About this episode

The episode discusses the science of body recomposition with Dr. Eric Helms, challenging traditional fitness dogma about muscle gain and fat loss.

Body recomposition — the process of building muscle and losing fat simultaneously — is one of the most contested concepts in the entire fitness industry. The traditional dogma says you have to pick a lane. You’re either bulking or you’re cutting. You can’t gain muscle in a deficit. And once you’re past the beginner stage, recomp isn’t on the table. But that framing is built on an oversimplification of how energy balance actually translates to body composition. And the research over the last several years has made that increasingly clear. On this week’s episode of the CHASING CLARITY HEALTH & FITNESS PODCAST, I sat down with Dr. Eric Helms — competitive natural pro bodybuilder, founder of the MASS Research Review, co-author of the Muscle and Strength Pyramids, and one of the most respected researchers in the evidence-based community — to break down the science, the physiology, and the real-world coaching application of body recomposition. This episode is for: Trained lifters who’ve been told recomp is no longer on the table Female clients who’ve been spinning their wheels with cardio and over-restriction Coaches who want to understand the research backing the recomp…

People in this episode

Host: Brandon DaCruz

Guest: Eric Helms

Topics covered

• body recomposition
• muscle building
• fat loss
• energy balance
• fitness coaching

Keywords

• body recomposition
• muscle gain
• fat loss
• energy balance
• fitness research
• coaching
• bodybuilding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MASS Research Review

Books & works: Muscle and Strength Pyramids

More episodes of Chasing Clarity: Health & Fitness Podcast

• HIDDEN DIETARY MISTAKES SABOTAGING YOUR FAT LOSS PROGRESS & HOW TO FIX THEM | FAT LOSS SERIES PART 4 | EP. 228 · July 20, 2026 · 47 min
• DR. MIKKI WILLIDEN: DOES DRINKING ALCOHOL REALLY BLUNT FAT LOSS? SEPARATING THE PHYSIOLOGY FROM THE BEHAVIOR | EP. 227 · July 13, 2026 · 1h 13m
• LATEST BODY RECOMP RESEARCH & THE 3 LEVERS I PULL WITH CLIENTS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN | ERIC HELMS FOLLOW-UP | EP. 226 · July 6, 2026 · 32 min
• CARDIO, STEPS & DAILY MOVEMENT STRATEGY FOR LOSING FAT & KEEPING IT OFF | FAT LOSS SERIES PART 3 | EP. 224 · June 24, 2026 · 28 min
• CAN YOU ACTUALLY RECOMP? DEFINING BODY RECOMPOSITION & THE 5 POPULATIONS WHO CAN BUILD MUSCLE & LOSE FAT AT THE SAME TIME WITH JEFF HOEHN | EP. 223 · June 22, 2026 · 1h 43m
• ERIC HELMS: TRAINING IN A DEFICIT: WHAT THE RESEARCH ACTUALLY SAYS ABOUT VOLUME, MUSCLE LOSS & FAT LOSS PHASE PROGRAMMING | EP. 222 · June 15, 2026 · 1h 56m

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