I’ve owned a gym for three years and have been coaching fitness for five. But for the first time ever, a member asked me, “How do I lose muscle?”
For context, this person is well over six feet tall, carries around 150 pounds of muscle, and has also lost 150 pounds of body fat since committing to a consistent fitness routine.
Since I had never been asked this question before, I had to pause and think about my response.
The first thing that came to mind? Run more.
After reflecting on it over the weekend, I decided to dive deeper. In this blog post, I’ll explore the different ways someone can intentionally lose muscle—along with some common mistakes that can lead to unintentional muscle loss.
Step 1: Run.
If you want to lose muscle, run.
When you run and eat fewer calories than you burn, your body may use your muscle as fuel.
If you stop lifting weights and focus mostly on running, your body will naturally reduce muscle mass over time. So, if your goal is to lose muscle, running more while eating less protein and lifting less will get you there faster.
Step 2: Reduce Protein Intake
Your muscles need protein to grow.
Protein provides amino acids that help repair, maintain, and grow muscle tissue.
When you strength train, tiny muscle fibers break down. Your body then uses protein to rebuild them, making the muscles stronger and more resilient.
If you don’t do any strength training and you eat an insufficient amount of protein, you will lose muscle.
If your goal is to lose muscle, reducing protein intake while increasing cardio and avoiding heavy strength training will speed up the process.
Step 3: Lift Lighter or Not at All
Lifting heavy weights signals your body to maintain or grow muscle.
If you start lifting lighter weights or stop strength training altogether, your muscles no longer have a reason to stay strong and will gradually shrink.
Without the challenge of heavy resistance, your body reduces muscle mass to match the lower demand.
Over time, this leads to smaller, weaker muscles.
If your goal is to lose muscle, cutting back on strength training—or stopping it completely—while increasing cardio and reducing protein intake will make the process faster.
Does it Matter if You Have Muscle?
Maintaining muscle as you age is crucial for overall health, strength, and independence.
Muscle helps support your joints, improves balance, and reduces the risk of falls and injuries.
Without regular strength training, people naturally lose muscle as they age, leading to weakness, reduced mobility, and a higher chance of health issues.
Running, Strength Training, or Both?
Running is a great activity to improve cardiovascular health, burn calories, and get fit.
If you combine it with consistent and proper weight training, your health and fitness can significantly improve.
Our workout effectively combines progressive overload strength training with challenging cardio intervals to create varied workouts that will get you fit.
Looking to improve your fitness through strength and conditioning? Email [email protected] and we will get you started with a no-sweat introduction.
