What is body recomposition? How to achieve it?
Definition: Body Recomposition
Healthy Body Composition
Attain a healthy body composition sustainably
A Case Study
What is body composition?
Body composition refers to the proportions of fat, bone, water, and muscle in a person's body. It provides a detailed breakdown of what the body is made up of, which is more informative than simple metrics like body weight or BMI (Body Mass Index). Understanding body composition is useful for assessing health and fitness levels, setting fitness goals, and tracking progress.
General Guidelines for Healthy Body Fat Percentages
Adult Males:
Essential Fat: 2–5%
Athletes: 6–13%
Fitness: 14–17%
Average: 18–24%
Obesity: >25%
Adult Females:
Essential Fat: 10–13%
Athletes: 14–20%
Fitness: 21–24%
Average: 25–31%
Obesity: >32%
Attain a healthy body composition sustainably
Attaining a healthy body composition involves reducing excess fat while maintaining or building lean muscle mass. This requires a combination of exercise, nutrition, lifestyle changes, and consistency. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. Set Clear Goals
Track Progress: Use methods like body composition analysis, measuring circumference, or tracking body weight trends.
2. Optimize Your Nutrition
Balanced Diet:
Protein: Essential for muscle repair and growth. Aim for 0.8–1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily (e.g., lean meats, fish, eggs, tofu, beans).
Healthy Fats: Support hormones and energy. Include sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.
Complex Carbohydrates: Provide energy for workouts and recovery (e.g., whole grains, fruits, vegetables).
Micronutrients: Eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to get essential vitamins and minerals.
3. Exercise Regularly
Strength Training
Cardiovascular Exercise
Flexibility and Stability Training
4. Prioritize Recovery
Sleep: Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep per night. Sleep is crucial for muscle repair, fat loss, and hormone regulation.
Active Recovery: Light activities like walking or stretching can help reduce soreness and promote blood flow.
5. Stay Consistent and Patient
Small Changes Add Up: Sustainable changes are more effective than extreme diets or exercise regimens.
Track and Adjust: Regularly assess your progress and make adjustments to your exercise and nutrition plans.
6. Manage Stress
Chronic stress increases cortisol levels, leading to fat storage (especially around the abdomen).
Use stress-reducing techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or hobbies.
A BODY-RECOMP CASE STUDY
Jos’s Training Program
Exercises: 2 strength training sessions, 1 cardio session weekly
Nutrition: cultivate 1 healthy diet habit every week
Active level: increase activities in daily routine (pick up food from restaurants instead of delivery, stand up during the photo call meeting, etc.)
Jos’s 12-Week Body Recomp Progress: 2lb of muscle mass gain, 7.7lb of fat lose (PBF: percent of body fat)
Clear definition in muscle tone, strong core and muscle activation in OHSA(overhead-squat assessment).
