What is Body Recomposition
You are eager to lose fat and gain muscles, so yes you can only achieve this with a body recomposition program.
Body recomposition is the process of changing the ratio of fat to muscle in your body by simultaneously reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass.
Unlike traditional approaches that focus solely on weight loss or muscle gain, body recomposition aims to achieve both goals at the same time. This method is particularly appealing because it allows you to improve your overall physique and health without necessarily seeing significant changes on the scale. This approach typically involves eating at maintenance calories or a slight deficit while maintaining a high protein intake
Body recomposition focuses primarily on two components:
- Decreasing body fat: Reducing the amount of adipose tissue that stores energy in your body.
- Increasing muscle mass: Building more skeletal muscle, which contributes to strength, metabolism, and overall physical appearance.
How to do body recomposition properly?
You need to take your calorie deficit dieting and exercise seriously.
You may think doing all the push-ups, benches and pranks will make your body recompose. But that is a lie!
This is a lie that may cause you to start gaining weight.
Here is the perfect formula for body recomposition:
Calorie Deficit + Exercise + Patience = Body recomposition.
Patience is another key variable people don’t talk a lot about. Stop worrying about how long body recomposition takes. The timeline can vary depending on factors such as your starting point, consistency, and genetics. However, noticeable changes typically begin to appear within 8-12 weeks of dedicated effort.
Nonetheless, you have more control on your diet and exercise routine. So you can start by leveraging these variables to work in your favour.
Now let’s see what to eat for body recomposition.
Best body recomposition diet
Most people are already eating “healthy food” and have reduced their intake of junk food and other fatty foods….Yet they’re still growing fat, especially in their tummy area.
Hence, just ‘diet’ won’t give you your dream body. You’ve to be on a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body burns in a day. For example, if your body burns 2,000 calories per day and you eat 1,700 calories, you’re in a 300-calorie deficit. This forces your body to use stored fat as energy to make up for the missing calories, leading to fat loss.
So you have to know how to calculate the amount of calories you need to deficit on to enable you to create the best body recomposition diet.
However, a general rule of thumb that has helped me in the perfect body recomposition diet is “Potion control” & “Food Color Method”.
Portion control is about eating your 3 square meals in small sizes throughout the day. Here’s the key principle: you’re not to eat in between meals. This means in a day, you can only eat 3 times – morning, afternoon, and evening. Within these times, you eat in small portions and ensure you drink enough water.
The benefits of this approach:
- It helps regulate your metabolism
- Gives your body clear eating and digesting periods
- Makes it easier to track your calorie intake
- Reduces the likelihood of overeating
For example, the image below shows my food intake size and combination.
The Food Color Method is equally important as it ensures you have a mix of vegetables and protein sources in every meal. I love this approach because it makes my plate look pretty. But beyond pretty plates, you’re eating a food with lots of nutrition
Why colors matter:
- Natural colors indicate different nutrients
- More colors = more variety of vitamins and minerals
- Higher volume of vegetables helps you feel full while staying in a calorie deficit
This is a sample diet plan for 1 week:
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| 1 | 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1 tbsp chia seeds and Greek yogurt | Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomato | Grilled chicken breast with steamed broccoli and 1/2 cup brown rice |
| 2 | Lean ground beef with taco seasoning, lettuce, and tomato, in corn tortillas | Tuna salad (canned tuna, Greek yogurt, celery) with cucumber slices | Baked salmon with roasted mixed vegetables (frozen veggie mix) |
| 3 | Greek yogurt with berries and a sprinkle of low-fat granola | Chicken salad (leftover chicken, Greek yogurt, grapes) on lettuce | Bean and vegetable soup (canned beans, frozen mixed veggies) |
| 4 | Whole wheat English muffin with 1 tbsp peanut butter and banana slices | Whole wheat pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and Italian dressing | Stir-fry with tofu, frozen mixed vegetables, and soy sauce |
| 5 | 1/2 cup cottage cheese with sliced peaches (canned in water) | Turkey and cheese roll-ups with baby carrots | Baked chicken thighs with roasted sweet potato and green beans |
| 6 | 2 hard-boiled eggs with an apple | Lentil soup (canned) with a side salad | Baked tilapia with lemon, roasted zucchini, and yellow squash |
| 7 | Overnight oats: 1/2 cup oats, milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds | Egg salad (hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt) on whole wheat bread | Baked tilapia with lemon, roasted zucchini and yellow squash |
I have created a 30 best calorie deficit meal plan for you to choose and have variety.
If you follow a strict and proper calorie deficit, you will start losing weight within 1 week. This is why you need exercise to tone your body as you lose fat.
Best Body Recomposition Workout Plan
I want to share another uncommon tea about workout that will guarantee a fast body recomposition plan.
You have to have days assigned for each part of the body. Specifically, have days assigned for;
- Upper body workout
- Lower body workout
- Full body workout
Then for each day you exercise, do cardio exercise. I recommend you do cardio last before leaving the gym.
1. Upper Body Workout
Focus on exercises that strengthen your chest, shoulders, arms, and back. Examples include:
– Bench Press
– Shoulder Press
– Rows
– Tricep Extensions
– Lateral Raises
– Push-Ups
– Assisted Pull-Ups
– Bicep Curls
If you’re new to these exercises, start with 10 reps per set. After the first week, you can progress by adding 2 more reps per set, working your way up to 15 reps. This allows you to master the proper form before gradually increasing the difficulty.
2. Lower Body Workout
Here, you’ll focus on your legs and core. Some great exercises to include are:
– Hip Thrusts
– Bulgarian Split Squats
– Sumo Squats
– Leg Press
– Hip Extensions
– Calf Raises
– Deadlifts
– Lunges
– Core Exercises (e.g. Planks, Russian Twists, Mountain Climbers)
Again, start light with 10 reps per set, then increase by 2 reps per week as you build strength and confidence with the movements.
3. Full Body Workout
This routine hits all the major muscle groups in one session. Focus on compound exercises like:
– Push-Ups
– Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldowns
– Bodyweight Squats
– Planks
– Russian Twists
– Mountain Climbers
Aim for 3 sets of each exercise, starting with 10-15 reps and progressing over time.
Tips for Success
You can structure your workouts plan to be like this:
| Days | Workout | Exercise |
| Monday | Upper Body | Bench Press Shoulder Press Seated Rows Tricep Extensions Lateral Raises Push-Ups Assisted Pull-Ups Bicep Curls |
| Tuesday | Lower Boby | Hip Thrusts Bulgarian Split Squats Sumo Squats Leg Press Hip Extensions Calf Raises Deadlifts Reverse Lunges Plank Russian Twists Mountain Climbers |
| Wednesday | Rest | |
| Thursday | Upper Body | Same as Monday |
| Friday | Lower Body | Same as Tuesday |
| Saturday | Full body | Push-Ups or Bench Press Pull-Ups/ Pull-downs Squats Deadlifts Plank Russian Twists Shoulder Press Movement Rows for Back Lunges for Legs Mountain Climbers |
| Sunday | Rest |
Note that you ought to prioritize proper formation before increasing weight or reps. Then, do a 20- 30 minute inclined walk on a treadmill, but if you have no access to a treadmill, you can take a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes. This is an effective cardio exercise.
Following this workout plan will target different muscle groups, stimulate growth, and burn fat for an impressive body recomposition transformation.
Remember, use the formula for body recomposition to work:
Calorie Deficit + Exercise + Patience = Body recomposition.
FAQ on Body Recomposition
is body recomposition better than bulking
Body recomposition tends to be better than bulking because it offers a more sustainable, healthier approach to improving body composition, though it requires more patience and precision in exercise and calorie deficit.
Nonetheless, the “better” approach ultimately depends on individual factors including your starting point, specific goals, timeline, lifestyle factors, training experience, genetic factors, and personal preferences.
Body recomposition and bulking are two distinct approaches to building muscle and improving physique, each with its own merits and ideal use cases. Body recomposition refers to the process of simultaneously losing fat and gaining muscle while maintaining approximately the same body weight. Bulking, on the other hand, involves intentionally eating in a caloric surplus (typically 10-20% above maintenance) to maximize muscle gain. This approach tends to produce faster muscle and strength gains, but it comes with the inevitable trade-off of some fat gain.
Bulking is typically better suited for experienced lifters, those with lower body fat percentages, competitive strength athletes, and individuals who struggle to gain muscle. The main advantage of bulking is its simplicity and the faster rate of progress, particularly in terms of strength gains and muscle growth.
