Every second of the day our body will either be in a catabolic or anabolic state.
If you are trying to lose body fat or build muscle then you need to understand these terms.
Catabolic and anabolic states indicate to us whether we are building or burning nutrients. These terms I mentioned briefly in our recent blog on metabolism. I would encourage you to read that blog first before reading this one.
Catabolic State
A catabolic state will indicate to us that our body is breaking down nutrients or stored energy. This could be the break down of body fat, muscle, bone or nutrient reserves. This will generally happen when our energy intake is not meeting our energy demand. It can also occur in states of stress, lack of sleep or through genetic reasons. Some people can naturally favour a catabolic state while others may favour an anabolic state. Someone who is wired to favour a catabolic state will generally struggle to gain weight. Someone who achieves an anabolic state easily can gain weight easier. The pro’s and con’s of being in a catabolic state are listed below.
Pro’s
– Fat Loss/ weight loss (short term)
– Energy utilisation (short term)
– Reduced inflammation (short term)
– Increased energy (short term)
Con’s
– Fat gain (long term)
– Muscle loss/ bone loss (short/ long term)
– Adrenal fatigue (long term)
– Energy swings (long term)
– Lethargy (long term)
– Hunger (short/ long term)
– Metabolic down regulation (short/ long term)
– Increased blood pressure (short/ long term)
One key difference between the pro’s and con’s is the duration spent in either a catabolic or anabolic state. The longer you spend in either state the less you will experience the pro’s and the more profound the con’s will become. This is why you cannot focus on losing body fat or building muscle for months on end. You need to go through phases where you focus on reducing body fat followed by an increase in food and lean mass.
Anabolic State
An anabolic state is the opposite to catabolic. Anabolism will mean your body is focusing on building new structures. This can mean an increase in muscle mass, bone density, fat mass or stored energy and nutrients. People who are trying to build muscle or are ‘bulking’ are trying to keep their body in an anabolic state. There are also pro’s and con’s to this state as listed below.
Pro’s
– Increased muscle mass (short/long term)
– Increased bone density (short/ long term)
– Increased metabolic rate (short/ long term)
– Stress reduction (short/ long term)
– Improved sex hormones (short/ long term)
Con’s
– Fat gain (short/ long term)
– Increased inflammation (short/ long term)
– Poor insulin sensitivity and blood sugar management (short/ long term)
– Increased blood pressure (short/ long term)
The pro’s and con’s of these states are also dependant on your training, nutrition and lifestyle. If your body is anabolic from overeating, eating too many carbohydrates or lack of exercise, then you are more like to experience the con’s and not the pro’s. If you are lifting weights , managing your carbohydrates and calories to favour muscle gain and improving your sleep, then you will likely experience the pro’s with minimal con’s.
It is possible to experience both fat loss and muscle gain together. This is due to the manipulation of these states with well planned nutrition, training and lifestyle. This is called body re-composition. The goal is to be as anabolic as possible to retain or build new muscle tissue while being catabolic enough to burn body fat. This is a delicate balance and requires solid commitment to your nutrition and training. People who are new to the gym will experience this balance between catabolism/anabolism quite easily as their body will be very sensitive to both fat loss and muscle gain.
Summary
Catabolism will result in either fat loss, muscle/bone loss or a combination of both.
Anabolism will result in either fat gain, muscle/bone gain or a combination of both.
You can place your body in either one of these states by changing your nutrition, training or lifestyle. Which state will benefit you is dependant on your goal and also your prior history. If you have been focusing on fat loss and have maintained a catabolic state for a number of months, you will find the best results by shifting your body to an anabolic state. The reverse is also true. Be smart with your training and nutrition and see your results sky rocket.
