Arnold Schwarzenegger has shared his top tips for burning fat while building muscle and you'll be relieved to hear that it doesn't involve counting calories.
On his Pump Club app, Schwarzenegger was asked how he consumes the right amount of food to build muscle and shed body fat, and the 'Austrian Oak' was more than happy to share his muscle-building blueprint.
Schwarzenegger's Top 5 Tips to Burn Fat & Build Muscle
1/ You Don't Have to Count Calories (But Calories Still Count)
While Schwarzenegger understands the importance of calories, he recommends portion control and being in tune with one's body rather than strictly counting what goes in and what goes out.
'I have always done it by feel. I know roughly what to eat because I've done it before. And I can also see in the mirror,' says Schwarzenegger.
'If I've dialled back how much I'm eating a little bit but I look in the mirror after a couple weeks and realise I am not getting leaner, I can turn the dial back even more. I understand if you want or need to count calories to figure out how to dial up or down, but I am allergic to overthinking. It takes a lot of energy to think. I choose what I use my energy on, and for me, it's never been tracking calories.'
MH says: It's important to find a way of eating for your needs that is in line with your body and preferences. Some may find calorie counting helpful to facilitate fat loss goals, some may prefer other methods, like Schwarzenegger, but the principle of energy balance and calories in vs calories out still remains. Recent evidence published by Clinical Obesity suggests that there is far more to obesity than the notion that we should just 'eat less and move more', and it's imperative that we approach weight loss with a holistic view of lifestyle, health, individual needs, and socio-economic factors too.
2/ Improving Nutritional Choices
'Most of us, if we are being honest, know whether what we are eating is going to make us leaner or put on fat,' says Schwarzenegger. 'You can look at a plate with 1000 calories and know it's not going to help you without doing any math. I just think it is more sustainable to turn the dial of how much you eat based on feel. I've done it for 60 years. That's as sustainable as it gets.'
MH says: With improved nutritional choices comes a degree of prerequisite nutritional understanding. Most of us understand what food is classed as 'healthy', the difficulty is presented when making those nutritional choices on a consistent basis. This is why Schwarzenegger is a large supporter of building long term habits.
3/ Is It Possible to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?
'I do think it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time,' says Schwarzenegger. The science backs this up.
MH says: Despite it being believed that only gym newbies and obese individuals can gain muscle a lose fat at the same time, according to a recent article published by the Strength & Conditioning Journal, even well trained individuals can do so. This is called body recomposition (fat loss and muscle gain simultaneously). The article concluded that in order to do so we should focus on:
- A progressive resistance training programme with a minimum of 3 sessions per week.
- Tracking rate of progress, and paying attention to performance and recovery.
- A high protein diet.
- Protein supplements may be used as a means to increase daily dietary protein intake as well as a tool to maximise muscle growth.
- Prioritising sleep quality and quantity.
4/ Avoid Yo-Yo Dieting
You've probably heard of the notion of 'cutting' and 'bulking' from gym bros at your local squat rack. However, Schwarzenegger warns against it.
'I think the bodybuilding world was infected with this stupid idea that you do giant bulks and giant cuts. It is insane,' Schwarzenegger says. 'Why would you do that? Some of these guys I've heard get to 400 pounds in the off-season and then cut to 300 to be on stage. That's obviously extreme. But even for normal people, if your system is to gain 50 pounds and then lose 20, ask yourself if you can sustain that your whole life. You can't. It is absurd.'
MH says: For those who don't compete in bodybuilding competitions, the idea of cutting and bulking with large differences in bodyweight is to be avoided due to the negative effects it can have not only on our body composition over time, but also our mental and physical health. Evidence suggests that slower rates of weight loss are more beneficial.
'Even when I competed, my off season weight was 220-225,' says Schwarzenegger. 'In the three months before the show, I added muscle and got to 240-245. Once I stopped competing, I have basically just stayed around 225 for decades, sometimes leaner than others.'
5/ Sustainability Is Key
Schwarzenegger wants the users of his fitness app to achieve long term success, and perhaps that means taking a step away from the numbers and instead building lifelong habits. 'In this app, I want to push you away from overthinking and toward sustainable habits. If you have to think too much, I don't think you can maintain it,' he recommends.
MH says: His weight loss advice is in line with a multitude of evidence we have available supporting dietary adherence and long term behaviour change as a predictive factor in weight loss success.
'Try turning your dial up and down. If that doesn't work, track calories for a week, then turn the dial down and track for one more week as you learn what a smaller or bigger portion is. Then stop. Nobody is going to count calories their whole life. We want to build a system that lasts literally as long as you are here.
