How to lose body fat and preserve muscle mass

3 tips to maintain muscle while losing fat

1 – Resistance training should be top of your list if you want to preserve muscle tissue.

Focus on compound exercises – compound exercises are movements which work multiple muscle groups through multiple joint actions. Using multiple muscle groups help you generate more strength and power.

Examples of a compound exercise – Dips, Military Press, Bench Press, Pull-Ups, Bicep Curls, Back Squats, Deadlifts and Lunges

2 – Eat enough protein

Optimal protein intake to preserve or build muscle mass is 0.6 – 1g per lb of body weight. Try and stick closer to 0.6g when eating in a calorie surplus and closer to 1g when eating in a calorie deficit.

3 – Avoid crash diets and very low calorie diets

Fat loss is best thought of as a marathon, not a sprint. The faster you lose weight the better chance your body starts to use muscle mass as energy. This basically means that you will lose fat but you will also lose muscle which isn’t good if you still want to keep your strength.