Is CrossFit Good For Building Muscle And Losing Fat? (Skinny Fat)

Every once in a while, a reader emails to ask me about CrossFit and what I think of the training style. So, I decided to finally write an article on how I see it.

The article is mainly written to help skinny fat individuals, but many of my ideas and suggestions apply to skinny and overweight people, too. Read on if you’re interested in learning if CrossFit is a good way to build muscle and lose fat.

What Does It Mean to Be ‘Skinny Fat’?

A skinny fat body type is characterized by low muscular development and a high body fat percentage. The result is a body that appears skinny but has no muscular development or definition.

Here is a skinny fat man:

And here is a skinny fat woman:

How Does One Fix Their Skinny Fat Physique?

Fixing a skinny fat physique comes down to two things:

• Build some muscle
• Lose some fat

Doing so will make your muscles more pronounced, bring out definition, and remove fat from troublesome areas: the stomach, lower back, chest, thighs, etc.

Unfortunately, going from skinny fat to lean and muscular is often easier said than done because it isn’t always clear what goal you should focus on. One option is fat loss to bring out muscle definition, but you don’t have enough muscle mass to justify it, and you will likely end up too skinny. Alternatively, you can do a bulking phase to build some muscle. But, doing so is also not the best option because it inevitably leads to some fat gain, further reducing your definition.

A good option is to do a body recomposition phase–-build muscle and lose fat simultaneously. You must maintain a slight calorie deficit, do some form of resistance training three to four days per week, eat enough protein (at least 0.7 grams per pound of body weight), and sleep for at least seven hours per night (1, 2).

Is CrossFit a Good Form of Training For Muscle Gain And Fat Loss?

CrossFit is a form of training that combines strength, endurance, and athleticism. The approach has you complete a variety of compound movements with minimal rest in-between.

From a practical point of view, CrossFit can be a great form of training for building muscle, losing fat, and fixing the skinny fat physique. It covers all of the basics that go into building a beautiful physique:

• Adequate training volume (sets and reps) (3)
• A variety of exercises (mostly compound lifts like overhead presses)
• Training close to failure (4)
• Pushing for some form of improvements in the long run
• Training frequently enough (5)

Still, CrossFit is not all good, and there are some drawbacks to discuss. Most notably, CrossFit is a challenging form of training best suited for experienced trainees. A beginner skinny fat individual can borrow some elements of the training modality, but they would be better off with a more moderate workout approach emphasizing slow repetitions and proper form.

Another drawback is that CrossFit is highly intense, and exercises are done with minimal recovery time. Doing so is beneficial for finishing workouts quicker and developing your cardiovascular system, but inadequate recovery puts you at risk of technique breakdown. As a result, you’re more likely to experience an injury.

While CrossFit can work for a beginner, the risk of getting injured or overtrained is higher. If you’re interested in doing CrossFit to fix the skinny fat look, work with a coach for a while. They can teach you the fundamentals of effective strength training, how to perform the core lifts (squat, bench press, clean and press, pull-up, etc.), and equip you with the necessary knowledge to stay safe in your training.

In any case, it’s important to note that your nutritional choices will play a huge role in muscle gain and fat loss. Aside from picking a good training plan, you must also take care of your eating habits. 

You can check out how to put together a meal plan for fixing the skinny fat look here.

Nutritional Tips For Making The Most Of Your CrossFit Training

1. Maintain a Small Calorie Deficit

A calorie deficit means consuming fewer calories than you burn. Doing so is necessary for losing fat and getting lean (6). Most skinny fat beginners would benefit from a small deficit because that would allow them to build muscle and lose fat simultaneously. As a result, they might not necessarily experience weight loss or gain, but they will notice visual improvements. The only downside is that you must track your calories and be accurate with your food intake.

To determine how many calories you should eat, you must first calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)––the total number of calories your body burns each day. You can remove 200 to 250 calories from there to create a small deficit and track your body weight for several weeks. An online calculator can help you determine your TDEE. Alternatively, use this formula to calculate your BMR and this multiplier to determine the TDEE value.

A small deficit can even be effective when paired with bodyweight training or a basic gym routine.

2. Consume Enough Protein

The second tip for optimizing your nutrition and fixing the skinny fat physique is to eat enough protein daily. The nutrient provides the building blocks (amino acids) your body needs to repair muscle after training and make it grow. Amino acids are also necessary for numerous health-related processes, such as producing hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters, and antibodies.

According to research, the ideal protein intake falls between 0.7 and 1 gram per pound (1). For instance, if you weigh 170 pounds, you should eat 119 to 170 grams of protein daily. Check out my guide on the importance of protein for skinny fat individuals.

3. Eat Carbs!

Carbohydrates have a mixed reputation among health and fitness-conscious individuals. On the one hand, many people (including myself) love carbs and see them as an essential part of any healthy diet. But on the other hand, we have a vocal community of people who speak out against carb consumption and promote nutritional approaches like the keto diet.

Removing carbs from your diet can be beneficial in some ways, and certain groups of people might even be better off without the nutrient. But, we can’t forget that carbs are the primary fuel source for the body (7). As such, we need the nutrient to recover after training, perform at our best, and reach our goals (8, 9). Carbs are also necessary for cognitive function, energy levels, and well-being.

My advice is to eat your healthy share of carbs unless your doctor recommends a low-carb diet. Read more about the subject in my guide on carb intake.

4. Consider Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF) refers to a wide range of meal timing strategies designed to improve your health, make dieting easier, and help you reach fitness goals. While the approach can be beneficial in some significant ways, fasting is not inherently special and doesn’t lead to magical results.

Fasting is simply a dietary approach that dictates when to eat and when you should fast. A popular way to apply fasting is to follow the 16:8 method––fast for 16 hours per day and eat your day’s calories inside an 8-hour window. For instance, you can skip your morning meal, break your fast at noon, have dinner at 8 PM, and fast until noon the next day.

Doing IF is not mandatory, but it can be beneficial for controlling your appetite and sticking with caloric restrictions more easily. Having your day’s calories inside a shorter window means you’re eating fewer meals, but each is larger and more satisfying.

The 2 Big Mistakes Skinny Fat Individuals Make With Their Training

1. Doing too Much Cardio

Aerobic exercise benefits the heart, mind, metabolism, and more. The problem is that doing too much cardio can prevent you from fixing the skinny fat physique and instead contribute to low muscular development.

First, cardiovascular training can be demanding and impair your recovery, leading to less effective strength workouts. Second, research notes an interference effect when combining aerobic and resistance exercise (10). The metabolic pathways responsible for the unique adaptations of resistance training (strength, muscle, etc.) and aerobic exercise (endurance and such) differ. As a result, you could struggle to build muscle, which is necessary for fixing the skinny fat body type. Plus, cardio burns calories, and it can increase the deficit, making it impossible to pull off a body recomposition.

You can do some cardio but keep the weekly duration to no more than 60 to 90 minutes, pick less demanding activities (e.g., cycling instead of running), and do your cardio on rest days from weight training.

2. Not Focusing On The Right Exercises

There are no ‘must do’ exercises in weight training. You can pick from hundreds of movements and modify each in many ways to fit your abilities and preferences. Still, a mistake skinny fat individuals make is basing their training around the wrong movements. These include isolation exercises like bicep curls, chest flyes, and lateral raises.

Isolation exercises are by no means bad, but they exist to supplement a solid training plan based on compound lifts. Their goal is to focus on one muscle group at a time and help you do enough training sets for muscle growth. You can check out my article on some of the best exercises for skinny fat people.

A notable benefit of CrossFit training is that each workout includes heavy compound lifts that produce overload, cause mechanical tension, and allow you to progress. 

Final Thoughts

CrossFit is not a bad way of training, but you must be careful with the approach and get familiar with all the potential drawbacks. The modality is highly intense and based on heavy compound lifts. As such, the risk of technique breakdown tends to be high for inexperienced trainees.

Classic strength training might be better for skinny fat individuals simply because it emphasizes proper form and is easier to handle. You can always try CrossFit once you gain some lifting experience, but start simple and develop the necessary skills first.