It is something that all bodybuilders and fitness athletes try to aim for, burn body fat and retain muscle. It’s never easy to do. To gain muscle you need to eat and regularly throughout the day. To burn body fat you need to eat well and clean. If you’ve been struggling up until now to do both, the following tips will come in handy.

Tip #1

Eat clean food. You’ve heard it before, but you’ll hear it over and over again, eating junk food that is low in nutrition will always contain high levels of saturated fat. By clean eating, I mean foods that are high in nutritional value, low-glycemic carbs, quality protein, and healthy fats. Instead of eating white rice or white bread, try switching to whole grain coffee. Avoid fast foods like hamburgers, French fries, or other foods fried in unhealthy oils. If you want to see results, changes to your diet are vital.

Tip #2

Eat small meals throughout the day, preferably 5-6 meals. Each meal should contain quality carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. By eating small meals, you will essentially kickstart your metabolism into overdrive. When your metabolism speeds up, you will start to burn more body fat.

Tip #3

Do resistance exercises and follow a cardiovascular program regularly. 4-5 times a week is usually fine. Try to do intense and low intensity exercises and keep changing your exercise routine so that the muscles in your body continue to be stimulated. With regular workouts, your body will adapt to muscle breakdown and growth and you’ll start to see more muscle tone in your physique.

Tip No. 4

Take certain supplements to boost your immune system, muscle growth, and recovery. When you train regularly through resistance and cardio training, adding supplements will ensure that you get results. Consider supplementing with creatine, L-glutamine, L-arginine, multivitamins, and a pre-workout drink.

Whether you are a beginner starting out in bodybuilding or a seasoned fitness athlete, supplements will add to your benefits. Just take L-Glutamine for example, this supplement helps combat the effects of fatigue, muscle soreness, and the breakdown of muscle tissue.

Tip #5

Drink plenty of water. Drinking tea, coffee, soda, or juice does not constitute your water intake per day. Try to drink at least 2.5 to 3.5 liters per day. Your water intake should be consistent with your body weight. If you are over 200 pounds, drink about 3-4 liters per day. Pure water helps you digest protein-rich foods and speeds up your metabolism. If you’re consuming higher than normal levels of protein on a daily basis to build muscle, drinking plenty of water will eliminate any risk of kidney damage. Water also plays an important role in flushing out toxins and hydrating the body.

Tip No. 6

If you want to increase muscle size and limit injury, you must stretch before, during, and after exercise. Many people often skip stretching, but they must realize that by stretching they are expanding muscle tissues and fibers and therefore their muscle grows. Always do a very light stretch before any resistance training and continue stretching between different workouts.

Tip No. 7

Do you want to burn muscle and burn body fat? You should start consuming a quality whey protein powder. There are many protein powders on the market, if you want real quality look for one that contains higher levels of whey protein isolate.

Tip No. 8

If you want to burn fat and get a certain amount of free radical-fighting antioxidants at the same time, you should start consuming green tea. 2-3 cups of green tea will certainly boost your metabolism and help digest food quickly.

Tip #9

Start doing cardiovascular exercises first thing in the morning. Before your cardio workout, drink a whey protein shake. By doing cardio after just consuming a protein shake, your body has no carbs to burn and will immediately attack body fat and use it for energy!

Tip #10

Try to be consistent and be patient. Your body will react to all the changes you make over time, but the key is to be consistent. Always keep a close eye on your diet and exercise and you will see results.