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Fitness coach shares 11 smart tips to build muscles and lose weight at the same time

Updated on: Aug 17, 2025, 15:49:44 IST
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Body appears more toned with regular strength training. (Freepik)
Body appears more toned with regular strength training. (Freepik)

Weight loss isn’t just about dropping kilos on the scale; it’s also about building muscle to tone your body.

Weight loss is a dynamic process that includes dropping kilos as well as getting toned with muscles. At first glance, they may seem like two different goals, but in reality, in your wider fitness trajectory, they go hand in hand with the correct approach. The key is smart training that ensures weight loss is not just a drop in the scale’s number, but also more holistic.

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Fitness coach Eric Roberts shared in an Instagram post some tips that help address these two concerns together.

11 workout losing fat and building muscles at the same time

Eric listed out these tips:

  1. Stop resting for 30 seconds in between your sets. You should be resting for at least 90 seconds.
  2. Stop lifting light weights for high reps. Lift heavier weights in the five to ten rep range.
  3. Stop doing: a chest day, a back day, an arm day. And instead, follow a lower-body upper-body split during the week so you can hit your muscles more frequently.
  4. If your workout program calls for three sets, all three of those sets should be heavy, challenging sets.
  5. The last one to three reps of your set should be very hard; otherwise, you need to lift heavier.
  6. You don't need to work out for five, six, or seven days a week. Working out three to four times a week is more than enough to see progress. Don't even need to work out for an hour; working out for 30 to 45 minutes is more than enough to see progress.
  7. Stay away from high-intensity cardio, as it is going to increase your cortisol and increase your cravings.
  8. The majority of your cardio should just be walking 6,000 to 10,000 steps per day.
  9. Bulgarian split squats give great results.
  10. Do cardio after your weightlifting or on rest days. Do not do it before.
  11. Make sure you are eating enough protein; otherwise, you won't build muscle.

What do they mean?

The tips shared by the fitness coach indicate that building muscle and losing weight require smart training rather than just more training. It goes beyond simply spending hours in the gym and focuses on prioritising heavy, challenging sets with proper rest, which helps muscles recover and boosts metabolism, aiding fat loss. The importance of protein is also highlighted, showcasing the need for a well-rounded approach that combines strength, recovery, and nutrition for sustainable results.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

  • Adrija Dey
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Adrija Dey

    Adrija Dey’s proclivity for observation fuels her storytelling instinct. As a lifestyle journalist, she crafts compelling, relatable narratives across diverse touchpoints of the human experience, including wellness, mental health, relationships, interior design, home decor, food, travel, and fashion that gently nudge readers toward living a little better. For her, stories exist in flesh and bones, carried by human vessels and shaped through everyday endeavours. It is the small stories we live and share that make us human. After all, humans and their lores are the most natural and raw repositories of stories, and uncovering them, for her, is akin to peeling an orange under a winter afternoon sun. Always up for a chat, she believes the best stories come from unfiltered yapping, where "too much information" is kind of the point. A graduate of Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, and an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Adrija spends her idle hours cocooned with herbal tea and a gripping thriller, scribbling inner monologues she loosely calls poetic pieces, often with her succulents in attendance. On lazier days, she can be found binge-watching, for the nth time, one from her comfort-show holy trinity: The Office (US), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Modern Family. Dancing by herself to her peppy playlists, however, is an everyday ritual she swears by religiously.Read More

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