Goal: To lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
Equipment: Bench, Dumbbells, Barbell, a Cable Stack, Pull-up Bar, Bands, Ab Cart, Physioball, Running Shoes
Workouts: 4 per week (All strength based – Push, Pull, Lower, Arms & Abs)
Gym Membership Required? Helpful but not required. You’ll also find success with a well stocked home gym that includes the equipment listed above.
Length: 24 weeks. Each phase is 6 weeks and there are 4 phases, so the entire program includes 96 workouts over the course of 5+ months.
Recomping is this idea that we can develop lean mass while simultaneously losing body fat.
I appreciate recomping as a concept because there aren’t dramatic fluctuations in our weight or calorie intake. The goal is to lose body fat at the same rate we gain muscle which makes recomping the Goldilocks of our training cycles – neither a dramatic cut or bulk. This also makes it a nice antidote to yo-yo dieting which isn’t helpful or healthful for anyone.
If you’re relatively new to consistent and intense training, you can look forward to a phenomenon known as “newbie gains” in which recomping is most likely to happen. The closer you get to your genetical potential, the stronger stimulus you’ll need to continue to gain muscle or lose fat and the more difficult it becomes to do both at the same time.
That said, not matter how much training experience you have, recomping is still valuable. By chasing lean mass, our metabolism is forced to work exceptionally hard, which keeps our body composition leaner than it would be otherwise.
Here’s my general recommendation: if you’re new to this type of training, do the entire Project Recomp Program and enjoy those newbie gainz. If you’re an experienced lifter, do the first phase of Project Recomp. As you head into Phase 2, consider tweaking your nutrition towards either a bulk or a cut, depending on your aesthetic priorities. These nutritional tweaks will allow you to get the most out of the program.
Either way, I’d like to gently remind you that adding lean mass does not happen quickly which means that recomping is a gradual process. Understanding that we’re not in a rush and are planning to train for the rest of our lives, the intention of this training program is to commit to long term progress. In order to optimize results, make sure you’re calorie neutral (neither gaining nor losing weight) and eating 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight, spread evenly throughout your daily meals.