Copyright Notice

****
© Copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this document can be reproduced or shared in any
way without the written permission of the author. If you do so we can take legal action against
you and make your life much less pleasant.
****

Disclaimer

The information  provided in this document is for educational purpose only. I, Radu
Antoniu am  not a doctor and ShredSmart is not meant to be taken as medical advice.
The information  provided in this book is based upon my experience as well as my
in
inte
terp
rprereta
tati
tion
on of  th
the
e cu
curr
rren
entt rese
resear arch
ch.. I ha
have
ve no form
formal
al trai
trainining
ng in sp
spor
orts
ts or nu
nutr
trit
itio
ionn an
andd
I am  not a certified personal trainer. The advice and tips given in this document are
mean
me antt fo
forr  he
heal
alth
thyy ad
adulults
ts on
onlyly.. Yo
Youu sh
shouould
ld alwa
alwaysys co
cons
nsul
ultt a qual
qualif
ifie
ied
d phys
physic
icia
iann be
befofore
re
star
starti
ting
ng a  didiet
et or a tr
trai
aini
ning
ng ro
rout
utinine.
e. Th
This
is do
docu
cume
mentnt is for
for in
info
form
rmat
atio
iona
nall purp
purposose
e on
onlyly an
andd
the author  does not accept any responsibiliti tie
es for any liabilititie
es or damages, real or
perceived, resulting from the use of this information.
 

Contents. 
(click the titles to navigate to the desired chapter) 

 Why Fitness? 6

The Physique You’re Going To Built With ShredSmart 8

Level 1: Intermediate Strength Standards 9
Level 2: Proficient Strength Standards 10
Level 3: Advanced Strength Standards 11
The Importance Of Low Body Fat For Aesthetics 12

Our Plan Of Action 14

Two Ways To Reach Your Fat Loss Goal 16
The 3 Pillars Of Successful Fat Loss 17

Part 1 - Nutrition
Nutrition..
How To Set Your Macronutrients 23

 What Foods To Eat 26

Protein Sources 26
Carb Sources 27
Fat Sources 27
 What Foods You Bring
Bring Home Matters 30

How To Count Calories & Macros 33

How To Structure Your Meals For Maximum Satiety  37

The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting For Fat Loss 37
How To Do Intermittent Fasting For Fat Loss
40
When To Work Out While Doing Intermittent Fasting 41

How To Use Refeed Days To Improve Your Training Performance 45

Physiological Benefits Of Refeeding 45
Psychological Benefits Of Refeeding 46
How To Refeed 46

The Practical Guide To Nutrition 48

Three Meals Per Day + Intermittent Fasting 49
Two Meals Per Day + Intermittent Fasting 53
The One Week Diet Break 57
 

How To Track Weight Change & Adjust Your Calorie Intake To Avoid Plateaus 61
How To Know If Your Macros Need Adjustment 61
Why Your Weight Fluctuates Between Days 62
Why Your Calorie Intake Needs To Decrease Over Time 64
How to Adjust your Calorie Intake 65
Practical Points 66

Other Things You Need To Know  69

The Debate About Protein Intake 69
Alcohol Intake And Drinking Your Calories 72
How Much Water Should You Drink? 73

Part 2 - Training.
Relative Strength: The Yardstick For Progress 75

The Novice Training Routine 79

The ShredSmart Training Program 87

How
How To Pr
Prog
ogre
ress
ss on Comp
Compou
ound
nd Move
Moveme
ment
nts
s Mark
Marked
ed With
With P (for
(for peri
period
odiz
izat
atio
ion)
n) 90
The 3 Day Per Week Workout Routine 98

Explaining The Volume, Intensity, And Frequency Of The Program 101

Training Volume 103
Training Intensity 103
Training Frequency 106

Explaining The Periodization Model 109

 Why Do We Need
Need Deloads? 111

How To Track Training Progress 114

How To Warm Up Before Lifting 118

 What To Do If You Plateau 120

 What To Do If You Lose Strength While

While Cutting 124

How To Use Cardio For Fat Loss 127

Training Abs And Other Small Muscle Groups 133

Part 3 - Motivation
Motivation..
Knowing Does Not Equal Doing 136
 

How Your Self Image Controls Your Behavior And Thinking 138

How To Change Your Self Image And Succeed On Autopilot 145

My Experience With Autosuggestion 147
The ShredSmart Autosuggestion Plan 151
Make a goal card 151
Put reminders throughout the house 153
Visualize reaching your fitness goals for ~5 minutes every day 154
Work out with a friend if possible 154
Follow fitness people on social media or YouTube 155
Consume fitness content 155
But Is All This Really Necessary? 155
The Sublime Moment Technique 157

Final Word 159

 

 Why Fitness? 
Since the  beginning of history, humans have been trying to find answer to an
ageless question: How should we live?

Wha
hat’
t’s
s our  pur
urpo
pos
se on thi
his
s earth
rth? What sho
should
uld we do wit
ith
h our
our ti
time
me?
? What goa
oals
ls
should we pursue?

The ans
nsw
wer  to this
this qu
que
estio
stion
n stil
stilll elu
lud
des us. Pe
Perrhaps
aps beca
ecaus
use
e th
ther
ere
e is no ans
nswe
werr.
Each person has the freedom to pursue whatever they want in life.

Although we  may not be able to identify an universal purpose of human

existence, I  personally think we all fundamentally pursue the same thing:   we
wan
antt to 
be sat
atis
isfi
fie
ed wi
with
th our
our lilive
ves
s an
and
d min
inim
imiz
ize
e suf
uffe
fering  (our
ring ( our ow
own
n su
suff
ffer
erin
ing
g an
and
d
that of other conscious creatures).

Now modern  research tells us that not all patterns of living are equal in
prod
produc
ucin
ing
g lilife
fe sa
satitisf
sfac
acti
tion
on and
and mi
mini
nimi mizi
zing
ng su
suff
ffer
erin
ing.
g. So
Some
me ha
habi
bits
ts and
and life
life ch
choi
oice
ces
s
are almost  always correlated with happiness, health, enthusiasm, and
moti
mo tiva
vati
tion
on wh whilile
e  othe
otherr ha
habi
bits
ts an
and
d lilife
fe ch
choi
oice
ces
s are
are co
corr
rrel
elat
ated
ed with
with dise
diseas
ase, e, regr
regret
et,,
anger, and desperation.

For exam
For exampl ple
e  ly
lyin
ing,
g, se
sededent
ntar
aris
ism,
m, ob obes
esit
ity,
y, la
lazi
zine
nessss,, alco
alcoho
holilism
sm,, po
pornrnog
ograraph
phy
y us
use,
e,
and
and igno
ignora ranc
nce e  ar
are
e co
corrrrel
elat
ated
ed wiwith th di
dise
seas
asee an
andd su
suff
ffer
erin
ing
g wh
whilile e in
inte
tegr
grit
ity,
y, ph
phys
ysic
ical
al
acti
activi
vity
ty,, lo
low
w  bo
bodydy fa
fat,
t, se
self
lf di
disc
scip
ipliline
ne,, ea
eati
ting
ng nu
nutr
trit
itio
ious
us fo
food
od,, ininti
tima
matete rela
relati
tion
onsh
ship
ips,
s,
and education are correlated with health, happiness, and fulfillment.

That means,  at least to some extent, there is   a correct way to live . Scien
ience can
give us hints about how we should live.

That’s what I’m interested in.

 

I want  to liv
ive
e life the right way. I want to know what goals we should pursue, how
we should  use our time, what moral code we should have, and how we should
structure our society and economy to minimize suffering.

This mo
This moti
tiva
vati
tion
on  no
now
w stan
stands
ds behi
behind
nd al
alll my wo
work
rk.. Th
Thro
roug
ugh
h my vide
videos
os,, arti
articl
cles
es,, an
and
d
programs I  want to present guidelines for how we should live to be happier and
be better people in general.

Which brings me to fitness and the goal of the ShredSmart program.

Maintaining a  low body fat, eating nutritious food, working out regularly, and
pursuing strength  gains in the gym are all habits and life choices which are
cond
co nduc
uciv
ive
e to  he
heal
alth
th,, vi
vita
talility
ty,, en
enth
thus
usia
iasm
sm,, mo
moti
tiva
vati
tion
on,, and
and ha
happ
ppin
ines
ess.
s. Ther
Theref
efor
ore
e
fitness is part of the right way to live .

The reasons  for that are obvious. Maintaining a low body fat reduces the risk of
disease, makes  you more attractive (which can boost self confidence and
rel
ela
atio
tionsh
ship
ip sa
sati
tisf
sfaacti
tio
on),  and str
stren
enggthen
thens s se
self
lf cont
ntro
rol.l. Eat
atin
ingg nut utri
riti
tio
ous fofoo
od
promotes general  health and vitality while working out regularly boosts
happ
ha ppin
ines
ess
s leve
levels
ls  an
and
d teac
teachehes
s se
self
lf di
disc
scip
ipliline
ne.. Purs
Pursui
uing
ng st
strereng
ngth
th gain
gains s give
gives s your
your
life
life more
ore  purp
rpoose and
and teac
teachhes pers
persisiste
tenc
nce e and grit,
rit, so
somme of th thee momostst valu
aluablble
e
chararaccter
ter tra
rait
its
s  a perso
rson can have.
ave. If you im imagagin
ine
e yo
you ur idea
ideall life
life,, I’
I’m
m sur
ure e havin
ving
a healthy, lean, and muscular body would be part of that picture.

Now wi
Now with
th that
that said
said,, I un
unde
ders
rsta
tand
nd that
that fi
fitn
tnes
ess
s is no
nott th
the e only
only wo
wortrthw
hwhi
hile
le go
goal
al in life
life..
In fa
fac
ct,  I belie
lieve fi
fitn
tnes
esss sh
shou
ould
ld take
take only a sm
smalalll par
artt of our
our ti
time
me and atttte
enti
tio
on so
we can focus on other things.

That’s the  goal of the ShredSmart program - to teach you the fundamentals of
getting lean,  muscular, and strong so you can easily automate your fitness
habits.

So let’s get started!

 

The Physique You’re Going To

Built With ShredSmart  

I believe  one of the main reasons people fail to stay motivated on their fitness
journey is  because they lack a clear vision of what they’re working towards.
Blurry goals have little pull power.

From my  experience, most men don’t want to get huge. Their fitness goal is to
have a  slim
lim wa
waisist,
t, cle
lea
arly
rly de
defi
fin
ned abs, rou
oun
nd sho
hou
ulde
lders
rs,, th
thic
ick
k uppe
pper ba
bac
ck, wi
wid
de
chest with  a line down the middle, well developed arms and athletic legs. The
look Hollywood actors have in movies:

This is a much clealearer vi

visi
sio
on than
than most
ost gym reg egul
ula
ars ha
havve but it sti
tillll doe
doesn
sn’t
’t tell
ell us
what we  need to do to get to that level. We need numbers. And this is where
strength standards  are very useful.   In natural lifters strength and muscle
development go  hand in hand. Ac Actu
tual
ally
ly,, the
the rela
relati
tion
onsh
ship
ip bebetw
twee
eenn st stre
reng
ngth
th and
and
musc
mu scle
le size
size is prec
precis
ise
e enou
enoughgh to pr
pred
edic
ictt how
how a pe
pers
rson
on will
will look
look at cert
certai ain
n st
stre
reng
ngthth
standards.
 

So if  you want to look a certain way, all you need to do is reach the strength
sta
tand
ndaard
rds
s ass
sso
ocia
iate
ted
d  wi
with
th tha
hatt lo
loo
ok. The grea
greatt th
thin
ing
g is that
hat if you ha
have
ve low
low body
fat you  can lo
look
ok gre
reat
at at dif
iffe
fere
rent
nt le
leve
vels
ls of mus
usc cle de
deve
velo
lopm
pmen
ent.
t. This
This mean
eans you
can aim to be bigger or slimmer, depending on personal preference.

Let’s take  a look at three levels of muscle development so you can identify
exactly what type of physique you want to build:

Level 1: Intermediate Strength Standards.

Examples: Henry  Cavill in Immortals; Cam Gigandet in Never Back Do

Dow
wn; Brad Pitt
itt in Fight 
Club

Bench Press: 1.1 x bodyweight for 5 reps

Incline Bench Press: bodyweight for 5 reps
Standing Shoulder Press: 0.7 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Weighted Chin-ups:
Chin-ups: 0.2 of bodyweight attache
attached
d for 5 reps
Back Squat: 1.3 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Deadlift: 1.5 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Body fat: 6-8
Waist measurement around navel: ~42 of your height
Click here to calculate your intermediate strength standards
 

This is  a le
leve
vell of mu
musc
scle
le deve
velo
lop
pmen
entt you can achie hieve pre
rett
tty
y eas
asilily
y in 1 or 2 yea
ears
rs
of consistent  training. Most gym regula larrs fall into this category. But the reason
they don’t  look anywhere near as good as the actors in the picture above is
because they  don’t have low body fat (which is more important for aesthetics
than overall muscle size).

Level 2: Proficient Strength Standards.

Examples: Daniel Craig in Casino Royale; Dustin Clare in Spartacus; Stephen Amell in Arrow.

Bench Press: 1.3 x bodyweight for 5 reps

Incline Bench Press: 1.1 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Standing Shoulder Press: 0.8 x bodyweight for 5 reps

Weighted Chin-ups:
Chin-ups: 0.3 of bodyweight attache
attached
d for 5 reps
Back Squat: 1.6 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Deadlift: 1.9 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Body Fat: ~10
Waist measurement around navel: 43-44 of height
Click here to calculate your proficient strength standards

Reachin
hing this
this  le
leve
vell of mus
uscl
cle
e deve
velo
lop
pmen
entt re
requ
quir
ire
es tr
tra
ain
inin
ing
g consi
sist
ste
entl
tly
y for
for at
least 2-3  years. Persistence and grit are also required because progress

becomes slo
low
w  and unpredictable. At this le
lev
vel you are stronger than most gym
 

regulars. Self  confidence is also amplified because you know you can achieve
difficult, long-term goals.

Level 3: Advanced Strength Standards. 

Examples: Chris Evans in Captain America; Chris Hemsworth in Thor; Henry Cavill
in Man of Steel.

Bench Press: 1.5 x bodyweight for 5 reps

Incline Bench Press: 1.2 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Standing Shoulder Press: bodyweight for 5 reps
Weighted Chin-ups:
Chin-ups: 0.4 of bodyweight attache
attached
d for 5 reps
Back Squat: 1.9 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Deadlift: 2.2 x bodyweight for 5 reps
Body fat: ~10
Waist measurement around navel: 43-44 of height
Click here to calculate your advanced strength standards 

Reaching this  level of muscle development requires at least 3 to 5 years of

consistent training  with a clear progression model and an emphasis on good
nutrition. At  this level you are among the strongest in an average commercial
gym. The  discipline and persistence developed carry over in all other areas of
your life.
 

The Importance Of Low Body Fat For Aesthetics

Aesthetics.. 
If you
ourr  goal is to have
ave 6 pac
ack
k ab
abss and ver
ery
y go
goo od mu
muscscle
le de
defi
fin
nit
itio
ion
n then
hen in addddit
itio
ionn
to re
reac
achihing
ng cert
certai
ain
n stre
streng
ngth
th stan
standa
dard
rds
s yo
you
u also
also neneed
ed to ha
have
ve low
low bo
body
dy fat.
fat. In fact
fact
for aesthetic ics
s  maintaining a lo w body fat is   mor
low moree imp
import ant th
ortant  than
an ov
over
eral
alll mu
musc
scle
le
size. If  most gym regulars dropped their body fat percentage from the average

15-18% down  to 7-10% they would look similar to Henry Cavill, Cam Gigandet,
and Brad  Pitt in the pictures shown for the Intermediate Strength Standards.
That would  be a way more imp
impressive transformation than if they gained two or
three kilograms of muscle.

For mo
most
st me
men,
n, bo
bod
dy fa
fatt per
erce
cen
nta
tag
ge co
corr
rrel
ela
ates
tes wi
witth wa
wais
istt mea
easu
sure
reme
men
nt arou
oun
nd
the
the na
nave
vel.l.  Whe
hen
n you gain fat you
your wai
aist
st goe
oes
s up and
and wh
when
en you lose
lose fat
fat your wais
waistt
goes down
wn..  This is wh
whyy wa
wais
istt mea
easu
sure
reme
men nt is als
also list
listed
ed as a st
stan
anda
darrd below
low ththe
e
pictu
icture
res.
s. If  you wa
wannt to dro
rop
p to a cer
erta
tain
in body fafatt per
erccenta
entagge you can aim
aim fo
forr the

corresponding
corresponding waist to height ratio.

Waist compared to height Body Fat %

Waist is 42% of your height 6-8%

Waist is 43% of your height 8-10%

Waist is 44% of your height 10-12%

Waist is 45% of your height 12-14%

 You can  use the   Shr

hred
edSm
Smaart Body Fat Calc
lcu
ulatorr   to estimate your body fat
lato
percentage with this method.

Of course,  this is just a guideline because some people naturally have wider or
slim
limme
merr wa
wais
ists
ts  tha
han
n the
the ave
vera
rag
ge. For exa
xamp
mple
le whe
hen
n I’
I’m
m aro
roun
und
d 10
10%
% body fat my
waist measurement  (75 cm / 29.5 in) is about 41% of my height (183 cm / 6 feet).
Based on this table I should be 6-8% which I know is too low.
 

But generally  this is a very useful guideline for estimating body fat percentage.
When your waist is below 44% of your height you can be sure you’re pretty lean.

There. 
How You Will Get There.
The first step to reaching your goal physique depends on your current
condition. Obviously  a skinny guy will not follow the same nutrition plan as

someon
some one
e we
weig
ighi
hing
ng 23
2300 lb
lbs
s (104
(104kg
kg).
). Ev
Even
en thou
though
gh th
thei
eirr long
long-t
-ter
erm
m go
goal
al ma
may
y be th
the
e
same, in  the short-term one must start by gaining weight and the other one by
losing weight.

If you
ou’v
’ve
e  enr
nrol
olle
led
d in Shr
hred
edSm
Sma
art I as
assu
sum
me yo
you
ur prim
rimar
ary
y go
goa
al is to lose
lose fat
fat and get
shredded .

Getting lean  is always going to be the first step to looking great. The nutrition
part of  ShredSmart will show you how to set your calorie intake and structure

your meaeals
ls  to lose
lose fat quic
ickkly wh
whilile
e min
inim
imiz
izin
ing
g hung
unger and cra
ravi
vin
ngs
gs.. If you wa
wannt
to estimate  how much weight you need to lose to reach your goal body fat
percentage,   inpu
inputt  yo
your
ur cu
curr
rren
entt bo
bodydywe
weigight
ht an
andd es
esti
tima
mate
ted
d bo
body
dy fa
fatt pe
percrcen
enta
tage
ge
into this calculator.
calculator.

If you
ourr  goal is to gai
ain
n wei
eig
ght and bui
uild
ld musc
uscle because
ause you’re
’re alre
lread
ady
y lean
lean,, see
see
the bonus guide named How To Transition From Cutting To Lean Bulking.

The trai
train
ning
ing  pa
part
rt of Shr
hred
edSm
Sma
art wi
willll show
how you ho
how
w to build
uild mu
musc
scle
le and str
tren
engt
gth.
h.

The training  programs can be used regardless of whether you’re cutting or

bulking.

Summary . 
● In natural  lifters strength and muscle development go hand in hand.
Because of  that we can predict fairly accurately how muscular a person
will be at certain strength standar
standards.
ds.
 

● Having a low body fat percentage is essential for an aesthetic physique.

● Muscle definition  contributes more to aesthetics than the amount of

muscle mass you have.

● As long  as you’re lean you will look great even with little muscle
development. It’s up to you to decide how big you want to get.  

Our Plan Of Action  

Fat loss is caused by only one thing: a calorie deficit.

Calories are  a measurement unit for energy. A kiloc localorie (what we call simply
calorie even  though it
it’’s technic
ica
ally wrong) is the amount of energy requireired to
heat up one kilogram of water one degree Celsius.

The amount  of energy our bodies burn and the amount we can extract from
different foods  are measured in calories. All the foods we eat contain calories.
Any moveveme
mennt  we ma
make
ke (i
(inc
nclu
lud
din
ing
g bre
rea
ath
thin
ingg, dig
diges
esti
tio
on, fid
fidget
etin
ing
g, etc
tc.)
.) bu
burn
rns
s
calories. Depending  on how much we eat and how much we move, 3 things can
happen:

1. We eat  about as many calories as we burn. In this case our weight stays
the
the sa
samme.  Mos
ostt pe
peoople ma
main
inta
tain
in thi
his
s equili
uilib
briu
rium unco
nconscio
scious
usly
ly over lon
long
periods of time. This is called maintenance.
2. We eat  more calorie ies
s than we burn. We steadily start gaining weight. This
calorie surplus  can be transformed into fat and/or muscle (if we train
correctly).
3. We burn  more calories than we eat. We steadily start to lose weight. That
calorie deficit forces the body to tap into its own fat reserves for energy.

Depending on  the size of the deficit, the way we train, and the macronutrients
we eat, the body will obtain the extra energy from burning fat and/or muscle.
 

Several Methods, Same Cause

Cause.. 
For mo
For most
st  re
read
ader
erss this
this co
conc
ncep
eptt shou
should
ldn’
n’tt be ne
new.
w. Ho
Howe
weve
ver,
r, ma
many
ny pe
peop
ople
le ma
may
y no
nott
be familiar with the role energy balance plays in weight loss.

Diet
iet books  rare
rarely
ly ad
add
dress
ress this
this sub
ubje
ject
ct.. Most diet
iet auth
autho
ors real
realiz
ized
ed peo
eop
ple don’t

want to  consciously eat less. That sucks. So they came up with diet rules that
make peopl ple
e  ea
eatt le
les
ss in an in
indidirrec
ectt wa
way y. Some popula ular me
meth
thoods for weig eight loss
loss
incl
includ
ude:
e: low
low  carb
carbohohydydra
rate
te or fafatt di
diet
ets,
s, cl
clea
eann eati
eating
ng (or
(or elim
elimin
inat
atin
ingg ce
cert
rtai
ain
n food
foods s
base
ba sed
d on  ar
arbi
bitr
trar
ary
y reas
reason
ons)
s),, ea
eatiting
ng on
only
ly at spec
specif
ific
ic ho
hour
urs,
s, card
cardio
io,, ju
juic
ice
e fast
fasts,
s, and
and
many more.

All these  methods work. But it’s not the method that matters. The cause of
weight loss or weight gain is always the same: the total calorie intake.

Basically in order to lose fat we must eat less. I know...shocking.

 Why Most People

People Fail To Get Lean.
Lean. 
In order  to get lean quickly you must eat 20-25% fewer calories than your
maintenance
maintenanc e every day for as long as it takes to get the fat off.

Simple enough.  The problem though lies in the “as long as it takes” part. Based
on the  C
the CDC
DC ant
anthr
hropo
opomet
metric
ric dat
data
a, guys age 30 to 39 have an average body mass
index (BMI)  of 29. That’s just one shy of the medical definition of obese. If you
transform this BMI to body fat percentage, it comes out about 25%.

So for the average young guy to get a six pack, he needs to los

lose about 15% body
fat. That  means around 11 kililoograms or 25 pounds! A healthy and sustainable
fat loss  rate is 0.5-0.8 kg per week or 1-1.5 lbs per week. Losing 7-11 kg (15-25
lbs) therefore takes 12-16 weeks of dieting.

12-16 weeks of dieting...

 

For abou
bout  thre
three
e mon
onth
ths
s a guy neneed
edss to be co
con
nscio
sciou
us of how muc
much he eat ats,
s, resis
esistt
cravin
aving
gs, and  ma
mannag
agee soc
socia
iall eve
events
nts whe
here ut..  That’s
re he has to eat out That’s the pr
probl
oblem! 
em! 
The patience. The waiting game. Habit change.

It’s
t’s not  tha
that peopl
plee don’
n’tt kno
know wh
what
at to do to los
lose fat
at.. They
hey ju
just
st don
on’t
’t want
want or can’
n’tt
stick to a fat loss plan for that long.

Most people  can endure an extreme plan for a few days. Feeling miserable for a
week or  two to get to their goal seems a good deal. But we all know those plans
don’t work.  Fat loss takes time. You can’t lose 10-15 pounds (5-7 kg) of fat in
week, not  even if you fast the whole week! Losing 10-15 pounds of fat with no
muscle loss takes 6-10 weeks at the minimum.

So what  do we do? How can we possibly stick to a diet for that long?   We
Wellll,, it
it’s
’s
quite easy when you know how to do it.

Two Ways To Reach Your Fat Loss Goal. 

There are two ways to stay in a calorie deficit for long periods of time:

1. Pure Willpower

This is  the scenario where you know you have to eat less so you just do it. It
does
esn’
n’tt ma
matt
tte
er  how you fee
feel, how hu
hung
ngrry you ar
are,
e, or wh
what
at soc
social
ial even
ents
ts you
you ha
hav
ve
to turn down. You do whatever it takes to be in a deficit.

That’s
That ’s ad
admi
mira
rabl
blee an
and
d it wo
work
rks
s ab
abso
solu
lute
tely
ly gr
grea
eat.
t. Howe
Howeve
ver,
r, wh
what
at are
are yo
you
u do
doin
ing
g wi
with
th
your lif
life? By do
doin
ing
g thi
his
s yo
you
u can no lo
long
nger
er do the th
thin
ings
gs yo
you u want
wanted
ed your phy
hysi
siq
que
for in  the first place. Things like going out, hanging out with friends, or going on
dates. You just defeated the whole purpose of being fit.

Pure willpower is not the way. So consider the next point.

2. Fitting Your Fitness Plan Into Your Lifestyle

 

This is wh
This wher
eree you
you le
lear
arn
n to ma
main
inta
tain
in a ca
calo
lori
rie
e de
defi
fici
citt wi
with
thou
outt maki
making
ng a fu
fuss
ss abou
aboutt it
it..
 You don’t talk
talk about you
yourr diet, you do
don’t
n’t think abou
aboutt it – because it’s normal.

This is key.

All lean  people who are also sane know and use this secret. They engineer their
food environment  and eating habits so that they don’t need to use willpower all
the time.

I’m not  going to lie, this is a skill and as all skills it needs to be learned. But if you’ll
take the  time to understand this subject you will be amazed by how easy it is to
reach your fat loss goals.

Fitting your  fitness plan into your lifestyle comes down to mastering 3 pilla
llars of
successful fat loss.

The 3 Pillars Of Successful Fat Loss.

1. Managing Hunger

This is  the big one. Fee

eeliling
ng satia
atiatted on few
ewe
er calor
lories
ies th
tha
an you’re
’re use
sed
d to takes
akes a
special approach.  You have to trick your mind and body into thinking you’re
eating more food than you actually are.
In this program we’re going to use two ways to do this:

*Eating lower calorie foods so you can eat the same volume of food as before
*Eating bigger  meals less frequently so you get stuffed once a day even in a
deficit

Both will work but it’s best if you use them together.

Is it  really possible to eat more food while diet ieting than you were eatin
ing
g before?
Surprisingly, yes. You’ll learn how to do it
i t in the chapter on Food Choices.
 

2. Eliminating Cravings

Would you  be willin

ing
g to give up all your favorite foods so you can be as shredded
as possible? That’s exactly what some fitness models and bodybuilders do.

But our  lives don’t revolv

lve
e around our physique lik
like in their cases. We want to be
lean and  strong so we can enjoy our life more, not subtract from it. And delicious
food is a pleasurable experience I think no one would like to give up on.

Here’s the  good news: You can still eat any food you want while staying in a
calorie deficit  and losing fat. You’ll learn how to do that in the chapter on
Intermittent Fasting.

3. Managing Social Events

Would you  refuse to go to a restaurant with your wife on your anniversary so you
can stick  to your diet? One bodybuilder I know did just that so he can be as
shredded as possible for an upcoming show. I admire his dedication a lot.

But would  you be willing to eat almost all your meals at home so you can be as
shr
hred
edd
ded as  pos
ossi
sib
ble
le?
? He
Hellll no! You
You wan
antt to be able
ble to eat out spo
spont
ntan
aneeou
ousl
sly
y and
not ha
hav
ve  to wo
worrry ab
abo
out your die iet.
t. You wan
want to lose
lose fat
fat whil
while
e en
enjo
joyi
yin
ng lif
life! Yo
Youu can
do that.

In the  chapter on Intermittent Fasting you’ll lea

learn how to plan your meals so you
can eat out at night if you want. All while not compromising your fat loss results.

How To Lose Only Body Fat, NOT Muscle.

Muscle. 
If your  goal is to get shredded, your main focus during a cut should not be just
weight loss, it should be fat loss with muscle maintenance or growth.

Losing
Losi ng we
weigight
ht do
does
esn’
n’tt ne
nece
cess
ssar
arily
ily mean
mean your
your bo
body
dy co
comp
mpos
osit
itio
ion
n (t
(the
he fat
fat to musc
muscle
le
ratio in  your body) is improving. That is because some of the lost weight may
actu
tua
ally
lly be  mus
usc
cle mas
ass.
s. Cra
rash
sh die
ietter
ers
s ofte
ten
n ex
expe
peri
rie
enc
nce
e thi
his
s dis
isap
app
poin
inttment
ment..
 

They lose  weight fast in an effort to lose fat fast but discover than they look just
as soft
soft  and fla
flabb
bby
y as befor
efore
e eve
venn tho
thoug
ugh
h the
hey y are 3-5 kg (5
(5-1
-10l
0lb
bs) lig
light
hter
er.. He
Here
re’s
’s
what I mean:

I’m sure this is not your goal physique.

To lo
los
se  only body fat and keep all your muscle (or even gain muscle) you need to
follow this fat loss hierarchy of importanc
importance:
e:

The energy  defici

icit takes care of weight loss but it is weight training and macros
that determine what is being lost: fat or muscle.
 

 You’ll learn  how to set your macronutrie

macronutrients
nts (protein, fat, and carbs) and training
routine so  you don’t have to worry about muscle loss. Actually, I expect you to
gain muscle  while cutting follllo
owing the ShredSmart training program (u (un
nles
less
you’re very advanced).

How To Actually Do This Program.

Program.
Finally, we’ll  address psychology. I did not add this part just to fill a few more
pages!

Part 3  is probably the most important part of the program! Most people   already 
know how to lose fat . I mean how complicated is it? You just have to eat less.

But kn
But know
owin
ing
g do
does
es NO
NOTT eq
equauall doin
doing.
g. Yo
Youu ca
can
n read
read ev
ever
ery
y pa
page
ge of Sh
Shre
redS
dSma
mart
rt and
and
even memorize it and still be just as fat and weak as before!

In the  fina
inal part of the the pro
rogr
gra
am you’ u’llll le
lear
arn n ho
how
w to make
make yo
you
urs
rsel
elff APP
PPLY LY wh
what
at you
lear
learne
ned.
d. Yo
You’
u’llll  love
love that
that pa
part
rt.. Yo
You’
u’llll fi
fina
nalllly
y unde
unders
rsta
tand
nd ho
how
w to cont
controroll yo
your
urse
self
lf an
and
d
do what you want to do.

Summary . 
● Fat lo
loss
ss  has a si
sin
ngle cau
ause
se:: a calo
lori
rie
e defic
eficit
it.. A ca
calo
lori
rie
e defic
eficit
it mean
eans ea
eati
tin
ng
less energy than your body burns in a day.

● All fat  loss method (all diets, cardio, and other tricks) work because they
create a deficit.

● The most efficient way to create a deficit is to eat less.

● The maximum  rate of fat loss with no muscle loss is 1-2 lbs per week (0.5-1
kg)

● To get  a six pack, the average guy needs to cut for 10-15 weeks. The
rea
easo
son
n mos
ostt  fa
failil is bec
becau
ause
se they use a res
esttric
ricti
tiv
ve die
diet plan
lan wh
whic
ich
h cannot
not be
 

sustained for that long.

● Even if  you can get lea

lean using a restrictive diet plan, the quality of your lif
life
would decrease, defeating the whole purpose of having a great physique.

● The key  to successful fat loss is to make your plan easy to follow and
enjoyable. This  means engineering your food environment and eating
habits in your favor so you don’t have to rely on your willpower all the time.

● Weight loss  does not equal fat loss. To lose fat and not muscle you need to
do three  things: have a moderate calorie deficit, eat enough protein, lift
weights.

● Knowing does  not equal doing. You probably already know what to do to
lose fat.  To actually apply the information in this program you will need to
change the way you see yourself.
 

Part 1 - Nutrition.
How To Set
 Your Cutting Plan 
 

How To Set Your

Macronutrients  

There are  3 macronutrients that form the basis of all foods: protein, fats and
carb
ca rboh
ohydydra
rate
tes.
s. A  four
fourth
th ma
macr
cron
onut
utri
rien
entt wo
woul
uld
d be alco
alcoho
holl bu
butt as we all
all kn
know
ow th
that
at
is not found in most foods.

Each macronutrient has a certain energy value:

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of fats = 9 calories
c alories
1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

In most  parts of the world, the energy value of a food is measured for 100g of
product. That  means the energy value of a food is determined by the
macronutrients
macronutr ients it contains in 100 grams.

For ex
For exam
ampl
ple:
e:  10
100g
0g of whol
wholee wh
whea
eatt br
brea
ead
d cont
contai
ains
ns th
the
e foll
follow
owin
ing
g macr
macron
onut
utri
rien
ents
ts::
~9g protein, ~3g fats, and ~50g carbs.

The energy  contained in 100g of bread would therefore be: 9g protein x 4 kcal +
3g fats x 9 kcal + 50g carbs x 4 kcal = 263 kcal.

I’m sur
ure
e  mo
most
st of you kn
know
ow thes
these
e thi
hin
ngs but it
it’s
’s alwa
alway
ys good to rep
epe
eat th
the
e ba
basi
sic
cs.
Now let’s find out how much you need to eat to lose fat.

Here is the calculator you need to use.

 

● Food is  made out of 3 macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbs. Protein and
carbs have 4 calories per gram and fat has 9 calories per gram.

● For the best results, your intake of macronutrients needs to be balanced:

get 25-30% of your calories from protein
get 30-35% of your calories from fat
get 35-40% of your calories from carbs

● A big
big ca
calo
lori
rie
e de
defi
fici
citt co
comb
mbin
ined
ed with
with an un
unne
nece
cess
ssar
arilily
y hi
high
gh pr
prot
otei
ein
n in
inta
take
ke ca
can
n
lead to low testosterone levels and poor workout performance.
 

 What Foods To Eat  

 You now  know the number of calories and the macros you need to eat every
day. But what foods should you eat?

On the topic of food choices, you should think like

l ike this:
● Food quantity matters for weight change
● Food quality matters for health, performance, and adherence

In other  words, as long as you stick to your calories and macros, what you eat
doesn’t matter  for fat loss. But it matters for health, performance, and
adhe
here
ren
nce.
ce. So  it’s
it’s bes
estt to conside
siderr both the
the quan
anti
tity
ty and
and the qualit
ality
y of the fo
foo
od
you eat. Here are the foods I recommend making up 80-90% of your diet:

Protein Sources. 
Anim
Animal
al pr
prod
oduc
ucts
ts::  lean meats (chicken, pork, beef, etc), lean fish (tuna, trout,
halib
libut, et
etc
c),  eggs
gs,, lo
low
w fa
fatt da
dair
iry
y pr
pro odu
duccts (co
(cott
tta
age chees
heese,
e, greek
reek yogugurtrt,, low
low fat
cheddar, etc), whey or casein protein powders.
Plants: pl
pla
ant  prprootein
tein powd
wder erss (pe
(pea, ric
rice, he
hempmp),), leg
legum
umes
es (b
(bea
eans
ns,, peas
peas,, len lenti
tils
ls,,
chickp
ickpea
eas,
s, soy)y),,  cere
rea
als (w
(whe
heatat,, corn
rn,, oats
ts),
), nut
utss (p
(pea
ean
nut
uts,
s, waln
walnu uts
ts,, cashew
shews, s,
pistac
pis tachio
hios),
s), seeds
seeds  (pumpk
(pumpkin, in, sunflo
sunflower
wer,, hem
hemp),
p), mus
mushrohrooms
oms,, tofu,
tofu, tempeh
tempeh,, sei seitan
tan,,

veggie burgers.

Animal products  are superior protein sources than plants. They have better
amino
ino acid  pro
rofi
file
le fo
forr builild
din
ing
g muscl
uscle
e, bette
etterr dige
igest
stib
ibililit
ity
y ra
rati
tio
o and absorp
sorpti
tio
on,
and they’re  made up almost entirely out of protein (they contain only small
amounts of fat and carbs) which makes tracking macros very simple.

However, animal  products are produced with a tremendously high

envi
enviro
ronm
nmen
enta
tall co
cost
st  an
and
d the
the su
suff
ffer
erin
ing
g of bill
billio
ions
ns of farm
farm an
anim
imal
als.
s. A few
few ye
year
ars
s ag
ago
o

I would  have suggested eating lean meat and low fat cheese in virtually every
 

meal wh
meal whilile
e  cu
cutt
ttin
ing.
g. Of co
cour
urse
se.. An
Anim
imal
al pr
prod
oduc
ucts
ts are
are th
the
e be
best
st prot
protei
ein
n so
sour
urce
ces
s and
and
over the  course of my first three years of lifting I think I ate an entire farm of
chickens. But  now I’ve finally awakened to the fact that in order to reduce
clim
climat
atee chan
change ge,,  redu
reduce
ce an
anim
imal
al su
suff
ffer
erin
ing,
g, an
and
d slow
slow do
down
wn th
thee mass
mass exti
extinc
ncti
tion
on of
wildlife we should eat animal products only sparingly.

Now you’r ’re

e  fre
ree
e to ea
eatt wh
what
atev
ever
er you wa
wannt. Bu
Butt havin
aving
g a plan
lant-
t-b
base
sed
d die
diet is pa
part
rt
of   the  right way to live at this point in human history. To learn why I invite you to
read the bonus guide called Vegan Diet: Is It Worth It? 

Carb Sources. 
Vegetables (tomatoes,  bell peppers, carrots, eggplants etc), leafy greens
(spinach, lettuce,  cabbage etc), legumes (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas),
cere
ce real
als
s (w
(whe
heat
at,,  co
corn
rn,, oa
oats
ts,, ri
rice
ce),
), tube
tubers
rs (pot
(potat
atoe
oes,
s, sw
swee
eett pota
potato
toes
es),
), frui
fruits
ts (app
(apple
les,
s,
bananas, berries, etc).

When cutting  you should get most of your carbs from veggies and potatoes
because those  are the most satiating sources. You can also eat one or two
piec
pieces
es of  frui
fruitt pe
perr da
dayy and
and sm
smal
alll am
amou
ount
nts
s of ce
cere
real
als
s su
such ch as br
brea
ead,
d, to
tort
rtililla
las,
s, rice
rice,,
or pasta.  What you should avoid are foods high in sugar: breakfast cereals,
bisc
biscui
uits
ts,, co
cook
okieies,
s,  ch
choc
ocol
olat
ate
e bars
bars,, ca
cake
kes,
s, so
soda
das,
s, ju
juic
ices
es,, etetc.
c. You
You sh
shou
ouldld st
stililll ha
have
ve
those foods  in small amounts on a regular basis to keep cravings in check but
the
hey
y sh
shoould
uldn’t
n’t  pro
rovvid
ide
e more
more tha
than 10-0-20
20%% of your dadailily
y calo
alories.
ies. Tha
hat’
t’s
s because ause
those foods are not filling or satiating.

Fat Sources. 
Anima
Animall pro
produc
ducts:
ts:  fa
fatt
ttie
ierr me
meat
ats
s an
and
d me
meat
at prod
produc
ucts
ts,, fatt
fattie
ierr fish
fish (s
(sal
almo
mon,
n, catf
catfis
ish,
h,
carp, etc), eggs, fattier dairy products, butter.
Plants: oil  (olive, coconut, sunflower, canola, etc), nuts (peanuts, walnuts,
cashews, pistachios), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, hemp).

 You don’t  really need to worry about your fat intake. You’ll inevitably eat fats
along with  your protein sources and by using oil for cooking. In fact it’s going to
be harder to minimize your fat intake than to make sure you’re getting enough.
 

So those  are the foods I recommend you eat on a daily basis is.. Of course, you can
eat other
ther  thin
thing
gs basesed
d on per
erso
sona
nall pre
refe
ferren
encce. But
But wh
whenen ma
maki king
ng fo
foo
od cho
hoic
ice
es
you
yo u shou
shouldld  ha
have
ve in mind
mind the
the foll
follow
owin
ing g crit
criter
eria
ia:: sa
sati
tiet
ety,
y, cr
crav
avin
ings
gs,, mi
micr
cron
onut
utri
rien
ents
ts &
fiber.

Satiety .  

Satiet
Satiety
y is  tr
trig
igge
gere
red
d by tw
two
o thin
things
gs:: ho
how
w mu
much
ch your
your st
stom
omac
ach
h ex
expa
pand
nds
s afte
afterr a me
meal
al
and how many calories you consumed.

Beca
Becaus
use
e ca
calo
lori
ries
es ar
are
e fixe
fixed
d wh
when
en cu
cutt
ttin
ing,
g, yo
your
ur be
best
st stra
strate
tegy
gy to maxi
maximi
mize
ze sa
sati
tiet
ety
y
is to eat mostly filling foods.

Foods differ  a lot in their caloric content. This a big reason why many people

have the  impression they’re eating very little but can’t lose weight. They’re
scared of  eating big meals but are ok with having a few high calorie snacks
beca
becaus
use
e they
they’r
’re
e  smal
small.l. Th
That
at’s
’s comp
comple
lete
tely
ly ba
back
ckwa
ward
rds.
s. They
They th
thin
ink
k in te
term
rms
s of food
food
quantity and not calorie content.

For ins
instance,  instead of eating a Snickers bar from the vending machine at the
offic
fice an
andd  a sm
smal
alll bag of pe
pea
anu
nuts
ts (bo
(both of whic
hich can hav
avee about 25
250
0 kcal
kcal)) th
the
ey’d
y’d
be mucuchh  better
tter off eat
atin
ing
g a 500
500 kc
kcaal sa
sala
lad
d, a lar
large port
rtio
ion
n of bake
ked
d pota
tato
toe es, or
even two  slic
lices of pizza. They would find it much easier to maintain the deficit in

this way.

Cravings.
When I  first learned about macros in the summer of 2013, I thought the best
strat
trateg
egy
y wa
was s  to ea
eatt as muc
uch
h qua
uan
nti
tity
ty as I cou
ould
ld fo
forr the mac
macros
ros I had. My th
thin
inki
king
ng
was: the more I eat, the less hungry I’ll be.

So I  was eating a lot of veggies, a lot of potatoes, and almost half a kilogram of
chicken every  day. It worked very well. I was never hungry, I had big meals but
something
ing was  missing. I still felt deprived. I remember waiting for birthdays,
 

holida
liday
ys, an
and
d  othe
herr so
soc
cia
iall even
events
ts to hav
ave
e an ex
exc
cuse
use eat
eat ta
tast
sty
y fo
foo
ods.
ds. I freq
frequ
uen
entl
tly
y
binged on  fruits because they were the only sweet foods I allowed myself to
have.

Only much  later I realized that satiety is not all that matters. To truly enjoy your
diet, you also need to address cravings. So that's what I did.

I've
I've sp
spec
ecif
ific
ical
ally
ly  ma
made
de high
high ca
calo
lorie,   ju
rie, junk
nk food s  part of my daily fat loss plan. I no
foods 
long
longer
er wa
wait
ited
ed for
for crav
cravin
ings
gs to co
come
me,, I elim
elimin
inat
ated
ed ththem
em by ea
eati
ting
ng ta
tast
styy food
foods
s ev
ever
ery
y
day.

Don’t
n’t be  one of thos
those
e peo
eop ple wh
whoo hav
ave
e the
the all-
ll-or-n
r-noth
thin
ing
g ment
ntal
alit
ity
y and
and belie
elieve
ve
they must  suffer to get results. This will just cause stress and in the end you’ll
either quit or binge out of frustration.

Micronutrients And Fiber.

Vita
itami
minns an
andd  mi
minnereral
als
s ar
are e ess
sse
enti
tia
al for he
heal
altth an
and d som
ome eti
time
mes s pl
pla
ay a big role
ole in
perf
pe rfor
orma
manc nce,
e, wewellll-b
-bei
eing
ng,,  an
and
d en
ener
ergy
gy le
leve
vels
ls.. Fo
Forr th
thes
ese
e reas
reason ons s it
it’s
’s impo
import
rtan
antt to
re
regu
gula
larl
rly
y ea
eatt fr
fres
esh
h fo food
odss wh
whicichh ar
are
e ri
rich
ch in mi
micr
cron
onut
utri
rien
ents
ts.. You’
You’llll se
seee th
that
at sati
satiat
atin
ingg
foods are also the ones which contain the highest amounts of micronutrients.

When I  say it’s ok to include foods like chocolate, ice cream or other “dirty”
snacks in  a fat loss plan some people object by saying:  Oh my god you can't eat 
jec
that every day! It's so unhealthy!

But in  reality we have no clear definition for healthy foods. No, really, what is
healthy food anyway?

The best  definition I've ever heard comes from Eric Helms PhD. I’m going to
paraphrase
paraphras e him:

The truth  is there is nothing inherently unhealthy about what people call dirty 
food
ods.
s. The
here
re  are ve
very
ry fe
few
w foo
ood
ds if any, tha
hatt are activ
ctivel
ely
y un
unh
hea
ealt
lth
hy, me
mea
anin
ning tha
hat 
t 

if you  eat them once, they hurt your body. The only plausible negative  
 

connotation associated  with say a Twinkie, a Pop Tart, and other foods  
com
commo
mon
nly lab
labeled
led  as “b
“ba
ad” is tha
hatt the
hey
y ar
are
e rela
elativ
tively
ely de
dev
voi
oid
d of micr
icronu
nutr
trie
ien
nts,
ts,
fiber, and protein.
The
The reas
reason
on  they
they ar
are
e la
labe
bele
led
d “u
“unh
nhea
ealt
lthy
hy”” is be
beca
caus
use
e th
they
ey ar
are
e em
empt
pty
y ca
calo
lori
ries
es so if 
th
they
ey do
domi
mina
nate
te  yo
your
ur di
diet
et,, yo
you
u de
deve
velo
lop
p mi
micr
cron
onut
utri
rien
entt de
defi
fici
cien
enci
cies
es as a re
resu
sult
lt.. Th
The 
e 
defi
fici
cien
enci
cies
es are  wh
wha
at hur
urtt your body.   Y ou
ody ou r d ie
ie t s h ou
ou ld
ld b e in cl
clu si
siv e r a th
th er
er t h an
an
e xc
xc llu
u si
siv e.
e. M ea
e a ni
nin g,
g,  in st
st e ad
ad o f e xc
xc lu
lu di
din g d ir
ir t y f o od
od s f r o m y ou
ou r d ie
ie tt,, y o u s h ou
ou ld
ld
mak e sure to include n utritious
utritious foods in your diet.

If nutr
nutrit
itio
ious
us  food
foods
s domi
domina
nate
te yo
your
ur di
diet
et,, yo
you
u ge
gett all
all th
the
e vita
vitami
mins
ns,, mi
mine
nera
rals
ls an
and
d fibe
fiberr
you need  for health. And if you still have calories left for dirty foods, then
including them in small amounts won't hurt your health.

Focus on  eating protein and fat from natural sources and get a big portion of
your carbs  from a large variety of non-starchy vegetables and 1-2 fruit its
s a day.
These foods  alone will ensure you’re getting a full spectrum of vitamins and
mine
inera
rals
ls.. Veg
eget
etab
able
les
s  an
and
d frui
fruits
ts al
als
so contain
tain fibe
iber. Men sh
sho
ould get about
out 25g
25g of
fiber everyday and women about 20g.

Matters
 What Foods You Bring Home Matters..
Remember this 
rule
le:: It’s easier to design your food envir
iro
onment to work for you
than it is to use willpower.

If you  have cookies, ice cream, salty snacks or tasty ready-to-eat food in your
house it  will be hard for you to resist them. They almost start calling your name
whehen
n you
you’r
’re
e  hun
ung
gry.
ry. Ha
Have
ve you
you not
otic
iced
ed tha
that? Yo
You’
u’re
re wo
work
rkin
ing
g on yo
youur comp
mput
uter
er,,
or reading  a book, or watching a movie and the image of those tasty snacks
pops-up in  your mind. After a while they start callin
ing
g your name. You get up and
go eat them.

Ok, maybe  they don’t call your name but the point is it it’’s extremely hard to fight
temptation when  it’s easy to give in.   For this reason I encourage you to make it
hard for yourself to cheat and overeat. Here’s what I recommend:
 

● Don’t store  high calorie snacks in the house. Buy only the amount you
intend to eat.
● If you  buy more than you intend to eat in a day, choose multiple small
pack
pa ckag
ageses inst
instea
ead d  of a si
sing
nglele big
big on
one.
e. Re
Rese
seararch
ch show
shows s peop
people le ea
eatt way
way less
less
if they  have to open multiple packages than they do when they open a
single large package.
For ex
examamp ple  if you buy ic icee cre
ream
am,, buy mult
ultiple
iple smsmal
alll cups ins
inste
teaad of a ve
very
ry
large one.  If you buy potato chips buy multiple small bags instead of a
large one.
● Keep all  food out of sight. Every time you see food, your brain is wired to
desi
de sire
re that
that food
food,, esespe
peci
cial
ally
ly when
when yoyou’
u’re
re cu
cutt
ttin
ing.
g. Stor
Store e food
food in hahardrd to reac
reachh
plac
placeses and
and  yoyou’
u’llll need
need le
less
ss will
willpo
powe
werr to resi
resistst.. For
For ex
exam amplplee st
stor
ore
e de
dess
sser
erts
ts
and snacks  in the back of the cupboard or fridge. Just having a few
objects in  front of those foods (essentially acting as obstacles for your
hand) will drastically reduce your desire and willingness to eat them.
● Forr mo
Fo more re  info
inform
rmat atioion
n on how
how to enengi
gine
neerer yo
yourur food
food en
envi viro
ronm
nmen entt chec
check k ou
outt
the
the books  Min ind
dleles ss Eatin
atingg and Slim
Slim by Desesigignn by Briarian Wansi sink
nk.. They
hey ar
are
e
super fun to read and incredibly insightful.

Summary .
● Food quantity matters for weight change, food quality matters for health.

● To enjoy  your diet you need to satisfy two needs: hunger and cravings.
Eatin
Eating just
just  cle
lea
an foods
ods won’
n’tt sa
sati
tisf
sfy
y your cra
rav
vin
ing
gs. Ea
Eatting
ing ju
just
st tast
tasty
y fo
foo
ods
won’t satisfy your hunger. You need to find a balance.

● “Dirty foods”  don’t harm your body directly. They negatively affect your
health only  if they domin
ina
ate your diet. That’s because they do not contain
the micronutrients you need and you develop deficiencies as a result.

● Nutritious foods  should dominate your diet - 80-90% of calor

lories. 10-20%
can come from foods with low nutritious value.
 

●  You cannot  rely on your willpower to resist eating too much. Design your
food envir
iro
onment  to work in your favor by making tasty foods and snacks
hard to reach.

● Liquid calories  should be avoided because they have only a very small
effect on satiety.

●  You should  drink enough water to have at least 5 urinations a day. Drinking
enough water  makes maintaining the deficit easier because thirst can
often be confused with hunger.
 

How To Count Calories & Macros  

 You’ll say:   G re
re a t I k n o w m y m ac
ac r o s n o w a n d I k n o w w ha
ha t f o o d s t o e a t , b u t h o w
do I make the connection between the two?  

That was  my fir

irst
st qu
que
estio
stion
n as we
wellll.. Whe
hen
n I fir
irst
st lea
learn
rned
ed abo
bou
ut mac
acrros I did
didn’
n’tt eve
ven
n
know what a calorie was, let alone protein, fats and carbs.

But in  a few months I became like

Neo inside  The Matrix. You
remember how  at the end of the
first movie  Neo started seeing
everything made out of numbers?

Well that’s  how every person who

tracks calories  for a while end up
seeing their  food. Instead of
seeing an  egg you see 5g of
protein and  5g of fat. Instead of
seeing a  potato you see 40g of
carbs. Instead of seeing a tablespoon of mayonnaise, you see 10g of fat.

 You need  to get to the Neo level too. It’s an invaluable skill to have. It will allow you
to control your body fat for as long as you live.

Neo?. 
How Do You Become Neo?.
Two steps:
1. Get an electronic food scale
2. Download the apps: MyFitnessPal or MyNetDiary or FitGenie on your phone  
 

In the  app you input your goal macros - the grams of protein, fats and carbs you
need to  hit (don’t use their recommendation, use the ShredSmart calculator).
Then, you  weigh everything you eat at home with your scale and add that
quantity in the app.

When you  eat out or on the go, you search for that food in the database and
input the quantity you eat. You can even scan barcodes.

Their food  database is huge and you’ll find pretty much everything in there. As
soon as  you input the quantity, the app will automatically calculate how much
protein, fats and carbs you got from that food.

If you  need help with trackining

g macros contact me in the ShredSmart facebook
group or via email and I’ll help you out.

Mastering
In about  a week Macros
you’ll see t.hat the Neo in you starts to awaken. You’ll start to be
 

able to estimate the macros of some foods without weighing or using the app.

In a  few months you’ll be able to estimate the macros of your favorite meals just
by looking  at the quantity on the plate. After that point, you can probably stop
using the scale.

Now you  may think:   Oh man, tracking everything I eat for a few weeks? I was so 

excited for this plan…but I don’t think I’ll be disciplined enough to do that... 

Did you know that is the ONLY reason you may fail using ShredSmart? 

Not doing  what you know you should to do is the only way you can fail to get your
goal physique.  But don’t worry, there’s a solution for that. You’ll learn how to
make yourself do these little daily disciplines in the final part of ShredSmart.

How Closely Do You Need To Track Macros?.

Macros?. 
Not very closely.
 

When first  learning about nutrition and training, everything appears to be of

equal
ual im
impo
porrta
tanc
nce
e at all tim
ime
es. A gre
reat
at dea
deal of effo
effort
rt can be spen
pent on min
minut
utia
iae
e th
that
at
doesn’t improve results at all.

This is  the case wit

ith
h trac
track
kin
ing
g mac
acrros. Hit
itti
tin
ng prote
rotein
in,, fat
ats
s and carb
arbs to the gra
ram
m
is completely unnecessary but initially it seems of vital importance.

Precision in both nutrition and training needs to be matched with your needs.

Whehen
n a  perso
rson is very le
leaan an
andd in a defic
eficit
it,, th
they
ey have les
less lee
leewa
wayy in the
heir
ir nut
utri
riti
tio
on
befo
fore
re it  has the
the pot
oten
enti
tia
al to neg
ega ati
tive
vely
ly impa
impac ct th
them
em.. The ris
risk of bur
urni
nin
ng mus usccle
tissue for  energy and losing strength is greater for a bodybuilder at 6% body fat
that needs  to step on stage in 4 weeks compared to a normal guy at 13% that
has all the time in the world to get lean.
l ean. This should be obvious.

For these reasons different levels of precision are appropriate at different times:

BEST - Hit all your Macros within 5-15g of your Goal

This is appropriat
appropriate e for:
Bodybuilders
Bodybuilde rs less than 8 weeks out from their show.
Any athlete  than needs to make weig igh
ht while maintaining elite performance in
their training )powerlifters, olympic weightlifters, fighters, etc).

VERY GOOD - Hit your Calorie and Protein Goals

This is appropriat
appropriate
e for:
Anyone trying  to reach low levels of body fat while staying strong and muscular
or gainin
ining
g  mu
musc
scle
le in the
the pro
roc
cess
ss.. Tha
hatt mea
ean
ns you, me an
and
d prett
retty
y muc
uch
h eve
everyo
ryone
reading this program.

GOOD - Hit only your Calorie Goal and not worry about Macros
This is appropriat
appropriate
e for:
Anyone that  wants to lose fat but is not concerned about optimizing muscle
growth or muscle retention.
 

I recommend  you use the VERY GOOD precision level. Track only calories and
prot
otei
ein
n and  allo
allow
w your fa
fats
ts an
and
d carb
rbs
s to fl
fluc
ucttuate
uate betw
twe
een da
day
ys. This
This app
approa
roach
allows for  social events, going out to eat, holidays, drinking alcohol, etc. Also,
some days  your body may crave more fats or more carbs and I think it’s best to
listen to your body.

Don’t stress  your carbohydrate and fat intake. If you consumed 20% of your
calories from  fat one day and 40% on another day, it doesn’t matter at all
because the  weekly average would still be the same. There’s nothing magical
about the 24 hour per
erio
iod
d of a day. Our metab
etaboolism
lism doe
doesn
sn’’t “res
“reset
et”” at midn
idnight
ight - it
takes several  days for our body to sense a change in fat or carb intake so as
long as the weekly average is good, daily intake can vary.

Summary . 
●
Being able  to estimate the calorie and macronutrient content of foods is
an inv
invalua
luable  sk
skililll to le
lea
arn
rn.. It wi
willll al
allo
low
w you to cont
ntro
roll you
ourr body fa
fatt lev
levels fo
forr
the rest of your life.

● Counting calories  and macros is done in two steps: weighing your food
with an  electronic scale and inputting that quantity into an app such as
MyFitnessPal,l, MyNetDiary or FitGenie.
MyFitnessPa

● After 3-4  weeks you can probably stop weighing food and eyeball your
portions.

●  You do  not need to track your macros very precisely. I recommend
trac
tracki
king
ng on
only
ly  your
your ca
calo
lori
ries
es an
and
d pr
prot
otei
ein
n and
and lett
lettin
ing
g fats
fats an
and
d ca
carb
rbs
s fluc
fluctu
tuat
ate
e
between days.
 

How To Structure Your Meals

For Maximum Satiety   

Since the  early ‘80s until the late 2000s nutritionists and trainers believed that
meal frequency and meal timing affected fat loss or fat gain.

We now know this is not true.

As long  you control the total calo lorries and macronutrients you’re eatin ingg, food
distri
distribut
bution
ion is  irrele
irrelevan t.   Sm
vant. Smaall mea
meals do not ramp ramp up the met
etab
abo lism  neith
olism neither
er are
the
heyy bet
ettter  fo
forr appetit
etite
e contro
ntrol.l. Eat
atining
g in the
the ev
even
enin
ing
g do
doe
esn
sn’t
’t make
make you fatfat and
you don’t need to eat protein every three hours to maintain muscle mass.

 You most  likely know this already. So let’s see the diet structure I recommend
you follow: Intermittent Fasting

Inte
Interm
rmit
itte
tent
nt Fa
Fast
stin
ing
g  me
mean
ans
s ju
just
st that
that:: al
alte
tern
rnat
atin
ing
g pe
peri
riod
ods
s of fast
fastin
ing
g wi
with
th peri
period
ods
s
of feeding. The model that I recommend you use is simply skipping breakfast.

The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting For Fat Loss

Loss..
For me,  skipping breakfast and eating big meals in the evening was the key to
easy fat loss. The same was for other hundreds of people I interacted with online.

I first  learned about Intermittent Fasting in the summer of 2013 when I came
across   Kino
inobody
dy..  Gre
reg
g O’G
’Gal
allalagh
gher
er wa
was
s pro
rommoti
ting
ng it all th
the
e ti
tim
me an
and
d I dec
ecid
ided
ed
to give it a shot. After trying it for one week, I loved it.

In this chapter we’ll address a few things:

● Why IF makes cutting easier
●
How to use IF for fat loss
 

● How to structure your meals around training

● How IF affects muscle growth, muscle retention, and metabolic rate

But first let’s get one thing straight.

The calorie deficit is what produces fat loss, n o t   intermittent fasting.

I ofte
ten
n  ge
gett quest
uestio
ion
ns lilik
ke thes
these:
e: “I’
“I’m no lo
lon
nger los
losin
ing
g we
weig
igh
ht on IF! I don’
n’tt eat unti
untill
3 PM, why am I not losing fat!?”

Fat loss
loss  is all about you
your calo
lori
rie
e in
inta
take
ke.. Fastin
sting
g for a few
few hours
urs eve
very
ry day does
esn
n’t
burn body  fat if a calorie deficit is not present. See the cutting hierarchy of
importance again for a visual answer:

As you  can see results come from the calorie deficit, macros, and strength
tr
trai
aini
ning
ng.. Nu
Nutr
trie
ient
nt  ti
timi
ming
ng,, wh
wher
ere
e Inte
Interm
rmit
itte
tent
nt Fa
Fast
stin
ing
g fits
fits in
into
to,, is cl
clos
ose
e to th
the
e to
top
p of
the pyramid – it has a minimal effect on fat loss in and of itself.

HOWEVER…

The great  benefit of IF is that it helps you better manage your hunger and
crav
cravin
ings
gs.. By sk
skip
ippi
ping
ng br
brea
eakf
kfas
astt we ta
take
ke ad
adva
vant
ntag
age
e of th
the
e fact
fact th
that
at we ca
can
n ea
easi
sily
ly
go with
ithout  food for a few hours in the morning. Ironic
ica
ally, short-term fasting in
 

th
the
e mo
morn
rnin
ing
g  ac
actu
tual
ally
ly blun
blunts
ts ap
appe
peti
tite
te in
inst
stea
ead
d of in
incr
crea
easi
sing
ng it
it.. For
For th
this
is reas
reason
on you
you
can easily  go a few hours without food until lunch. By doing this we can save
more calories for the second part of the day.

Eating most  of our food in the second part of the day helps with comfort and
satiety. Most  people are socially inclined to eat more in the evenin
ing
g. You never
hear of  someone saying they binged on junk food in the mornin ing
g or afternoon.
No. Binge eating happens at night.

Some re
Some rese
sear
arch
chererss  sp
spec
ecul
ulat
ate e that
that this
this is the
the wa
wayy ou
ourr spec
specie
ies
s evol
evolve
ved
d – we wo
woululd
d
hunt or  gather food during the morning hours and only get to eat in the second
part of  the
the day
ay.. I per
erso
sona
nalllly
y don
on’t
’t buy this
this ex
explpla
ana
nati
tio
on because
ause we have
have no wa
way y
of knowing  what our ancestors did. Hunter gatherers living in temperate and
warm
wa rm clim
climat
ates
es  ob
obtatain
ined
ed mo
most st of thei
theirr ca
calo
lori
ries
es from
from plplan
ants
ts (mus
(mushr
hroo
ooms
ms,, be
berr
rrie
ies,
s,
tub
ube
ers,
rs, root
ots,
s,  nuts,
uts, etc
etc) and I imimaaginine
e they
they ate ththoose fo
fooods as so
soo
on as th
they
ey fo
fou
und
them rather than collect them and wait until the evening to eat them.

But regardless  of what our ancestors did, this way of eating fits our lifestyle
today
day. In  the
the mor
orn
nin
ing
g and no
noo
on we go to wo
work
rk,, or schoo
hool and
and ar
are
e ge
gene
nera
ralllly
y bu
busy
sy..
Only in the second part of the day we have time to cook and eat a good meal.

Moreo
eov
ver
er,, alm
lmoost  ever
ery
y so
soc
cia
iall even
eventt we att
tten
end
d (w
(wed
edd
din
ing
gs, pa
part
rtie
ies,
s, din
dinner wi
with
th
the family  or frie
ien
nds, going to movies, etc) happens in the evening. That is why it
makes sense to save a good portion of our calorie budget for the evening meal.

In short, the benefits you get out of doing IF are these:

1. Bett
Better
er hung
hunger er cont
control
rol bec
because
ause of ththe
e fasti
fasting
ng period
period
2. You’ll find  it harder to overeat because your eating window is only a few
hours long
3. You have  more calories to work with for each meal which means more
satisfying meals
4. Less tim
timee spent pr
prepar
eparing
ing and eaeating
ting fo
food
od = more produc
productivit
tivity
y
5. You can save eno enough
ugh ca
calories
lories for the eve
evening
ning meal to allow eating ou
outt
 

6. Eliminates the  need for cheat-meals. You can make your meals so large
they feel like cheat meals

Loss.
How To Do Intermittent Fasting For Fat Loss.
 You’ve learned
learned the benefit
benefits
s of IF, now let’s
let’s see how to actually
actually do it:

1. Don’
Don’tt eat for 4-6
4-6 hours
hours after
after waki
waking
ng up.
up. 
Simply wake up and go about your day.

2. Drink a few glasses of water and

and a cup of coffee during
during the fast.

Remember that  thirst is often confused with hunger. Many people living in
deve
develo
lope
ped
d coun
countr
trie
ies
s  ar
are
e ac
actu
tual
ally
ly ch
chro
roni
nica
calllly
y de
dehy
hydr
drat
ated
ed bubutt th
they
ey do
don’
n’tt real
realiz
ize
e it
it..
We end up con
onsu
sumi
minng fo
foo
od whe
henn in fa
fac
ct we need wate
water.
r. By ge
gettttin
ing
g in
into
to ththe
e habit
of drin
rinki
king
ng  wa
wate
terr as so
soo
on as yo
you
u wa
wake
ke up
up,, you can elim
limin
ina
ate th
tha
at fa
fals
lse
e se
sens
nsat
atio
ion
n
of hunger we have in the morning.

Then about  one or two hours after waking up have a cup of black coffee. Coffee
with
withou
outt suga
sugarr or mi
milk
lk is a po
powe
werf
rful
ul ap
appe
peti
tite
te su
supp
ppre
ress
ssan
ant.
t. Wate
Waterr an
and
d bl
blac
ack
k co
coff
ffee
ee
make fasting 4-6 hours very easy (you may even find it enjoyable!).

3. Have 2-3 meals in the second part of the day.

 You don’t  need to break your fast at the same time every day, you just need to
push your  first meal back a few hours. I recommend using any one of the 4
templates below to get started. I personally used template 1 the most.

Template 1: 
11AM-1 PM – First meal of the day (30% of daily calories)
4-6 PM – Second meal (30% of calories)
8-9 PM – Final meal (40% of calories)
 

Template 2: 
11AM-1 PM – First meal of the day (15% of daily calories)
4-6 PM – Second meal (60% of calories)
8-9 PM – Final meal (25% of calories)

Template 3: 
12-2 PM – First meal of the day (40% of daily calories)
6-9 PM – Final meal (60% of calories)

Template 4: 
3-4 PM – First meal of the day (60% of daily calories)
8-9 PM – Final meal (40% of calories)

4. Experiment and  see how you like to split your macros for each
meal.

Enjo
njoying
ing your  fa
fatt lo
los
ss die
iett almo
lmost gu
guar
ara
antee
ntees
s th
that
at you
you’ll
’ll get as lea
lean as you wa
want
nt..
I spent  a few years experimenting to see what meal pattern satisfies me the
most in a deficit.

What I like the most right now is this:

In my  first meal I have mostly protein and fruit – like a large protein shake and a
banana
In my  second meal I prefer veggies and legumes – like a large salad and a bean
quesadilla
And in  my last meal I prefer most of my carbs – a big portion of baked potatoes
with some tofu or veggie burgers.

 You can do this too, but a

also
lso experiment and see what you
you like most.

Work
 When To Work Out While Doing
Doing IF.
Bodybybu
uild
ilders and  fit
itn
ness
ess mo
mod
dels
els ar
are
e ver
ery
y ca
care
refu
full abo
bou
ut timin
iming
g th
thei
eirr mea
eals
ls wit
ith
h
their workouts. And for good reason.
 

Eating a  small meal about one hour before training has been shown to have a
slig
light po
posi
sittiv
ive
e  eff
ffe
ect on trai
train
nin
ing
g perfo rforma
man
nce and mumusc
scle
le gro
growt
wthh. Als
lso
o, eatin
atingg
prot
pr otei
ein
n in  less
less than
than tw
two
o ho
hour
urss af
afte
terr lilift
ftin
ing
g we
weig
ight
hts
s ha
has
s also
also been
been show
shown n to slig
slight
htly
ly
increase muscle growth.

By paying  attention to these small details they can improve their results by a
small margin  (I assume 5-10% or less) and in
inc
crease their chances of win
inn
ning a
competition.

But I  believe you and me don’t need to worry about meal timing too much.
Rece
Recent
nt ev
evid
idence  shows that   nu
ence nutr
trie
ient
nt ti
timing and   pr
ming prot
otei
ein
n ti
timi
ming
ng is way less
important for muscle growth than how much you eat in total in one day.

So here are the guidelines:

If you  tra
train eararly
ly in the
the mororni
nin
ng or befor efore
e yo
you
ur first
irst meal
meal,, ha
have
ve a prorote
tein
in shake
hake or
protein bar  before liftin ingg weights. That protein will ensure your muscles have
nutrie
trien
nts to  re
reco
cov ver and groroww un
unti till yo
you
u eat your firs
firstt me
mea
al at lu
lun
nch. You
You wou
wouldn
ldn’t
be fast
fastin
ing
g an
anymymororee bu
butt you’
you’d
d stil
stilll save
save most
most of yo
yourur calo
calori
ries
es for
for th
the
e ev
even
enin
ing
g me
meal
al
– reaping the adherence benefits.

Example:
● 7AM protein shake or protein bar + workout
● 12 PM first meal
● 5 PM second meal
● 9 PM last meal

If you  train after your first meal or in the evening, don’t worry about meal timing
at all.  Train whenever is convenient for you. You can even train after your last
meal. A  600-700 kcal balanced meal takes about 5 hours to digest (a high
protein meal  can take 8-10 hours to digest and absorb). By the time you finish
your work
worko out  you stil
stilll have a lo
lott of ami
min
no-
o-ac
acid
ids
s in yo
you
ur bloo
loodst
strream
eam an
and
d pr
pro
ote
tein
in
synthesis can start.
 

Example:
● 11 AM first meal
● 5:30 PM second meal
● 6:30 PM workout
● 9 PM last meal 

Keep in mind that the template of IF you choose to follow doesn’t really matter.

Meal frequency  and food distribution do not affect fat loss and body
composition. 2-6  meals per day will yield pretty much the same results for fat
loss and muscle retention.

Pro
rob ble
lem
ms sta tart
rt  to app
ppe
ear wh
wheen you go the extr
extrem
emes
es.. Eati
Eating
ng only one meal a day day
willll ca
wi caus
usee  yo
youu to de
deve
velo
lop
p unhe
unheal
alth
thy
y rela
relati
tion
onsh
ship
ips
s with
with food
food wh
wher ere
e yo
you
u cond
condititio
ion
n
yourse rself to  consusume
me en
enoormo
rmous am
amo oun
untt of calori
lorie
es at eacachh sit
itti
tin
ng. On th
thee oth
ther
er
hand, eating  more than 6 meals a day creates the opposite problem. You think
abou
ab outt food
food all
all the
the ti
time
me be
beca
caus
use
e yo
you’
u’re
re ha
haviving
ng sm
smalalll me
meal
als
s ev
ever
ery y ho
hour
ur or tw
two
o th
that
at
don’t satisfy you.

Either end of the spectrum makes adherence to the calorie deficit more difficult.

A fe
few
w  ye
year
arss ago
ago rese
resear
arch
cher
ers
s Al
Alan
an Ar
Arag
agon
on,, Br
Brad
ad Sc
Scho
hoenenfe
feld
ld an
and
d Ja
Jame
mes s Kr
Krie
iege
gerr
did a    meta-analysis that looked at the effects of meal frequency on body
comp
co mpos
osititio
ion.
n. Th
They
ey  foun
foundd no di
diff
ffer
eren
ence
ce betw
betwee een
n hi
high
gh an
and d low
low me
meal
al freq
freque
uenc
ncieies.
s.
Their conclusion  was this: “Given that adherence is of primary concern with 
re
resp
spec
ectt to  nu
nutr
trit
itio
iona
nall pres
prescr
crip
ipti
tion
on,, th
the
e nu
numb
mber er of dail
daily
y me
mealals
s co
cons
nsum
umeded sh
shou
ould 
ld 
come down to personal choice if one’s goal is to improve body composition”.

Summary .  

● Meal fre
freque
uencncyy,  fo
foo
od dis
istr
trib
ibu
uti
tio
on thr
throu
oug
gho
hou ut th
the
e day, an
andd pr
proote
tein
in ti
tim
ming
ing
have a  minimal effect on fat loss and muscle growth. As long as you’re
eat
atin
ing
g the  righ
rightt num
umb ber of cal
alo
orie
ries an
and
d pro
rottein
ein eve
very
ry da
day
y, yo
you
u get cl
clo
ose to
ideal results.
 

● Intermittent Fasting  is a way to eat that makes adhering to the calorie

def
efic
icit
it mucuchh  easi
sier
er.. The beben
nefit
efits
s yo
you
u get fro
from si
sim
mpl
ply
y skip
skipp
pin
ing
g brerea
akfa
kfast
are these:
* Better hunger control because of the fasting period
* You’ll  find
ind it harder to overeat because your eating window is only a few
hours long
* You  have more calories to work with for each meal which means more
satisfying meals
* Less time spent preparing and eating food = more productivity
* You can save enough calories for the evening meal to allow eating out
* Elim
Elimin
inat
ates
es  the
the ne
need
ed foforr che
hea
at-
t-m
meaeals
ls.. You
You can ma
make
ke your mea
eals
ls so larg
large
e
they feel like cheat meals

● The way to do IF is this:

* Don’t eat for 4-6 hours after waking up
* Drink a few glasses of water and a cup of coffee during the fast
* Have 2-3 meals in the second part of the day
* Have a protein shake before training if you work out before your first meal
 

How To Use Refeed Days To

Improve Your Training

Performance  

A refe
refeed
ed  day me
meaans purp
urpose
sefful
ully
ly eati
ting
ng mo
more
re fo
foo
od onc
nce
e a week.
eek. For exa
xamp
mple
le if
you maintain  a calorie deficit from Monday to Saturday, Sunday could be your
refeed day  where you eat 30% more calories than usual. Those extra calories
should come mostly from carbs.

Refeeding helps you both physiologically and psychologically.

Physiological Benefits Of Refeeding. 

● Muscle glycogen stores are replenished

Gly
lyc
cogen is  a su
sub
bsta
stance crerea
ated
ted fro
rom
m carb
rbo
ohydra
ydrate
tes
s and wa
watter th
that
at is st
sto
ored
inside muscle  tissue. It serves as an energy source for muscle cells because it
can be rapidly turned into glucose.

Most of  the energy your muscles use in the gym comes from glycogen. It is the
primary fuel source for high intensity exercise.

Whihile
le cu
cutt
ttin
ing,
g,  the
the am
amouount
nt of ca carb
rboh
ohydydra rate
tes
s yo
youu eat
eat is no
nott enou
enough gh to co
comp mple
lete
tely
ly
repl
replen
enis
ish
h the
the  glyc
glycogogen
en us
used
ed in trai
traini
ning
ng.. Ther
Therefefor
ore,
e, afte
afterr a few
few da
daysys of lift
liftin
ing,
g, yo
your
ur
musc
mu scle
le glyc
glycog
ogenen  stor
stores
es wi
willll be pa
part
rtia
ialllly
y depl
depleteted
ed an
andd th
thee cons
conseqeque
uenc
nce e of th
this
is is
lowe
lowereredd tr
trai
aini
ning
ng  pe
perfrfor
orma
manc
nce. e. St
Stre
reng
ngth th lo
loss
ss whil
while
e cu
cutt
ttin
ingg is of
ofte
ten
n caus
caused ed by low
low
muscle glycogen levels.
 

On a  refeed day you purposefully eat 30% more calories than usual - most of
th
thos
ose
e ca
calo
lori
ries
es  comi
coming
ng from
from ca
carb
rbs.
s. Th
This
is he
help
lps
s repl
replen
enis
ish
h musc
muscle
le glyc
glycog
ogen
en st
stor
ores
es,,
supporting your training performance
performance in the next few days.

● Water retention is reduced

D
wiaettein
ing
rgr,ette
ranitnioinng. ,T
 a
hnisddo
meesnntaolt satfrfeescst fin
inc
act rle
oasssebuctoit
rtiissofl ru
lesvte
ralstin
wghb
ing icehca
cuasnecitacua
se
n
mask weight loss and muscle definition.

Refeed
Refe edin
ing
g ca
cann  he
help
lp fl
flus
ushh ou
outt susubc
bcut
utan
aneo
eousus wa
wateter.
r. Eati
Eating
ng mo
morere ca
carb
rboh
ohyd
ydrarate
tess
cause
sess an  inc
incre
reas
ase e in in
insu
sulilin
n le
lev
vels wh
whic
ich
h in turn
urn causes
uses corti
ortiso
soll to go down
wn.. The
The
next
ne xt da
day,
y, your
your weig
weight ht can
can dr
dropop by 0.5-
0.5-1
1 kg (1
(1-2
-2 lb
lbs)
s) and
and yo
you u ca
cann look
look sign
signif
ific
ican
antl
tly
y
lean
leaneer. Keep  in minindd thi
hiss onl
nly y hap
happe
penns if you we
werere ret
etai
ain
nin
ing
g watater
er befo
fore
re doining
g
the refeed.  If you weren’t your bodyweight can go up a bit because of eating

more food and replenishing muscle glycogen stores.

Psychological Benefits Of Refeeding. 

● The stress of cutting is reduced

A refeed day is a day of not dieting. You get to eat more food for a short period of
time which can help reduce mental stress.

● Motivation is increased

Knowing you  can get a break from dieting every once in awhile can help you
stay motivated.

How To Refeed
Refeed..  

In the fitn
fitne
ess wor orld
ld,, the
the usu
suaal mode
dell fo
forr re
refe
feed
edin
ing
g is havin
aving
g a sp
speecific
ific day
day a wee
eek
k
wher
wh ere
e yo
youu  ea
eatt mo
morere.. Fo
Forr ex
exam
amplple,
e, Th
Thur
ursdsday
ay co
coul
uld
d be your
your refe
refeed
ed day.
day. Yo
Youu kn
know
ow
that every Thursday you increase your calories above maintenance.
 

That works  fine but I think there’s a more lifestyle friendly way to refeed: pair
refeed days with social events.

Over a  time
Over time pe
peri
riod
od of 5-
5-16
16 we
weekeks
s of cu
cutt
ttin
ing
g you
you wi
willll in
inev
evit
itab
ably
ly at
atte
tend
nd so
some
me so
soci
cial
al
events that  tempt you to eat more than you planned. You may be invited to a
wedding, to a party, or to a dinner with the family.

Why no
nott  ta
take
ke the opportu
rtunit
ity
y and make
make tho
hose
se da
dayys your re
refe
fee
ed days
ys?? Thi
his
s wa
way
y
you get  to enjoy the event, you get the physiolog
logical benefit
its
s of the refeed day,
and you completely eliminate the guilt of cheating your diet. Win-Win-Win.

So here’s how to refeed:

1. Main
Maintain
tain a cal
calorie
orie defic
deficit
it ev
every
ery day.
2. Once a 
week, when you go out or do something special, eat 30 more
calories. 

Summary . 
● Refeed
Refeedin
ing
g me
mean
ans
s  pu
purp
rpos
osef
eful
ully
ly ea
eati
ting
ng 30
30%
% more
more ca
calo
lori
ries
es th
than
an us
usua
uall on
once
ce
a week.

● The physiological benefits of refeed days are:

*they support  training performance by helping refill muscle glycogen
stores
*they can reduce water retention by spiking insulin levels

● The psychological benefits of refeed days are:

*they reduce  the stress of dieting by giving you the freedom to eat more
when you want to
*they increase motivation by allowing you to enjoy social events

● The most  lifestyle friendly way to refeed is to do so on a day you attend an

event or  go out at night. This way you get to enjoy the event, you get the
phys
physio
iolo
logi
gica
call bene
benefi
fits
ts  of the
the refe
refeed
ed da
day,
y, an
and
d you
you comp
comple
lete
tely
ly elim
elimin
inat
ate
e th
the
e
guilt of cheating your diet. Win-Win-Win.
 

The Practical Guide To Nutrition

Alright, after all this theory let’s see a practical plan you can use to get lean.

I’ve asked  the members of

the ShredSmart  facebook
group to  tell me what is the
most
mo st en
enjo
joya
yabl
ble
e  di
diet
et stru
struct
ctur
ure
e
for them  when cutting. The
vast majority  said they like
having two  or three meals
per day  after a long morning
fast.

That makes  sense. Like we

discussed in  the previous
chapters, this  diet structure
helps blunt  your appetite in
the morning,  allows you to
have big  meals that leave
you satisfied, and it requires little time for cooking and cleaning.

So I  will give you practical guides for cutting with 2 or 3 meals per day. I
recommend trying  both of them for a week to see which one you like better.
Depending on  your job and schedule you will notice one will fit your lifestyle
better than the other.

I find
ind  that
that two me meal
als
s pe
perr day wo
work rk esp
spe
eci
cia
alllly
y well
well fo
forr peo
eop
ple wh
who o wake
wake up late
laterr in
the day  (9-11 am) and have the freedom to make their own work schedule - like ike
stud
studenentsts,, free
freela
lanc
ncer
ers,
s,  or sm
smal
alll busi
busine
ness
ss ow
owne ners
rs.. On ththe
e ot
othe
herr hand
hand ha
havi
ving
ng th
thre
ree e
meals per  day works better for people who wake up early (5-8 am) and have a
 

• 200g medium fat cottage cheese

• 200g berries
• a banana

options:  
Plant based options:
Fried tofu with veggies or greens

• 300g of fresh veggies/gree

veggies/greens
ns
• 300g of tofu fried on a pan with one tablespoon of oil
• two tablespoons of low fat sauce such as ketchup or soy sauce

Protein shake
• 60g plant protein powder
• a banana
• 30g nuts or seeds

The goal  is the make your first meal filling as possible with a small number of
calo
alorie
ries so  you can ha
havve a fea
feast in the
the eveni
veninng. Bec
eca
ause prote
rotein
in and
and fibe
iber ar
are
e
the
the most  fill
fillin
ing
g macros,
ros, eat
atin
ingg hig
igh
h pro
protein
tein fo
foo
ods and vegg
veggie
ies
s fills
ills you up very
very
well while  keeping fats and carbs low. In addition to that, veggies are slow
digesting so  this meal will keep you full for several hours even if the calorie
content is  low. Having liquid calories (such as protein shakes) while cutting is
generally a  bad idea because they’re not as filling as solid food. But I found
that plant  protein powders digest much slow lower than whey or casein protein
powder and they keep you satiated for several hours.

● 3-4 hours after the first meal have a high fat snack, 20-30 o
off your
calories

Examples for this snack:

Quesadillas
• Two cheese quesadillas
• 80g of medium fat cheddar/mozzarella
cheddar/mozzarella cheese
• two small tortillas (25-30g each)
 

• one tablespoon of oil

Dessert
• Half a bar of chocolate
chocolate
• a piece of fruit

Plant based options: 

options: 

Protein shake
• 50g plant protein powder mixed with water in a shaker
• a banana
• 30g nuts or seeds (peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, etc)

Mushroom and seed mix

• 500g  of various mushrooms and a tablespoon of sunflower and pumpkin
seeds sauteed in a pan with two tablespoons of oil

In this  small meal we want to include a good amount of fat because fats are
the macronutrient  that empties from the stomach at the slowest rate.
Imme
Im medidiaately
tely afte
fter  the
the mea
eall you feel
feel lilike
ke you’d wa
want
nt to eat more
more but fats
fats tr
trig
igg
ger
satiety only  a few hours later. For this reason it prevents hunger in the
long-term better  than carbs or protein. The main purpose of this snack is to
bridge the gap between the first meal and the feast at night.

● In the evening have the biggest meal of the day: 50 of your calories

Examples for this meal:

Chicken and Baked Potato Wedges

• 400g of chicken breast cut into small pieces and fried on
a pan (1-2 tablespoon
tablespoons s of oil)
• 2-3 potatoes cut into wedges and baked in the oven for 30-35 minutes
• greens or veggies
 

Omelet with mushrooms and toast

• 3 eggs
• 400g mushrooms sauteed in a pan
• 2-3 slices of bread
• ketchup or other low fat sauce

Plant based options:

Veggie burgers and Baked Potato Wedges

• two veggie burgers (made of mushrooms or legumes) fried on
a pan
• 2-3 potatoes cut into wedges and baked in the oven for 30-35 minutes
• greens or veggies

Beans and potatoes

• a can of beans with barbeque sauce

• 2-3 potatoes cut into wedges and baked in the oven for 30-35 minutes

Broccoli with rice and garlic

• 300g broccoli
• 200g rice weighed after boiling (~70g weighed raw)
• a tablespoon of olive oil
• garlic for taste
(mix everything in a pot)

We wan
want  to sav
ave
e the
the big
igg
ges
estt me
meal
al fo
forr la
las
st be
bec
caus
use
e it
it’s
’s eas
asie
ierr to be dis
isc
cipli
iplin
ned
during the  day when you know this big meal waits for you in the evening. This
big meal  also helps with the fast the next day by preventing hunger in the
morning.

● Workouts should 
be done before one of the three meals. Dep
Depend
ending
ing on
your schedule  you can train fasted around 10-11 am before your first
meal, at  2-4 pm before your second meal, or at 5-7 pm before your last
mea
eal.l. Fo
Forr  most peo
eop
ple
le,, tra
train
inin
ing
g in the
the ev
eve
enin
ning (af
(afte
terr wo
work
rk and befo
fore
re th
the
e
 

Chicken and beans salad

• 150g lean meat or fish
• 100g beans weighed after boiling
• lettuce/spina
lettuce/spinach
ch
• tomatoes
• cucumbers, bell peppers or other veggies you like
• onions
• two tablespoons of olive oil or other dressing

Omelet with veggie mix

• 4 eggs
• 100g low fat cheddar
• 400g  frozen veggie mix (peas, beans, carrots, corn) cooked in a pan with a
tablespoon of oil
• a slice of bread or 100g of rice
• low fat sauce (ketchup, barbequ
barbeque,
e, or other)

Plant based option:

Tofu/tempeh/veggie
Tofu/tempeh/veggie burger/seitan with rice and veggies
• 200g fried tofu/tempeh/veg
tofu/tempeh/veggie
gie burger/seitan
• 200g rice
• lett
lettuc
uce,
e,  to
toma
matotoes
es,, cu
cucu
cumb
mber
ers,
s, on
onio
ions
ns,, be
bellll pe
pepp
pper
ers,
s, or ot
othe
herr ve
vegg
ggie
ies
s yo
you
u like
like
mixed in a large salad with one tablespoon of oil
• a protein shake made with ~50g of plant protein powder

● Eat 50-60  
of your calor
lories in the la
las
st meal. Aim to eat potatoes in this
meal as they are very filling.

Examples for this meal:

Lean meat or fish with baked potatoes

• 200g lean meat or fish
• 500g baked potatoes
 

• greens and veggies on the side

• ketchup, mustard, or other low calorie sauce

Plant based option:

Legumes and baked potatoes

• 200g beans or lentils cooked in barbecue sauce
• 500g baked potatoes
• ketchup or other low calorie sauce

Broccoli, hummus, and baked potatoes

• 200g broccoli
• 100g hummus
• 500g baked potatoes
• ketchup or other low calorie sauce

● Workouts should 
be done around one of the two meals. De
Depe
pend
ndin
ing
g on
your schedule  you can train fasted in the afternoon before your first
meal, in  the evening before your second meal, or at nigh ight after your last
mea
eal.l. Fo
Forr  most peo
eop
ple
le,, tra
train
inin
ing
g in the
the ev
eve
enin
ning (af
(afte
terr wo
work
rk and befo
fore
re th
the
e
last meal) is the best choice.

● Don’t consume 
any calories until the first meal the next day. Drink only
water.

● One day a week have a day at maintenance (refeed). I reco

recomm
mmen
end
d
refeeding on  a day you attend an event or go out at night. This way you
get to  enjoy the event, you get the physiological benefits of the refeed
day, and you completely eliminate the guilt of cheating your diet.
 

 What Results can you Expect?

Expect?.. 
 You can  expect to lose 0.5-1 kg (1-2 lbs) of fat per week with these plans. You
may even  lose up 1-2 kg (3-4 lbs) in the first week. This is primarily the result of
eating less food and losing water weight.

Every month  you should be down 2-3 kg (6-8 lbs) of fat and your wais
istt should be
down 2-4  cm (1-1.5 inches). Although, most people will lose 3-4 kg (7-9 lbs) the
very first month.

If you’
you’re
re  not
not losi
losing
ng we
weig
ight
ht,, adju
adjust
st yo
your
ur ca
calo
lori
ries
es as ex
expl
plai
aine
ned
d in th
the
e ch
chap
apte
terr ca
calllled
ed
How To Track Weight Change And Adjust Your Calorie Intake To Avoid Plateaus.
 

The One Week Diet Break   

This chapter  is very important for those that are going to cut for more than 6
weeks.

A diet  break means purposefully not dieting for a week. Calories are raised to
maintenance and carbohydrate intake is increased.

 You get multiple

multiple benefits from doing this:
●  You prevent your metabo
metabolic
lic rate from g
going
oing down too much
●  Your workout performanc
performance e is improved
● Retained water is flushed out

For eac
ach
h  two months
nths of cuttin
tting,
g, you sh
sho
oul
uld
d ta
take
ke one we
wee
ek at main
ainte
tena
nan
nce. For
example if  you do a 24 week cut, weeks 7, 14, and 21 should be spent at
maintenance.

Make
 Why Diet Breaks Make Fat Loss Easier. 
As we lose weight, our bodies begin to adapt to the shortage of food:
● Metabolic rate drops
● Hunger increases
● Energy levels drop
● Testosterone,
Testosteron e, leptin, and other hormones drop as well

These
Thes e ad
adap
aptatati
tion
ons s  ar
are
e no
norm
rmal
al and
and ar
aree ther
there e to in
incr
crea
ease
se our
our chan
chance
ces s of surv
surviv
ival
al..
Ourr bo
Ou body
dy  does
doesn’
n’tt kn
knowow we’r
we’re
e in
inte
tent
ntio
iona
nalllly
y lo
losi
sing
ng we
weig
ight
ht.. It th
thin
inks
ks it
it’s
’s sl
slow
owly
ly dy
dyin
ing
g
of hunger so it wants to preserve energy as much as possible.

The longer  we stay in a deficit and the leaner we get, the more pronounced
these adaptations become.
 

After a  few months of cutting, our metabolic rate can be up to 15% lower than
before. How  much it goes down is determined mostly by our genes. From what
I’ve
’ve obse
serv
rved
ed,,  fo
forr most
ost pe
peo
ople it goes down by 5-
5-10
10%
%. It may seem
seem in
insi
sign
gnif
ific
ica
ant
but even that can make further fat loss much more difficult.

One
One stud
study
y  foun
found
d that
that peop
people
le wh
who
o lo
lost
st 10
10%
% of th
thei
eirr bo
body
dywe
weig
ight
ht to reac
reach
h a ce
cert
rtai
ain
n

bodyweight had  a total daily energy expenditure of 18% less on average than
those who hadn’t dieted.

For exa
xamp
mplele,,  if you ta
take
ke a man that
that mai
ain
ntain
tains
s 180
180 lbs
lbs (8
(80k
0kg)
g) natur
atural
ally
ly,, he wowoul
uld d
burn around  2600 kcal per day. But if you have a man diet from 200 lbs (9 (900 kg) to
reach 180  lb
lbss (80 kg), he would burn fewer calories that other guy. He may burn
only
on ly 24
2400
00  kc
kcal
al perper da
day.
y. Th
That
at’s
’s be
beca
caus
usee his
his me
meta
tabo
bolilism
sm slow
slowed
ed down
down a litt
little
le wh
whilile
e
dieting.

A 5-1
5-10%  dec
ecrrease
ease in meta
tabo
bolilic
c rat
ate
e me
mea
ans abo
bou
ut 200
200 kcal
cal in this examp
xample le!! Yo
You
u
can imag
can imagin
inee that
that the
the se
seco
cond
nd ma
man n woul
would
d ha
have
ve a mu
much
ch hard
harder
er ti
time
me ge
gett
ttin
ing
g lean
leaner
er
from 180  lbs because he would have to eat 200 kcal less to create the same
deficit.

Enter Diet Breaks.

Diet breaks  help reduce how much our metabolism goes down while dieting
because they increase leptin levels for a few days.

Leptin is  a hormone which regulates hunger, metabolic rate, libido ido, and other
fun
unc
ctio
tions in the
the bod
body. It is mai
ain
nly prod
odu
uced by fat cells
ells,, wh
whic
ich
h is why it goes dow
down
when you get lean.

Resear
searc che
hers
rs fou
oun
nd  tha
that le
lep
pti
tin
n in
inje
jec
cti
tio
ons spe
peed
ed up meta tabo
bolilic
c rat
ate.
e. The
hey
y fo
foun
und
d
that if  you can maintain high lep
leptin lev
levels while dieting, metabolic slowdown is
largely prevented.

Injections aside,  the best way to increase leptin levels on a diet is to take a diet
break. Eating  more calories (especially carbs) for a few days keeps leptin
 

elevated and  that lets your body know it’s not dying of hunger. As a result, the
adaptations to the shortage of food are less pronounced.

It’s been  thought that refeed days also achieve the same effect. Many people
did them  to prevent metabolic slowdown. But it seems a single day of
over
ov erfe
feed
edin
ing
g is  no
nott en
enou
ough
gh.. To pr
prev
even
entt yo
your
ur me
meta
tabo
bolilic
c ra
rate
te from
from go
goin
ing
g do
down
wn,, you
you

need multiple higher calorie days in a row - a diet break.

Expect During A Diet Break.

 What You Can Expect
 You could potentially
potentially gain, maintain, or continue
continue to lose weight on a diet
diet break.

● If you  put on a little bit of weight, don’t worry that’s not fat. It is most likely
returned lost  muscle tissue and glycogen. You can’t gain fat eating at
maintenance.
● If your  weight stays the same or continues to go down during the diet
break that’s normal.

On top  of these physiological benefits you may find you get increased
motivation.

If you  have to lose 50-100lbs (22-45kg) of fat, you realize you have to stay in a
calorie deficit  for 25-60 weeks. That’s 6-15 months of dieting. It’s very
discouraging
discouragin g when you look at it like that.

But what  if you know every 7th week you can take one or two weeks at
maintenance?
maintenanc e? Then the task will seem much easier to do.

6 weeks of cutting
1 week of maintenance
6 weeks of cutting
1 week of maintenance
And so on...

That’s much more motivating than 6-15 months of cutting without a break!
 

Summary . 
● A diet  break means purposefully not dieting for a week. After 6 weeks of
cutting, you should take a diet break and eat at maintenance for a week.

● The main  benefit of diet breaks is preventing your metabolism from

slo
slowi
winng down  too
too mu
mucch wh
whilile
e cutt
cuttin
ing
g fo
forr lon
long perio
riods of ti
tim
me. At th
the
e end of
a lon
long  die
diet wit
itho
houut brea
eaks
ks,, a perso
rson’s meta
metabo bolilism
sm can be up to 15% sl slo
ower
wer
than before.

● The main  reason eating at maintenance for a week reduces metabolic

slowdown is  because leptin levels stay elevated during that time. Leptin
plays a major role in controlling metabolic rate.

● Diet breaks make long cutting phases much easier to do.

 

How To Track Weight Change

 And Adjust Your Calorie Intake
To Avoid Plateaus  

As your weight increases or decreases your body’s energy needs change.

A hea
heavi
vieer  body bururns
ns more ene
nerg
rgyy at re
rest
st an
and
d du
duri
rin
ng ac
acttivit
ivity
y. Thi
his
s me
mean
anss that
hat as
you pr
proogr
gres
esss  towa
toward
rds
s your goal you will
will have to mak
akee adju
jusstm
tmeents to you
your to
tota
tall
caloric intake.

How To Know If Your Macros Need Adjustment

Adjustment.. 
The very  first week, eat the number of calories the calculators show you. After
you follo
ollow
w  tho
those num
umbber
erss for a we
week
ek you lo
loo
ok at how your weig
weigh
ht and wa
wais
istt ha
have
ve
changed to determine if you need to adjust them.

 You look at two

two things:

1. How your weight is changing

The ideal  rate of fat loss is between 0.7 and 1% of your body weight per week. For
most people this means 0.5-0.8 kg (1-2 pounds) weight loss per week.

 You can lose fat faster than this. But the risk of muscle loss, strength loss, and low
testosterone is  increased. This is why it’s best to lose maximum 1% of your
bodyweight per week.

So if  in the fir

irs
st week you’ve lost between 1-3 pounds don’t change your calorie
intake. Keep eating the same number of calories every day.
 

2. How your waist around the navel changes

 Your waist  circumferen

circumference
ce around the navel is a very good indicator of fat mass
change.

It may  be possible for your weight to stay the same and your waist to go down.

That’s
That ’s re
reas
ason
on  for
for ce
cele
lebr
brat
atin
ing!
g! Beca
Becaus
usee it me
mean
anss you’
you’re
re pr
prob
obab
ably
ly ga
gain
inin
ing
g mu
musc
scle
le
mass so  fast that it equals the rate of fat loss. Your bodyweight stays the same,
but you’re losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time.

If both  your weight and waist are not changing, that’s when you reduce your
intake. You need to eat less. The deficit is no longer present.

You’ll say wait a minute Radu… how do you accurately track weight change?

Good question!

 You need  to use a weekly average. I’m sure you’ve noticed that your weight can
fluctuate a lot between days.

Weight
 Why Your Weight Fluctuates Between Days. 
1. Water retention

Dieting, training,  and mental stress tend to increase cortisol levels which can
cause wa
wateterr  re
rete
tent
ntio
ion
n. Yo
Youu are stil
stilll lo
losi
sing
ng fat but
but it doe
doesn
sn’t ’t show
how on th
the
e sca
scale or in
the mirror  because of increased subcutaneous water. After a few days
(especially after  a refeed day) the water should be flushed out and we’ll see the
redu
reduct
ctio
ion
n in  we
weig ight
ht an
andd fa
fat.
t. We
Weig
ight
ht lo loss
ss is NE
NEVE
VER R line
linear
ar.. Ther
There e ar
are
e alwa
always
ys we
week
ekss
when you  stall and weeks when you lose large amounts of weight. Water
retention is one of the reasons that happens.

2. Food quantity in your gastrointestinal tract

 

 You can  hit your macros eating small or large amounts of food depending on
your fo
foo
od  cho
hoic
ices
es.. Obv
bvio
ious
usly
ly your we
weig
igh
ht is going
ing to be aff
ffec
ecte
ted
d by the quanti
antitty
you eat.  You can get the same 70g of carbs from 100g of crackers or from 350g
of potatoes.

3. Hydration status

Did you  know that you lose around 1% of your bodyweight every night through
the mo
mois
istu
ture
re  yo
you
u exh
xha
ale whi
hile
le sl
sle
eepin
eping?
g? If you go to bed late
late and sl
sle
eep 3-
3-4
4 hour
ours
more than  usual, you will be more dehydrated when you wake up and you’ll
weigh less than usual.

If that  small change makes such a difference, you can imagine how much your
daily water  intake affects your weight. Maybe yesterday you had 2 glasses of
water more than usual and your weight was higher today as a result.

To so
solv
lve
e  all the
hese
se tra
track
ckin
ing
g pro
rob
ble
lem
ms you need to do a wee
eekl
kly
y av
aver
era
age
ge.. You
You we
weig
igh
h
yourself every morning, in your underwear, after you used the bathroom.

For example, this is how your weight may change over the course of one week:

Monday - 83.2 kg / 183.6 lbs

Tuesday - 83.1 kg / 183.5 lbs
Wednesday
Wednesda y - 82.9 kg / 183 lbs

Thursday - 83.0 kg / 183.2 lbs

Friday - 82.9 kg / 183 lbs
Saturday - 82.8 kg / 182.8 lbs
Sunday - 82.6 kg / 182.5 lbs
--------------------------------------------------
Average = 82.9 kg / 183 lbs

Every 7  days, you do an average. That is your real weight. You compare each
week’s average  with the previous week’s average. If that is going down by
 

arou
round 1%
1%,,  you
ourr ma
mac
cros
ros are set
set correc
rrecttly
ly.. If it
it’s
’s goin
ing
g down
own by les
less th
tha
an 0.5 kg / 1
lb per week, decrease your calorie intake by 100-200 kcal.

Calorie
 Why Your Calorie Intake Needs To Decrease Over Time.
Time.  

After several  weeks of cutting, a lot of people report hitting a plat

lateau when they
no longer lose fat eating the same way as before. This is normal.

The ma
The in  re
main reas
ason
on is si
simp
mply
ly beca
becaus
use
e they
they’r
’re
e ligh
lighte
terr th
than
an be
before..   A lig
fore light
hter
er body will
ill
always burn less energy than a heavier body. 

A lo
lott  of peo
eop ple thin
think
k tha
hatt le
lea
an body mamass
ss is th
the
e main
ain pre
redi
dic lorie burn  but
ctor of calor but
this
his is  no
nott tru
true. Con
ontr
tra
ary to wh
whaat is comm
mmo only
nly belie
elieve
ved,
d, sk
skel
ele
eta
tall mus
uscl
cle
e actu
tua
ally
lly
has a  fairl
airly
y low
low res
esttin
ing
g enerergy
gy ex
exp
pendndit
itu
ure
re,, ro
rou
ughly
ghly 13 calori
lories
es per kg (6 ca
calo
lori
rie
es
per pound).  In addition to that, fat mass which is commonly believed to be
inactive tissue actually takes 5 calories per kg (2 calories per pound) to maintain.

To put  that
that int
into ma
math
them
ematatic
ical
al per
ersp
spec
ecttiv
ive
e, gain
ainin
ing
g 1 kilo
ilogra
ram
m of mu
musc
scle
le wou
ould
ld
be expected  to increase resting energy expenditure just as much as gaining 3
kilograms of  fat. That is why   total
total bo
bodyw
dyweig ht and   no
eight nott lean
lean bo
body
dywe
weig
ight
ht is the
main predictor of your maintenance calories.

● Let’s say  you started cutting at 90 kg (200 lbs) with a main

inttenance of 2800
kcal.
● If you  eat 2200 kcal per day, you have a daily deficit of 600 kcal. Over the
course of  a week that 600 kcal daily deficit will lead to about 0.5 kg of fat
loss (1 lb).
●  You eat  2200 kcal per day until you reach 84kg (185 lbs) and you notice you
no lo
lonnger  lo
los
se 0.5 kg per week. Instead you only lose 0.3kg (~0.5 lb). That’s
beca
be caus
usee yo
your
ur  ma
main
inte
tena
nanc
nce
e is no lo
long
nger
er 28
2800
00 kcal
kcal.. It
It’s
’s now
now 2600
2600 kcal
kcal wh
whic
ich
h
means your daily deficit is 400 instead of 600 kcal.
● To lose  0.5 kg (1 lb
lb)) per week again, you need to reduce your intake to 2000
kcal per day.
 

The Difference NEAT Makes. 

NEAT sta
NEAT standnds
s  for Non
Non-Ex
-Exerc
ercise
ise-Ac
-Activ
tivity
ity-Th
-Therm
ermog
ogene
enesis
sis.. This
This ter
term
m des
descri
cribes
bes all of
our movements  that are not related to physical exercise such as fidgeting,
walking to  the bus station, pouring a cup of coffee, running your hand through
your hair, and so on.

One of the ways our body tries to conserve energy during a cut is by reducing
these spontaneous, unconscious movements. 

Over the  course of a day, these small movements can burn a few hundred
calo
calori
ries
es.. So  if we un
unco
cons
nsci
ciou
ousl
sly
y redu
reduce
ce thes
these
e mo
move
veme
ment
nts
s our
our ma
maininte
tena
nanc
ncee ca
can
n
suddenly be a few hundred calories lower than it was before starting the cut.

This adaptatio ion

n  is more pronounced in some people than others. Some report
feel
feelin
ing
g lazy
lazy  or slug
sluggi
gish
sh du
duri
ring
ng a ca
calo
lori
ric
c defi
defici
citt whil
while
e ot
othe
hers
rs sa
say
y th
they
ey do
don’
n’tt no
noti
tice
ce a
difference.

The magnitude  of reduction in NEAT partly explains why some people have a
much harder  time losing fat than others. Their bodies simply start burning less
energy without them realizing.

Intake.. 
How to Adjust your Calorie Intake
If you
ourr  we
weig
igh
ht has stal
stalle
led
d fo
forr 2 cons
nsec
ecu
uti
tive
ve we
wee
eks yo
you
u’re
’re goin
ing
g to hav
ave
e to re
red
duc
uce
e
your calorie intake again or increase energy expenditure.

I reco
recomm
mmen end
d  re
redu
duci
cing
ng yo
your
ur ca
calo
lori
rie
e in
inta
take
ke by 8-
8-10
10%
% or in
incr
crea
easi
sing
ng ex
expe
pend
ndit
itur
ure
e by
8-10% or  doing both at the same time (decrease intake by 4-5% and increase
activity by 4-5%).

Some peopl ple

e  talk
alk abo
bou ut “th
“the star
starvavati
tio
on mo
modde” and how it’s
it’s a mi
mist
stak
akee to eat eve
venn
less after  we hit a pla latteau. They say that our body will stop losing weight if we eat
too lit
little.
tle.  That vivio
ola
late
tess the firs
firstt la
law
w of ther
thermo
mod
dyn
ynaami
miccs. It
It’s
’s imp
impossib
ssible
le to eat
eat les
less
energy than we burn and not lose weight.
 

No study  has ever shown that a person’s metabolism can slow down so much
that it  will make it impossible to lose fat. Even in   ththe
e Mi
Minn
nnes
esot
ota
a St
Star
arva
vati
tion
on
Experiment when  the subje jec
cts ate only 50% of their maintenance calories they
lost fat all the way down to the essential levels of 4-5% body fat.

So when  someone says they are not losing fat because they’re eating too little,
le,

they are actually making tracking mistakes (or are in denial).

● Maybe their  calorie counting app has the wrong values for some foods.
This way a few hundred calories go unnoticed.
unnoticed.
● Maybe they  forget to account for the two tablespoons of olive oil they put
on their salad. It's very easy to forget about oil or sauces.
● Maybe they  eat out a lot and underestimate the calorie content of their
meal. What  looks like 300g may actually be 400g. What looks like a lean
piece of  meat may actually contain 25g of fat. A bowl of pasta from a

restaurant contains a lot more fat compared to what you eat at home.
● Maybe they  stick to their diet perfectly during the week but go in a surplus
on the  weekend. 3 beers and a fast-food meal on top of your daily intake
easily negates 2 days of dieting.

The issu
issue e  mus
ustt be one of thes
these.
e. Beca
cauuse a calori
lorie
e de
defi
fic  a lways
cit alwa ys lead
leads
s to weig
weight
ht
loss
loss.. If  that
that was
asn'n'tt the case for you, go
govver
ernm
nmen
entt agen
ents
ts will
will com
omee ta
take
ke you away
away
to stud
study y yo
your
ur gene
genes. s. Yo
You'
u'd
d be the
the se
secr
cret
et to wo
worl
rld
d hu
hung
nger
er an
and d sp
spac
acee expl
explor
orat
atio
ion
n-
the genes that violate the laws of physics.

Practical Points.
In conclusion, this is how you track fat loss and adjust your calorie intake:

1. You set the initial deficit using the calculator provided

2. You check if your weight goes down by 0.7-1 per week
* if you do
don
n’t lose
lose weig
weigh
ht, che
hec
ck your wais
waist.
t. If your wa
wais
istt is go
goin
ing
g do
down
wn,, kee
eep
p doin
ing
g
what you’re doing.
 

* if  your waist stays the same as well, reduce your calorie intake by 10% or
inc
incre
reas
ase
e you
ourr  ene
nerg
rgy
y exp
xpen
endi
dittur
ure
e by 10
10%
%. I re
rec
commen
mmendd doin
oing bo
botth. Decr
ecrease
ease
your calorie intake by 5% and walk 2 hours extra every week.

Summary . 
● As yo
you
ur  bod
ody
ywe
weig
igh
ht go
goe
es do
down
wn you
you’r
’re
e goin
ing
g to hav
ave
e to ea
eatt less
less an
and
d less
less to
maintain the  same rate of fat loss. That is because your maintenance
decreases along with your total bodyweight.

● The ideal  rate of fat loss is between 0.7 and 1% of your body weight per
week
we ek.. If  you lo
losse mo
more
re than
than 1% of you ourr bod
bodywe
weig
ighht per we
week
ek,, inc
increa
ease
se you
ourr
calo
lorrie int
intak
akee  by 200
200 kc
kcaal. If you lo
los
se le
less
ss than
han 0.
0.7%
7% of your body dywe
weig
ight
ht per
per
week, decrease your calorie intake by 200 kcal.

● The best  way to track bodyweight change is to weigh yourself every day
and
and ma
make
ke  a we
week
ekly
ly av
aver
erag
age.
e. Th
This
is wa
wayy you
you prev
preven
entt weig
weighi
hing
ng erro
errors
rs ca
caus
used
ed
by water retention, food quantity in your GI tract, and hydration status.

●  Your waist  circumferenc

circumferencee around the navel is a great indicator of fat mass
change -  better than scale weight. If your bodyweigh
ight stays the same two
weeks in  a row but your waist measurement is going down, you should not
decrease your  calorie intake. That is because you may be losing fat and
gaining muscle at the same time which is the ideal scenario.

● How often  you need to adjust your calorie intake also depends on NEAT -
Non-Exercise-Activity-Thermogenesis. NEAT  describes all the small
unconscious movements  you make over the course of a day such as
fid
fidgetin
eting
g, sc
scrratc
atchi
hin
ng  your head
ead, ta
taki
kin
ng the st
stai
airrs ins
inste
tead
ad of the esc
escala
alato
tor,
r,
and so  on. Our bo
bod
dy red
educ
ucees thes
these
e un
uncconsc
nsciou
ious mov
movememen
ents
ts in an effo
effort
rt to
conserve energy while in a calorie deficit.

● A calorie  deficit always produces weight loss. It’s a fundamental law of

physics. If  a person claims they are not losing weight yet they are in a
calorie deficit,  they are either overestimating their maintenance or
 

underestimating
underestimating their calorie intake.

● When you  no longer lose fat at the ideal rate of 1-2 lbs per week (0.5 to 1 kg
per week),  you need to increase your calorie deficit. You can do that by
eating less  or by moving more. I recommend doing both at the same time if
possible. Eat  about 100 kcal less every day and walk 2 hours extra every

week.
 

Other Things You

Need To Know   

The Debate About Protein Intake.

Intake. 
There’s an  ongoing debate in the fitness world about how much protein we
should eat  to maximize muscle growth and support fat loss. So we’ll talk a bit
about that here.

Research sh show
ows
s  that
that the
the id
idea
eall prot
protei
ein
n ra
rang
nge
e fo
forr resi
resist
stan
ance
ce tr
trai
aine
ned,
d, lean
lean at
athl
hlet
etes
es
in a  deficit (that means you) is 1.8-2.9 grams per kilogram or 0.8-1.3 grams per
pound of bodyweight.

The amount  of protein you need is scaled upwards with the severity of caloric
restriction and  leanness. The higher the body fat percentage, the lower the
protein intake can be compared to total bodyweight.

Now, some
some  peo
peoplple
e prom
omo ote a hig ighe
herr pro
rote
tein
in in
inttake
ake ththan
an that on th
the
e basis
asis th
that
at it
impr
improv
oveses sa
sati
tiet
ety.
y.  Th
That
at's
's true
true.. Pr
Prot
otei
ein
n is the
the mo
mostst fill
fillin
ing
g ma
macr
cron
onut
utri
rien
ent.
t. When
When yoyouu
eat 4  or 5 meals a day, you are almost forced to eat a lot of protein because you
have to  sp
sprrea
ead
d it out betwtwe
een tho
hos
se me
mealals
s. About 30-4
30-40
0g of pro
rote
tein
in are
are nee
eed
ded
for a small meal to be filling, adding up to a total of 150-200g per day.

Protein also  requires more energy to digest and absorb compared to fat and
carbs. This  means a diet high in protein will actually provide a larger calorie
deficit than a diet low in protein, even if the daily calorie intake is the same.

Howev
oweverer,, whe
when  you're
u're us
usin
ing
g in
intter
ermi
mitt
tten
entt fa
fast
stin
ing
g sati
satie
ety is not an is
issu
sue.
e. You
You can
eat 2  or 3 big meals a day which means you can achieve the same level of
fullness per  meal with less total protein. And if you can eat less protein and
 

achieve the  same results, I think you should do it. You get two major benefits:
better hormonal  balance and more satisfyin ing
g meals. Let’s quickly talk about
each of them.

Intake.. 
Hormonal Balance And Protein Intake
One of  the biggest problems of getting very lean is that testosterone levels go
down. This  issue is rarely talked about in the fitness industry. If people learned
th
that
at ma
many
ny  fitn
fitnes
ess
s mo
mode
dels
ls an
and
d bo
body
dybu
buililde
ders
rs su
suff
ffer
er from
from low
low se
sex
x dr
driv
ive
e an
and
d erec
erecti
tile
le
dysf
sfu
unctio
tion, they
they  may be tur
urne
ned
d of
offf fro
from wan
anti
tin
ng to ach
achiev
ieve th
the
eir physi
siqu
quee. It's
t's
embarrassing and bad for business.

Here'
ere's s the
the  tru
ruth
th:: a calo
lori
rie
e defic
eficit
it comb
mbin
ined
ed with
ith a ver
ery
y low
low bo
boddy fa
fatt perc
ercenta
entag
ge
will   always   reduce testosterone levels to some extent (and affect the level of
other hormones  in your body as well). For example on show day, some natural
bodybuilders
bodybuilde rs have their testosterone so low it’s similar to castrate levels.

I didn't  know that in the beginning. When I got below 10% body fat for the first
time, my  diet was low calorie, high protein, high fiber, and low fat for about 6
months. I  got ripped of course but during that period I had   no sex drive at all . I
had trouble  getting erections and I didn’t even get erections in the morning
anymore.

It took  me 4-5 months to reverse the damage and get my hormones back to
normal.

What does this have to do with protein?

Some
meth
thin
ing
g mos
ostt  peo
eop
ple don’t kn
kno ow is tha
hatt th
thee mac
acrron
onu
utr
trie
ien
nt pro
profile
file of the fo
foo
od
you con
onsu
sume
me  pl
pla
ays a ma
majo
jorr role in de
dete
term
rmin
inin
ingg your hormon
rmona al balan
lance. Ea
Eac
ch of
the macronutrients  (protein, fat and carbs) are involved in supporting the
endocrine system.  If one of them is emphasize ized over the others, testosterone
production
production takes a hit.
 

If your  calorie intake is fixed and you eat a lot of protein, it means you eat less
carbs and fats as a result. And the current research shows this:

Low carbohydrate diets are detrimental for testosterone optimization.

In one  study that measured the effects of carbohydrate consumption on free

testoster
testosterone
one:co
:corti
rtisol
sol rat
ratio
io  ov
over
er rep
repeat
eateded da
days
ys of tra
traini
ining,
ng, res
resear
earche
chers rs fo
found
und tha
thatt
free testosterone  decreased by 36% in the low carb group and cortisol
incr
increa
ease
sedd by  15%.
15%. Ad
Adeq equa
uatete ca
carb
rb in
inta
take
ke is ne
nece
cess
ssar
ary
y to supp
supporortt tr
trai
aini
ning
ng,, an
andd in
supp
su ppor
orti
ting
ng trai
traini
ning
ng  it is al
also
so su
supp
ppor
orti
ting
ng a heal
health
thy
y ho
horm
rmon
onal
al pr
prof
ofilile
e by pr
prev
evenenti
ting
ng
the chronic rise in cortisol, glucagon and epinephrine.

Low fat diets are detrimental for testosterone optimization.

In groups  of test subjects, those on a 20% fat diet had significantly lower

tes
esto
tost
ster
eron
onee le
leve
vels
ls  tha
han
n tho
hose
se on a 40
40%
% fa
fatt die
diet. St
Stud
udie
ies
s in veg
ege
eta
tari
ria
ans wh
whoo are
known to  consume less saturated fat (and fat in general) also show similar
results. Of  course, individ
idu
ual response to low fat dieting varies ies a lot but there is
definitely a  correlatio
ion
n between lolow
w fat intake and a decrease in testosterone
level

High protein diets are detrimental for testosterone optimization.

Protein intake  doesn’t reduce testosterone levels in and of itself. It too plays a

role in  testosterone production. But an increase in protein consumption will

alwa
lways accomp mpa any  a dedeccre
reasase e in both fafatt and carbrbo
ohy
hyddra
rate
te ininttak
ake
e (arg
(argua
uabbly
th
the
e tw
twoo  mo
more
re impo
importrtan
antt ma
macrcrononututri
rien
ents
ts for
for en
endo
docr
crin
ine
e supp
suppor
ort)
t).. So it sabo
sabota
tage
gess
horm
ho rmon
onal
al ba
bala
lanc
nce
e  in
indi
dire
rect
ctly
ly.. It’s
It’s enti
entire
rely
ly po
possssib
ible
le th
that
at th
the
e main
main reas
reasonon ma
many
ny fit
fit
men who  otherwise appear healthy, still suffer from symptoms of low
testosterone because they neglect fats and carbs in favor of protein.

In order  to avoid the same problems I had, I want you to use a balanced diet. The
macro split that will best support the endocrine system is:
 

25-30% protein
30-35% fat
35-40% carbs.

Compare
pared
d to  mo
most
st fit
itn
nes
ess
s rec
eco
omm
mmeend
ndat
atio
ions
ns,, pro
rottein
ein is about 10
10%
% lowe
lower.
r. This
does not  negatively affect your results. Protein should be consumed at the

minim
inimum
um le
lev
vel  req
equ
uir
ired
ed fo
forr mu
musc
scle
le sup
support in tr
trai
ain
nin
ing
g and th
the
e re
rema
main
inde
derr of the
diet should  consist of carbs and fat if testosterone optimization is also one of
your goals.

 Alcohol Intake And

And Drinking Your
Your Calories.
Calories. 
Soda
das,s, juic
juice
es,  be
bee
er, mililk,
k, pro
rottein
ein sh
shak
ake
es and oththe
er liqu
liquid
ids
s th
tha
at cont
ntaiain
n calor
lories
ies
should be  consumed sparingly. Liq iqu
uid calories digest faster and don’t trigger
sat
atie
ietty the
the  sa
same
me way
way soli
solid d foo
oodd does.
es. If you wa
want
nt a be
bevevera
rag
ge, go wi
witth water
ater,, te
tea
a,
or coffee.

What about drinking alcohol?

On occcca
asio
sions  su
suc
ch as bir
irtthd
hda
ays, partie
rties,
s, date
tes,
s, vaca
cati
tio
ons, and so on
on,, you ma
may
y
want to  enjoy a drink or two. You can. Alcohol will not stop fat loss nor will it
interfere with muscle growth if you drink in moderation.
moderation. 

Alcohol doesn't  stop fat loss if you stay in a calorie deficit. If you eat less carbs
and fats  that day, you can make room for a few hundred calories of alcohol.
 Your fat loss results
results will be the sa
same.
me.

The first  thing you need to pay attention to is the calorie content of each type of
drink. As a rule of thumb, the sweeter the beverage, the more calories it has: 
has: 

If you  want to get a little drunk, it's best to go with low calorie drinks such as
spi
pirrits.
its. If you dri
rin
nk fo
forr the
the taste
aste,, go wi
with
th cock
ckta
tailils
s, bee
eerr or wi
win
ne. You
You'll
'll be able to fit
2 or 3 drinks into your deficit.
 You may find people online saying that alcohol calories don’t count. They do.  Our Our
body
body can’
can’tt  turn
turn al
alco
coho
holl in
into
to bo
body
dy fa
fatt di
dire
rect
ctly
ly bu  a lcoho
butt alco holl is burn
burned
ed firs
firstt fo
forr en
ener
ergy
gy
 

whe
henn we  ing
inges
estt it.
it. This mea
ean
ns it stop
tops fat and
and carb
arboh
ohy
ydr
drat
ate
e oxid
oxida
ati
tio
on an
and
d lea
leads
to fat  gain indirectly. If alcohol is burned for fuel, any surplus dietary fat will be
stored.

When we  talk about Intermittent Fasting you’ll lea

learn how to save calories
ies for a
big meal at night. That’s where you can include 2 or 3 drinks.

How Much Water Should You Drink?.

Drink?.
Although we  all know we should be drinking plenty of water every day, most
peop
pe ople
le ar
are
e  alwa
always
ys sl
slig
ight
htly
ly de
dehy
hydr
drat
ated
ed.. Th
Thir
irst
st is actu
actual
ally
ly a sign
signal
al of de
dehy
hydr
drat
atio
ion,
n,
not a warning.

Adequate water  intake is particularly important while cutting because many

thirst sensations  are confused with hunger. Dehydration can thus give you a
false feeling of hunger and drive you to overeat.

Moreover, hydration  also plays a role in physical performance. Even a 2%

dehydration
dehydration negatively affects maximal strength output.

How much water should you drink?

Enough to  have about 5 urinations a day. This is a better way to track water
intake compared  with glasses or fl. oz. per day because it takes into account
that
that each
each pe
pers
rson
on lilive
ves
s in a di
diff
ffer
eren
entt en
envi
viro
ronm
nmen
entt (h
(hum
umid
idit
ity
y an
and
d te
temp
mper
erat
atur
ure)
e) an
and
d
losses different amounts of water through sweat.

A person  working outside on a sunny day will need more water than someone
who sits  at a desk in an office with air conditioning. This is why we look at
urinations instead of following a recommende
recommended
d water intake.

If you have at least 5 urinations a day, you’re drinking enough water.

 

Part 2 - Training.
How To Lift Weights To
Maintain Or Gain Muscle
 While Cutting 
 

Relative Strength:
The Yardstick For Progress  

Muscle growth has two main drivers:

● Progressive Tension Overload

That is lifting heavier and heavier weights over time.

● Metabolic Fatigue
That is pushing muscles to their metabolic limit (when you feel the burn).

M
druivsc
scle
erle odfam
amag
  mage
use
c le(m
(mic
icr
grroo-
o-te
wtear
thars
sbupro
pr
t o  rdu
duc
esceed
arcbhyerlif
lisfti
ting
ng
arewe
weig
bigh
hits
eg ts)
nn) iis
ngalso
lsto
o cqounsid
ns
eside
tieore
red
n ditas
contribution.

By far  the most important driver of muscle growth is progressive overload. In

order to  get bigger, every few weeks you must lift more weight for the same
number of repetitions or perform more repetitions with the same weight.

That’s common sense.

 You intuitively  know that if a person goes to the gym and performs the same
workout over  and over again without some sort of progression his body won’t
change much.

In order to get bigger, we have to get stronger.

Of course,  metabolic fatigue contributes to growth as well. But many people

over
eres
esti
tima
mate
te ho
how
w  mu
muc
ch it ac
acttuall
ually
y hel
elp
ps. In ever
every
y gym you wi
willll se
see
e guy
guys perfo
erform
rm

rsu
supe
pers
est prset
est ets,
er s,ds.
erio
iodsdr
drop
. op
Th ese
The sets
y ts,
be, lilie
ci
circercui
veuit
t trai
tr
that
th aini
at ning
ng,lin
“fee
“feeli ,nor
g lilift
the ftin
ing
g low
m low le
usc we
weig
scle ight
wo hts
rk”s” o
work for
forr“fe
“fhi
high
egh reps
re
elingps
eling th
the
ewi
with
bth
urshor
sh
n”ort
urn” ort
 

getting a  big pump is what will make them bigger. While the metabolic lic fatigue
prod
produc
uced
ed thro
throug
ugh
h  thos
those
e trai
traini
ning
ng me
meth
thod
ods
s does
does in fact
fact st
stim
imul
ulat
ate
e mu
musc
scle
le grow
growthth,,
progressive overload is much more powerful.

KEY POINT: 
If a person does not get stronger over time, no matter how much
volume he 
does or how much he feels the muscle burn, he will NOT get much

bigger. 

Actual
Actu ally
ly,, the
the  re
rela
lati
tion
onsh
ship
ip betw
betweeeen
n stre
streng
ngth
th an
and
d mu
musc
scle
le size
size is prec
precis
ise
e enou
enoughgh to
pred
edic
ictt how  a per erso
sonn wi
willll lo
loo
ok at certai
rtain
n stre
trength
gth st
sta
andard
dards.
s. I sho
showe
wed d you th
thes
esee
pictures in the first chapter of the program:

The muscle  development of these men is determined by their strength. Their

body fat percentage correlates with their waist measurement around the navel.

If you  want a physique like them, what you need to do is match their relative
strength level and have a slim waist.

The best  indicator of the quality

ity of your physique is relative
ive strength. Relative
strength means your absolute strength compared to your body weight.
 

If aesthetics  is your goal then you should aim to improve your relative strength
because
ause the
the  stro
stron
nge
gerr yo
you
u are com
omp
par
ared
ed to your body we
weig
igh
ht th
the
e bet
ette
terr yo
you
u will
ill
look.

Let me give you an example:

Who do  you think will look better, a 77 kg (170 lbs) guy benching 105 kg (235 lbs)
for 5 reps or a 95 kg (210 lbs) guy benching 115 kg (250 lbs) for 5 reps?

The first  one willill undoubtedly lo loo

ok much better even if he has less muscle mass
overall than  the second guy. The reason for that is because the first guy has a
much bet ette
terr  mus
usc cle to fat rati
ratio
o. So in es
esse
senc
nce
e, th
the
e bett
better
er your rela
elati
tiv
ve st
stre
reng
ngth
th
is, the  better you’re going to look. Anytime you improve your relat lative strength,
you will look better.

If you
you  don’
don’tt re
real
ally
ly ca
care
re ab
abou
outt ae
aest
sthe
heti
tics
cs and
and yo
you
u lift
lift we
weig
ight
htss ma
main
inly
ly for
for th
the
e heal
health
th
bene
be nefi
fits
ts an
andd  to de
deve
velo
lop
p your
your ch
char
arac
acte
ter,
r, ma
maxi
ximi
mizi
zing
ng rela
relati
tive
ve st
stre
reng
ngth
th shou
should
ld st
stililll
be your goal because it’s the best indicator of progress.

There are two ways to improve relative strength:

● Get stronger on your lifts faster than you gain body weight
● Lose body weight without losing strength 

If you’re  gaining body weight, make sure that your lifts are going up at a faster
rate. Each  kilogram you gain should results in a 3-4 kg in
inccrease on your bench
pres
ess
s and  we
weigigh
hted
ted chi
hin
n ups, 1-1.
1-1.5
5 kg on sta
stand
ndin
ing
g sh
sho
ould
ulder pre
ress
ss and 5-6 kg on
Deadlif
Dead lifts
ts/S
/Squ
quat
ats.
s. Th
This
is  wi
willll ensu
ensure
re that
that the
the we
weig
ight
ht you
you ga
gain
ined
ed was
was pr
pred
edom
omin
inan
antl
tly
y
lean mass.

And if  you’re losing weight past the intermediate stage, you want to main inttain
your lift
lifts.
s.  With
ith eac
ach
h ki
kilo
logr
gram
am you lo
lose
se,, you’r
u’re im
imp
prov
ovin
ing
g yo
you
ur rela
relattive
ive str
tre
engt
gthh-
maintaining muscle mass while stripping away the fat.

There is one caveat though.

Strength and muscle size correlate closely only when strength is gained in a

medium rep range (4-12). Powerli
liffters and olympic weightlifters can lift high
 

amounts of  weight for a single repetition while having less muscle mass than
body
bo dybu
buililde
ders
rs.. They
They  trai
train
n thei
theirr ne
nerv
rvou
ous
s sy
syst
stem
em to pr
prod
oduc
uce
e hi
high
gh amou
amountnts
s of forc
force
e
for low  reps and use the form that gives them the best mechanic ica
al advantage.
To a large degree, strength is a skill.

So whe
hen
n  doi
oin
ng only 1-
1-3
3 reps
reps per se
set,
t, stre
trengt
gth
h and size
ize are no
nott ti
tigh
ghtl
tly
y rela
elate
ted.
d. For

stren
trengt
gth
h to  tran
transl
sla
ate to mu
musc
scle
le si
sizze, yo
you
u mus
ustt lif
lift weig
weight
hts
s in a med
ediu
ium
m re
rep
p ra
rang
nge
e
(such as 4-12 reps per set).

Now let’s see how you should train.

Summary . 
● Muscle growth  has two main driv ive
ers: progressive
ive tension overload and
metabolic fatigue.  Muscle damage (micro-tears produced by lifting
weights) may be another driver of growth but the evidence is inconclusive.

● Progr
Progres
essi
sive
ve ten
ensi
sio
on  ove
verl
rlo
oad is by far th
the
e most impo
imporrta
tant
nt.. Lift
Liftin
ing
g heav
heavie
ierr
and heavier  weights over time is the most powerful stimulus for
hypertrophy.

● Streng
Strength
th le
leve
vell  ca
can
n pr
pred
edic
ictt musc
muscle
le de
deve
velo
lopm
pmen
entt in most
most peop
people
le.. To achi
achiev
eve
e
a certain  muscle size, you must achieve the strength level that
corresponds to that size.

● Stren
trengt
gth h and  mususccle de
devevelo
lopm
pmen
entt correl
rrela
ate only in med
ediu
ium
m re
rep
p ra
rang
nge es.
Powe
Po werl
rlif
ifte
terrs and  we
weig
igh
htl
tlif
ifte
ters
rs can lilift
ft ver
ery
y hi
hig
gh amo
mou unt
nts
s of weig
eight
hts
s fo
forr 1-
1-2
2
reps without being very muscular.

● Relative strength  is what determines the quality of your physique. The

stronger you are for your bodyweight, the better you will look.
 

The Novice Training Routine

Use th
this
is tool to se
see
e wh
what
at your stre
stren
ngth stan
standa
darrds ar
are.
e. If on mo
mos
st of the exer
exerc
cis
ises
es
you fall
you fall  into
into the
the Un
Untr
trai
aine
ned
d or No
Novi
vice
ce ca
cate
tego
gory
ry,, th
this
is is th
the
e Sh
Shre
redS
dSma
mart
rt rout
routin
ine
e yo
you
u
should use.

When you  reach the intermedia

iatte strength standards you can move up to the
main ShredSmart Training Program.

The fastest  way to make strength and muscle gains as a novice is to train the
main ex exe
ercis
rciseses  ofte
ften. The vavast
st majajo
orit
ity
y of th
the
e str
tren
engt
gthh ga
gainins
s you
you wiwillll ma
makeke in the
begin
ginninging wiwillll  be ne
neuuro
rolo
logi
giccal in natur
ature.e. Whehenn you firs
firstt st
sta
art lift
liftin
ing
g weweigigh
hts
ts,, you
are weak  not only because your muscles are small, but mainly because your
nervous system  is not trained to recruit muscle fibers properly. You’re also not
ski
killlled
ed at  lift
liftin
ingg weweig
igh
hts.
ts. Tra
rain
inin
ing
g the main exe xerc
rcis
ise
e a few ti time
mess a weweek ek giv
gives youyou
a lot  of opportunities to practice the movement. That helps you make the
neur
ne urol olog
ogic
icalal ad
adap apta
tati
tion
onss  qu
quic
ickl
kly
y and
and ge gett to th
the
e poin
pointt wher
where e mu
musc scle
le fibe
fibers
rs ha
haveve
to increase in size to contribute to strength.

Also
Also,, be
beca
caus
use
e  init
initia
ialllly
y yo
youu do
don’
n’tt lilift
ft he
heav
avy
y weig
weight
hts,
s, you
you do
don’
n’tt cr
crea
eatete mu
much
ch musc
muscle le
dama
da mage
ge an
andd  ther
therefefor
ore e yo
youu do
don’
n’tt ne need
ed much
much reco
recove
very
ry afte
afterr tr
trai
aini
ning
ng.. Two
Two days
days of
rest are  usually enough to allow you to recover and be able to replicate or
surp
su rpas
ass
s yo
your
ur  pr
prev
evio
iousus pe
perf
rfor
orma
manc nce.e. Yo
You’
u’ve
ve pr
prob
obab
ably
ly no
noti
tice
ced d th
this
is your
yourse
self
lf.. In th
thee
first weeks  of lifting, you set a personal record every time you go the gym. So it
makes sense  to train an exercise more often and progress as quickly as
possible. In  my opinion, training the main exercises twice per week is a good
balance between what is optimal and what fits most people’s lifestyle.
 

Routine. 
The Novice Training Routine.
Monday - Upper Body

● Incline Bench Press - 3 sets of 5-6 reps

● Weighted Chins - 3 sets of 5-6 reps
● Seated DB Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 7-8 reps
● Machine Chest Press - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Standing DB Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Cable Triceps Pushdowns - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Wednesday - Lower Body

● Barbell Squats - 3 sets of 5-6 reps

● Romanian Deadlift - 3 sets of 5-6 reps
● Leg Press - 3 sets of 7-8 reps
● Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Friday - Upper Body

● Incline Bench Press - 3 sets of 5-6 reps

● Weighted Chins - 3 sets of 5-6 reps
● Seated DB Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 7-8 reps
● Cable Rows - 3 sets of 8-10 reps
● Standing DB Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Cable Triceps Pushdowns - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

RPE Guidelines:
Set 1 - RPE 7-7.5
Set 2 - RPE 8-8.5
Set 3 - RPE 8.5-9.5
 

 You should  follow this routine until you reach the intermediate strength
standards. During  that time ime it will have to be modified slightly. After 6-8 weeks
you may  find
find yo
you
u no lo
lon
nge
gerr enjo
joy
y doining
g so
somme of the exerc
xercisise
es. What you needeed to
do in  tha
hatt sit
situa
uati
tio
on is to re
repl
plaace them
them wiwitth a si
sim
mila
ilar varia
riati
tio
on to br
brin
ing
g exc
xcit
ite
ement
ment
back into  your training. Here is the routine again, this time with different
exercises.  Important:  Repl
Important:  
R eplac
acee only
only the
the ex
exererci
cise
sess yo
youu no long
longerer en
enjo
joyy do
doin
ing.
g. Ke
Keep
ep

those that you make great progress on.

Monday - Upper Body

● Flat Bench Press - 3 sets of 5-6 reps

● Weighted Pull-ups - 3 sets of 5-6 reps
● Standing Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● Machine Chest Flyes - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Standing Barbell Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Skullcrushers - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Wednesday - Lower Body

● Front Squats - 3 sets of 5-6 reps

● Deadlift - 3 sets of 5-6 reps
● Bulgarian Split Squats - 3 sets of 8-10 reps
● Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Friday - Upper Body

● Flat Bench Press - 3 sets of 5-6 reps

● Weighted Pull-ups - 3 sets of 5-6 reps
● Standing Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● Barbell Rows - 3 sets of 8-10 reps
● Standing Barbell Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Skullcrushers - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
 

Notes For The Routine:

Routine:.. 
● Legs usu
Legs sual
ally
ly  grow fa
fast
ster
er tha
than the upp
ppe
er body and one wor
orko
kou
ut per we
week
ek is
usually enough  to develop them. However, if you want to develop your
lower body  more, you can do the lower body workout twice per week. In
that case  you can do Monday - Upper Body, Tuesday - Lower Body,
Wednesday - rest, Thursday - Upper Body, Friday - Lower Body.
● Rest 2-3  minutes between sets for the compound exercises and 1-2
minutes for the isolation exercises.

Routine:..
How To Progress With This Routine:
For this  routine we’re going to use a  double
double progre
progressi
ssion
on mod
model
el. You can see that
all exercises  have a rep range, for example 5-6 or 8-10. When you hit the top of
the rep  range in all sets, increase the weight by 2.5 kg (5lbs) on all sets the

foll
follow
owin
ing
g wo
work
rkou
outt  an
and
d go ba
back
ck to the
the bo
bott
ttom
om of th
the
e rep
rep ra
rang
nge.
e. Ov
Over
er th
the
e foll
follow
owin
ing
g
workouts aim  to add one rep to each set until you reach the top of the rep range.
At that  point you increase the weight again by 2.5 kg or 5 lbs and restart the
process.

For example,  let’s say this Monday you did 3 sets of 6 on bench press with 65 kg
or 145 lbs.

Set 1 - 6 reps with 65 kg / 145 lbs

Set 2 - 6 reps with 65 kg / 145 lbs

Set 3 - 6 reps with 65 kg / 145 lbs

On Friday you add 2.5 kg (5 lbs) to all sets and do sets of 5 instead:

Set 1 - 5 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs

Set 2 - 5 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs
Set 3 - 5 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs

Next time  you do bench press you will focus on adding reps to each set until you
hit 6 again.
 

 You may do:

Set 1 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs
Set 2 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs
Set 3 - 5 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs

Next time you may do:

Set 1 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs
Set 2 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs
Set 3 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs

At this  point you inc

increase the weight by 2.5kg (5 lbs) and decrease the reps to 5
to restart the process.

Don’
Don’tt wo
worr
rry
y  if yo
you
u ca
can’
n’tt add
add reps
reps on
one
e work
workou
out.
t. You
You ca
can’
n’tt be st
stro
rong
nger
er ev
ever
ery
y sing
single
le

time you  hit the gym. Focus on making good progress each month instead of
getting frustrated you did not perform well one workout.

How To Use RPE.

RPE. 
In or
orde
derr 
to ma
make
ke pr
pred
edic
icta
tabl
ble
e pr
prog
ogre
ress
ss,, yo
you
u sh
shou
ould
ld stay
stay aw
away
ay fr
from
om fa
faililure.  Failure
ure. Failure
is th
the
e  point
int wh
whe
ere you fa
failil to com
comple
lete
te a re
repe
peti
tittion
ion wi
witth good form or you have
ave to
ask someone  to help you lift the weight back up. That shouldn’t happen. At the
end of  each set you should be able to perform at least one more repetition with
good form. This will ensure easy, predictable progress every week.

In the  gym where I train I still see some people training past failure and doing
forc
forced
ed re ps .  They do reps until they can no longer lift the weight by themselves
reps 
and then  have someone help them ek out 2 or 3 more reps (usually on bench
pres
press)
s).. Th
That
at  is co
coun
unte
terp
rpro
rodu
duct
ctiv
ive.
e. No
Nott on
only
ly is prog
progre
ress
ss sl
slow
ower
er wh
when
en usin
using
g forc
forced
ed
reps, it’s also really hard to track since you never know how strong you really are.

Ideally, you  should never fail to complete a repetition. In order to ensure that
doesn’t happen, we’re going to also track RPE.
 

RPE stands  for Rate of Perceived Exertion. The goal of RPE is to allow you to
measure how  close you get to failure at the end of a set. RPE is based on
rep
epe
etiti
titio
ons in  re
rese
serv
rve
e – ba
basi
sic
calllly
y how
how man
any
y rep
eps
s you
you think
ink you co
cou
uld have
ave don
one
e
with a given weight.

RPE Scale Based on Repetitions in Reserve

10+ Failed the last rep / did forced reps with help

10 Could not do more reps or load

9.5 Could not do more reps, could do slightly more load

9 Could do one more repetition

8.5 Could definitely do one more repetition, chance at 2

8 Could do two more reps

7.5 Could definitely do 2 more reps, chance at 3

7 Could definitely do 3 more reps

5-6 Could do 4-6 more reps

1-4 Very light to light effort

* table taken from The Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid

I feel
eel  it wo
wou
uld hav
ave
e been wa
way
y ea
easi
sie
er to unde
ders
rsta
tand
nd RPE if th
the
e sc
scal
ale
e wa
wass rev
ever
erse
sed
d
and 9  RPE become 1 or 8 RPE became 2 to signify the reps remainin ing
g. But most
people in  the fitness world use this RPE scale so I use it too in order to use the
same model.

The ShredSmart  workouts are all based on doing straight sets – all sets are
done with  the same weight. RPE allllo ows you to predict whether you’ll be able to
comp
complelete
te all
all  the
the reps
reps wi
with
th the
the we
weig
ight
ht yo
you’
u’re
re us
usin
ing
g be
befo
fore
re ac
actu
tual
ally
ly pe
perf
rfor
ormi
ming
ng all
all
sets.

In order  to be able to complete 3 sets of equal reps with the same weight, the
fir
irst
st set  nee
eeds
ds to be ar
arou
oun
nd 7 RPE
PE,, me
mean
anin
ing
g you co
cou
uld ha
have
ve done aro
aroun
und
d 3 mor
ore
e
 

Set 3 - 5 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs RPE 9

Or it could turn out like this:

Set 1 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs RPE 7

Set 2 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs RPE 8

Set 3 - 6 reps with 67.5 kg / 150 lbs RPE 9.5

Beside
Besides s ensu
ensuri ring
ng  go
good
od pr prog
ogre
ress
ss,, us
usin
ing
g RP
RPE E also
also pr
prom
omot
otes es good
good form
form an
and
d he
help lps
s
prevents injurjuries.  Most people get injured (jo (joint pain, muscle tears, tendin iniitis,
musc
scle
le pa
pain
in,,  etc)
tc) wh
wheen thehey
y comp
mprromis
omise e exe
xerc
rcis
ise
e form
orm in ord rder
er to do mo
more
re rep
eps s
than they  can actually handle. If you teach yourself to stop each set 1 to 3 reps
befo
fore
re failu
ailure
re  you wi willll be muc
uchh sa
saffer in the gym and wi willll avo
void
id in
inju
juri
ries
es th
that
at wou
would
have otherwise stopped you from training for a few weeks or months.
 

The ShredSmart
Training Program  

The Sh
The Shre
redS
dSma
martrt  Trai
Traini
ning
ng Pr
Prog
ogra
ram
m is de
desi
sign
gned
ed pr
prim
imar arilily
y to op
opti
timi
mize
ze st
stre
reng
ngth
th and
and
musc
scle
le reten
etention  for   inte
tio interm
rmed
edia
iate
te an
and
d pr
prof
ofic
icie
ient
nt lilift
fter
ers s in a caloric deficit. Our
recovery capacity  is diminished when dieting so it’s prudent to set training
volum
lume on  the
the lowe
lowerr en
endd of the
the opt
ptim
ima
al spec
specttrum
rum (w
(wh hicichh is 10-2
10-200 sets
sets per
per mu
musc
scle
le
group per week).

With
ith tha
that  sa
said
id,, you sh
sho
oul
uld
d be ab
able
le to ga
gain
in str
stren
eng
gth and
and mu
musc
scle
le ev
even
en whil
while
e diet
ieting
ing

following this  program, especially if your previous training program was

suboptimal or  lacked a clear progression model and if your starting body fat
percentage
percentag e is higher than 15%.

Afterr yo
Afte you
u  fini
finish
sh cu
cutt
ttin
ing,
g, the
the Sh
Shre
redS
dSma
mart
rt trai
traini
ning
ng pr
prog
ogra
ram
m ca
can
n be ea
easi
sily
ly ad
adapapte
ted
d
for
for lean
lean  bu
bulk
lkin
ing
g (w
(whe
henn stre
streng
ngth
th an
and
d mu
musc
sclele ga
gain
ins
s ar
are
e ma
made
de much
much easi
easier
er).
). Ch
Chec
eckk
out the bonus Bulking Guide to see the version adapted for lean bulking.
 

The ShredSmart Training Program.

Program. 

Monday - Chest and Triceps

● Flat Bench Press - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Machine Hammer Chest Press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● Seated DB Shoulder P
Prress - 3 sets o
off 6-
6-10 reps
● Seated DB Triceps Extensions - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Machine Chest Flyes - 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Tuesday - Back and Biceps

● Weighted Chin-ups - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● T-bar Rows - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Cable Rows - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
● Barbell Biceps Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Face Pulls - 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Thursday - Lower Body

● Barbell Back Squats - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Romanian Deadlifts - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Leg Press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Leg Extensions - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Leg Curls - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets to failure

Friday - Upper Body

● Standing Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
● Incline Bench Press - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Cable Triceps Pushdowns - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● Cable Biceps Curls - 3 sets of 10-15 reps 
 

Basic Notes:

● Rest 2-3  minutes between sets on compound exercises (bench press,

pullll-u
pu -ups
ps,, squa
squats
ts,,  sh
shou
ould
lder
er pres
press,
s, etc)
etc) an
and
d rest
rest 1-
1-2
2 minu
minute
tes
s betw
betwee
een
n sets
sets on
isolation exercises (lateral raises, curls, triceps extensions, etc.
●
 Your first  set should be around 7 RPE to ensure you’re able to complete all
3 sets with the same weight.

After a  few weeks you may find you no longer enjoyjoy doin
ing
g some of the exercises
(or you  can no longer progress on them). In that situation, replace them with a
similar variation.  Here is the routine again, this time with different exercises.
Important: Replace  only the exercises you no longer enjoy doing. Keep those
that you make great progress on.

The ShredSmart Training Program.

Program. 
-alternative exercises- 

Monday - Chest and Triceps

● Incline Bench Press - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● DB Flat Bench Press - 3 sets of 6-10 reps
● Machine Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
●
Cable Triceps Extensions - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● DB Chest Flyes - 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Tuesday - Back and Biceps

● Weighted Pull-ups - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Barbell Rows - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Machine Rows - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
● DB Biceps Curls - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● Bent-over Flyes - 3 sets of 15-18 reps
 

Thursday - Lower Body

● Front Squats - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Deadlifts - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Bulgarian Split Squats - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
● Glute Ham Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets to failure

Friday - Upper Body

● Seated DB Shoulder P
Prress - 3 sets o
off 6-
6-10 reps
● Bodyweight Pull-ups - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
● DB Incline Bench Press - 3 sets of 6-10 reps
● Hanging Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Seated DB Triceps Extensions - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● EZ Barbell Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

How to Progress on Compound Movements.

Movements.Marked
Marked.. 
. with
 with P (for periodization)
periodization). 
We’ll be  using a basic periodization model to progress on the compound
movements. Each  week we increase the load by 2.5 kg (5 lbs) and decrease the
number of  reps per set by one. Every 4th week is a deload week after which the
cycle restarts.

For example,  here’s how you progress on Flat Bench Press doing 3 sets of 4-6
reps:

● Week 1 - 3 sets of 6
 You choose  a weight that allows you to complete 3 sets of 6, without
needing a spot and without hitting technical failure on the last set.
● Week 2 - 3 sets of 5  
 You increase the load by 2.5 kg / 5 lbs and re
reduce
duce the number
number of reps to 5.
● Week 3 - 3 sets of 4  

 You increase the load by 2.5 kg / 5 lbs and re

reduce
duce the number
number of reps to 4.
 

● Week 4 is a deload week

 You intentionally  reduce the load to that used in week 1 and do only 2 sets
of 4 reps.
● Week 5 - 3 sets of 6
In the  5th workout, you go back to 3 x 6 and use a load that’s 2.5 kg / 5 lbs
heavier than that used in week 1 the previous month.

Here’s how that would look in a table:

Week Number Weight on the bar Reps

1 80 kg /175 lbs 6, 6, 6

2 82.5 kg / 180 lbs 5, 5, 5

3 85 kg / 190 lbs 4, 4, 4

4 80 kg / 175 lbs (deload) 4, 4

5 82.5 kg / 180 lbs 6, 6, 6

6 85 kg / 190 lbs 5, 5, 5

7 87.5 kg / 195 lbs 4, 4, 4

8 82.5 kg / 180 lbs (deload) 4, 4

9 85 kg / 190 lbs 6, 6, 6

How To Use RPE.

RPE. 
In or
orde
derr 
to ma
make
ke pr
pred
edic
icta
tabl
ble
e pr
prog
ogre
ress
ss,, yo
you
u sh
shou
ould
ld stay
stay aw
away
ay fr
from
om fa
faililure.  Failure
ure. Failure
is th
the
e  point
int wh
whe
ere you fa
failil to com
comple
lete
te a re
repe
peti
tittion
ion wi
witth good form or you have
ave to
ask someone  to help you lift the weight back up. That shouldn’t happen. At the

end of  each set you should be able to perform at least one more repetition with
good form. This will ensure predictable progress every week.
 

RPE stan
RPE stands
ds  for
for Ra
Rate
te of Pe
Perc
rcei
eive
ved
d Exer
Exerti
tion
on an
andd is ba
base
sedd on repe
repeti
titi
tion
ons
s in rese
reserv
rve
e
– basically  how many reps you think you could have done with a given weight.
The ShredSmart  workouts are all based on doing straight sets – all sets are
done with  the same weight. RPE allllo ows you to predict whether you’ll be able to
comp
comple
lete
te all
all  the
the reps
reps wi
with
th the
the we
weig
ight
ht yo
you’
u’re
re us
usin
ingg be
befo
fore
re ac
actu
tual
ally
ly pe
perf
rfor
ormi
ming
ng all
all
sets. It  also prevents you from pushing too hard and mess up the progression
model.

RPE Scale Based on Repetitions in Reserve

10+ Failed the last rep / did forced reps with help

10 Could not do more reps or load without compromising form

9.5 Could not do more reps, could do slightl

slightlyy more load

9 Could do one more repetition

8.5 Could definitely do one more rep, chance at 2

8 Could do two more reps

7.5 Could definitely do 2 more reps, chance at 3

7 Could definitely do 3 more reps

5-6 Could do 4-6 more reps

1-4 Very light to light effort

* table taken from The Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid

I feel it would have been way easier to understand RPE if the scale was reversed
and 9 RPE become 1 or 8 RPE became 2 to signify the reps remaining. But most
people in the fitness community use 10 RPE to signify technical failure so I use
this scale too in order to avoid confusion.

In order to be able to complete 3 sets of equal reps with the same weight, the
first set needs to be around 7 RPE, meaning you could have done around 3 more
reps when you stopped that set. Then your second set is going to be around 8
 

RPE because you’re more fatigued and finally your last set is going to be around
9 RPE.

If your first set has a 9 RPE it’s clear you won’t be able to lift the same weight for
the same number of reps for two more sets. That tells you need to lower the
weight in order to complete the required reps.

For optimal progress you should follow these RPE guidelines:

Set 1 - 7 to 7.5 RPE
Set 2 - 8 to 8.5 RPE
Set 3 - 8.5 to 9.5 RPE

On big leg exercises (such as squats, deadlifts, leg press, hip thrusts) the RPE is
reduced to 5-6 RPE in set one, 6-7 RPE in set 2, and 7-8 RPE in set three. Training
close to failure on these exercises is dangerous because there's a high risk of

injury.

Sticki
Sticking
ng to  thes
these
e RP
RPEE gu
guid
idel
elin
ines  more impo
es is more importan t for str
rtant  streng
ength
th progr
progress
ession
ion than
than
pushing to  complete the required reps. For example if your third set asks for 6
reps and  a 9 RPE, the RPE takes priority. If on the fifth rep you already hit 9.5 RPE
(meaning you  know you probably couldn’t do one more rep) it’s best to end the
set there instead of trying to push for 6 reps and inevitably fail. 

 What If You Fail To

To Complete The Required
Required Reps?.
Reps?. 
If you  fail to comple
lette the required reps in one of your workouts, simply use that
same weight the following workout which requires fewer reps.

For example,  let's say you failed to complete 3 sets of 6 in the first workout of a
new cycle:

● Set 1 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 6 RPE 8

● Set 2 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 5 RPE 9
● Set 3 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 5 RPE 9.5
 

Wha
hatt happ
ppeens  now? It'
t's
s sim
imp
ple
le,, you ke
kee
ep the sam
ame
e we
weig
igh
ht fo
forr th
the
e nex
extt wo
work
rko
out
which requires sets of 5:

● Set 1 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 5 RPE 7

● Set 2 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 5 RPE 8
● Set 3 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 5 RPE 9

Then you  continue the cycle normally. On the third workout you increase the
weight by 2.5 kg (5 lbs) and reduce the reps to 4.

● Set 1 - 82.5 kg (180 lbs) x 4 RPE 7

● Set 2 - 82.5 kg (180 lbs) x 4 RPE 8
● Set 3 - 82.5 kg (180 lbs) x 4 RPE 9

Then you  take the deload week normally and on the first workout of your next
cycle you use the same weight you failed to get 3 sets of 6 reps with last time:

●
Set 1 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 6 RPE 7
● Set 2 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 6 RPE 8
● Set 3 - 80 kg (175 lbs) x 6 RPE 9

If you  fail to complete the reps on your thir ird

d workout (for example you get 4, 3, 3)
deloloa
ad norm rmal
ally
ly  the next we
week
ek and sta
tart
rt th
thee ne
new
w cycle wit
ith
h th
the
e sa
sam
me wei
eig
ght yo
you
u
did 3 sets of 6 with last time.

Important:  
After you  surpass the Proficient Strength Standards and you approach the
Adva
van nced St
Stre
reng
ngth
th  Sta
tand
ndaard
rds,
s, you ma
mayy no lo
long
ngeer be able to pr
pro
ogr
gres
esss by 2.5 kg
or 5  lb
lbs
s per mo
monnth
th.. Not bei
ein
ng ab
able
le to comp
mple
lette all th
the
e rep
eps
s whe
hen
n yo
you
u in
inc
crea
ease
se th
the
e
weight will  therefore become common and it may take you 2 or 3 cycles to be
able to add weight to the bar. That’s normal.

Altern
Alternat
ativ
ivel
ely,
y, yo
you
u  ca
can
n st
star
artt mi
micr
crol
oloa
oadi
ding
ng.. Us
Usua
ualllly
y gy
gyms
ms do
don’
n’tt ha
have
ve pl
plat
ates
es sm
smal
alle
lerr
than 1.25  kg or 2.5 lbs. But you can order such plates online. You can find
microplates that  weigh 0.25 kg, 0.5 kg, and 1 kg. Using such plates you will
continue to be able to add weight to the bar each month without losing reps.
 

How To Progress On Dumbbell Exercises And

And.. All
 All Other. 
.Exercises Not Marked With P.
Dumbbe
Dumb bellll exer
exerci
cise
ses,
s,  is
isol
olat
atio
ion
n ex
exer
erci
cise
ses,
s, an
andd sosome
me co
comp
mpou ound
nd ex
exer
erci
cise
ses
s are
are nonott
wel
elll suit
uited  for the perio riodiz
iza
ati
tio
on mod odeel desc
descri rib
bed abovovee. Du
Dumb
mbb bells
ells usu
sua ally
lly go
up by  2.5 kg / 5 lbs increments so when you move up in weight you increase the
load by  a total of 5 kg or 10 lbs (2.5 kg or 5 lbs per hand). That’s too much for a
single month and you wouldn’t be able to maintain the same number of reps.
Iso
sola
latitio
on exexer
erccises
ises  on the othe herr ha
han nd are imimp possib
ssible
le to im
imppro
rove
ve eve
ven n at a rat
ate e of
2.5 kg  / 5 lbs a month. For example improving your DB Biceps Curls by 2.5 kg / 5
lbs per  month would have you curling at least 40 kg / 90 lbs dumbbells by the
end
en d of  a sing
singlele ye
year
ar.. Th
Thatat’s
’s no
nott po
poss
ssib
ible
le.. Fo
Forr in
inte
term
rmed
edia
iate
te an
andd pr
prof
ofic
icieient
nt lift
lifter
ers,
s, a
rea
ealilist
stic
ic rat
atee  of prog
ogrresesss on is
iso
ola
lati
tio
on exe
xerrcis
isees is 5-
5-10
10 kg per year ar,, ma
may ybe even
less.

So for 
the exercises not marked with p we’re going to use a double progression
model. Do
Dou
uble  pro
rog
gre
ress
ssio
ion
n me
mean
ans
s you fi
firrst in
inc
crease
ease the rep
eps
s done wit
ith
h a give
iven
weight and when you reach the top of a rep range, you increase the weight.

In the  workout routine, you can see that all exercises not marked with p have a
rep range  as well, for example 6-10, 10-12 or 12-15. You start with a weight that
you can  lift for 3 sets in that rep range. When you hit the top of the rep range in
all set
ets,
s,  yo
you
u inc
incre
rea
ase the
the we
weig
ighht by 2.5
2.5 kg (5
(5lb
lbs
s) on all
all sets
sets the fo
follllo
owi
win
ng wor
worko
kout
ut
and go  back to the bottom of the rep range. Over the following workouts you
striv
ive
e to  add at least one rep to each set until you reach the top of the rep range.
At that  point you increase the weight again by 2.5 kg or 5 lbs and restart the
process.

For ex
exa
amplplee, le
let’
t’s
s sa
say
y you di
did
d 3 sets
ets of 10 on Sea
eatted DB Sho
hou
ulde
lder Pre
ress
ss wi
witth 22.
2.5
5
kg (50 lbs) dumbbells.

Set 1 - 10 reps with 22.5 kg / 50 lbs

Set 2 - 10 reps with 22.5 kg / 50 lbs
Set 3 - 10 reps with 22.5 kg / 50 lbs
 

 You’ve hit  the top of the rep range. Next workout you take 2.5 kg (5 lbs) heavier
dumbbells and go back to the bottom of the rep range (6-10):

Set 1 - 6 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs

Set 2 - 6 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs
Set 3 - 6 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs

Remember that  you increase the load by a total of 5 kg or 10 lbs thus you need
to reduce  the number of reps per set by around 4. You can use  tthis his calc
calculat
ulator
or to
estim
stima ate how  much yo
youu need to dro
ropp or in
inc
cre
reas
ase e the rep
reps when
when you chang nge
e th
thee
weight. 10  reps with 50 kg is equivalent to 6 reps wit ith
h 55 kg. So you drop the reps
to 6  and over the
the next
next se
sev
vera
rall wo
work
rko
outs yo
you u wi
willll fo
foc
cus on addin
ding re
reps
ps to each
ach se
sett
until you hit 10 again.

 You may do:

Set 1 - 7 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs
Set 2 - 7 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs
Set 3 - 6 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs

Next time you may do:

Set 1 - 7 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs
Set 2 - 7 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs
Set 3 - 7 reps with 25 kg / 55 lbs
and so on…

Here’s how that would look in a table:

 

Week Number Weight of Dumbbell Reps

1 22.5 kg / 55 lbs 10, 10, 10

2 25 kg / 55 lbs 6, 6, 6

3 25 kg / 55 lbs 7, 6, 6
4 25 kg / 55 lbs (deload) 6, 6

5 25 kg / 55 lbs 7, 7, 6

6 25 kg / 55 lbs 7, 7, 6

7 25 kg / 55 lbs 7, 7, 7

8 25 kg / 55 lbs (deload) 6, 6

9 25 kg / 55 lbs 8, 7, 6

When you  reach 3 sets of 10 again you take a heavier set of dumbbells and go
back to  the bottom of the rep range. You should use the same progression
mode
modell fo
forr  isol
isolat
atio
ion
n ex
exer
erci
cise
ses
s (bic
(bicep
eps
s cu
curl
rls,
s, tric
tricep
eps
s exte
extens
nsio
ions
ns,, late
latera
rall ra
rais
ises
es,, et
etc)
c)
and machine  exercises (leg extensions, leg curls, cable rows, lat pulldowns,
cable triceps pushdowns, cable curls, etc).

Don’tt wo
Don’ worr
rry
y  if yo
you
u ca
can’
n’tt add
add reps
reps on
one
e work
workou
out.
t. You
You ca
can’
n’tt be st
stro
rong
nger
er ev
ever
ery
y sing
single
le
time you  hit the gym. Focus on making good progress each month instead of
getting frustrated you did not perform well one workout.

During the  deload week, drop the number of sets to two and go back to the
bottom of the rep range.

The RPE  guidelines apply to these exercises as well. Your first set should be
around 7  RPE, second set around 8 RPE, and final set around 9 RPE (except for
the big leg exercises which should be done at 5-8 RPE).
 

Reme
Rememb
mber
er RP
RPE
E ta
take
kes
s prio
priori
rity
ty ov
over
er re
rep
p pr
prog
ogre
ress
ssio
ion.
n. If on the first set you hit RPE
7 or  8 at the same number of reps you did last week but you want to do one or
two more  reps in order to make progress, what you’ll find is that you will be
weaker in  the subsequent sets. If you hit RPE 8.5 or 9 in the first set you can be
certain you’ll lose reps in the second or third sets.

So aim  to add reps as frequently as possible but push yourself near failure only
on the last set.

The 3 Day Per Week Workout Routine

Routine..
If you  do not have time to train 4 days a week or prefer to train less, you can
follow a 3 day per week workout routine.

If you  can follow the 4 day per week program, do it. That extra day of training
allllo
ows for  a hi
hig
ghe
herr to
tota
tall volu
lum
me per mus
usc
cle gr
gro
oup whi
hile
le ke
kee
epi
pin
ng th
the
e volu
lum
me pe
perr

sessio
sess ionn lo
low.
w.  Di
Dist
stri
ribu
buti
ting
ng th
the
e we
week
eklyly vo
volu
lume
me ov
over
er mo
morere da
days
ys of tr
trai
aini
ning
ng im
impr
prov
oves
es
rec
eco
overery
y and  allllo
ows for fa
fast
ster
er st
strren
engt
gth
h pro
rog
gre
ress
ss.. But thi
his
s 3 da
dayy spl
plit
it is ef
effe
fect
ctiv
ive
e
too. I  have personally trained with a split similar to this for about 2 years and
made great progress with it at the intermediate level.

Monday - Upper Body Push

● Flat Bench Press - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p

● Standing Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p
● Incline DB Bench Press - 3 sets of 6-10 reps
● Machine Hammer Chest Press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● Seated DB Triceps Extensions - 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Wednesday - Lower Body

● Barbell Back Squats - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p

● Romanian Deadlifts - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Leg Press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Leg Extensions - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● Leg Curls - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
 

● Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps

● Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets to failure

Friday - Upper Body Pull

● Weighted Chin-ups - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p

● Barbell Rows - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
● Cable Rows - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● Barbell Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Face Pulls - 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Aft
fter
er a  fe
few
w wee
eeks
ks yo
youu ma
may y fin
ind
d you no lolong
nger
er enj
njo
oy do
doin
ing
g some of th
thee ex
exeerc
rcisise
es.
Wha
hatt you ne
need
ed to do in th
that
at si
situ
tua
ati
tio
on is to re
rep
pla
lacce th
them
em wi
with
th a si
simi
mila
larr var
aria
iattio
ionn to
bring excitement back into your training.

Here is  the routine again, this time with different exercises. Replace the
exercises you  no longer enjoy doing but keep those that you currently make
progress on.

Monday - Upper Body Push

● Incline Bench Press - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p

● Seated DB Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 6-10 reps
● Flat DB Bench Press - 3 sets of 6-10 reps
● Machine Chest Press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● Hanging Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● Skullcrushers - 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Wednesday - Lower Body

● Barbell Front Squats - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p

● Deadlifts - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Bulgarian Split Squats - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Leg Extensions - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● Leg Curls - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
● Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
● Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets to failure
 

Friday - Upper Body Pull

● Weighted Pull-ups - 3 sets of 4-6 reps p

● T-bar Rows - 3 sets of 6-8 reps p
● Lat Pulldowns with different handle - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
● Cable Rows with different handle - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
● DB Barbell Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
● Rear-delt Flyes - 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Basic Notes:

Rest 2-3  minutes between sets on compound exercises and 1-2 minutes
between sets on isolation exercises

The progression  models are the same as for the 4 day ShredSmart Training
Program.

RPE Guideline: set 1 RPE around 7, set 2 RPE around 8, set 3 RPE around 9.
 

Explaining The Volume,

Intensity, And Frequency
 
Of The Program
This ch
This chap
apte
terr  ha
has
s the
the rorole
le of ex
expl
plai
aini
ning
ng wh
whyy th
the
e Sh
ShreredS
dSmamart
rt tr
trai
aini
ning
ng ro
rout
utin
ines
es are
are
set the
the  way the
they arere.. Unde
ders
rsttand
ndin
ing
g the
these basisic
cs will
will help
elp you defen
efend
d your
urse
self
lf
against misi
isinformation  and not fall prey to program hopping - the condition in
which people  change their training programs very often in the hope of making
better progress.

Once you  understand that every effective training program is based on the
sam
amee bas
asic
ic  prin
rincip
iple
les,
s, yo
you
u’l’lll reali
ealizze ther
there’
e’s
s no need to hop frofrom on
one
e prog
rogra
ramm to
the next.
ext.  They
hey’r’re
e all fun
unddam
amen enta
talllly
y the sa
same
me.. All tr
tra
ain
inin
ing
g pr
pro
ogr
gram
amss are bui
uilt
lt on
three pillars:

Volume - the total number of sets you do each week

Intensity - how heavy the weights you use are
Frequency - how often you train a muscle group

Making progress  in the gym for long periods of time requires that all three of
the
hese
se vari
riab
able
les
s  are se
sett corre
rec
ctly
ly.. Vo
Volu
lume
me,, In
Inttensi
ensity
ty and Freq
reque
uenc
ncy
y are eq
equ
ually
ally
important, and together create the stimulus that leads to progress.

Take a look at the picture below:

 

Taken from the awesome book The Muscle & Strength Training Pyramid  

The fir
first  thin
thing
g you need
eed to und
nder
erst
stan
and
d is that
that the
here
re is a hier
ierar
arc
chy of im
imp
port
rtan
anc
ce
when it  comes to setting a training program. At the bottom of the pyramid are
the most  important variables and as you get closer to the top each level
becomes less important for your overall results.

As you  can see, exercise selelec

ction, rest periods, and tempo are less important
th
than
an the
the bo
bott
ttom
om thre
three
e le
leve
vels
ls.. Bu
Butt thes
these
e are
are wh
what
at begi
beginn
nner
ers
s te
tend
nd to as
ask
k abou
aboutt th
the
e
most:

“What exercises are best for growing my chest?”   -- Exercise Selection

“How long should I rest between sets?”  -
 - Rest Periods
“Should I pause my reps at the bottom?”  -
 - Tempo

These are  not the right questions. If you truly want to make progress in the gym,
the three main questions you should ask are these:
 

“How many sets should I do in total per muscle group per week?”  -
 - Volume
“How many reps per set should I do?”  -
 - Intensity
“How often  should I train a muscle group considering the number of sets I’m 
doing per week?”   - Frequency

Volu
Volume
me,, inte
intens
nsit
ity,
y,  an
and
d freq
freque
uenc
ncy
y ar
are
e wh
what
at trul
truly
y ma
matt
tter
er.. If th
thos
ose
e ar
are
e se
sett corr
correc
ectl
tly,
y,
prog
ogre
ress
ss is  alm
lmo
ost gua
uara
ran
nteed
teed,, ev
even
en if all the othe
herr laye
layers
rs of th
the
e pyram
yramid
id are se
sett
suboptimally.

Volume. 
Training Volume.
While progressive  overload (strength) is the main driver of muscle growth,
volume is  the main driver of strength. You need to do a certain number of heavy
sets for each body part every week in order to stimulate progress.

If yo
you
u do too
too litt
little
le vo
volu
lume
me yo
your
ur stre
streng
ngth
th pr
prog
ogre
ress
ssio
ion
n st
stal
alls
ls be
beca
caus
use
e th
the
e st
stim
imul
ulus
us is
insuffici
icient. If  you do too much volume you overshoot your recovery capacity
and that slows down your progress as well.

Stu
tud
dies
ies and 
prac
acti
tica
call ex
expe
peri
rie
enc
nce
e sh
sho
ows tha
hatt the optima
timall am
amo
oun
untt of vo
volu
lume
me for
intermediate and proficient lifters is 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week.

When you’re  in a calo

lorric defic
iciit, your recovery capacity and energy levels are
diminished which  is why the volume of the ShredSmart routines is on the lower
side.

Now, those  10-20 sets must be   h eaea vy

vy e no
no u gh
gh otherwise they don’t count.
Intensity must also be set properly.

Training Intensity . 
Obviously no  matter how many bench press sets and reps you do with 2.5 kg
dumbbells you’ll  never get a huge chest. In order for a set to count, you need to
take it close to failure (within at least 4 reps to failure / an RPE of at least 6).
 

This can  be done with

with both lo low
w an
andd hi
hig
gh lo
loaads. Yo
You
u can use lig
light we
weigighhts an
andd do
sets of  15 at RPE 8 or you can use heavy weights and do sets of 6 at RPE 8. Both
wou
ould
ld count  equ qua
alllly
y towa
ward
rds
s your we
weeekl
klyy vo
volu
lume
me and wowouuld st
stim
imuulat
late mus
usccle
grow
growth
th an
andd  stre
streng
ngth
th (alt
(altho
houg
ughh the
the he
heav
avie
ierr se
sets
ts woul
wouldd be supe
superirior
or fo
forr st
stim
imul
ulat
atin
ingg
strength gains).

With that  said, most of your sets should be done in the 5-12 rep range because
that is the most efficient way to accumulate your weekly volume.

Check out this table:

Light Weight Medium Weight Heavy Weight

Rep 1 - Am I even lifting? Rep 1 - Easy Rep 1 - High effort

Rep 2 - I don’t feel anything Rep 2 - Easy Rep 2 - High effort

Rep 3 - I could do this all day Rep 3 - Decent effort Rep 3 - Very high effort

Rep 4 - Piece of cake Rep 4 - Decent effort Rep 4 - Very high effort

Rep 5 - Easy Rep 5 - Decent effort Rep 5 - Failure

Rep 6 - Easy Rep 6 - Medium effort

Rep 7 - Decent effort Rep 7 - High effort

Rep 8 - Decent effort Rep 8 - Very high effort

Rep 9 - Medium effort Rep 9 - Failure

Rep 10 - High effort

Rep 11 - Muscles start burning

Rep 12 - Muscles hurt

Rep 13 - Struggling for breath

Rep 14 - Dizziness sets in

Rep 15 - Nausea sets in

Rep 16 - Failure
 

This table  shows three sets to failure done with lighight, mediu
ium
m, or heavy weight.
All of  the
hem
m wo
woul
uld
d co
cou
unt equa
ualllly
y towa
towarrds your wee
eekl
kly
y volu
olume as long
long as they
hey ar
are
e
taken within  at least 4 reps to failure. But as you can see, both light and very
heavy weights pose problems for accumulat
accumulating
ing the ideal weekly volume.

Lig
Lights we
weig
igh
hts  are in
inef
effi
fic
cie
ien
nt be
bec
caus
use
e yo
you
u have to do a lot
lot of rep
eps
s in order
rder to get
close to  failure. And those reps tire you so much that close to the end of the set
you feel  like dying. You get lightheaded, you’re struggling to breathe, you may
even feel  like throwing up. After each set you feel the need to sit down and just
breathe. Now  I’m not talking about la latteral rais
ise
es or cable curls here. Isolat lation
ion
exercises are  actually better done in a high rep range because it allows you to
target the  muscles better and avoid putting high amounts of pressure on your
join
joints
ts.. I’
I’m
m  ta
talk
lkin
ingg ab
abou
outt sq
squa
uats
ts,, le
leg
g pr
presess,
s, be
benc
nch
h pres
press,
s, barb
barbel
elll ro
rows
ws,, dead
deadlilift
fts
s or
sho
hou ulde
lder pres esss.  Do
Doin
ing
g the
hese
se big exe xerrcis
ises
es in a hig
high rep
rep ran
ange
ge is extxtre
reme
mely
ly titiri
rin
ng
and requires  high amounts of willpower and good muscle endurance. It just
makes
kes the
the  tas
ask
k of accum
umul
ula
ati
tin
ng tho
hos
se 10
10-2
-20
0 hard
ard se
sets
ts per wee
eek
k unne
nec
cessa
essari
rily
ly
difficult.

Heavy
eavy weig
weigh hts  on the
the other
ther hand are inine
eff
ffic
icie
ient
nt beca
ecause th
they
ey ta
take
ke a to
tollll on your
body over  time. Lifting heavy all the time can lead to joint pain and severely
increases the  risk of injury. Your form needs to slip just once for you to get a
nagging muscle  pain or in the worst case scenario a major shoulder or back
inju
injurry. Als
Also,  lif
liftin
ting heav
avyy requ
requir
ire
es lo
lots
ts of will
willp
power
wer and att
tten
enti
tio
on and
and ca
can n mak
ake
e
workouts feel like a chore.

Using medium weights is the best choice. By training mostly in the 5-12 rep
range
rang e yo
you u  ca
cann ea
easi
sily
ly accu
accumumulalatete the
the requ
requirired
ed week
weekly
ly vo
volu
lume
me.. In addi
additi
tion
on to ththat
at,,
you can  maintain good technique, not cheat the range of motion, get pretty
clo
lose
se to  failu
ailure
re sa
safe
felyly,, not bur
urn
n out your wilillplpo
ower
wer aft
fter
er ju
just
st a co
couuple of setets,
s, and
not be  le
lefft with creaky joints. With that said, using heavy and light weigh ights for a
few
few se
sets
ts  pe
perr we
weekek is be
benenefi
fici
cial
al.. He
Heavavy
y weig
weighthts
s help
help you
you bu
builild
d st
stre
reng
ngth
th fast
faster er an
and
d
lig
light we
weigighhts  help you im impprov
rove mus uscu
cula
larr end
ndu
ura
ranc
ncee and
and wowork rk capac
acitity.
y. This is
why some  sets in the ShredSmart programs are done outside of the 5-12 rep
 

range. But  a good rule of thumb is to do the big compound movements in the
5-10 rep range and isolation exercises in the 8-15 rep range.

Training Frequency .  

 You can  think of frequency as the way you organize your weekly volume instead
of it  being a distinct training variable. If the number of heavy reps per week is
equal,
ual, diffe
iffere
rent
nt  trai
train
nin
ing
g freq
freque
uen
ncie
ies
s wililll pr
pro
odu
duc
ce si
sim
mila
ilar re
resu
sult
lts
s at the novic
vice,
intermediate, and proficient levels.

Howev
owever
er,, tra
trainin
ining
g a musc
scle
le gr
gro
oup tw
twic
ice
e or th
thre
ree
e tim
times pe
perr we
wee
ek is slig
lightly
tly bette
etterr
than once 
per week for most people because performance and recovery are
improved.

Imagine you  had to do 5 exercises for a muscle group to achieve your weekly
volume target:  3 sets of weighted chin-ups, 3 sets of cable rows, 3 sets of lat
pulldowns, 3 sets of T-bar rows, 3 sets of bodyweight chin-ups.

Doing
Doin g them
them  one
one af
afte
terr the
the othe
otherr is effe
effect
ctiv
ive
e bu
butt yo
your
ur perf
perfor
orma
manc
nce
e on th
the
e seco
second
nd,,
third, fourth,  and fifth exercises is decreased because of fatigue. Here’s an
example:

3 sets of chin-ups with 27.5 kg / 60 lbs

3 sets of cable rows with 62.5 kg / 140 lbs
3 sets of lat pulldowns with 62.5 kg / 140 lbs
3 sets of T-bar rows with 60 kg / 135 lbs
3 sets of BW pull-ups 6 reps per set

It wo
wou
uld  be be
bett
tter
er to sp
splilitt that
that volu
lum
me ove
verr tw
two
o sess
sessio
ion
ns because
ause you
ou’l’lll be doin
ing
g
some of the exercises in a less fatigued state:

Workout 1
3 sets of chin-ups with 27.5 kg / 60 lbs
3 sets of cable rows with 62.5 kg / 140 lbs
3 sets of lat pulldowns with 62.5 kg / 140 lbs
 

Workout 2
3 sets of T-bar rows with 70 kg / 155 lbs
3 sets of BW pull-ups 8 reps per set

So although  you’re doing the same number of sets, the total weight you lift per
week is higher. In time, this translates to more strength and muscle gains.

A frequency  of once per week is fine when the total weekly volume is 10 to 15
sets. But  when the weekly volume is between 15 and 20 sets per week, a higher
frequency produces better results.

The muscle  groups that are trained only once per week on the ShredSmart
prog
ogra
ram
m are
are  tho
those fro from the
the lo
lowe
werr body. Thi
his
s isn
isn’t done becau cause it
it’’s op
opti
tim
mal but
because
ause it’
it’s...
s...we
wellll.....l.les
esss  awf
wful
ul.. Most
ost peo
eop n’tt   want  to train legs twice per
ple don’
week ev
week even
en  if it wo
woul
uld
d pr
prod
oduc
uce
e be
bett
tter
er resu
result
lts
s be
beca
caus
usee leg
leg wo
work
rkou
outs
ts are
are ha
hard
rd.. You
You
could argue  that they’re just wimps and they should suck it up. But the reality is
most gym  goers won’t do it anyway because they don’t care that much about
leg development.  Also, legs tend to grow faster than the upper body so doing
less
less volu
volume
me  for
for legs
legs ma
mayy he
help
lp yo
you
u de
deve
velo
lop
p all
all yo
your
ur majo
majorr mu
musc
scle
le gr
grou
oups
ps at abou
aboutt
the same rate.

And the  fina

finall thin
hing you sh
sho
oul
uld
d kno
now
w abo
bou
ut trai
train
nin
ing
g fre
requ
que
enc
ncy
y is th
tha
at it gene
nera
ralllly
y
goes up  with the weekly volume performed, which in turn goes up with with a
person
person’s
’s stre
streng
ngth
th  le
leve
vell and
and mu muscscle
le deve
develo
lopm
pmenent.
t. Novi
Novice
ces
s gene
genera
ralllly
y do
don’
n’tt need
need
more than  10 sets per week to make good progress. Intermediates do well with
10-15 sets  per week, proficient lifters do well with 15-20 sets per week, but
adva
advanc
nced
ed and
and ex
exce
ceptptio
iona
nall lilift
fter
ers
s ca
cann go up to 25
25-3
-30 0 sets
sets per
per we
week
ek or ev even
en more
more..
At that  volume a higher training frequency becomes necessary because you
can’t possibly do that many sets effectively in just one or two training sessions.
 

Summary .  

● This pyramid  shows the

hierarchy of  importance of
training variables.

At the  bottom of the pyramid

are the  most important
fact
factor
ors,
s, an
andd as yo
you
u ge
gett cl
clos
oser
er
to the  top each level
becomes less  important for
your overall results.

● The basis  of any effective training program is the way volume, intensit
ity
y,
and frequency  are set. If they are set correctly, progress is almost
guaranteed.. If they are set incorrectly, progress will be slow or nonexistent
guaranteed nonexistent..

● Resear
searcch an
and
d  pra
rac
cti
tic
cal exp
xper
erie
ien
nce su
sugg
gges
ests
ts th
the
e ide
ideal volu
olume rang
nge
e for
hypertrophy is  10-20 sets per muscle group per week. Volume is scaled
upwards with training experience.

● For most  intermediate and proficient lifters a training frequency of two

times per  week is ideal for hypertrophy. This allows you to hit more
exercises fresh than if you were to do them all in a single training session.

● The we
weeekly
kly  volu
lum
me can be done wi with
th both lig
light and hea
eavy
vy weig
eight
hts
s as long
long
as the sets are taken close to failure.

● Most of  your sets should be done in the 5-12 rep range. Lifting in this rep
range is the most efficient way to accumulate the required weekly volume.
 

Explaining The
Periodization Model
When you  saw the progression model you may have thought “Is this really
necessary?
necessary? Can’t I lift the same weight every time and try to add reps?”

Well, it’s not necessary. But it’s more effective.

In a  study by Rhea et al. twtwo

o gr
gro
oup
ups
s of pe
peo
opl
ple
e tra
rain
ine
ed the
heir
ir be
ben
nch pre
ress
ss an
andd le
leg
g
press for  12 weeks - one group usin ing
g a non-periodized progression model and
the
the ot
otheherr   an un
undu
dula
lati
ting
ng peri
period
odiz
ized
ed prog
progra
ram.
m. Th
Thee peri
period
odiz
ized
ed gr
grou
oup made   twice
p made

the gains even if training volume and average intensity was the same!

Here are the details:

The non-
The non-pe
peri
riod
odiz
ized
ed grou
group
p trai
traine
ned
d ea
each
ch mo
move
veme
ment
nt with
with th
the
e same
same nu
numb
mber
er of se
sets
ts
and reps  three times per week. They did 3x8 three times per week for 4 weeks,
then 3×6  three times per week for 4 weeks, and then 3×4 three times per week
for 4 weeks.
Their Bench Press increased by 14 and their Leg Press by 25 on average.

The   un
undul
dulati
ating
ng  period
periodiza
ization   group changed the weight and rep range every
tion
time they  trained. They did 3×8 for each movement one day, 3×6 the next
training day,  and 3×4 the last training day of each week. They continued with
that pattern for the 12 weeks of the study.
Their Bench Press increased by 28 and their Leg press by 55 on average.
 

Now, the  physiological explanation for why this happened is   ththat

at peri
period
odiz
izin
ing
g
your tra
trainin
ining
g  red
educ
uce
ed the
the rep
epea
eate
ted
d bo
bouut eff
ffec
ect.
t. Basi
Basic
cally
lly, by changi
angin
ng th
the
e rep
range often  your muscles respond more strongly to the training stimulus
because it’s new every time.

But this
his  sim
imp
ple exp
xpla
lan
nati
tio
on can
annnot full
fully
y accoun
untt fo
forr suc
such a big diffe
iffere
ren
nce in th
thee
prog
ogre
ress
ss madade
e  by the two gro ups.   Th
rou The
e ad
adva
vant
ntag
age e of pe
peri
riod
odiz
izat
atio
ionn is mo
most
st like
likely
ly
psychological. 

Doing the same workout over and over again becomes boring and stressful.

Ima
mag gine
ine tha
hatt  fo
forr the
the nex
extt 6 months
nths you ha
had
d to tr
trai
ain
n th
the
e sa
same
me wa
way
y ever
ery
y wor
orko
kou
ut
- 3  sets of 6. No matter how you felt, you would go in the gym and push as hard

as you  can to add weight to those 3 sets of 6. At some point you’d feel mentally
exhausted. For  example, after a personal record that took a lot of effort you
would doubt that you can surpass your previous performance.

Period
Periodizizin
ing
g yo
your
ur  trai
traini
ning
ng al
allo
lows
ws yo
you
u to ge
gett exci
excite
ted
d for
for ea
each
ch one
one of your
your work
workououts
ts..
 You are  never doing the same thing and you can always progress in some way.
By decreasing  the number of reps you do you can lift more weight and that
makes
kes you  excxcit
ite
ed. By goioin
ng ba
bac
ck to a hig
ighher numb
umber of re
rep
ps, you get
get exc
xcit
ite
ed to
see if you can lift more than last month.
 

Enjoym
Enjo ymen entt an
and d no
nove
velt
lty
y ca
cann im
impa
pactct trai
traini
ning
ng pe
perf
rfor
orma
mancnce.e. If your
your wo
work rkou
outt rout
routininee
seems fresh  and challenging, it will seem easier and you’re going to put more
effor
ffortt int
into  it.
it. In resea
esearcrch
h, pro
rog
gre
ress
ssio
ion
n mo
moddels
els th
that
at in
incclu
lude
de pererio
iod
dizat
izatio
ion
n almlmo ost
alwa
alwaysys outp
outper erfo
form
rm  non-
non-pe
peri
riod
odiz
ized
ed pr
prog
ogra
rams
ms.. Also
Also,, all
all elit
elite
e na
natu
tura
rall po
powe
werlrlif
ifte
ters
rs
and bodybuilders use some form of periodization in their training.

 Why Do We Need Deloads?

Deloads?.. 
The deload  week is a planned   decr
decrea easese in tr
trai
aini
ning
ng vo
volu
lume
me an
and
d in
inte
tens
nsit
ity
y wi
with
th th
the
e
purp
rpo
ose of  im
imppro
rov
vin
ing
g re
rec
cove
very
ry.. It al
allo
lows
ws ththe
e fa
fati
tig
gue yo
youu accumu
mulalatte ove
verr a fe
feww
weeks of training to dissipate so you can start a fresh training cycle.

Each workout you do does two things:

1. It s
stimu
timulates
lates your musc
muscles
les tto
o gr
grow
ow 
2. It c
cre
reat
ates
es fat
fatig
igue
ue

Because you  train often, the fatigue created by a workout is not allowed to
dissipate completely  before you do another one. So over the course of a few
weeks of  traini
ining, you slowly accumulate fatigue. And if you let it get too high, it
will hurt  your performance. It’s like working a demanding job from Monday to
Friday.

Let’s
Let’s say  you
you go to wo
work
rk on Monda
day
y morn
mornin
ing
g with
ith yo
you
ur men
enta
tall fati
fatig
gue at 0%
0%.. You
work all day and when you get home at night your mental fatigue is 60%.

Luckily if  you have a nice dinner, watch a good movie and get a good night’s
sleep that  mental fatig
igu
ue goes back down. But not back to 0%. It’s not enough.
 You did not have
have enough rest.

Tuesda
esdayy mo
mornrnin
ing
g  you stil
stilll ha
hav
ve som
ome
e res
esid
idu
ual me
men
nta
tall fa
fati
tig
gue left
left fro
rom
m Mond
nda
ay.
 You start your
your day at 10% fatigue instead of 0%.

Afte
Afterr ea
each
ch  da
day
y of wo
work
rk yo
you
u ac
accu
cumu
mula
late
te more
more an
and
d mo
more
re me
ment
ntal
al fati
fatigu
gue.
e. Tues
Tuesda
day
y

you come  home at 70%. Wednesday at 80%. Thursday at 90%. And Frida
iday you
 

come home  exhausted at 100% mental fatigue and swear you could not work
another hour!

But what  if you were stubborn and on Saturday morning you wanted to work
some more?
ore?  Would yoyouu have good per erfo
form
rman
ancce? Most like
likely
ly no
not.
t. You
You’d be ti
tirred
and
and yo
you’
u’d
d  ha
have
ve a ve
very
ry di
diff
ffic
icul
ultt time
time co
conc
ncen
entr
trat
atin
ing.
g. Wh
What
at you
you ne
need
ed is leis
leisur
ure
e ti
time
me..
The weekend  is there to allow that mental fatigue to go back down to 0%.
Leisure time helps you get ready for another week of productive work.

That’s exactly how deloads work as well.

They allo
allow
w  the
the fa
fati
tig
gue you accum
umul ula
ate over a few
few wee
eeks
ks of tra
rain
inin
ing
g to dis
issi
sip
pat
ate
e
so you  can start another string of productive workouts. In research the role of
deloads is  explained using the fitness-fatigue model. If you want to learn the
technical details and the scientific explanation
explanation,, check out this post of mine.
mine.

Here’s a lesson I learned the hard way:

If you  don’t take planned deloads you will be forced to deload anyway in the
form of  a stri
strin
ng of awfu
wful wo
work
rkou
outs
ts.. At so
som
me poin
intt th
the
e fa
fati
tigu
gue
e ac
acc
cumula
mulatted over a
few weeks  of training catches up with you and your strength inexplicably goes
down.

Don’t view  deloads as wasted time. They are “preparation weeks” that
guar
aran
antetee
e a  pr
pro
odu
duc
cti
tiv
ve tra
rain
inin
ing
g cycle
le.. Ac
Acttua
ualllly,
y, af
afte
terr a de
delo
load
ad your st
strreng
ength is
usually higher because fatigue no longer masks your true potential.

Summary .  

● Periodized models  are better than non-periodized models for both

hypertrophy and strength.

● The main  benefit of changing the rep range within the week is
psyc
psycho
holo
logi
gica
cal.l. Ex
Exci
cite
teme
ment
nt  an
and
d no
nove
velt
lty
y make
make yo
you
u enjo
enjoy
y yo
your
ur tr
trai
aini
ning
ng mo
more
re
which makes you put more effort into it.
 

Physio
Phy siolo
log
gica
icalllly
y, changin
nging
g  the
the re
rep
p ran
ang
ge wit
ithi
hin
n th
the
e we
wee
ek he
help
lps
s red
edu
uce th
the
e
repeated bout  effect making your muscles more sensitive to a training
stimulus.

● Deloads   allllo
ow  th
the
e fa
fati
tig
gue yo
you
u accumu
mula
latte ov
ove
er a fe
few
w wee
eeks
ks of tr
tra
ain
inin
ing
g to
dissipate so you can start a fresh training cycle. 
cycle. 

● If you  don’t take planned deloads you will be forced to deload anyway in
the form of a string of awful workouts.
 

How To Track Training Progress  

To be able to us
use
e the pro
rog
gre
ress
ssio
ion
n mo
mod
del giv
ive
en, you
you’re
’re goin
ing
g to hav
ave
e to wr
writ
ite
e do
down
wn

each set and rep you do at the gym.

 You can do this multiple ways:

1. Using a pocketbook and a pen
2. Using a note app in your phone
3. Using a weightlifting app

No matter  what method you use you need to be able to tell how many sets, reps
and what weights you used last time.

I re
reco
comm
mmen
endd  us
using   ou
ing ourr ow
own
n wo
work
rkou
outt ap
app
p Th
Thin
inkE
kEat
atLi
Lift
ft. It’s free for both Android
and iPhone.

The ThinkEatLift  app allows you to track the weight, reps, and RPE of each set
you do.  It also allows you to write short notes under each exercise to remind
yourself of something next workout.

Here’s how I use it:

When you  open an exercise you can

see what  you did last time under
Previous. The  light gray text shows
the weight  you used last time and
the default  reps and RPE you set for
that exercise  when you made the
routine. Under  Exercise Notes you
can see what you wrote last time.
 

After completing  each set I input the weight,

reps, and  RPE into the app and click done.
That starts  the rest time
imer at the bottom of the
screen. To  make calculating the weight
easier you  have the option to click plates to
add them  to the bar and the weight is
calculated automatica
automatically.
lly.

Afte
fter fi
fin
nis
ish
hin
ing
g  th
the
e exe
xerc
rcis
ise
e I write
rite som
somet
eth
hing
ing
in the  notes section. If everything went well I
just write  “Next do X weight for sets of X” or
“Next add  an extra rep to set 1” or something
like that.

Sometimes I  write a warning like: “Do the

same with  better form” or “Decrease the
weight to X and do sets of X”.

I personally  don’t track deloads. I open the

work
wo rko
out to  se
see
e wh
what
at weig
eight
hts
s I’m sup
upp
posed
sed to
use for  the deload week on each exercise but I don’t save the workout. This way
the deload doesn’t mess up my Previous numbers.

Plea
Please
se kekeep
ep  in mi
mind
nd that
that unfo
unfort
rtun
unat
atel
ely
y the
the Th
ThininkE
kEat
atLi
Lift
ft ap
app
p st
stililll has
has some
some bu
bugs
gs.. It
works smoothly  on my Samsung S7 but some people have told me that on their
phone
ness the  ap
app p som
sometimetimeses lo
los
ses thei
theirr hi
hist
sto
ory or sh
sho
ows raranndo
dom m num
umbber
ers
s under
der
Prev
Previo
ious
us inst
instea
ead d  of thei
theirr la
last
st perf
perfor
orma
mancnce.
e. If th
that
at happ
happen ens
s to you
you I apolapolog
ogiz
ize
e an
and d
sadly I  have to recommend usin ing
g a different workout app or just using the notes
app in  your phone (or a notebook and pen) to keep track of progress. If you start
using the  ThinkEatLift app and you find any bugs, please let me know what
causes them.
 

Now, in  addition to the ThinkEatLift app I recommend using the app called
Symmetric
Symm etric Stre
Strength
ngth.  It’s made by the same people who made the sit ite
e where you
can
ca n ca
calclcul
ulat
ate
e your
your stre
streng
ngth
th stan
standa
dard
rds.
s. La
Last
st ti
time
me I ch
chec
ecke
ked
d it wa
was
s free
free on Andr
Androi
oid
d
and $4  on iPhone. I recommend getting it anyway because it’s well worth the
price (I’m not affiliated with them in any way).

Symmet
mmetriric
c Stren
treng
gth  is not an app to tra
track you
ourr prog
rogre
ress
ss work
workou
outt to work
worko
out but
to track your progress long term. It has three very useful features:

The first  feature is   Str

Streng
ength
th Ana
Analys
lysis
is. After each personal record you should go
into the  app and input the weight you lifted, the number of reps, and you body
weight that  day. The app will then show you in what category of strength
standards you  fit into, your estimated 1 rep max, your long term progress, how
you compare  to the average lifter at your strength level, and your strongest
muscle groups. It’s very cool!

The se
The seco
cond
nd  fe
feat
ature is   Stre
ure Strength
ngth Stan
Standard
dardss. This to
too
ol allo
llows you to calc
lcul
ula
ate wh
what
at
weight you  need to lift on each exercise in order to reach a certain strength
sta
tand
ndaard
rd.. Che
heccki
kin
ng  thi
hiss data ofte
ften is ve
very
ry mo
moti
tiv
vat
atin
ing
g becau
ause
se it give
ives yo
youu clear
lear
goals to pursue in the gym.

And the  third feature is the   One Rep Max Calculator which is very useful for
chan
changi
ging
ng re
repp  ra
rang
nges
es,, pa
part
rtic
icul
ular
arly
ly for
for du
dumb
mbbe
bellll ex
exer
erci
cise
ses.
s. Whe
hen
n you
you st
star
artt us
usin
ing
ga
heavier set  of dumbbells this tool can help you estimate how much you need to
reduce your  reps per set. For example if you’ve been doing sets of 10 with 20 kg
(45 lbs)  DBs the app will show you would only be able to do sets of 6 with 22.5 kg
(50 lbs)  DBs. Or if you’ve been doing Barbell Rows with 50 kg for sets of 6 and
want to  start doing sets of 8 instead, the app will show you need to reduce the
weight to 47 kg.

This tool  is also very useful for female lifters because it shows them how many
rep
eps
s the
they’ll
y’ll  lo
lose
se wh
when
en they
they add we
weig
igh
ht to the
the bar. If a fema
female
le lif
lifte
terr is able to benc
nch
h
press the  empty bar for sets of 5, adding 2.5 kg (5 lbs) to the bar is a bad idea
because it  will likely result in failure on the first rep! In order for a female lifter to
 

progress at  2.5 kg or 5 lbs increments, they need to work in a very wide rep range
such as  5-10. Doing sets of 10 with the empty bar is equivalent to doing sets of 5
with 2.5  kg (5 lbs) on the bar! It’s really useful to be able to do these calculations.
 You’ll know  how much you need to increase your reps before you can increase
the weight.
 

How To Warm Up Before Lifting  

Increasing your body temperature before lifting serves two purposes:

● Reduce the risk of injury by identifying tight spots before lifting

● Improve performance  by increasing muscle blood flow and oxygen
availability and by improving the sensitivity of your neuromuscular system

Here’s what I recommend:

1. 
If it’s
it’s a leg
leg wo
work
rko
out, wa
warrm up on the ellllip
ipti
tica
call fo
forr 5-10
-10 mi
min
nut
utes
es be
befo
fore
re doing
ing th
the
e
dynamic warm up. 

Using the  elliptical for 5-10 minutes helps bring up your heart rate and body
te
temp
mper
erat
atur
ure
e an
and d  wa
warm
rmss up yo
your
ur le
leg
g musc
muscle
les
s and
and join
joints
ts for
for lift
liftin
ing
g we
weig
ight
hts.
s. Wh
When
en
you’re training the upper body, warming up on the elliptical is not necessary.

2. Do a 3-5 minute dynamic warm up before touching the weights. 

10 neck circles
20 arm circles forward

20 arm circles backwards

10 trunk rotations
15 leg swings front to back
15 leg swings side to side
10 supermans

If your  gym has elastic bands use them to warm up your shoulder and rotator
cuff muscles.  This can reduce the risk of injury long term and can eliminate
shou
sh ould
lder
er pa
pain
in  fr
from
om be
benc
nch
h pr
pres
essi
sing
ng.. He
Here’s   a go
re’s good
od vi
vide
deo
o th
that
at de
demo
mons
nstr
trat
ates
es ho
how
w

to warm up before lifting

lifting..
 

3. 
Before doing your main sets for the compound movements do four easier.
.sets to warm up. 

First warm  up set - 12 reps with the empty bar, empty machine, or very light
dumbbells
Rest 1 minute
Second warm up set - 5 reps with 50% of the weight you’ll use
Rest 1 minute
Third warm up set - 3 reps with 70% of the weight you’ll use
Rest 1 minute
Fourth warm up set - 2 reps with 90% of the weight you’ll use
Rest 1 minute
Begin main sets

For bodyweight  chin-ups there is no need to do warm up sets, just do the

dynamic warm  up. For weighted chin-ups do one or two sets of 3-5 reps with
your bodyweight.

 You only  need to do warm up sets for free weight compound exercises such as
benc
be nchh pr
pres
ess,
s,  incl
inclin
ine
e be
benc
nchh pr
pres
ess,
s, DB pr
pres
esse
ses,
s, sq
squa
uats
ts,, dead
deadlilift
fts,
s, an
and
d ro
rows
ws.. Ther
There
e
is no  need to warm up for machine exercises such as cable rows, lat pulldo ldowns,
leg extensions,  leg curls, machine chest presses, etc (u (un
nles
less they are the first
exer
ex erci
cise
se yo
you
u do for
for that
that body
body pa
part
rt that
that work
workou
out)
t) or for
for is
isol
olat
atio
ionn ex
exer
erci
cise
sess such
such as
biceps curls, triceps extensions, lateral raises, calf raises, etc.

There’s also  no need to do any static stretches before lifting as that can
decreas
reasee perfo
erform
rman
anc
ce.  Le
Len
ngthen
thenin
ing
g and rela
relaxxing
ing mu
musc
scle
le fibe
ibers be
befo
forre lift
liftin
ing
g
can reduce  the force of muscle contractions. Stick with short dynamic
movements and avoid static stretching before lifting.
 

 What To Do If You Plateau  

Beyond the  intermediate level not making strength gains in a deficit is normal.

 Your recovery  capacity is lower and you have less fuel available for your
workouts.

Mainta
Maintain
inin
ing
g stre
streng
ngth
th  wh
whilile
e lo
losi
sing
ng a lo
lott of bo
body
dywe
weig
ight
ht ca
can
n actu
actual
ally
ly be co
cons
nsid
ider
ered
ed
a form  of progress. Every time your relative strength improves (strength
compared to your bodyweight) you can say you’re making progress.

Howeve
Howe verr novi
novice
cess  an
andd inte
interm
rmededia
iate
tes
s sh
shou
ould
ld be able
able to ga
gain
in st
stre
reng
ngthth whil
while
e cu
cutt
ttin
ing
g
usin
using
g the
the ro
rout
utin
ines
es gi
give
venn in this
this pr
prog
ogra
ram.
m. Pl
Plat
atea
eaui
uing
ng at th
that
at leve
levell is no
nott norm
normal
al an
andd

it indicates you’re making a mistake in your training.

Let’s see what those mistakes are so you can prevent them.

1. Stop Grinding Reps (or training to

t o failure). 
With
ith the
the  Sh
Shre
redS
dSma
martrt trai
traini
ning
ng ro
rout
utin
ines
es,, fa
faililur
ure
e sh
shou
ould
ld no
nott be so
soug
ughtht out,
out, it shou
should ld
only
on ly oc
occa
casi
sion
onal
ally
ly  oc
occu
curr on yo
your
ur fi
fina
nall sets
sets be
beca caus
usee yo
you
u as
assusume
medd yo
youu co
coul
uldd hi
hitt th
thee
required reps.  Every time you know there is the possibilit ityy to fail the last rep of a
set, rack the weights.

 You may  think you’re not getting the full benefits of training if you don’t push to
the absolute  limit but that’s not the case. Stopping 1-3 reps before failure
produces almost the same training stimulus but allows you to minimize fatigue.

Let’s take  for example two people at the same strength level, one pushing his
sets to failure, the other leaving 1-3 reps in the tank:
 

Training to Failure Stopping 1-3 reps before failure

100 kg x 8 100 kg x 5

100 kg x 4 100 kg x 5

100 kg x 3 100 kg x 5

Total reps: 15 Total reps: 15

Total weight lifted: 1500 kg Total weight lifted: 1500 kg

If you  hit
hit fa
faililur
ure
e in a se
set,
t, your perfo
rforma
man
nce wi
willll dra
rast
stic
ica
ally
lly de
dec
cre
rea
ase th
the
e fo
follllo
owi
win
ng
sets   or  th
the
e en
enti tire
re wo
work
rkou t . Th
out  The
e guy pacin
ing
g him
himse self
lf feel
feels
s mu
muc ch less
less fat
atig
igu
ued at the
end of the exercise and his performanperformance
ce on subsequent exercises will be better.

The main  problem with consistently training to failure is that you   develop a

condit
ditio
ion
n sim
simila
ilar  to ov
ove
ertr
rtrai
ain
nin
ing
g. Yo
You
ur cent
ntra
rall ne
nerv
rvo
ous syst
ste
em get
ets
s exh
exhauste
usted
d
with time and can no longer recruit muscle fibers properly.

So if  you’re
u’re guilt
uilty
y of pu
push
shin
ing
g too
too hard in your fir
first set
ets,
s, to th
the
e poin
intt wher
wheree you los
lose
rep
epss in  sub
ubseseqque
uen nt sets,
ets, stop
stop do
doin
ing
g tha
that. Rem
ememembeberr th
the
e RPE guiuiddelin
lines
es:: 7 in the
first set, 8 in the second, 9 in the third.

2. Change The Exercise.

Exercise. 
If you  cannot make progress on a particular exercise but other lifts are
prog
ogreress
ssin
ing
g just
just  fi
fin
ne, chan
ang ge the
the exexer
erc
cis
ise.
e. Res
esea
earc
rchher Brad Scho
hoeenf
nfel
eld
d wro
rote
te
tha
hatt doi
oin
ng  the sam
ame e ex
exer
erc
cisise
e ove
verr an
and
d over again
ain fo
forr sev
ever
era
al mont
nths
hs can lead
lead to
monotono
mono tonous
us over
overtrain ing .  Perhaps that is why trying to progress on a lift that has
training 
been stalled for weeks is generally a recipe for failure.

So change  that exercise wit ith

h a similar variation
ion. For example instead of doing
incline barbell  bench press do DB incline bench press. Instead of chin-ups do
pull-ups or  neutral grip chin-ups. Instead of back squats do front squats or leg
press. Instead of barbell rows do cable rows or another back movement.
 

This is  why I gave you that list of alternative exercises for each routine, so you
know
know wh
whatat exer
exerci
cise
ses
s yo
you
u ca
cann do in
inst
stea
ead
d wh
whenen you
you pl
plat
atea
eau.
u. You
You can
can eith
either
er do th
the
e
new exercise  until you plateau on it as well or you can do it for about 8 weeks and
then return to the old exercise. 

Volume. 
3. Increase Training Volume.
If th
the
e firs
firstt tw
two
o me
meththod
ods s
don’
do n’tt wo
work rk an
andd yo
youu stil
stilll
stal
stalll freq
frequeuent
ntly
ly  ev
even
en in
a calorie  surplus then
you should  increase
training volume.  Here
is a  flo
low
wchart to use all
the time:

How do  you know

you're recovered?

Recovered means:
- you  feel energized at the begin
inn
ning of your workouts and you look forward to
lifting
- you sleep well
- your sex drive is up
- you have good appetite
- your immunity is normal

If you’re  recovered and you are plateaued, add an extra sets to two of the
exercises you  do for that muscle group. For example, if your bench is not
progressing, add  an extra set to it and an extra set to another exercise you do
for chest.
 

But remember  that the reason you may not be able to progress is because
you’r
’re
e cuttin
tting
g.  If you we
were
re eat
atin
ing
g a su
surrplu
lus
s of calo
alorie
ries, th
the
e sa
sam
me tra
rain
inin
ing
g volu
lum
me
may have produced very good strength and muscle gains.

Don’t increase volume when you’re making good progress. Do enough to

progress, not  as much as you can handle. Increase when plateaued if you are
recovering well.
Don’
Do n’tt fall
fall  into
into the
the trap
trap of thin
thinki
king
ng mo
more
re is al
alwa
ways
ys be
bett
tter
er.. Prog
Progre
ress
ss in
inev
evit
itab
ably
ly slow
slows
s
down with  training age and no matter you what you do, you won’t be able to
change that.

Summary . 
● At the
the inte
interm
rmed
edia
iate
te-a
-adv
dvan
ance
ced
d leve
level,l, not
not maki
making
ng st
stre
reng
ngth
th gain
gains
s in a de
defi
fici
citt is
normal because a calorie deficit is also a recovery deficit.

● Mainta
Main tain
inin
ing
g stre
streng
ngth
th  on a cu
cutt is ac
actu
tual
ally
ly a form
form of pr
prog
ogre
ress
ss be
beca
caus
use
e yo
you’
u’re
re
lifting the  same weights at a lower bodyweight. Your relative strength is
better.

● If you
you  plate
lateau
au the fir
irst
st thi
hin
ng you sh
sho
oul
uld
d sto
top
p doing
ing is tr
trai
ain
nin
ing
g to fa
faililur
ure.
e. End
your sets when you still have 1-3 reps in the tank.

● If yo
you
u ar
are
e plat
platea
eaue
ued
d bu
butt reco
recove
vere
red,
d, incr
increa
ease
se tr
trai
aini
ning
ng vo
volu
lume
me.. Ad
Add
d on
one
e extr
extra
a

set for two for the muscle group you’re stalled on.
 

 What To Do If You Lose

Strength While Cutting  

When cutting,  strength maintenance is the best indicator for muscle

maintenance. That  is because if the contractile tissue (your muscle fibers)
rem
ema ain the
the sam
ame e siz
ize
e, the
hey y wi
willll be abl
ble
e to pro
rod
duc
ucee ju
jus
st as much
uch fo
forrce.
ce. So if you’
u’rre
mainta
intain
inin
ing
g str
stren
enggth  wh
whilile
e cutti
uttin ng, kno
know ththat
at you’
u’re
re doin
ing
g thi
hin
ngs righ
ight, you
ou’r
’ree
maintintaining
ing all  your muscle. In fact you may be gaining a little because you’re
lifting the same weights at a lower body weight.

Howe
Howeve
ver,
r, it  is po
poss
ssib
ible
le to lo
lose
se stre
streng
ngth
th wi
with
thou
outt losi
losing
ng mu
musc
scle
le.. The
The reas
reason
on for
for th
that
at
is be
beca
caus
usee  stre
streng
ngth
th is no
nott on
only
ly de
depe
pend
nden
entt on musc
muscle
le size
size,, it
it’s
’s also
also depe
depend
nden
entt on
fuel availability and leverage.

When you’re eating less, you’re also reducing your fuel for your workouts.

Carbs fuel  workout performance so if after a few weeks of diet ieting, one day you
are
are glyc
glycog
ogenen de
depl
plet
eted
ed you’
you’llll pr
prob
obab
ably
ly lo
lose
se some
some st stre
reng
ngth
th in th
that
at work
workouout.
t. As you
you
get closer  and closer to the essential body fat levels, fueling your body while
sta
tayi
yin
ng in  a defic
ficit be
bec
come
mess more and mo morre dif
diffic
ficult
ult so in th
this
is scen
scenaario
rio you may
see strength loss without muscle loss.

Also, when  you’re losing body weight your abilit lity to control the weight on some
movevememen nts de
deccre
reaase
ses
s  bec
eca ause your body is lig light
hter
er.. For exaxam
mple on shshou
ould
lder
er
press if  the weight you’re using moves you around instead of you moving it,
obvioiouusly
sly the
the  exerc
xercisise
e wi
willll be tha
hatt mucuch h har
arde
derr to pe
perf rfor
orm.
m. That’
hat’s
s pro
proba
babbly th
the
e
main re reas
ason
on  pu
push
shin
ingg str
stren
eng gth is the
the fi
firrst one to dececrrease
ease on a cut (b (ben
enc
ch press
ess,
sho
houulde
lder pres
ess
s).  Als
lso
o, wh
whe en yoyou
u’r
’re
e le
lea
anenerr the
the ran
angege of moti tio
on on ben
encch press
ress is
likely in
inc
creased  because you have less fat on your back and chest and the bar
may need  to travel a few extra centimeters each rep. That can affect your
strength level.
 

Wit
ith
h that  said,
id, strength loss can be caused by muscle los
loss. To make sure this is
not the  case for you too, look at the list below and confirm you’re not making
these mistakes:

1. Eating less than 75 of maintenance calories. 

If your  deficit is higher than 25% eat more. That’s probably the reason you’re
losing muscle and strength.

2. Doing more than 3-4 hours of cardio per week.

Do just  the amount of cardio you need to reach your goals (anywhere from no
cardio at all to 3-4 hours per week).

3. Eat
atin
ing
g less
less th
tha
an 0.
0.8
8 gra
rams
ms of pro
rote
tein
in per poun
und
d of bodywe
dyweig
igh
ht / less
less tha
han
n 1.8g
1.8g
per kg
Protein is  essential for muscle maintenance. Eat more of it - around 1 gram per
pound or 2.2 grams per kg.

4. Not sleeping enough 

Sleep is  extremely important for muscle maintenance on a cut. In   a study from
2011
2011,, 10  su
sub
bje
jec
cts we
were
re put in a 70
700
0 calo
lorrie de
defi
fic
cit and spl
plit
it be
betw
twee
een
n two group
roups
s.
One group  slept an average of 5 and a half hours per night and the other group
8 and  a half hours per night for 14 days. As you’d expect, both groups lost the
same amount of weight because the calorie deficit was the same.

But there  was a HUGE difference in terms of body composition. The high sleep
group lost  about 80% fat and 20% lean mass. And the low
low sleep group los
lost 40%
fat and 60% lean mass. The low sleep group lost MORE lean
l ean mass than fat.

Now, a  limitation of this study is that the subjects did not lift weights. If they
tra
rain
ine
ed they
they  wo
wouuld hav
ave e de
defi
fin
nit
ite
ely mai
ain
nta
tain
ine
ed mu
muscscle
le bett
tte
er. But the low
low sl
sle
eep
group would  have lost more lean mass anyway. Lack of sleep creates a
cata
ca tabo
bolilic
c en
envi
viro
ronm
nmenentt  be
beca
caus
usee it de
decr
crea
ease
sess te
test
stos
oste
tero
rone
ne and
and IG
IGF-
F-1.
1. So slee
sleep
p
more.
 

Summary .  

● Strength loss  on a cut is not necessarily caused by muscle loss. At a lower

bodyweight it’s more difficult to handle heavy weights.

It is possible to lose muscle on a cut if you’re making these mistakes:

1. Eating less than 75% of maintenance calories.
2. Doing more than 3-4 hours of cardio per week.
3. Eating  less than 0.8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight / less
than 1.8g per kg
4. Not sleeping enough

● To prevent strength loss on a cut, do the opposite:

1. Have a daily deficit of no more than 20-25%.

2. Do  low amounts of cardio (maximum 3-4 hours a week) or do no cardio

at all expect for walking.
3. Eat 0.8-1.2g of protein per pound of bodyweight (1.8-2.6g per kg).
4. Get 7-9 hours of good quality sleep per night.
 

How To Use Cardio For Fat Loss  

Doing cardio  is not necessary for getting lean. You can reach 6-7% body fat

ing  alone if you want. However, even if you don’t   need  ca

through dieting card
rdio
io th
that
at
doesn’t mean it can’t help you, as you’ll see in a minute.

I th
thin
ink
k  ove
verr the yeaears
rs card
rdio
io bec
ecaame syn
yno
onym
ymo ous wit
with fat
fat los
loss bec
becau
ause
se peopl
ple
e
thought that  sweat was an indicator of fat loss. I used to believe that too. I
remember I  felt so proud when my shirt was super wet after a cardio workout.
The
Th e fact
fact  is,
is, it’s
it’s ve
very
ry ea
easy
sy to co
conv
nvin
ince
ce so
some
meon
one
e th
they
ey’r
’re
e losi
losing
ng fat
fat wh
when
en th
they
ey’r
’re
e ou
outt
of breath  and drenched in sweat. That’s how intense aerobic workouts
became…“fat burning workouts”.

But as  I’m sure you know, this is not true.   Ca

Card
rdio
io in and of itse
itself
lf doesn
sn’’t burn
burn fa
fat.
t.
Fat loss all comes down to being in a calorie deficit. This is basic physiology.

If you  ca
can
n cre
reat
ate
e an en
ener
ergy
gy defic
eficit
it thro
throu
ugh exe
xerrcise
ise th
that
at’s
’s grea
great,
t, you’
u’llll lose
lose fa
fat.
t.
But if  you eat enough calories to compensate the energy you burn, all those
extreme cardio  workouts won’t help you lose fat. In fact if you eat a surplus of
calories you can gain fat while exercising hard everyday.

So cardio  is certainly not necessary for getting lean. You can create the defic
iciit
you need  through your diet alone.   But the best strategy is to combine calorie
restriction with a bit of cardio. Let me explain why.

The Benefit Of Doing Some Cardio. 

The main  benefit of doing some cardio in addition to lifting weights is that you
burn mo
morre  calor
lories
ies an
and d ther
theref
efor
ore
e can eat more fo
foo
od wit
itho
hou
ut compro
mprom mis
isin
ing
g the
calorie deficit.
To create  a 700 calo lorrie deficit for example you can cut your food in
inttake by 700
calories or  you can cut your food intake only by 500 calories and burn 200
 

through cardio.  The second option is more enjoyable because it allows you to
eat an  extra 200g of potatoes a day, a small dessert, or add a bit more fat to
your meals.  Those extra bits of food make a massive difference for satiety and
adherence.

How Much Cardio Should You Do For Fat Loss?

Loss?..
Here’s my  best recommendation for cardio: When cutting, create 80% of the
deficit through your diet and only 20% through cardio.

For exa
xamp
mplele  if yo
you
ur da
dailily
y calo
lorrie de
defi
fic
cit ne
nee
eds to be 700
700 calor
lories
ies, the
hen
n you coul
uld
d
eat 500  calories less and add in 3 sessions of cardio a week that burn 400
calories. That would lead to a daily average calorie deficit of about 700.

What you 
shouldn’t do is combine a low calorie diet with a lot of cardio. By do
doin
ing
g
that you  create too large of a deficit which can lead to muscle loss, decreased
testosterone levels,  increased hunger, and chronic fatigue. The calories
expended through  exercise should be part of the 20-25% daily deficit, not an
addi
ad diti
tion
on.. Do
Don’
n’tt  cu
cutt yo
your
ur food
food in
inta
take
ke to 75
75-8
-80%
0% of ma
main
inte
tena
nanc
nce
e calo
calori
ries
es and
and th
then
en
do cardio on top of that.
 

Cardio
Cardio as  an
any
y type
type of ex
exer
erci
cise
se,, ca
caus
uses
es musc
muscle
le da
dama
mage
ge whic
whichh requ
requir
ires
es reco
recove
very
ry..
When you’re  in a calorie deficit, your recovery capacity is lower so it makes
sense to save most of it for recovering after working out, not cardio.

Cardio
 What Type Of Cardio Is Best For Getting
Getting Fat Loss?.
Loss?.
There’s a  huge debate going on online about whether high intensity interval
training or  low Intensity cardio burns more fat. In my opinion this is a useless
argument.

Even if one
Even one type
type of exer
exerci
cise
se burn
burns s mo
morere fa
fatt th
than
an anot
anothe
herr whil
while e yo
you’
u’re
re do
doin
ingg it
it,, th
the
e
amou
am ount
nt of fat
fat yo you
u lo
lose
se is stil
stilll en
enti
tire
rely
ly de
depe
pend
ndenentt on th
thee calo
calori
rie
e de
defi
fici
cit.
t. Ou
Ourr body
body is
very
very sma rt.   If you
smart. you burn more fat dur urin
ing
g ex
exe erc
rcis
ise
e, you
ou’l
’lll bu
burn
rn morore
e glu
glucocosse at res estt
and vice versa.

I th
thin
ink
k  the
the re
real
al argu
argume
ment
nt ac
actu
tual
ally
ly is wh
whic
ich
h type
type of card
cardio
io bu
burn
rns
s mo
more
re ca
calo
lori
ries
es per
per
minute. In that case, yes, higher intensity always wins.

Anything that  is high intensity, of course burns more calories than it’s lower
inte
intens
nsit
ity
y ve
vers
rsio
ion
n.  But that
hat doesn
oesn’t
’t mak
ake
e it sup
upe
erio
rior fo
forr fa
fatt loss
loss.. What you bur
urn
n in
half an  hour of intense cardio, you can burn in one hour of brisk walking. Think
about it.  30 minutes of super intense aerobic exercise may burn 300-400
calories. One hour of walking burns 300-400 calories as well.

If you  bu
burn
rn the same
same amoun
mountt of calalo
orie
ies,
s, wa
walk
lkin
ing
g is ju
just
st as effec
ffecti
tiv
ve fo
forr fat los
loss as
any other type of cardio, it just takes longer to perform.

Calorie Targets.
I recommend  aiming to burn about 4-5 calories per kilogram (2-3 calories per
pound of  bodyweight) on each cardio session. So if you’re 81 kg / 180 lbs, you
should aim to burn 300-450 calories per session. Here’s what you can do:

1. Walking
Walking is  the only type of cardio I do. When cutting I make an effort to walk
around 30-60  minutes per day. For each kilo
lom
meter you walk you burn as many
 

calo
lori
rie
es as  your
our bodywei
yweig
ght in kililo
ogra
rams
ms (ap
(appro
roxi
xima
mattely
ely). I we
weig
igh
h ar
aro
oun
und
d 80 kg
so to burn 400 kcal I need to walk around 5 kilometers.

2. Running
Running burns  about as many calor lories as walking per distance but you do it in
less time.  If you’re interested in maxim
imiizin
ing
g strength just know that running is a
type of  cardio that produces pretty high muscle damage because your legs
repeatedly hit  the ground. This interferes with recovery so it’s harder to fit
between leg training sessions.

3. Swi
wimm
mmin
ing
g
Swi
wim
mmi
minng is  awe
weso
som
me. It in
invo
volv
lves
es your wh
who ole body and it it’s
’s a type of card
rdio
io th
that
at
tra
rain
ins
s the  upper
per bo
bod
dy mo
morere tha
than the lo
lowe
werr body
dy.. Ha
Half
lf an ho
hou ur of swimm
wimmin
ing
g bur
urnns
about 300 calories.

4. High In
Intens
tensity
ity Inte
Interval
rval Tra
Training
ining us
using
ing a cardi
cardioo machin
machinee
High
High In
Inte
tens
nsit
ity
y  In
Inte
terv
rval
al Trai
Traini
ning
ng on a stat
statio
iona
nary
ry bi
bike
ke is pr
prob
obab
ably
ly th
the
e th
the
e best
best ty
type
pe
of cardio  you can do indoors. You could use any cardio machine for HIIT
(t
(tre
read
admi
millll,, bike
bike,,  el
ellilipt
ptic
ical
al,, rowi
rowing
ng ma
mach
chin
ine,
e, et
etc)
c).. Alte
Altern
rnat
ativ
ivel
ely
y yo
you
u co
coul
uld
d ju
jump
mp rope
rope
or do circuits such as Tabata, Insanity, or P90X.

One session of HIIT done a recumbent bike would look like this:
○ 5 minutes warm-up
○ 30 seconds of pedaling as hard as you can
○ 60-90 seconds of pedaling on the lowest intensity
○ 30 seconds of pedaling as hard as you can
○ 60-90 seconds of pedaling on the lowest intensity
○ repeat this for 20-25 minutes
○ 2-3 minutes cooldown

5. Others
There are  hundreds other options. You can mountain bike, jump rope, play
spor
sports
ts,, hike
hike,,  sh
shad
adow
ow bo
box,
x, da
danc
nce,
e, wh
what
atev
ever
er yo
you
u want
want.. Reme
Rememb
mber
er yo
you’
u’re
re do
doin
ing
g it
just as a means to burn energy.
 

How I Recommend You Do Cardio.

In my  opinion the best way to do cardio is to do both high intensity and low
inte
intens
nsit
ity
y ex
exer
erci
cise
se..  I kn
know
ow yo
you
u ar
are
e pr
prob
obab
ably
ly busy
busy an
and
d ha
have
ve ot
othe
herr in
inte
tere
rest
sts
s ou
outs
tsid
ide
e
of the gym so here’s what I recommend you do:

During the  warm months of the year do what I call “in infformal cardio” – meaning
any type  of physical activity that burns calories but doesn’t require special
equipment or  you going to the gym. This could be anything like walking, hiking,
spo
porrts,
ts, go
goin
ing
g  to the
the pool, volllley
ey on the be
beac
ach
h, pain
aintba
tball,
ll, wh
wha
ate
teve
ver.
r. If it get
ets
s your
body moving that’s perfect.

What I  do on a day to day basis is walking. I really like it because I can make it a
part of  my day instead of setting aside a special time for cardio. If I have to go

somewhere I  walk instead of taking the bus or going by car. If I don’t have to go
anyw
ywhe
here
re I  just
just tak
ake
e a lo
long
ng walalk
k thro
throu
ugh the
the ne
neigigh
hbourho
urhoood. I rea
really
lly like
like wa
walk
lkin
ing
g
because
ause I  can list
listen
en to aud
udio
iobo
boooks or podc
dcaast
sts
s so I’m also
lso st
stu
udyin
dyingg at the same
same
time. During  the course of a day, I probably get 30-45 minutes of walking and
that adds up over the course of a week.

Do this: when the weather is nice, walk more.

Now, during
ring  wi
win
nter
ter tim
ime
e, wa
walk
lkin
ing
g is no
nott tha
hatt en
enjo
joya
yab
ble.
le. So ins
inste
tead
ad of doin
ing
g tha
hat,
t,

you can  do some carardi

dio
o sess
sessio
ion
ns at the gym
ym.. You
You could
uld do HI
HIIIT 2-3 time
imes a we
week
ek
on rest  days or after your workouts or you could do 30-40 minutes of moderate
intensity exercise.

Is Fasted Cardio Superior For Fat Loss?.

Loss?.
 You’ve probably  heard people say that fasted training leads to better fat loss
than fed training. This is not true.
 

Resea
Re searc
rch
h sho
shows ws  that
that fa
fatt lo
loss
ss is si
simi
mila
larr whet
whethe
herr or not
not an in
indi
divi
vidu
dual
al is fast
fasted
ed prio
priorr
to training.  It’s true that fasted cardio burns more fat while you’re doing it. But
that doesn’t matter.

In a  calorie deficit our body is very careful about how it uses resources. If you
burn more  fat during a cardio session, our body will try to compensate by
burning more  carbohydrates at rest. So in the end, only the calorie deficit truly
matters.

Actual
Actu ally
ly,, fa
fast
sted
ed  trai
traini
ning
ng ma
may
y inte
interf
rfer
ere
e wi
with
th yo
your
ur wo
work
rkou
outt perf
perfor
orma
manc
nce
e espe
especi
cial
ally
ly
if you  do a high volume workout. So it seems you have nothing to gain and
something to lose if you train fasted for better fat loss. 
potentially something

Summary . 
●
Cardio is  not necessary for achieving a low body fat because the calorie
deficit can be created through dieting.

● Doing cardio  on a cut is helpful because it allows you to eat more food,
making the cut more enjoyable.

● Cardio in  and of itself does not burn fat. The calories expended through
cardio are what produce fat loss (if they create a calorie deficit).

●
All types  of cardio are equally effective for burning fat but some are more
time efficient.  For example 30 minutes of intense cardio burns about the
same amount  of calories as 60 minutes of walking. Because the calories
burned are the same, they will produce the same amount of fat loss.

● High amo
Hig moununtts  of card
rdio
io can in
inte
terf
rfer
ere
e with
ith your st
stre
reng
ngth
th prog
rogre
ress
ssio
ion
n. You
You
should do maximum 3-4 hours of cardio per week.

● The form  of cardio I recommend is walking. Do this: During the warm

months of the year make an effort to walk about 30-40 minutes per day.
During the cold months of the year, do 2-3 sessions of HIIT per week.
 

Training Abs And Other Small

Muscle Groups
Afterr laun
Afte launch
chin
ing
g the
the fi
firs
rstt ve
vers
rsio
ion
n of Sh
Shre
redS
dSma
mart
rt I th
thin
ink
k th
the
e most
most freq
freque
uent
nt ques
questi
tion
on I
got from  readers was:   What about ab training? The training program doesn’t 
include any ab exercises.

The rerea
aso
son
n  I didn
idn’t in
inc
clu
lude
de ab exe
exercis
rcise
es in th
the
e main
ain train
rainin
ing
g rout
utin ine
es is because
ause I
belie
lieve ab  tra
trainin
ining
g is not nec
ece
ess
ssar
ary.
y. Yo
You
ur co
corre mu
musc
scle
les
s natu
tura
ralllly
y get bigg
igger and
stronger when  you progress on the main compound exercises, particularly
squats, deadlifts,  and rows. If you’re at the intermediate or proficient strength

standards and  you’re lean you’re basically 100% guaranteed to have abs. So if
your reason  for wanting to train your abs is purely aesthetic then you can not
bother. You’ll have abs either way if you get strong.

With that  said, direct ab training can be beneficial because getting your ab
muscles stronger  can help prevent injury in some exercises. So if you want to
tra
rain
in your abs I reco
recom
mme
mendnd doin
ing
g 2-
2-4
4 ab exe
xerc
rcis
ise
es per we
week
ek.. The
The best
best ones
nes in my
opinion are  Hanging Leg Raises, Captain’s Chair Leg Raises, Cable Crunches,
and
an d Sw
Swin
ingi
ging
ng  Side
Side-t
-to-
o-Si
Side
de Knee
Knee up
ups.
s. Yo
You
u ca
can
n do one
one or tw
two
o of th
thes
ese
e exer
exerci
cise
sess at

the end of two of your weekly workouts (3 sets of 10-20 reps).

 What about developing the Neck and Forearms?

Forearms?.. 
The trut
truthh  is if you wa
wan
nt to deve
velo
lop
p the
the mo
most
st aest
sth
het
etic
ic phys
ysiq
iqu
ue possi
ossib
ble (or
(or ha
hav
ve
as much  muscle mass as possible) directly training your abs, forearms, neck,
traps, rear delts, and calves is important.
i mportant.

But the  problem is it’s not convenient to train all of them properly at the end of
your normal  workouts because you’ll be in the gym for an extra 30 minutes or
more. For  this reason I personally believe it’
it’s not worth it for the vast majority of
people.
 

But if  you’ve got the time and motivation you can have an extra day of training
dedicated entirely to training these muscle groups.

It could look like this:

● Neck Curls (front, back, sides) - 9 sets of 10-15 reps

● DB Wrist Curls - 3 sets of 10-20 reps
● Standing DB Wrist Extensions - 3 sets of 10-20 reps
● Facepulls or Bent Over Flyes - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
● Machine Rear Delt Flyes - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
● Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
● Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
● Swinging Side-to-side Knee ups - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
● Captain’s Chair Leg Raises - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
● Air Bicycle - 3 sets of 15-30 reps
 

Part 3 - MOTIVATION.
How To Develop The
Discipline To Do The Program
 

Knowing Does
Not Equal Doing  

Let me share something shocking.

The platform  I use for the ShredSmart program allows me to see how much of it
people read.  As a random example, a member named Jake enrolled in the
program 6 days ago and has read 76% of it so far:

Guess what percentage of customers never even open it?

About 20%.

I find  this fascinating. 20% of the people who found a good fitness program and
spe
pennt mo
monney  on it,
it, do
don
n’t ev
eve
en sta
start it
it.. Is it rea
ealllly
y su
surp
rpri
risi
sin
ng th
that
at most
most peop
eople nev
eve
er
achieve their fitness goals?

I think no matter how good a fitness program people get, this happens:

● 20% don’t  even read the program because they give up on their goal
before opening the documents or videos.
 

● 40-60% apply  the information for 1-6 weeks then they go back to their old
habits.
● 20-3
20 -300% stic
stick
k  wi
witth the
the pro
roggra
ram
m lo
lon
ng-te
-term but fafailil to be cononsi
sis
ste
ten
nt with
with th
thei
eirr
die
iett and  tra
train
inin
ing
g. Thes
ese
e pe
peoople ge
gett pr
pret
etty
ty good reresu sult
lts
s in th
the
e lon
long-te
-term but
almost never achieve their fitness goals.
● Fina
Finalllly,
y, ar
arou
ound
nd  10
10%% ac
achi
hiev
eve
e the
the stre
streng
ngth
th leve
levell an
and d ph
physysiq
ique
ue th
they
ey se
sett out
out to
build
uild.. Thes
ese
e  ar
are
e the
the guy
uys
s tha
that ap
app
pea
earr in th
the
e tr
tra
ans
nsfform
rmat
atio
ion
n pic
pictu
ture
res
s on th
the
e
site.

The re
The realalit
ityy is ma
many
ny pe
peop
ople
le la
lack
ck the
the di
disc
scip
ipliline
ne an
and d mo
motitiva
vati
tion
on to st
stic
ick
k with
with a fitn
fitnes
ess
s
program long-term  and no matter how much they learn about nutrition and
tra
rain
inin
ingg they
they  wo
wonn’t appl
plyy the
the in
inffor
orma
matitio
on. Theref
erefor ore
e wh
what at the
hey
y reall
eallyy nee
eed
d to ge
gett
res
esul
ultts is  a way to statay
y mot
motiviva
ated
ted anand
d disisc cip
iplilin
ned - a way to make the hems
msel
elv
ves do
what they  want to do. This is what the third part of ShredSmart is all about. You’ll
lear
learnn ab
abououtt  the
the co
conc
ncep
eptt of se
self
lf-i
-ima
magege and
and ho how w th
that
at in
infl
flue
uenc
nces
es your
your beha
behavi
vior
or and
and
you will
will  le
lea
arn how to use aut
autos
osug
ugg
gest
estio
ion
n to ch
cha
ang
ngee th
the
e way you see you
ours
rsel
elff an
and
d
increase your desire to achieve your fitness goals.

This part of the program is particularly important for you if:

●  You usually struggle
struggle to chan
changege your habits
habits
●  You’ve failed to
to follow fitness programs
programs in the past
●  You don’t like going
going to the gym
gym
●  You don’t like cooking
cooking or tra
tracking
cking your fo
food
od intake
●  You lose motivation
motivation easily
●  You find it hard to stay disciplined
disciplined for long p
periods
eriods of time
●  You don’t like physical
physical effort

If this  sounds like you, pay close attention to the following chapters. The
motivatioion
n and  autosuggestion methods we’ll discuss next have the power to
tra
rans
nsfo
form
rm the  wa
way
y you thin
think
k ab
abo
out yo
you
ursel
rselff and fin
ina
ally
lly st
stic
ick
k to a fit
fitne
ness
ss pl
pla
an lon
long
term.
 

How Your Self Image Controls

 Your Behavior And Thinking  

I bet  that at this very moment, you know how to make your life better. You know
how to  be more productive, you know how to be healthier
ier, you know how to earn
more money,  you know how to be more loving with your family, you know how to
be a better spouse, you know how to be more organized, etc.

And yet you don’t do it.

Isn’t that interesting? How come we KNOW how to do better but we don’t DO it?

For a lo
lon
ng tim
ime
e the
the rea
easo
son
n wa
wass belie
elieve
ved
d to be lac
lack of willp
illpo
owe
wer.r. We lac
lack wi
willllpo
powe
werr
and therefore  we fail to be disciplined. But that’s only part of the answer.
Willp
illpow
ower
er co
cont
ntro
rols
ls our
our beha
behavi
vior
or only
only wh
when
en we ac
acti
tive
vely
ly focu
focus s on what
what we’r
we’re
e do doin
ing.
g.
That happens  only a few times a day when we do things we’re not used to doing.
The rest of the time we function on autopilot - by habit.

The real  reason we do what we do is because that’s how we see ourselves in our
mind.   Our habitual behavior is controlled by our self image. The self image
dictates our habits and our habits determine our long term results.

Have you noticed that your life is exactly the way you picture it in your mind?

 Your relationship  status is the way you see it in your mind. You have as much
mone
neyy as  yo
you
u see yourse
rself ha
hav
vin
ing
g. You ha
have
ve the ty
typ
pe of cloth
lothe
es you see
see your
urse
self
lf
wearing. Your  home looks the way you picture it in your mind. And you have the
type of physique you see yourself having.

It’s not a coincidence.

 

Dr. Maxwell  Maltz, a famous psychologist in the 1960s wrote a book called
Psy
syc
cho
ho-C
-Cyyberne
erneti
tic
cs. He  spe
pent
nt a go
goo
od part of his
his life
life st
stud
udy
yin
ing
g th
the
e way
way a pe
pers
rson
on’s
’s
image of  themselves shapes their results in life. And he came to the conclusion
that the  self image controls our results just like a cybernetic mechanism - for
example a thermostat.

During the  winter you set your thermostat to maintain a certain temperature -
let’s say 21°Celsius or 70°Fahren
70°Fahrenheit.
heit.

If the  temperature gets a few degrees below 70, the thermostat detects the
deviation from the set goal and turns on the heating system:

When the temperature reaches 70, the fire is turned off.

 Your self  image controls your behavior the same way. The picture you have in
your mind is the goal your behavior is programmed to maintain.

Let me  sha

Let share a stor
story
y that
that pro
rove
ves
s thi
his
s po
poin
intt bea
eau
uti
tifu
fulllly.
y. A frie
riend of min
ine
e na
nam
med Ali, li,
who is  a YouTuber from Germany, has been strugglin ling to get down to 10% body
fat and  6 pack abs for about a year.   He knew exactly what he had to do. He Hellll,, he
talked about  how to get lean all the time in his videos. But knowing was not
enough. He was stuck at 15-16% body fat.
 

When he  shared this problem with me, I asked him one question:   When you 
picture yourself  at the beach next summer, do you see yourself with your goal 
physique or your current physique?

He said: Oh man, I see myself looking the same. 

That’s when  he had an “aha moment”. His self im ima

age was his current physique.
Everytime he  got a little leaner, his behavior changed to correct the deviation
from the picture in his mind.

How Your Self Image Controls Your Actions

Actions.. 
The wa
way
y  your sel
elff ima
image in
infl
flu
uenc
nce
es yo
you
ur acti
tio
ons is by ta
taki
king
ng the fo
form
rm of the voic
voice
e
of reason. Who else do you trust more than your intimate thoughts? 

When Ali  looked in the mirror and saw himself leaner, he told me he felt like that
was not really him. He immediately got thoughts like:

 I’m looking so small, I should probably stop this cut and gain a bit more size.
* I’m
*  I’m feeling  so weak and depleted, I should probably do a refeed day to bring my 
energy back up.
*  I’ve been  sticking to the deficit perfectl
ctly these last few days, I think I earned the 
right to a cheat day to bring my mood back up.

 You see how insidious

insidious these su
suggestions
ggestions are?
are?

They so
soun
undd  like
like the rig
igh
ht thin
thing
g to do but not
notic
ice
e how all
all of th
the
em conve
nveni
nie
ent
ntly
ly take
ake
you out  of the calorie deficit. Your self image controls your thinking and that’s
how it brings you back to the results you are programmed to maintain.

Ali always  listened to those thoughts and ended up binging on fast food or
sna
naccks
ks.. Som
omeetime
times
s  a lo
lot,
t, ne
neg
gat
atin
ing
g an entir
ntire
e we
wee
ek of cutt
ttin
ing
g. Th
This
is went
ent on and
and on
and on for months.
 

But then
then  he fina
inally
lly re
real
alizized
ed yoyouu cannonott ou
outp
tpe
erfo
rform your self
self imimag
age.
e. As soo
soon as he
star
starte
tedd en
envi
visi
sion
onin
ing g  hi
hims
msel elff le
lean
an an
andd stro
strong
ng hi
his
s cr
crav
avin
ings
gs for
for fast
fast food
food dimi
dimini
nish
shed
ed,,
he no  lo
lon
nge
gerr fe
felt
lt sma
mallll,, he had mor oree en
ener
ergy
gy and most impo
imporrta tant
ntly
ly he WANTNTEDED to
maintain the  deficit. It no longer felt like a punishment. And the reason for that
was bebeccau se  his self
ause elf im
ima age waswas alilign
gneed wi
with
th his
his act
ctio ns..   Only when your goal is
ions
not aligned  with your self image the daily tasks feel like a punishment.  You can
watch Ali sharing his story in this video video..

The im
The impo
port
rtan
ance
ce  of ch
chan
angi
ging
ng yo
yourur se
self
lf im
imag
age
e to succ
succee
eedd in losi
losing
ng fat
fat ha
has
s rece
recent
ntly
ly
been proved  scientific icaally. Researchers from the University of Plym lymouth in the
Unit
Un ited
ed King
Kingdo m,  co
dom, cond
nducucte d   a study to find out which types of motivational
ted
intervention would  be the most effective in aiding weight loss efforts (I
recomm
reco mmenendd re
read
adining
g  th
this
is po
post
st to un
unde
dersrsta
tand
nd th
thee me
meth
thod
odololog
ogyy an
andd resu
result
lts
s of th
thee
study).

The rerese
sear
arc
che
hers
rs  rec
ecru
ruit
ite
ed 14141
1 overerwe
weigigh
ht pa
part
rtic
icip
ipa
ant
nts
s and
and spli
splitt th
them
em ininto
to two
groups. The  first group was motiv iva
ated to lo
los
se weight through a form of therapy
kno wn as    moti
nown motivatio
vational
nal inte
interview
rviewing
ing in whic
whichh a coun
counseselo
lorr as
aske
ked
d th
thee part
partic
icip
ipan
ants
ts
in private  to voice what motivates them to lose fat. The counselor asked the
participants a  series of questions, expressed empathy, and encouraged
optimism and  progress. The other group was taught to fully visualize, in as
realistic a  way as possible, achieving their goal of weight loss and what that
wou
ould
ld allow
llow  them
hem to do or exp xpeerien
riencce tha
that the
hey
y ar
aree unable
able to do or ex expe
peri
rieenc
ncee at
present.

The participants received one face-to-face consultation at the begging of the

study then follow-up calls every couple of weeks for a period of 3 months, and
then once per month for another 3 months.

The results were vastly different. The group that received motivational
interviewing therapy lost on average 0.7 kg (1.6 lbs) over 6 months while the
groups that did the visualization exercise lost an average of 4.1 kg (9.1 lbs).
That’s five times more than the other group.
 

 You might argue

argue that losing 4
4.1
.1 kg over a per
period
iod of 6 month
months
s is not very
impressive but the participants did not receive any diet or exercise advice or
education! In other words, they were just asked to imagine themselves leaner
and all the behavior and lifestyle changes they made were done intuitively.
This shows how much the way we see ourselves influences our behavior. The
participants
participant s already knew that in order to lose weight they had to eat less.
Everybody knows that. But only after seeing themselves differently they got the
motivation to actually do it.

And the change was long-term too. The participants continued to lose weight
even after the study was over. At the 12-month mark, participants in the
visualization group had lost an average of 6.4 kilograms while those in the
motivationall interviewing group had lost only 0.7 kilograms.
motivationa

How The Self Image Prevents You From Getting. 

 Worse Results. 
The good  thing about your self image is that it works both ways. If the image in
your mind  is good then it won’t allow you to get worse results than you see
yourself having.

For exa
xamp
mple
le  a fr
frie
ien
nd of mi
min
ne se
sees
es him
imse
self
lf be
bein
ing
g 9% body fat.
fat. Ev
Ever
ery
ytime
time he bulks
lks
and gains some fat he gets the exact opposite thoughts to Ali:

 Damn, I’m starting to lose my lower abs I should do a quick cut

* Damn,
 I’d rather be shredded than big and fluffy
* I’d
*  I overdid  it with those high calorie meals the last few days, I need to get more 
strict with my nutrition

And guess  what happens? In a few weeks he’s back to his self image: 9% body
fat. No effort at all. He wanted  to
 to be in a deficit.
 

Other  Examples Of How The Self Image Regulates Your.

.Behavior. 
So far  I’v
’ve
e only
nly giv
iven
en you exa
xamp
mple
les
s of how yo
you
ur self
elf im
ima
age cont
ntro
rols
ls your beh
ehav
avio
iorr
when it comes to fat loss. But the same thing happens in other areas of our lives.

Productivity

Let’s say  your self image is that you do 4-5 hours of focused work per day and
you sp
spenendd  3-
3-4
4 hours pro roc
crasti
astina
nattin
ing
g (so
(soci
cia
al me
med
dia,
ia, Yo
You
uTub
Tube, gam
ames
es,, et
etc)
c).. If you
sud
udd
den
enlyly star
startt  pu
putt
ttin
ing
g in 7-
7-8
8 hou
ourrs of fo
foc
cuse
sedd wor
ork
k per day and sp
spe
end alm lmo ost no
time procrastinating,
procrastinating, after a few days you may start getting thoughts like these:
● I worked  so hard the past few days, I deserve to take it a bit easierier (t
(th
he guilt
associated with procrastination is diminished)
●
I’m tir
tired  fro
rom
m all tha
that wo
work
rk the
the other
ther day.
y....I can’t
an’t conce
ncentr
tra
ate we
wellll an
any
ymo
more
re
and can’t do quality work now.
If on  the other hand you procrastinate more than usual for a few days and get
barely any work done, you may start getting thoughts like these:
● I wasted  a lot of time the past few days, I need to get it together. That’s it!
No more social media this week!
● I can’t  believe how much time I’ve wasted. What am I a loser? I can do
better than this.

 Your voice  of reason encourage

encouragess you to correct deviations from the way you see
yourself. If  you work harder than usual, it tells you it’s fine to take it a bit easier. If
you work  less than usual, it reminds you you’re not a loser and you need to work
harder.

Strength Training 

Let’s
Let’s sa
say
y  yo
you
u se
see
e yo
your
urse
self
lf at in
inte
term
rmed
edia
iate
te st
stre
reng
ngth
th st
stan
anda
dard
rds.
s. Thre
Three
e mo
mont
nths
hs in a
row you  don’t miss a single workout as a result you get stronger and more

muscular than  ever. Then you leave town for a few days to visit your spouse’s
parents and it’s not convenient to go the gym. Here comes the voice of reason:
 

● It’s alright  to take a break from working out once in a while. le. I’m sure I’m not
going to lose any strength.
● I’m more  advanced that I ever was. It’s fine if I miss a few workouts, I can
always build my strength back up.
If on  the other hand you haven’t gone to the gym for a week because of illness,
work, or some other reason, you may think like li ke this:
● I’d like  to go to the gym this afternoon. I’ll ask my spouse if she wants to
come with me.
● I can’t  believe we left town exactly when I should have gone back to lifting.
Mayb ybee I  can go the
the gym ea
earlrly
y in the
the mo
morn rnin
ing
g befo
fore
re ev
eve
eryo
ryone make
makess plan
lans
for the day.

Again
ain, you  gegett tho
hou ughts
ghts that
that corre
orrec
ct the dev
deviati
iatio
on from
from wh
what
at you consi
side
derr you
ourr
norm
normal al be
behahavi
vior
or..  If yo
you’
u’ve
ve ma
madede go
good
od stre
streng
ngth
th prog
progreress
ss th
the
e last
last few
few mont
months
hs yoyou
u
feel it’s  alright to slack off a bit. If you’ve fallen below your normal strength, you
can’t wait to get back in the gym.

Relationships 

Let’s say  you see yourself being single. You meet a person you like and go on a
few
few da
date
tes s  to
toge
geth
ther
er.. Bu
Butt as so
soon
on as the
the rela
relati
tion
onsh
ship
ip gets
gets deep
deeper
er,, yo
you
u st
star
artt ge
gett
ttin
ing
g
thoughts like these:
● I want  to have a nic icee relationship eventually, but not right now. Soon she’s
going to  want to meet my family and friends and the relationship will
develop roots  and it’s going to be so much harder to break up later on. I
sho
sh ould sta
start  dis
ista
tan
ncining
g myseself
lf from
rom he
herr to let
let her kno
now
w I’
I’m
m not in
inte
tere
rest
ste
ed in
a serious relationship.
● I  like her and we get along well but I don’t like the way my life is changing. I
can no  longer do stuff whenever I want and I don’t like having to call her
every night. I should stop seeing her.

If you
you like
like be
bein
ing
g in a rela
relati
tion
onsh
ship
ip bu
butt yo
youu se
see
e yo
your
urse
self
lf as sing
single
le,, yo
your
ur beha
behavivior
or ma
may
y
changngee to  sa
sabo
bottag
age
e the rela
elati
tio
onshi
nship p in orde
derr to co
corrrec
rect th
the
e devi
devia ati
tio
on fro
from your
self image.
 

How To Change Your Self Image

 And Succeed On Autopilot  

I’m going  to ask you the same question I asked Ali: When you picture yourself at
the beach  next summer, do you see yourself ripped and muscular or as you look
now? When you pi pic
cture
ture your
urse
self
lf at the
the gy
gym
m 2 years
ears from
from now,
ow, do yo
you
u se
see
e yours
rse
elf
lifting high amounts of weight or the same you are lifting now?

If you  see yourself as you are now, we need to replace that image with your goal.
If you  do
don
n’t,
’t, no mat
atte
terr ho
how
w much you kn
kno
ow ab
aboout nut
utri
riti
tio
on an
and
d tr
tra
ainin
ining
g you won
won’t
apply the  information and you won’t get good results. Or you will ill be consistent
with your  nutrition and training only in short bursts of a few weeks or months
while taking  long breaks in between that negate all your efforts. In the end you’ll
always end up at your self image.

There Are Two Known Ways To Change The Self Image.

Image.
1. A powerful emotional event 
event 

We all  heard of people that completely changed their life after a powerful
experience: a  car accident, the loss of a loved one, public humiliation, an
unex
unexpe pect
cted
ed vi
vict
ctor
ory,
y,  ha
havi
ving
ng a ba
baby
by,, lo
losi
sing
ng th
thei
eirr ho
home
me - an
any
y of th
thes
ese
e in
inci
cide
dent
nts
s can
can
be life-changin
li fe-changing.g.

When it  comes to losing fat and getting in shape, two emotional events often
make peopl ple
e  cha
han nge thei
theirr be
beh
hav
avio
ior:r: getti
ettin
ng diag
iagnos
osed
ed wit
with a disdisea
ease
se or publi
ublic
c
humi
humililiat
atio
ion.
n. Fo
Forr  ex
exam
amplple
e so
someme midd
middle le aged
aged pepeop
ople
le ma
may
y st
star
artt losi
losing
ng we
weigight
ht afte
afterr
being
ing diagiagno
nosesedd  wi
with
th di
dia
abetes
etes wh
whilile
e teen
teena age
gers
rs may sta
tart
rt get
ettitin
ng in sh
shap
apee aft
fter
er
being made fun of by peers or after embarrassing themselves in a sports event.
 

These emotional  events are usually very painful. And while their effect may be
very positive,  we cannot control them. We cannot choose to have a powerful
emotional event  tomorrow to motivate us to change our liv
lives. So we’re going to
use the other way.

2. Autosuggestion: constant spaced repetition of your goal

Autosu
Auto sugg
gges
esti
tion
on me
mean
ans s  repe
repeat
atin
ing
g an id
idea
ea or imag
image
e long
long en
enouough
gh th
that
at it be
beco
come
mes s
part of  you
ourr habitua
ituall way
way of thin
think
kin
ing
g. Besid
esides
es em
emooti
tio
ona
nall shoc
hock, rep
epe
eti
titi
tio
on is th
the
e
only known method of changing the way we see ourselves.

There are many forms of autosuggestion:

● Visualization
● Carrying a goal card in your pocket and reading it often
● Having motivational quotes or pictures on the walls
● Describing the  way you want to be (either in writing or by speaking to
yourself outloud)
● Inter
nteracactting
ing wi
with
th  peo
eopple you wawannt to be lik
like (in
(in re
real
al lif
life, by wa
watc
tch
hin
ing
g vid
video
eos
s
of them,  by following them on social media, or by listening to them on
podcasts)
● Going to  live events related to who you want to become (fitness events or
seminars for example)
● Joini
ining a  group of people that have the same goal as you (such as joining
a fitn
itnes
esss  cla
lass
ss,, jo
join
inin
ing
g a calilis
sthen
thenic
ics
s gr
gro
oup
up,, or go
goin
ing
g to th
the
e gy
gym
m wi
with
th some
some
friends who are more experienced than you)

I recommend  using ing as many forms of autosuggestion as you can. The goal is to
exp
xpo
ose your
urse
self
lf  as muc
uch
h as po
pos
ssib
sible to the idea
ideas
s th
tha
at you
you want
ant to beco
ecome part
of your habitual way of thinking.

Befo
fore
re lay
laying
ing  out the
the autosu
tosugg
gge
estio
stion
n pl
pla
an I rec
ecoommen
mmend d fo
forr ShredS
redSmamartrt,, allo
llow
me shar
sharee  my ex
expe
peririen
ence
ce wi
with
th au
auto
tosu
sugg
gges
esti
tion
on.. At th
this
is poin
pointt in ti
time
me I feel
feel th
this
is st
stor
ory
y
 

gives a  wrong impressio

ion
n of me and my values but it’s a good story to illustrate
the power of autosuggestion and I think you’ll find it insightful.

Autosuggestion. 
My Experience With Autosuggestion.
In 20
2013
13,,  at 18 yea
ears
rs old I jo
join
ine
ed a netwo
etwork
rk ma
mark
rke
eti
tin
ng com
omp
pan
any
y wh
whic
ich
h sold
sold he
hea
alt
lth
h

and pererso
sona
nall  care pr
pro odu
duc
cts.
ts. In ord
rder
er to bec
ecoome a bet
ette
terr dis
isttrib
ribut
uto
or I spen
spentt a lot
lot
of ti
time
me  watc
watchihing
ng pe
pers rson
onal
al de
deve
velo
lopm
pmen
entt gu
guru
russ on YouT
YouTub
ube e an
and d on
onee of th
them
em wa
was s
Bob Proctor.  Bob was the first person I heard promoting autosuggestion as a
means to  plant ideas into the subconscious mind and influence behavior. He
talked about  visualization, repetition of id ide
eas, vision boards, and goal cards. I
remember that  at the end of one of his videos he made a promis ise
e that sounded
some
so meth
thin
ing
g like this::   I guarantee that if you write your goal on a card, carry it in 
like  this
your pocket  and read it at least twice a day that goal will eventually become 
reality.

This idea
This idea  pr
prob
obab
ably
ly soun
sounde
dedd ab
absusurd
rd to mo
most
st view
viewer
ers.
s. But
But at th
that
at ti
time
me I be
beliliev
eved
ed in
magi
ma gica
call forc
forces
es  of the
the Un
Univ
iver
erse
se,, the
the la
laww of attr
attrac
acti
tion
on,, mani
manife
fest
stat
atio
ionn an
and
d th
that at sort
sort
of things  so I thought:   Hey why not give it a shot? I’m going to write a big goal on 
a card  and carry it with me every day for five years. If it doesn’t work I don’t lose 
anything, time will pass anyway. But if it does work, I’m going to win BIG.

At that  time the only measure of success I knew of was money so I wrote down a
financial goal.  I wanted a goal to push me to grow. I said I wanted to earn $1000

every day  in passive income by the time I’m 25 years old. That was a big goal for
me considering  I was still in highschool, I had no skills, and I was living in
Romania. I  didn’t see how it could possibly happen but Bob said I didn
idn't need to
know. I just had to read the card every day.

In addition  to the goal card I put pictures on the walls of stuff I wanted such as a
car,
ca r, a pe
pent
ntho
hous
use,
e, mo
mone
ney,
y, an
and
d va
vaca
cati
tion
ons.
s. I ma
made
de a reco
recordrdin
ing
g of th
thee de
desc
scri
ript
ptio
ion
n of
the ki
kind
nd  of per
erso
son
n I wan
ante
tedd to bec
eco
ome (ch
(char
arac
actter tra
rait
its
s and
and skill
kills
s) and I list
listen
ened
ed
to it  on repeat when I was walking back from school and as I was falling asleep. I

installed an  app on my phone that changed my wallpaper with pictures of

 quotes and  principles I wanted to liv
ive
e my life by. And...I m kind of embarrassed

about this.
his....I  ev
even
en bu
buri
rie
ed so
som
me pic
icttur
ures
es of st
stuf
ufff I wa
wan
nte
ted
d be
bec
caus
use
e so
som
me of th
thes
ese
e
New Age  authors said ideas are like seeds which need to be planted in order to
grow.

My brother  and several of my friends were also applying some of these

auto
au tosu
sugg
gges
esti
tion
on me
meth
thod
ods
s  so even
even the
the pe
peop
ople
le ar
arou
ound
nd me we
were
re rein
reinfo
forc
rcin
ing
g th
thes
ese
e
ideas in my head.

The re
The resu
sult
lts
s  we
were
re no
nott wh
what at I ex
expe
pect
cted
ed.. 2013
2013 en
ende
dedd up be
bein
ing g th
the
e most
most depr
depres essi
sing
ng
year of  my life. While I was visualizing these goals in my mind, in reality I was
barely making  any progress. My plan for earning money was to form a team of
dist
istri
rib
buto
utors in  that
that netw
netwo ork mararke
keti
ting
ng com omppan
any y and se
sellll lots
lots of prod
odu uctsts,, to th
the
e
point I  become a manager. But I hated the actual work. I feared calling my
frie
friend
ndss and
and  fami
familyly to se
sellll them
them he
heal
alth
th pr
prod
oduc
ucts
ts and
and I ha
hate
ted d view
viewining
g ev
ever
eryy pe
persrson
on
as a  popotten
enti
tia
al clien
lientt an
and
d consta stantl
tly
y fee
feelilin
ng the str
tre
ess of nenee edin
ding to brbrin
ingg up th the
e
products into  the conversation somehow. I was in a bind. Through
autosu
tosug gge
gest
stio
ion
n I  was tell
tellining
g myself
self I’m
I’m susuc
cces
essf
sfu
ul an
and
d ric ich
h bu
butt in rea
realit
lity I didn
idn’t
want to  work and I was constantly procrastinating. I felt like a failure and felt
deeply guilty  that I wasn’t working. Reluctantly at the beginning of 2014 I
decided to  stop working in the network marketing company and try to do
something else.

I didn’
idn’tt  stop
top rea
ead
din
ing
g my goal ca
carrd tho
thoug
ugh
h and I didn
idn’t st
sto
op usi
sing
ng the oth
ther
er fo
form
rms
s
of autosuggestion.
autosuggestion. I just wanted a different method to achieve my financial goal.

And I  fo
fou
und that
that new metho
ethodd soon
oneer than
than I ex
exp
pecte
ted.
d. Sin
inc
ce th
the
e summ
summer
er of 20
2013
13
I was  following Greg O’Gallagher of kinino
obody.com for fitness advice and in the
spring of  2014 I watched one of his videos where he revealed how much money
he was  earning from his site. I was blown away to disisc
cover you could earn more
than $10.000 a month from a fitness blog!

So I  decided to follow in his footsteps and create a similar fitness blog for
Romanania
ia.. An
And
d  lik
like tha
hatt my liliffe chang
anged
ed.. I fi
fin
nally
lly st
sta
art
rted
ed doin
ing
g so
some
meth
thin
ing
g I lik
liked
and all  that autosuggestion finally paid off. I worked like crazy. I spent many
 

nights editing  videos and countless hours writing blog posts and answering
ema
mailils.
s. It  nev
eve
er felt
felt hard
rd.. It fel
eltt norm
rmalal becau
ause
se th
tha
at’
t’s
s wha
what I wa
wass supp
upposed
sed to do
to reach  my goal. I was so obsessed from all that autosuggestion that I didn’t
even allow  myself to watch movies, play video games, or go out with friends,
except on  special occasions. Every night I read my goal card and every night I
wro
rote
te in  my jou
journ
rnal
al the
the su
suc ccess
essful
ful thi
hin
ngs I did th
tha
at da
dayy. The
The fu
furn
rnit
itu
ure in my ro
roo
om
was covered with post it notes with video ideas and projects I wanted to work on.

My YouTube  channel was growing constantly and my skills were improving

ever
everyy mo
montnth.
h. Fina
Finally
lly in June
June 20
2016
16 I reac
reache
hed
d th
the
e go
goal
al.. Th
Thin
inkE
kEat
atLi
Lift
ft’s
’s reve
revenu
nues
es th
that
at
month surpassed  $30.000 with the launch of ShredSmart. Now that only
happ
ha ppen
ened
ed on
once
ce.. Th
The e reve
revenu
nues
es drop
droppe
ped
d do
down
wn to arou
around nd $1
$10.
0.00
000 0 a mont
monthh for
for th
the
e
rest of  2016. But in my mind the goal was reached. What felt like an impossible
feat three years before became reality.

How I Think Autosuggestion Works. 

Now the  logical question to ask is: how does autosuggestion work? How does
reading a goal card or visualizing your goals help you achieve them?

New Age  authors say it works through the law of attraction and other mystical,
magical forces  of the Universe… They say ridiculous things like when you
visualize something  your brain cells vibrate on a certain frequency which
matches the  frequency of the things you need and therefore creates an

attraction force  between the two. Or they say that there exists an original
subs
substa
tanc
nce e that
that  perm
permeaeate
tes,
s, pe
pene
netrtrat
ates
es,, an
and
d fill
fills
s th
the
e in
inte
ters
rspa
pace
ces
s of th
the
e univ
univer
erse
se
and
an d that
that  by impr
impres
essi
sing
ng thou
though
ghts
ts up
upon
on this
this su
subs
bsta tanc
ncee you
you ca
caus
usee th
the
e th
thin
ing
g whic
which
h
you think about to be created - calling this process manifestation.

That’s so  absurd and unscientific I’m ashamed I used to belie

lieve in this stuff. I’m
also ashamed  to even talk about autosuggestion because it could give
credibility to these New Age authors.
 

I bel
elie
ieve
ve  au
auto
tossug
ugge
gest
stio
ion
n wo
worrks for very
very sim
simple rerea
asosons
ns that
hat hav
have no
notthi
hin
ng to do
with
ith magic
gical  fo
forrces of the
the Uni
niv
ver
erse
se,, in
infi
fin
nit
ite
e int
intelli
ellig
gen
enc
ce, or in
inv
visib
isible
le pr
prim
imo
ord
rdia
iall
substances.
substance s. In fact, it’s common sense:

● Thro
Throug
ugh
h au
auto
tosu
sugg
gges
esti
tion
on yo
you
u co
cons
nsta
tant
ntly
ly remi
remind
nd yo
your
urse
self
lf of yo
your
ur lo
long
ng te
term
rm
goal which helps you resist instant gratification. 
It’s very  easy for us to forget our long term goals when we get caught up in
daily trivia  like social media, celebrity news, TV shows, or house chores.
And in  those moments we don’t remember our long term goals it’s very
easy for us to prefer instant gratification over discipline
discipline..
For example  if you forget why it’s important for you to get lean, eating a
cookie now  feels much more desirable than not eating it. Or if you forget
why you  want to get fit, watching Netflix now feels much more desirable
than going  to the gym. So by reminding yourself of your goals often
through autosuggestion  you are better able to distinguish desirable
choi
ch oice
ces
s fr
from
om un unde
desi sira
rabl
ble
e on
oneses.. Wh
When
en in
inst
stan
antt gr
grat
atif
ific
icat
atio
ionn st
star
ares
es you
you in th
thee
face you  are able to ask:   Is this worth failing my goals for?   Fr Fram
ameded th
that
at
way
wa y you  wi
willll reali
ealizze the
the sho
horrt term
term ple
lea
asu
sure
re is LE
LESSS de
desi
sira
rab
ble tha
hann th
the
e lon
long
term reward  so you will have increased motivation to stick to your daily
disciplines.

● Auto
Autosu
sugg
gges
esti
tion
on in
incr
crea
ease
ses
s yo
your
ur de
desi
sire
re and
and mo
moti
tiva
vati
tion
on to ac
achi
hiev
eve
e yo
your
ur goal
goal
because it makes you think about it often. 
Have you  noticed that if you think about something often you begin to
want to  do it? For example if you think about a movie several timeimes durining
g
the course  of a week you’re going to want to see it again. Or when you’re
worrking
wo king if you thin
think
k about a vi
vid
deo gam
amee you
you ge
gett the desir
esire
e to play
lay. So if you
make yourself  think about your goal often you will have increased desire
and motivation to work towards achieving it.

● Aut
uto
osugg
sugge
estio
stion
n in
incr
cre
ease
ses
s th
the
e ch
cha
anc
nce
es th
tha
at you’
u’llll want
ant the ri
rig
ght thin
hings in
the future and you will make the right choices. 
We humans  cannot choose the thoughts and intentions we are going to
hav
ave
e in the
the futur
uture.
e. We cann
nno
ot wan
antt what
hat we want.
ant. For exa
example
ple ma
may
ybe you
 

want your  future self to want to go to the gym tomorrow at 5 PM. But
unfo
un fort
rtun
unatatel
elyy yo
you
u ca
can’
n’tt deci
decide
de that
that.. When
When 5 PM come
comes s arou
around nd it
it’s
’s po
poss
ssib
ible
le
that all your future self will want to do is watch Netflix and order pizza.
Autosuggestion helps  in inc
crease the chances that you will ill want the righ
ight
things in  the future and you will make the right choices. By reminding
your
urse
self
lf of  your go
goaals over
ver and ove
verr aga
gain
in you in
inc
crea
rease th
the e chanc
ances that
hat
you will want to put in the effort necessary for achieving them.

● Autosuggestion changes your self image and makes you want to avoid

doing things that push you away from your goals.
Autosu
Auto sugg
gges
estition
on esse
essent
ntia
ialllly
y  work
works
s lilike
ke pr
prop
opag
agan
anda
da.. Yo
You
u repe
repeat
at so
some
meth
thin
ing
g
long enough  that it becomes part of your natural way of thinking. But
instead of  the government being in control of the propaganda, you are.
 You can choose
choose the ideas that you wan wantt to make part of your self ima
image.
ge.

So wi
with
th  tha
that sa
said
id,, he
here
re is the autosu
tosug
gge
gest
stio
ion
n plan
lan I su
sugg
gge
est fo
forr th
the
e Shred
hredS
Sma
mart
rt
program to motivate you to lose fat and build strength:

card.. 
1. Make a goal card
The goal card is probably the most powerful autosuggestion tool.

It involves  writing
ing your majo
jorr goal on a card that you carry loo
loose in your pocket
and read  as many times as possible during the day.   It should be read at least

two times a day, before you go to sleep and right after you wake up.  

The reason  you carry it loose in your pocket (and not in your wallet) is so you
have to  touc
ouch it se
seve
vera
rall tim
ime
es a da
dayy and rem emem
emb
ber yo
youur goal ever
ery
y tim
imee. Ha
Havi
vin
ng
the goal  written on a wall or on your phone is good too but doesn’t achieve quit ite
e
the same  effect because your brain gets used to that piece of writing over time
and you  don’t notice it every time you see it.   The goal card on the other hand is
alwa
lways on  you. Yo
Youu sho
hou uld nev
ever
er forge
orgett it at home just
just like
like yo
you
u nev
ever
er fo
forg
rgeet your
keys or your phone. The psychological effect of doing this is very powerful. It

proves you never forget about your goal. It’s always on you, always a part of you.
 

So here’s how to write a fitness goal card:

1. At the top of the card write your goal and a date by which you intend to
achieve that goal.
Be specific.  It's not sufficient to say “I want to be strong” or “I want to look
great”. Your  goal must be definite so the picture you get in your mind is
clear.

2. Underneath
Underneath that, write what you intend to give in return for that goal. 
 You obviously  must work hard for your goal so here you state what you will
do on  a daily basis to ensure your success. For example “I track my
macros every day and I am consistent with my workouts”.

3. Optional: describe the conditions in which you want to achieve that goal. 
If for  example your goal is to lose fat you may describe that want to get to
that level  while still being able to eat dinner with your family or while still
being able to have your favorite treats.

4. Optiotiona
nal:l: Yo
You
u may pla
lace
ce pic
ictu
ture
ress of peop
ople
le tha
hatt ins
inspi
pirre yo
you
u at the
the bottom
ttom
of the card. 
 You could  put a picture of the type of physique you want to build, a picture
of someone  you admir ire
e for their discipline, and a picictture of someone you
admire for their strength.

In the end, your goal card could look like this:

 

I'm so happy and grateful that by December 2019 I have 10

body fat and intermediate strength standard
standards.
s.

In exchange for achieving this goal I make proper nutrition a

priority and I allocate time for my workouts every week. I have
a flexible eating plan, understanding that maintaining the
deficit consistently is what matters most. I track all my key lifts
and I strive for strength gains every workout. I gain strength
easily and I have one of the most impressive physiques in the
gym. I am persistent and I know I can reach any goal I
seriously pursue.

How to use the card:

- Re
Read
ad it firs
firstt thing
thing in tthe
he mo
mornirning
ng (pref
(prefera
erably
bly ooutl
utlou
oud)
d)
- Read it ri
right
ght b befor
eforee go
going
ing to sleep
sleep at n
night
ight (prefera
(preferably
bly o
outlo
utloud)
ud)
- Hav
Have
e it in you
yourr po
pocke
ckett all tthe
he time
time wwhen
hen you lea
leave
ve hhome
ome
- Read it w
when
hen you feel temp
tempted ted to overe
overeat
at o
orr miss
miss a workout
workout

house.. 
2. Put reminders throughout the house
To keep  your motivation high put pic icttures, items and other things that remind
you of your fitness goals throughout the house. Here are some ideas:

- Photoshop your  face on a muscular and lean physique and put it on the
fridge.
- Put a  picture of the interior of your gym on your desk (or buy a small
dumbbell and put it on your desk) to remind you to work out.
- Print the strength standards that you want to reach and stick them on your
wardrobe door or in the bathroom next to the mirror.
- Have a  picture of the interior of your gym (or your goal physique) as your
 computer or phone wallpaper.

3.  Visualize reaching your fitness goals for ~5 minutes

every day . 
Take 5  minutes every day and visualize, in as realistic a way as possible,
achie
iev
ving
ing you
ourr  fitn
itnes
ess
s go
goa
als an
and
d wh
wha
at that
that wo
wou
uld allo
llow you to do or exp
xpe
erien
rienc
ce
that you are unable to do or experience at present.

I recommend  focusing on the motivation behind your desire to get fit. Why do
you want  to get lean and strong? Is it to have more self confidence? Is it to be
more attractive  to your spouse or the opposite sex? Is it to develop your self
disciplin
ine
e and  character? Is to be health
lthier? Is it to sleep better? Is it to be more
successful at  your job (if you’re an actor or model)? Is it to reduce your
depression or to have at least one area of your life under control?

Why do you want to get fit and healthy?

Take a  few minutes every day and remind yourself what it is you’re working so
hard
ha rd for.
for.  Clos
Close
e yo
your
ur ey
eyes
es an
and
d vi
visu
sual
aliz
ize
e your
yourse
self
lf in diff
differ
eren
entt day-
day-to
to-d
-day
ay si
situ
tuat
atio
ions
ns
at your  desired fitness level. Imagine the way your body feels when you walk
down the  street. Imagine your new energy levels. Imagine how your clothes fit.
Imagine the  comments you get from your friends and family. Imagine the way
your abs  feel when you touch them. Imagine the way you look at the gym in the
locker when  you take your shirt off. Imagine all these things and you will notice
you will be far more willing to track your macros and go to the gym than before.

possible.
4. Work out with a friend if possible.
If you  often miss workouts because you don’t feel like ike going to the gym, commit
to working  out with a friend. If they rely on you to show up on time for your
wororko
kouut toge
togeth
the
er  yo
you
u wililll feel
feel ba
bad
d to dis
isap
app
poin
intt them.
hem. So you’ll
’ll ha
have
ve som
some ext
xtra
ra
motivation to be consistent with your training.  
 

5. Follow fitness people on social media or YouTube

YouTube.. 
If you  use Instagram or YouTube on a daily basis, follow a few fit
itn
ness people on
the platform.  Seeing them work out regularly and being disciplin ine
ed with their
nutrition can increase your motivation to follow your own fitness plan.

6. Consume fitness content

content..
Watching fitness  videos, listening to fitness podcasts, and reading fitness
arti
articl
cles
es an
and
d  bo
book
okss wi
willll help
help im
impr
prov
ove
e yo
your
ur nu
nutr
trit
itio
ion
n and
and tr
trai
aini
ning
ng know
knowle
ledg
dge
e wh
whic
ich
h
will translate into increased motivation and dedication.

necessary?. 
But is all this really necessary?.
After reading  this autosuggestion plan you may be asking: is this really
necessary? Do  I really have to make a goal card, visualize my goal physique, or
put pictures around the house?

After all  no fitness person you follow does these things and look how muscular
and lean  they are. Well, there are two kin
ind
ds of people in this world that achieve
outstanding success
success in any field:

● the unconscious competents

● those that become competent by choice and study

 Your favorite  fitness YouTuber is almost certainly an unconscio unconsciousus competent.

competent. If
you
yo u aske
asked d  him
him whwhyy he
he's
's di
disc
scip
ipliline
ned
d an
andd comm
commit itte
tedd he prob
probab
ably
ly co
coul
uldn
dn't't te
tellll yo
you.
u.
He loves  fitness so much that it doesn't make sense to him why other people
wou
ould
ldn'
n'tt wan
antt  to wo
work
rk out and getget in sha
shape
pe.. The
hey y do
donn’t ha
have
ve to dra
ragg th
them
emse selv lve
es
to the gym like the rest of us, they WANT to be there. So for these people that are
already very  motivated to work out and track their nutrition autosuggestion ion is
certainly not necessary.
 

But you’re  most lik

ike
ely not an unconscious competent. If you were you wouldn't
be reading  ShredSmart. Some autosuggestion is necessary to get you to view
yourself as a fitness person.

I personally  had to use autosuggestion to get fit. Fitness was not always a
passssio
ion
n of  mine
ine, I crea
createted
d mys
ysel
elff in
into
to “R“Raadu th
the
e fit
fitness
ness guyuy””. Unlike
like so
som
me of my
frie
friend
ndss who
who  we
werere ininto
to fi
fitn
tnes
ess
s si
sinc
nce e they
they werewere kids
kids,, I ne
neve
verr like
liked
d sp
spor
orts
ts or phys
physicical
al
activity. To  this day, I’d much rather stay home to work, read or watch
documentaries than  go to the gym to lift weights. But now I view myself as a
ser
erio
iou
us lift
lifte
er  and I feel
eel the res
espo
ponnsi sib
bililit
ity
y of bein
eing an ex exam
amp ple to tho
hose
se th
thaat follo
ollow
w
my programs. So I follow my nutrition and training plants diligently.

In conclusion,  if you were never into sports, you don’t normally like physical
activ
tivity
ity, an
and
d  you’
u’v
ve alwa
lways ha
had
d di
diff
ffic
icu
ult
ltie
ies
s wi
witth losi
losin
ng fat,
at, aut
uto
osugg
sugges
esti
tio
on may
be the  only way to make yourself stick a fitness plan long enough to achieve
advanced results.

The Only Way You Can Still Fail. 

For some
some  re
reas
aso
on, eve
ven n afte
fter they
they un
und dererst
sta
and ho
howw it wo
work
rks,
s, mo
most
st peoplplee will
will st
stililll
nott us
no use
e  au
auto
tosu
sugg
gges
esti
tion
on.. Th
They
ey wo
won'
n'tt vi
visu
sual
aliz
ize
e th
thei
eirr go
goal
als,
s, th
they
ey wo
won’
n’tt pu
putt pi
pict
ctur
ures
es
around the  house, and they won’t create a goal card (or if they do they will not
carry and read it for more than a few days).

Why?

I ho
hone
nest
stly
ly  do
don’
n’tt kn
know
ow.. I ca
cann
nnot
ot un
unde
ders
rsta
tand
nd how
how we ca
can
n be so in
indi
diff
ffer
eren
entt to
towa
ward
rds
s
ourselves. We know we should do a thing and we just don't do it.

I believe  the only way you can still fail to get fit with ShredSmart is if you DON'T
APPL
AP PLY Y the
the  au
auto
tosu
sugg
gges
esti
tion
on me
meth
thod
ods s I’
I’ve
ve expl
explai
aine
ned
d ab
abov
ove.
e. So now
now th
thee ques
questi
tion
on
is how  do you get yourself to apply the autosuggestion methods. For that I
recommend you use the Sublime Moment Technique.
 

Acting
Acti ng in the
the su
subl
blim
imee mo
mome mentnt is ne
nece
cess
ssar
ary
y un
unti
till you
you bu
builild
d th
the
e ha
habibitt of ma
maki
king
ng th
the
e
right choice.  After a month or so you may no longer have to read the card or
visu
isualiz
alize
e im
imme
med dia
iate
tely
ly  af
afte
terr you rememem
embber to do it bebec
caus usee it
it’s
’s now part of you
your
habits and you will do it at the time you do it every day.

Also
lso, if  yo
you
u pl
pla
an on putti
uttin
ng pic
icttur
ures
es of your gym, you
ourr goal ph
phyysi
siq
que
ue,, or str
tren
engt
gthh
sta
tand
nda ardrds
s thr
throu
oug
gho
houut  your ho
houuse I rec
ecoomme
mendnd you do th
that
at today
day. Don’ n’tt say I’
I’llll
do it tomorrow or next week. Chances are you won’t do it.

If you  don’t have access to a printer today at least write a post it note with the
mess
me ssag
agee “pri
“print
nt  pi
pict
ctur
ures
es an
and
d stre
streng
ngth
th stan
standa
dard
rds”
s” an
and
d st
stic
ick
k it on your
your frid
fridge
ge.. That
That
will ensure you won’t forget to do it in the next few days.
 

Word.
Final Word.
First of all I want to congratulate you for reading the entire program!

This shows  you are committed and ready to take action. I guarantee that you
now possess  all the knowledge you need to achieve your fitness goals.
Remember, success  is nothing more than a few simple disciplines repeated
every day.  Make sure you hit your small daily goals of tracking macros and
making strength gains and your big goal will happen automatic
automatically.
ally.

I can’t wait to see your transformation photos!

To your success,
Radu Antoniu

PS - Don’t forget to join us in the ShredSmart Facebook Group

Group!!

Email: customersupport@thinkeatlift.com  
customersupport@thinkeatlift.com
Instagram: @raduantoniu