Why It’s Hard to Only “Lean Out”
One of the most common goals I hear is that a client wants to “lean out,” maintain muscle and only lose fat mass. The reality is that trying to maintain lean mass while losing isolated fat mass (only), and maintaining a “healthy” diet is not practical. Just as the body cannot spot reduce specific areas of fat from your body, your physiology isn’t something you can code or dictate. Physiology is automatic – constantly dynamic and responding to input and feedback in your body.
Have you experienced this scenario?
You’ve been dedicated to your strength training—spending 90 minutes, four evenings a week, powerlifting. You’re seeing your strength go up, you’re lifting heavier, and your form is improving. That’s a huge win.
But here’s the frustration: despite all this effort, you noticed the scale went up by a pound instead of down. When it comes to powerlifting and fat loss, it’s important to understand that the body responds differently depending on the main goal:
Why This Happens
When you train for strength and powerlifting:
- You’re building muscle. Muscle is dense, so even small gains take up less space than fat but still add weight.
- At the same time, your body may be using fat mass as fuel and replacing it with lean mass. On the scale, that might look like “no progress,” but inside, your body composition is changing for the better.
- Training consistently also makes your body more efficient at using fuel for exercise—your muscles get better at storing and burning carbohydrates, which can cause normal weight fluctuations.
Why the Scale Isn’t Enough
The scale only shows total body weight. It cannot tell you:
- Where you’ve lost fat (waist, hips, arms, thighs).
- Where you’ve built muscle (glutes, quads, shoulders).
- How your body is becoming stronger and more metabolically efficient.
That’s why I use body measurements (waist, hips, thighs, arms, etc.) to track progress. These numbers reveal the nuanced changes the scale hides.
A Better Way to Track Progress
Instead of focusing only on the scale, we look at:
- How you feel → more energy, less soreness, greater confidence in the gym..
- Strength gains → the weights you can now lift.
- Body measurements → showing where fat is decreasing and muscle is increasing.
Can you do both (train for fat loss and strength) at the same time?
You can maintain strength while losing fat, but…
Progress will be slower and more frustrating if you try to maximize both.
Training for Strength:
To recover and get stronger, you need adequate calories and protein.
Powerlifting is designed to make you stronger.
This type of training typically promotes muscle growth (hypertrophy), which adds to total body mass.
Training for Fat Loss:
- Fat loss requires creating a calorie deficit.
- To do this effectively, adding cardiovascular activity (about 1–2 hours per week of steady-state cardio) helps balance out the strength-induced mass gain.
- Diet becomes more restrictive, which can sometimes feel mentally draining or unsustainable.
The Challenge of Doing Both Together:
- Trying to gain strength (which needs fuel and recovery) and lose body mass (which needs restriction) often cancels itself out.
- It is possible to maintain strength while losing fat, but progress in both areas at the same time will be slower and more frustrating.
A Smarter Strategy:
- Choose a focus season. Just like endurance athletes don’t try to cut weight during peak race training, powerlifters benefit from focusing on one goal at a time.
- Strength phase: Eat enough to fuel training, build power and muscle.
- Fat loss phase (off-cycle): Shift to a controlled calorie deficit, add cardio, accept some temporary reduction in strength, and then rebuild.
- Remember, strength comes back quickly once body composition is where you want it.
Key Takeaway
You’re not “stuck.” You’re in the process of trading fat for muscle, which is exactly what happens when you lift heavy and fuel properly. The scale may not drop immediately, but your body is becoming stronger, leaner, and more efficient.
