Can you can gain muscle without getting fat?
Anyone can eat a ton and lift heavy weights for a few months.
The result is they will gain weight. That’s for sure.
Unfortunately, in 99% of cases, more than half of it will be fat.
That’s never a good look.
But by following a proper diet and adding in some type of high intensity conditioning work a few days per week you actually can build muscle without getting fat.
Traditional medium intensity cardio methods will eat away too much muscle and should be avoided for this reason.
Besides it’s lame and boring as hell.
What real man wants to be caught dead on an elliptical machine or stair climber?
None with a functioning set of testicles.
“Cardio” That Works
So in place of the shame and dishonor brought about by traditional cardio or aerobic training you should add in some high intensity conditioning methods.
This would be something like hill sprints or sled work two or three times per week, either immediately after your muscle building workouts or as a separate workout on the same day, 4-6 hours later.
You can also do these conditioning workouts on off days as well.
You should be doing some type of hard training four days per week if you want to gain muscle without getting fat.
If you only have three strength training sessions you should add in another day of hill sprints or sled work.
These high intensity conditioning sessions should be about 10-30 minutes in duration and you should aim to work at a gut busting pace for 10-30 seconds followed by one to two minutes of rest.
Repeat in that fashion for the duration of the workout.
The Little Known Benefit of Sled Work
The great thing about using a sled for your conditioning is that there is no eccentric component to it so you can use it quite frequently without the fear of any type of negative impact on your strength workouts.
In fact, sled work can actually help you get stronger while building muscle and simultaneously improving work capacity and conditioning.
Everyone should own a sled and make it a regular part of their program.
The benefits are almost miraculous.
On top of a few high intensity conditioning sessions per week I always recommend going for a walk first thing in the morning before you eat anything, if you have the time.
Simply walk for 30-45 minutes at a very fast past.
This can be done seven days per week and will have zero negative impact on your size or strength gains because it’s of such low intensity.
It’s not the ultimate bang-for-your-buck fat burning exercise.
But it is a good idea to go out and get some fresh air, clear your head and get moving.
Every bit of physical activity counts and no one can argue against simply going for a walk each day.
