Something we have often touched upon – why getting your body fat too high will stop you gaining. Neill Hill gives us his thoughts…Today I’m going to address a BIG topic in my opinion which I listed yesterday as a KEY fundamental nutritional component of any diet strategy. It’s this – getting fat NEVER makes sense, even when “bulking” to build mass.Yes, when you are on a lean mass programme potentially your body fat may go up depending on your starting position however you should never let be an excuse to get FAT. For a male, I would say 12-15% is as “fat” as you want to get even on a lean mass phase.There’s a scientific and physiological reason why getting fat is f***ing stupid if you really want to build muscle. So stop with the “I’m fat because I’m bulking” BS excuses!!
Reason 1 – Insulin sensitivity
Without doubt one of the most single important key factors which influence your ability to build muscle is insulin sensitivity. This refers to your ability to utilise nutrients properly and put them to use, i.e repair and build muscle. The nutrient which is really effected by insulin sensitivity and the way the body can utilise it are carbohydrates. For me, carbohydrates are a CRUCIAL nutrient for building muscle on a lean mass phase. They have MANY benefits for this, but if you let yourself get fat then your insulin sensitivity will diminish and you will over time become more insulin resistant as beta cell dysfunction takes its toll. This means, you won’t be shuttling nutrients to the right places as effectively in many cases.
So ALWAYS keep one eye on condition, even on a lean mass. There’s no excuse to let yourself become too fat. If you do, then you’re just being lazy and ultimately you are hampering your ability to build muscle.
Reason 2 – Aromatisation
Aromatisation describes the process whereby testosterone is converted in estrogen. Any heightening in estrogen generally leads to STUBBORN body fat in certain areas, often around the pecs, back of your legs, glutes and abdomen. It also means that the testosterone you have available to repair and build muscle can sometimes be compromised.
The interesting fact here is that the aromatase enzyme responsible for this process lives in fat cells! So, what do you think happens when you let yourself get fat? RIGHT! This is why we see men with high body fat levels have issues with fat tissue around their chest and often suffer with some form of “gyno” because their estrogen levels are too high.
Hopefully you can now appreciate WHY getting too fat is a stupid ass idea for building muscle.
