What if I told you there’s a point in your fitness journey where you never have to worry about body fat again? I know it may sound too good to be true, but I'm here to tell you that it's absolutely possible, and I see it happen daily. My friend, when you hit the holy grail of health or what I like to call “The Muscle Tipping Point," you get to say goodbye to the frustrating cycle of feeling fit one moment and off-track the next and hello to maintaining the body composition of your dreams. 

Today, I'm excited to share with you the 2 phases of The Muscle Tipping Point where your metabolism shifts and you can focus on building muscle instead of constantly worrying about burning fat. Just think about how much easier life will be when you stop thinking about eating less and start fueling your body to become stronger and leaner. Trust me – if you commit yourself to the steps I walk you through in this episode, you could be living that life in as little as 6 months! 

Want FREE access to my brand new four-week strength training plan, Strength Without Stress? Head over to hollyperkins.com/review where you can upload a screenshot of your review and gain immediate access. This is a limited-time offer before it sells for $197, so be sure to grab it now!

Topics Covered:

• The patterns I’ve noticed over my 30 years of coaching
• The value of reaching The Muscle Tipping Point 
• How to cross The Muscle Tipping Point
• Why you have to accept the long game and commit to consistency 
• The 2 phases of The Muscle Tipping Point 
• Tips for fueling your body during phase 2
• My step-by-step strategy for reaching the optimal lean muscle mass 

Resources Mentioned:

• Listen to the first 37 episodes of Holly Perkins Health Podcast HERE
• Listen to Episode 7: 5 Calorie Secrets You Wanna Know HERE
• Check out The Body Composition Project HERE
• Transcripts can be found on the official blog page for this episode at hollyperkins.com/blog

Follow Me: 

Find me on Instagram: @hollyperkins

Learn more on my website: hollyperkins.com

Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/HollyPerkinsFitness/

Disclaimer: Content and information as part of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast is for general interest, education, and entertainment purposes only. The use of information on this podcast or materials or products linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Imagine if you committed six to nine months to becoming more muscle and less fat, so that you could reach a point where you never have to think about body fat again. What would that do to your spirit? How would that impact your life? This is a real option. And you're getting my two phase process for it. So keep listening. Hello, and welcome. I am so glad that you're here. Recently, I spent some time looking at your reviews of the show. And I am so touched by the incredible comments. Thank you so much to everyone who has shared feedback and added comments and reviews. Some of them literally made me cry, no joke. This has been such a labor of love. And it just means so much to me that this show is helping so many women. So thank you. Thank you. I'm also loving all of the questions that have been pouring in. And honestly, I'm trying to figure out the best way to answer your questions. So right now I'm planning some upcoming podcasts where I answer as many of your questions as possible. So please keep them coming. And in case you missed it, you can submit your question for me over at Holly perkins.com forward slash, ask Holly, then stay tuned for upcoming episodes when I answer all of the best questions.

So today's episode is a doozy. If you were to listen closely, you might find by the end of this episode, you have an answer to what's been missing in your puzzle of becoming lean. If you have been cycling through times where you're feeling fit, and lean and on track, and then times of being so far off track, you want to scream, this concept could be what's missing without you even realizing it. If you feel like you're always trying to get somewhere or reach a certain point with your body, today, you're getting my two phase system that will show you how to turn your body into a fired up machine that is supercharged by muscle so that the muscle burns fat for you. Imagine how much better your life will be when you can forget about eating less, and start eating more to feed the machine. It is possible and it's happening every day. But there is a specific process that you have to follow. So today I'm going to show you my method. In this episode, you'll learn why the muscle tipping point is the holy grail of health, you'll learn exactly what the muscle tipping point is, the two phases and body composition targets that guide your programming and what to focus on in both phases. So that you can finally arrive and stop trying to get somewhere and be at the place where you forget about body fat. You think a lot less about how much you're eating. And you're able to really have the lean, mean fat burning machine that your body is designed to be. When you've been coaching women for as long as I have, you start to observe patterns. I've been in the game for 30 years, if you're new around here, and even someone lacking in intelligence, if you will, could put the patterns together when you've been doing it as long as I have. Sometimes those patterns are clear. And they follow very basic biological, physiological truths. Like for example, if you do the right cardio at the right intensity, your resting heart rate decreases and your cardiovascular fitness increases. That's a law we know that's what happens. Or if you say overload your muscles the right way over time, week after week, you'll eventually be able to lift heavier loads. Again, it's a law, it's proven, we know that these are pretty obvious patterns that we look for and we program for them. Then there are some concepts that don't exactly show up in the research. And I think they don't get talked about a lot because there aren't many other coaches out there like me, who have been in the game as long as I have been focusing on one thing for a long time and I realize it could sound like I'm bragging here but the truth is there aren't a lot of women who have been in my field 30 years doing the same thing over and over and over for that period of time. The muscle tipping point is one of those concepts. And I coined this term, when I started seeing a very clear pattern where when a client reaches a certain body composition measure, the game changes. And from my perspective, it is the holy grail of health. And it's the target that every woman should aim for.

The muscle tipping point is a specific body composition measure, it's usually around 78%, lean muscle mass. Or if you want common language on it, that would translate to 22% body fat. And this is where your metabolism truly shifts in a big way. This is specific to women, if you didn't pick up on that already, because it is different for men. It's the point when you stop focusing on losing fat, and you start needing to feed the machine. It's the point where you stop feeling like you're trying to get somewhere and you start realizing that you've arrived, it's when you no longer have to climb the mountain, and you get to coast downhill. More specifically, it's when your muscle mass becomes a powerful part of the energy equation. And you see a marked improvement in your metabolism in a way that feels and truly is permanent. muscle moves to the forefront, and you no longer notice or even really care about your body fat. The value of reaching this point, the muscle tipping point is that number one, you now feel stronger in everything that you do. It's undeniable, you fly up a flight of stairs with little effort and you feel the strength in your legs. You lift a heavy suitcase with ease and you feel proud because it feels light, you step up when someone needs something heavy, lifted or carried, you're able to do bigger and more complicated exercises in your workouts. And you feel strong and safe when you do them. For a long time, I was the person in my circle that had to carry the heavy suitcases or pick up the heavy boxes. And I knew I had reached that point because it was like I got excited for that opportunity. And I would get excited about just how heavy of a thing can I pick up, that's when you know you've crossed over the muscle tipping point. Another value of reaching the muscle tipping point is that your body fat is in check. And it's no longer something to think about. It's just not an issue in any regard whatsoever. Even if you do have some body fat, it's so insignificant because there's this other aspect to your body. That is so onpoint that gives you so much pleasure and so much pride. And it's so obvious. Your body fat no longer puts you into a medical risk category. And it's not something that you see when you look in the mirror. It's just simply a non starter, you don't think about it anymore. And the third reason the third value of reaching the muscle tipping point is that your metabolism is burning so hot, that you actually get to eat more, you've got more wiggle room for indulgences, they don't impact you like they used to. And things like holidays and vacations don't set you back or impact your body composition or even your body weight like it used to. It's like you're so far out ahead of it, you've got so much more room for slack. In short, the muscle tipping point makes you a lean, mean burning hot machine. And it's a real thing. But here's the thing. It takes dedication and time to get there and most people don't stay the course long enough to win. While it is the goal and it's the thing that will radically change your life. 80% of women will never achieve it in my experience. But I will die trying to help you get there because it's that impactful to your life as a whole. It'll make you strong inside and out. It'll bring out the best version of you that maybe you haven't even met yet. It'll give you more energy than you know what to do with and it will naturally put you in the position where you're in Inspiring those around you without even realizing it, it is everything.

So let me show you how to cross the muscle tipping point, it's important to understand that this is a process that happens in stages. Let me say it again, for the people in the back. This is a process, it takes time. And it happens in stages. And the stages are very different for every body, every woman, largely depending on where you're starting. If you're still a bit, let's say mystified by strength training, then it'll most likely take you a little longer than a woman who has been working it for a year or two, a mistake that you might not even realize you're making is that you're right on the edge of the tipping point, you might be approaching it, and you might be so close to breaking through to the other side. And yet, you let something in your life, pull you back, so that you get set back, and then you feel like you're so far away. Oftentimes, I see this in my coaching programs, or with my private coaching clients, they get so close, they are a whisper away from the tipping point. And it's almost like it's a test of your will to see if you'll stay on track to actually achieve it. And then what happens is, it's two steps forward one step back, but that one step back really does a number on your confidence or your belief that you could ever get there. When the truth is, you just didn't stay the course, you didn't fight for it, you weren't determined to crossover, yet. It's important to accept that this is a long game. And it Listen, I'm not supposed to say that, and I run the risk of you turning off this podcast, because then Holly Perkins is a downer. Nobody wants to put in the work. And that's true for all of us. By the way, it's human nature, we don't want to put in the work, we don't want to hear it's a long game, we don't want to hear that it's going to be hard. But if you haven't yet been successful with your body, or your health or your body composition, this is probably why this is a long game, it is not a fast fix. This is the holy grail of health. And it's gonna take some time, some dedication, some two steps forward and one step back, but it's worth it. So let me walk you through how to do it. But first. So if you're still here, I'm going to assume that means that part of you is ready to make the commitment and wants to finally cross over to the other side so that you no longer have to think about body fat again. The muscle tipping point is something I coined, as I said, and technically, it's different for each person. But based on the DEXA scans that I see on a regular basis from my clients, the muscle tipping point usually happens when you become 78%. lean muscle.

Now, if you're new around here, it's important to know that I like to focus on muscle, and I'm on a crusade to change the language in my industry, so that we stop talking in terms of body fat percentage, and instead, aim for the ideal body composition of at least 70% lean muscle mass, you see what I did there? Ideally, in a perfect world, you'll become even more than that. But that's the first stop. And the truth is, doesn't it just feel better to focus on something positive like building muscle and becoming better rather than losing weight, or this depressing number of 35% body fat. No one loves that no one wants to focus on losing weight. Everyone loves muscle and no one loves body fat, right? Therefore, the muscle tipping point correlates to 22% body fat if you want to translate it into still what the common vernacular is, but again, I'm gonna go down trying to change it so that you're aiming for 78% lean muscle mass now again, it's give or take for each person that might be 79% lean mass. Some acid might be 77% lean muscle mass. But in my anecdotal experience, it's right around 22% body fat or 78%, lean muscle mass. Now, listen, you might not be anywhere near that, and that is totally Oh K. And that is exactly why I break it down into two phases. There are two phases, and it's very simple. The first phase is to achieve a minimum of 70% lean muscle mass. So what that means, again, is that you follow a training program, so that you get your body fat level in check, so that you're out of the risk category, and you're into the healthy category. And that is somewhere around 70%, lean muscle mass or more. And you can do this by ensuring a mild calorie deficit each week, while you simultaneously build muscle through consistent progressive resistance strength training, three plus times per week, that is the recipe for phase one. It's a process and it takes time. And during this phase, your target might mean that a lower body weight on the scale is where you're headed, but not always. So I have three women right now inside of my program, the body composition project, who have not yet reached that 70%, lean muscle mass, meaning 30% body fat, but they are at a healthy body weight. In fact, it's common knowledge that if you were to look at these three women, you would never say they're overweight. One of them you would even say is slim, and slender and small. And yet their body composition scan has them outside of that truly healthy body composition range of at least 70% lean muscle mass. And this goes back to another core tenant around here of getting to a lower body weight is actually important for you and is for some women, right? In general, I don't want to talk about body weight so much. And I don't want to talk about body fat so much. But the truth is achieving that body composition score could be very important for you to make sure that you're number one first healthy, then we can focus on getting you ripped, or fit or ABS or arms or whatever it may be. But for some women, it is a function of seeing a lower number on the scale. And the tenant that I'm talking about here is the calories do matter. In order to burn off body fat, if there are other voices out there that are telling you, you don't have to worry about calories. Just focus on what you're eating. And it's not true. And it certainly could work for you, depending on how you work that system. But the truth is, it's basic physics, it's the law of conservation of energy. It's just physics, calories do matter, because it's energy. And the truth is, in order to burn off body fat, you have to be in a calorie deficit. Now, you don't have to starve yourself. You don't have to be miserable. And you don't have to be overly restrictive. But you do have to be in a slight calorie deficit, on average over a seven day period. Episode Seven, and episode 35 of the holly Perkins health podcast will shed more light on getting your calories right and this full conversation. During this phase one, you'll need to fight like a champion to simultaneously build muscle and burn off fat until you reach the tipping point. And this is the hard part. And this is why most people don't ever cross over because you have to fight tooth and nail you have to stay committed, you have to be determined and decided that you're going to get to the other side. And this is usually where a coach comes in because there is an art and a science to body composition. And that's exactly what this phase is where recomposing the composition of your body.

The thing is, once you get through this phase and you reach that tipping point, things then become easy. And it becomes more about maintenance as compared to body transformation which is hard. It is so hard to transform your body. And that's why there are these two phases. But it's why the muscle tipping point is so valuable to reach. And yes, on that note, you can build muscle and burn off fat in the same phase. There are some voices out there who will say that it's impossible to build muscle during a caloric deficit. And it is just not true. I have seen it, I have the DEXA scans of my clients to prove it. Now a phase like that, where you're simultaneously building muscle and burning off fat, it's work. It's effort, it's hard, it's not easy. But it's totally doable. And it's not going to be as hard as you think it is. But there's a way to do it. The one thing that does hold people back is believing that it's going to be hard work forever, or that you're going to have to be in restriction forever. But this is my whole point. There are two phases, the first phase is a lower calorie target, so that you can become at least 70% lean muscle. But the truth is, it won't be this way forever. It's a game of finding a calorie deficit that's comfortable that you can live with. So that you're really maximizing the calories that you are eating, it kind of goes back to that old school concept of volumetrics, I think from the 80s, or the 90s. I'm older than most of my listeners or many of my listeners. But I went to Pennsylvania State University and one of our leading nutritionists wrote the book called volumetrics. And it's about really filling up and the chemistry and the biology of the food that you eat. But you do have to be in a calorie deficit. But it won't be that way forever. Eventually, when you cross the muscle tipping point, and you move into phase two, you have to increase calories you have to and that is when it becomes a lot more fun. So don't be like those people. Remember that it's just a phase. And the faster that you get through this phase, the sooner you'll cross over, and you'll be done with it. When the going gets tough. Get going. Because if you get it done in six months or nine months, you'll be done with it forever. Stay focused, stay the course. And before you know it, when you look up, it'll be over. And when your muscle approaches that 78% lean muscle mass, the tipping point, you'll move into the second phase, and you'll know that you're there or that you've crossed the muscle tipping point. When you're liking what your body looks like you're liking the leanness you're eating and training consistently, you are seeing the progress, you're don't you no longer feel like you're trying to get somewhere and you start waking up realizing that you're there. And then out of nowhere, you start getting hungry, and tired more often.

Often, you'll notice it's a new kind of fatigue around your workouts. You know, it's like a workout is always fatiguing, it's always tiring. But when you hit that muscle tipping point, it's a different kind of fatigue. It's like you're out of juice, you don't have any gas in the tank, and you start to experience hunger, like survival hunger, and it's often after workouts. You may also notice that you don't feel as powerful during your workouts, it's like I said, you start to feel like you're out of gas that you don't have the juice the month to put into your workout. These are signs that your body needs more fuel, and that you've entered that second phase. As I said, this usually happens around 22% body fat. And it's when you finally get to reverse your diet and you start feeding the machine. This is when you no longer worry about body fat, and you add calories so that you're either at an energy balance, which means that the calories in match the energy that you expend each day calories out or you're on a slight calorie surplus where you're actually eating a little more than the energy you expend each day. This face feels awesome, because you're rarely hungry. and you have great energy. Now certainly, you can watch for your muscle tipping point by getting regular body composition scans so that you know where you are. But you can also judge it by these symptoms. The first phase is an ebb and flow of fatigue, and mild hunger. And when you reach a tipping point, you'll notice a definitive shift in the quality of fatigue and hunger. And it's usually marked by strong hunger urges, and this different kind of deep fatigue. So, if you'll agree that the muscle tipping point is the holy grail of health, like I believe it to be, you may be curious on how to do it then, right. And listen, it's definitely more complicated than what I could ever cover in just a podcast episode. But I'm gonna give you the exact high level notes. And if you're someone who takes your marching orders, and does it, it really can be as simple as this.

First, adopt the mindset of an athlete and train like your life depends on it for six to 12 months, draw the line in the sand, make the decision, do not look back, do not stop and just keep going. If you have a significant amount of body fat to release, it may take longer do not stop until you reach 20 to 25% body fat. You'll need a consistent periodized strength training program to get you there with at least three strength training sessions each week. In the first phase to reach 70% lean muscle, your nutrition and cardio programming will be as important as the quality of your muscle building sessions. And as I said, you'll need to be in a mild calorie deficit not too big. Cardio needs to be very specific for a number of reasons. But it's not mindless, endless tons of cardio. It's targeted, it's intentional. Then, when you cross the tipping point things change, you're able to ease up a bit and shift into maintenance mode, if you're happy with where you are. Or you can keep building and improving the quality of your muscle alongside your fitness and overall body function. That's when you just keep on getting better. Maintenance Mode means you gradually reduce the total number of cardio minutes each week, if you like, and instead, focus on some cardio sessions for health and fitness. Simply to get those benefits, it's no longer about burning off body fat, the cardio is a workout for the benefits of cardiovascular fitness, cardio is still important, even if you're not doing it to burn off body fat. And while the number of your strength workouts can stay the same, you probably aren't going to need to push as much to build muscle, you can scale back the intensity and possibly the volume of it and your strength workouts.

But the real change is in regards to nutrition. Once you cross over the muscle tipping point, you then get to start adding calories back in. I like to add 100 calories per day. So you increase the amount that you're eating by 100 calories. And you stay there for about two weeks and continue to add calories every two weeks to the point where you get sick of food. Or you start to see a change in your performance or your body fat you start to get feedback that you've got too many calories. It's really pretty simple if you do it slow and steady like this. As I said there is an art and a science to this. This is why I offer coaching programs. This is exactly what we do inside of my program, the body composition project, you can certainly do it on your own. And today's episode gives you the overarching programming. But the key is you got to do it. Stay the course. Keep your head down, put one foot in front of the other until you reach the muscle tipping point. When your muscle mass is around 78% lean muscle. It's work it's effort, but I promise you will be so glad that you did it. And that is the muscle tipping point. I hope you enjoyed this. I hope it helps. If so do let me know. You can post a comment or review wherever you're listening right now. Or if you're listening platform doesn't allow for comments, come on over to my website where each blog page is dedicated to a podcast episode. You can share your thoughts or questions or comments at the bottom of any blog page. If you're feeling inspired by today's episode, I hope that you will go for it. Crossing over the tipping point is so worth it. I have never had someone say, Gee, I really regret doing this. Now they might say it was work, but they always say it's 100% worth it. And the truth is many of my clients say it wasn't nearly as hard as they thought that it would be. So please, go for it. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please stay tuned for another brand new episode on Tuesday of next week. Stay strong my friend