Goal
Lose fat and build muscle simultaneously — the coaching system for trainees who want the mirror to change without the scale moving much.
Recomp is the patience trade.
You give up the fast scale movement of a cut and the visible strength jump of a bulk, and in exchange you get a body that actually changes shape under a flat number. It's the right play for trainees in the 15-25% body-fat range who are tired of the cut-bulk loop and want to walk through the year photo-ready.
The mechanism is real and simple: at maintenance with high protein and progressive overload, the body partitions calories toward muscle tissue and pulls energy from fat stores. You don't need a deficit to lose fat. You don't need a surplus to build muscle. You need protein at 1.0-1.2g per pound, lifts that progress every week, and the discipline to hold maintenance ±5% — which is much harder than holding a deficit, because your appetite never gets the discipline of hunger.
The check-in changes for recomp. Photos and tape measurements drive decisions; the scale is decoration. Working weights are the leading indicator — if your bench is going up week-over-week at flat bodyweight, recomp is working.
Twelve weeks in the mirror, six months in your shape. That's the trade.
Who this is for
Who this is not for
Recomp means losing 4 lbs of fat while gaining 4 lbs of muscle — net scale movement of zero. Without the right metrics (photos, measurements, lift progression), it looks like nothing's happening. Most people abandon recomp at week 8 because they're staring at the wrong number.
Three months of dirty bulk, three months of crash cut, repeat. End of the year you're the same weight, same body fat, slightly more frustrated. Recomp breaks the cycle: stay near maintenance, eat enough protein to grow, train hard enough to demand it, and the body composition shifts under a stable scale.
Recomp's metabolic trick is 'partition' — calories preferentially build muscle and burn fat when protein is high (1.0-1.2g per pound) and resistance training is intense. Most stalled recomp attempts run protein at 0.6-0.8g/lb, which is enough to maintain muscle but not enough to build it under a maintenance ceiling.
Recomp requires sitting at maintenance ±5%, which means you need to know your actual maintenance, not a TDEE calculator estimate. We spend the first 2-3 weeks finding it: track at a fixed intake, watch the 14-day weight trend, adjust until weight is genuinely flat, then run recomp protocol from that anchor.
Same three pillars, calibrated to your situation.
4-5 day hypertrophy split with progressive overload as the primary stimulus. Compound lifts run heavy (5-8 reps), accessory work runs hypertrophy ranges (8-15 reps), proximity to failure is non-negotiable on top sets. Recomp without overload is just maintenance — every session is logged, every progression tracked.
Maintenance calories ±5%, with protein at 1.0-1.2g per pound (the upper end is where recomp actually works). Slight calorie cycling: small surplus on training days (+150 cal), small deficit on rest days (-150 cal). Carbs anchor training-day fueling; fats stay 0.35g/lb. Tracked daily, reviewed weekly.
The check-in stack changes for recomp because the scale is the wrong primary metric. Photos and measurements (waist, hips, arms, thighs) drive decisions. Lift progression is the leading indicator — if working weights aren't going up week-over-week, recomp's underlying mechanism (overload-driven hypertrophy at maintenance) isn't operating.
Programming flexes to your calendar — this is the cadence.
Upper lift (heavy compound focus) · slight surplus · 8K steps
Lower lift (squat-focused) · slight surplus · 8K steps
Steps + mobility · slight deficit · recovery
Upper lift (pull/row focus) · slight surplus · 8K steps
Lower lift (hinge focus) · slight surplus · 8K steps
Optional accessory + arm day · maintenance · check-in
Rest · slight deficit · meal prep · review program update
“Working with Eddie was the best investment I've made in myself. His knowledge of nutrition and training is next level. He doesn't just give you a plan — he makes sure you execute it. True accountability.”
Recommended for this track
Bi-weekly tuning. Priority feedback. Real progress.
Every application is reviewed personally within 24–48 hours.