The Skinny Fat Solution

It is the type of physique that doesn’t quite look chunky but lacks muscle tone as well…

There is nothing wrong with this type of physique. But if you associate with being skinny fat and your goal was to lose weight but tone up or lean out, than somewhere on your journey you missed a key component.

When you decide that you want to lose weight there is a lot to think about. Many jump to the conclusion that they need to hit the gym and do cardio, cardio and some more cardio. Then maybe 1-2x a week they will do an aerobic class or boot camp for some strengthening and..some more cardio.

During this process many will turn to the scale to judge how they have progressed. However, the scale should not be your tool of choice. It should be by observing your body composition. What many don’t know is that when your body composition improves by adding lean muscle and reducing fat, the number on the scale could possibly increase and yet, you will appear skinnier.

Having too little muscle and too little fat= skinny fat. The less muscle you have, the lower your body fat levels have to be to have noticeable muscle definition. This is why fairly muscular people can look good with higher levels of fat than someone with underdeveloped muscles.

So, you wind up with a skinny fat physique when you moderate/severely restrict your caloric intake, you are on a low protein diet, and you do excessive amounts of cardio with minimal weight training with an emphasis on higher reps.

The solution…

Eat a well balanced diet. Shocker. Make sure you are intaking enough protein to help build muscle and aid in recovery after your gym sessions. But also make sure to incorporate carbs and fats. These can be used as an energy source and the last thing you want your body to do is tap into its protein source and burn away muscle.

Hit the gym for weight training. Focus on using moderate to heavy weight lifting and aim for at leasts 3 sets with 8-10 reps. You can do cardio as well! However, the longer your cardio sessions are the more likely you are to impair your strength and muscle growth. Try to keep your cardio sessions short. Try a HIIT cardio routine!