It’s certainly possible to burn fat while building muscle at the same time. The potent combo of the right nutrition and protein, along with a dedicated resistance training program, yields results over time. Nutrition plays a crucial role in growing bigger muscles, and protein and amino acids are the building blocks of muscle. There’s also the role of insulin to consider, which is the fat-storage hormone. Eating foods high in sugar prompts the pancreas to release insulin, which in turn tells your body to hold on to fat. This is one of the reasons why many people lower their sugar intake to help fuel fat loss.
As a nutrition and medical writer for many years dealing with my own health challenges, I learned the value of a healthier, balanced diet with the right amount of protein for lowering inflammation, boosting the immune system, enhancing muscle mass, promoting fat loss, and more. Nutrition helps our cells regenerate. Sculpting a more muscular physique doesn’t require the stars to align, but it does require putting in some effort with your workouts and nutrition.
To learn more about how to use nutrition to fuel workouts, fat loss, and muscle growth, I caught up with certified personal trainer and Vice President of Education for Body Fit Training, Steve Stonehouse, to gain his expert insight and top tips. Stonehouse has decades of experience in fitness education, fitness programming, and personal training, so he knows a thing or two about developing a more muscular shape and banishing the bulge. He shares details about the importance of nutrition and protein for body fat composition and how to use food as fuel.
Interview with fitness expert Steve Stonehouse
The Manual: Have you always been interested in fitness? How did you get started on your fitness journey?
Steve Stonehouse: I grew up playing sports. I started coaching immediately out of college, specifically in the running space. I worked for a company called Run On in Dallas and was doing some personal training at the same time, and that’s how my coaching and fitness journey started, at least professionally. That was in 1998 or 1999, in the late ’90s, so for about 25 years, I’ve only known one profession. When I got into the professional world, that’s all I’ve ever done.
TM: What made you want to become a personal trainer and help others improve their fitness?
Steve Stonehouse: In the late 90s, when I first started, coaching was a pretty carved-out lane because there were sports, and the teams needed coaches. Personal training wasn’t as established as it is now. I remember early conversations with my parents, and they said, “What are you going to do for a job?” and I talked about how I have this job in the gym and how I train people. My parents didn’t get it; they were like, “What do you mean you’re training people? Are you telling them how to work out?” It wasn’t as established, and I don’t know that it was as acceptable either. It was seen as, “Hey, you can do that while you figure out what you’re trying to do.”
I knew the impact that being fit and strong had on my confidence, and being in a room and meeting people. I was around enough people who weren’t healthy that I was seen as the fit one or the athlete in the group. I liked that feeling, and I thought that I wanted to just give people that feeling or share with them what it felt like to be strong or healthy, without being in pain all the time. There seemed to be an accepted path: “As I get older, I get less healthy, and pain comes on, and disease comes on, and that’s how life goes.” I didn’t believe it had to go that way. I just wanted a purpose and to feel like I was doing worthwhile work. For me, wearing T-shirts and shorts to work was a plus, too. I was never really cut out for being in an office all the time.
Improving body fat composition with the power of real food
TM: As the Vice President of Education for Body Fit Training, what are your top tips for burning fat and improving body composition for men?
Steve Stonehouse: When we talk about losing body fat percentage and being in shape, nutrition plays a great big role. Years ago, I heard the expression, “You can’t out-train a bad diet,” so whatever my philosophy on cardiorespiratory training or strength training, none of that works without having the nutritional side of things dialed in. Exercise is good for you, and it’s better to do it than not do it, but if you’re trying to lose weight and body fat percentage, nutrition is key.
TM: How big of a role does nutrition and diet play when it comes to losing body fat?
Steve Stonehouse: A major role. Some people say nutrition is 70% of your results, but I’d say it’s closer to 100% of your results. I could lift six days a week, and I could get stronger, but for most people trying to be generally fit, the idea of reducing body fat percentage is part of the equation, and you won’t be able to do that with any type of long-term success if you don’t dial in the nutrition.
Protein for muscle growth
TM: How big of a role does protein play in building muscle?
Steve Stonehouse: A really big role. We know a lot about timing, and certain nutrients are more important at certain times. Protein helps with muscle recovery and building muscle. If you’re not lifting properly and you’re just taking in the protein, it’s just protein for protein’s sake. When the exercise and the lifting side are dialed in as well, having the right amount of protein at the right time is critical.
Food as fuel for your workouts
TM: How do you fuel your body with nutrition and hydration before an intense workout session?
Steve Stonehouse: This is what not to do. If you ever train properly fueled, you’ll never train fasted again. I don’t know where this whole “fasted-training” started, but it’s not what I would recommend. Especially people who train in the mornings should try to get up early enough to have some fuel in their system before they train. I’m not a fan of fasted training.
People ask, “Is there anything I can eat the night before that will still be in my system and help fuel me for that morning workout?” The answer is absolutely yes. If we think about protein, I’m thinking salmon, chicken, fish. Things like chicken and steak are going to stay in your system longer, so if I were an early-morning exerciser, I would want to have some type of meat or steak for dinner. Pre- and post-workout, I think liquid nutrition is key. The reason is because it gets in your system much faster.
If I’m just imagining a morning workout, me eating some hard foods in the morning, it’s just going to take my body longer to break that stuff down, versus if I can get up and make a shake 45 minutes before or something like that.
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