Catabolism and Anabolism

These two processes will directly influence whether you build muscle or not, therefore they should be taken into consideration when you're constructing your diet/training plan. 

What are they?

I'm sure you'll know what these terms mean, or at least be familiar with them. Anabolism is the synthesis of larger molecules in the body, for instance proteins/fats. This is an energy requiring process. Catabolism is where your body is breaking down these larger molecules to use for energy. Both of these processes will be occurring in your body at various times of the day, you will not be in constant catabolic state nor will you be in a constant anabolic state. The occurence of these events is directly determined by your daily activities. 

Why are they important? 

When you're in an anabolic state, your body is synthesizing muscle tissue. Now, in terms of muscle gains I think a good way to look at it is, when is your body doing this? and when is your body doing the opposite (catabolism) throughout the day? As mentioned previously, your body is never in a constant state, and achieving the right balance is all down to what you're doing on a daily basis. 

When do they happen?

Anabolism occurs when the body has energy, so whenever you eat for instance. The body tells itself it has energy and it starts synthesizing larger molecules for growth and repair. So, effectively when you eat you're inducing protein synthesis, especially if you've already got that stimulus from the gym. Your body will also be synthesizing these tissues at rest, so when you've left the gym and you're chilling out, your body (provided it has the resources) will be repairing itself. 
Catabolism happens whenever your body needs an energy source for activities, it can mean breaking down fat but it can also mean breaking down proteins. This is pretty much the entire duration of your gym session, you'll be taring down that muscle tissue and providing a stimulus for its synthesis post workout. 

How to use these processes optimally when gaining muscle 

If we look at these 2 processes throughout the day, where they occur, you'll want to be inducing anabolism for the majority of it. This is why when you've left the gym it's a great idea to get a meal in, to start that recovery process. If you say, left the gym, headed to work or whatever, worked all day and then ate a big meal during the evening you'd be in a catabolic state for a prolonged period of time and that would just not be optimal for muscle gains. Even though you'd be consuming perhaps the same amount of food it would not take away from the fact that you'd perhaps been breaking down muscle tissue throughout the day.Your body would then go into anabolism yes, but that 8 hours you spent in catabolism would really set you back. Therefore, to stay avoid this its good to keep your body fuelled right throughout the day. 

So, this all may seem a bit tedious. But, I'm talking OPTIMAL muscle growth here. Turns out, these things do matter. They are the difference between someone who's seeing slow results and someone who's seeing serious changes in their body. 


Catabolism and fat loss; using it to your advantage

So, when the body is in a Catoablic state, it will be breaking down larger molecules for energy. This is essential for fat loss. However, you cannot choose whether your body is breaking down muscle tissue or fat for energy (imagine a world where you could, just wow) Your body wants to survive and it will do so in any way possible, whichever is easiest. There are ways though to minimise the chance of your body using your lean muscle tissue as energy if you're trying to burn fat. 

There are many factors that will influence this, for instance the state at which you enter your workout; tiredness, hormones etc. Here are a few tips to ensure you stick primarily to fat loss. 

1) EAT PROTEIN 

losing fat and preserving muscle is all about the protein, you need to be consuming an adequate amount for you. It varies from person to person, but 1g per lb bodyweight is at least a good starting point. I consume even more than this! Various studies have actually looked into and proven that fat loss whilst maintaining lean muscle is all down to protein intake. If you're resitricting calories, don't do it from protein. 


2) REST

Less calories may mean less recovery, your body may not be used to recovering in a calorie deficit or even just a small reduction in calories. You may feel a little more tired, your performance may be affected and thus you'll need more rest. You could reduce the volume of your training or add an additional rest day. Now, you may ask..why is this important? so what you're not on top form in the gym? well..your strength and performance at the gym will directly effect your ability to preserve your muscle. If say, you got to the gym and due to a lack of energy you simply cannot lift what you're used to, this may happen over a period of time, say your strength seems to be progressively decreasing. Your body will talk to itself  'oh, these weights aren't too bad, why do we need all this muscle mass we built before? lets tare this shit down' or something like that.. But seriously, maintaining strength is important. It is the stimulus you provide to the muscle which makes them grow, they will only stay the same or grow if you're lifting the same or continually getting stronger. 


3) CALORIES 

Don't go too low, you don't need to cut calories a ridiculous amount to lose weight. If you're eating consistently, as in..you're eating about the same macros everyday, your body is ADAPTED to it. Your weight, your fat percentage everything will remain relatively constant until you choose to change your macros. So say you decided to drop your carbs by say 25g you would see a difference, you wouldn't need to reduce them to extremes. The way a lot of people go wrong in this sense is 'okay I'm on a diet, lets drop my calories as much as I possibly can' You just really don't need to, you'll feel like crap, you'll perform like crap, you'll probably get metabolic damage and you'll be losing some serious muscle. Fat loss could simply be a case of macro manipulation, you may find by adding more protein and reducing carbs you get leaner. So, therefore, if you're looking to keep that lean and toned look DO NOT reduce your calories like crazy. You could also try carb cycling or re-feed days, the purpose being ..you're in calorie deficit your bodies metabolism is slowing down to reserve energy and it's just not as an efficient fat burner at before. But when you give it a little more food (eg- increased carbs by 50g for a day) It'll be like 'oh good, we do have food..lets get this engine going again' Say you did this 1-3x a week (depending on you/your goals), call it a high carb day..you'd be ensuring that your body's metabolism is still up and running, whilst burning fat all the same time! 


4) CARDIO

Yes, cardio is good for burning fat. However, if you're already in a calorie deficit you don't need to be doing too much of it. Again, with the calorie reduction thing, people do too much too soon. They think, I need to lose weight, okay cardio 60mins a day and a calorie reduction of 1000. Okay so, how do you think your body will respond to that? It will freak out, it'll be breaking down that muscle here there and everywhere and you won't be recovering properly from your strength training. Seriously, double whammy (haven't used that word in a while, I must use it more) of muscle tissue breakdown. If you want to do cardio, do cardio..it's good for you. I do cardio! But, I'm saying there's no need to go into excess. Enough cardio is different for everyone; depending on their goals, their recovery rate etc. My advice would be, and the only way I could generalize it, is to do a little cardio, see if it's working out for you..are you still improving strength wise? are you feeling okay at the gym? are you making gains? if all of those are a yes, keep doing what you're doing, you've found the magic formula (for you)