Can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
A Review of Strategies for Achieving Simultaneous Muscle Mass Gain, Maintenance, or Minimal Loss During Fat Reduction: Insights from the Last 5 Years
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Yes, if you eat the right foods and lift weights, your body can burn fat while building or keeping muscle.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 520 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Yes, if you eat the right foods and lift weights, your body can burn fat while building or keeping muscle.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 520 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Related Content
Claims (5)
People used to think you couldn’t lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, but new evidence shows it’s possible if you eat right and lift weights.
A caloric maintenance state combined with resistance training can result in simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain by mobilizing endogenous fat stores to support muscle protein synthesis.
When people are trying to lose fat, eating more protein and lifting weights can help them keep or even build muscle instead of losing it.
When you combine eating more protein with lifting weights, you can lose fat and keep or grow muscle at the same time.
Even super-fit athletes can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time—if they do the right things with their diet and training.