To grow and maintain muscle, you should aim for 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight (or 2.2g per kg). For example, someone weighing 180lbs should eat at least 180g of protein a day. 

It’s important to get a sustained release of protein throughout the day, especially after training, to help with muscle recovery and the growth of new muscle tissue. Shakes are an easy, convenient way to do this wherever you are, without the fuss of preparing a whole meal. Diet whey formulas are also low in sugar and fat, making sure you get the nutrients you need without the unnecessary calories. 

A calorie deficit is when you burn more calories than you consume – and this is important for getting lean as it causes your body to turn to alternate fuel sources, including your fat stores. 

However, your body can also begin to convert muscle to energy too, which is obviously a big step in the wrong direction. You can prevent this though – by continuing to stimulate your muscles through exercise like weight training, you’re telling your body that it needs to keep growing and maintaining its muscle. Making sure you get enough dietary protein to facilitate this is therefore very important too. 

Supplements should be used alongside a balanced diet and regular exercise – not in place of them. They aren’t an instant solution to suddenly getting shredded, but they can help you along your journey to toning up. 

• Impact Diet Whey – this high-quality formula is packed with protein but low in sugar and fat, plus it contains key diet ingredients such as green tea extract and inulin

• Creatine Monohydrate – a kick-start to your training sessions, it’s been proven to increase physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise

• CLA – a great supplement to get omega-6 into your diet, which contributes to normal heart function, without taking on excessive calories

• Thermopure – an energy-boosting formula with caffeine and B vitamins to help push your performance during training

• Daily Vitamins – a convenient way to hit daily recommended intake, helps your body to function as it should and keep your training on track

To lose fat, but keep muscle, you should be doing a mixture of resistance training and cardio. 

You should begin your workout with some compound exercises, which work several muscles at once rather than isolating one muscle group. These include the Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Chin-ups, OH Press and Rows.

Then, finish your sessions with 30-40 minutes of cardio post-weights. This could be a combination of running, cycling, swimming or rowing, or you could do a shorter HIIT workout. Any of these will get your heart pumping and body burning fat. 

To successfully get to where you need to be – which in this case is at a calorie deficit – it’s vital that you keep track of what you’re eating and what exercise you’re doing. Taking note of how many calories are in your meals and snacks will mean you know when you’ve hit your daily limit. 

It’ll also make you more aware of what nutrients you’re getting. You should be aiming to get most of your calories from protein and fruit or vegetables, then a moderate amount of carbohydrates, and a really minimal amount of fat/sugar. It may sound simple, but physically writing down what food you eat can be an eye-opener to what you’re actually having every day. 

Plus, tracking your progress in the gym is key to making sure that you’re matching up to, or improving on, your past training sessions. Building up gradually from your previous workouts is what leads to progress. 

This is even more important whilst in a calorie deficit, as in order to prevent your body from converting your muscles into an energy source, you need to keep using them consistently to prove that they need to be maintained.