How to Build Strength while Getting Lean Part Two – Nutrition
In the last article I talked about five workout strategies to consistently gain strength throughout a fat loss phase. This is the protocol I use with myself and my clients to lean down to a low body fat with hard, dense and powerful muscle and a chiseled look. Now in this article I will be sharing five nutritional tips that will go hand in hand with the training to amp up your strength to godlike levels, but first, a couple kinobody transformations of people who have built strength while dropping fat.
Note:
The Following transformation’s were accomplished by utilizing the workouts, nutrition tactics and concepts from the Kinobody Warrior Shredding Program. In all three cases, body fat went down and strength went up.
Case Study #1 – Jason (4 months)
Case Study #2 – Zach (12 weeks)
Case Study #3 – Shannon (6 months)
How to Build Strength while Getting Lean Part Two – Nutrition Tips
1. Don’t use big calorie deficits
One of the biggest reasons why people adamantly oppose the idea that you can gain strength while cutting is because they only ever had experiences with very low calories when cutting. When you’re eating very, very, low calories then strength and muscle gain is rather futile. As a matter-o-fact, you’d be lucky to maintain the strength and muscle that you’ve built up to this point. This is because your body is in a chronic state of catabolism and the last thing your body wants to do is to direct effort into strength and muscle gain. It is during extreme calorie restriction that your bodies number one priority is survival and to stave off death. Consequently, energy levels drop, testosterone hits the floor and mental burnout ensues.
Not exactly optimal conditions for strength and muscle building, would you say? How low is too low? Shooting for anymore than 1.5 lbs of fat loss per week is going to exaggerate the negative effects of dieting. If you want smooth fat loss with weekly increases in performance then keep the deficit smaller and look for 1 lbs of fat loss per week by averaging 500 calories under maintenance each day. There is an exception, if you have a lot of fat to lose and are new to strength training then you can get away with much faster fat loss while building strength and muscle mass. In this case, feel free to take things a step further by using bigger calorie deficits in the range of 700-1200 calories under maintenance.
2. Consume Adequate Protein
It’s no surprise that protein plays a huge role in building muscle and recovering from workouts. However, few people realize is that when you’re dieting your protein needs go to up to handle training and maintain muscle mass. Therefore if you’re not hitting your protein numbers on a diet then you’re pretty much shooting yourself in the foot. There’s a lot of confusion as to how much protein is optimal while undergoing a calorie deficit in strength training individuals. A recent study has shown, protein needs for energy-restricted resistance-trained athletes are likely 2.3-3.1g/kg of lean body mass scaled upwards with severity of caloric restriction and leanness.
If you’re eating at a reasonable 20-25% calorie deficit then I would suggest eating around 2.5-2.6g of protein per kg of total bodyweight. In the study shown, this was the same exact protein intake of the group that maintained the most muscle mass. As an example, if you’re 180 lbs (82kg) then you’re looking at 205-215g of protein per day. This applies to people who are at a lean or healthy body fat at between 8-18%. If you’re very overweight then you will be overshooting your protein intake with this formula and in that case I’d recommend basing protein off your goal weight in pounds, within reason (no more than 20-30 lbs under your current weight). So if you’re 220 lbs and 20+% body fat then set your protein needs off of your goal weight – for example 200 lbs.
3. Keep the carbs up
If you’ve been holding a low carbohydrate diet for a while, you are not optimizing your strength potential. When carbs are chronically low, glycogen levels are depleted, cortisol levels are high and training performance suffers. When you bring carbs up to a moderate level, strength goes up through the roof! Your muscles are full and your energy levels are high. Working out is no longer a grind and training becomes much more enjoyable. I have coached a number of people who were keeping carbs under 100g per day and had them bring carbs up to 180-200g everyday and sure enough, their lifts sky rocked up. As far as fat loss is concerned, it’s about total calories not total carbs.
As long as you’re in a calorie deficit, you can consume ample amounts of carbs from potatoes, rice and fruits while getting leaner and stronger. Now understand that the point isn’t to go on a very high carb diet, this will work against you if it means cutting out fat. In actuality, the idea is to strike a balance and to eat in accordance to your needs by consuming moderate amounts of carbs without skimping on fat or protein. Here’s a fun anecdote from a client of mine who shared his experiences when I had him double his carb intake.
4. Eat Bigger Later in the Day
Eating more calories and carbs later in the day as opposed to earlier has been shown to improve the retention of lean body mass when eating a low calorie diet. In a study, weight loss was shown to be greater with large morning meals but the extra weight loss was from lean body mass, aka muscle. Overall, the group that ate a big dinner maintained more muscle and had a bigger drop in body fat percentage. Take a look for yourself – Large evening meals are associated with a greater retention of lean body mass. In a more recent study involving a six month trial, participants who consumed more calories with dinner lost more fat, noticed less hunger throughout the diet and saw superior hormonal changes than the group that ate more calories earlier in the day. Greater weight loss and hormonal changes in the late night eating group.
The best way to utilize this strategy would be to skip breakfast and drink water and black coffee in the morning (my absolute favorite is Fasting Fuel for reducing appetite). Set your first meal around lunchtime and consume a big dinner at night. As well, I recommend having a smaller late night meal sometime before going to bed. My favorite option for this smaller meal being cottage cheese and an apple or some scrambled egg whites with 1-3 whole eggs and some fruit. On workout days your training should take place either before lunch fasted or before your dinner. This will allow for a higher intake of calories following the workout, which will help with growth and recovery.
5. Plenty of Water
I have to admit something rather regrettable. It’s been eating away at me for sometime. I rarely, if ever, address the importance of hydration and water intake on this blog. You see, naturally I drink plenty of water each day without having to think about it. In any given day, I’ll drink upwards of 12 tall glasses of water without any conscious effort on my part. Unfortunately, this is something that very few people do and it could very well be sabotaging their fitness progress. You see, a slight decrease in hydration will negatively affect performance in the weight room. What’s more, dehydration slows the rate at which your muscles repair themselves, thereby slowing strength gains.
Do yourself a favor and drink plenty of water throughout the day and during training. Do your best to avoid letting yourself go thirsty, which is a sign that you’re already dehydrated and performance and recovery may suffer. Stay hydrated and stay strong! Here’s a link to a study showing how even a 1.5% drop in bodyweight from dehydration can lead to adverse effects on your bench press strength – effects of dehydration on bench press in resistance trained males.
Final Comments
If you haven’t already picked up the new kinobody warrior shredding program then you will definitely want to check it out! It’s largely based off the work I have done in the last two years working with hundreds of clients and getting them lean, strong and chiseled with a training and nutrition plan that’s enjoyable, lifestyle friendly and brutally effective. Up until now you’d have to become a client to get access to level of information. For the time being, you can learn the system for only 39 bucks. In case you were wondering, this is completely different than the original shredding program. This version is much more enjoyable to follow and will lead to an equal rate of fat loss and superior strength and muscle gains. As well, this program includes workout videos and in-depth sections on eating out and drinking alcohol while making progress.
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Jason transformation is just crazy, I agree a warrior diet based on 2 meals a day and eating larger at the end of the day makes fat loss easier than ever. I like to have a little coconut oil in the morning prior to “fasted” training, but this is just a detail. I share with you my passion for black tea, I particularly like Assam variety from iherb:
http://eu.iherb.com/hampstead-tea-organic-assam-tea-20-sachets-1-41-oz-40-g/55365?rcode=qiw627
HI Greg I just purchased the Warrior shredding program I’m having some trouble with the calorie deficit and figuring out how many calories I should be consuming. My stats are Age 33 Height 6’1 Weight 218lbs BF 18-20. I tried a couple calculations here’s what I got BMR-2139 and MAINT-3315. I’m trying to get down to 190lbs I came up with these MACROS based off the formulas you provided in the Warrior Shredding Program Protein-228 FATS-76 CARBS-171. I just need to know how many calories I should be consuming I calculated 2,280 can you tell me these calculations are correct ?? Thanks !!! Love the site great stuff !!!!!
Hi greg I’m a 16 year old teenager at the body fat percentage of 14. Many people tell me to not cut as I’m still growing, but i’m 182 cm at 68kg, and I really want to hit that 10% body fat. I’ve been dieting for two months and i’ve dropped two percent body fat from 16. Should I start lean bulking, recomping, or keep cutting until i hit my desired percentage? I really want to look shredded! (I feel rather weak in my lifts.) Thanks in advance! your advice has always been great!
cut slowly since you’re still young. no more then a pound a week.
Hey Greg,
i just watched the new post on facebook.com with guy from malandarass,.com
In that he says the Watch the MACROS…not the CAlories
I just want to know that i dont watch my macros much ..i mean the proteins are some 60gm less than that what my body need..Carbs are quite spot on..but mostly more than what i require(as Indian Diet has a lot of Carbs)..Fats are just fine..within the limit..
Ijust want to know Whether Macros being spot on is important thatn Calories..? or Its just MACROS and Calories both must be within the range and CORRECT..?
I m saying this because i have been eating within my maintenance …300-400 cals..but not loosing any lbs…as i dont carea about the macros.its just the calories..
Note- I dont over do any part in my macros…its just that..suppose you divide Protein Fats and Carbs in ratings of 10…My diet has-Carbs-8,Protein 4;Fats-8
Will matching my Macros to be SPOT ON according to needs will help me moe leaning down than my Calories count being correct…or it should be a combo of both?
Also is it of to consume 1500-1600 cals…(if your maintenace is 2100 cals)…as my WEIGHT IS 84kg with 16.5% BF,waist 34.5…if not then…How many do i consume..
Please Help..
The ratings of 10 thing, what are you talking about? .
Your maintenance is definitely more than 2100 calories. At your size you should be burning at-least 2500. And I wouldn’t eat less than 1800 calories per day. Try to get at-least 150-160g of protein per day and a good mix of fats and carbs.
Hey Greg,
I’m interested in your hydration tactics…
Do you have drinks (water, coffee, tea, alcohol etc…) with your meals or do you keep your meals separate to when you have drinks?
Btw I’ve started fasting till lunch while having a cup of black coffee in the morning, and even though I don’t notice any changes in the mirror yet… I feel a lot better!
Keep up the good work Greg.
Peace.
Usually I keep my drinks separate from my meals. I find it’s better to avoid drinking with a meal.
Hi Greg,
What should be my goal weight being 170cm tall? I’ve been using your GreeK God Program for the last 6 months. I’m currently at 71kg and within the ideal shoulders, chest, bicep measurements. I need to work on losing fat to get abs as my waste measurement is too high. I have to now dial in my food intake but just need to work out my goal weight so I can calculate macros etc using the Recomp protocol. I don’t know if I should be aiming for 75kg or not. Thanks a bunch.
Probably about 70kg or 155 lbs. So you are going to want to lose fat and build muscle and get your waist measurement and the ideal level.
Thanks. Good to know as I think I was trying to gain too much weight when I didn’t need to. One more question – when I’m working out my macros with the recomp protocol do I keep the protein at a fixed 155g/day while the carbs and fat components will change depending on whether I’m on a deficit or maintenance day? Do I focus on keeping fat low overall? And vary the calories based on carbs mainly?
Yeah I like to keep protein fixed. Carbs are the most variable and fats move slightly.
Greg,
Do we factor in calories burned during exercise when setting our calorie deficit for a given day? My calculated target with a 500 calorie deficit is 2300 calories. On a day I do cardio, for example, I’ll aim for burning 500 calories via exercise. Do I need to eat 2800 that day? If so, will this help prevent cravings I’ve been having? I suspect this has been making my deficit too large.
Thanks
Don’t factor in calories burned from exercise, that will end up over predicting your energy expenditure.
Hey Greg, been following this site for quite some time and love it! Now it’s time to get involved.
I’m a big guy – 6’2″, 230lbs approx 29% BF (I look a lot like Jason in case study#1 with a little more fat around the midsection and chest). Number one goal is to shred the excess BF and build solid muscle (not necessarily bigger).
My question is what program I should start with based on my current stats…Greek God? Warrior Shredding?
Reading it back I may have already answered my own question but thought I would ask your professional opinion anyway.
Cheers
I’d definitely recommend the warrior shredding program. The first step will be to lean down to the 10-12% body fat range. You’re looking at getting down to around 195 lbs.
The greek god program is really best suited for people that are within 8-15% body fat.
Hey Greg,
From your previous posts regarding nutrition, I’ve seen that in your meals it seems like you eat meat a couple times a day most of the time.
Have you ever heard or read people who think we eat way too much meat in our society, and say that it bungs up our proper digestion, etc?
Just curious if you have any thoughts on that subject.
Thanks!
No that’s really not an issue. Besides, with the fasting you’re taking about 16+ hours each day away from digesting. This keeps you in optimal health and keeps your digestive system in great shape.
Hey Greg, I’ve been following your videos for a while now, even though I haven’t bought your program yet, I have been doing all of your Super Hero Workout Exercises and have been training with RPT for almost two months now. Before all this I had no clue what I was doing. I was just trying to hit something without any results. RPT has been working really well for me and I plan on buying your Muscle Course soon.
There’s only one thing I’d like to ask you about ABS:
I’m only 16 years old and got alot of muscles compared to everyone else from my age. But I’m at 8% bodyfat which is really cool, but still I’ve only got 4 abs instead of 6, I’ve been doing Hanging Leg Raises, Weighted Sit Ups and Swinging Side to Side knee-ups everytime I hit the gym, which is 4 times a week, but still barely see improvements, even though I’m having a really low body fat percentage, What other exercises do you recommend for getting bigger abs like yours?
– Anthony from Holland
Well it depends on genetics. Some people will only ever get four abs. Now if you have a little bit of fat on your lower abs, then you may need to get leaner.
However, if you have virtually no fat on your stomach then it’s possible that you’ll only ever get the four abs. This is completely fine and you can still look awesome. I’d have to see a picture to get a complete idea though.
Thanks for the reply Greg.
Here’s a picture of me:
http://postimg.org/image/a5ywr4gvr/
Some info: The picture on the left was 2 about months ago when I was flexing all my muscles as hard as I could, and the picture on the right is a picture of my abs today, as you can see there’s only four and the lower abs are not as visible as they could be, maybe I have too much fat there but is there anything you recommend for just those small lower abs?
This all has been gained within 2 months by following your core exercises, I’m only 16 years old and when I’ve bought your program I believe there can be much more gains in the future, I hope one day I can be as ripped as you are right now.
You’re not at 8% body fat yet. You still have some fat blurring muscle definition. You can definitely get a 6 pack but it will require you to drop about 5 more lbs of fat.
Hi Greg. Tricky question. When your increasing strength on a calorie deficit- how does that actually work? Lol obviously you can’t build muscle in a calorie deficit so how can a muscle get stronger? Loving the site!
Strength isn’t just about muscle size. You can increase strength without building new muscle tissue. You do this by improving your neuromuscular coordination. Meaning you become better at doing the exercise and you become better at recruiting a higher percentage of muscle fibers.
Also, it’s possible to gain some muscle while eating at a deficit. I’ve done it and I’ve seen it done. The key is to eat at a modest deficit and get plenty of solid nutrition with an emphasis on protein and plenty of recovery and vitamin D helps.
Thanks Greg such a solid reply as always! Any luck on doing a road to ripped tv programme? Think it would be so successful man!
Plans are in the works. No guarantee’s but we shall see.
And what are your thoughts on sodium i like to have seasoning on my chicken but it has a fairly high sodium content? I do include this in my cals for the day
Sodium is fine, use liberally if you’re otherwise healthy.
Well in my first week i droped 8lb so up my cals by 250 a day because cal expenditure from work is massive then after that lost 3.5 the second so i thought i should maybe up them by 250 again to stay in that 1-1.5 fat loss zone as do wanna increase muscle as much as possible on this cut? Thanks for all your advice
Yep! Well you could hold your current calorie intake for another week to see if fat loss drops down to 1-2 lbs per week. Sometimes weight loss is greater for the first two weeks of a diet because you’re dropping water weight and glycogen.
Ok thanks for the quick response, well i’ve been following the warrior program for 3 weeks already and looking better already but i dropped 3.5 pound on the third week, my refeed days i’m eating 3200 cals and low cal days 2400 would you still up this to loose fat slower as it feels i’m already eating alot?
Hey Ben,
That can happen. If you feel satisfied and your lifts are going up then I would drop the calories. Sometimes weight loss jumps up for a week.
Hi greg
I’ve just downloaded your kinobody blueprint and i’m unsure of which program to follow i’ve got your warrior shredding and muscle building guides, i ideally want the greek god physique but i’m 6’1, 176lb and 13% bf so i want to drop some bf should i follow the warrior program to drop bf and the start the muscle building?
Thanks as always your advice is much appreciated
Yah first cut with the warrior program down to 8-10% body fat, then lean bulk up with the muscle building routine.
Hey Greg I was wondering what’s more important calories or macros I’m sure in time I’ll be able to hit both consistently but some times I hit my calories but not my macro or visa versa I’m doing your new warrior plan so if I go over calories to meet my macros is that ok thanks for the help
Most important is gonna be hitting your calories. Don’t go over your calls just to hit your macros.
Hey Greg,
Just a bit curious, but I am currently around 190-200 lb. range. I’ve been around 180 lb. since high school. I’ve recently let myself go a little bit since turning 21 while being in college and want to get back into shape. I’m looking to lose the excess fat I have around my gut and other places but also want to get some muscle back that I’ve lost. I was wonder what would be best to do, your warrior workout or the superhero workout.
Thanks!
Definitely start with the warrior workout! You need to focus primarily on dropping body fat first while increasing strength. When you’re lean then you can do the superhero routine. If you want an in-depth program take a look at my shredding course – http://www.shreddingprogram.com
Quest bars have 25g of carbs but a lot of it is from fiber. Would you still count the quest bar as 25 g carbs towards your macros or subtract the fiber from the carbs and then add it into your macros
The carbs from fiber you should divide by two. So if there’s 20g of fiber then it will equal 10 carbs. This is because fiber usually equals about 2 calories per gram. For the actual net carbs, count those as normal.
Hey man i’m having a lot of trouble in the gym maintaining my strength/building it. I started my cut last monday after having gone through a 2 week maintenance reset. I’m roughly 13% BF, 129.6lbs, eating at a 500 cal deficit with one refeed day a week.
This is my routine:
Workout A:
Incline Bench: 4-6reps then 6-8reps (RPT)
Tricep Extension: 2x 6-10 reps (Keep the weight the same)
Squat: 4-6reps then 6-8 reps (RPT)
Box Jumps: 2x 3-5 reps
Workout B:
Shoulder Press: 4-6reps then 6-8reps (RPT)
Deadlift: 1x 4-6 reps
Chin-Ups: 4-6 then 6-8 reps (RPT)
Rear Delt Flys: 2x 6-10 reps (Keep the weight the same)
On monday and wednesday my strength was fine (probably because i just got off of maintenance) and then friday my incline bench dropped 5lbs and my squat dropped 5-10lbs. Box jumps went up.
Then today my shoulder press dropped 10lbs, deadlift dropped 10lbs and chinups dropped 5lbs.
I made sure my form was good on all these exercises, im drinking plenty of water, and my macros are on point as well. I’ve been really upset and have been trying to find a solution but couldn’t, so I’ve come to you because you always have a solution :)
Thanks man, I appreciate it.
Here are my current macros: (I’m positive im hitting them)
1500cal – 150gprotein – 45g fat – 145g carbs
Refeed Day: 2100-2200cal – 137.5g protein – 61g fat – 275g carbs
Hey Graham,
Sometimes drops in strength can happen. Keep with it and it will come up.
Thanks for the quick response. Very reassuring to here that.
Thank you!
Greg,
I am following your, ‘fast from dinner and eat 2 meals a day’ regimen and eating Higher Cals + Carbs on training days while lower carb, higher protein on Rest days. Im around 176lbs, trying to lean down to 10 % bf from about 14%
Im finding it extremely difficult to reach my macros with just 2 meals a day.
Eating a massive meal at dinner is awesome but its still hard. Even supplementing with protein shakes can be hit an miss at times.
ie. of Protein target for the day (176g)
Lunch:
Chick breast (approx 30g protein)
Post workout: (30g Protein)
Dinner: Steak (30g protein)
Thats only 90g and 3 meals. I can take more shakes, ie. Breakfast, and mid morning and thats how i can hit the macros but…..what am i doing wrong? Can you help?
Thanks in advance and love your work!
I’m pretty sure you’re counting your macros incorrectly.
Measure you meat raw. 300g of raw meat (225 cooked) has around 60g of protein. If you’re having a decent serving of protein for lunch and dinner then you’re looking at 120g of protein. Add in two scoops of protein powder or a 500g container of low fat greek yogurt or cottage cheese and you’re set.
So yes, I’d recommend doing three meals. Lunch, dinner and a post workout meal or late night meal.
Hi Greg,
I’m actually doing your full body workout for beginners (greek god workout) and eating 20% surplus on workout days and 20% deficit on rest days (25% fat, 1g/lb prot, rest carbs) along with IF. I’m 14% bodyfat and my goal is to reach 8-10% while maintaining/increasing muscle mass before start a lean bulking. On rest days I usually skip rope for 20-30 mins and walk for 30 mins or just walk for 1 hour. I’ve been doing this for 4 weeks and noticed much more definition and all my lifts gone up. Do you think I can reach 8-10% bodyfat with this protocol while maintaining/increasing muscle mass or do you think doing deficit everyday as you describe would be better for my goal?
Thank you!
P.S.: I was feeling shoulder, knee and back pain and I’ve implemented the active trifecta in my routine 4 weeks ago and almost all the pain is gone. I really need to thank you for sharing this!
I would keep following the program as is until you’re no longer getting lean. You may be able to get to 10% body fat before you need to drop the calories into a deficit. But for, keep doing things as is and you’ll see great progress.
Oh and happy to hear that your shoulders, knees and back pain is completely gone. That’s awesome! The trifecta routine kicks ass.
I’m curious if for this cutting style and your lean-bulk you are eating roughly the same calories and macronutrients ratios each day or cycling higher calories on days you lift. My maintenance calories are about 3100 so I’d been eating 3100/2500 for lift/off days, respectively, but figure it’d be easier to just eat about 2700 each day. What are your thoughts here? When I switch to your new lean-bulk style soon, would you suggest a constant daily surplus or much higher calories/carbs on lift days?
Thanks man, your stuff is solid gold!
I don’t do much calorie cycling anymore. Cutting will be lower in calories and carbs. Lean bulking will be higher in calories and carbs. In terms of percentages – cutting will have higher protein and lower carbs. Bulking will have a lower protein percentage and higher carb percentage.
You can do a daily surplus with lean bulking but I’d recommend having a lower calorie week every 3-4 weeks.
Hey Greg. Can you actually get your abs to grow when cutting? Ie do you need to be in a surplus for your abs to get bigger?
I really doubt it! I think if you’re training them hard you can make them more developed while cutting.
[…] We mention Greg’s latest article series on this subject in the episode, which you can find here (PART I) and here (PART 2). […]
Good article Greg. Question though, I’m currently 165lbs @ 13-14% bodyfat, I’d like to cut to 9-10%. My maintenance calories are 4300/day (serious), do you think if i will be on a 300 – 500 deficit, i will plateau and have to reduce my calories even more later on to reach 9-10%? since i like to eat a lot lol… also, do you lose a lot of size when losing fat? cause i like how my muscles show through my shirts and am kinda afraid of losing that. (i need to lose 10lbs). thanks bro, i really enjoy your site.
Yeah you may plateau after a couple weeks eating 300-500 under 4300. If you aren’t losing weight for 2 consecutive weeks then dropping the calories by 200-300. You shouldn’t actually lose much size with proper cutting. You will actually sometimes look bigger shirtless after leaning down.
Hi Greg!
Intermittent fasting (skipping breakfast) is my preferred way to stay lean effortlessly and I’ve been doing it for well over a year. I just have one problem: cold hands/feet before the first meal. I’m trying to figure out how to get warmer and stumbled upon Matt Stone’s “Eat for heat” in which he claims drinking lots of water is crazy and completely opposite to what people who are cold should be doing. However, he also thinks fasting is bad, so there’s that.. I love both the fasting and drinking lots of water, so I’m wondering if you have any good advice on staying warm before the fist meal? Winter is coming..
Keep up the good work!
Yes, I’ve experienced this myself and it tends to go away after a while or at least because less noticeable. But for now, just wear warmer socks and keep your hands covered if you’re outside. It’s really not a big deal at all.
My goal weight is 176 lbs and I weigh in around 165 should I eat up to 176g of protein per day? or should i eat more grams of protein?
175g of protein is perfect and even more than enough when eating at maintenance or higher. No need to go above 175g of protein.
Hey Greg, I’m sitting at around 13% bodyfat i think. Could be 12-14, but most likely 13.
Since i’m trying to get to 8-10% would you recommend a 500cal deficit or 400? Also how many refeed days would you recommend for optimum results?
P.S. I’m just about to get off a 2 week maintenance phase.
I’d go with a 500 calorie deficit if you can handle it. One refeed day per week should be perfect. You can probably diet for 6 consecutive weeks before you should do a 2 week break.
Thanks for the help man! Just ran into a dilemma, I started my 2 week maintenance phase at 130.8 and 2 weeks later im 130.6….does that mean my maintenance phase was ineffective? and that I shouldn’t revert back to a cut? Or is it ok to still go back on a cut?
Yep you can go back to a cut, that’s fine.
Quick question Greg. You say keep the protein and carbs up, as long as you maintain your calorie deficit. That brings us to a low calorie, low fat diet (bodybuilding style), right? I admit carbs are very important for you performance in the gym, that the protein is needed to keep the LBM but fats play an important role in balance of hormones. So if we lower the carbs and protein to make room for some healthy fats, we basically end up with a balanced diet…full circle (mainstream recommandation)….pfff
No it’s definitely not a low fat diet approach. You should read this more carefully, “Now understand that the point isn’t to go on a very high carb diet, this will work against you if it means cutting out fat. In actuality, the idea is to strike a balance and to eat in accordance to your needs by consuming moderate amounts of carbs without skimping on fat or protein.”
Almost all my diets that I create are around 27-33% fat. This is very moderate and by no means low. It’s actually very common for fitness and bodybuilding circles to set fat at 15-20% of total calories, which is very low.
Oh and it’s not low calories. Just because you’re eating at a deficit doesn’t mean you’re eating low calories. It’s about a 20% deficit which is not that far off from maintenance. This will allow you to hit your protein numbers and consume a moderate amount of fats and starches.
Hey Greg
My daily meals looks something like this
Wake up
Black Coffe
Training
Meal 1. Meat, eggs, oatmeal, fruits
Meal 2. Meat, potatoes, veggies.
meal 3. Cottage cheese, berries.
Sleep…
What do you think about that set up?
Perfect! That’s usually what I love to do.
Thoughts on water… I noticed that when I started drinking water from a camelbak (even if it just sits on my desk all day) my water consumption went from 1-2 glasses of water a day to 70-100 oz a day (10+ glasses)! I highly recommend it. A buddy of mine said that makes sense because he read somewhere that using the bite-valve on water bottles will usually encourage a 40% increase in water consumption. I think maybe because you swallow less water when drinking in this manner you don’t feel bloated after a good long sip. Anyhow… just sharing what is working for me on hydration. :)
Cool, thanks for sharing!
This is probably a dumb question, since I know you don’t count cal from veggies.
But what if i’m eating 50-100 cal of veggies a day. Should i count it then?
Nope that’s fine