In recent years, the message has spread widely that to gain muscle mass you need a caloric surplus and a deficit to lose fat. I myself refer to this simplification since it is just that, a simplification and the best way forward to achieve one of these objectives.
However, in physiology things are more complicated than we popularizers strive to simplify.
In this article we want to talk about a situation that we could consider extreme. In this article we are going to talk about whether it is possible to gain muscle mass while in a caloric deficit.
What thermodynamics tells us
![Is it possible to gain muscle by reducing your caloric intake? r](https://i.blogs.es/094718/1366_2000/450_1000.jpeg)
You have probably heard someone say that gaining muscle mass and losing fat at the same time is impossible since it clashes head-on with the laws of thermodynamics.
Basically, the issue can be summed up as follows: to gain muscle you need to accumulate energy and to lose fat, you need to spend it. In terms of calories you should eat more than you spend or less.
This, according to the first law of thermodynamics is true. The energy cannot disappear, it has to be transferred or converted into something else, like muscle. Or vice versa, the destruction of fat can release energy if we do not consume it through food.
However, drawing the conclusion that we necessarily need a surplus to gain muscle and a deficit to lose fat is false since both tissues are different in both metabolism and function. In addition, the muscle does not only require energy but also substrates such as water, various types of proteins and, yes, glycogen and triglycerides, which are energy in themselves.
We have to give them water and proteins, but energy could well be acquired from their own fat reserves, that is, we have accepted that the energy our body uses comes only from the outside, from the diet we follow. but we also have stores in our own body from which it can be obtained.
Actually, I have worked with cases in which muscle mass has been gained in a theoretical caloric deficit or at least with many fewer calories than they would have prescribed if that person had been in surplus to use. If the training stimulus is the right type and magnitude, you can gain muscle mass and even lose fat at the same time.
Thermodynamics only tells us that energy is gained in surplus and energy is lost in deficit, but it tells us nothing about how the different tissues in the body are compartmentalized or how this affects body composition.
What do the studies say about gaining muscle mass in a caloric deficit?
![Is it possible to gain muscle by reducing your caloric intake? r](https://i.blogs.es/7a60ad/1366_2000/450_1000.jpeg)
In networks, we promoters constantly repeat that a surplus is necessary to gain muscle. Many really believe it that way, and others among whom I include myself we simply say it for simplicity since it really is the fastest and most efficient.
As for what the studies say, to give a few examples:
- A review concluded in 2020 that although many suggest that this only occurs in untrained or overweight or obese populations, there is a substantial amount of literature showing that this phenomenon occurs even in trained, non-overweight people.
- Another study with elite gymnasts carried out in 2012 observed how the participants lost from 7 to 5% fat in approximately 30 days. In parallel they gained about 300-400 grams of muscle mass.
If you take a look at the literature, it is quite common to find findings of this type, another thing is that they are of sufficient magnitude to justify them when putting them into practice.
By way of conclusion, gaining muscle in a caloric deficit is possible and everyone could aspire to it. Nevertheless great dedication and adherence to a carefully scheduled training program is required.
It must also be said that although this phenomenon is possible in trained people, the more advanced you are and the better your body composition is, the more difficult it becomes.
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