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Matt Ogus - SixPack Shredding Program PDF
Matt Ogus - SixPack Shredding Program PDF
I re m e m b e r th e firs t tim e I trie d to g e t sh re d d e d . It's a fu n n y s to ry fu ll o f trial and error, b u t m o stly e m b arra ssm e nt.
W ait a m inute...
b o d y b u ild e rs ty p ic a lly try to s h o w up on sta g e at o r a ro u n d 5% b o d yfa t, lean, full, a nd hard, b u t I w as e a sily 13-15%
b o d yfa t, th ick, soft, and sp ille d . O h and, b y th e way, I’ m ju s t g u e ssin g th e s e b o d y w e ig h ts , I d id n ’t a c tu a lly w e ig h m yse lf
I w a n t yo u to k n o w th a t I’m ju s t lik e you. In fact, I'm w illin g to b e t th a t m any o f yo u c u rre n tly have a b e tte r u n d e rs ta n d in g o f
W h a t I w as m issing, and w h a t so m any o f us to d a y are m issing, is a syste m fo r fa t loss. W e 're so d is tra c te d by click-b a it,
fa n cy b lo g title s , and viral fa c e b o o k p ictu re s o r vid e o s , th in k in g "S ince th is has 1000+ shares, I b e tte r read it and b e lie ve
it!"
W e see a rtic le s b o a s tin g "C lean Eating", o r "5 Foods th a t M ake yo u fat", and w e te n d to lo o k at th in g s in b la ck and w h ite .
th a t m atters, and w ith o u t any s o rt o f c o n s id e ra tio n fo r o u r d a ily c a lo rie or m a c ro n u trie n t intakes. W e th in k "bad foods",
re g a rd le ss o f q u an tity, w re c k a g o o d d ie t, and w e th in k "g o o d fo o d s " m a g ica lly so lve a bad d ie t o r m a ke you "healthy," o r
are in ca p a b le o f m a kin g you gain fat. W e m is ta k e n ly lo o k a t fo o d s in is o la tio n fro m each other, and o n e -d im e n sio n a lly,
m in d le ssly fo llo w a g e n e ric m eal plan th a t has you losing fat, b u t it's a n o th e r th in g to k n o w a nd th o ro u g h ly u n d e rsta n d
w h a t e xa c tly causes fa t loss a nd h o w yo u can a d ju s t each va ria b le to incre a se , m aintain, de crea se , o r e ve n re ve rse yo u r
b e ca u se w e k n o w su sta in in g fa t loss o r a lean p h ysiq u e can g e t d iffic u lt, e s p e c ia lly w ith o u t them .
tru th re ve ale d . For m o st o f you, it's g o in g to s u d d e n ly h it you o n c e y o u 're o n e o r tw o w e e k s in to this pro gra m , y o u 're
fin a lly losing b o d y fat, d a y a fte r day, w e e k a fte r w e e k , and se e in g th e p h ysiq u e yo u d e s ire be ch ise le d o u t in fro n t o f y o u r
v e ry eyes. The p h ysiq u e you w ill have is an a c h ie v e m e n t in and o f itself, b u t th e p o w e r and c o n tro l you w ill possess as th e
a rc h ite c t is s o m e th in g o u t o f th is w o rld .
It's th is fe e lin g o f s e lf-e m p o w e rm e n t th a t c o m p e lle d m e to w a n t to share m y tra in in g and d ie tin g stra te g ie s w ith th e w o rld
th ro u g h m y Y o u tu b e ch a nn e l and o th e r social m edia. I have a fe e lin g th a t w ith th e re su lts y o u 'll be a ch ie vin g , m any o f you
to n s o f ab e xe rcise s and e n d le s s sessions o f c a rd io w h ile h e a vily re s tric tin g th e ir d ie t to lose fat. C lean e a tin g co m b in e d
w ith lo w ca lo rie s. M ost fin d th e m s e lv e s g e ttin g b u rn e d o u t quickly. If th e y even su cce e d in lo w e rin g th e ir b o d y fa t levels
and m a yb e e ve n a ch ie ve th e ir goal o f g e ttin g a six pack, th e y 're u su ally h it w ith th e re a liza tio n th a t th e y c o m p le te ly
re a lly m a in ta in a b le in th e lo n g run. For th o s e w h o d o n 't re b o u n d u n c o n tro lla b ly , m any e n te r a "b u lk in g phase" and en d up
and c u ttin g , b a ck and fo rth , n e ve r re a lly a c h ie v in g o r m a in ta in in g a p h y s iq u e th a t th e y 're sa tisfie d w ith and p ro u d of.
This is w h y th e m a jo rity o f g u ys you see at co m m e rcia l gym s d o n 't w a lk a ro u n d at 8-12% b o d y fa t ye a r-ro u n d . This is w h y
U n fo rtu n a te ly, fo llo w in g c o n v e n tio n a l n u tritio n and tra in in g w is d o m fo u n d all o v e r th e in te rn e t and fa c e b o o k m akes it
re a lly hard to g e t th e p h ysiq u e yo u w ant. It's hard to g e t and stay lean w h e n you th in k th e m ost im p o rta n t p ie ce o f fa t loss
is m eal fre q u e n c y - e a tin g e v e ry 2 to 3 hours, o r "cle a n e a tin g " - a v a g u e , u n d e fin e d , and o fte n tim e s h yp o critca l style o f
c o m p le te ly okay).
ca rb s are th e e n e m y and fa ts are y o u r b e s t frie n d , o r vice versa. T h e re 's alw ays o n e n u trie n t o r fo o d th a t yo u n e e d to
o fte n fin d se veral c o n flic tin g a rtic le s and v ie w p o in ts . N o w o n d e r p e o p le have no idea h o w to lose fat!
To b u ild m uscle, w e 're c o n s ta n tly b e in g p re s c rib e d "on e w e ird trick". W e're sh o w n th e tra in in g ro u tin e s o f e x p e rie n c e d
I co u ld w rite an e n tire b o o k ju s t listing all o f th e co m m o n fitn e s s m yths, le t a lo n e o n e th a t busts them . Keep in m ind th a t
Instead o f g o in g o n and on, te llin g you w h a t n o t to d o and w h a t a d vice to ig n o re , let's n o w fo cu s s tric tly on w h a t you
sh o u ld do.
ll H o w to A c h ie v e Lean M u scu la rity
To a tta in a tru ly im p re ssive ph ysiq u e , you need to have a c o m b in a tio n o f leanness (lo w b o d y fa t p e rce n ta g e ) and
m uscularity. The th re e m ain in p u ts in th is e q u a tio n are g o in g to be s tre n g th tra in in g , n u tritio n , and ca rd io , w ith th e tw o th a t
It is a b s o lu te ly im p e ra tiv e th a t yo u s tre n g th tra in to g e t th e d e fin e d and p o w e rfu l p h ysiq u e th a t you w an t. B u ild ing m uscle
co m e s fro m p ro g re s s iv e o v e rlo a d - a g ra d u a l incre a se o f stre ss p laced upon y o u r b o d y and m uscles d u rin g tra in in g . W hen
yo u tra in s p e c ific a lly fo r p ro g re s s iv e o v e rlo a d (b u ild in g strength), m uscle g a in s w ill n a tu ra lly fo llo w . C ause and e ffe ct.
Sets, reps, exe rcise s e le c tio n , w o rk o u t fre q u e n cy, p ro g re s s io n m o d els, re st p e rio d s, and m o re w ill be c o v e re d in d e ta il
la te r on.
e v e ry th in g and o fte n n e g le c t a n d /o r e nd up losing a lo t o f s tre n g th in th e 4-10 rep range. W hile th e re is a tim e and place
For th e m ost part, y o u r s tre n g th tra in in g p ro g ra m d o e s n 't re q u ire a m assive o v e rh a u l to g e t yo u in to "fa t loss m o d e " n o r
d o e s it re q u ire m uch c h a n g e o n c e y o u 'v e se t it in to m o tio n. A fte r y o u 'v e b e g u n th e pro gra m laid o u t fo r you, yo u can
a lm o st ’’se t it and fo rg e t it", a llo w in g yo u to p u t all o f y o u r fo c u s on th e lifts th e m se lve s. Your e ffo rt w ill b e b e s t s p e n t tryin g
to to p y o u r p re v io u s w o rk o u t’s lifts, o r if y o u 're m uch fu rth e r a lo n g in y o u r fa t loss phase and v e ry lean, yo u 'll b e try in g
W e’ll be fo c u s in g on ju s t m a jo r ke y lifts to b u ild and m aintain y o u r m uscle and s tre n g th th ro u g h o u t yo u r fa t loss diet. W e’ll
M any o f you w ill be s u rp ris e d b y h o w m uch s tre n g th y o u ’ll be g a in in g w h ile o n th is fa t loss p ro g ra m . If y o u ’re a n o vice , o r
c o m in g b a c k fro m a long p e rio d off, I can a lm o st g u a ra n te e y o u ’ll be g a in in g s tre n g th and m uscle w h ile losing fat. Even
b u ild in g m uscle if th e y ’ve b e e n tra in in g su b -op tim a lly. E verything w o rk s m uch b e tte r w h e n y o u ’ve g o t y o u r p rio ritie s
The b e st fa t loss d ie t is o n e th a t m akes a c a lo ric d e fic it as e ffo rtle s s and s u s ta in a b le as po ssib le, w h ile m a xim izing m uscle
C ardiovascular Exercise
W h ile d o in g c a rd io fo r fa t loss is h o p e le ss o r at least e x tre m e ly in e ffe c tiv e w h e n y o u ’re n o t tra c k in g y o u r ca lo ric inta ke, if
C a rd io is a v e ry h e lp fu l to o l in cre a tin g , su sta inin g , o r incre a sing a c a lo ric d e fic it fo r fa t loss. C a rd io also incre a se s yo u r
W hen w e in e v ita b ly reach fa t loss stalls o r s lo w d o w n s w h ile on a c e rta in c a lo ric in ta ke and ca rd io o u tp u t, and w a n t to
1. D ecre a se c a lo ric in ta ke
2. Increase C ard io o u tp u t
ca rd io , and fo r o th e r p e o p le v ic e versa. I’ll be g iv in g you e a s y -to -fo llo w g u id e lin e s to fo llo w so th a t you ta k e a ba la n ce d
a p p ro a ch and d o n ’t o v e rd o it in th e c a rd io d e p a rtm e n t.
Som e p e o p le can c o m fo rta b ly g e t d o w n to 6-8% b o d y fa t w ith little to no re sista nce . O th e rs m ay fin d th a t losing w e ig h t
For m ost m en, unless it’s fo r c o m p e titio n , a p h o to s h o o t, o r som e o th e r re a lly im p o rta n t reason, yo u m ig h t n o t w a n t to g e t
d o w n to 6% b o d y fa t or low er. It g e ts h a rd e r and h a rd e r to m aintain, n o t to m e n tio n you in cre a sin g ly lose stre n g th , yo u r
natural te s to s te ro n e d ro ps, and you b e c o m e in c re a s in g ly hungry, fo o d fo c u s e d , and q u ite o fte n an ti-socia l th e lo w e r you
ta k e y o u r b o d y fat.
E veryone is g o in g to have th e ir o w n “s e t-p o in t” (a c o m fo rta b le p o in t o f lea n n e ss and stre n g th ) and th e ir p a rtic u la r goal o f
For so m e o f you, th is m ay be th e firs t tim e y o u ’ll e v e r have g o tte n lean. For o th e rs, yo u m ay be p u sh in g to w a rd s g e ttin g
m a in tain (and fo r h o w long). Let m e also n o te th a t as you gain e x p e rie n c e w ith th e system and m e th o d s w e ’ll be g o in g
L e t’s ta k e a lo o k at w h a t so m e o f th e goal leve ls o f b o d y fa t can lo o k like. W e’ll use m e (the a uthor) as th e e xa m ple . Keep
y o u rs e lf to th is stage.
This sta g e in y o u r fa t loss is so m e tim e s an in te re s tin g “ m id d le g ro u n d ”, at lea st it is fo r me. Y ou're stro n g , q u ite o fte n
s tro n g e r th a n ever, b u t y o u 're n o t q u ite as d e fin e d as y o u ’d like to be. M any w ith o u t a stru ctu re and plan to th e ir n u tritio n
H e re is w h e re th in g s sta rt to g e t fun. You b e g in to have in cre a se d d e fin itio n and y o u r m id se ctio n starts to re a lly trim up. A
less each w e e k , p e o p le seem to th in k m o re and m ore th a t yo u a c tu a lly lift. In th e rig h t c o n d itio n s and in th e rig h t lig h tin g ,
T h in g s are sta rtin g h e a t up. O verall, y o u ’re re a lly s ta rtin g to sh a pe up. P articular b o d y parts m ay lo o k re a lly d e fin e d w h ile
o th e rs m ay still be b lu rre d w ith b o d y fa t (my b a c k fo r me). S triations m ay sta rt to sh o w in p a rtic u la rly g ifte d b o d y parts.
im pre ssive , and since y o u ’re n o t to o lean yet, yo u still have g o o d s tre n g th and m uscle size. T h e fa ce starts to chisel up,
8% Body Fat
C o n g ra tu la tio n s if yo u m ake it to th is level! You’ll have a nice tig h t m id s e c tio n and v is ib le d e fin itio n all over. You’ll have a
used to seem a ve ra g e o r u n im p re ssive to you. You’ ll sh o w ca se m o re v a s c u la rity and w ith o u t a sh irt on yo u lo o k in cre d ib le .
Your le g s w ill s h o w d e fin itio n , and yo u w o n ’t be a fra id to w e a r th o s e re tro s h o rt sh o rts o u t in p u b lic. If y o u d o n ’t o w n any,
G o o d b ye c h u b b y ch e eks. H e llo p h o to g ra p h e rs .
ta k e th e m off, yo u lo o k like a G re e k g o d. You can see m u scle d e fin itio n , s e p a ra tio n , stria tio n s, and in d ivid u a l m uscle
fib e rs. You can see a fu lly e tc h e d o u t six p a ck and o b liq u e s . T h e re ’s v a s c u la rity in m ore p laces, in c lu d in g p la ce s y o u ’ve
leanness. In th e rig h t lig h tin g and fro m th e rig h t a n gles, yo u can cre a te th e illu sio n o f lo o k in g m uch b ig g e r than yo u re a lly
are. Take as m any p h o to s and d o as m any p h o to s h o o ts as y o u r s to ra g e sp a ces can h a n d le b e cau se sta yin g at th is leve l o f
le a n n e ss is v e ry d ifficu lt.
ju s t w a n t to see if I can d o it” cuts it as a g o o d e n o u g h reason, b u t its a d e c is io n up to you. A t 6% b o d y fa t o r low er, m ost
p e o p le are g e n e ra lly a t u n h e a lth ily lo w levels o f b o d y fat; g e n e ra lly u n h e a lth ie r th e lo w e r y o u g o and th e lo n g e r yo u stay
drive, and y o u r d e s ire to s o cia lize w ith o th e rs. T h e le a n e r y o u g e t, th e w o rs e it gets. You b e c o m e m ore irrita b le , short-
T h a t said, ha vin g re a ch e d th is sta te a fe w tim e s m yself, it can c o m e w ith m any p o te n tia l b e n e fits if yo u c a p ita lize on them
to h e a vily o v e rw e ig h t, I re c o m m e n d g e ttin g d o w n to 15-20% re sp ective ly, staying th e re fo r a little w h ile (I’ll be c o ve rin g
By now, yo u have a g e n e ra l idea o f w h a t th e g a m e plan lo o ks like. You k n o w th a t y o u ’ll be fo llo w in g a tra in in g program
c a rd io can b e a v e ry h e lp fu l to o l th a t y o u ’ll p ro b a b ly be u tilizin g. You also have an idea o f th e goal level o f b o d y fa t y o u ’re
a im ing to achieve.
You’re p ro b a b ly w o n d e rin g now, W hat are m y m acros? H o w m any c a lo rie s s h o u ld I be a im ing fo r? H o w m uch cardio?
W e’ll be c o v e rin g all o f th is! But first, a q u ic k c h a p te r o n th e to o ls and th e m in d se t n e cessa ry fo r healthy, su cce ssfu l, and
su sta in a b le fa t loss.
i T racking P rogress
w ays NOT to d o it. If yo u d o n ’t have one, p u rcha se a high q u a lity d ig ita l scale th a t m easures to th e te n th o f a p o u n d (or
You w ill w e ig h y o u rs e lf daily, firs t th in g in th e m o rnin g , nude, a fte r using th e b a th ro o m , b e fo re e a tin g o r d rin k in g a n yth in g .
You w ill re c o rd th is num ber. It d o e s n ’t have to b e e x a c tly th e sam e tim e e v e ry d a y b u t th a t’s th e b e st case scenario. If yo u
It’s norm al th a t y o u r w e ig h t w ill flu c tu a te fro m d a y to day, e ve n fo llo w in g th e a b o v e co n d itio n s. A 1-2% flu c tu a tio n in
b o d y w e ig h t is c o m p le te ly norm al. W h a t yo u ate th e p rio r day, so d iu m inta ke, b o w e l m o ve m e n t (or lack of), h orm onal
flu c tu a tio n s , m e n stru al cycle, and m ore a ffe c t y o u r b o d y w e ig h t. If y o u r w e ig h t flu ctu a te s, th e n w h y w e ig h y o u rs e lf at all?
w ith each other. Your a v e ra g e w e ig h t d u rin g w e e k 1 ve rsu s y o u r a ve ra g e w e ig h t d u rin g w e e k 2, and so on. Your w e e k ly
N u m b e rs (Mac). These p ro g ra m s have easy fu n c tio n s w h e re yo u can g e t th e a ve ra g e o f a list o f w e ig h t-in ’s. If y o u ’re o ld
Th e Tape M easure
B o d y m e a su re m e n ts can h e lp us m e asure fa t loss and m uscle gain in w ays th a t th e scale ca n n o t. B e g in n e rs, n o vice
tra in e rs (th a t’s m ost o f you), and e ve n yo u w h o c o n s id e r y o u rs e lf in te rm e d ia te s, listen up. A lth o u g h tra c k in g yo u r
E sp ecially fo r th o s e w h o are v e ry u n tra in e d , rapid m uscle gain and s o m e tim e s w e ig h t gain, can o c c u r w h ile
sim u lta n e o u s ly losing fa t at a c a lo ric d e fic it. S o m e tim e s th is fa t loss is “ m a s k e d ” w h e n y o u ’re ju s t lo o kin g at th e scale
w e ig h t.
life. H e ’s g o t 15-20 lbs o f fa t h e ’d like to lose. H e w o u ld n ’t m ind lo o k in g m ore m u scu la r to o , o f course. He, like m ost men,
seem to be g o in g g reat, fa t lo s s /w e ig h t loss a c c o rd in g to th e scale is o c c u rrin g w o n d e rfu lly . Then all o f a su d d e n it seem s
• fa t in th e ir m idsection. T h a t’s m ost o f you. If you sto re a s ig n ific a n t a m o u n t o f fa t in o th e r places such as yo u r legs,
(Shoutout to my friend Andy Morgan for the inspiration for this infographlc)
Th e 9 Key Body M easu rem ents in regards to body fa t are show n above. W eekly W aist M e asu rem en t (# 6 ) is
m andatory, th e rest are optional but highly reco m m ended, especially if you store fa t in o th er places. C hest, arm , and
leg m easurem ents are also aw esom e to have dow n the road for th e purpose o f tracking m uscle gains.
• Do it u n d e r th e sam e circum stances: Sam e tim e, in th e m o rning, a fte r using th e b a th roo m , a fte r w e ig h in g yourself,
b e fo re e a ting o r d rin kin g
• M easure y o u r w a ist (#6) e ith e r 2 inches o r tw o fin g e rs b e lo w y o u r navel (belly button), w h ic h e v e r is e a sie r fo r you to
m easure co n s is te n tly fro m w e e k to w e e k
• D o y o u r m easurem ents y o u rs e lf since you ca n ’t rely th a t y o u ’ll alw ays have so m e o n e else to help you.
• M easure th e th ic k e s t p a rt o f y o u r leg
• JUST th e M irro r
о Your m ind plays tricks on you, plus th e lo o k o f y o u r p h ysiq u e is c o n s ta n tly ch a n g in g fro m d a y to day based on
th e tim e o f day, w h a t you ate, h o w m any carbs and sodium , h o w m uch fo o d bulk, stress, sleep, etc.
• B ody-fat c a lip e r m ea sure m e n ts are v e ry ina ccu ra te if p e rfo rm e d b y m ost p ra ctitio n e rs (™5%) and still ina ccu ra te w he n
used b y e x p e rts (~3%)
• U n d e rw a te r D un k Tank: N3%
• D XA scans: "1-2%
• BodPod: "3 %
S everal o f th e s e are v e ry in e x p e n s iv e and in c o n v e n ie n t. T h e o th e rs are g o sh darn ina ccu ra te . It’s n o t w o rth even
s h re d d e d se veral tim e s (in 2013 and 2016) and I h a v e n ’t had m y b o d y fa t p e rc e n ta g e c h e c k e d since 2011 (6 ye a rs as o f m y
w ritin g this).
e q u a tio n (free), w h ic h you can fin d o n lin e via g o o g le o r sp e n d in g th e m o n e y and d o in g a D XA scan if a lab th a t d o e s them
is n e a rb y you.
Rem em ber, tra c k in g y o u r scale w e ig h t and tra c k in g y o u r w a is t m e a s u re m e n t (and p o ssib ly o th e r m ea sure m e n ts) are w h a t
M e a surin g and tra c k in g th e fo o d yo u e a t is th e m o st im p o rta n t p a rt o f a ny and e v e ry succe ssfu l diet. L iq u ids can be
P ackaged g o o d s p ro c e s s e d w ith sta n d a rd iz e d m a n u fa ctu rin g can ty p ic a lly be tra c k e d using th e labels on th e boxes or
Th e Food Scale
y o u ’re b a kin g it, m ic ro w a v in g it, o r g rillin g it, th e lo n g e r yo u c o o k, th e m ore m o istu re (and w e ig h t) y o u ’ re losing. Just
c o o kin g . Say, y o u r p a re n t co m e s hom e w ith a ro tis s e rie ch icke n , o r c o o k s up 10 lbs o f ch ic k e n b re ast o r tila p ia fo r you in
To tra c k y o u r fo o d , and th u s y o u r c a lo rie s and m a c ro n u trie n ts, y o u ’ll need a to o l. You can fin d n u tritio n data in b o o k s b u t if
a va ila ble in b o th w e b s ite a nd m o b ile app. I p e rs o n a lly have b e e n using M yFitnessPal fo r years. I also have used Fitday
and C a lo rie K in g b e fo re (2011). M yM a cros and L iveS trong are also apps th a t seem to be w id e ly used.
A w o rd o f ca u tio n . Ju st b e cau se a fo o d in p u t is th e re in a d a ta b ase , d o e s n ’t n e cessa rily m ean it’s 100% co rre ct. Every day,
th e s e w e b s ite s /a p p s g e t b e tte r and better, w ith m ore fo o d inputs, and in c o rre c t in p u ts are fixe d . But th e y a re n ’t
n e ce ssa rily p e rfe c t, th e y re ly on users to cre a te n e w fo o d inp u ts and h e lp fix w ro n g ones. W hen ju s t sta rtin g out, y o u ’ll
w a n t to be 100% sure th a t y o u ’re using c o rre c t inp u ts, e s p e c ia lly w ith th e fo o d s y o u ’ll be e a tin g regularly, so it m ay be
lo o k s fishy, y o u ’ll w a n t to cro s s -c h e c k it. Eating a n e w fo o d th a t y o u ’ve n e v e r had b e fo re? O r e a tin g o u t a t a re sta u ra n t and
n o t sure w h ic h “ Bone-In Rib E ye” to p ic k on y o u r fo o d tra c k in g app? C ross-C h e ck it. A n d w h e n it com es to fa t loss, if
y o u ’re having tro u b le p ic k in g b e tw e e n o n e in p u t and th e n e x t and y o u ’re in a hurry, p ic k th e o ne th a t says it has m ore
m a cros/ca lo ries.
U n trackable Foods:
For th e m ost part, th e s e are fo o d s you p ro b a b ly w a n t to a vo id o r m inim ize th e fre q u e n c y and q u a n tity o f c o n su m p tio n o f
b e ca u se yo u m o st lik e ly have no idea w h a t th e m acros are. The lasagna at a m om and p o p Italian re sta u ran t, th e tw ice
b a ke d fu lly lo a d e d p o ta to at a ste a k re staurant, o r th e (fried) fish and ch ip s (French fries) w ith th e ta rta r d ip p in g sauce th a t
yo u d o n ’t plan on w e ig h in g .
th e m . T h e m ore butter, ch eese, oil, o r o th e r fa t o r s u g a r he avy in g re d ie n ts th a t are in it, th e m ore v a ria b ility and th e m ore
w ro n g you co u ld be w ith an e s tim a tio n o f th e m acros yo u consum e. The m ore w ro n g yo u are, th e m ore y o u ’re n o t a ctu a lly
h ittin g y o u r m acros (but inste ad m ost lik e ly g o in g w ay over). W h e th e r y o u ’re g u e ssin g th e q u a n tity o f a ce rta in fo o d and
This isn’t to say yo u s h o u ld a vo id g o in g to re sta u ran ts w ith fam ily. I d o it all th e tim e w h e n I’m c u ttin g . M any restaurants,
in c lu d in g m any fa s t fo o d re sta u ran ts like M cD on a lds, are p re tty sta n d a rd w ith th e ir p o rtio n sizes. O th e r chain fa st fo o d
re sta u ran ts like c h ip o tle are s o m e w h a t sta n d a rd , b u t so m e tim e s m acro in p u ts n e e d to be a d ju ste d w h e n y o u r se rv e r give s
b u tte r) w h e n I e a t o u t w ith fam ily. Ju st g e t g rille d o r fla m e b ro ile d fo o d s inste ad o f frie d ones. A sk fo r no a d d e d b u tte r or
oil. A sk fo r d re ssin g on th e side. A s k w h a t in g re d ie n ts (sp e c ific a lly o ils /b u tte rs ) are in c e rta in e n tre e s th a t lo o k a p p e tizin g .
It’s re a lly n o t a b ig deal to d o th is and th e re need n o t be a ny stigm a a tta c h e d to it. If s o m e o n e has a p ro b le m w ith h o w you
co m p o s itio n you w ill have. W hen y o u ’re tra c k in g m a cros and y o u r w e ig h t loss stalls, th e firs t th in g yo u d o is m ake sure
y o u ’re b e in g a c cu ra te and p re c is e w ith y o u r m acro tra c k in g . The less a ccu rate a nd p re cise yo u are w ith tra c k in g th e
m acros in sid e th e fo o d s you eat, w h e th e r by laziness, in e x p e rie n c e , using a n a ccu ra te m yfitn e ssp al fo o d inp u t, o r th e
Be as a ccu ra te and p re c is e w ith m e a su rin g and tra c k in g y o u r m acros as (sanely) p o s s ib le fo r th e m ost re lia b le results.
i The R ig h t M e n ta l A p p ro a ch
S hould yo u a vo id e v e ry fo o d th a t p e o p le c o n s id e r “ d irty ” o r “ b a d ”?
Accuracy
w e ig h t gain and w e ig h t loss. These are Fats, C arbs, and P rotein. In essence, w e ’re tra c k in g th e to ta l gram s o f fat, carbs,
and p ro te in th a t w e ’re co n s u m in g in a m eal and in a g ive n day. By tra c k in g o u r fo o d , w e can aim to w a rd s sp e c ific ca lo ric
The m ore a c cu ra te w e are at h ittin g th e p re c is e c a lo ric and m a c ro n u trie n t goals, th e better. The less a ccu ra te you are w ith
Being e x tre m e ly p re cise w ith e v e ry gram o f fo o d th a t yo u p u t in y o u r m outh can b e stressful and ta xin g on y o u r w illp o w e r.
w as in th e fo o d s a n d /o r w e ig h e d it yo u rself.
F le x ib ility and sa nity te n d to g o hand in hand. For m any p e o p le , e a tin g w ith fa m ily w h e th e r a t h o m e o r o u t is a ve ry
life, w h ile still b e in g re la tiv e ly a c c u ra te w ith h ittin g y o u r ta rg e t m acros. Losing w e ig h t re q u ire s a c a lo ric d e ficit, th e re fo re
F le x ib ility can m ean s w a p p in g ce rta in fo o d s fo r o th e rs if y o u ’re fo llo w in g a s tric t m eal plan, a d ju stin g y o u r m a cro n u trie n t
ta rg e ts on ce rta in days to plan fo r a trip o r a b ig m eal o u t to n ig h t o r to m o rro w , o r lo w e rin g y o u r fats fo r a day because
y o u ’re p la n n in g on e a tin g fro ze n y o g u rt la te r o n w ith frie n d s (and th u s raising y o u r carbs fo r th e day). B eing fle x ib le , if and
w h e n necessary, is y o u r h id d e n A ce, a to o l to use to h e lp yo u c o n s is te n tly h it m a cro /ca lo ric g o als w h ic h w ill h e lp you
a tta in th e lean m u scu la r p h ysiq u e y o u ’re after. You w a n t to b e as fle x ib le as n e cessa ry to re a c h /w h ile re a ch in g y o u r goals.
A t som e p o in t, fle x ib ility b le n d s in to th e realm o f w h a t I’d like to call “ N ot a c tu a lly h ittin g yo u r m acros.” I’ ll co ve r
a p p ro p ria te ty p e s and levels o f fle x ib ility later, b u t in g e n e ra l, th e h ig h e r yo u a llo w y o u r fle x ib ility le ve l to be, th e less
a ccu ra te you are and th e re fo re th e less d ire c t c o n tro l o v e r y o u r fa t loss yo u have. For so m e p e o p le , this m ig h t in clu d e
e a tin g o u t m uch to o o fte n , o r p e rh a p s e a tin g o u t and o rd e rin g a pasta dish th a t m ig h t be m uch h a rd e r to tra c k co m p a re d
to s o m e th in g sim p le like a plain b a ke d p o ta to , b ro c c o li w ith o u t butter, and a plain g rille d c h icke n breast. You re a lly risk not
b e in g a ccu ra te if yo u sta rt e y e b a llin g fo o d s and g u e s s tim a tin g th e m acros o r o rd e rin g d ish e s at re sta u ran ts w ith
C onsistency
us ta k e a log ica l, scie n c e -b a s e d a p p ro a c h at h ittin g th e c a lo ric d e fic it and th e rig h t m a cros fo r o p tim a l gym p e rfo rm a n ce
and m uscle re te n tio n . F le x ib ility h e lp s us e n jo y life and stic k to th e g a m e plan day in and d a y out. A n d sin ce n o th in g
h a p p e n s o v e rn ig h t, c o n s is te n c y is w h e re th e m a g ic happens.
is v e ry im p o rta n t, b u t o fte n fo r m any o f us, s p e n d in g to o m uch fo c u s and e n e rg y on b e in g 100% a ccu ra te can d e rail
success. W hen yo u g ive y o u rs e lf n o room fo r fle x ib ility , d ie tin g b e c o m e s m o re d iffic u lt, and y o u ’re m o re a p t to say “scre w
zero d ie t a d h e re n ce . O n th e flip side, w h e n y o u ’re m e n ta lly o k a y w ith n o t b e in g 100% a ccu ra te all o f th e tim e, w h ile still
strikin g in th e a p p ro p ria te ranges, y o u ’re m ore lik e ly to b e m a kin g c o n s is te n t p ro g re ss, and m ore lik e ly to ke e p it.
w e e k o r m ore. S o m e tim e s I’ll g o o u t tw ic e in o n e day, b u t I’ll try to e a t m in d fu lly and n o t co n su m e to o m any ca lo rie s o ve r
H avin g fle x ib ility and v a rie ty w ith y o u r fo o d ch o ice s is in c re d ib ly useful fo r d ie tin g . To sh o w us why, lo o k no fu rth e r than
ch icke n , b ro w n rice, and b ro c c o li. T h e y ’ll e a t th e s e sam e e xa ct fo o d s d a y in, day out, w h ic h d e p e n d in g o n h o w little
v a rie ty y o u ’re g e ttin g , can lead to n u tritio n a l d e fic ie n c ie s . M a yb e th e y have p la n n e d c h e a t days, o r m a yb e not, b u t w he n
The fa t gain fro m b in g in g o r having u n c o n tro lle d c h e a t days can o fte n ca n ce l o u t fa t loss fro m several days or w e e k s
are ty p ic a lly la b e le d as “ b a d ” w h e n th e y have little o r no m ic ro n u trie n t d e n s ity (vitam ins and m inerals). The label has been
g ive n to p ro ce sse d fo o d s , frie d fo o d s, and o th e r c a lo ric a lly d e n s e fo o d s. It’s an u n fa ir title b e cau se as hum ans in to d a y ’s
n o t in d ivid u a l fo o d s.
com es b y and a p ira te o ffe rs you e ith e r a box fu ll o f o re o s o r th e sam e box fu ll o f fre sh c e le ry (or sp in a ch o r kale).
O ne se rvin g o f ice cream th a t yo u have fo r d e s s e rt and th a t yo u fit in to y o u r d a ily m acros is in c re d ib ly d iffe re n t than
co n su m in g 2 full tu b s o f ice cream e v e ry w e e k e n d (b e yon d y o u r c a lo ric m a in ten a n ce) w h ile yo u b in g e w a tch N etflix. You
m ay have h eard th is b e fo re b u t “ The p o ison is in th e d o se.” You n e e d a little b it o f c o n te x t b e cau se in o n e sce n ario , th e
a m o u n t o f ice cream is c o m p le te ly fin e and ke e ps yo u a lig n e d w ith y o u r goals, b u t in th e other, it's ju s t to o m uch. You
w h o le fo o d s , high fib e r fo o d s , and fru its and v e g e ta b le s th a t have th e m ic ro n u trie n ts yo u need fo r all o f y o u r b o d y ’s
re q u ire m e n ts . But o n c e y o u ’ve re a ch e d y o u r n e cessa ry in ta ke o f v ita m in s and m inerals, it’s n o t like yo u g e t extra bonus
p o in ts fo r e a tin g m o re o f th e m .
A n d w h a ts fu n n y th a t I m ust p o in t o u t, is th a t q u ite o fte n , e ve n th o s e w h o ra b id ly a vo id “ bad fo o d s ” a nd s tic k to e a ting
Q u ite o fte n , p e o p le w h o fo c u s s o le ly on e a tin g clean fo o d s d e v e lo p e a tin g d is o rd e rs such as o rth o re xia . It’s iro n ic th a t th e
e a tin g o n e b ad fo o d o r o n e bad m eal w ill ruin o u r e n tire h e alth , o r th a t o n c e yo u g e t sta rte d , y o u ’re g o in g to sn o w b a ll in to
a fre n z y o f n o n -sto p e a tin g o f “ d irty fo o d s .” W ith th a t m entality, th a t m ig h t ju s t happ e n . But ju s t like yo u c a n ’t g e t in shape
e a ting . Eating o n e n u tritio u s and b a la n ce d m eal d o e s n ’t m a g ica lly m ean yo u have a g o o d d ie t a fte r e a tin g o n ly
Eating a sm all p o rtio n o f y o u r d a ily c a lo rie s fro m “ bad fo o d s ” w ill have no n e g a tiv e e ffe c t if y o u ’ re g e ttin g in all o f y o u r
fo llo w th e g u id e lin e s o f th is pro gra m , and fin d fa t loss success. M ost o f yo u are in a g re a t p o sitio n b o th m e ta b o lic a lly and
For th o s e w h o have a lre a d y b e e n d ie tin g p rio r to b e g in n in g th is pro gra m , e s p e c ia lly th e le a n e r yo u are and th e lo n g e r
a b ig fa t loss g o a l into s m a lle r parts se p a ra te d b y bre aks. I ty p ic a lly re c o m m e n d d ie t bre aks o r phase ch a n g e s e v e ry 12-15
w e e k s o f c o n tin u o u s fa t loss.
S im ple scien ce : fa t and m uscle b o th re q u ire e n e rg y s im p ly to m aintain, so th e less o f e ith e r th a t yo u have, th e less
ca lo rie s yo u bu rn a t rest. A p o u n d o f m uscle w ill ty p ic a lly burn a ro u n d 6 c a lo rie s p e r d a y w h ile a p o u n d o f fa t w ill burn
RMR (resting m e ta b o lic rate) w ill d e c re a s e (even m ore so if y o u lose s ig n ific a n t a m o un ts o f m uscle w h ile d ro p p in g b o d y
fat). A lso, as a survival m echanism , as yo u lo se m ore w e ig h t, g e t leaner, d o m ore and m ore ca rd io , and g e t d e e p e r in to a
a d a p ta tio n . For so m e o f yo u you w h o w e re a lre a d y d ie tin g and w e re on re a lly lo w ca lo rie s, e a tin g m ore fo o d m ay even
pro gra m .
d o in g too,
• You’ve a lre a d y b een c u ttin g and having ste a d y fa t loss (0.5% to 1% b o d y w e ig h t p e r w e e k) fo r 4-8 w e e k s o r m ore
• You’ re c u rre n tly d o in g 5 o r m ore days o f extra ca rd io p e r w e e k (3 0 0 o r m ore calories p e r session) By “e x tra ”, I mean
on to p o f w h a t you w o u ld d o re cre a tio n a lly fo r s p o rt o r p ersonal e n jo ym e n t. M y re co m m e n d a tio n gets s tro n g e r lo n g e r
y o u ’ve been d o in g this.
The lo n g e r y o u ’ve b e e n c u ttin g , th e le a n e r you c u rre n tly are, th e lo w e r y o u r c u rre n t ca lo rie s a lre a d y are, and th e m ore
re co m m e n d a tio n s .
If you can say “ y e s ” to any o f th e a b o ve b u lle t po in ts, d o y o u rs e lf a fa v o r and ta k e a full 2-3 w e e k d ie t break. If y o u ’ve
a lre a d y b e e n d ie tin g fo r m ore than 8-10 w e e k s and lo sin g 0.5-1% o f y o u r b o d y w e ig h t p e r w e e k d u rin g th a t p e rio d , ta k e a 3
b e tw e e n w e e k 12 and 15 o f to ta l
m atter) yo u can p ro b a b ly sta rt th is p ro g ra m rig h t w h e re y o u stand. But, as yo u p ro b a b ly can gu ess I’d say, if re ce n tly
y o u ’ve re s tric te d y o u r c a lo rie s (in any fo rm , in c lu d in g a crash d ie tin g ) or e x h ib ite d so m e s ig n ific a n t w e ig h t loss, p u ttin g a
A sid e fro m th e m e ta b o lic a d a p ta tio n s o f p ro lo n g e d c a lo ric re s tric tio n , th e re ’s also a p sych o lo g ica l to ll ta k e n on you.
aim fo r m a in te n a n c e calories. You’ll fig u re o u t h o w to ca lcu la te y o u r c a lo rie s and m a cro n u trie n ts in th e n e xt section.
yo u can lose in th e s h o rt te rm . It’s a b o u t b e in g a b le to lose fa t and k e e p it off. It’s a b o u t losing fa t as e ffic ie n tly and
M any in d ivid u a ls e x p e rim e n t w ith th e m s e lv e s o r have a bad e x p e rie n c e w ith a pro gra m o r a n o th e r coa ch b e fo re sw itch in g
used to, d ie tin g on a m uch less c a lo rie s than th e y c o u ld ’v e g o tte n aw a y w ith , fru stra te d at th e stall in fa t loss. For a lo t o f
goals.
E l Less Food is N o t N ece ssarily B e tte r
Your fa t loss succe ss isn’t a b o u t h o w m uch w e ig h t you can lose in a s h o rt 2 -4 w e e k p e rio d . It’s n o t a b o u t h o w little fo o d
v e ry s h o rt p e rio d o f tim e . You d o n ’t sustain it, and m any p e o p le p h y s ic a lly d o n ’t lo o k any b e tte r (from an a e sth e tic stand
p e o p le can g e t e xcite d and w a n t to re a lly push th e e n v e lo p e w ith h o w little th e y can m an ag e e a tin g . Do n o t d o that. You
m ust k e e p in m ind th a t y o u r b o d y has a lim it to h o w m uch fa t it can burn in o n e day. W hen yo u cu t yo u r ca lo rie s to o m uch,
yo u b e g in to risk lo sin g m uscle, and e v e n tu a lly yo u d o lose m uscle, and m ore and m o re o f it th e g re a te r you push th a t
You e n te r in to risky te rrito ry. Your w o rk o u ts (if y o u ’ re liftin g at all) b e gin to s u ffe r and if y o u ’re n o t ke e p in g up y o u r tra in in g
inte nsity, you w ill lose m uscle. T h o se w h o d ie t a g g re s s iv e ly and d o n ’t s tre n g th tra in o r e xe rcise in te n se ly at all, p u t
th e m se lve s in a re a lly bad p o s itio n fo r m uscle loss and n o t b e in g as s a tis fie d w ith th e ir p h ysiq u e a t th e end o f th e fa t loss
co m p a re d to if th e y had w e ig h t tra in e d . F o rtu n a te ly, m o st o f yo u w o n ’t have to w o rry a b o u t th a t, since you w ill be lifting
w e ig h ts. Ju st rem em ber, th e m o re fo o d y o u ’re e a tin g , th e b e tte r y o u r w o rk o u ts w ill be, and th e m o re s tre n g th and m uscle
on w h e n you need to , to c o n tin u e p ro g re ssin g . On an e x tre m e c a lo ric d e fic it, yo u m ay lose fa t fa s te r a t first, d u rin g th e
firs t 4-6 w e e ks, b u t n o t in th e long run. You e n d up s e ttin g y o u rs e lf up fo r a m uch m ore lik e ly b in g e and re b o u n d b e cau se
alw ays co m e s a tim e w h e n yo u have to lo w e r c a lo rie s to c o n tin u e losing w e ig h t, b u t if yo u can c o n tin u e y o u r fa t loss
p ro g re ss on h ig h e r ca lo rie s, w ith less n e g a tiv e a ffe c t on y o u r sex drive, hunger, and irritab ility, and en d up losing m ore fa t
d e ficit, e a tin g m o s tly a v a rie ty o f h e a lth fu l fo o d s b u t w ith o u t o v e rly re s tric tin g y o u r fo o d ch o ice s. W e ’ll be using th e fo o d
scale and th e b o d y w e ig h t scale so th a t w e can m e a sure and tra c k o u r c a lo ric d e fic it, so th a t w e a ch ie ve fa t loss w h ile
b u ild in g o r re ta in in g as m uch s tre n g th and m uscle as p o ssib le , w h ile e a tin g as m uch fo o d as po ssib le. W e ’re in th is fo r th e
lo n g -g a m e , n o t th e sh o rt-g am e .
w e e k s and a d ju stin g th e m if and w h e n n e cessa ry n e cessa ry to p u t and ke e p you on th e rig h t tra c k to w a rd s y o u r goal.
You m ust bu rn m o re c a lo rie s th a n you co n su m e . You n e e d to b e in a su sta ine d ca lo ric d e ficit. A ll yo u n e e d to lose b o d y fa t
e a tin g in w ays th a t are e n jo y a b le and s a tia tin g fo r y o u , y o u 'll be a b le to d ie t w ith m uch less e ffo rt a nd n e g a tiv e im p a ct
W e’re v e ry fo rtu n a te th a t o u r b o d ie s fo llo w basic law s o f scien ce . W h ile ta k in g an a d va n ce d c o lle g e c o u rse in n u tritio n
I t ’s tim e fo r a ctio n.
ro u g h ly 3 5 0 0 ca lo rie s.
S ince th e re are 7 days in th e w e e k , yo u co u ld th e o re tic a lly assum e th a t a 5 0 0 c a lo rie d e fic it each d a y fo r 7 days w o u ld
day o f 5 0 0 calories.
lbs d u rin g th e firs t w e e k o f d ie tin g d u e to w a te r w e ig h t and d e c re a s e d fo o d bulk. It e v e n tu a lly sh o u ld sta b iliz e g ivin g you
For m axim um m uscle re te n tio n and m axim um s tre n g th gains, aim fo r th e 0.5% b o d y w e ig h t loss goal fo r each w e e k. If
y o u ’re a b it m ore c o n c e rn e d w ith m axim um fa t loss c o m p a re d to s tre n g th gains, aim fo r th e 1%. T h a t said, s h o o tin g fo r
s o m e th in g b e tw e e n 0.5% a nd 1% w ill h e lp you m inim ize m uscle and s tre n g th loss. For m o st b e g in n e r to lo w e r-
and fo r yo u rank n o vice s or th o s e c o m in g back to th e w e ig h ts a fte r a long layoff, you w ill m ost lik e ly b u ild m uscle too.
0.8%, and th e n 0.7%, and so on. As lo n g as y o u ’re losing b e tw e e n 0.5% and 1% o f y o u r b o d y w e ig h t p e r w e e k, y o u ’re d o in g
a w e so m e and yo u s h o u ld n ’t c h a n g e a n yth in g .
yo u retain m ore m uscle and s tre n g th as yo u g e t c lo s e r and c lo s e r to y o u r rip p e d and lean physiq u e . The n u m be rs on th e
Instead o f th a t, w e ’re g o in g to a tte m p t to ju m p s tra ig h t in to a c a lo ric d e fic it, and m ake a d ju stm e n ts la te r on if and w h e n
necessary.
2 0 0 lbs x 10 = 2 0 0 0 c a lo rie s
Th e A ctivity M ultiplier
A c tiv e 17-2.0
W e’re assum ing th a t w e ’re a lre a d y fa c to rin g in th a t yo u tra in w ith w e ig h ts m u ltip le tim e s p e r w e e k. W e’ re lo o k in g at th e
o th e r fa cto rs.
Factors in th e A ctivity M ultiplier:
-H o w stre n u o u s y o u r jo b /o c c u p a tio n is
-NEAT (n o n-e xe rcise a c tiv ity th e rm o g e n e s is : a c tiv ity th a t yo u w o u ld n ’t n e ce ssa rily c o n s id e r exercise, such as w a lk in g to
and fro m w o rk and hom e. T his is also su b c o n s c io u s a c tiv ity (fid g e tin g , y o u r p o stu re , a nd so on)
-B o d y fa t P e rce nta ge : F a cto ra b le to a sm all d e g re e . You burn s lig h tly m ore c a lo rie s at re st (key w o rd , s lig h tly m ore) th e
le a n e r yo u are at a ny g ive n b o d y w e ig h t.
ca lo rie s, th a t yo u have a “ fa s t m e ta b o lism ,” y o u ’d rank y o u rs e lf h ig h e r on th e scale, a nd vice versa if yo u feel like yo u gain
w e ig h t ju s t lo o k in g at cake
D o n ’t w o rry a b o u t g e ttin g th is p e rfe c tly right. T h e m ost im p o rta n t th in g to d o is to ju s t p ick a n u m b e r and g e t sta rte d .
Start in th e m id d le o f th e road w ith a 1.8 m u ltip lie r and a d ju s t up o r d o w n based o n w h e re yo u rank w ith th e fa cto rs. T h in k
a b o u t it in te rm s o f h o w you co m p a re to th e g e n e ra l p o p u la tio n .
To gain w e ig h t d o e s it seem lik e you have to en d e v e ry th in g u n d e r th e sun? D o yo u also fid g e t a lo t and y o u ’ve alw ays
2 0 0 x 10 = 2 0 0 0
175 x 10 = 1750
To in itia te y o u r c a lo ric d e fic it, yo u n e e d to se t y o u r c a lo rie s b e lo w y o u r leve l o f m a in ten a n ce. I re co m m e n d sta rtin g w ith a
m ake c h a n g e s to y o u r m acros and c a lo rie s a fte r w e ’ve b e e n a p p ly in g th e m long e n o u g h to see w h a t th e y in itia lly d o fo r
you.
calories.
calories.
and d o in g c a rd io to c re a te th e d e ficit?
1 C a rd io A lo n e fo r Fat Loss
w ith o u t re s tric tin g his fo o d , h e ’d have to do, g ive or ta ke , 7 hours o f m e d iu m in te n s ity c a rd io p e r w e e k ju s t to a cco m plish
this. E ve n tu a lly th e fa t loss w o u ld ta p e r d o w n , and to c o n tin u e e a tin g th e sam e q u a n tity o f fo o d and ca lo rie s and c o n tin u e
to lose fa t a t th e rate he w ants, h e ’d have to c o n tin u e a d d in g m o re and m ore ca rd io . Keep in m ind, fo r th o s e w e ig h in g less
th a n 2 0 0 lbs, it w o u ld th e o re tic a lly b e even m ore c a rd io th a n 7 hours o f c a rd io (th in k clo s e r to 8 if yo u w e ig h e d 160 lbs),
You can see h o w it co u ld b e c o m e u n p ra ctica l to try to a c h ie v e all y o u r fa t loss fro m ju s t ca rd io . It’s m uch b e tte r to re ly on
yo u r n u tritio n to h e lp yo u c o v e r th e m a jo rity o f y o u r c a lo ric d e fic it. B ut th a t said, if you have th e tim e to d o it, c a rd io can be
d o in g so m e v a ria tio n o f c a rd io (low, m e dium , o r high inte nsity) at lea st o n ce a w e e k, ye a r round. I’d s u g g e s t 2-3 tim e s a
w e e k as a g o o d (and free) h e alth insu ra n ce policy. It m ig h t m ean 2-3 hours o f w a lk in g yo u r d o g p e r w e e k, 2-3 th irty
in te n s ity on a lo w im p a c t m a ch in e at y o u r gym .
tre a d m ill is o k a y to o , b u t it’s a b it m ore im p a ctfu l on y o u r jo in ts c o m p a re d to cyclin g , th e e llip tic a l, and th e glider. Treadm ill
If y o u ’re c u rre n tly d o in g 4 o r m o re c a rd io se ssions p e r w e e k fo r th e goal o f fa t loss (assum ing a 4 0 0 k c a l burn p e r session),
b e fo re b e g in n in g th is program .
1 C a lc u la tin g Your M acros
Protein
th e d u ra tio n o f th e diet.
I’d re co m m e n d th e le a n e r yo u are, th e h ig h e r to se t y o u r p ro te in .
2 0 0 x 1.2 = 2 4 0 gram s o f p ro te in
A im fo r th e lo w e r e nd o f th e p ro te in scale.
W h a t i f y o u a re a ve g a n a n d g e ttin g in p ro te in is v e ry d iffic u lt?
I h ig h ly re c o m m e n d a p la n t-b a se d p ro te in p o w d e r a n d /o r so y p ro te in to h e lp yo u h it y o u r p ro te in intake. T h a t co m b in e d
w ith high p ro te in fo o d so u rce s in c lu d e leg u m e s, seeds, grains, ca shew s, and v e g e ta b le s like ch ickp e a s, b la ck beans,
etc.
W h a t i f y o u p re fe r c a rb s in s te a d o f p ro te in ?
Go w ith s o m e th in g lo w e r on th e scale.
Fats
R ounded to th e n e a re st 5g = 8 5 gram s o f fa t
R ound up to 6 0 gram s o f fa t
Im p o r ta n t Q u e s tio n : H o w lo w is to o lo w fa t?
day
2 7 0 / 9 = 3 0 gram s o f fa t
‘A TTEN TIO N ...*
R em em ber th a t th e re ’s a m inim um intake for fa t set at 0 .2 5 g per lb o f bo dyw eight. A t 175 lbs, th is in d iv id u a l’s m inim um
3 2 .6 4 gram s o f fat.
W hy d o w e h a v e a m in im u m fa t in ta k e set?
Fat, lik e p ro te in , is a n e cessa ry p a rt o f o u r d ie t as an e sse ntia l n u trie n t. You need fa t fo r h o rm o n e p ro d u c tio n . You co u ld
m ore room fo r c a rb o h y d ra te s w h ic h fo r m o st p e o p le w ill lead to b e tte r gym p e rfo rm a n ce , and th u s b e tte r m uscle
re te n tio n . This m eans m ore s tre n g th and m u scle gain fo r no vice s, and m ore s tre n g th g a in o r s tre n g th re te n tio n and
e le c t to g o w ith s e ttin g th e ir fa t in ta k e to 25% o f th e ir d a ily c a lo rie e x p e n d itu re . O fte n th e m ost lim itin g m a cro n u trie n t
yo u w a n te d to g e t, assum ing yo u s e t a sid e c a lo rie s fo r th e o cca sio n , y o u ’re u su ally stu ck try in g to p ic k fro m a n a rro w
m a cros p e rfe ctly, s e ttin g y o u r fa ts h ig h e r a llo w s fo r m o re o p tio n s , in and o u t o f restaurants. T h a t said, w e w ill discuss
la te r stra te g ie s fo r e a tin g o u t th a t w ill h e lp m ake life a b it e a sie r and d ie tin g m ore e ffo rtle ss.
C u ttin g C alo rie s - P rotein C alo rie s - Fat C alo rie s = C a rb o h y d ra te C alo rie s
8 5 gram s o f fat
3 4 0 gram s o f carbs
2 4 0 gram s o f protein
6 0 gram s o f fa t
2 0 0 gram s o f carbs
N o w th a t w e ’ve fig u re d o u t y o u r c u ttin g m acros, all th a t’s le ft is to sta rt h ittin g th e m ! B ut first, le t’s se t up y o u r re fe e d day.
i A B rie f O v e rv ie w o f Refeeds & D ie t B reaks
O ve r th e c o u rs e o f a p ro lo n g e d d ie t, it’s h e lp fu l to p e rio d ic a lly ta k e bre aks so th a t you rem ain in c o n tro l o f y o u r d ie t and to
p re v e n t yo u fro m stra yin g fro m it, b re a k in g d o w n and b in g in g , o r q u ittin g c o m p le te ly. You m ay have a lre a d y h eard o f th e
Som e d ie t bre aks are lo n g e r than o th e rs and d iffe re n t p e o p le w ill u tiliz e d iffe re n t ty p e s o f d ie t breaks. The le a n e r yo u are
Single D ay Refeeds
2 4 h o u r p e rio d o f h ig h e r ca lo rie s, usually at y o u r m a in te n a n ce level o f c a lo rie s, and g e n e ra lly cre a te d fro m an in cre a se in
d e cre a se , re d u c in g e n e rg y e x p e n d itu re and in cre a sin g y o u r a p p e tite . R efeeds h e lp b o o s t le p tin levels, right? H e re 's th e
re ve rsin g m e ta b o lic a d a p ta tio n o r s ig n ific a n tly in cre a sin g le p tin levels. So w h a t ca n a 2 4 h o u r re fe e d d a y do? A re fe e d
ca lo ric in ta ke is still th e sam e, yo u w o n ’t have m uch a ffe c t on re d u c in g th e m e ta b o lic slo w d o w n . To p u t it sim ply, if you
slo w d o w n y o u r fa t loss th ro u g h th e a d d itio n o f a re fe e d day, yo u ty p ic a lly w ill e x p e rie n c e less m e ta b o lic slo w d o w n . But
In o n e w ord... A d h e re n ce .
O ve r th e co u rse o f a d ie t and o v e r th e c o u rs e o f su cce ssive days o f a c a lo ric d e fic it, y o u r “ d ie ta ry w illp o w e r” d e crea se s.
The ju ry is still o u t w h e th e r th is s c ie n tific a lly h a p p e n s o r not, b u t it d e fin ite ly “ fe e ls ” like y o u r w ill p o w e r d e cre a se s o ve r
th e span o f a day, and o v e r th e span o f a diet. T h e reason p e o p le have re fe e d days is fo r a sen se o f relief. It’s a
G reat jo b ! S eriously! You laste d 6 days o f a c a lo ric d e fic it, have a break!
Typically, p e o p le on harsh and re s tric tiv e d ie ts re w a rd th e m s e lv e s w ith “c h e a t days.” T h e y can co m e in m any sh apes and
th e y lo st d u rin g th e w e e k. E ntering in to a cycle o f “ clea n e a tin g ” d u rin g th e w e e k ” and “ d irty e a tin g " d u rin g th e w e e k e n d ,
W a te r W e ig h t and Refeeds
o u t o f w h a c k and incre a se d u rin g a c a lo ric d e fic it, ca u sin g th e b o d y to ca rry w a te r a b norm ally. R efeeds can re d u ce
co rtiso l levels a nd h e lp “w h o o s h ” (as Lyle M cD on a ld puts it) th e w a te r w e ig h t away. That, in a nd o f itself, can be in c re d ib ly
p s y c h o lo g ic a lly re w a rd ing ... to see a b ig d e c re a s e in w e ig h t on th e scale. It can also cause visual d iffe re n ce s, fro m th e
d ro p in w a te r w e ig h t, th a t can be e q u a lly as re w a rd in g .
W ho Should do S ingle Day Refeeds?
If y o u ’re 12% b o d y fa t o r o v e r (fem ales 20% b o d y fa t o r over) I re c o m m e n d using sin g le day re fe e d s. If y o u ’re w e ll o ve r
20% b o d y fa t (fem ales o v e r 30%), y o u r re fe e d s are o p tio n a l. O n ce yo u g e t d o w n to to 20% (fem ales: 30%) o r b elow , do
yo u r w e e k ly re fe e ds.
If y o u ’re le a n e r than 12% b o d y fa t (fem ales u n d e r 20%), I re c o m m e n d try in g 2-3 d a y re fe e d s (co ve re d later).
O u r c u rre n t m acros are s e t up fo r a th e o re tic a l 3 5 0 0 c a lo rie d e fic it o v e r th e co u rse o f th e w e e k. If a re fe e d is e sse n tia lly
yo u r ca lo rie s at c a lo ric m a in ten a n ce, all yo u have to d o to cre a te a re fe e d day is a dd 125 gram s o f ca rb s (5 0 0 calories) to
th e o re tic a l * 3 5 0 0 ca lo rie s, w e ’ll s u b tra c t a b o u t 8 0 ca lo rie s, o r 2 0 carbs, fro m each o f th e 6 d e fic it days.
R ounded d o w n to 8 0
3 0 8 5 ca lo rie s
8 5 gram s o f fa t
3 4 0 gram s o f carbs
2 4 0 gram s o f p ro te in
6 0 gram s o f fa t — (4 2 0 g w e e kly)
e x p e rie n c e w ith e x p e rim e n tin g w ith d iffe re n t q u a n titie s o f fo o d p la ce d in d iffe re n t p laces th ro u g h o u t th e day. For m ost
th e e ve n in g o f th e re fe e d d a y ra th e r th a n e a rlie r on.
better.
O ne ke y w a rn in g , be sure to have a re fe e d day and n o t to le t it tu rn in to a c h e a t day. Even if you g o o u t to eat, m ake sure
y o u ’ re still h ittin g y o u r m acros. F o llo w in g a m eal plan w ill be e x tre m e ly h e lp fu l fo r th o s e w h o are e ith e r n e w to tra ckin g
th o s e w h o are sub 12% b o d yfa t, and 1-3 w e e k d ie t bre aks w ill a p p ly to th o s e w h o are d ie tin g fo r lo n g e r than 12 w ee ks. If
2 -3 D ay Refeeds
U n like 1 d a y re fe e ds, 2-3 day re fe e d s m ay have th e p o te n tia l to re ve rse som e o f th e m e ta b o lic a d a p ta tio n th a t o ccu rs
Ju st lik e a 2 4 h o u r re fe e d day, it’s im p o rta n t to a c tu a lly h it m a in te n a n c e c a lo rie s on th e se days. H aving 2-3 days in a row
H avin g 2-3 days in a ro w o f (true) m a in te n a n c e c a lo rie s w ill n o t cau se any fa t gain, and o v e r th e co u rse o f an e x te n d e d
To se t this up co rre ctly, sim ilar to th e o n e d ay re fe e d, you need to have y o u r w e e k ly ca lo ric d e fic it to be c o v e re d in sid e o f
b y a d d in g 125 gram s o f carbs to to each day (and its re c o m m e n d e d th a t yo u p la ce th e m back to back). Your lo w days
m ust have a d e fic it o f 7 0 0 c a lo rie s each if y o u ’re g o in g to have 2 days a t m a in te n a n ce (refeed). W e so lve th is by sim ply
8 5 gram s o f fa t — (5 9 5 g w e e kly)
3 4 0 gram s o f ca rb s — (2 ,3 8 0 g w e e kly)
m ake up. 2 ,3 8 0 -9 3 0 = 1 4 5 0 , and th a t’s h o w m any carbs th e 5 lo w days s h o u ld e q u a te to. 1450 d iv id e d by 5 is 2 9 0 . This
6 0 gram s o f fa t — (4 2 0 g w e e kly)
Th ree D ay Refeeds
8 5 gram s o f fa t — (5 9 5 g w e e kly)
3 4 0 gram s o f ca rb s — (2 ,3 8 0 g w e e kly)
The m ath in v o lv e d w ith th is w as sim ple. A ll w e had to d o w as add 125 carbs to each o f th e 3 th e days w e w a n te d to tu rn
around.
W e ta k e 2 ,3 8 0 w h ic h is th e w e e k s w o rth o f carbs a nd s u b tra c te d 465x3= 1395, w h ich are h o w m any carbs th e re fe e d days
6 0 gram s o f fa t — (4 2 0 g w e e kly)
w h ich are h o w m any ca rb s th e re fe e d days m ake up. 1,4 0 0 -9 7 5 = 4 2 5 , and th a t’s h o w m any carbs th e 4 lo w days sh ould
e q u a te to. 4 2 5 d iv id e d b y 4 is 106.25 b u t w e w ill ro u n d th a t to 105 gram s. T h e fo u r lo w days w ill have 105 gram s o f carbs
each.
7 to 11 d e fic it days b e tw e e n each 3 day re fe e d . This w o u ld a llo w y o u r lo w days to be s lig h tly h ig h e r c a lo rie /c a rb th a n w h a t
th e y ’d b e if yo u d id a 3 d ay re fe e d w e e kly, assum ing w e ’re a im ing fo r th e sam e th e o re tic a l d e fic it and th e sam e to ta l
days. T his co m e s o u t to a b o u t a 6 3 5 c a lo rie d e fic it o n each th o s e lo w days. S ince w e ’ve a lre a d y ca lcu la te d w h a t y o u r
m acros are w ith a 5 0 0 c a lo rie d e fic it p e r day, w e ’d ju s t have to s u b tra c t a ro u n d 135 ca lo rie s w o rth o f ca rb s (33.75 b u t w e ’ll
ro u n d up to 3 5 gram s o f carbs) fro m each o f y o u r 11 c o n s e c u tiv e lo w days, and add 125 gram s o f carbs to th e 3 days you
w a n t to m ake re fe e d days.
Lastly, le t’s lo o k a t o u r 175 lb m ale w ith a d e s k jo b w h o w a n ts to fo llo w an “11/3” lo w day to re fe e d sch e du le . Last ch a rt in
yo u r ca lo rie s are a lre a d y g o in g to b e re la tiv e ly m uch lo w e r th a n w h a t th e y ’d be d u rin g a b u lk and w ith 5-10 p e rc e n t m ore
b o d y fa t on y o u r fram e. But, w e ’ re also g o in g to be aim in g at a s m a lle r d e fic it th a n if yo u w e re m uch heavier; you have
less fa t to lose.
yo u g e t, th e sm a lle r th e d e fic it yo u sh o u ld be a im ing for, if you w a n t to m axim ize m uscle and s tre n g th re te n tio n . The
le a n e r y o u g e t, th e m o re p a tie n ce , d is c ip lin e , and s e lf c o n tro l you need to c o n tin u e losing fa t b e ca u se it g e ts really, re a lly
to u g h .
To ke e p it sim ple, re fe r b a ck to th e ch a rt on w h o th e d iffe re n t ty p e s o f d ie t bre aks are rig h t for. The m ore yo u are
M y basic re c o m m e n d a tio n if yo u are re la tiv e ly lean a lre a d y (m en u n d e r 12% and w o m e n u n d e r 20%) is to have 5 lo w days
re ve rsin g so m e o f th e m e ta b o lic a d a p ta tio n th a t d ie tin g causes. If, how ever, se p a ra tin g re fe e d days suits yo u r fa n c y and
O n ce again, le t m e re e m p h a size b e fo re m o vin g on th a t yo u w ill see th e b e st re sults if y o u r re fe e d days are a ctu a lly at
m a in te n a n ce leve l ca lo rie s. Im agine it like s to p p in g in p la ce fo r ju s t a m o m e n t to re g ain energy, if you w ill, and then
y o u ’d w a n t a d ie t b re ak b e fo re c o n tin u in g th a t diet.
sa nity a nd w e ll-b e in g . D u rin g th e s e 1-3 w e e ks, yo u w ill n o t b e u tiliz in g re fe e d days, sin ce e ve ry d a y w ill e sse n tia lly be p u t
at o r ne ar m a in te n a n ce calories.
a p p ro xim a te h o w m uch o f a d e fic it you are in w e e k ly and p e r each lo w day. If y o u ’ve been lo sin g 1 lb p e r w e e k m ost
half, and incre a se c a lo rie s on th e lo w days to fill in th e re st o f th e d e fic it. For e xa m ple , le t’s c o n tin u e to assum e a 3 5 0 0
Is th e re a s im p le r w a y to h o p o n to a d ie t b re a k ?
W h a t i f I ’m c u r r e n tly n o t lo s in g a n y w e ig h t ( it s e e m s)?
The sim p lifie d , b a llp a rk s u g g e s tio n is to incre a se d a ily lo w day c a lo rie s b y 3 0 0 -6 0 0 and d ro p c a rd io by 50%. T h e m ore
increase.
W hy n o t k e e p c a rd io th e s a m e o r re m o v e it c o m p le te ly ?
y o u ’re still in a big p ic tu re fa t loss phase. You m ig h t c u rre n tly be on a d ie t break, b u t th e c a rd io w ill h e lp se rve as a
ch e ck to o .
The reason w e ’re lo w e rin g c a rd io a b it d u rin g a 1-3 w e e k d ie t b re a k is tw o fo ld . O ne, it h e lp s us k e e p th e ch a n g e in d a ily
co rtiso l.
W hy n o t ju s t ra is e lo w d a y s u p to w h a t th e re fe e d d a y s are?
This seem s p ra ctica l b u t d u rin g th e co u rse o f a d ie t, m e ta b o lic a d a p tio n to a va ryin g d e g re e o ccurs. T h ro u g h o u t a diet,
on in d ivid u a l re fe e d days te n d to rise a b o ve w h a t y o u r tru e d a ily c a lo ric m a in te n a n ce is. You m ig h t ask, “ W o u ld n ’t th is add
as ju s t s e ttin g e v e ry d ay to re fe e d d a y calories.
D o y o u k e e p y o u r re fe e d d a y?
W h a t i f y o u lo s e w e ig h t?
If you n o tice , th o u g h , th a t y o u r w e ig h ins c o n tin u e to d e c re a s e d ay a fte r day, d o n ’t w orry. Ju st add 5-10 gram s o f carbs to
W h a t i f y o u g a in w e ig h t?
m a in te n a n ce ca lo rie s. This is fro m in cre a se d g ly c o g e n , fo o d bulk, w a te r w e ig h t, etc. A fte r an initia l sm all incre a se th a t
Being fle x ib le w ith in th e c o n fin e s o f a s tru c tu re d a p p ro a ch w ill h e lp yo u c o n s is te n tly h it a c a lo ric d e fic it and reach
th a t d o e s n ’t m ean th a t yo u sh ould. T h ere are c e rta in basics th a t w e w ill be fo llo w in g th a t are p ro ve n to in cre a se th e
ch a n ce o f success.
Th e 8 0 -9 0 % /1 0 -2 0 % Rule
th e m s e lv e s e ve n m ore than 20% d is c re tio n a ry c a lo rie s if th e y have tro u b le sto m a ch in g all th e fo o d re q u ire d fo r th e ir
goals.
The key he re is n ’t n e ce ssa rily fin d in g y o u r s w e e t s p o t (w h o le /d is c re tio n a ry c a lo rie s ratio), th o u g h it m ay help, b u t it’s
a b o u t h a ving th e fle x ib ility and fre e d o m to m a ke th e c h o ic e s th a t w ill h e lp k e e p y o u c o n s is te n tly h ittin g y o u r m acros. For
V ariety
m o n th , v a rie ty h e lp s se rve a fe w d iffe re n t b e n e fic ia l pu rpo se s. A w id e v a rie ty o f fru its and v e g e ta b le s h e lp s e n su re y o u ’re
g e ttin g all o f th e v ita m in s and m ine ra ls th a t y o u r b o d y n e e d s fo r p ro p e r fu n c tio n and health. H aving a v a rie ty o f fo o d s can
F ib e r is n a tu re ’s b ro om . It’s e sse ntia l fo r g u t h e alth and n u trie n t a b s o rp tio n . To k e e p it sim ple, aim fo r a m inim um o f 10
The m ore c a lo rie s y o u co n sum e , th e m o re fib e r y o u o u g h t to as w e ll, b u t co n s u m in g to o m uch fib e r can also g ive
u n w a n te d c o n s e q u e n c e s . From a big b lo a te d b e lly to a ctu a lly ha vin g a n e g a tiv e im p a ct on n u trie n t a b s o rp tio n . To stay
c a lo rie b e v e ra g e s is m uch, m uch, M UCH less th a n th e s a tie ty fro m e a tin g y o u r ca lo rie s. For m o st p e o p le w h o are
A n d d o n ’t w orry, unless you have th e in h e rite d g e n e tic d is o rd e r ca lle d p h e n y lk e to n u ria (pku), w h ic h o ccu rs in b e tw e e n 1 in
harm ful. In fact, z e ro c a lo rie c a rb o n a te d soda can be v e ry h e lp fu l fo r th o s e d ie tin g as it can p ro v id e satiety. T h a t said, if
M eal Frequency
E ve ryo ne has th e ir p a rtic u la r p re fe re n c e s . E veryone has a ce rta in w o rk /s c h o o l and sle e p sch e d u le th a t th e y fo llo w . P eople
w h o w o rk a 9 -5 and have to gym e ith e r s u p e r e a rly or in th e e v e n in g are p ro b a b ly g o in g to have a d iffe re n t e a tin g and
The fitn e s s s u p p le m e n t in d u s try has d o n e a g re a t jo b at sp re a d in g m any m yths, in clu d in g th e m yth th a t yo u have to eat
se p a ra te fe e d in g s you have, w h ile h o ld in g c a lo rie s co n sta n t, th e m ore c a lo rie s yo u fro m “s to k in g th e fu rn a c e " m ore often.
It so u n d s a b it lo g ica l and p e rh a p s e ve n like co m m o n sense, b u t th e s c ie n tific re search has a ctu a lly sh o w n th e re ve rse to
study, a 7 5 0 c a lo rie m eal e a te n in 10 m inu tes had a h ig h e r TEF th a n six 125 c a lo rie m eals e v e ry h a lf hour. The th e rm ic
W h a t m a tte rs m ost is fin d in g th a t p a rtic u la r m eal s c h e d u le th a t w o rk s b e st fo r you, b u t also h a ving th e fle x ib ility to stay on
tra c k w h e n th a t m eal s c h e d u le d o e s n ’t lin e up p e rfe ctly. F o rtu n a te ly fo r us, it d o e s n ’t re a lly m a tte r h o w m any m eals you
e a t p e r day. W h a t m a tte rs is th e d a ily /w e e k ly c a lo ric d e fic it. T h a t said, th e re are p itfa lls to try in g to e a t to o m any o r to o fe w
m eals p e r day.
The sp e ctru m ra n ge s fro m e a tin g 2-3 m eals p e r d a y to 7-8 m eals p e r day. W h ile th e s e m eal sch e d u le s m ay b e s t su it som e
p e o p le , th e vast, va st m a jo rity o f p e o p le w ill fall so m e w h e re in th e m iddle. N o t e v e ry o n e can p h ysica lly sto m a ch all o f th e ir
d a ily ca lo rie s in 1-3 m eals. A n d fo r th o s e th a t can, th e re ’s th e risk o f b e c o m in g o v e r o b se ssive w ith th e idea and fe e lin g o f
y o u rs e lf silly. Yes, it’s im p o rta n t and h e lp fu l to have sa tisfying, and p o te n tia lly fillin g m eals w h ile c u ttin g , b u t yo u d o n ’t w a n t
th e m to b e th e p rim a ry fo c u s o f y o u r day.
H o w e v e r m any m eals p e r d a y you e n jo y ha vin g is up to you. B alance is usually fo u n d in th e m idd le , w ith 3 -6 m eals p e r
day. T h e y d o n ’t have to b e all th e sam e size. If yo u a b s o lu te ly ca n ’t m ake up y o u r m ind, I u su ally re co m m e n d sta rtin g w ith
1. Tai MM, C astillo P, P i-S unyer FX. M eal size and fre q u e n c y : e ffe c t on th e th e rm ic e ffe c t o f fo o d . Am J C lin Nutr. 1991
N ov;54(5):783-7.
te rm is o fte n used in tw o d iffe re n t w ays. It’s m ore p ro p e r w ay: to d e s c rib e fo o d c o n su m e d b e fo re , d u rin g , a n d after. It’s
a lo n g and m y re co m m e n d a tio n s.
co n su m e a to n o f c a rb o h y d ra te s (typ ica lly oats o r p o ta to e s to ta lin g 6 0 -10 0 carbs o r m ore) 1-2 hours b e fo re m y w o rk o u ts
re co m m e n d d o in g w h a t seem s to p ro d u c e th e b e st gym p e rfo rm a n c e b u t also b e st fits y o u r life style and sch e d u le . This
b e m o st “ o p tim a l” isn’t alw ays w h a t’s b e s t fo r you in th e lo n g -te rm . A n y o f th e s e o p tio n s can be u tilize d to g e t p ra ctica lly
A sha ke o f ro u g h ly 15-20% o f y o u r d a ily p ro te in in ta k e and 10-20% o f y o u r d a ily c a rb o h y d ra te inta ke. For m ost p e o p le
carbs usually is fine. Pick a q u ic k ly and e a sily d ig e s tib le c a rb o h y d ra te so u rce like w h ite rice, rice cakes, fru it (bananas,
O ption 2.
3 -4 Hours Pre-workout:
th is m eal.
O ption 3
w aste.” P rotein ta k e s tim e to d ig e s t and it c irc u la te s th ro u g h th e b lo o d s tre a m [1]. In a s tu d y by Bird and c o lle a g u e s, it w as
Training Fasted:
le u cin e m ixture) fa s te d tra in in g y ie ld s a g re a te r in tra m y o c e llu la r a n a b o lic re s p o n se than fe d tra in in g [2]. T his h ig h lig h ts th e
tra in in g .
c o n s id e r e x p e rim e n tin g w ith O p tio n 1 to co n firm th a t gym p e rfo rm a n c e is tru ly b e tte r fa ste d ve rsu s w ith a sm all m eal (a
shake) 1-2 hours p rio r to tra in in g . This g o e s e s p e c ia lly fo r th o s e w h o tra in fa ste d w h ile on a ca lo ric d e ficit.
M y p e rson a l e x p e rie n c e is th a t w h e n I’m in a c a lo ric su rp lu s a n d /o r o v e r 12% b o d y fat, tra in in g fa ste d w ith in th e firs t 3-4
can seem to g o w ith o u t e a tin g and ha vin g e q u a lly g re a t gym p e rfo rm a n c e tra in in g fa ste d .
W hen I sw itch o v e r to a c a lo ric d e fic it, I still have th e b e st gym p e rfo rm a n c e fa ste d at first, b u t as I g e t le a n e r (sub 8% b o d y
re la tio n to y o u r w o rk o u t.
g ly c o g e n sto re s in sid e o f o u r m uscles d u rin g o u r tra in in g sessions and th a t it’s v e ry im p o rta n t fo r us to “ re fill” them , w ith a
p o s t-w o rk o u t m eal rich w ith carbs, typically. The re a lity is th a t in 9 o u t o f 10 cases, if y o u ’ re tra in in g p ro p e rly fo r th e g o a l o f
ca rb s and p ro te in im m e d ia te ly a fte r e xe rcise ve rsu s g ro u p s w h o ’ve c o n su m e d carbs and p ro te in n o t d ire c tly a fte r tra in in g .
less o f a w in d o w and m ore like a barn door. A lso, as a side note, p ro te in in th e rig h t q u a n titie s can sp ike insulin b y its e lf to
p o ssib le b e n e fit o f m a xim izing m u scu la r a d a p ta tio n s, it’s also n o t hard at all to co n su m e a p ro te in sha ke o r m eal (like
O n ce again, g o w ith w h a t fits y o u r life s ty le and sch e du le , b e st a llo w s you to h it y o u r m acros, and p e rfo rm w e ll in th e gym .
g ive th e sam e e ffe ct. If yo u p la n n e d on p e rfo rm in g HIIT ca rd io rig h t a fte r a w o rk o u t, th e tim e b e tw e e n m ig h t also be an
1. B urd NA, W est DW, M o o re DR, A th e rto n PJ, S taples AW, Prior T, Tang JE, R ennie MJ, B a ker SK, P hillips SM: E nhanced
a m in o acid s e n s itiv ity o f m y o fib rilla r p ro te in syn th e sis p e rsists fo r up to 2 4 h a fte r re sista nce exe rcise in y o u n g men. J
d u rin g in ta ke o f a p ro te in -c a rb o h y d ra te d rin k fo llo w in g re sista nce e xe rcise in th e fa ste d state. Eur J A p p l Physiol. 2010,
108: 7 9 1 -8 0 0 .10.1007/s00421-009-1289-x.
3. H elm s, E.R., A.A. A ra g o n , and P.J. Fitschen, E vid en ce -b ase d re c o m m e n d a tio n s fo r n a tu ral b o d y b u ild in g co n te st
4. S ch o e n fe ld , B.J., A.A. A ra g o n , and J.W. Krieger, The e ffe c t o f p ro te in tim in g o n m uscle s tre n g th and h y p e rtro p h y : a
In te rm itte n t Fasting
W h a t is in te rm itte n t fasting?
IF is e sse n tia lly a b la n k e t te rm fo r n o t e a tin g fo r a ce rta in p e rio d o f th e day, b e sid e s w h e n y o u ’re sle e p in g , obviously.
U tilize d , it’s an e a tin g sch e du le . N o th in g m ore, n o th in g less. You c o u ld also call it “T im e R estricted E a tin g ”. Instead o f
W h a t th is does:
2. Frees up a p o rtio n o f y o u r d a y to fo cu s on w o rk , so cia lizin g , sch o ol, fam ily, o r a n yth in g e lse b e sid e s fo o d .
3. Can p ro v id e c e rta in p e o p le w ith m o re p ro d u c tiv ity and b e tte r w o rk o u t p e rfo rm a n ce (o th e rs w ill be u n a ffe cte d o r m ay
4. P rovides yo u w ith a n ifty label th a t y o u can share w ith frie n d s th a t m akes you so u n d co o l. “ I’m In te rm itte n t Fasting,
g u ys!”
1) M any p e o p le sta rt d o in g it at th e sam e tim e th a t th e y s ta rt tra c k in g m acros a nd ca lo rie s fo r th e firs t tim e a nd in itia te a
ca lo ric d e ficit.
th e ir b re a k fa s t m eal fro m th e ir day. The nam e o f th e gam e, as alw ays, is th e c a lo ric d e ficit. M any p e o p le fa ls e ly a ttrib u te
th e fa t loss su cce ss to th e In te rm itte n t Fasting, w h e n it re a lly w as all a b o u t th e ca lo ric d e fic it, if fa t loss o ccu rre d .
2) For th o s e w h o have trie d high fre q u e n c y m eal plans (eating e v e ry 2-3 hours), e a tin g la rg e r and m o re sa tisfyin g m eals
fills yo u up incre a se s y o u r ch a nce s o f b e in g able to s tic k to y o u r diet. T h a t’s w h a t fa t loss co m e s d o w n to, c o n siste n tly
I a c tu a lly d o it.
A lot.
P ro b a b ly n o t w h a t yo u w e re e x p e c tin g , right?
It ju s t se e m s to w o rk w ith m y s c h e d u le p re tty w e ll. A n d th a t’s re a lly th e o n ly reason (and it’s a h u g e one) w h y you m ig h t
e n jo y it to o (or h ate it). I also h a p p e n to tra in b e tte r fa ste d o r se m i-fa ste d than not. I’ve h it m y b ig g e s t lifts e v e r (squat 5 0 0 ,
I’ve d o n e IF m o re days th a n n o t fo r fo r th e past 3-4 years. I’ve d ro p p e d b o d y fa t w h ile sk ip p in g bre akfast, I’ve p u t on b o d y
fa t and m uscle w h ile s k ip p in g bre akfast. N e ith e r re su lt had a n y th in g to d o w ith m e s k ip p in g breakfast. A lso, In te rm itte n t
Fasting d o e s n ’t e ve n n e cessa rily have to in c lu d e s k ip p in g bre akfast, yo u c o u ld e a t d u rin g th e firs t 6-10 hours o f th e d ay
T h e re are a lo t o f d iffe re n t o p tio n s to an IF sch e du le . Let m e g ive you som e e xa m ple s o f h o w IF can be u tilize d .
Gym: 6 -7 :3 0 PM
D inner: 8 :0 0 PM
Bed: M id n ig h t
For th is in d iv id u a l, th is c o u ld b e 2 -4 m eals. It co u ld be a h u g e lunch and a m e dium sized dinner. It co u ld b e a h u g e d in n e r
and a sm all lunch. It c o u ld b e m o d e ra te lunch, a sm all p re -w o rk o u t m eal, a m o d e ra te p o s t-w o rk o u t dinner, and a sm all
Gym: 6 -8 AM
B reakfast: 8 :3 0 AM
W ork: 9 A M -5 PM
Lunch: 12-1 PM
D inner: 6 PM
B e d tim e : 9 PM
Gym: 2-4PM
D inner: 7 o r 8 PM
Bed: 3-4 AM
W orks From H om e, S elf-E m ployed:
W ake: 8 AM - D rin k p le n ty o f w a te r
B e d tim e: M id n ig h t
Gym: 12-3PM
I w rite “ a c c id e n ta lly IF” b e ca u se ty p ic a lly I’d p re fe r to g e t a b re a k fa s t shake and rice ca kes (m y p re fe rre d pre w o rk o u t) 2-3
h o urs b e fo re m y gym session. I re c o m m e n d tw o la rg e r m eals p e r d ay plus snacks o v e r o n e g ig a n tic m eal plus snacks to
h it y o u r m acros if y o u ’ re ta k in g th e IF route.
co rre la te s w ith fa t loss. A lso, th a t th e h u n g rie r I am, th e b e tte r m y n e x t m eal la te r o n w ill ta ste ! T h a t said, a fte r a fe w m ore
You m ig h t have p re c o n c e iv e d n o tio n s th a t y o u ’re g o in g to be s ig n ific a n tly w e a k e r if y o u tra in w ith o u t h a ving eaten
bre akfast. W hile I ty p ic a lly re c o m m e n d co n s u m in g c a rb o h y d ra te s (p re fe ra b ly a m eal o f carbs and p ro te in ) 1-3 hours p rio r
can p e rfo rm fa ste d . M any o f yo u m igh t fin d th a t y o u r p e rfo rm a n c e is even b e tte r th a n p re vio u s w o rk o u ts w h e n yo u used
You d o n ’t have to d o it. You can try it if yo u like. T h e re ’s a d e c e n t ch a n c e yo u m ay re a lly lo ve it. I do.
re co m m e n d g iv in g it a go.
ll C arb B acklo a d in g
day, u su ally in th e e v e n in g . For th o s e w h o fe e l th a t co n s u m in g carbs e a rly on in th e day m akes th e m feel slu g g ish o r tire d ,
p u ttin g th o s e ca rb s in th e e v e n in g , c lo s e r to b e d, m ig h t be m o re p re fe rre d .
Instead o f e a tin g n o th in g th ro u g h o u t th e e a rly parts o f th e day, y o u ’d co n s u m e m eals co n sistin g o f p ro te in , fiber, fats, and
e xa m p le o f w h a t ca rb b a c k lo a d in g m ig h t lo o k like.
E xam ple 1:
7-9 AM B reakfast: P rotein + V e g g ie s (Fats O p tio n a l) - A lo w carb e g g (w hite) o m e le tte w ith spinach, bell p e p p e rs, o n io n ,
ch e ese o r no cheese. Or a K a le /v e g e ta b le w h e y p ro te in sha ke (O p tio n a lly w ith banana and b e rrie s in it)
12 PM Lunch/S nack: M o stly P rotein + V e g gie s; P rotein S hake o r c h ic k e n salad and m aybe a se rvin g o f fru it
2-4PM : Gym
4 -6 PM: Post W o rk o u t - H igh C arb m eal w ith p ro te in . Rice and C hicke n o r S w e e t P otato and G ro u n d Turkey. V e g g ie s
O p tio n a l
8-10 PM: H ig h C arb M eal w ith P rotein + H ittin g th e re st o f Fat M acros - S w e e t Potato, Steak, V e g e ta b le s
E xam ple 2 (S o m e on e w h o w o rk s a 9-5)
8 AM B re a kfa st OR SKIP: P rotein + V e g g ie s (Fats O p tio n a l) - A lo w carb e g g (w hite) o m e le tte w ith spinach, bell p e pp e rs,
o n io n , ch e e s e o r no cheese. O r a K a le /v e g e ta b le w h e y p ro te in shake
5 :3 0 -7 :0 0 PM: GYM
7:30: Big D in n e r + D esse rt (If it fits) - Lots o f Ja p a n e se S w e e t Potato, a salad, Brussel sp ro uts, g rille d ch icke n , so m e G reek
best. This w ill h e lp yo u have less flu c tu a tio n s in y o u r w e ig h -in s and m o re d a y -to -d a y co n s is te n c y w ith y o u r lifts, m o o d, and
so on.
i C re a tin g Your M eal Plan
day, b u t m any p e o p le w h o are n e w to m a cros w a n t o r fe e l th e y n e e d a m eal plan to g e t sta rte d . This w as c e rta in ly th e
m ain to o l w e ’ll be using is M yfitn e ssp a l.co m (I re c o m m e n d its m o b ile a pp to o ) and a n o th e r co o l re so u rce is
EatThisM uch.com .
myfitnesspal
24:58
► .mi <i ::
Rem em ber, c re a tin g and u sin g a m eal plan is c o m p le te ly o p tio n a l. C re a te and use o n e if it se rve s you, fo r as long as it
p o in t w h e re yo u g e t tire d o f a m eal plan and w o u ld ra th e r fre e -s ty le fro m m eal to m eal and day to day, th a t's fin e . For
S pecial ce le b ra tio n s , s p o n ta n e o u s d inners, w e e k e n d trip s, and v a c a tio n s are all a p a rt o f life. You w a n t to be a b le to
p a rta ke in th in g s th a t yo u tru ly e n jo y w h ile still h ittin g y o u r fitn e s s and n u tritio n goals. It m ay ta k e a little b it o f w o rk, b u t it’s
n o t to o hard and it can be d o n e . In th is c h a p te r I’ll g o o v e r so m e stra te g ie s w h ich a n sw e r fre q u e n tly a ske d q u e s tio n s to
N ote : T h e se are real life s itu a tio n s th a t p e o p le c o n tin u o u s ly fin d th e m s e lv e s in. Ju st rem em ber, yo u have to m ake th e
c h o ice s th a t b o th fit y o u r plan (your c a lo ric d e ficit) a nd y o u r o v e ra ll h e alth (not ju s t p h ysica l b u t m ental, e m o tio n a l, and
p sych o lo g ica l). B e fo re I e ve n g o on, I’ll ju s t say th a t in m ost cases, if and w h e n yo u slip up, it’s usually b e s t to n o t d w e ll on
th in g s, n o t p u nish y o u rse lf, and to ju s t sta rt fo llo w in g th e norm al plan (your norm al ca lo rie s/m a cro s) im m ediately.
day, e ve n better. You d o n ’t have to hit y o u r m acros p e rfe c tly e v e ry day. You’ll like ly g e t sim ilar g re a t re sults ju s t from
h ittin g p ro te in a nd a c a lo rie goal. H ittin g m acros p e rfe c tly is g re a t and easy w h e n y o u ’re ru n n in g o ff a m eal plan a nd its
re c o m m e n d e d if y o u ’ re try in g to re a lly m axim ize gym p e rfo rm a n ce , a nd m uscle and s tre n g th b u ild in g /re te n tio n . W hen its
p ro te in ta rg e t, h it y o u r c a lo rie s /p ro te in .
You g e t a p h o n e call. It’s y o u r b e s t frie n d Jo h n w h o yo u h a v e n ’t seen in a year! H e ’s in to w n and in v ite d yo u and th e old
cre w o u t fo r sushi, b u t y o u ’re d ie tin g . H eck, yo u o n ly have 2 5 carbs fo r th e rest o f y o u r day, o r w orse , y o u ’re c o m p le te ly
The c o n c e p t o f “ b o rro w in g ” m acros is w h e re yo u ta k e som e m acros fro m a d a y o r m u ltip le days in th e fu tu re to use rig h t
now.
y o u ’re still g e ttin g g re a t fa t loss re su lts d e s p ite fre q u e n t b o rro w in g , th a t’s p e rfe ct, b u t if y o u ’re c o n s ta n tly p la yin g w ith
d a m a g e c o n tro l w h ile n o t g e ttin g g re a t re su lts - yo u m ig h t b e b e in g “ to o fle x ib le ” and b e n e fit fro m a b it m ore stru ctu re or
m acros! T h a t’s s lip p in g b a ck in to a b la c k /w h ite m entality, a lb e it a d iffe re n t one. Rem em ber, th e b e st case sce n a rio fo r fa t
loss is e n jo y in g life WHILE h ittin g y o u r m acros (or p ro te in /c a lo rie s ) - o r at lea st re la tive ly close to th e m , clo se e n o u g h to
2) W h a t yo u W AN T to do, and
try in g to re c o u p th e e n tire ty o f th a t “ lo ss”, e ve n if yo u th in k y o u ’re in a h e a lth y e m o tio n a l and p sych o lo g ica l p la ce to d o so.
d iffic u lt to m ake up fo r it o v e r 2 o r 3 days. In th a t situ a tio n , I m ig h t ta k e 1-3 days o f 10% less ca lo rie s, if any, b u t m o stly ju s t
co u n se lin g fro m an e a tin g d is o rd e r sp e cia list. T h e re are m any re so u rce s o n lin e such as
h ttp s ://w w w .e a tin g d is o rd e rh o p e .c o m th a t can h e lp yo u fin d p ro fe ssio n a l help. A lte rn a tive ly, if y o u ’re s u p e r lean, incre a se d
b o d y fa t on y o u !”
Like I said b e fo re , u su ally th e b e st case s ce n a rio is to ju s t h it y o u r norm al m acros, in any s itu a tio n . Even w h e n yo u slip up.
Keep in m ind th a t w e ’re try in g to stay a w a y fro m th e o ld b la c k and w h ite , d o o r d ie w a y o f th in k in g and th o s e kin d s o f
habits. It’s n o t a b o u t sta rvin g y o u rs e lf so yo u can b in g e fo r an e n tire d a y o r w e e k e n d . You still w a n t to p ra ctice a h e a lth y
M U C H less lim ite d in its a b ility to e asily sta ck on b o d y fa t th a n it is in its a b ility to e a sily sh re d it off... so d o n ’t th in k th a t a
fe w days o f lo w e r o r even v e ry lo w c a lo rie s can m ake up fo r m u ltip le days o f all o u t e a tin g . T h e hum an b o d y is VERY g o o d
Q u ite o fte n , if it’s ju s t o n e m eal, yo u can u su ally ta k e an In te rm itte n t Fasting style a p p ro a ch a n d /o r ju s t s u b s titu te p ro te in
Say yo u k n o w y o u ’re g o in g o u t o f to w n S a tu rd a y and Sunday, and th a t y o u ’ll be e a tin g o u t w ith fa m ily 1-3 tim e s p e r day fo r
each o f th o s e days. The m o st o p tim a l th in g to do, o f co u rse, w o u ld be to h it y o u r m acros p e rfe c tly o n th o s e days, b u t w e
th o s e days In te rm itte n t Fasting style - e le c tin g to skip b re a k fa s t a n d /o r lunch o r h a ving ju s t p ro te in sh a kes o r a lean
p ro te in fo r th o s e m eals instead. E ssentially b a c k lo a d in g y o u r ca lo rie s. D o n ’t e a t lavish sid e m eals all b y yo u rself. If y o u ’re
p u rp o s e o f g e t-to g e th e rs , th e pe op le .
If you are e n g a g e d in e a tin g 2-3 m eals p e r d a y o u t in re sta u ran ts w ith y o u r fam ily, I’d s u g g e s t p a cin g y o u rs e lf acco rdin g ly.
T h e se are real life s itu a tio n s th a t p e o p le c o n tin u o u s ly fin d th e m s e lv e s in. You have to m ake th e c h o ice s th a t b e st su it yo u r
o ve ra ll h e a lth (m ental, e m o tio n a l, p sych o lo g ica l) on to p o f th e o n e s th a t h e lp you a d h e re to y o u r plan (your ca lo ric d e fic it
w e a k pe rson if yo u d o n ’t h it y o u r m acros p e rfe c tly all th e tim e, n o r d o e s h ittin g th e m p e rfe c tly a u to m a tica lly m ake yo u a
u n n e ce ssa ry e ffo rt o r c o m p le x ity and m a xim izin g re su lts - n o t ju s t y o u r s h o rt te rm results b u t y o u r lo n g te rm results... and
W h a t k in d s o f c a rd io a re th e re ?
W e u su ally c a te g o riz e c a rd io in to th e leve l o f intensity. Light, m o d e ra te , and high intensity. L ig h t and m o d e ra te in te n s ity
e n jo y d o in g . In th is pro gra m w e ’ll be re fe rrin g to 3 p rim a ry fo rm s o f c a rd io and th e ir a b b re via tio n s: LISS (Light In te n sity
S te a d y State C ardio), MISS (M edium In te n s ity S te a d y State C ardio) and HIIT (H igh in te n s ity Interval Training)
e sp e cia lly e x a g g e ra te d w h e n d o w n h ill running). H ig h t in te n s ity inte rvals, e ve n on a m achine, w ill cause m o re p o te n tia l
h ig h e r im p a ct th a n ru n n in g on grass o r a s o ft surface.
Sam e th in g g o e s fo r tre a d m ill sp rin ts w h ic h o ffe r a s o fte r im p a c t th a n sp rints o n th e s tre e t o r at th e tra ck. H ow ever,
and e m o tio n a lly m ay o u tw e ig h th e p o s s ib le in te rfe re n c e w ith tra in in g a nd recovery. You have to w e ig h o u t th e pros and
(w hich m axim izes m u scle g ro w th and re te n tio n a nd s tre n g th gain and re te n tio n ), I re co m m e n d ta k in g w a lks o u ts id e if you
If y o u ’re lu cky e n o u g h to o w n a re lia b le , high q u a lity c a lo rie e x p e n d itu re /c a rd io tra c k in g d e v ic e th a t yo u p lu g all y o u r data
co u p le o f days. M o st LISS w o n ’t have any a ffe ct, b u t MISS and HIIT s u re ly can. MISS a nd HIIT, in clu d in g b e in g d o n e in th e
fo rm o f stairs o r sp rints, can cau se q u ite a b it o f fa tig u e and re q u ire re c o v e ry all on th e ir o w n , so it’s ty p ic a lly n o t th e best
On a scale o f in te n s ity fro m 1-10, w e ’ re ta lk in g a b o u t a 2-4. This is ty p ic a lly c a rd io d o n e fo r 3 0 -6 0 m inu tes p e r session.
m o stly on y o u r w e ig h t b u t also o th e r fa cto rs, th a t w ill m ean in 3 0 m inutes, m ost m ales can e x p e c t to have b u rn e d an
a d d itio n a l 9 5 to 120 ca lo rie s. T h e se n u m be rs are a d d itio n a l c a lo rie s b u rn e d on to p o f y o u r BMR and NEAT. Your ca rd io
S ince its e a sie r and m o re realistic, w e w ill be tra c k in g to ta l c a lo rie s b u rn e d p e r c a rd io session and n o t a d d itio n a l ca lo rie s
b u rne d .,
H o w m a n y c a lo rie s s h o u ld I a im to h it p e r se ssio n ?
• Go by PREFERENCE. You m ig h t like th e idea o f m ore fre q u e n t ca rd io sessions p e r w e e k in s h o rte r bouts, or vice versa.
are a b it like e llip tic a l tra in e rs b u t u su ally have a little m ore range o f m o tio n and are u su ally a b it sm oother.
LISS can u su ally be p e rfo rm e d any day, a n y tim e . O ff d ays o r w o rk o u t days. B e fo re o r a fte r tra in in g , or a little b it o f both.
On a scale o f in te n s ity fro m 1-10, w e ’re ta lk in g a b o u t 5 -7 T yp ica lly m o st m ales w ill burn an a d d itio n a l 75 to 100 calories,
activity. D e p e n d in g m o stly on y o u r w e ig h t b u t also o th e r fa cto rs, th a t w ill m ean in 3 0 m inutes, m o st m ales can e x p e c t to
tw o ~ 30 m in u te sessions. For s im p lic ity and co n sisten cy, fo c u s on to ta l c a lo rie s b u rn e d and h ittin g a c a lo rie ta rg e t versus
Your MISS can be p e rfo rm e d in th e fo rm o f LISS+MISS inte rvals, if d e s ire d . It’s also a n o th e r w a y to sp re ad o u t yo u r
re c o m m e n d e d m axim um o f 1 h o u r MISS p e r w e e k .
m axim um o f 1 h o u r o f MISS p e r w e e k .
HIIT can be p e rfo rm e d in m any d iffe re n t fa sh ion s, th e m o st co m m on b e in g on a c ycle m achine, e llip tic a l, o r tre a d m ill The
• R epeat fo r a to ta l o f 10 rounds
*lf it’s yo u r firs t tim e d o in g HIIT a n d /o r y o u ’re o u t o f c a rd io v a s c u la r shape, I re c o m m e n d s ta rtin g w ith 5 ro u nd s, and
It is o f th e u tm o st im p o rta n c e th a t yo u e x e rt ALL O U T e ffo rt on each and e v e ry s p rin t interval. T his m eans g ivin g it
e v e ry th in g yo u have.
H O W TO:
The e a sie st w a y to tim e th e s e in te rva ls is to lo o k at th e tim e on th e m a ch in e y o u ’re using and b e gin th e in te rva ls sta rtin g
at th e 5 m in u te m ark. To d o th a t, p u t y o u r tre a d m ill/e llip tic a l/c y c le o n to a m uch fa s te r/d iffic u lt s e ttin g as th e s e co n d s tic k
d e cre a se th e s p e e d /in te n s ity b a ck to a pace th a t yo u can c o a st at w ith o u t a to n o f e ffo rt (like th e w a rm u p intensity). Keep
th e 15/45 schem e, fiv e inte rvals w o u ld b e c o m p le te d at 9:15 and 10 in te rva ls w o u ld be c o m p le te at th e 14:15 mark.
a ch ie ve d .
HIIT; y o u ’re b e tte r o ff fo llo w in g th e “ h o w -to ” a b ove . A lo t o f h e a rt-ra te m o n ito r c a rd io tra c k in g d e vice s also co m e w ith HIIT
p ro g ra m s and tim e rs th a t yo u can utilize. Lastly, th e re are also p le n ty o f HIIT and inte rval tra in in g a p p s fo r yo u r m o b ile
d e vice , b o th fre e and p rem ium , th a t yo u m ig h t fin d useful. Still, m y p re fe rre d and re c o m m e n d e d m e th o d is th e “ H O W T O ”
in th e p re vio u s p a ragraph.
1. B urgom aster, K.A., e t al., S im ilar m e ta b o lic a d a p ta tio n s d u rin g e xe rcise a fte r lo w v o lu m e s p rin t in te rva l and tra d itio n a l
2. B alabinis, C.P., e t al., Early phase c h a n g e s by c o n c u rre n t e n d u ra n c e and s tre n g th tra in in g . Jo u rn a l o f S tre n g th and
C alcu latin g y o u r m acros w as s te p one. H ittin g y o u r m a cros w h ile tra c k in g y o u r b o d y w e ig h t w as ste p tw o . A d ju s tin g yo u r
y o u r m acros (w hile m o n ito rin g and c o n tro llin g y o u r exe rcise o u tp u t) w o rk s p e rfe c tly fo r w e ig h t loss, w e ig h t m a in ten a n ce,
at lea st in th is universe, gains b o d y tissu e fro m a n y th in g b e sid e s a c a lo ric su rp lu s and n o b o d y loses b o d y tissu e from
a n yth in g b e s id e s a c a lo ric d e fic it, yo u can tru s t th a t if y o u r m a cros (and th e re fo re y o u r calories) are on p o in t, y o u r b o d y
U n fo rtu n a te ly, ju s t ca lc u la tin g w h a t y o u r m acros s h o u ld b e isn’t g o o d e n o u g h . You have to p u t th e m into a c tio n w h ile
th e m , b u t also tru s t th e process. If y o u ’re h ittin g y o u r m acros p e rfe c tly fo r 1-2 w e e k s and n o t losing w e ig h t, you ju s t have
to a d ju s t y o u r m acros.
H o w lo n g s h o u ld y o u h it y o u r m a c ro s b e fo re m a k in g a d ju s tm e n ts ?
For m ost p e o p le , I re c o m m e n d fo llo w in g y o u r initial c a lc u la te d (estim ated) m acros fo r at lea st 2 w e e k s b e fo re m aking any
changes. This w a y yo u can g a th e r at least 14 w e ig h ins; h ittin g and se e in g w h a t 14 days o f th e sam e m acros d o fo r y o u as
fa r as e n e rg y b a la n ce and fa t loss. A fte r som e sim p le m ath y o u ’ll be able to see w h a t y o u r a ve ra g e w e ig h ins fo r w e e k s 1
and 2 w ere.
Ja n ua ry 2 181.4
Ja n ua ry 3 181.0
Ja n ua ry 4 179.8
Ja n ua ry 5 179.4
Ja n ua ry 6 179.6
Ja n u a ry 7 179.2 W eek 1 A verage: 180.21.0 lb 0.55%
Ja n u a ry 8 179.4
Ja n u a ry 9 179.8
Ja n u a ry 10179.0
Ja n u a ry 11179.2
Ja n u a ry 12178.8
Ja n u a ry 13178.6
A re th e re a n y e x c e p tio n s ?
y o u m essed up big tim e on c a lc u la tin g y o u r initial m acros, a n d /o r th a t y o u ’re e x tre m e ly in a ccu ra te w ith yo u r fo o d tra ckin g .
T h e se are g e n e ra lly a typ ica l s itu a tio n s, b u t th e y ha pp e n . M ore o fte n th a n not, w e ’re n o t a c tu a lly b e in g p re cise w ith o u r
For exam ple, so m e p e o p le w ill use a sp o o n to m e asure p e a n u t butter. T h e ja r m ig h t say th e se rvin g size is a te a s p o o n o r x
Start b y a n alyzing h o w a c cu ra te yo u are w ith h ittin g y o u r ta rg e t m acros, lo o k in g fo r p o in ts o f error. If y o u ’re 100% sure
H o w o fte n s h o u ld y o u a d ju s t y o u r m a c ro s ?
necessary.
B o d y re c o m p o s itio n (b u ild in g m uscle w h ile losing fat) is p o ssib le , and v e ry lik e ly in u n tra in e d o r d e tra in e d in v id id u a ls w h o
v e ry high re p o r b o d y w e ig h t tra in in g to h e a v ie r re sista nce tra in in g , like in th is pro gra m ) can cause a s itu a tio n w h e re fa t
In all honesty, y o u r c a lc u la te d (estim ated) m a cros d o n ’t re a lly m atter. T h e y ’re ju s t a s ta rtin g point. W h a t y o u d o w ith th e m
m atters.
If you fo llo w e d th e g u id e lin e s , fo r m o st o f you, y o u r s ta rtin g m acros w ill have you lo sin g w e ig h t. If th e y d o n ’t initially, it’s
Th e best possible outcom e o f hitting your m acros is this ideal situation: A chieving the goal rate o f w e ig h t loss o f 0 .5
to 1% o f your bo d yw eig h t per w eek. If your w e ig h t loss is inside this range, you shouldn’t m ake any changes to your
m acros or cardio.
• Gaining W eight
m acros o r ca rd io . G enerally, a ch a n g e to m a cros is u su ally d o n e u n d e r th e a ssu m p tio n th a t y o u ’re a c tu a lly h ittin g them
w e ig h in. You fin d o u t th a t th e y ’re th e sam e, and y o u ’re re a lly c o n fid e n t you w e ig h e d y o u rs e lf and y o u r fo o d s perfectly.
D o n ’t panic, ju s t d ro p 100 c a lo rie s fro m each d a y o r 7 0 0 to ta l c a lo rie s fro m th e w e e k ly ca lo ric intake, in clu d in g yo u r
re fe e d day(s) if yo u s ta rte d y o u r d ie t w ith th e m . D ro p 100 c a lo rie s fro m each d ay b y ta k in g aw a y 2 5 ca rb s fro m each day
o f th e w ee k.
th a t’s n o t e n o u g h fo r yo u o r yo u p re fe r k e e p in g y o u rs e lf b e tw e e n th e 0 .5 to 1% b o d y w e ig h t p e r w e e k, sim p ly d ro p
5 0 0 -7 0 0 ca lo rie s fro m th e w e e k ’s inta ke. This can be d o n e by lo w e rin g ca rb s fro m ju s t th e lo w days, or lo w e rin g fats fro m
all days.
The le a n e r you are, th e sm a lle r a d ju s tm e n ts yo u sh o u ld m ake. The h ig h e r b o d y fa t you are, th e la rg e r a d ju stm e n ts you
p e r d a y and 17,290 kcal p e r w e e k) to 6 0 f/2 7 5 c /1 8 5 p (2 3 8 0 kcal p e r d ay and 16,660 kcal p e r w eek). L o w e rin g th e ir fa ts by
100 ca lo rie s p e r d a y (* 7 0 0 p e r w ee k). T h e y w o u ld ta k e th e ir m a cros fro m 7 0 f/2 7 5 c /1 8 5 p (2 4 7 0 kcal p e r day and 17,290
W h a t i f y o u d o h a v e o n e o r m o re re fe e d d a y s p e r w e e k ?
days.
Example:
L e t’s lo o k at o u r 175 m ale w ith a d e s k jo b e xa m ple . L e t’s say h e ’s ru n n in g 5 lo w days at 60/1 5 0/19 5 and 2 re fe e d days at
100 ca lo rie s fro m each o f his lo w days (2 5 g o f carbs). N ew m acros are 5 lo w days at 60/125/195 a nd 2 re fe e d days at
6 0 /3 2 5 /1 9 5 .
Exam ple 2:
Exam ple 3:
Low days are at 5 5 /2 2 5 /2 2 5 (2 2 9 5 kcal) and high days are 5 5 /3 7 5 /2 2 5 (2 8 9 5 kcal). D o th e m ath: (2 2 9 5 x 11) + (2 8 9 5 x 3).
You’ll ty p ic a lly m ake m ore fre q u e n t c h a n g e s to y o u r ca rb s than to y o u r fa ts since yo u have less w ig g le ro o m fo r y o u r fats
If you p u t y o u r fats re a lly lo w to s ta rt w ith, fo r e xa m p le -15% o f y o u r d a ily c a lo ric inta ke, you m ig h t be le ft w ith no room to
b y n o t a w h o le lot. If yo u sta rte d y o u rs e lf w ith fa t at 15% o r 20% , w h e n lo w e rin g fats, I’d re co m m e n d lo w e rin g th e m in
If you p u t y o u r fats e ve n h ig h e r a t a ro u n d 25% o f y o u r d a ily intake, yo u have even m ore ro o m to be able to d ro p y o u r fats
w a n t to g o lo w e r th a n ~38 g ra m s o f fa t p e r day.
ra n g e o f to ta l ca lo rie s.
G aining w e ig h t w h e n y o u ’re try in g to lose it can be v e ry fru s tra tin g . If it h a p p e n s a t th e sta rt o f th e d ie t, it is usually
u n e x p e c te d w e ig h t gain o fte n co m e s fro m n o t tra c k in g all o f y o u r fo o d s o r d o in g so inco rre ctly. You m ig h t be fo rg e ttin g to
If y o u ’re lo sin g w e ig h t s te a d ily and th e n e x p e rie n c e g ra d u a l and su b sta n tia l w e ig h t gain, it’s u su ally b e ca u se o f o ne
yo u r d a ily m eals th a t y o u ’ re fo rg e ttin g to tra c k o r w e ig h in g in c o rre c tly o r in p u ttin g in c o rre c tly in to y o u r d ie t tra c k in g to o l.
so d iu m a nd fo o d bulk.
L e t’s assum e y o u ’re m e a surin g y o u r fo o d p e rfe c tly and tra c k in g e v e ry m acro th a t g o e s in to y o u r m outh. You’re n o t b in g in g
m a cro a d ju stm e n t. W hen y o u ’re try in g to lose w e ig h t and y o u ’re losing it fine, yo u can o fte n g o 1-2 w e e k s b e fo re sittin g
w e w a n t to n ip it in th e b ud a b it sooner.
th a t) a nd c o m p a re it to y o u r w e e k 1 a v e ra g e w e ig h -in .
• If your w e ig h t increases by a h a lf pound or m ore, drop 3 ,5 0 0 calories from your w ee k ly intake. Th at m ay m ean
dropping 5 0 0 calories from each day, including refeed days. You m ight create th a t drop entirely from carbs -1 2 5
o f them per day, or a com bination o f fats and carbs - like dropping fats by 10 gram s and carbs by roughly 100
grams.
E xam ple 1:
L e t’s use o u r 2 0 0 lb m ale exam ple, and say he starts w ith 7 lo w days o f 8 5 /3 4 0 /2 4 0 w h ich is 3 0 8 5 kcal p e r day. His day 7
w e ig h -in says 2 0 0 .8 lbs, b u t his w e e k ly a ve ra g e is (I’m m aking th is up) 2 0 0 .4 lbs. H e ’d d ro p 2 0 0 0 ca lo rie s fro m his w e e k ly
H is o p tio n s:
Exam ple 2:
w as 2 0 0 .6 lbs.
H is o p tio n s:
• H e co u ld d ro p fats b y 10g and carbs by 100g p e r day, fo r a d ro p o f 4 9 0 k c a l w h ich is as close as you can g e t to 5 0 0
w h ile ke e p in g th e n u m bers m u ltip le s o f 5.
T h e re are q u ite a fe w o p tio n s th is g u y can take. Go based on y o u r e a tin g p re fe re n ce s and w h a t you fe e l g ive s yo u b e st
gym p e rfo rm a n ce , w h ile o f c o u rse sta yin g w ith in th e re c o m m e n d e d g u id e lin e s fo r fa t (15-25% o f y o u r ca lo rie s) and o f
etc) but, say yo u re a lly love rice and p o ta to e s , th e n stic k stic k w ith s lig h tly lo w e r fa t a nd h ig h e r carb. A t th e sam e tim e,
te rm w e ig h t loss fro m lo w e r m acros and a b ig g e r initia l d e fic it, b u t by e a tin g as m uch fo o d as p o ssib le w h ile still sta yin g in
m o re s tre n g th re te n tio n . •
yo u r carbs across y o u r lo w days to p u t yo u c lo s e r to th a t goal w e ig h t loss rate. The b e n e fits o f d o in g th is are n u m ero u s
W e le a rn e d e a rlie r h o w it’s re a lly n o t a g o o d idea to cre a te and sustain a c a lo ric d e fic it th ro u g h ju s t ca rd io alone. B ut w h a t
a b o u t th e o p p o s ite ? Can w e c re a te and sustain a c a lo ric d e fic it th ro u g h n u tritio n alone? T h e a n s w e r is d e fin ite ly yes. But
yo u p ro b a b ly w a n t to in c lu d e som e c a rd io fo r a fe w reasons.
In clu d in g c a rd io can h e lp you e a t a little b it m o re th ro u g h o u t y o u r diet. It also can h e lp m o b ilize lo w e r b o d y fa t a little bit.
W hen a n d h o w m u c h ?
sizea b le, I m ean a d d in g in a n o th e r c a rd io session (usually a ro un d 4 0 0 k c a l), w h e th e r it’s in th e fo rm o f LISS, MISS, o r HIIT
You sta rt d ie t w ith X gram s o f fat, X gram s o f carbs, X gram s o f p ro te in , and 1 c a rd io session (4 0 0 kca l) p e r w eek...
E xam ple Jo u rn e y :
о 3 w e e k s o f fa t loss
So on and so fo rth
g o in g to lo o k like.
1 S tre n g th T ra in in g fo r S h re d d in g
if y o u ’re n o t tra in in g p ro pe rly, o r at all, th e re ’s a g o o d ch a n c e you w o n ’t be b lo w n a w a y by y o u r m u scu la rity and d e fin itio n
w h e th e r y o u ’re c u ttin g o r not. The m acros and s h o rt te rm n u tritio n g o a ls s im p ly d ic ta te w h e th e r y o u 're a d d in g m uscle (and
(m uscle and s tre n g th g a in /re te n tio n ) but, o f co u rse, w e ll b e lo w th e m axim um leve l o f v o lu m e th a t yo u can re c o v e r from .
e xte n sio n s, re a r d e lt flys, a nd c a lf raises, w ith an a m p le se rvin g o f sid e late ral raises to m axim ize th e a e sth e tic goal th a t
m any o r m o st o f yo u have. Rep ra n ge s are s p e c ific a lly a rra n g e d based on th e e xe rcise s and w h a t a p p e a rs to w o rk b e st in
years) and o th e r in d iv id u a l fa cto rs. D oes it m ake sense th a t I (so m eo n e w h o has b e e n liftin g fo r o v e r 10 years, m ost o f
w h ic h w e re in te llig e n t years) sh o u ld use th e sam e liftin g plan as a b e g in n e r? N o t at all. M y tra in in g re q u ire m e n t is m uch,
m uch higher, n o t to m e n tio n th e b e g in n e r sh o u ld be fo llo w in g d iffe re n t p ro g re ssio n m o d e ls than me, since he o r she can
lik e ly m ilk o u t lin e a r gains, and an a d va n ce d lifte r - b y d e fin itio n , c a n ’t (thus re q u irin g m ore so p h is tic a te d o r s lo w e r
p ro g re s s io n m odels).
If y o u ’v e b e e n liftin g fo r less than 2 years to ta l o r less th a n 1 y e a r in te llig e n tly , g o w ith th e b e g in n e r/n o v ic e ro u tine .
ro u tin e
W orkout A
m u s c le a nd th e lean m u s c u la r p h y s iq u e .
are tw o p rim a ry w o rk o u ts th a t y o u ’ll hit, a lte rn a tin g fro m o n e to th e other, e v e ry liftin g day. Start w ith th e m inim um n u m b e r
o f sets fo r at least a w e e k o r tw o to m ake sure yo u have e n o u g h tim e to fit all o f y o u r e xe rcises in to y o u r gym session.
W o rko u t A:
• Squats: 3 sets o f 5
• B enchpress: 3 sets o f 5
• (O ptional: Abs)
W o rk o u t B:
• Squat: 3 sets o f 5
• D ea d lift: 1 se t o f 5
• (O ptional: Abs)
W eek 1:
M o nday: W o rk o u t A
W ed n esd a y: W o rk o u t В
Friday: W o rk o u t A
W eek 2
M o nday: W o rk o u t В
W ed n esd a y: W o rk o u t A
Friday: W o rk o u t В
(And repeat)
W h a t w e ig h t s h o u ld I s ta r t w ith ?
c u rre n tly lies on m any o f th e lifts. W hen it co m e s to th e 5 ’s, fo r th e sake o f p ro g re ssio n and u tilizin g so lid fo rm , p ic k a
g e ttin g a c o u p le m ore reps w ith bad fo rm o r m o m en tum . This is an illu sio n o f stre n g th , an illu sio n o f “ m o re e ffo rt”. It
a ctu a lly ta k e s m o re e ffo rt (m ental and physical) to m aintain b e tte r fo rm . It’s u n d e rs ta n d a b le th a t th e last re p o r tw o o f yo u r
D o n ’t le t yo u r e g o g e t th e b e st o f you.
W h a t i f y o u ’re a ra n k b e g in n e r a n d h a v e n o id e a w h e re to s ta rt?
w o rk in g w e ig h t. S tart w ith th e bar o r s o m e th in g re a lly lig h t and using c o n tro lle d sets o f 5 reps, add 5-10 lbs p e r se t until
W arm ing Up
W arm ing up is critical fo r m a xim izing p e rfo rm a n c e and a v o id in g injury. T h e re is a d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n y o u r w a rm -u p and
b e n e fic ia l to w arm up th e y o u r s h o u ld e rs and e lb o w s b e fo re h ittin g b e nch p re ss. Wall slid e s and s h o u ld e r ro ta tio n
W arm up fo r Squats:
9 5 lbs x5 reps
115 x 3 reps
1 3 5 x 5 x 5 (W ORK SETS)
75 lbs x 5 reps
9 5 lbs x 3 reps
1 1 5 x 3 x 5 (W ORK SETS)
2 0 x 4-6
4 5 x 3 sets o f 8-12
The h e a vie r th e exercise, th e m ore c o m p o u n d it is, th e e a rlie r in a w o rk o u t y o u are, a nd th e m o re a d va n ce d yo u are in
m o ve m e n ts, tric e p e xe rcises, and sq uats and d e a d lifts . A lso, if I have a lre a d y p e rfo rm e d c o m p o u n d m o ve m e n ts, m y w arm
ups fo r th e is o la tio n m o v e m e n ts h ittin g th e m uscles used d u rin g th e c o m p o u n d s are usually p re tty b rie f since th o se
m u scle s u su ally a lre a d y have b lo o d flo w in g th ro u g h th e m (e.g. B ice ps a fte r b a ck m o ve m e n ts, tric e p s a fte r push
m o vem ents)
B o d y w e ig h t x 10
Bar x 8
135x8
225x6
275x5
315x3
345x2
3 7 5 x 1 or 2
405 x 5 x 5
Rest Periods:
For m axim um p e rfo rm a n c e and p ro g re s s io n , he re are so m e basic g u id e lin e s o f h o w m uch tim e you m ay need b e tw e e n
w o rk sets, as a b e g in n e r:
S u p erse ts are w h e re you h it o n e e xe rcise and th e n im m e d ia te ly w ith o u t rest, h it another. You re st a fte r y o u ’ve h it a se t o f
b o th exercises.
A lte rn a tin g sets are b a sica lly th e sam e th in g , e x c e p t w ith a b it o f rest b e tw e e n each exercise. You m ig h t h it a se t o f curls,
O H P (o ve rh e a d press) since w e ’re re a lly try in g to p ro g re ss o u r s tre n g th in th o s e m o ve m e n ts, b u t s u p e r-se ttin g o r using
a lte rn a tin g sets for, say, curls and tric e p s p u s h d o w n s, o r curls w ith ca b le cru n ch e s, o r tric e p s w ith sh ru g s or
h yp e re x te n s io n s can be fine. I re c o m m e n d a lte rn a tin g sets o v e r su p erse ts, and yo u ty p ic a lly d o n ’t w a n t to p a ir like-
W hen it co m e s to is o la tio n m o ve m e n ts, I’ve fo u n d th a t u tilizin g a lte rn a tin g sets really, re a lly h e lp s m e p a ck m y tra in in g
v o lu m e in to a sm a lle r tim e w in d o w ve rsu s s tra ig h t sets and ta k in g tra d itio n a l re stin g p e rio d s. I also fin d th a t d o in g
a lte rn a tin g sets s o m e tim e s im p ro v e s m y p e rfo rm a n c e o f m y is o la tio n m o v e m e n ts b e cau se I’ m g e ttin g in a little m ore rest
If y o u ’re e x tre m e ly h u rrie d (ju s t fin is h e d sq uats and yo u g e t a p h o n e call and yo u s u d d e n ly have 2 0 -3 0 m inutes less to
lift), yo u have a c h o ic e to m ake. M y re c o m m e n d a tio n w o u ld be to p rio ritiz e p ro g re ssio n o f y o u r m ain lifts. G e t as m uch o f
fro m 5 to 3 on y o u r m ajor lifts a n d /o r p a ir m a jo r lifts w ith h ig h e r re p lifts in th e a lte rn a tin g se t fashion. Just k n o w th a t d o in g
so o fte n w ill d e c re a s e y o u r s tre n g th p ro g re s s io n on th e m ain lifts. If y o u ’ re d o in g su p e rse ts o r a lte rn a tin g sets, m ake sure
n o t to p a ir like -m o ve m e n ts. D o n ’t p a ir b e n c h p re s s w ith tric e p s , d o n ’t p a ir p u ll-u ps w ith b ice p s, and also, d o n ’t h it b ice p s
5 reps w ith w o rk in g w e ig h t on te c h n ic a l lifts such as sq u ats o r d e a d lifts , fo rm can o fte n sta rt b re a kin g d o w n . T his m ay n o t
The g o a l is to incre a se th e w e ig h t used on th e m a jo r lifts each and e v e ry w e e k. If you c o m p le te all reps and sets on yo u r
and d e a d lift b y 10 to 2 0 lbs p e r d e a d lift session. It’s p e rm is s ib le to m ake as la rg e o f a w e ig h t ju m p as yo u can p h ysica lly
Initial w e ig h t increases:
D e a d lift: 10 lb ju m p s p e r session
This initial plan e q u a te s to in cre a sin g y o u r sq u at and d e a d lift b y 3 0 lbs e v e ry tw o w e e ks, and yo u r b e n ch p re ss and
p re s c rib e d reps. This w ill ty p ic a lly h a p p e n firs t w ith y o u r o v e rh e a d press, th e n y o u r b e nch p re ss, th e n y o u r squat, and
la stly yo u r d e a d lift.
If you are u n a b le to c o m p le te th e reps a tte m p te d on a sta p le exercise, try again th e n e xt tim e yo u d o th a t w o rk o u t. If you
fail y e t again, d ro p th e w e ig h t o f th a t lift by 10% and a tte m p t to m o ve fo rw a rd fro m th e re . R ound d o w n if n e cessa ry (e.g. If
y o u r w a y b a ck up using 5 lb increases.
P e o ple fe a r it, b u t re s e ttin g (d e cre a sin g th e w e ig h t) w ill a llo w you to c o n tin u e to b u ild s tre n g th a nd e v e n tu a lly surpass
th a n y o u r first. You ty p ic a lly w a n t to have 1 re p le ft in th e ta n k on m ost o f y o u r sets o f he avy 5 ’s. You’ll see n o w h e re in th is
p ro g ra m a n y th in g a b o u t assiste d reps o r c h e a t reps. You w ill b u ild m o re s tre n g th a nd th e re fo re m ore m uscle b y n o t liftin g
s p e c ific a lly fo r th e goal o f fa ilu re . W e’re liftin g w ith th e g o a l o f liftin g a p ro g re s s iv e ly h e a vie r w e ig h t each w o rk o u t.
R esetting y o u r w e ig h t w ill g ive you an o p p o rtu n ity to clea n up y o u r fo rm , g e t m ore e ffic ie n t at th e exercise, and nail d o w n
u su ally th e s m a lle s t w e ig h ts th e y have th a t yo u can p u t on a b a rb e ll. This m eans th a t th e m inim um w e ig h t incre a se you
can m ake is 5 lbs to b a rb e ll m o v e m e n ts (one 2.5 p e r side). M ic ro p la te s are p la te s th a t can a llo w ju m p s sm a lle r th a n 5 lbs,
a lift.
L e t’s say yo u fail th e b e n ch p re ss at 120 lbs 5x5. You try it again a nd th is tim e you g e t past it, b u t fail on 135x5x5. You try it
again and fail again, so yo u re se t y o u r w e ig h t to 120 lbs. If you o w n 1.25 lb m icro p la te s, b e g in m aking 2.5 lb incre a se s in
b a ck to th e w e ig h t th a t p re v io u s ly stu m p e d you.
N ow , if you o w n a m ore v a rie d s e t o f m icro p la te s, in c lu d in g 0 .2 5 lb, 0 .5 lb, 0.75 lb, and 1 lb plates, like th e s e h ttp ://a m zn .to
/2 q O T 3 H h th e n a fte r y o u r firs t (or se co nd ) reset, you can m ake 4 lb ju m p s until reset, and th e n 3 lb ju m p s until reset, and
Your p ro g re s s on y o u r sin g le jo in t m o v e m e n ts w ill be m uch s lo w e r than on y o u r 5 ’s exercises. You w ill m o stly be u tilizin g
• Session 2 : 5 5 lbs x 8, 8, 8
• Session 3: 5 5 lbs x 9, 9, 8
• Session 4: 5 5 lbs x 9, 9, 9
th e n o vice ro u tin e to c o n tin u e m ilkin g o u t lin e a r g a in s w h ile y o u ’re on m a in te n a n ce and a ca lo ric surplus.
The n o vice s ta g e fo r m o st lifte rs ty p ic a lly lasts up to 4 -6 m o nths. D uring th is stage, it re a lly pays o ff to lift as sim p le and
• You’ve m ilked o u t all lin e a r gains - y o u ke e p re s e ttin g b u t ca n ’t surpass a ce rta in p o in t on m o st o f yo u r m ajor lifts
• You’ve u tilize d m icro p la te s to fu rth e r m ilk o u t th e lin e a r gains (not necessary b u t v e ry helpful)
W orkout A
W orkout В
W orkout C
In term e d ia te Shredding Routine
phase in a b o u t 4 -6 m onths, th e in te rm e d ia te phase o f liftin g can ty p ic a lly last fo r years. If y o u 'v e a lre a d y m ilke d o u t all o f
W o rk o u t A:
• Squat: 4 -5 sets o f 5
W o rk o u t B:
• W e igh ted C hin-U ps: 3 sets o f 4-6 (or p u lld o w n s: 3 sets o f 8-10)
M onday: W o rk o u t A
W ed n esd a y: W o rk o u t В
Friday: W o rk o u t C
W eek 2
M onday: W o rk o u t A
W ed n esd a y: W o rk o u t В
Friday: W o rk o u t C
(And repeat)
Program Notes:
W h a t w e ig h t s h o u ld I s ta r t w ith ?
fa v o r and sta rt w ith a ro u n d 80% -90% o f w h a t y o u r norm al w o rk in g w e ig h t is, and aim fo r th e lo w e r en d o f th e sets range, if
a p p lica b le . (Exam ple: th e b e n to v e r ro w s say 3 to 5 sets o f 8-10. For y o u r firs t w o rk o u t, g o fo r 3 sets and n o t 4 o r 5.)
A s I m e n tio n e d in th e p re vio u s s e ctio n , if y o u ’re used to using c ra p p y fo rm , s w itc h in g o v e r to b e tte r fo rm m ay in itia lly
re su lt in w h a t fe e ls like less s tre n g th and yo u m ig h t p e rfo rm less reps at firs t w ith any g ive n w e ig h t. J u s t re m e m b e r th a t
p o ssib le fo r y o u rs e lf?
yo u have plan on re a ch in g y o u r full p o te n tia l and having real s tre n g th and as m uch m uscle as p o ssib le , yo u k n o w w h ich
ro u te to take.
P rogression on th e M ain Lifts
The p u rp o se o f th is pro gra m is to c o n tin u e to m ilk as m uch g a in s as p o s s ib le on o u r big lifts, w h ile g e ttin g in s u ffic ie n t
h y p e rtro p h y w o rk on all o f o u r o th e r m uscles. T h e p rim a ry o b je c tiv e is to in cre a se o u r squat, b e n ch p re ss, and d e a d lift, b u t
in a d d itio n th e se , o u r in c lin e be nch , w e ig h te d ch in -u p , and b e n t o v e r row. Incre a sin g th e s e lifts w ill e n su re full b o d y
stre n g th .
Increasing th e Squat
assum ing th a t y o u ’re sta rtin g w ith ro u g h ly 8 0 -9 0 % on y o u r m ajor lifts, so w e have room to grow . T h a t m eans 8 0 -9 0 % o f o f
p e rfe ctly, ju s t th in k “w h a t co u ld I d o fo r th e h e a vie st s e t o f Б o r 8 p o ssib le? ” S u b tra ct 10-20% and sta rt fro m th e re .
For sq u ats o n w o rk o u t A, s ta rt w ith 4 sets o f 5 w ith th e w e ig h t you fig u re d earlier. The n e xt tim e you d o w o rk o u t A, d o 5
The sam e th in g g o e s fo r sq u ats on w o rk o u t C. S tart w ith 3 sets o f 8. Then h it 4 sets o f 8. Go fo r y e t a n o th e r (yes, b e lie ve
me) w o rk o u t w h e re yo u h it 4 sets o f 8 b e fo re incre a sing th e w e ig h t and b rin g in g it b a ck d o w n to 3 sets u nless you have
m icro p la te s. If you have m icro p la te s, yo u can a dd w e ig h t e v e ry tim e yo u a c h ie ve 4 sets o f 8. If you d o n ’t have m icrop la te s,
a lte rn a tin g b e tw e e n high and lo w reps fo r w h ile w ith o u t h a ving to c h a n g e th e reps up.
Increasing th e D eadlift:
For th e 3 ’s w e e ks:
O n ce again, w e ’re assu m in g y o u ’ve m ilke d o u t lin e a r g a in s via th e n o v ic e p ro g ra m and y o u ’re sta rtin g he re w ith 8 0 -9 0 %
o f w h a t y o u ’re c a p a b le of. Start w ith 2 sets o f 3. T h e n e x t w e e k h it 3 sets o f 3. The n e xt w e e k, ad d 5 lbs and h it 2 sets o f 3.
sets o f 8 ’s.
For th e 5 ’s w e e k :
Start w ith 2 sets o f 5. T h e n e x t tim e h it 3 sets o f 5. A d d 5 lbs and g o fo r 2 sets o f 5. So on and so fo rth . D o th is until you
ca n ’t c o n tin u e , th e n re se t (strip 10% and w o rk y o u r w a y b a c k up), and b e g in using m icro p la te s if you have th e m fo r 2 .5 lb
L e t’s lo o k at th e fla t b e nch p re ss. It says 3 -5 sets o f 5 -6 reps. Start w ith 3 sets o f 5. Then g o fo r 4 sets o f 5. Th e n 5 sets o f
sets o f 6. Then raise th e w e ig h t and g o b a ck to 3 sets o f 5. Rem em ber, ad d sets and th e n a dd reps. C o n tin u e using th e full
re p and se t ra n g e in th is m anner.
d o u b le -p ro g re s s io n m e th o d.
K E Y TIP FO R C O N T IN U IN G PROGRESS O N SQ U A TS A N D D E A D LIF T S - The E s c a la tin g M e th o d ):
W hen y o u ’ve run th is p ro g ra m and u n d e rg o n e 3-4 s q u a t and d e a d lift re se ts using th e d e fa u lt p ro g re ssio n sch e m e, you
W o rk o u t В (H eavy D eadlifts): B egin w ith a re s e t o r a ro u n d 90% . Start w ith 3 sets o f 3. On th e fo llo w in g w e e k s , h it 3 sets o f
W o rko u t В (H yp e r D eadlifts): B egin w ith 90% o r so o f y o u r 7-8 re p max. Start w ith 3 sets o f 7. On th e fo llo w in g w e e ks, h it 4
sets o f 7, th e n 3 sets o f 8, th e n 4 sets o f 8. Then ad d 5 lbs (or 2 .5 lbs if yo u o w n m icro p la te s) and g o b a ck to 3 sets o f 7.
W o rk o u t C (H yper) Squats: Start w ith 3 sets o f 7. On th e fo llo w in g w e e ks, h it 4 sets o f 7, th e n 3 sets o f 8, and th e n 4 sets o f
8. T hen add 5 lbs (or 2 .5 lbs if yo u o w n m icro p la te s) and b rin g it b a ck d o w n to 3 sets o f 7. Rinse and repeat.
You’ll re a lly k n o w it’s tim e to m ove on to th e in te rm e d ia te /a d v a n c e d ro u tin e w h e n y o u ’ve hit a fe w resets on this... if you
• Session 2 : 5 5 lbs x 8, 8, 8
• Session 3: 55 lbs x 9, 9, 8
• Session 4: 55 lbs x 9, 9, 9
W arm ing Up
W arm ing up is c ritic a l fo r m a xim izing p e rfo rm a n c e and a v o id in g injury. T h e re is a d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n y o u r w a rm -u p and
W arm up fo r Squats:
9 5 lbs x 5 reps
135x5
185 x 3 reps
2 2 5 x 5 x 5 (W ORK SETS)
G eneral U p p e r B o d y W arm up
8 5 lbs x 6 -8 reps
145 x 1 o r 2 reps
1 6 5 x 3 x 5 (W ORK SETS)
W arm up fo r B arbell Curls:
2 0 x 6-8
4Б x 3-4
7 0 x 3 x8 (WORK SETS)
m o ve m e n ts, tric e p exercises, and squats and d e a d lifts . A lso, if I have a lre a d y p e rfo rm e d c o m p o u n d m o ve m e n ts, m y w arm
ups fo r th e is o la tio n m o v e m e n ts h ittin g th e m uscles used d u rin g th e c o m p o u n d s are usually p re tty b rie f since th o s e
m u scle s u su ally a lre a d y have b lo o d flo w in g th ro u g h th e m (e.g. B iceps a fte r b a ck m o ve m e n ts, tric e p s a fte r push
m o vem ents)
B o d y w e ig h t x 10
Bar x 8
135x8
225x6
275x5
315x3
345x2
375 x 1 or 2
405 x 5 x 5
Rest Periods:
For m axim um p e rfo rm a n c e and p ro g re s s io n , he re are so m e ba sic g u id e lin e s o f h o w m uch tim e you m ay need b e tw e e n
w o rk sets, as a b e g in n e r:
For w arm up sets, I ty p ic a lly w ill re st a ro u n d 3 0 -4 5 s e c o n d s b e tw e e n th e firs t o n e s (the b o d y w e ig h t and b a r-o n ly sets) and
S u p erse ts are w h e re you h it o n e e xe rcise and th e n im m e d ia te ly w ith o u t rest, h it another. You re st a fte r y o u ’ve h it a se t o f
b o th exercises.
A lte rn a tin g sets are b a sica lly th e sam e th in g , e x c e p t w ith a b it o f re st b e tw e e n each exercise. You m ig h t h it a se t o f curls,
fo r 3 0 -6 0 se co n d s, rinse a nd repeat.
S u p e r-se ttin g o r u tiliz in g “a lte rn a tin g s e ts ” on a g o n is t and a n ta g o n is t m u scle s and m o ve m e n ts can be a g re a t w a y to pack
a lte rn a tin g sets for, say, curls and tric e p s p u s h d o w n s, o r cu rls w ith ca b le cru n ch e s, o r tric e p s w ith sh ru gs o r
h yp e re x te n s io n s can be fine. I re c o m m e n d a lte rn a tin g sets o v e r su p erse ts, and yo u ty p ic a lly d o n 't w a n t to p a ir like-
W hen it co m e s to is o la tio n m o ve m e n ts, I’ve fo u n d th a t u tilizin g a lte rn a tin g sets really, re a lly h e lp s m e p a ck m y tra in in g
v o lu m e in to a s m a lle r tim e w in d o w ve rsu s s tra ig h t sets and ta k in g tra d itio n a l re stin g p e rio d s. I also fin d th a t d o in g
a lte rn a tin g sets so m e tim e s im p ro v e s m y p e rfo rm a n c e o f m y iso la tio n m o v e m e n ts b e cau se I’ m g e ttin g in a little m ore rest
lift), yo u have a c h o ic e to m ake. M y re c o m m e n d a tio n w o u ld be to p rio ritiz e p ro g re ssio n o f y o u r m ain lifts. G e t as m uch o f
fro m 5 to 3 on y o u r m a jo r lifts a n d /o r p a ir m a jo r lifts (b e sid e s sq uats and d e a d lifts) w ith a n ta g o n is t lifts o r n o n-sim ila r
h ig h e r rep lifts in th e a lte rn a tin g se t fa sh ion . If y o u ’re d o in g su p e rse ts o r a lte rn a tin g sets, m ake sure n o t to p a ir like-
m o ve m e n ts. D o n 't p a ir b e n c h p re s s w ith tric e p s , d o n ’t pair p u ll-u p s w ith b iceps, and also, d o n ’t h it b ice p s b e fo re y o u r row s
If you are u n a b le to c o m p le te th e reps a tte m p te d on a sta p le exercise, try again th e n e xt tim e yo u d o th a t w o rk o u t. If you
P eople fe a r it, b u t re s e ttin g (d e cre a sin g th e w e ig h t) w ill a llo w yo u to c o n tin u e to b u ild s tre n g th a nd e v e n tu a lly surpass
th a n y o u r first. You ty p ic a lly w a n t to have 1 re p le ft in th e ta n k on m ost o f y o u r sets o f he avy 5 ’s. You’ll see n o w h e re in th is
p ro g ra m a n y th in g a b o u t assisted reps o r c h e a t reps. You w ill b u ild m o re s tre n g th a nd th e re fo re m ore m uscle b y n o t liftin g
R esetting y o u r w e ig h t w ill g ive you an o p p o rtu n ity to clea n up y o u r fo rm , g e t m ore e ffic ie n t at th e exercise, and nail d o w n
se veral sessions o f this im p ro v e d form . Then, w h e n y o u ’re b a ck up to th e w e ig h t y o u re c e n tly fa ile d at, y o u ’ ll a ctu a lly have
M icroplates
u su ally th e s m a lle s t w e ig h ts th e y have th a t yo u can p u t on a b a rb e ll. This m eans th a t th e m inim um w e ig h t incre a se you
can m ake is 5 lbs to b a rb e ll m o v e m e n ts (one 2 .5 p e r side). M ic ro p la te s are p la te s th a t can a llo w ju m p s sm a lle r than 5 lbs,
For th o s e using th is ro u tin e w h ile ru n n in g a cut, I’d re c o m m e n d s tic k in g to th is ro u tin e fo r th e e n tire ty o f th e cut. C o n tin u e
U p p er Body W orkou t A
T h e re are se veral w ays yo u can run th e s e 4 w o rk o u ts , m ore than w h a t’s listed b elow . H o w you d o it w o n ’t m ake a h uge
V a ria tio n 1:
M o nday: L o w e r A
Tues: O ff
W ed n esd a y: U p p e r A
Thurs: O ff
Friday: L o w e r В
Saturday: U p p e r В
Sun: O ff
V a ria tio n 2:
M on: L o w e r В
Tues: O ff
W ed: U p p e r AF
Thurs: O ff
Fri: L o w e r A
Sat: U p p e r В
Sun: O ff
V a ria tio n 3:
M on: U p p e r A
Tues: O ff
W ed: L o w e r A
Thurs: O ff
Fri: U p p e r В
Sat: L o w e r В
Sun: O ff
V a ria tio n 4:
M on: U p p e r В
Tues: O ff
W ed: L o w e r В
Thurs: O ff
Fri: U p p e r A
Sat: Low er A
Sun: O ff
A s yo u can see, th e w o rk o u ts can be m o ve d a ro u n d as yo u see fit. A and В w o rk o u ts can b e s w itch e d . Tw o w o rk o u ts are
re te n tio n .
V a ria tio n 1:
M o nday: L o w e r A
Tuesday: U p p e r A
W ed: O ff
Thurs: L o w e r В
Friday: U p p e r В
Sat: O ff
Sun: O ff
V a ria tio n 2:
Mon: U p p e r В
Tues: O ff
W ed: L o w e r В
Thurs: U p p e r A
Fri: O ff
Sat: O ff
Sun: L o w e r A
V a ria tio n 3:
M on: O ff
Tues: U p p e r A
W ed: L o w e r A
Thurs: O ff
Fri: U p p e r В
Sat: L o w e r В
M o nday: L o w e r A
Tues: O ff
W ed: U p p e r A
Thurs: O ff
Fri: L o w e r В
Sat: O ff
S unday: U p p e r В
M o nday: O ff
Tuesday: L o w e r A
(And so on)
Schedule 4 (2 on, 1 off, repeat) - A dvanced only, be very careful to m onitor your volum e:
V a ria tio n 1:
D ay 1: Low er
D ay 2: U p p e r
D ay 3: O ff
R epeat
V a ria tio n 2:
D ay 1: U p p e r
D ay 2: Low er
D ay 3: O ff
D ay 4: R epeat
• D o n ’t d o abs th e d ay b e fo re a lo w e r b o d y w o rk o u t
This w o rk o u t pro gra m fo c u s e s on key lift stre n g th , to m aintain as m uch full b o d y m uscle as p o ssib le (w ith p o ssib le g ro w th
in so m e inte rm e d iate s), w h ile e v e n ly h ittin g all o f y o u r m a jo r m uscle g ro u p s fo r a b a la n ce d , a e sth e tic p h ysiq u e , w ith a
o ve rtra in in g (w hich re a lly is c o n s ta n t u n d e r-re c o v e rin g ), e s p e c ia lly w h ile c u ttin g , can re a lly im p a ct y o u r stre n g th , yo u r
m o o d, and e ve n y o u r a d h e re n c e to y o u r diet.
The m ore v o lu m e you do, th e m ore re c o v e ry necessary, and b e in g on a c a lo ric d e fic it cuts in to y o u r re c o v e ry ability. This
w a n t to have as m uch v o lu m e as y o u can p ro p e rly re c o v e r fro m b u t its b e tte r to be s lig h tly c o n s e rv a tiv e ra th e r th a n e rrin g
W h a t a re th e p a re n th e s is “ ( ) ’’ fo r?
Exercises in p a re n th e sis “ ( ) ” are o p tio n a l, and th e sets and reps fo r th e m are also in p a ren th e sis. T h e se e xe rcises are here
im p ro v in g y o u r s q u a t and d e a d lift d u rin g th is c u t is m ore im p o rta n t to you than h a ving a little b it o f e xtra va riety, d o m ore
sets o f sq u a ts and d e a d lifts and d o n ’t d o th e th ird e xe rcise in p a re n th e sis (unless yo u have a to n o f tim e and y o u ’re an
a d va n ce d lifter).
Lunge on y o u r “ L o w e r B” day.
You’ll also see so m e Leg curls, leg e xte n sio n s, h ip a b du ctor, and hip a d d u c to r e xe rcise s p u t in to p a re n th e sis on th e lo w e r
b o d y days. I in c lu d e th e sets a nd reps in p a re n th e sis if th e s e t/re p ra n g e is d iffe re n t th a n th e re q u ire d lift. If th e o p tio n a l lift
SS m eans “ S u p e rs e t”, and ALT m eans “A lte rn a tin g S e t”. The o n ly s ig n ific a n t d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n th e tw o is th a t w ith a
A s u p e rs e t m ig h t lo o k like:
You c o u ld also p a ir an arm exe rcise w ith w ith side lateral raises and an arm e xe rcise w ith fa c e p u lls o r rear b e lt flyes. I
H o w m a n y s e ts s h o u ld I do?
• V o lum e re q u ire d to p ro gre ss (the lo n g e r y o u ’ve b e e n lifting, th e m ore to ta l sets and v o lu m e you re q uire to increase
yo u r stre n g th )
If y o u ’re ju s t sta rtin g o u t on th is pro gra m , g o w ith th e lo w e r n u m b e r o f sets first, and th e n w o rk y o u r w a y up fro m th e re .
Exercise S election: W h ich e x e rc is e s s h o u ld I p ic k ?
w ith . Go w ith th e e xe rcise s th a t yo u can a ctu a lly p e rfo rm w ith w h a te v e r gym m e m b e rsh ip and e q u ip m e n t yo u m ay have
access to. Som e gym s m ig h t n o t have a leg press, o r th e one(s) th e y have re a lly m ay h u rt yo u r lo w e r back. So y o u ’d p ick
s o m e th in g b e sid e s leg press. M o st gym s d o n ’t have a GHD (G lu te -H a m -D e ve lo p e r m achine) to p e rfo rm GHR’s (glue ham
raises).
• Every w o rk o u t invo lve s som e so rt o f push (squat, lun g e o r leg press) m o ve m e n t and som e so rt o f h ip h in g e (deadlift,
h ip thrust, GHR) m o ve m e n t
• The n e x t p rio rity is a leg curl m ust be d o n e at least o n c e a w e e k fo r c o m p le te d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e ham strings (Leg
e xte n sio n s a re n ’t as n e cessa ry to d o fo r full q uad d e v e lo p m e n t)
• Every w o rk o u t co n ta in s at least: 2 pushes, 2 pulls, b i’s, tri’s, side lateral raises and re a r delts
• We push, th e n pull, th e n push, th e n pull. This w ill g ive us th e b e st o verall p e rfo rm a n ce ve rsus h ittin g tw o pushes back
to back and tw o p u lls b a ck to back.
о 1 ve rtica l pull w ith e lb o w s m ore fla re d o u t (p ron a te d m e dium to w id e g rip pulldow ns)
о 1 h o rizo n ta l pull (row) w ith e lb o w s “tu c k e d ” in (DB Seal Row, DB row, clo se /n e u tra l g rip ca b le row, B arbell row)
о 1 h o rizo n ta l pull (row) w ith e lb o w s w id e /fla re d (chest su p p o rte d row, B arbell Seal Row, P endlay Row to u p p e r
chest, ca b le row to u p p e r chest)
о 1 exercise sp e c ific a lly ta rg e tin g th e long head (My to p tw o re co m m e n d a tion s: P reacher Tricep M achine o r th e
O ve rh e ad C able Tricep E xtension w h e th e r w ith a rope, bar, V-bar, or single arm at a tim e. O th e r and less fa vo rite
re co m m e n d a tio n s: French Press, JM press, o r Lying Triceps E xtensions - S kullcrushers are ju s t o ne sp e cific
ve rsio n o f th e m (I’m n o t a h u g e fan, th e y seem to d e s tro y m y e lb o w s o v e r tim e, and sam e g o e s fo r a lo t o f
pe op le )
• W hen it co m e s to Biceps:
о The su p in a tin g D um bbell Curl co vers b oth fu n c tio n s o f th e b ic e p s (flexion and su p in a tio n) and is a g re a t bang-
fo r-b u c k exercise
■ It can be d o n e on b oth u p p e r b o d y days if d e sire d . O r y o u can d o it o n ce p e r w e e k and d o a b a rb e ll o r EZ
bar curl on th e o th e r u p p e r day.•
• Chest:
о 1 to 2 exercises fla t pressing exercises p e r w e e k
• Traps:
о D e a d liftin g sh ould c o v e r th e tric k fo r a lo t o f p e o p le
о (I d o n ’t d o shrugs fo r th o s e w o n d e rin g )
• Abs:
о Placed at th e en d o f y o u r leg days, a lte rn a tiv e ly th e y can be d o n e on u p p e r b o d y days, as long as it’s n o t th e day
b e fo re a leg day
Strength and V olum e C ontrol fo r th e Six Pack Shredded:
b u ild in g s tre n g th on th is pro gra m fo r a va ria b le a m o u n t o f tim e and p o u n d s o f fa t lost. If y o u c o n tin u e y o u r fa t loss long
e n o u g h , a d va n ce d tra in e rs and in te rm e d ia te s a lik e w ill reach a p o in t w h e re incre a sing stre n g th (w hile c o n tin u in g to lose
fat) b e co m e s p ra c tic a lly an im po ssib ility. For a lo t o f p e o p le , p re ssin g s tre n g th w ill be th e firs t to ta k e a hit. T hen th e squat.
• A vo id h ittin g fa ilu re on heavy c o m p o u n d lifts; lea ve at least a rep in th e ta n k on m ost sets. Ideally, th e last se t o f a
c o m p o u n d lift sh ould e nd w ith ju s t 1 rep le ft in th e tank.
о Isolation m o ve m e n ts can still b e tra in e d to failure, sp e c ific a lly and m ost e sp e cia lly th e last se t o f an isolation
exercise.
• Keep in te n s ity high: d o n ’t skip o r avoid th e s tre n g th w o rk . As long as you fo llo w th e pro gra m yo u sh o uld b e fin e here.
о W hen you must, lo w e r th e w e ig h t a little b it to ke e p y o u rs e lf w ith in th e se t and re p range and to a vo id hitting
failure
• D o n ’t o v e rd o y o u r cardio, e sp e cia lly p re -w o rk o u t on a leg day. If y o u ’re fo llo w in g th e ca rd io g u id e lin e s, you sh ould be
fine.
• S low y o u r cut. You’ll m aintain m ore stre n g th on a sm aller ca lo ric d e fic it than a la rg e r d e ficit. T h a t said, reg ard less o f
h o w se ve re y o u r d e fic it is, o n ce you g e t d o w n b e lo w 8% b o d y fat, stre n g th loss b e com e s p re tty sign ifica nt, and
e sp e cia lly u n d e r 6% b o d y fat. (Still, a sm aller d e fic it can p ro b a b ly help w ith m ore stre n g th retention.) •
R em e m b e r th a t y o u ’ ll m a in tain m o re o f y o u r s tre n g th if y o u ’re tra in in g in te llig e n tly and g e n e ra lly lea vin g a t least 1 re p left
In th e b e g in n in g , w e d e te rm in e d p ro te in in ta k e b a s e d on b o d y fa t p e rc e n ta g e a n d b o d y w e ig h t. We p ic k e d a h ig h e r
No, you k e e p y o u r p ro te in in ta ke (in te rm s o f gram s) th e sam e fro m sta rt to finish. T h e initial p ro te in ta rg e t co n tin u e s to be
T h in k o f it like this. L e t’s say y o u ’re 2 0 0 lbs at 24% b o d y fat. You g o w ith th e 1.0x m u ltip lie r and co n su m e 2 0 0 g o f protein
a m o u n t (2 0 0 lbs m inus 2 4 lbs). You’re n o w 176 lbs and a ro u n d 12% b o d y fat, g ive o r ta ke . If yo u w e re to re ca lcu la te yo u r
(From Earlier)
d u rin g a cut.
i W h a t A b o u t C arb C ycling?
W h ile sin g le day re fe e d s, 2-3 d a y re fe e d s, and 1-3 w e e k d ie t b re a ks are all te c h n ic a lly ve rsio n s o f carb cyclin g , m ost
p e o p le th in k o f carb c y c lin g as having high carb days, lo w c a rb days, and so m e tim e s m e d iu m o r ze ro ca rb days
th ro u g h o u t a w e e k . T h e n u m b e r o f c o m b in a tio n s and p o s s ib ilitie s are a lm o s t e n dle ss. D ue to fla sh y title s, clickb a it, and
se n sa tio n a lis t articles, p e o p le have b e e n led to b e lie v e th a t s im p ly c yclin g y o u r carbs in a p a rtic u la r (or any) fashion,
if yo u c ycle y o u r carbs and y o u ’re still in a n e t c a lo ric su rp lu s in sid e th e c o n fin e s o f a w e e k , o r w h a te v e r fra m e o f tim e,
y o u ’ll b e g a in in g tis s u e (fat/m uscle). If y o u ’re in a n e t w e e k ly c a lo ric d e fic it, y o u ’ll lo se tissu e (fat a n d /o r m uscle).
D o n ’t fo rg e t, ha vin g a re fe e d d a y p e r w e e k is e s s e n tia lly a 6 lo w carb d a y / 1 high ca rb day ve rsio n o f carb cyclin g . A 2 day
cyclin g .
Instead o f having ca rb s s e t at 3 o r 4 d iffe re n t levels a cross th e w e e k (Zero, low, m e dium , high), I th in k h a ving ju s t “ lo w
El W h a t do I d o if I'm vegan?
W h ile v e g e ta ria n s can still co n s u m e e g g and d a iry (and th e re fo re w hey), ve g a n s d o n ’t. It can be a little h a rd e r fo r ve g a n s
V egan “c o m p le te p ro te in s ” in c lu d e legum es, seeds, grains, and v e g e ta b le s like ch ickp e a s, b la ck beans, and ca shew s. You
m ig h t th in k , “ Oh, I like ca shew s! I’ll ju s t e a t a to n o f cashew s.” No, hold up. This d o e s n ’t m ean th a t th e s e fo o d s are 100%
p ro te in and have zero fa ts o r zero carbs, it ju s t m eans th a t th e fo o d so u rce has an a d e q u a te p ro p o rtio n o f a m in o acids
p ro te in goal p e r day.
Lentils, len til flour, nuts and seeds, flax, chia and hem p, b la ck b e an s (I re c o m m e n d e a tin g it w ith rice), Ezekiel bread, and
oats, are all high p ro te in fo o d s th a t ve g a n s can ta k e a d v a n ta g e of. M any v e g e ta b le s such as spinach, kale, b ro cco li,