-6 meals.
Sample body recomposition meal plan
Here is a sample one day meal plan providing around 2,300 calories with a 40% protein, 30% carb, 30% fat macronutrient split. This would be appropriate for a medium-framed man targeting body recomposition:
| Meal | Foods | Macros |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 3 eggs, 1 cup oats, 1 tbsp peanut butter | 40g protein, 45g carbs, 17g fat |
| Snack | 1 scoop whey, 1 apple | 25g protein, 20g carbs |
| Lunch | 6 oz chicken, 1 cup rice, 1 cup vegetables | 50g protein, 50g carbs, 10g fat |
| Snack | 1 Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup nuts | 15g protein, 5g carbs, 13g fat |
| Dinner | 6 oz salmon, 1 sweet potato, 1 cup spinach | 40g protein, 45g carbs, 17g fat |
| Total | 170g protein, 165g carbs, 65g fat |
This hit the target ranges of 40% calories from protein, 30% from carbs and 30% from fat. Depending on your own calorie needs, you can make appropriate adjustments to serving sizes while maintaining the same macronutrient ratios.
Nutrition supplements
Certain supplements can complement the diet and support body recomposition goals:
- Whey protein: Fast-digesting protein to consume around workouts.
- Creatine: Supports strength gains and muscle cell volumization.
- Caffeine: Provides pre-workout energy and focus.
- Beta-alanine: Reduces fatigue to improve workout capacity.
- BCAAs: Essential amino acids to prevent muscle breakdown.
Take 5-10 grams of creatine and 3-5 grams of beta-alanine daily. Consume 20-30 grams of whey protein and 100-200mg of caffeine before workouts. Add 5 grams BCAAs during training for long sessions.
Avoid proprietary blends with unnecessary ingredients. Focus on proven, research-backed supplements that complement diet and training.
Sample strength training program
A properly designed strength training program is essential to stimulate muscle growth as part of a body recomposition program. Here is a sample 4 day upper/lower body split routine:
Upper Body (Monday/Thursday)
- Barbell Bench Press – 3 sets x 5 reps
- Seated Row – 3 sets x 6-8 reps
- Overhead Press – 3 sets x 6-8 reps
- Lat Pulldowns – 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Triceps Extensions – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Bicep Curls – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Lower Body (Tuesday/Friday)
- Squats – 4 sets x 5 reps
- Deadlifts – 3 sets x 5 reps
- Leg Press – 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Leg Curls – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Calf Raises – 4 sets x 10-15 reps
Lift in the 4-6 rep range on compound lifts like squats and bench press to prioritize strength. Use higher 8-12 rep ranges on isolation exercises like curls and extensions for muscle growth. Progress by adding weight or reps over time.
Cardio recommendations
You can include cardio as part of a body recomposition plan but it is not mandatory. If incorporating cardio, perform low to moderate intensity steady state sessions 2-4 times per week for 20-30 minutes. Good options include:
- Incline treadmill walking
- Stationary cycling
- Elliptical trainer
- Rowing machine
Avoid long, grinding endurance workouts. Shorter steady state cardio provides calorie burn and cardiovascular benefits without negatively impacting strength and hypertrophy training.
Recovery techniques
Support your body recomposition training with proper recovery techniques:
- Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours per night for muscle repair and hormone regulation.
- Active recovery: Perform light cardio on off days to increase blood flow.
- Foam rolling: Use self-myofascial release techniques to alleviate muscle tightness and soreness.
- Massage: Occasional professional massages can aid recovery and reduce stress.
- Nutrition: Emphasize whole foods and vegetables to supply nutrients that support recovery.
Implementing smart rest and recovery protocols will help your body adapt to the demands of body recomposition training.
Patience!
Body recomposition is a slow, gradual process. Expect to lose no more than 1-2 pounds of fat per week while gaining 1/2 pound of muscle at most. Don’t get frustrated by week to week fluctuations in weight and measurements.
Track progress monthly by averaging weekly changes in weight, body fat percentage, measurements and photographs. If following the program consistently, you will see steady improvements in body composition over time. Patience and persistence are key.
Potential issues
Here are some potential issues that can derail body recomposition progress and how to address them:
- Not lifting heavy enough: Use sufficiently challenging weights to drive adaptation. Lift in lower rep ranges on compound exercises.
- Overtraining: Keep workouts under 60 minutes. Follow strength sessions with a rest day. Monitor fatigue.
- Undereating: If losing weight too quickly, increase calories by 100-200 per day. Ensure sufficient fuel to train hard.
- Poor macronutrient balance: Don’t cut carbs too low or protein too high. Maintain a moderate calorie deficit.
- Lack of progression: Don’t keep lifting the same weights every week. Progressively increase strength.
- Impatience: Stick with the plan for at least 12 weeks before assessing results and making changes.
Be consistent, patient, and focus on progressive overload in your workouts and strategic nutrition to see successful body recomposition over time.
Conclusion
Achieving simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain through body recomposition requires a precision approach but provides an effective means of transforming body composition. With a properly planned training program, strategic meal plan that supplies adequate protein and calorie deficit, appropriate supplementation, and most importantly – patience and discipline – you can lose fat and gain muscle for an improved physique.
