This was originally published in January 2025 as part of MH’s 8 Week Body Reconstruction Training Program.
body reconstruction cans It’s a difficult topic to talk about. Recomp refers to the process of changing your body composition while maintaining the same weight, essentially building muscle and burning fat at the same time. Exactly how to do this (and whether it’s possible at all) is a hot topic of debate in fitness circles, both in gym locker rooms and in the comment sections of your favorite muscle creators’ videos and social media posts.
men’s health CSCS Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel wants to bust through online BS and classic muscle myths to explore what recomps mean to you, but he can’t do it alone. The discussion will also include Dave Rienzi, a renowned strength coach and IFBB pro who trained Dwayne Johnson (yes, The Rock) and Henry Cavill, and Dr. Pat Davidson, an exercise physiologist, strength and conditioning coach, and bodybuilder. This is a new strong talk M.H. This is a program that brings together a group of high-level trainers to explore, discuss, and explain the most pressing topics in fitness.
Here, the trio gets into the dirty details, including the general feasibility of recomp cycles, the level of experience people need to tackle these types of goals, and why this is a popular topic discussed in the strength and conditioning community. Watch the video below, then return to the Body Recomposition home page to learn more about the program.
Powerful Talk: Reconfiguring the Body
Some highlights from the Strong Talk video:
Why body recomp is so popular
Ebenezer Samuel: Body recomp as a hashtag is very popular. Recomp as a hashtag is very popular on social media. So why do you think it’s being talked about so much on social media right now? Is it because it’s late December, early January? Could there be another reason? Why is this so popular now?
Dave Rienzi: That’s a good question. I think it’s difficult to cut, and difficult to build muscle. So I think people want to meet in the middle and say, “Oh, I can cut and gain at the same time.” And I think for people, it’s a matter of chasing the Holy Grail, so to speak. Because when you try to bulk up, of course you gain some body fat, but then when you try to lose weight, you lose body fat and potentially muscle, and then, let’s be honest, you end up feeling like you’re smaller. So I think people try to get the best of both worlds.
Pat Davidson: I’ve certainly seen some research recently that suggests that the mistake people have made in the past is being too aggressive with their calorie surplus in terms of actually gaining muscle tissue. You don’t need to consume a huge calorie surplus to actually promote protein synthesis and muscle gain. The mistake that people make is like, “Oh, I’m going to get 1,500 calories in excess,” and they also accumulate a significant amount of fat in the process. It seems like a fairly modest surplus is needed to actually achieve almost any muscle-building result.
So, while you don’t need to add a lot of weight to maximize muscle gain, I think if you’re hitting your absolute maintenance calories, you’re not necessarily actually gaining anything. There was a term that was popular a few years ago called “main gain,” and I think that’s a term that people were really attached to. You still need to consider some weight gain. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t need to gain 40 pounds in a year to gain muscle tissue. Even if you gain a moderate amount of weight, you can almost completely max out that muscle gain.
Training Engine: Corolla vs. Drag Car
Pat Davidson: I’m always like, just make one good effort first. Once you check that box, you can get into some great multi-commitments, but you don’t want to see big reps drop from set 1 to set 2. For example, let’s say you won 12 in set 1 and had a great set, but you won 4 in set 2 and didn’t wrestle long enough.
Dave Rienzi: It’s about finding the sweet spot.
PD: Yeah. And I think most people don’t have the horsepower, you know what I mean?
Doctor: yeah yeah.
Ebenezer Samuel: Yeah.
PD: Things like drag cars and Toyota Corollas. If you rev up your Toyota Corolla and bring it up to full speed, you can literally do it again right after. If you blow up a drag car on a truck and need to take it to the garage for repairs, you’ll need a whole team. And most people probably look more like a Corolla than they realize. So if you’re in that mood, you can probably cut down on your rest periods and rev your engine to full blast many times.
ES: You called my entire reader Toyota Corolla.
PD: Show me otherwise. Train yourself to overcome it. If you do, I’ll admit it too, but I don’t like giving people false praise.
recomp dive in
Samuel, Rienzi, and Davidson break down the science of body reconstruction.
Watch here
Exercises that you must master to reorganize your body.
Watch here
A workout program for busy people to build muscle and shred fat.
Watch here
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