16 to 24 weeks
Body Recomposition
A meaningful change in body composition without a significant change in body weight.
Reduce body fat and increase muscle mass at the same time, over a longer timeframe.
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Approach
Some people do not need to lose weight. They need to change the composition of the weight they already carry. The scale reports a healthy figure, the mirror suggests otherwise, and conventional dieting simply produces a smaller version of the same shape.
Body recomposition addresses this directly. Calories are held at or near maintenance, protein intake is raised, and training is structured to provide a genuine stimulus for muscle development while body fat is gradually reduced.
This process is slower than a dedicated fat loss phase. Scale weight can remain unchanged for weeks at a time, which is precisely why most people abandon it, and why those who complete it often appear to have been training for considerably longer than they have.
This program is less suitable if
This program is not appropriate if you rely on weekly movement in scale weight to stay motivated. It requires a longer view than most other approaches.
In practice
What a week on this program contains
A general illustration of the structure, using the usual ranges in the research. Your own week is written after the consultation and will differ in the specifics.
- Training
- Three or four sessions of about forty five minutes, structured for muscle development with strength progression tracked on the main lifts. Loads and repetitions are recorded every session and the block runs long enough for progression to show.
- Nutrition
- Calories held at or near maintenance rather than in a deficit, with protein set at the upper end of the general range, around 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. The aim is enough energy to build muscle while body fat is gradually reduced.
- The weekly review
- Once a week you submit measurements, session records and a short account of the week. Photographs every fortnight. Scale weight is recorded but is not the measure of progress on this program; waist measurement, strength and photographs are.
An example of a weekly review adjustment
Illustrative, drawn from the kind of situation that recurs on this program. Not a specific client.
- What was reported
- Week seven. Scale weight unchanged for the entire program so far. Waist measurement down two centimetres since week one. Main lifts up on every exercise. Reports feeling discouraged because the scale has not moved.
- What changed
- Nothing. The program continued unchanged, and the review explained why.
- Why
- Unchanged scale weight with a smaller waist and rising strength is what successful recomposition looks like. Reacting to the scale, by cutting calories, would have slowed the muscle gain that is producing the result. The realistic timeline set at the outset was restated, because this is the week most people abandon the process.
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Start with Body Recomposition
The form takes approximately two minutes. Every application is read personally and answered within 24 hours, including in cases where I believe a different program would suit you better.
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Free resource
A practical guide to fat loss on a limited schedule
A concise guide covering the five factors that make the greatest difference when training time is limited, including what to do in the week you would normally fall off. You will also receive one short email a week on training and nutrition. One click removes you at any time.