12 Week Body Transformation

Lose fat build muscle. The holy grail of gym training which can be achieved with a twelve-week body transformation. I often get asked about a 12-week body transformation, the before and after fat loss, the workout eating plan, the best weight loss muscle gain diet to follow and how to bulk correctly. I want to share some insights with you now on the commitments you need to get in the best shape of your life with a twelve-week body transformation.

What is a body transformation?

A body transformation is a twelve-week minimum training and diet process. To build muscle and lose body fat, you need to give the body time to adapt to the training stimulus. Generally, you can build muscle at a rate of 0.5-2KG a month and lose fat at a similar rate. Your starting point on the beginner to advanced spectrum will have an influence on the amount. A beginner is going to lose fat and build muscle quicker, this is due to the stimulus of lifting weights and intense cardio being higher on an untrained body, whereas an advanced gym goer has a higher tolerance level to stimulate muscle building. The end goal is to build and maintain an eye-catching physique, slower and steadier change is easier to maintain.

The before and after fat loss will vary from individual to individual, male fat loss and female fat loss happen at different rates due to hormonal differences. Women require a higher fat % for mothering while men have higher levels of testosterone, insulin, growth hormone and IG1 which contribute to body fat maintenance. When working with clients, I measure their body fat percentage and fat amount in KG. This provides a roadmap for the before and after fat loss. If a client has 10KG of body fat then using a calorie calculator and approximate exercise calorie expenditure, I can identify the final fat loss amount from the twelve-week body transformation.

Now we’ve discussed the body transformation results, it’s time to look at the commitment required. You may be asking cardio before or after weights? Is there a meal plan to build muscle and lose fat? How much protein will I need to eat to build muscle? To begin with, lets separate the body transformation into three areas: Training, Nutrition & Lifestyle.

Training:

It is better to lift weights before cardio. You are only going to be in the gym for 4-6 hours a week, prioritise muscle building through progressive resistance training. Within the twelve-week body transformation, two to three periodised blocks of training can occur. This means you will progress through different weights, sets, reps and volume to stimulate muscle growth. Alongside the resistance training, you’ll be doing 3-5 cardio sessions a week to increase your calorie expenditure and fat burning. The cardio sessions can be programmed after the resistance training and on non-resistance training days. The format and intensity of the cardio sessions will vary per periodised block of training and or for preference.

The resistance training session will combine the best muscle group combinations to work out together; this would be a whole-body approach of compound supersets. Each of the body transformation sessions has a primary focus e.g. push, pull, legs where a group of muscles will be stressed the most with the opposing muscles worked as accessories. An example would be a pull day, exercise 1a – pull ups, exercise 1b- push ups, exercise 2a – barbell row, exercise 2b – dumbbell chest press. The resistance for the ‘b’ exercises will be lower to not overload the muscle as it will be the primary focus on a different training day.

Nutrition:

What is the best weight loss muscle gain diet? The one you can sustain long term! To lose body fat you need to be in a calorie deficit, this is achieved by reducing your calorie intake from carbohydrates and fats. To build muscle you need to be in a positive nitrogen balance by eating a specific amount of protein, around 2g per KG of body weight daily.

Start by identifying your Basel Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Daily Calorie Need (DCN). Your BMR is the number of calories burnt at rest, a great online calculator to use is HERE. Once this has been identified, the DCN is your BMR plus the calories burnt from movement throughout the day. Once these figures are available, the next step is to plan out a total number of calories to eat per day to create a small deficit of 250-500 calories, which is sustained over time leads to fat loss without suffering (E.g. <1200 calories) and maintenance. For example, a man who burns 3000 calories a day would eat 2500-2750 calories.

There are three macros which provide calories towards your total calorie intake, protein and carbohydrate provide four calories per gram, fat provides nine. Alcohol also provides calories, but your body cannot metabolise them, they get stored as fat which is counterproductive to the process of losing fat. As highlighted above, protein is eaten at two grams per KG of bodyweight. If you weigh 75KG, you will eat 150g of protein, with each gram providing four calories, therefore 150g of protein provides 600 calories to your daily total. For the man eating 2500 calories, after the protein calories have been accounted for, there are 1900 calories left to consume from carbohydrates and fats. In my experience with hundreds of clients, eating as little carbs as possible, which varies per person is advantageous to fat loss. Our body preferred source of energy is glucose or blood sugar as it’s commonly known. Additionally, glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. If these stores are continually being topped up by consuming carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucose and glycogen, there is very little requirement to breakdown stored fat into glucose.

Lifestyle:

To build muscle and lose fat, your lifestyle is as important as your training and nutrition. A twelve-week body transformation requires you to execute specific steps daily. As part of the strategy designed by PTLDN’s elite personal trainers, your lifestyle is considered as vital as your training and nutrition. If you want to be in the best shape of your life and feel your best, optimising your lifestyle is non-negotiable. A full and honest audit of your sleep, activity, stress and wellbeing shows areas to leverage and areas to approach with open eyes for change.

Optimising sleep is essential to have a foundation to transform your body. As you sleep several muscle building hormones are released, the bodies system rejuvenates, and your breathing pattern can accelerate fat loss. As a minimum seven hours of sleep should be targeted. You’ll be more resilient and energised with eight to nine hours of quality sleep. Setting a bedtime routine to optimise yourself prior to sleep is advantageous. Activities such as reading, breathwork and journaling can improve your sleep quality which positively influences your training and nutrition.

Scheduling self-development time inclusive of transformative activities including breathwork, journaling, reading, visualisation and affirmations. These activities can be completed at the start of the day to improve your wellbeing, stress levels, happiness and feeling of being present. They will lead to a positive outcome in the day, enhancing your training and nutrition success.

Preparing an optimal muscle building schedule. As a success career shows, you understand the importance of showing up and doing the job to the best standards. The same applies to transforming your body. Schedule time to audit your calendar to identify time for you and your training, if you want a 12-week body transformation, you’ll need to schedule in space on six days a week to train, this is a non-negotiable for the best results. Once your schedule is optimised, all you must do is execute the daily task, simple! A secondary task is to plan out your nutrition schedule. At PTLDN we support out clients with weekly seven-day meal plans containing the exact foods require to meet their individual muscle building and fat loss needs, as with the training all you need to do is execute the plan. Eat the specific foods when schedule and you’ll see your body transform weekly.

Final Thoughts:

Lose fat & build muscle simultaneously with a 12-week body transformation. The holy grail of gym training is achievable when you execute the daily requirements of training, nutrition and lifestyle. Developing a body, mindset and habits which improve your physique, wellbeing and health is the most rewarding process you can do. It’s not just about looking great (which you will!!), you’ll also have improved metrics in every important aspect of your life:

• · Wellbeing

• · Happiness

• · Stress

• · Sleep

• · Energy

• · Enjoyment

• · Resilience

You’ve taken the first step by investigating the 12-week body transformation process, we are here to help guide you through each step. Contact our expert trainers to find out more about a body transformation. Click the 'ENQUIRE' button at the top and well do the rest.