Have you ever come across the infamous claim that “getting in shape is 80% diet“? It’s a phrase that echoes through the fitness world, but with every mention, it seems to leave us with more questions than answers. What exactly does it mean?

Is it suggesting that 80% of our focus should be on perfecting our nutrition, leaving less room for dedicated training? Or does it imply that a staggering 80% of our fitness results can be attributed to diet, with only a meagre 20% influenced by our time spent sweating it out in the gym?

And does this mantra apply universally to both muscle gain and fat loss? What about performance—can Usain Bolt’s 9.69-second 100m dash at the Beijing Olympics really be chalked up to the 100 chicken nuggets he admitted to devouring in preparation? While the importance of good nutrition is widely acknowledged, deep down, we all sense that the reality is more nuanced.

Let’s embark on a thought experiment involving a set of twins leading identical lives until now. One twin is bestowed with a top-notch nutrition plan designed by the world’s foremost experts, coupled with a personal chef to ensure strict adherence. This lucky individual, Twin A, is advised to exercise only when the mood strikes, leading a mostly sedentary lifestyle.

On the flip side, the other twin is handed the world’s most effective muscle-building program. While he trains vigorously, he enjoys the liberty to indulge in a typical British diet. Now, take a leap of intuition—after eight weeks, which twin do you think will exhibit the most dramatic changes in appearance, performance, and fitness level?

This isn’t to undermine Twin A’s efforts—remarkable improvements in health and mood may have occurred. If Twin A were in a caloric deficit, he might have shed weight during this period. However, the point here is that we shouldn’t diminish the significance of training in driving physical transformations, and asserting that it contributes only 20% to our results oversimplifies the equation.

I’ve witnessed individuals becoming disheartened after dedicating themselves to meticulously meal-prepped diets, only to see minimal gains in the gym because their training intensity fell short.

Instead of compartmentalising training and nutrition, let’s view them as interdependent coefficients. Certainly, paying attention to your diet is crucial, especially for fat loss. However, if your fitness goals transcend mere weight management, don’t fall into the trap of believing that you can out-diet a lacklustre workout plan—because the dynamic duo of training and nutrition works best when they complement each other.