Should you lose fat first or build muscle first? If your goal is to lose body fat, build muscle, look toned, grow your glutes, define your shoulders, and change your body composition, spending the entire year in a calorie deficit may actually be keeping you stuck.

In Day 72 of the Body Recomposition Revolution, we’re breaking down one of the biggest body recomposition questions for women: Should I cut fat first, build muscle first, or try to do both at the same time?

Yes, you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. But that doesn’t mean you can maximize fat loss and muscle growth simultaneously all year long.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• • Why constantly dieting can make it harder to build the “toned” physique you want
  • The difference between weight loss and body recomposition
  • When a calorie deficit makes sense
  • Why bigger calorie deficits can make muscle growth harder
  • Why strength training and protein matter during fat loss
  • How to recognize when it may be time to stop dieting
  • Why chronic underfueling is different from an intentional fat-loss phase
  • How to decide whether your body currently needs to REVEAL, RECOVER, or BUILD
  • My Reveal, Recover, Build, Repeat framework for planning an entire year of body recomposition

The goal isn’t to spend 12 months trying to become smaller.The goal is to finish the year with less body fat, more muscle, more strength, and a completely different body composition.

And tomorrow, we finish the framework with the Recover and Build phases and start mapping out what an actual year of body recomposition can look like.

TODAY’S 3 BODY RECOMP TARGETS

1. Grab a notebook.
Tomorrow we’re mapping out your phases of fitness for the next year.

2. Choose your current phase.
Ask yourself: Do I need to Reveal, Recover, or Build right now?

3. Record your starting point.
Take your:

• Current body weight
• Waist measurement
• One progress photo

This is your baseline. We’re going to need it if you’re following this process through the year.

Ready to build muscle while losing fat? Join the RAC Recomp Collective for progressive monthly strength-training programs inside the RAC app.

Stop guessing whether you should be eating more, eating less, or changing your macro split.For a Custom RAC Macro Formulation, email:racrecomposition@gmail.com

Follow @racfitness_ for body recomposition education, real-life examples, workouts, and the graphics that go with this series.