Why Building Muscle Mass Requires Weight Gain

While recomping at a maintenance bodyweight is possible… it will eventually reach a point of diminishing returns.

Skeletal muscle mass and body fat are both tissues, and they add weight to the human frame. Therefore, if your goal is to build a significant amount of muscle mass, or lose a significant amount of body fat, this should be correlated with changes in scale weight. Little to no change in bodyweight is unlikely to correlate with tangible differences in body composition long-term.

If your goal is to build skeletal muscle mass, then it is recommended that you aim to gain between 0.5-1.5% of your bodyweight per month. If your goal is to decrease body fat, it is recommended that you aim to lose between 0.5-1% of your bodyweight per week.

These guidelines allow for weight gain and weight loss to be achieved in a sustainable, controlled manner. Of course, this is provided that an individual is following a structured resistance training program coincided with a nutritious diet, appropriate energy intake with adequate protein, and ample sleep. In doing so, a trainee should be able to maximally build muscle mass while minimising body fat gain in periods of an energy surplus. Additionally, they should be able to maximally lose body fat while retaining muscle mass during periods of an energy deficit.

Let us know, do you purposefully undergo periods of gaining and losing bodyweight in a controlled manner with the intention to change your body composition long-term?