I look at people like lean beef Patty who’s grown so much muscle but if you look through all her posts and even old previous progress pics she’s consistently lean. She’s not the only female influencer but the only one that’s coming to my mind right now. It feels like even without a bulk and having a phase of being “puffier” they are to amass so much muscle and achieve a lean physique.

Is this just elite genetics? I’m trying to lose body fat and lean out but I also want to gain muscle (recomp essentially) and progress in my lifts. However, as you know it’s very difficult to gain muscle on a calorie deficit. I’m also not able to efficiently lose bf% without a more significant calorie deficit (my dietary cal deficit is ~150 cals so I still have energy to lift). So it feels like I’m at a cross roads where I’m compromising both muscle gains and leanness.

Does anyone have any insight on how fitness influencers are able to achieve this? I know social media isn’t all real, but it’s sometimes disheartening to see everyone making such linear progress in muscle growth while being so lean.