Body Recomposition Calculator

Use this calculator to assess your potential for body recomposition, which is the process of simultaneously losing fat and building muscle. Enter your current stats, training experience, and goals to receive personalized calorie and protein recommendations, along with realistic projections for your 12-week transformation.

What Is Body Recomposition?

Body recomposition (often called "recomp") refers to the simultaneous reduction of body fat and increase in lean muscle mass. Unlike traditional approaches that separate "bulking" (gaining muscle with some fat) and "cutting" (losing fat while preserving muscle), recomposition aims to improve body composition without significant changes in total body weight.

This approach has gained scientific support in recent years. A 2020 systematic review by Barakat et al. in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research confirmed that body recomposition is indeed possible, particularly for certain populations.

Who Can Successfully Recomp?

While body recomposition is possible for many people, the rate and degree of success varies significantly based on several factors:

1. Training Status

Beginners experience what's commonly called "newbie gains", a period of rapid adaptation where the body responds dramatically to new training stimuli. Research by Ribeiro et al. (2019) demonstrated that untrained individuals can gain significant muscle mass even in a caloric deficit during their first year of resistance training.

As training experience increases, the rate of potential muscle gain decreases substantially. This is described by McDonald's model of diminishing returns:

Women typically experience approximately 50% of these rates due to differences in hormonal profiles.

2. Body Fat Percentage

Higher body fat provides a metabolic advantage for recomposition. The body has substantial energy reserves that can be mobilized to support muscle protein synthesis even during a caloric deficit. This phenomenon relates to the concept of the P-ratio (nutrient partitioning ratio), which describes how the body allocates energy during caloric surplus or deficit.

General guidelines for recomp suitability based on body fat:

3. Age

While age does affect muscle-building potential due to hormonal changes (particularly declining testosterone in men and women), the impact is less dramatic than commonly believed. Research suggests that older adults can still build muscle effectively, though potentially at slightly slower rates. The key factors become adequate protein intake, appropriate training stimulus, and sufficient recovery.

4. Current Muscularity (FFMI)

Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) provides a measure of muscularity relative to height, similar to how BMI relates weight to height. The further you are from your genetic potential, the more room for muscle growth remains.

Optimal Nutrition for Recomposition

Calorie Intake

The most effective calorie intake for recomposition depends on your individual factors. The research suggests:

For those with high recomp potential (beginners with higher body fat): A moderate deficit of 10–20% below maintenance can support both fat loss and muscle gain. The body's energy reserves and heightened anabolic sensitivity allow for this seemingly contradictory outcome.

For those with moderate recomp potential: Eating at or slightly below maintenance (0–10% deficit) provides enough energy for muscle building while creating conditions for gradual fat loss through increased metabolic activity from new muscle tissue.

For those with limited recomp potential: Traditional bulking and cutting phases may be more effective, as the body's proximity to its genetic potential makes simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain difficult to achieve.

Protein Intake

Protein intake is arguably the most critical nutritional factor for successful recomposition. The calculator's protein recommendations are based on two landmark analyses:

The calculator provides protein recommendations adjusted for your specific goal:

Understanding the Projections

The 12-week projections provided by this calculator are estimates based on population averages and should be viewed as realistic targets rather than guarantees. Individual results will vary based on genetics, adherence to nutrition and training protocols, sleep quality, stress levels, and other factors.

Key Assumptions

The projections assume consistent resistance training (3–6 days per week with appropriate volume and intensity), adherence to the recommended calorie and protein targets, adequate sleep (7–9 hours per night), and moderate stress levels.

When to Reassess

We recommend reassessing your stats and recalculating every 4–6 weeks, as changes in body composition will affect your optimal intake and projections. Additionally, if the scale weight remains stable but measurements and appearance are changing, this is a strong indicator of successful recomposition.

Recomposition vs. Traditional Bulk/Cut

For some individuals, the traditional approach of dedicated bulking and cutting phases may still be more effective:

Consider traditional bulk/cut if: You're an advanced or elite trainee with low body fat and high FFMI. Your goal is to maximize muscle gain as quickly as possible. You're comfortable with temporary increases in body fat.

Consider recomposition if: You're a beginner or intermediate with moderate to high body fat. You prefer steady, sustainable progress without dramatic weight fluctuations. You want to improve body composition while maintaining relatively stable weight.

Training Recommendations

While this calculator focuses on nutrition targets, effective training is essential for recomposition success. Key principles include progressive overload (gradually increasing weight, reps, or volume over time), training each muscle group 2× per week minimum, adequate volume (10–20 hard sets per muscle group per week for most people), and compound movements as the foundation (squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, overhead press).

References:

1. Barakat C, Pearson J, Escalante G, Campbell B, De Souza EO. Body Recomposition: Can Trained Individuals Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time? Strength Cond J. 2020;42(5):7-21. doi:10.1519/SSC.0000000000000584
2. Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28698222/
3. Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014;24(2):127-138. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24092765/
4. Forbes GB. Body fat content influences the body composition response to nutrition and exercise. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;904:359-365. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10865771/
5. Hall KD. Body fat and fat-free mass inter-relationships: Forbes's theory revisited. Br J Nutr. 2007;97(6):1059-1063. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17367567/
6. Ribeiro AS, Nunes JP, Schoenfeld BJ, Aguiar AF, Cyrino ES. Effects of Different Dietary Energy Intake Following Resistance Training on Muscle Mass and Body Fat in Bodybuilders: A Pilot Study. J Hum Kinet. 2019;70:125-134. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31915482/
7. Kouri EM, Pope HG Jr, Katz DL, Oliva P. Fat-free mass index in users and nonusers of anabolic-androgenic steroids. Clin J Sport Med. 1995;5(4):223-228. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7496846/
8. McDonald L. The Protein Book. Lyle McDonald Publishing; 2007.