Natural bodybuilder Matias Scopinaro gives tips on losing fat and keeping muscle.
Looking to burn fat and maintain muscle the natural way? Well it appears that you’re in luck thanks to natural bodybuilder Matias Scopinaro. The natural bodybuilding champion and coach recently shared his knowledge on the methods he uses to lose body fat while holding onto to hard earned muscle mass.
In this modern era of fitness, so many individuals rely on extra help like supplements to help fuel their workout and recovery. There is indeed nothing wrong with that approach whatsoever, even for a natural bodybuilder. Where things get a bit dicey is the usage of performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids. Utilizing steroids can allow an athlete to recover from rigorous training and take their muscle growth to the next level. As a result it can also help individuals burn a considerable amount of fat as well.
But what is one to do if they wish to burn fat, build muscle, and do so without the help of performance enhancing drugs?
In reality the natural approach isn’t too dissimilar to that of an athlete who utilizes PEDs. The biggest difference is the training volume and recovery time. With PEDs recovery time is shorten and can even allow a human to push themselves to extraordinary limits. PEDs allow for more volume which means more potential to grow.
But if you’re choosing to build muscle the natural way, bodybuilder Matias Scopinaro has just what the doctor ordered. The natural bodybuilder has always advocated against the usage of PEDs and encourages people to stick to the natural bodybuilding path.
In a recent post to social media Matias Scopinaro provides a method to lose body fat and gain muscle, all while doing things the natural way.
How to Burn Fat and Maintain Muscle, The Natural Way
To burn fat don’t get dizzy:
Rule number 1: Be in a calorie deficit. The deficit can be reached in many ways (law of thermodynamics: you spend more than you consume, you can’t escape this law) but the optimal thing for composition (losing fat and maintaining muscle) is to have some basic points in mind.
Train heavy (muscle up)
Seek each workout to be more intense than the previous (more weight and same reps/more reps at same weight/shorten rest times maintaining same reps and weight)
Protein: between 1.6g and 2.2g x kg per pound of body weight.
Fats: Don’t lose 20% of total calories to keep your hormones at optimal function.
Carbohydrates: Prioritizes fibers and complexes, eliminates all man-made.
Cardio: as minimum as possible.
The Key Takeaways
Making sure to be in a calorie deficit, training heavy, challenging your muscles with increasingly intense lifts, maintaining a balanced diet (with protein ratios of 1.6g to 2.2g per pound of body weight, maintaining a percentage of fat, and eating complex carbohydrates) seem to do the trick. What’s interesting is Matias Scopinaro maintaining that cardio should be kept to a minimum. This is most likely so you don’t burn the very muscle you’re planning to keep on.
Cultivate patience and forget ridiculous and trendy diets. Something important: it’s normal to fall into “plates” (where you feel you’re not going down at the rate you were going down) and that’s expected. The body is wise and through several metabolic mechanisms slows down the process of self-preservation. In these cases, adjust the variable to lower calorie intake and/or increase calorie expenditure. It’s pretty simple but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
What do you think of Matias Scopinaro and his advice on how to lose body fat and maintain muscle?
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.