What it actually takes to change your physique

by Sophie Allen

The problem with 8 week fat loss challenges, summer shreds, and seemingly impossible online transformations, is they make you believe the idea that you can make real change to your physique simply by dieting for 8-12 weeks. Yes, you can achieve good fat loss results in this time, but the truth is changing your actual body composition and achieving a more defined, or 'toned' look, means building muscle as well (which is a much slower process). 

When people say 'toned', what they actually mean is having enough muscle mass that when they lose fat they appear lean and muscular. This can only be achieved by dedicating an extended amount of time to building, and by extended… I mean years gf!

But just because the process is slow, doesn’t mean it’s impossible! You can make incredible progress over the course of 1-2 years if you go about things the right way. So, how can you optimise your results, build muscle, and grow your physique?

Step 1: Enter a cut or building phase 

  1. First things first,  you need to decide whether you should cut or build 
  2. If your main goal is fat loss, it's best to start with a cutting phase by eating in a deficit
  3. If your main goal is to build muscle, then start with a building phase by eating in a surplus

Step 2: Maintenance phases 

  1. Once you have gone through a successful cut or build, you can enter a maintenance phase to solidify your result
  2. If you’ve done an extended cutting phase, keep in mind you may need to reverse diet afterwards to slowly increase your calories and maintain your result 
  3. After an extended period of time at maintenance, you may wish to enter another cutting/building phase (if you cut first, you may now choose to build and vice versa)

Step 3: Time

  1. After that, it's simply a matter of giving yourself enough time to see tangible progress!
  2. Keep in mind building muscle takes years, not months, so you may need to repeat the cutting/building process several times over the course of a few years to achieve your desired results
  3. Don't let this discourage you! This is why it’s so important to focus more on falling in love with the process, and less on the end result. If you remain consistent and make healthy habits a part of your everyday life, then the results will come with time, I promise! 

Soph x 

Back to Training