If you’re like the thousand of people I’ve helped and worked with, you’re not looking to build freakish amounts of muscle mass. You just want to be muscular and lean enough to take your shirt off at the beach and have people say “wow, I wish I looked like that! "nd I created the #$hredded$ummer %hallenge to help you get there. &his is a '(month transformation program that is going to be )uite unlike anything you’ve done before. You’re not going to starve yourself or battle with overwhelming cravings. You’re not going to have to eat nothing but boring, bland foods for months on end. You’re not going to be told to spend a fortune on supplements.
You’re not going to have to do *+ hour grueling workouts every day. You’re not going to bother with hours and hours of cardio every week.
Instead, you’re going to eat plenty of food that you actually enjoy, your supplementation routine is going to be simple but effective, and you’re going to perform shorter, more intense weightlifting and cardio sessions...and your body is going to respond better than you would ever imagine. &his program will not only help you get shredded this summer, but it will teach you things most people will never know about how to build muscle, get lean, and stay healthy. efore we get to the program, though, I’d like to introduce myself...
My mission is to empower people to take control of their health and fitness by following a healthy, enjoyable lifestyle that not only gives them the body they’ve always wanted but also enables them to live a long, vital, disease-free life. I’m -ike, and I believe that every person can achieve the body of his or her dreams. I work hard to give everyone that chance by providing workable, proven advice grounded in science, not a desire to sell phony magaines, workout products, or supplements. &hrough my books and work at -uscle for /ife, I’ve been able to help tens of thousands of people lose weight, build muscle, and get healthy. -y goal is to turn that number into hundreds of thousands and ultimately millions. I’ve been training for more than a decade now and have tried just about every type of workout program, diet regimen, and supplement you can imagine. /ike most guys, I had no clue what I was doing when I started out. I turned to magaines for help, which had me spending a couple of hours in the gym every day and wasting hundreds of dollars on worthless supplements each month, only to make mediocre 0at best1 gains. &his went on for years, and I jumped from workout program to workout program. I tried all kinds of splits and routines, e2ercises, rep ranges, and rep timing schemes, and while I made some gains 0it’s impossible not to if you just keep at it1, I eventually hit the dreaded plateau. -y weight remained stuck for over a year, I wasn’t getting stronger, and I had no idea what to do with my nutrition beyond eating clean and making sure I was getting a lot of protein. I turned to various trainers for guidance, but they had me do more of the same. I liked working out too much to )uit, but I wasn’t happy with my body, and I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. 3ere’s a picture of me after almost 4 years of lifting regularly5
6ot very impressive. $omething had to change.
I 7nally decided that it was time to get educated8to throw the magaines away and learn the physiology of muscle growth and fat loss and what it takes to build a big, lean, and strong body. $o I got serious about doing real research. I searched out the work of top strength and competition coaches, talked to scores of natural bodybuilders, and read hundreds of scienti7c papers, and a very clear picture emerged.
&he real science of getting into incredible shape is very, very simple8much simpler than the health and 7tness advice and supplement industries want us to believe. It 9ies in the face of almost all the crap that we hear on &:, read in magaines, and see in the gym. 3ere’s a small sampling of what most people will never know about getting into the best shape of their lives5 /ifting light weights for high reps is basically a waste of time. If your routine doesn’t revolve around heavy lifting, you’re doing it wrong. ;etting lean, and even super lean, does 6<& re)uire hours upon hours of grueling cardio or crash dieting that leaves you starving and miserable every day. If you know what you’re doing, you can gain *= to '= pounds of lean mass 0yes, muscle1 in your 7rst year of training, regardless of your genetics. >retty much every machine in the gym should be avoided, and most e2ercises are horribly ineffective. &his brings me to the ne2t point? &he idea that you have to constantly change your workout routine or your body will adapt and plateau is a lie. I change my routine once every * to @ months and consistently get stronger month after month. You don’t have to e2ercise for more than A hour per day, B days per week to be in peak physical condition. I personally lift weights -onday through Criday for about @B minutes and do ' or @ cardio sessions per week, with each session running about '= minutes. "nd I do the cardio mainly because I enjoy it. 3
&here are many, many more lessons I’ve learned, but what it all boils down to is building a muscular, lean, and healthy body doesn’t re)uire your life to revolve around it. You can 7t it into almost any schedule or lifestyle.
"s a result of what I learned, I completely changed the way I trained and ate. "nd my body responded in ways I couldn’t believe. -y strength skyrocketed. -y muscles grew faster than I could ever remember. -y energy levels went through the roof. &hat was just over @ years ago, and here’s how my body has changed since5
Guite a difference.
"long the way, my friends noticed the improvements in my physi)ue, and I began training them. I took “hardgainers! and put '= to B= lbs. on them in a year. I took people who were absolutely baHed as to why they couldn’t lose weight and stripped '= lbs. of fat off them in ' to B months and helped them build noticeable muscle at the same time. I took people in their B=s who believed their hormones were too bottomed out to accomplish anything with their bodies and helped them turn back the clock *= years in terms of body fat percentage and muscle de7nition. "fter doing this over and over for years, my “clients! 0I never asked for money8I just had them come train with me1 started urging me to write a book. I dismissed the idea at 7rst, but it began to grow on me. “Dhat if I had such a book when I had started training! I thought. I would’ve saved an untold amount of money, time, and frustration, and I would’ve achieved my ideal physi)ue years ago. I enjoyed helping people with what I had learned, and if I wrote books and they became popular, what if I could help thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people &hat got me e2cited. $o I started by publishing igger /eaner $tronger in early *=A*, unsure of what to e2pect. $ales were slow at 7rst, but within a month or two, I began receiving e(mails from readers with high praise. I was 9oored. I immediately started on my ne2t book and outlined several more. I’ve now published si2 books and sold more than *==,=== copies, and I get scores of e(mails and social media messages every day from readers who are blown away by the results they’re seeing. &hey’re just as shocked as I was years ago about how simple it is to build lean, healthy muscle and lose as much fat as you want without ever feeling starved or miserable. It is motivating to see the impact I’m having on people’s lives, and I’m incredibly inspired by the dedication of my readers and followers. You guys and gals rock.
-y true love is researching and writing, so I’ll always be working on another book, my blog, and whatever else my writing adventures bring my way. -y big, evil master plan has three major targets5
“3elp a million people! just has a se2y ring to it, don’t you think It’s a big goal, but I think I can do it. "nd it goes beyond just helping people look good8I want to make a dent in alarmingly negative trends we’re seeing in disease and mortality.
Enfortunately, this industry is full of idiots, liars, and hucksters who prey on people’s fears and insecurities, and I want to do something about it. In fact, I’d like to become known as the go(to guy for practical, easy(to(understand advice grounded in real science and results.
&he dishonest pill and powder pushers are the people I despise the most in this industry. &he scams are numerous5 using fancy(sounding, but worthless ingredientsJ cutting products with junk 7llers like maltode2trin and even stuff like 9our and sawdust 0yes, I’m not kidding1J using bogus science and ridiculous marketing claims to convince people to buyJ underdosing the important ingredients dramatically to save money 0and using a proprietary blend to hide it1J sponsoring steroid(fueled athletes to pretend supplements are the secret to their gainsJ and more. I hope you enjoy this book, and I’m positive that if you apply what you’re about to learn, you too can dramatically transform your physi)ue without hating your “diet! or beating yourself to death in the gym every day. "nd just to make it even more fun, you can win KA,=== cash, too...
If being the hottest guy or gal on the beach isn’t enough motivation to get shredded this summer, how about the chance to win KA,=== cash De thought that would get your attention Fntering the contest only takes a minute and re)uires no purchase. ;et in and let’s get you shredded
"lright, let’s now get to the meat and potatoes of the #$hredded$ummer program, starting with how to use your diet properly to ma2imie fat loss.
&he most common advice for “getting shredded! is a combination of e2treme food and calorie restriction, grueling high(rep weightlifting workouts, and hours and hours of cardio each week. "nd ironically, this is the worst way of going about it. &his approach guarantees a downright miserable e2perience of horrible food cravings, rapid muscle and strength loss, and an accumulative fatigue and lethargy that eventually burns you out. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Dhen you know how to use diet, e2ercise, and supplements properly, you can rapidly lose fat while maintaining((and even gaining((strengthJ you can completely avoid daily struggles with hunger, cravings, and energy levels.
&his isn’t just theory, either((this is a reliable combination of strategies that I personally use to get to 4 to LM body fat with relative ease, and that have been successfully used by thousands of others that I’ve helped. $o, let’s dive into proper dieting for fat loss, so let’s get to it.
"s you probably know, losing fat re)uires feeding your body less energy than it burns. Dhen you do this, you’re creating a negative energy balance or calorie de7cit, and the energy difference between what you eat and what you burn every day((usually measured in calories((more or less determines how much fat you lose over time. I know it’s trendy right now to claim that calorie counting doesn’t work or that weight loss is actually about the )uality, not )uantity, of calories eaten, but these are just marketing ploys to sell books, pills, and other frauducts. %alorie counting itself does nothing. %alorie restriction is the key. You see, the metabolism obeys the 7rst law of thermodynamics. &here is no debating this. Dhen viewed energetically, your body can’t tell the difference between the calories in a donut vs. the calories in a gluten(free, soy(free, cholesterol(free, fat(free, ;-<(free green juice. &his is why >rofessor -ark 3aub could lose *L pounds in A= weeks eating &winkies, 6utty bars, and powdered donuts every day. &his is why study after study after study have conclusively proven that so long as a calorie de7cit is maintained, subjects lose fat regardless of diet composition. 6ow, that doesn’t mean that macronutrient ratios don’t matter, because they do, and we’ll talk more about that in a minute. ut the point I want to make here is that you must know how to maintain a proper calorie de7cit over time if you want to lose fat while preserving muscle. $o let’s look at how to do that. Cirst, we need to 7gure out, with a fair amount of accuracy, how much energy you’re burning every day, also known as your &otal Naily Fnergy F2penditure 0&NFF1. 3ere’s how I like to do it5
Ese the Oatch -c"rdle formula to determine how much energy your body burns every day e2cluding physical activity, which is known as your basal metabolic rate or -P.
By .! if you e"ercise -# hours per week. By .#$ if you e"ercise %-& hours per week. By .$ if you e"ercise &' hours per week. &he result will be a fairly accurate measurement of your &NFF. $ome people will burn a bit less and some a bit more 0due to 9uctuations in -P1, but this is a good starting point. 6ow that you know how much energy you’re burning every day, it’s time to work out how much you’re actually supposed to eat. If you simply ate your &NFF in calories, your weight would remain the same. I recommend a moderate calorie de7cit of *=M. &hat is, eat Q=M of your &NFF to create a mild calorie de7cit that will allow you to lose about a pound of fat per week without feeling starved or burning up a bunch of muscle.
Enless you have an abnormally fast metabolism, a standard Oatch -c"rdle &NFF calculation will come out too high and you’ll wonder why you’re losing little(to(no weight despite being perfect with your food intake. &he multipliers I give above are much better for the average metabolism, and can always be adjusted based on actual results. I occasionally run into people that lose weight a bit too slowly or )uickly on the above multipliers, and in the latter case, also e2perience signi7cant decreases in strength and energy. &hese issues are easily remedied by decreasing or increasing daily calorie intake by about A== and reassesing.
6ow that you know how many calories you’re supposed to eat every day to lose fat without frying your muscle, it’s time to turn that number into macronutrients 0protein, carbs, and fat1. &he common mistake I see here is too little protein and carbohydrate and too much fat. "nd the result for many is a signi7cant amount of muscle and strength loss. $o let’s look at each macronutrient separately.
&he goal while dieting for fat loss is to preserve muscle, and a big part of this is ensuring you’re eating enough protein. Cully addressing the science of protein needs would re)uire its own chapter, so I’ll keep it simple here.
I’ve reviewed a lot of literature on the matter and tried many different levels of protein intake while dieting for fat loss, and what I’ve found works best is in line with research published earlier this year and conducted by "E& Eniversity5
“Protein needs for energy-restricted resistance-trained athletes are likely 2.3-3.1g/kg of FFM [1 - 1.4 grams per pond of fat free mass! scaled p"ards "ith se#erity of caloric restriction and leanness.$ I’ve found this to be especially true as you get leaner. If you’re overweight or obese, you can get away with something closer to A.4 to A.Q grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, but if you’re trying to go from A=M to 4M, you will do better with a higher intake. $o, if you’re around ABM body fat 0men1 or *BM 0women1 or less, I recommend you go with A.* grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you’re higher, you can go with A gram per pound of body weight. "lright, you now have your daily protein target. /et’s now look at dietary fat.
3igh(fat diets are really trendy right now because they 0supposedly1 are best for ma2imiing testosterone levels and weight loss. &his is misleading. Yes, switching from a low(fat to a high(fat diet can increase free testosterone levels?but not by much. 6ot nearly enough to help you build more muscle. &here are two studies commonly cited as de7nitive proof that high(fat dieting is superior to high(carb dieting. &he 7rst demonstrated that when men switched from getting AQM of their daily calories to @AM, free testosterone levels rose by A'M. &he second, conducted a decade earlier, had similar 7ndings.
6ow, that might sound nice, but here’s what high(fat hucksters don’t tell you5 small 9uctuations like this do absolutely nothing in the way of improving muscle growth. &his has actually been demonstrated in clinical research. " study conducted by -c-aster Eniversity was conducted with young, resistance trained men following a B(day weightlifting program and high(protein diet. "fter A* weeks, one of the primary 7ndings of the study was that the differences among subjects in the e2ercise( induced spikes in anabolic hormones like testosterone, growth hormone, and I;C(A, which all remained within physiological normal ranges, had no effect on overall muscle growth and strength gains. "ll subject made gains, but the differences in anabolic hormone responses to e2ercise didn’t signi7cantly change anything. &his study conducted by researchers at %harles P. Nrew Eniversity of -edicine and $cience is also particularly relevant. Pesearchers took 4A young, healthy men, and for *= weeks, administered varying levels of anabolic steroids and a drug that inhibits testosterone production and then tested leg strength and power. Dhat the researchers found was that testosterone levels didn’t signi7cantly affect muscle growth until they dropped below or rose above the normal physiological range, which is about '== to A,=== ngRdl. In terms of lean mass gained, subjects down around '== ngRdl weren’t that far behind those up around S== ngRdl, and a signi7cant increase wasn’t seen until testosterone levels reached the A,*== to A,'== ngRdl range. $o, what does all this tell us about high(fat dieting Dell, we can be damn sure that a tiny A= to ABM increase in testosterone just isn’t going to do anything for us in the gym. ;oing from, let’s say, 4== ngRdl to L== ngRdl will do absolutely nothing in the way of accelerating muscle growth.
$o we 0literally1 have nothing to gain with a high(fat diet. &his is why I recommend you get about *=M of your daily calories from dietary fat when dieting for fat loss. &o calculate how many grams this is for you, simply multiply your total daily calorie intake by .* and divide this by S. $o that’s fat. /et’s now talk carbohydrate.
"nd now we come to the most maligned macronutrient, the carbohydrate. "ccording to some “e2perts! this evil little bastard is what makes us fat, and dramatically reducing intake is the best way to lose weight. &his simply isn’t true.
Pesearch has demonstrated that so long as protein intake is high, there is no signi7cant difference in weight loss between high( and low(carbohydrate diets. $o long as you’re maintaining a proper calorie de7cit, you’re going to lose fat at more or less the same rate, whether you’re low(carb or not. In fact, keeping your carbohydrate intake as high as possible is e2tremely bene7cial when dieting for fat loss. &he less carbs you eat, the lower your muscle glycogen levels will be, and this means compromised performance in the gym and tough workouts 0muscle endurance seems to take the biggest hit1. Curthermore, research has demonstrated that low muscle glycogen levels impairs post(workout cell signaling related to muscle growth, which is particularly detrimental when you’re in a calorie de7cit because your body’s ability to synthesie proteins is already impaired. &here’s more, though.
%alorie restriction is known to reduce anabolic hormone levels, and low(carbohydrate dieting only makes this worse. &his study found that, in athletes, a low(carbohydrate diet combined with daily e2ercise increased cortisol and decreased testosterone levels. $o, a calorie restriction + low(carb dieting T a particularly catabolic hormone pro7le T more muscle loss while dieting. &his helps e2plain why research has demonstrated that reducing carbohydrate intake impairs strength, muscle recovery, and protein synthesis rates, and that low(carbohydrate dieting combined with regular resistance training results in more protein breakdown and less protein synthesis 0and thus less overall muscle growth1. &he research is clear5 as a weightlifter, the carbohydrate is your friend. "nd this is why I recommend you keep your carbohydrate intake as high as possible while dieting for fat loss.
&o calculate your daily number, do the following5
-ultiply your protein target 0grams1 by @. -ultiply by your fat target 0grams1 by S and add it to the above number. $ubtract the sum from your total daily calorie intake. Nivide the amount of calories you have left by @. &here’s your daily carbohydrate target in grams. $o, for e2ample, I’m currently AQQ pounds and my &NFF is about ',=== calories. -y daily calorie intake for fat loss T '=== 2 .Q T *@== -y protein intake T AQQ 2 A.* T **B grams per day -y fat intake T 0*@== 2 .*1 R S T B' grams per day -y carb intake T 0 *@== ( 0 0**B 2 @1 + 0B' 2 S1 1 1 R @ T *BB grams per day
"nd I’ve actually been cutting on those macros for about L weeks now and have gone from about AS@ and Q to SM to, now, AQQ at LM without losing more than a rep or two on any of my lifts.
&here are far too many myths regarding foods you “can and can’t! eat when you’re trying to lose or gain weight. Instead of trying to address them one by one, I’m going to keep it simple for you5 Dhen it comes to gaining or losing weight, 3
Fggs $eeds 09a2, pumpkin, sesame, and sun9ower1
eans 0garbano, kidney, navy, pinto1 /entils, peas "lmonds, cashews, peanuts arley, oats, )uinoa, brown rice $almon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, tuna /ean beef, lamb, venison %hicken, turkey
"s you can see, that’s a lot of yummy options. I’m not trying to suffer through B servings of boiled chicken and steamed broccoli every day.
$o, do yourself a favor when you’re creating your meal plan and stick to healthy foods you actually like to eat. Ese a website like %alorieOing to research their macronutrient pro7les, and piece your meal plan together meal by meal. "nd don’t be afraid to include little indulgencesUthey’re just calories you work in. Cor instance, I really like chocolate, so I often include about A== U AB= calories’ worth of it as a dinner dessert.
&his is why very low calorie diets often result in rapid initial weight loss that eventually stalls as the metabolism slows down to match energy burned with energy consumed 0its goal, physiologically speaking1. &his, in turn, often leads people to cut calories even further and e2ercise more, which in turn only slows the metabolism down more and puts the person under more and more mental and physical stress.
Dhat is the 72, you wonder It’s gloriously simple5 you gradually increase calorie intake in a controlled manner. y doing this, you can speed your metabolism back up to its normal clip without adding any body fat. &his is known as “reverse dieting! in bodybuilding circles, and here’s how it works5
A.
*.
$tay at this daily intake for L days.
'.
Increase your daily intake by another A== to AB= calories, again by adding carbs.
@.
$tay at this daily intake for L days.
B.
Increase your daily intake by another A== to AB= calories, this time by adding fat.
4.
$tay at this daily intake for L days.
L.
Increase your daily intake by another A== to AB= calories, this time by adding carbs
Q.
$tay at this daily intake for L days.
Q.
Pepeat this pattern of A== to AB=(calorie increases, alternating between increase carbs and fat until you reach your &otal Naily Fnergy F2penditure 0&NFF1 for your current weight, with appro2imately '= to @=M of your daily calories coming from protein, '= to @=M from carbohydrate, and *= to '=M from fat.
(hat’s it. y doing this, you will gain little(to(no body fat and, chances are, you’ll look your best a few weeks into it5 you’ll look leaner and weigh even less but the e2tra carbs will 7ll your muscles out, giving you an even tighter look. 6ow, chances are you’d like to see how this all plays out in actual practice , so in the end of the book you’ll 7nd some sample meal plans that my team creates for
people looking to build muscle and lose fat.
ack when I didn’t know what I was doing, here was a normal %hest Nay workout5
Clat $mith -achine >ress5 @(B sets of A=(A* reps Clat Numbbell >ress5 @(B sets of A=(A* reps Necline ench >ress5 @(B sets of A=(A* reps and supersetted with push(ups to failure
Numbbell Clyes5 *(' drop sets to failure
"fter years and years of that type of training, my chest did grow, but it was very slow, and I was pretty weak 0I couldn’t rep **B on the freeweight 9at bench?after L years of lifting?yikes1. Dhat I didn’t know is that high(rep training with an emphasis on “feeling the burn! should never be the focus of a natural weightlifter. Dhy ecause that style of training does not build the strong, dense type of muscle we’re after. Instead, it gives big pumps but little muscle growth. Dhat should we be doing then Es natural weightlifters should focus on lifting heavy weights with a moderate workout volume 0@= U 4= reps per muscle group every B U L days1.
&he single rep range I’ve found most effective is the @ U 4 rep range, which has you lifting about Q= U QBM of your one(rep ma2. &his rep range is an incredibly effective way to stimulate both myo7brillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, resulting in big, dense, strong muscles that don’t disappear when your pump subsides or when you get lean. &rust me on this oneUthe big, shredded guys that do AB(*B sets per workout, A=(A*+ reps per set, with supersets, drop sets, and other fancy rep schemes, can only look like they do because of drugs. You, as a natural weightlifter, will get nowhere with their routines. It took me years of spinning my wheels to learn this. &he other major mistake I was making was doing too many isolation e2ercises and too few compound e2ercises. &his mistake was a natural outgrowth of the last, as the high(rep burnout workouts almost always have you doing a bunch of isolation work.
In case you’re not familiar with the term, an isolation e2ercise is an e2ercise that mainly involves one muscle group 0it isolates it1. Cor instance, a dumbbell front raise is an isolation e2ercise that targets your anterior 0front1 deltoid muscle. &he opposite of an isolation e2ercises is a compound e2ercise, which is one that involves multiple muscle groups. Cor e2ample, my favorite compound e2ercise for shoulders is the -ilitary >ress 0the $tanding
ress is good too1. $o, in my old workouts, probably L=(LBM of my reps were isolation e2ercise reps. and I almost never did compound e2ercises vital to building a big, strong physi)ue such as the Neadlift, $)uat, and -ilitary or ress. Isolation work has a place in a natural weightlifter’s workout routineUI don’t completely shun it like some gurusUbut it should never constitute the majority of reps performed in workouts. &he bottom line is compound e2ercises should be the bulk of your workouts, even if you’re an advanced weightlifter.
&he last vital weightlifting I lesson I had to learn was related to “progressive overload.!
You see, I once believed that the key to stimulating muscle growth was regularly changing up my workout routine. I thought I had to do different e2ercises every week or two or my body would adapt and no longer grow bigger or stronger. I was horribly wrong. Dhat I didn’t know is the key to building bigger, stronger muscles is not doing a bajillion different e2ercises, but is simply progressively overloading the muscles. In case you don’t know, “progressive overload! refers to progressively increasing tension levels in the muscle 7bers over time. &hat is, adding weight to the bar, progressively lifting heavier and heavier weights over time. &his mistake only made the 7rst mistake 0high(rep training1 even worse. I wasn’t really getting stronger. Instead of moving up in weight, I was more inclined to move up in reps 0to get an even bigger pump1. Dell, here’s a simple rule of thumb for us natural weightlifters5 if you want to get bigger, you have to get stronger. Yes, muscles can get stronger without getting bigger 0thanks to neuromuscular adaptations1, but there comes a point where additional strength re)uires bigger muscle 7bers, and progressive overload is the key to making that happen. Dhat this means in practice is that you should move up in weight once you reach the top of the rep range you’re working in. Cor e2ample, if you’re training in the @(4 rep range and get 4 reps on your 7rst set of an e2ercise, you move up in weight 0B pounds if using dumbbells, A= pounds if it’s a barbell e2ercise1. You then work with this new weight, with which you’ll likely get @ reps on the ne2t set, until you can lift it for 4 reps 0this may take one week or three depending on the e2ercise and how advanced of a lifter you are1, after which point you move up, and on it goes.
In this way, you will lift heavier and heavier weights over time, and will be using progressive overload to your advantage. $o, as you have probably 7gured out by now, the #$hredded$ummer workout program is going to work like this5
A.
It has you work primarily in the @ to 4 rep range 0Q= to QBM of your AP-1.
*.
It focuses primarily on compound lifts.
'.
It has you move up in weight once you hit the top of the rep range you’re working in.
"nd as you’ll see, the workouts are probably shorter than what you’re used to((just @B to 4= minutes((but they’re intense. &hese workouts are not about getting a big pump that de9ates in a day or two((they’re about focusing on myo7brillar muscle growth in a way that only heavy weightlifting can deliver. efore we get to the workouts themselves, I want to touch on a couple other points5 Pest * U ' minutes in between each set. &his will give your muscles enough time to fully recoup their strength so you can give ma2imum effort each set. efore performing your 7rst heavy sets, warm up by doing this5
No * sets of A= reps with about half the weight you’ll be using on your heavy sets. Pest about A minute in between the sets. No A set of @ reps with about L=M of the weight you’ll be using on your heavy sets. Pest A minute. No A set of A rep with about S=M of the weight you’ll be using on your heavy sets. Pest * minutes and then start your heavy sets.
$o, let’s now take a look at each of the individual workouts you’ll be performing while on this program, starting with the fan favorite5 chest.
“3elp, my chest is too small! I receive those words, or something similar, at least A= times per week. It’s by far the most common complaint among the guys that email and message me asking for help. "nd I understand. uilding a big, strong chest can be )uite tough if you’re focusing on the wrong chest e2ercises and rep ranges 0and if your nutrition is off, of course1. In this chapter, I’m going to share with you the chest e2ercises that have not only helped me build a full, strong chest, but have helped many of my readers and followers do the same.
&he 7rst thing I want to address is the goal. $imply having a “big chest! shouldn’t be the goal, because just adding sie willy(nilly won’t necessarily give you the look you want. &he most common mistake we want to avoid is building a big lower chest and small upper chest. 3ere’s an e2ample of this5
6ow, he doesn’t have a bad physi)ue, and has clearly been working hard for at least a couple of years. ut take a closer look at his chest. "ll his mass is on the lower, outer portions of the pecs, with little(to(none in the upper, inner portions. %ompare that now to a picture of ;reg >litt’s chest5
Dhile the overall physi)ues aren’t remotely comparable, again look to the chest It’s actually not &3"& much larger than the 7rst, but it’s much better developed. ut what’s the major difference here &he upper and inner portions of the chest. “ut wait a minute,! you might be thinking. “Isn’t the whole Vupper’ and Vlower’ chest thing a myth! Dell, let’s take a moment to address that.
&he “upper chest! debate has been going on for a long time.
No you need to do chest e2ercises speci7cally for the upper chest
)espite what people might tell you, this muscle is not a part of the big chest muscle, the pectoralis major. Dhile part of the pectoralis major shares nerves with the clavicular pectoralis, the angle of the muscle 7bers varies greatly. &hus, certain movements can emphasie the pectoralis major, whereas others can emphasie the clavicular pectoralis.
6otice that I say emphasie, not isolate. &hat’s because all movements that emphasie one of the two do, to some degree, involve the other. But the bottom line is proper chest development re*uires a lot of emphasis on the clavicular pectoralis for two simple reasons+
A.
It’s a small, stubborn muscle that takes its sweet time to grow.
*.
&he movements that are best for developing it also happen to be great for growing the pectoralis major as well.
%urious how this plays out in the real world Dell, let’s look to my own body as an e2ample. Cirst, check out the following picture of me, taken about * years ago5
I looked decent, but look at the upper portion of my left pec 0the right looks bigger than it is because of how I’m holding the phone1. "s you can see, I had a very bottom(heavy chest with not much to show for upstairs. I started addressing this by following the chest workouts I’m going to share you with later in this chapter, and this was the result5
$ee how much of a difference a full upper chest makes "nd yes, that transformation was accomplished by doing e2actly what I’m going to share with you here, and nothing else. $o, let’s get right to it then?
&he three best chest e2ercises accomplish a very simple task5 they ma2imally recruit muscle 7bers, and allow for heavy, progressive overload without dramatically increasing the risk of injury. &hese e2ercises are? arbell ench >ress 0Incline and Clat, free weight not $mith -achine1 Numbbell ench >ress 0Incline and Clat1 Nips 0%hest :ersion, weighted if possible1
(hese are the e"ercises you must master if you want to build an impressive chest. eriod. Corget cable work, dumbbell 9ys, push(up variations, machines, and every other type of chest e2ercise out there. &hey are not nearly as effective as the above three core, foundation(building lifts. Dhy no $mith -achine, you ask $imply because research has proven it inferior to free weight e2ercises in terms of muscle recruitment. "nd why no decline pressing ecause the decline press not only reduces the range of motion of the e2ercise, thus reducing the amount of work your muscles have to do, it places ma2imum emphasis on the pectoralis major and minimum emphasis on the clavicular pectoralis, which simply isn’t ideal 0if you want to build a really droopy, bottom(heavy chest, do a ton of 9at and decline pressing and no incline pressing1. 6ow, many people are surprised to hear this advice of mine, and are even more surprised when they see my pictures and hear that was accomplished by doing nothing but the e2ercises listed above. (hat’s rightnot a single y, cable crossover, or machine rep was done. Is building an awesome chest really that simple Yep, it is.
0&hat said, I do think dumbbell 9ys and cable work has a place in the routine of an advanced weightlifter that has already built a big, strong chest, but we’ll save that for another time. In order to get to that point, it only re)uires the above.1 /emember, the key isn’t just doing the above e"ercises, however. 0t’s progressing on them. &hat is, increasing the amount of weight you can push over time. If you don’t get stronger, you won’t get bigger. 6ow, a few tips in performing these e2ercises5
-any people worry that the arbell ench >ress puts your shoulders at a high risk of injury. &his is true only if your form is improper.
3ere are the two major points of form that protect your shoulders when you’re performing the arbell ench >ress5
&he most common mistake people make is they 9are their elbows out, sometimes approaching S= degrees relative to their torsos. &his dramatically increases the stress on your shoulders.
In case you’re not sure what the angles look like, here’s a picture from my book igger /eaner $tronger5
&he position where the hands are closest to the torso puts the arms at about *= degrees relative to the torso. &he ne2t position out is about @B degrees. "nd the furthermost position is S= degrees.
You don’t want to 9atten your chest out at the bottom of the lift, rolling your shoulders. Instead, your shoulder blades should always remain tightly pinched, which pushes your chest up, and you should always have enough arch in your lower back to 7t a 7st in the pocket between it and the bench. &he 7nal point of form that you should know is the bar must touch your chest every rep. $topping short reduces the range of motion, which means less gains.
ress is that it allows you to increase the range of motion beyond the barbell press. 3ere’s how I like to perform the Numbbell ench >ress 0this is incline, of course, but you get the idea15
&echnically my butt shouldn’t be movingUI was trying to move up in weight here and got a little overealousUbut what I wanted to show you was how I rotate my hands at the bottom of the rep and bring the dumbbells low. &his increases the range of motion without increasing the risk of injury, and I’ve found this very helpful in progressing with the weight and developing my chest.
3ere’s the chest workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer program5
Incline arbell ench >ress5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps Incline Numbbell ench >ress5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps Clat arbell ench >ress5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps
"lthough many guys focus on building the “beach muscles! 0every day is %hest Nay1, I think a big, thick, wide back is awesome. It doesn’t come easily though. It takes a lot of proper training to really make it stand out. In this chapter, I’m going to share with you my favorite back e2ercises and how I like to program my back workouts. If you follow my advice, and eat properly, your back will grow in both sie and strength. $o, let’s 7rst look at the anatomy of the back so we can better understand what we’re trying to achieve with our training.
&he four muscles that make up the bulk of the back, and that need to be well developed, are the trapeius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, and erector spinae. 3ere’s how they look5
0&he erector spinae aren’t shown on the above chart, but they are the lower back muscles that occupy the gray area at the bottom.1 &here are a few smaller bundles of muscle that matter as well, such as the teres major and minor, and the infraspinatus. You can see them here5
6ow, here’s the goal in terms of overall back development5
1arge, but not overdeveloped, traps that establish the upper back 2ide lats that e"tend low down the torso, creating that pleasing 3-taper Bulky rhomboids that create 4valleys5 when e"ed 6lear development and separation in the teres muscles and infraspinatus 7 thick, 46hristmas tree5 structure in the lower back
-y back is a work in progress, but here’s what I’ve been able to achieve so far5
Enfortunately I don’t have any older “before! shots of my back 0every day was %hest Nay1, but my back has come come very far in the last few years. (he breakthrough occurred when 0 changed my workouts to what 0’m going to share with you in this article. $o, let’s start with some basic principles of back training, and then we’ll get to the best back e2ercises and a sample back workout.
&he most common mistake I see people make with their back training is focusing on the wrong e2ercises 0usually boiling down to focusing too much on the lats1 &he result is a weak(looking back that has a :(taper but nothing elseUnothing to show for in the middle, and small erector spinae. 3ere’s a good e2ample of this type of back5
6ot great, but I bet he can do a lot of standing lat pushdowns. 7 proper back workout trains the lats, but blasts the other major muscles. "nd fortunately the best back e2ercises do bothUthey build depth, thickness, and width. /et’s now move on to the best back e2ercises for rapid muscle growth and strength gains.
(he deadlift is the core of any great back program. -y back sucked in both strength and sie until I started really working on my deadlift, and I’ve never looked back. -any people are afraid of the deadlift because they think it’s inherently bad for your lower back or dangerous. &his is incorrect. 2hen performed with good form, the deadlift is actually a fantastic way to build lower back strength and prevent injury. &hat said, if you have sustained a lower back injury or have a disease affecting the area, you will not want to perform deadlifts. >roper rehab can include deadlifting, but it’s done with light weights and lower workout volumes. 3ere’s what proper form on a deadlift looks like5
(wo 8seful 3ariations of the )eadlift+ (he 9umo )eadlift and :e" Bar )eadlift &he sumo deadlift uses a wide stance 0A.B(* times the width of your shoulders1 to shorten the range of motion and shearing force on the lower back. It also can feel more comfortable in the hips than a conventional deadlift, depending on your biomechanics 0if you walk with your toes pointed out, the sumo may be better for you1. 3ere’s a good e2planation of the $umo Neadlift5
(he downside of the sumo deadlift is the reduced range of motion, which results in less work done, which means less muscle development. 6evertheless, give this variation a try if you lack the 9e2ibility to do a conventional deadlift, if it just feels very uncomfortable 0certain people’s bodies are better suited to the sumo deadlift1, or if it’s causing low(back pain. &he he2 bar8or trap bar8deadlift is a great way to learn to deadlift, because it doesn’t re)uire as much hip and ankle mobility to get to the bar, and it puts less shearing stress on the spine. 0t also allows you to lift more weight than the conventional deadlift, which may make it a more e;ective e"ercise for developing overall lower body power. 3ere’s how the 3e2 ar Neadlift looks5
&he barbell row is a staple in my back workouts because it works everything from the erector spinae to the traps. 0n terms of form, 0 prefer something closer to a endlay /ow than a endlay Pow5
"nd here’s the Yates Pow5
I prefer keeping my torso close to parallel to the ground because it allows you to work the rhomboids through a fuller range of motion than the more upright, Yates position. "nd in case you’re worried about your lower back, the reality is if you’re keeping your form in, and deadlifting every week, you’ll never be rowing enough weight to cause an issue.
Dhile many people swear by chin(ups alone, I think they should be used as a stepping stone to doing proper, wide(grip pullups, which are incredibly good for building upper back thickness. 3ere’s a chin(up5
"nd here’s a wide(grip pullup5
$omething to pay attention to is the fact that the bottom of his chin rises just above the bars. &his is a full range of motion. Non’t stop halfway. "s you get stronger, you will eventually be able to add weight to your pullups using a dip belt.
" good back workout trains all the major muscles of the back, including the lower back, and focuses on heavy weights. Wust like any other muscle group, the back can bene7t from higher rep work, but you have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want it to grow. 3ere’s the back workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer program5 Neadlift5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps arbell Pow5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps
%hin(Eps or Dide(;rip >ullups5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps 0add weight if possible1
Dhen it comes to upper body training, the shoulders are often undertrained. &hey naturally tend to lag behind arm and chest development, and can remain very stubborn, refusing to change at all. I know because I used to have this problem. ut I don’t anymore, and in this chapter, I’m going to share with you how I 7nally grew some shoulders I could be proud of. $o, let’s 7rst take a )uick look at the anatomy of the shoulders so we understand what we’re trying to achieve in our shoulder workouts.
Your shoulders are comprised of three major muscles known as deltoids, and here’s how they look5
It’s very important to develop all three heads of this muscle group, because if one is lagging, it will be painfully obvious. In most cases, the medial and posterior deltoids need the most work because the anterior deltoids do get trained to some degree in a good chest workout. &he other two heads don’t, however.
/et’s use my own physi)ue again as an e2ample. Cirst, check out the following picture taken about @ years ago. I didn’t look horrible, but take a look at my left shoulder and how small it looks compared to the middle of my arm 0the middle of my bicep and triceps1.
3ere’s another shot from the same time period that shows it even more. "s you can see, my arm and chest completely overpowered my shoulder. Oeep in mind that I was training shoulders at that timeUI was doing a lot of sets as a part of a traditional bodybuilder routine 0a lot of isolation work, A= U A*+ reps, Nrop $ets, $uper $ets, etc.1.
$oon after I took these pictures, I began changing the way I trained and ate, and after about a year of this new style of eating and training, I looked like this5
Guite an improvement, of course 0I was thrilled1, but let’s focus again on that left shoulder because it’s still lagging. &he medial head in particular lacked sieUit didn’t protrude enough to balance the sie of my triceps. I kept working at it, however, and here’s a shot of me taken a few months ago5
I still think my shoulders need a bit more work, but I think you’ll agree they have greatly improved and are fairly proportional to my arms, chest, and back. &he progress you’re seeing in the above pictures was achieved with shoulder workouts based on the training advice that I’m going to share with you in this chapter. $o let’s get to how to best workout your shoulders?
-y list of favorite shoulder e2ercises is pretty short and simple. &hese are the e2ercises I’ve used to dramatically improve my own shoulders, and that will do the same for yours.
arbell pressing is the most effective way to build your shoulders because although it focuses on the anterior head, it also involves the other two, and it allows you to push heavy weight without risking injury. I prefer the $eated -ilitary >ress because the standing variation re)uires )uite a bit of balance and lower back stability to perform, and as I s)uat and deadlift heavy every week, I don’t feel I need any more lower back training. 3ere’s how to properly do the $eated -ilitary >ress5
&he key point here is I’m bringing the weight down to my chest in a controlled manner. Non’t stop at S= degrees for fear of your shouldersUso long as you keep your elbows under the bar and resist the urge to 9are them out, you’ll be 7ne.
&he $ide /ateral Numbbell Paise is the most effective e2ercise for building the medial 0middle1 deltoid. &his head is usually underdeveloped when compared to the anterior because people tend to focus on chest and shoulder pressing. 3ere’s how to do it5
"s your shoulders get stronger, you’ll 7nd it harder to maintain proper form when trying to lift both dumbbells simultaneously. "n effective way to get around this without cheating is to do a hanging variant of the e2ercise5
&he posterior 0rear1 deltoid is the smallest and weakest of the three heads, but still needs some love if you want to have a “three(dimensional! shoulder that doesn’t fall 9at in the back. &he Pear Numbbell Paise is a simple and effective e2ercise for building this posterior head. 3ere’s how to do it5
You can also do a standing variation of this e2ercise5
&he Cront Numbbell Paise is an effective e2ercise for targeting the anterior deltoid. etween this and the presses, you don’t need anything else for this front head of the muscle group. 3ere’s how to do it5
" good shoulder workout trains all three heads of the muscle, and focuses on heavy weights. Wust like any other muscle group, shoulders can bene7t from higher rep work, but you have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want them to grow. 3ere’s the shoulder workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer program5
$eated -ilitary >ress5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps Numbbell $ide /ateral 5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 4 U Q reps if you can’t maintain proper form with @ U 4 Pear Numbbell Paise5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 4 U Q reps if you can’t maintain proper form with @ U 4
&here’s a reason why so many guys are obsessed with arm training5 along with a big chest, big arms are one of the most prominent parts of the body. If you’re going to get a compliment from a stranger, it’s probably going to be on your arms. Dhile I think arms get a bit too much attention in the overall scheme of things, I de7nitely agree that a physi)ue isn’t complete without big, developed arms. "nd in this chapter, I’m going to show you how to get there.
/et’s start with the arm anatomy, and then we’ll talk arm training.
"s you probably know, the largest arm muscles are the biceps and triceps, but let’s look at them in a little more detail, as well as the forearms, so we know e2actly what we’re training. &he biceps 0or, formally, biceps brachii1 is a two(headed muscle that looks like this5
"nother important muscle is the biceps brachialis, which lies beneath the biceps brachii5
Dhile this muscle isn’t nearly as prominent as the biceps brachii when developed, it plays an important role in the overall look of your arms. It looks like a mere “bump! in between the biceps brachii and triceps, but its level of development impacts the amount of “peak! your biceps appear to have 0ultimately peak is mostly determined by genetics but increasing the sie of the brachialis can give the appearance of a better peak1. I think the following picture of me from a recent photo shoot shows how a well(developed biceps brachialis cleanly separates the biceps brachii from the triceps and adds to the overall aesthetics of the arms5
$o, when we get to the training portion of this chapter, we will be including some work to target the brachialis. &he ne2t muscle group to talk about is the triceps, or triceps brachii, which has three heads5
"s you can see, the three heads combine to form the distinctive “horseshoe! that can become )uite pronounced, when properly developed. Dhile the biceps are usually the focus of arms workouts, many people don’t realie that the triceps account for a lot more of your arm’s sie. $mall triceps mean small, disproportionate arms, regardless of the sie of the biceps. /ast but not least is the forearms, which are comprised of several smaller muscles5
Corearms are like the calves of the armsUthey aren’t the immediate focus, but if they’re underdeveloped, it’s sorely obvious. &hanks to following the advice I’m going to give in this chapter, my forearms have made )uite a bit of progress over the last few years, and I think it shows5
"lright, so now that we know what we’re going for, let’s talk about the general dos and don’ts of arm training.
De’ll start with the biceps 7rst and then move to triceps and forearms. /ike with other muscle groups, you get the most growth out of the biceps by focusing on free weights, not machines, and by sticking to compound 0es)ue1 movements.
&his is one of the best biceps builders, and has been a staple in my arms workouts for several years now.
&he 3ammer %url is particularly useful for building up the biceps brachialis 0the smaller muscle that helps give your biceps a visual “boost!1.
/ike the arbell %url, this is a tried(and(true biceps builder.
/ike the arbell %url for the biceps, the %lose(;rip ench >ress is one of the best triceps e2ercises. It’s a compound movement that allows you to safely push heavy weight, and it also gives a little boost to your chest development.
&he Nip is a fantastic e2ercise for building up your triceps, chest, and shoulders.
&his is one of my favorite triceps e2ercises because, like the %lose(;rip ench >ress, you’re able to move heavy weights without overly stressing anything. %hances are your elbows will ache for the 7rst few weeks of performing it, but this should go away as the connective tissues adapt.
I’ll often get asked what I do for my forearms, and people are surprised to learn that I do no direct forearm training. "ll development has been a result of heavy back, chest, and arm training. I’m not a fan of directly training forearms for two reasons5
A.
It can lead to elbow tightness and pain, which hinders your triceps training.
*.
It’s just not necessary if you’re sticking to heavy, compound lifting for your back, chest, and arms.
If you really want to train them, however, you can do * U ' sets of Peverse %urls at the end of your workout.
" good arms workout trains both the biceps and triceps and, indirectly, the forearms, and focuses on heavy weights. Wust like any other muscle group, arms can bene7t from higher rep work, but you have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want them to grow. 3ere’s the arms workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer program5
arbell %url5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps %lose(;rip ench >ress5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps Numbbell 3ammer %url5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps Nips 0Deighted if possible15 ' sets of @ U 4 reps ress5 * sets of 4 U Q reps
I like to alternate between biceps and triceps sets to save time. I don’t superset the e2ercises, but instead I do it like this5 biceps e2ercise A set A, rest 4= seconds, triceps e2ercise A set , rest 4= seconds, biceps e2ercise A set *, rest 4= seconds, triceps e2ercise set *, rest 4= seconds, and so forth.
If you’re hitting the weights regularly but neglecting your leg workouts, I want to warn you of what is to come5
In all seriousness, I understand the temptation to skip legs day. I used to do it all the time and am paying the price now. -y legs are still a bit behind my upper body in overall development, and my calves are still too small 0working on it1, but my legs are no longer a glaring weakness5
Ironically, now that I have a few years of proper leg training under my belt, I’ve actually come to really enjoy my leg workouts. ut it took time to get there. It wasn’t a simple matter of -<"P $GE"&$ -<"P $GE"&$ -<""""P $GE"&$$$$AA In this chapter, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned about building big, strong legs5 the best leg e2ercises, tips on performing them correctly, and a workout that will deliver immediate results in terms of building leg muscle and strength.
efore we get to the training, let’s )uickly review the major muscles of the leg so we know what we’re looking to develop. &he )uadriceps is a group of four muscles that comprise the bulk of the muscle on the front of the thigh. &he four “heads! of the )uadriceps are5
&he rectus femoris &he vastus lateralis &he vastus medialis &he vastus intermedius
3ere’s how they look5
&he back of the leg is dominated by three muscles that contract the hamstring tendon5 &he semitendinosus &he semimembranosus &he biceps femoris
3ere’s how they look5
"nd last but not least is the calf muscle, which is comprised of two muscles5 &he gastrocnemius &he soleus
"nd here’s how they look5
0"s you can see, the bulk of the calf is the gastrocnemius muscle, and the soleus lies under it. $o, those are the major muscle groups that we’re concerned with in terms of visual development. &here are )uite a few smaller muscles that will greatly affect our ability to properly train the larger muscles, but we don’t need to review each of them. y following the advice in this article, they will develop along with the larger groups. "lright, let’s now look at the best leg e2ercises for muscle growth.
&hese are the e2ercises I’ve used to dramatically improve my own legs, and that will do the same for yours.
6o surprise here, of course. &he $)uat is hands down the most effective leg e2ercise you can do. It blasts every muscle in your legs. It must be performed correctly, however. Improper s)uatting is not only ineffective, it can increase the risk of injury, so let’s )uickly review the key points5 &he 7rst point is if you’re not at least reaching parallel in your s)uats, &he main problem with this is the shallower the s)uat, the less work your leg muscles have to do, which results in less muscle and strength growth. 3ere’s what this parallel position looks like 0this image is from my book igger /eaner $tronger15
6otice also how the head is neutral, chest is up, shoulders back, and the spine is in a neutral position, and the knees are behind the toes. &hese are all key points to maintaining proper form on the $)uat. 3ere’s what a proper parallel s)uat looks like5
&he “"ss to ;rass! or Cull $)uat is also popular and effective, and it looks like this5
Dhile there are bene7ts to the Cull $)uat 0it makes the legs, and butt in particular, do more work1, it re)uires )uite a bit of mobility and 9e2ibility. I recommend you start with the >arallel $)uat and build your strength up there before including the Cull $)uat in your leg workouts. efore we move on to the ne2t leg e2ercise, I want to talk about the biggest problem many people run into when they try to s)uat properly5 lack of lower(body mobility and 9e2ibility. /ack of hip 9e2ibility is probably the most common problem that prevents people from s)uatting properly, but hamstring tightness and even calf and ankle stiffness can also throw your form off. Cortunately, 72ing these issues is pretty simple. "ll you have to do is follow this s)uat mobility routine, and you’ll be s)uatting properly within no time.
&he arbell /unge is another great e2ercise for targeting the )uadriceps, as well as the glutes.
&he Pomanian Neadlift, or PN/, is my favorite e2ercise for isolating the muscles of the hamstring.
&his simple e2ercise is a tried(and(true calf builder.
" good leg workout trains both the )uadriceps and hamstrings, and focuses on heavy weights. Wust like any other muscle group, legs can bene7t from higher rep work, but you have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want them to grow. 3ere’s the legs workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer program5
arbell ack $)uat5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps arbell /unge5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 4 U Q reps if you can’t maintain proper form with @ U 4 Pomanian Neadlift for ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 3ip &hrust for ' sets of 4 U Q reps if you want to target your glutes $tanding %alf Paise5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps and then ' sets of Q U A= reps with A minute of rest in between each set
0 have good news for you+ Enless you just love going for long jogs, there’s absolutely no reason whatsoever to do steady(state cardio instead of high(intensity interval training 03II&1. You see, cardio machines often show pretty graphs indicating where your heart rate should be for “fat burning! versus “cardiovascular training.!
You calculate this magical heart rate by subtracting your age from *== and multiplying this number by =.4. If you keep your heart rate at this number, as the story goes, you’ll be in the “fat burning one.! &here’s a kernel of truth here. You do burn both fat and carbohydrates when you e2ercise, and the proportion varies with the intensity of e2ercise. " very low(intensity activity like walking taps mainly into fat stores, whereas high(intensity sprints pull much more heavily from carbohydrate stores. "t about 4=M of ma2imum e2ertion, your body gets about half of its energy from carbohydrate stores and half from fat stores 0which is why many “e2perts! claim that you should work in the range of 4=UL=M of ma2imum e2ertion1. ased on the above, you might think that I’m actually arguing for steady(state cardio, but there’s more to consider. &he 7rst issue is total calories burned while e2ercising. If you walk off A== calories, QB of which come from fat stores, that isn’t as effective as spending that time in a moderate run that burns off *== calories with A== coming from fat. "nd that, in turn, isn’t as effective as spending that time doing sprint intervals that burn off B== calories with AB= coming from fat. %alories burned while e2ercising isn’t the whole story, though.
$tudies such as those conducted by /aval Eniversity, Fast &ennessee $tate Eniversity, aylor %ollege of -edicine, and the Eniversity of 6ew $outh Dales have shown that shorter, high(intensity cardio sessions result in greater fat loss over time than longer, low(intensity sessions. " study conducted by &he Eniversity of Destern ost(e2ercise appetite suppression. "nd more...
&he bottom line is that high(intensity interval training burns more fat in less time than steady(state cardio. ut wait, there’s more?
In most people’s minds, cardio and muscle growth don’t go together very well. "nd there’s some truth in this. Dhile I recommend that you always include some cardio in your programming regardless of whether you’re bulking or cutting, there are right and wrong ways to do it. Cor instance, research has shown that combining both strength and endurance training 0concurrent training1 can hinder your strength and muscle gains when compared to just strength training alone. &his is why I recommend that people split their cardio and strength training into two separate workouts. ut, even if you do this, cardio can still have a negative impact on your muscle(related gains. Pesearch has shown that the longer your cardio sessions are, the more they impair strength and hypertrophy. &hat is, the shorter your cardio sessions are, the more muscle you preserve.
&hus, keeping your cardio sessions short is important when we’re talking about ma2imiing your gains in the weight room, and preserving your muscle. ad and read or watch a show or movie while doing my cardio, it turns out that cycling itself has special bene7ts for us weightlifters. &hese bene7ts were demonstrated in a particularly interesting study conducted by $tephen C "ustin $tate Eniversity.
Dhat researchers found is that the &Y>F of cardio done had a profound effect on the subjects’ ability to gain strength and sie in their weightlifting. &he subjects that did running and walking for their cardio gained signi7cantly less strength and sie than those that cycled. Pesearchers concluded that this was because cycling involves the use of more of the muscles used in hypertrophy movements 0s)uats, for instance1 than running or walking does. &hat is, it more closely imitates the motions that result in hypertrophy, and thus doesn’t impair hypertrophy. &herefore, I recommend cycling for your high(intensity interval training 0the ne2t(best choice would be sprinting, as this too involves many of the same muscles1, and I recommend keeping your sessions relatively short 0*=('= minutes1. If you don’t have a recumbent cycle available, the second(best option would be a rowing machine. &he third(best would be sprints on the treadmill or outside. In terms of an e2act protocol, here’s what you can do.
A.
You start your workout with *(' minutes of low(intensity warmup on the lowest resistance.
*.
You then bump the resistance up to @(B, and pedal as fast as possible for '= seconds.
'.
You then reduce the resistance to its slowest setting and pedal at a moderate pace for 4= seconds. If you’re new to 3II&, you may need to e2tend this rest period to S=(A*= seconds.
@.
You repeat this cycle of all(out and recovery intervals for *=(*B minutes.
B.
You do a *(' minute cool(down at a low intensity.
"s a part of the #$hredded$ummer %hallenge, I recommend that you do ' to @ *B(minute 3II& cardio sessions per week.
%d#anced time release formla garanteed to feed yor lean mass for p to & hors' (ick yor testosterone prodction into o#erdri#e and ma)imi*e yor gains' %ssalt estrogen receptors in yor +ody and completely +lock mscle-killing hormones'
&he shelves of your local ;6% are packed with all kinds of bogus junk claiming to deliver results that only steroids can achieve. &his includes pre(workout supplements, intra(workout supplements, post(workout supplements, test boosters, 3;3 boosters, nitric o2ide supplements, anti(estrogens, aromatase inhibitors, and the list goes on and on. If you believe half of the hype you read in supplement advertisements or on their labels, well, it would probably take a while before you realie the simple truth of the matter, which is? Most everything you see in the world of workout supplements is utterly worthless. Yup?a complete waste of money. 6ot all. ut most. 3ow can I say that so con7dently Dell, I’ve not only tried every type of supplement you can imagine, but I follow the science and what has been objectively proven8not 9ashy advertisements or paid endorsements. &hat said, there are a handful of supplements that actually are worth buying and using. -ost aren’t the se2y muscle(building crap pushed by ’roid monsters in the magaines, but they are scienti7cally proven to help you in your journey to build muscle, get lean, and stay healthy.
In this section of the book, I want to guide you through what you should considering supplementing with, and why, as well as share with you the e2act products I use and like. If these recommendations don’t 7t your needs you can 7nd my entire list of supplements recommendations here.
>rotein is the nutrient most responsible for muscle growth and repair. It is broken down into amino acids during digestion, and these are the “building blocks! of all tissues in the body. If you don’t eat enough protein every day, you will stunt your body’s ability to build muscle, and retain muscle while dieting. 6ow, using protein supplements such as whey, egg, and casein powders isn’t necessary for making gains, but it is convenient. &here’s also evidence that whey protein, a byproduct of cheese making, is particularly good for post(workout nutrition. Enless you are in the lucky position of being able to have whole food meals ready @ U 4 times per day, you’re going to want to use protein supplements. &here are several popular types of protein powders, but I prefer A==M whey isolate protein for my pre( and post(workout supplementation5
If you donXt do well with whey, click here to view my favorite whey alternatives.
I recommend that you use protein supplements to supplement your protein intake, not make up the bulk of it. >ersonally, I make sure to get at least B=M of my daily protein from whole food sources. I like to use whey before and after training 0post(workout nutrition is important, despite what some people claim1, and I usually supplement with one scoop of egg protein later in the day 0if I have too much dairy my stomach will get upset1. %asein and egg are both slow(burning proteins, which make them good for pre(sleep protein intake 0which has been shown to help with muscle recovery1. >ersonally I use egg, but many people like casein.
"dvertisements for pre(workout supplements are some of the most e2aggerated in the industry. &ake A= U *= grams of powder and you’ll e2perience “highly e2plosive energy,! “ma2imum anabolic activation,! and “e2treme training endurance,! they say. "re these products actually worth it, though, or are you better off popping a couple caffeine pills or drinking an espresso instead Dell, caffeine is a useful pre(workout supplement that can increase muscle endurance and strength. It’s probably the simplest, cheapest way to get more out of your training. &he reality is an underdosed pre(workout drink is not worth the money as you won’t get much more out of it than caffeine pills. ut?a properly formulated product is far superior to caffeine alone, and here is the product I use5
&he 7rst thing you need to know about fat loss supplements is that 6< pill or powder will cause you to magically lose fat. /osing weight re)uires properly using diet and e2ercise to maintain a calorie de7cit over time, without causing too much metabolic slowdown. &hat said, there are natural, safe supplements that have been scienti7cally proven to speed up fat loss when combined with a proper diet. /et’s go over each here.
-any companies try to sell you their fat burners by making the process of fat loss sound overly comple2. &hey talk about increasing fat o2idation rates, preserving lean mass, supporting the thyroid, inducing thermogenesis, inhibiting enymes related to fat storage, inducing enymes that cause fat loss, manipulating hormone and neurotransmitter levels, reducing water retention, improving nutrient partitioning, and more.
Dell, the truth is, these are all aspects of fat loss, but this type of marketing is little more than an attempt to dale you with terminology and scienti7c half(truths in hopes that you just accept the claimed bene7ts at face value. Dhile there are notable e2ceptions, the majority of fat burners on the market contain little more than a handful of cheap stimulants to make you feel like youXre burning fat and a smattering of underdosed, unproven, or ineffective 0and often all three1 ingredients thrown in to pad the ingredients list and make you think youXre getting a lot for your money. &his is why I created my own fat burner?
%affeine helps you lose fat by simply increasing your body’s daily energy e2penditure. "s weight loss boils down to energy consumed vs. energy e2pended, caffeine helps you maintain a calorie de7cit. %affeine has other bene7ts for us 7tness folk. It improves strength, muscle endurance, and anaerobic performance, and also reverses the “morning weakness! e2perienced by many weightlifters.
6ow, you can get your caffeine from a beverage like coffee, but interestingly enough, research has shown that the pure form you 7nd in most pills and powders 0caffeine anhydrous1 is actually more effective for improving performance. &hus, I recommend you take caffeine pills.
In order to ma2imie caffeine’s effectiveness, you want to prevent your body from building up too much of a tolerance. &he best way to do this is to limit intake, of course. 3ere’s what I recommend5
A.
efore training, supplement with ' U 4 mg caffeine per kg of body weight. If you’re not sure of your caffeine sensitivity, start with ' mgRkg and work up from there.
*.
Oeep your daily. intake at or below 4 mg per kg of body weight. Non’t have 4 mgRkg before training and then drink a couple of coffees throughout the day.
'.
No A U * low(caffeine days per week, and A no(caffeine day per week. " low day should be half your normal intake, and a no day means less than B= mg of caffeine 0you can have a cup or two of tea, but no coffee, caffeine pills, etc.1.
;reen tea e2tract is a weight loss supplement made from green tea leaves. It’s rich in antio2idants known as catechins, which are responsible for many of tea’s health bene7ts, and which have been proven to help with weight loss. Pesearch has also shown that catechins can help reduce abdominal fat, in particular. %atechins accelerate fat loss by blocking an enyme that degrades catecholamines, which are chemicals the body produces that trigger the use of fat for energy.
Oeep in mind that my fat burner, >3
If you look at the dosages proven effective in clinical studies, you’ll see that @== U 4== mg of catechins per day is the normal range. Fach pill of the product I recommend below contains about AB= mg of catechins so I take @ per day both when I’m cutting and maintaining. 0I take green tea e2tract when I’m maintaining simply because it helps prevent fat storage and promotes a generally leaner physi)ue.1
Dhen you take green tea e2tract doesn’t really matter. Pesearch has shown that absorption is faster when pills are taken in a fasted state, but plasma catechin levels remain elevated for several hours after ingestion, whether fed or fasted. >ersonally, I train fasted when cutting, and I have '== mg '= minutes before training, and another '== mg a couple hours before I do cardio later in the day. You should also know that nausea is common if you take green tea e2tract on an empty stomach. If I take more than *== U '== mg on an empty stomach, I get )uite nauseous.
Yohimbine is made from the >ausinystalia yohimbe plant, and it helps the body “tap into! fat stores. 06ot a very technical e2planation, I knowUif you want to know e2actly how it works, check out this article of mine on how to lose stubborn fat.1
Yohimbine only works if you’re training in a fasted state. Flevated insulin levels . In terms of dosages, research has shown that .* mgRkg of body weight is suZcient for fat loss purposes, and that ingesting it prior to e2ercise is particularly effective.
$ome people get overly jittery from yohimbine, so I recommend you start with .A mgRkg of body weight to assess tolerance. If you feel 7ne, then increase to the clinically effective dosage of .* mgRkg.
NOTE: ,ohim+ine
can raise +lood pressre. f yo ha#e high +lood pressre dont recommend yo se it.
"ssuming you’re training properly, most of your strength and muscle gains and your body’s ability to recover properly are going to hinge on your diet and sleep habits. uilding muscle re)uires that you eat enough protein, and enough calories every day. It also re)uires that you get enough sleep every night. &he reality is the vast majority of “muscle building! supplements out there are completely bogus. &hey will not help you get bigger or stronger. &here are, however, a few supplements that have been scienti7cally proven to help you build muscle, get stronger, and recover faster.
$o, let’s begin
%reatine is a substance found naturally in the body and in foods like red meat. It is perhaps the most researched molecule in the world of sport supplementsUthe subject of over *== studiesUand the consensus is very clear. $upplementation with creatine can help you build muscle and improve strength, improve anaerobic endurance, and reduce muscle damage and soreness from e2ercise. Cor some reason, it’s often claimed that creatine is bad for your kidneys. You can rest easy8these claims have been categorically and repeatedly disproven.
In healthy subjects, creatine has been shown to have no harmful side effects, in both short( or long(term usage. >eople with kidney disease are not advised to supplement with creatine, however. I highly recommend that you supplement with creatine. It’s safe, cheap, and effective. ut there are many types out there. Dhich is the best Non’t overpay for over(hyped forms of creatine pushed by million(dollar ad campaigns and sold in fancy bottles. %reatine monohydrate is the best bang for your buck, and is the standard by which all other forms of creatine are still judged.
I recommend you start taking creatine by “loading! and then “maintaining.! “/oading! simply refers to taking *= grams of creatine per day for the 7rst B U L days, which rapidly increases your body’s total creatine content and storage. &hen, after the loading phase, you take a maintenance dose of B grams of creatine each day, which keeps muscle creatine levels elevated.
If you want to fully recover from your workouts and avoid overtraining, then you need to e2ercise, eat, and rest properly. >roper supplementation can help your body recover as well, and that’s why I recommend you take glutamine and carnitine. ;lutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body, and is heavily depleted by intense, prolonged e2ercise. Pesearch has shown that supplementation with glutamine can5 Peduce the negative effects of prolonged e2ercise on the immune system Improve your endurance and reduce fatigue in prolonged e2ercise 3elp your body better deal with the systemic stress of prolonged e2ercise
$imply put, regular supplementation with glutamine can help you push your body harder in your training without falling into the trap of overtraining. %arnitine is a compound that your body produces from the amino acids lysine and methionine, and it plays a vital role in the generation of cellular energy. Pesearch has shown that supplementation with carnitine can5 Peduce e2ercise(induced muscle damage and soreness Improve muscle repair Improve insulin sensitivity
&he better your muscles can recover from your training, the better your results will ultimately be, and that’s why carnitine is worthwhile.
$tudies have shown that A== U *== mg per kg of body weight of glutamine and A(* grams of /(carnitine /(tartrate each day is suZcient for athletes, and that chronic usage is important. Cor most people, this will re)uire *(' servings of PF%3"P;F per day.
>eople will rush to store month after month to buy the latest fancy looking muscle(building or fat(loss supplements, but few bother with supplements intended to improve overall health. Ironically, the “boring! types of supplements we’re going to discuss in this section can actually do much more to improve performance than most of the crap lining the shelves of ;6%. In this section, we’ll discuss a few supplements that are not only great for staying healthy, but help keep your body primed for optimum performance levels as well as eZcient muscle growth and fat loss.
Dhen you’re working out regularly and intensely, it’s especially important to provide your body all the nutrients it needs to maintain a high level of performance and health. &here’s more to this than eating enough calories to build muscle or lose fat. Your body needs a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to perform the millions of physiological processes that keep you alive and well. &his is a basic need, like protein, carbohydrates, fats, and water, and if it’s neglected, health and performance can be severely compromised. Ideally, we’d get all of the vitamins and minerals we need from the food we eat, but this is easier said than done. Cirst there’s the issue of the ever(declining )uality of soil and food 0even in the world of organic1, which is making it harder to get ade)uate nutrition from our diets. &hen there’s the fact that maintaining optimal levels of vitamin and mineral intake re)uires a bit of planned dietary diversity, which can be done, but can also be time consuming. >ersonally, I prefer a simpler approach. I make sure the majority of my calories come from nutrient(dense foods, like the following5 "vocados ;reens 0chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach1 ell peppers russels sprouts -ushrooms aked potatoes $weet potatoes
erries /ow(fat yogurt Fggs $eeds 09a2, pumpkin, sesame, and sun9ower1 eans 0garbano, kidney, navy, pinto1 /entils, peas "lmonds, cashews, peanuts arley, oats, )uinoa, brown rice $almon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, tuna
/ean beef, lamb, venison %hicken, turkey
"nd I supplement with a multivitamin to 7ll any “holes! left by my diet. I use and recommend the following5
&he ne2t type of general health supplement that I highly recommend is 7sh oil, because it’s a great source of “omega(' fatty acids.! "Uand docosahe2aenoic acidUN3"1 are an essential type of fat, meaning they can’t be synthesied by the body and must be obtained from the diet. Pesearch has shown that supplementation with 7sh oil can? Increase muscle protein synthesis Peduce muscle soreness, in9ammation, and an2iety Peduce blood pressure, depression, the negative effects of stress, and the risk for kidney and cardiovascular disease, as well as stroke and metabolic syndrome Improve glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in people with impaired insulin response and metabolism, and preserve it in the metabolically healthy Improve memory and cognitive performance 3elp prevent weight gain $peed up fat loss
Guite an impressive roster of bene7ts, no 6ow, not all 7sh oils are made the same. &here are two important things to consider when choosing one5
&here are two forms of 7sh oil on the market today5 the triglyceride form, and the ethyl ester form. &he triglyceride form is 7sh oil in its natural state, and the ethyl ester form is a processed version of the triglyceride form that includes a molecule of ethanol 0alcohol1. Dhile plenty of studies have proven the bene7ts of supplementation with fatty acid ethyl esters 0C"FFs1, research has shown that the triglyceride form is better absorbed by the body.
ecause of the varying )uality of 7sh oils on the market, it’s important that you look at how many milligrams of F>a and N3" 0omega(' fatty acids1 are actually in each serving. /ower )uality supplements might have as little as AB= U *== milligrams per A gram of fat, which makes them nearly worthless as you have to take far too much every day to get enough omega('s 0you want a minimum of * U ' grams of omega('s per day1. " high()uality 7sh oil can be )uite a bit more money than a low()uality one, but when you look at how much you’re getting for that money in terms of omega(' fatty acids, the price makes more sense.
Cor e2ample, here’s the label from a cheap, low()uality 0ethyl ester1 7sh oil product5
Serving Size 1 Softgels Servings Per Container 100
AmountPerServing
%DailyValue*
Calories
10
Calories From Fat Total Fat
10 g 1 2% *
Cholesterol
mg 5
Fish Oil
g 1
TotalOmega-3FattyAcids
300mg
2%
** **
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) DHA(DocosahexaenoicAcid)
**
* Percent Daily Values are based on 2,000 calorie diet. ** Daily Value Not Extablished
Gelatin, Glycerin, Food Glaze, Ethylcellulose, Entreic Coating, (Sodium Alginate, Stearic Acid), Mixed Tocopherols, Vanillin ALLERGEN INFORMATION: CONTAINS FISH (ANCHOVY, MACKEREL, SARDINE) INGREDIENTS.
&his product costs about KAA, and comes with A== pills containing '== mg of omega(' fatty acids each. &his means you’re getting '= grams of omega(' fatty acids per bottle, and paying about 'L cents per gram. 6ow, here’s the label from a high()uality triglyceride 7sh oil product that I use, 6ordic 6aturals’ Eltimate
Serving Size 2 Softgel Servings Per Container 60
AmountPerServing
%DailyValue*
Calories
18
CaloriesFromFat Total Fat Saturated Fat Trans Fat Vitamin E
18 g2
3%
0.1 g
1%
g 0 30 IU
* 100%
Omega-3s EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)
650 mg
35%
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)
450 mg
25%
OtherOmega-3s
180mg
10%
TotalOmega-3s
1280mg
70%
56mg
3%
OleicAcid(Omega-9) Weight
Volum %e
* Percent Daily Values are based on 2,000 calorie diet. ** Daily Value Not Less Than 5 Mg OfExtablished Cholesterol Per Serving
Purified Deep Sea Fish Oil (From ANchovis and Sardines), Soft Gel Capsule (Gelatin, Water, Glycerin, Natural Lemon Oil, Natural Lemon Oil, D-Alpha Tocopherol, Rosmary Extract. No Gluten, Yeast, Milk Derivatives, Artificial Colors Or Flavors, Contains Vitamin E Derived From Refined Soybean Oil.
&his product costs about K@=, and comes with A*= pills containing 4@= mg of omega(' fatty acids each. &his means you’re getting about LL grams of omega(' fatty acids per bottle, and paying about B* cents per gram. $o, as you can see, the initial price difference of KAA vs. K@= isn’t as drastic when you look at what you’re getting5
'L cents per gram of low()uality oil that isn’t likely to deliver all of the bene7ts you’re looking for vs. B* cents per gram for the highest )uality oil on the market that will.
&hus, I recommend you go with the high()uality product whose nutrition facts label I showed above5
Pesearch indicates that '.B U @.B grams of omega(' fatty acids per day is ideal for a person eating a normal, *,===(calorie diet, and that just over 4.B grams per day is the upper limit recommended. 6ote that I said grams of <-F;"(' C"&&Y "%IN$, not grams of 7sh oil. &his is an important distinction because one gram of 7sh oil isn’t one gram of omega(' fatty acids. Pemember the serving point we covered earlier 6ote that I said grams of <-F;"(' C"&&Y "%IN$, not grams of 7sh oil. &his is an important distinction because one gram of 7sh oil isn’t one gram of omega(' fatty acids. Pemember the serving point we covered earlier
&he ne2t general health supplement worth using is good ol’ vitamin N.
"s you may know, our body can’t produce vitamin N without sun e2posure, and this molecule plays a much larger role in 7ghting disease than we once thought.
:itamin N de7ciency has been associated with an increased risk of developing a wide variety of diseases, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, type A diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis and even the 9u. Dell, according to research published by the %enter for Nisease %ontrol in *=AA, QM of "mericans are vitamin N de7cient, and *BM are considered “at risk! of a de7ciency. &here are two ways to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin N5 $pend AB(*= minutes in the sun every day, with at least *BM of your skin e2posed $upplement with it
"s most of us aren’t able to take mid(day tanning breaks, supplementation is the answer. 3ere’s the vitamin N supplement I use and like5
" committee of the E.$. Fndocrine $ociety recently convened to review the matter of vitamin N re)uirements, and concluded that 4==(A,=== IE per day is ade)uate for ages A(AQ, and A,B==(*,=== IE per day is ade)uate for ages AS+.
Curthermore, research has shown that vitamin N magni7es the muscle(building effects of leucine, which is why I take mine with my post(workout meal.
I hope you’ve found this eook helpful and kick some major ass on the program. Dhile there are many other things you can learn about building muscle and getting lean, you now know the fundamentals of getting ripped, and I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised with how your body responds to the diet and e2ercise principles I’ve taught you. >lease do keep me posted on your program by entering the I ;ot $hredded Cor $ummer %ontent and get a chance to win KA,=== cash too
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Incline Barbell Bench Press
WARM UP 1
Incline Barbell Bench Press
WARM UP 2
Incline Barbell Bench Press
WARM UP 3
Incline Barbell Bench Press
WARM UP 4
Incline Barbell Bench Press
1
Incline Barbell Bench Press
2
Incline Barbell Bench Press
3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
1
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
2
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
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Flat Barbell Bench Press
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Flat Barbell Bench Press
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Deadlift
WARM UP 2
Deadlift
WARM UP 3
Deadlift
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Deadlift
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Deadlift
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Deadlift
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Barbell Row
1
Barbell Row
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Barbell Row
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Chin-Ups or Wide-Grip Pullups
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Chin-Ups or Wide-Grip Pullups
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Chin-Ups or Wide-Grip Pullups
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StandingCalfRaise
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StandingCalfRaise
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WARM UP 1
Seated Barbell Military Press
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Seated Barbell Military Press
WARM UP 3
Seated Barbell Military Press
WARM UP 4
Seated Barbell Military Press
1
Seated Barbell Military Press
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Seated Barbell Military Press
3
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
1
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
2
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
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RearDumbbellRaise
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25 MINUTES HIIT CARDIO
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WARMUP1
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Barbell Curl
1
Barbell Curl
2
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Close-Grip Bench Press
WARM UP 1
Close-Grip Bench Press
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Close-Grip Bench Press
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Close-Grip Bench Press
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Close-GripBenchPress
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DumbbellHammerCurl
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WARM UP 4
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RomanianDeadlift
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#SHREDDEDSUMMER MEAL PLAN SAMPLE 2
MALE
3!! CALORIES 2! PROTEIN 3 EGG WHITES
EX TIME
1 WHOLE EGG
33 CARBS 15 FAT
20G CHEDDAR CHEESE 40G (MEASURED DRY) OLD FASHIONED OATS 50G STRAWBERRIES CINNAMON, STEVIA, NUTMEG, VANILLA ETRACT (IF DESIRED)
440 CALORIES 43 PROTEIN 1"5 SCOOPS LEGION WHEY#
EX TIME
250ML ALMOND MIL$ (UNSWEETENED)
%4 CARBS 3 FAT
2 MEDIUM BANANAS 50G BLUEBERRIES
421 CALORIES 45 PROTEIN 1!0G CHIC$EN BREAST, TRIMMED OF FAT OR 1!0G TUR$EY
EX TIME
BREAST OR 1!0G SHRIMP OR 1&0G TILAPIA
40 CARBS & FAT
150G (COO$ED) BROWN RICE 100G STEAMED VEGETABLES (BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, ASPARAGUS, 'UCCHINI, STRING BEANS) 12 TABLESPOON BUTTER
5! CALORIES %1 PROTEIN
EX TIME
240G SIRLOIN, TRIMMED OF FAT OR 250G &55 GROUND BEEF OR 2%0G PIN$ SALMON
4 CARBS 1% FAT
200G SWEET POTATO 100G STEAMED VEGETABLES (BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, ASPARAGUS, 'UCCHINI, STRING BEANS) 12 TABLESPOON BUTTER CINNAMON FOR POTATO (IF DESIRED)
151 CALORIES 22 PROTEIN 200G 0* GREE$ YOGURT
1% CARBS
EX TIME 100 STRAWBERRIES CINNAMON, STEVIA (IF DESIRED)
1 FAT
CALORIES: 2017 | PROTEIN: 198 GRAMS | CARBS: 203 GRAMS | FAT: 44 GRAMS
#SHREDDEDSUMMER MEAL PLAN SAMPLE 3
MALE
304 CALORIES 18 PROTEIN 2 WHOLE EGGS
EX TIME
40G (MEASURED DRY) OLD FASHIONED OATS
2 CAR!S 13 FAT
CINNAMON, STEVIA, NUTMEG, VANILLA EXTRACT (IF DESIRED)
#3% CALORIES 4% PROTEIN 1 SCOOP LEGION WHEY"
EX TIME
2#0ML ALMOND MIL$ (UNSWEETENED)
&8 CAR!S 11 FAT
2 LARGE !ANANAS 1 TA!LESPOON PEANUT !UTTER OR ALMOND !UTTER
3%0 CALORIES 4# PROTEIN 1%0G CHIC$EN !REAST, TRIMMED OF FAT OR 1%0G TUR$EY
EX TIME
!REAST OR 1%0G SHRIMP OR 10G TILAPIA
40 CAR!S 4 FAT
1#0G (COO$ED) !ROWN RICE 100G STEAMED VEGETA!LES (!ROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, ASPARAGUS, 'UCCHINI, STRING !EANS)
188 CALORIES 21 PROTEIN 200G 2 COTTAGE CHEESE
EX TIME
100G STRAW!ERRIES
18 CAR!S 4 FAT
43 CALORIES &0 PROTEIN 240G SIRLOIN, TRIMMED OF FAT OR 2#0G ## GROUND !EEF
EX TIME
OR 2&0G PIN$ SALMON
38 CAR!S 10 FAT
1#0G SWEET POTATO 100G STEAMED VEGETA!LES (!ROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, ASPARAGUS, 'UCCHINI, STRING !EANS) CINNAMON FOR POTATO (IF DESIRED)
1&8 CALORIES 22 PROTEIN 200G 0 GREE$ YOGURT
EX TIME
100G PINEAPPLE
21 CAR!S 1 FAT
CALORIES: 2110 | PROTEIN: 212 GRAMS | CARBS: 216 GRAMS | FAT: 43 GRAMS
#SHREDDEDSUMMER MEAL PLAN SAMPLE 4
FEMALE
325 CALORIES 24 PROTEIN 4 EGG WHITES
EX TIME
20G CHEDDAR CHEESE
29 CARS !2 FAT
40G (MEASURED DRY) OLD FASHIONED OATS CINNAMON, NUTMEG, STEVIA, VANILLA EXTRACT (IF DESIRED)
392 CALORIES 45 PROTEIN !"0G CHIC#EN REAST, TRIMMED OF FAT OR !"0G TUR#EY
EX TIME
REAST OR !"0G 99$ FAT FREE GROUND TUR#EY OR !"0G
4& CARS 3 FAT
SHRIMP OR !90G TILAPIA OR 220G MAHI MAHI 200G SWEET POTATO OR 220G WHITE POTATO !00G STEAMED VEGETALES (ROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, ASPARAGUS, %UCCHINI, STRING EANS) CINNAMON FOR POTATO (IF DESIRED)
395 CALORIES 44 PROTEIN !"0G CHIC#EN REAST, TRIMMED OF FAT OR !"0G TUR#EY
EX TIME
REAST OR !"0G 99$ FAT FREE GROUND TUR#EY OR !"0G
23 CARS !3 FAT
SHRIMP OR !90G TILAPIA OR 220G MAHI MAHI SALAD ('0G SPINACH, !2 TOMATO, !2 CARROT, !2 CUCUMER, !2 ELL PEPPER, ! STAL# CELERY) !4 AVOCADO 3 TALESPOONS ALSAMIC VINEGAR LEMON UICE (IF DESIRED)
2!2 CALORIES 22 PROTEIN 200G 0$ GREE# YOGURT
EX TIME
! SMALL ANANA (SLICED WITH YOGURT)
32 CARS ! FAT
CINNAMON, STEVIA (IF DESIRED)
CALORIES: 1324 | PROTEIN: 135 GRAMS | CARBS: 133 GRAMS | FAT: 28 GRAMS
2>>I9 - % N"Y G
N"Y G!
N"Y G#
N"Y G%
N"Y G$
N"Y G&
N"Y GH
N"Y GC
N"Y GD
N"Y G
N"Y
N"Y !
N"Y #
N"Y %
N"Y $
N"Y &
N"Y H
N"Y C
N"Y D
N"Y !G
N"Y !
N"Y !!
N"Y !#
N"Y !%
N"Y !$
N"Y !&
N"Y !H
N"Y !C
DDD.-E$%/FC
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2>>I9 % - C N"Y !D
N"Y #G
N"Y #
N"Y #!
N"Y ##
N"Y #%
N"Y #$
N"Y #&
N"Y #H
N"Y #C
N"Y #D
N"Y %G
N"Y %
N"Y %!
N"Y %#
N"Y %%
N"Y %$
N"Y %&
N"Y %H
N"Y %C
N"Y %D
N"Y $G
N"Y $
N"Y $!
N"Y $#
N"Y
%$N"Y $$
N"Y $&
DDD.-E$%/FC
%P<$$ /F&F &3F >P<;P"&< OFF> &P"%O P<;PF$$
2>>I9 C - ! N"Y $H
N"Y $C
N"Y $D
N"Y &G
N"Y &
N"Y &!
N"Y &#
N"Y &%
N"Y &$
N"Y &&
N"Y &H
N"Y &C
N"Y &D
N"Y HG
N"Y H
N"Y H!
N"Y H#
N"Y H%
N"Y H$
N"Y H&
N"Y HH
N"Y HC
N"Y HD
N"Y CG
N"Y C
N"Y C!
N"Y C#
N"Y C%
DDD.-E$%/FC
%P<$$ /F&F &3F >P<;P"&< OFF> &P"%O P<;PF$$
