Fitness companies claim that their workouts will deliver muscle building and fat burning results. If you are brand new to exercise, these claims might be true. But you will find that the muscle building and fat burning effects won’t last LONG-TERM. Most companies will take these 3-6 month windows of their clients and claim that their workouts can consistently deliver these results. I will explain why it won’t last beyond that.
Burning fat requires you to be in a calorie deficit, meaning, eating less calories than you are expending. When you burn fat, you will actually start to lower your metabolism as well. Check out this blog post explaining this in more detail. When you lower your metabolism it forces you restrict your calories to a point where it becomes unsustainable. This is definitely not a good long-term approach to fitness.
Building muscle requires you to be in a calorie surplus, meaning, eating more calories than you are expending. When you build muscle your metabolism will start to increase. The reason we recommend that you try this, is because if you can increase your overall metabolism then it will become easier to go into a fat burning phase. When your metabolism is higher you will be able to eat MORE food and still be in a calorie deficit when you switch phases.
Trying to do both of these are contradicting. You will end up going back and forth and getting no where with progress. The reason most people get scared of going into a caloric surplus is because they will gain weight in the process. Most of it will be muscle, but some of it will be fat as well. But that’s okay because the fat is temporary. Remember you need to think long-term, do whats best for you know so that you can reap the benefits later.
When it comes to fitness everything comes back to the same main concept, improving your quality of life. Most people who I encounter are looking for the quick fix, but the reality is that improving your health takes time, discipline, and consistency.