In the last two articles, I discussed HOW TO EAT TO GAIN MUSCLE and HOW TO LIFT TO GAIN MUSCLE.
Maybe you thought to yourself “Sounds great…but, I REALLY don’t think I should be going on a bulking/muscle building diet.”
Before I proceed: If you’re under 15% bodyfat, I think you should focus on gaining appreciable muscle mass. Once you have more muscle, getting shredded up is easy.
On the other hand, if you have minimal muscle to begin with, cutting down will likely lose you what little you have, and also not even look that good once you get there. (A six pack on a skinny guy is like big boobs on a fat girl.)
So if you are trying to flex bone and get a sixpack, do the first eating program.
BUT, if you are someone who happily pats their “keg,” and whose college years may have left you with a few extra lbs along with great memories, you may have to approach body recomposition slightly differently than the aforementioned crowd.
If you’re 20% bodyfat or over, this is what I would do if I were in your position:
1. Follow the training guideline outlined HERE.
2. EVERYDAY: Eat 1-1.25g of protein/lb of total bodyweight. Ex: 200lb male who is 5’ 9” should eat 200-250g protein. ~200g on lift days, 250g on rest days.
a. Pro tip I: 1lb of meat = ~100g protein.
b. Pro tip II: Stock up on Mrs.Dash seasonings/hot sauce/spicy mustard and Tupperware. You’ll need it all to keep you sane.
c. Pro tip III: Get a sweet ass lunchbox. Itll save you dollars and nothing says “I’m management material” like carrying in the Ninja Turtles each day.
3. ON LIFT DAYS: Eat 2 large sweet/white potatoes, one after you work out with some lean animal, and the other a few hours later with a different lean animal to keep it interesting (you can swap 2 potatoes for 2 cups rice)
4. ON REST DAYS: Eat fattier sources of meat like 93/7 ground beef, steak, salmon, some more whole eggs etc. to get your protein with veggies as your only meals. Eat as many meals as you need to get your protein in.
a. So, 2-3 meals of 1lb – .75lb of meat with some veggies is a good place to start for said 200lb male.
b. No added carbohydrate sources. Only eat what I just said above.
5. The KICKER: On your rest days, perform some kind of high intensity cardio (it shouldn’t take you longer than 15-20min MAX). I recommend things you don’t need to go to the gym for:
a. Squat jumps/double jump rope (as many in a row as possible) 2 min rest then repeat for a total of 15 working minutes.
b. 100-200 burpees in as little time as possible (progress over time)
c. 4-5 full all out sprints with ~2-4min rest (just about when you catch your breath)
Once you try the “kickers” you will realize why you don’t need to do more than 20min worth. If you’re doing them right, you should be seeing stars and feeling terrible. These workouts stimulate lots of growth hormone which will help mobilize fat and lean you out faster, not to mention, you may just get in better shape than your friends for that pickup game of dizzy bat you plan on getting into.
Additionally, if done first thing in the morning, you tend to mobilize even more fat because of the lower insulin levels, especially in stubborn fat areas.
Keep hammering away for 3-6 months and please send me pictures of your progress. This program delivers, you just have to follow it.
Stay strong,
Alex