Let’s get a few facts straight:

• Muscle does not turn into fat.
• Muscle does not replace fat.
• The human body requires muscle and fat
• Fat does not turn into muscle.

Fat and muscle are two very different components of the human body.

To build muscle and reduce fat requires a fitness program that combines an effective muscle building plan with a sensible diet. Let’s address each.

Effective Muscle Building Plan

A program that is focused on building muscle and increasing strength usually involves free weight and machine exercises structured in such a way as to encourage the high intensity training of the major muscle groups of the body. High intensity training is accomplished by breaking up the workouts to allow for sufficient rest and recovery time between exercise sessions.

A typical plan may dictate that you work the chest and triceps on Monday, legs and biceps on Wednesday, shoulders on Thursday, and back on Saturday. This is just one example and there are multiple muscle group combinations and workout schedules that will allow you to maximize your training efforts. Again, the key is to hit the major muscle groups at least once a week and allowing time between workouts for the muscles to recover. Trying to perform high intensity resistance training on the same muscles day after day will not provide the time the muscle needs to recover and grow, and in fact, will usually lead to injury.

Effective Muscle Building Diet

The key to an effective muscle building diet is to follow a menu that is both rich in protein (the muscle building blocks) and also discourages the accumulation of body fat. There are many diets out there, but any meal plan that supports muscle growth and fat loss typically revolves around 5-6 small meals during the course of a day. Each meal should consist of roughly a 60-30-10 percentage split between protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Protein is critical for the support of muscle growth. Good proteins are lean cuts of meat, such as beef or poultry, or seafood, such as mahi or tuna. Good carbohydrates can be found in vegetables, fruits, and legumes. And, while fat requirements can generally be met through the intake of meats, nuts and seeds can also be eaten in limited quantities.

The percentage breakdowns between protein, carbs, and fats is important. But even more important are the total number of calories in each meal. In other words, portion control.Caloric needs vary from person to person and depend primarily on weight, body type, and energy consumption needs. Daily calories required also depends on your weight loss / gain goals. An effective diet will take these factors into account and dictate portion sizes accordingly.

Caloric requirements can be calculated based on an individual’s weight loss and muscle building goals.

There are many fad fitness programs out there. Many focus on workout programs. Others focus on weight loss diets. But very few present options for effectively balancing a muscle building resistance training plan with a build muscle diet.

Again, when you build muscle, fat does not melt away or change. To accomplish your goals around muscle growth and weight gain/loss, an effective program combining exercise and diet is required. To learn about an effective and comprehensive muscle building / weight loss program, check out the Adam Waters RTP Transformation System