It is virtually impossible to build muscle and lose fat in tandem.

Few who understand the muscle building process will want to argue against this except the snake oil salesmen peddling their magic pills! Let us break down the muscle growth process in order to understand why one cannot do both at the same time.

Muscle building occurs through protein synthesis. Protein synthesis can only take place when there is a surplus of calories in your body. That is why you need to eat more than what you need for your daily maintenance to build muscle. Unfortunately even the with the surplus calories present in your system, not all of this surplus can be converted into muscle. Some of the excess must end up as fat.

When you train with weights and eat an amount of food the results in caloric excess you therefore gain some muscle and some fat. You can reduce the amount of fat gained by being selective in your food choices but you cannot eliminate it entirely while gaining muscle. Reserve this for the trimming phase after you have bulked up sufficiently.

The good thing about bulking up and building muscle is that it also increases your Basal Metabollic Rate. This is the rate at which you burn calories while you are at rest. With more muscle you will end up burning more fat with less effort even while at rest.

Start trimming down to get leaner as soon as you feel you have bulked up enough. Do this by performing cardio vascular exercises and reducing your food intake. The energy demand created by doing regular cardio coupled with the eliminated 'caloric excess' makes the body burn fat to produce energy.

Your other concern during this phase is protecting the muscle tissue you worked so hard to build. You can do this by making sure that your cardio exercises are not too taxing on the body i.e. Don't let the body have to break down muscle for energy. My personal preference is about 20 minutes of medium intensity work on the treadmill or Stairmaster every other day. Also don't stop training with weights but keep this at the maintenance level.

Something that might help is a supplement known as a catalyst. Taken about fifteen minutes before your cardio it protects muscle tissue during strenuous physical activity.

To recap what I've said, the amazing physique we all want-muscular, lean and well proportioned-can only be built by first bulking up and then trimming down.

Here are three simple tips that will help you get to this goal

1. Stick to an accurate caloric surplus.

Don't go overboard in calorie consumption. It takes roughly twenty percent more calories than your need for weight maintenance.

2. Pay attention to your diet.

Eat lots of foods that are rich in protein, complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats. Also drink plenty of water and avoid junk foods. Have a 'day of indulgence' when you can treat yourself to just about anything but otherwise only eat the afore mentioned foods. Without this off day, you will likely not stick to the diet.

3. Perform a little cardio during bulk up phase

Do some light cardio exercises even during the mass building phase. I suggest twice a week for no more than twenty minutes. This further reduces the amount of fat you pack on.

Again, you cannot gain muscle and burn fat at the same time. Bulk up first, then trim down. This two step methodical approach will get you the well sculpted muscular body that drives women wild!

by Don Demarco (Dr Muscle)