Coach Micah's: Fit Project Podcast · Micah Smith

Retaining muscle and gaining muscle during a fat loss phase | FPP #141

February 21, 2025·37 min·2 clips

He says protein is the second most important factor, alongside lifting heavy.

Coach Micah starts with the problem of holding onto muscle during a fat loss phase. He adds that the bigger question is whether muscle gain can still happen while body fat is coming down. The focus stays on training and diet details. Before he moves on, he says the Fit Project Podcast is now on YouTube. He explains that he will record one workout a week from his current routine, then put the audio over the workout clips. He also says he will show the sets and reps for the full session so listeners have something they can save and follow. He keeps the tone practical instead of polished. Then he turns to his own training as the clearest example of what he means. He says he was running more often and with a bit more intensity than before. At first, he did not notice much change in muscle size or strength. He was still lifting five days a week. He was also eating enough to support the work, even if his weight was drifting down and he was probably in a small deficit. For the first few months, and even through his first half marathon, nothing felt wildly off. The changes showed up later. After about six months, he cut lifting back to four days a week because recovery was getting harder and another half marathon push made the tradeoff feel necessary. That tradeoff showed up most in his legs, where strength dropped and size followed. He also noticed less overall fullness and weaker pumps in the gym. His upper body strength mostly held steady. He thinks the mix of more running, not enough carbohydrates, and not enough water pushed his body to shed muscle as a way to lower the energy cost, and he ends by saying muscle gain in a deficit can happen, but mostly for beginners, before signing off with the usual next Friday workout promise.

As heard by us

A practical cut-phase talk about muscle retention, recovery, and how running can change the picture.

Micah's episode stays practical, with muscle retention during fat loss as the main thread and the question of gaining muscle on lower calories kept close at hand. He grounds it in his own running block, which makes the talk feel lived in rather than theoretical.

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Why you'd press play

If your cut is flattening your lifts, start here.

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