Maximus Gage
Losing muscle mass is not a goal that is often discussed or recommended, as muscle is important for health and quality of life. However, some people may want to lose muscle mass for aesthetic reasons or to achieve a particular appearance. To reduce muscle mass, you can do the opposite of what you would do to build muscle – eat fewer calories and less protein, and focus on cardiovascular exercises instead of strength or weight training.
How to reduce muscle
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet | Consume fewer calories and eat a lower percentage of foods that are high in proteins and carbohydrates. |
| Weight training | If continuing to train with weights, use lighter weights and reduce weight training frequency to no more than 2 times per week to maintain tone. |
| Cardiovascular exercise | Focus workouts on long periods of cardiovascular exercise, known as marathon cardio, to burn calories. |
| Muscle endurance | Perform bodyweight or light weight-bearing activities in place of heavy lifts when focusing on health maintenance. |
| Muscle soreness | Light exercise, stretching, foam rolling, and eating foods with anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce pain and alleviate discomfort. |
| Muscle loss | Directly attempting to lose muscle mass is not recommended for the general population. |
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What You'll Learn
Reduce caloric intake
Reducing your caloric intake is a popular method for losing weight. However, it is important to note that reducing your calorie intake may not be an effective long-term solution for weight loss, as it does not address the mechanisms that the body uses to maintain its weight. For instance, hormonal mechanisms that stimulate appetite can remain raised even a year after dieting, leading to weight cycling or "yo-yo dieting".
Nevertheless, if you are looking to reduce muscle through a calorie deficit, it is important to do so in a healthy and balanced way. Firstly, it is recommended to cut around 500 calories a day, which can help you lose about a pound (450 grams) a week. You can achieve this by counting your calories using modern apps that can help you track what you eat and offer daily lifestyle tips.
Secondly, drinking more water can help you feel full for longer and suppress your hunger. Drinking two cups (500 ml) of water before a meal can lower calorie intake by around 13%. Eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly may also help you feel full more quickly, reducing your overall calorie intake.
Thirdly, be mindful of the calorie content of the food you are consuming. For example, adding sauces like ketchup or mayonnaise to your food can add more calories than you realize. Even a single slice of cheese can add around 100 calories to your meal.
Finally, while reducing your caloric intake, it is important to incorporate exercises that build muscle mass, such as strength training, and ensure you are consuming adequate protein. This will help you preserve muscle mass while losing fat.
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Lower protein consumption
Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair, and those seeking to increase muscle mass are often advised to consume a higher amount of protein per kilogram of body weight. This can range from 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. However, if your goal is to maintain health and avoid building additional muscle, lower protein consumption is advised. The US Dietary Guidelines suggest a minimum protein intake of 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men per day. As long as you meet these guidelines, you do not need to consume extra protein.
It is important to note that simply reducing protein intake will not automatically lead to muscle loss. Muscle loss occurs when the body does not have the stimulus or fuel to maintain its current level of muscle mass. This can be achieved by reducing the frequency and intensity of strength training exercises, particularly those targeting specific muscle groups.
A balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish, lean meats, legumes, nuts, and seeds is recommended. While reducing protein intake, it is crucial to ensure that your overall diet remains nutritious and provides the necessary fuel for your body's daily functions and activities.
Consulting a healthcare professional or a dietician before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine is always advisable. They can provide personalized advice and ensure that your new dietary choices align with your health and fitness goals.
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Focus on cardiovascular exercise
Cardiovascular exercise is an excellent way to improve your health and reduce muscle mass. Cardiovascular workouts are a vital component of any fitness routine and can help prevent heart problems and other adverse health effects such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and death.
There are many simple ways to incorporate cardiovascular exercise into your routine. Walking is a great option for most people, and it is recommended to aim for at least 30 minutes a day, which equates to 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity weekly. You can break this up into smaller, more manageable chunks of time, such as 10- to 15-minute sessions throughout the day. Brisk walking is a form of aerobic exercise, which gets your heart pumping and improves your circulation, resulting in a lowered blood pressure and heart rate. Other examples of aerobic exercise include running, swimming, cycling, playing tennis, and jumping rope. These activities can be done at varying intensity levels, depending on your fitness level and preferences.
Interval training is another effective strategy for improving cardiovascular fitness. This involves alternating between short bursts of vigorous activity and lower-intensity periods throughout your workout. This type of training has been shown to lead to larger improvements in cardiovascular fitness compared to other forms of exercise. You can also incorporate everyday activities such as housework, gardening, or playing with children or grandchildren as a form of cardiovascular exercise.
In addition to the physical health benefits, aerobic exercise can also enhance your emotional well-being and sleep quality. It can help improve mental health issues like depression and stress, which are often overlooked contributors to cardiovascular problems. Furthermore, aerobic exercise helps your heart and circulatory system work more efficiently, making it easier for you to perform daily tasks without feeling tired or breathless.
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Avoid muscle-building activities
While losing muscle mass is not recommended for the general population, there are times when people want to lose muscle in specific areas, usually for aesthetic reasons. If you are one of those people, you can achieve your goal by avoiding muscle-building activities.
Firstly, it is important to understand how to build muscle. Muscle growth, or hypertrophy, is typically achieved through a consistent weightlifting program combined with a high-calorie, high-protein diet. Weightlifting stimulates growth hormones, which stimulate the growth of muscle mass. Therefore, to avoid building muscle, you should avoid strength training and focus on cardiovascular exercises instead. Cardiovascular exercises, such as marathon cardio, will help you stay active and burn calories without directly adding to your muscle mass.
If you still want to incorporate strength training into your routine, you should limit it to no more than twice a week and use lighter weights with higher repetitions. This type of training will focus on muscular endurance rather than hypertrophy. Additionally, you should avoid exercises that heavily engage multiple muscle groups, such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Instead, opt for isolation exercises that target specific muscle groups without engaging others. For example, if you want smaller quadriceps, you should avoid compound exercises like squats and lunges, which heavily involve the quadriceps but also train the hamstrings.
It is also important to adjust your diet. Building muscle requires a surplus of calories above what your body needs for maintenance. Therefore, to avoid creating the ideal conditions for muscle growth, eat enough calories to fuel your activity and maintain your weight, but avoid an excess of calories. Consume a healthy diet of varied fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish, lean meats, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Ensure your protein intake is within the recommended range for maintaining health, which is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men, per day, according to the US Dietary Guidelines.
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Stretch and foam roll
Foam rolling is a type of self-massage that can be done at home to alleviate muscle tightness or soreness. It is also known as self-myofascial release, which is a technique to release tension in the fascia, the layer of tissue that covers the muscles. By applying pressure to the muscles, foam rolling can help to reduce muscle tension and increase muscle length, flexibility, and joint range of motion. It is an effective way to warm up before a workout or aid in recovery after a workout.
When foam rolling, it is important to ensure that the muscle you are targeting is extended and in a stretch. Your pace is less important than ensuring you are rolling through the entire muscle. For example, if you are foam rolling your calves, point your toe and extend your leg. You can also cross your left leg over your right for extra pressure. Roll each muscle for about a minute, but do not spend more than two minutes on a particular muscle group. If you are unusually sore the next day, you may have spent too much time or applied too much pressure.
You can use a foam roller on your back, upper body, and legs. To target your back, sit on the floor with your knees bent and the foam roller behind you. Lower your back onto the roller, aligning your shoulders with its ends and crossing your arms. Lift your glutes and engage your core as you roll back and forth. To target your upper back, roll down until you reach just below your rib cage. To target your shoulders, lay on your side with the roller beneath your shoulder. Keeping your arm straight, gently shift your weight to massage your shoulder.
Foam rolling your legs can be painful, especially if your leg muscles are sore. Start by slowly and gently easing your way onto the roller. If it is uncomfortable, shift your weight to reduce the pressure and breathe through it. To target your quads, start in a forearm plank position with the roller under your thighs. Engage your core and push with your arms to roll back and forth. To target your hamstrings, sit on the floor with your legs extended and the roller underneath them. Lift your body so your weight is on the roller and roll between the back of your knees and your glutes.
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Frequently asked questions
It is not recommended to try to lose muscle as it helps you move, maintain good metabolic health, recover from trauma and illness, and more. However, if you are looking to reduce muscle for aesthetic reasons, you can do the opposite of what you would do to build muscle. This includes reducing your caloric intake, eating a lower percentage of foods high in protein and carbohydrates, and changing your workout routine to focus on cardiovascular exercises instead of strength training.
The US Dietary Guidelines recommend between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day for adult women and 2,000 to 3,000 per day for adult men. It is important to eat a healthy diet of varied fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish, lean meats, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Focus on cardiovascular exercises, also known as marathon cardio, to burn calories. If you are continuing to train with weights, use lighter weights and reduce weight training frequency to no more than two times per week. For specific muscle groups, you can do isolation exercises that do not strongly engage the muscles you are trying to reduce. For example, to reduce muscle in the quadriceps, avoid squats and lunges, and instead, try isolation exercises for the hamstrings like the seated, lying, and Nordic hamstring curl.
If you are not looking to gain muscle, the US Dietary Guidelines suggest 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men per day of protein as a minimum for health. As long as you meet these criteria, you do not need additional protein.
Muscle soreness is common after a workout, especially if you have recently increased the intensity of your routine. To reduce soreness, you can try foam rolling, stretching, and eating anti-inflammatory foods such as tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, nuts, fatty fish, and fruits. Light exercise can also help get your blood flowing and reduce symptoms.
