Beach Ripped: The DIY Guide to Cutting – Part One
For many of us, getting lean for summer is on the forefront of our minds. We want to look our physical best with impeccable muscle definition, chiseled facial features and six-pack abs (without flexing). The Warrior Physique is the perfect body to rock all summer long; at the beach, pool and boardwalk. We also want to achieve this physique before summertime hits.
That way we can enjoy the summer in maintenance mode. Having to diet during the summer months with barbecue’s, pool parties and nights out on the town is not fun. So get ready to get your cut on and be beach ripped for summertime! In this guide, I will teach you how to cut effortlessly while retaining muscle and building strength. Let’s get started!
Step One – Determining Maintenance Level Calories
The first step to designing an effective fat loss diet is to determine the number of calories you require per day to maintain your weight. This is known as your energy expenditure and it varies wildly depending on your lean body mass and activity level (exercise and non-exercise). To get an estimate of your energy expenditure you first need to calculate your basal metabolic rate.
This is the number of calories you require to sustain yourself if you were bedridden all day. I like to use the Katch Mc-Ardle formula. However, this will require you to know your lean body mass (total weight subtracted by body fat). A good calculator to get a rough estimate for body fat percentage can be found using an online Body Fat Calculator.
Calculate BMR
Once you know your body fat percentage you will need to multiply that number by your total body weight. That will tell you how much fat you have. So if you’re 15% body fat and 150 lbs then you would multiply 150 lbs by 0.15. This would give you 22.5 lbs of fat. You will then need to subtract this number from total body weight to determine lean body mass.
Lastly, you will need to convert this figure to kg by dividing it by 2.2. For example: 150 – 22.5 = 127.5 lbs. Divided by 2.2 = 58kg of Lean Body Mass. Enter your lean body mass into the formula below to calculate your BMR.
BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)
Use an Activity Multiplier
The next step will be to multiply your BMR by an activity multiplier to calculate your total energy expenditure.
Activity factor
Lightly active = BMR x 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Moderately active = BMR x 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR x 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
If you’re going to be following this beach ripped program, you will be lifting weights 3x per week and performing cardio 3x per week. I would go with the moderate activity multiplier to be safe, especially if you are mostly sedentary for the rest of your day.
If you are active outside of the workouts, physical job or involved in sports, then you will probably want to use the very active multiplier. Lastly, if you hate cardio and are just going to be lifting weights 3x per week then use the lightly active multiplier.
Step Two – Set the Caloric Deficit
By now you should have a rough estimate of your daily energy expenditure. Now we need to set the caloric deficit so that you can start losing fat. On this program, I recommend using a moderate calorie deficit of about 20-25% below maintenance. If you’re a man and 15% body fat or less (22% for women), go with 20%.
If you’re over 15% body fat then you can use a 25% deficit. For most of you, this will mean eating about 500-750 calories under maintenance. Enough to lose 1-1.5 lbs of fat per week. Trying to lose fat faster than this is usually a miserable experience. Hunger is overburdening, strength and workout performance drops, sex drive is diminished… It’s just not worth it.
To determine calorie intake multiply your energy expenditure by 0.8 (20% deficit) or 0.75 (25% deficit). So if you are 15% body fat and your energy expenditure is 2800 calories then you would multiply 2800 by 0.8. This would have you eating 2240 calories per day, a 560 calorie deficit. Now obviously this number is not going to be 100% exact.
It will likely need some real-world adjusting down the road. If you are losing less than 1 lbs per week you should decrease calories by about 10%. If you are losing 2 or more lbs per week then you can increase calories by 10%. Eventually, you should be able to find the caloric intake that allows you to lose 1-1.5 lbs of fat per week.
Step Three – Setting the Macronutrients
If you’re looking at achieving the best results possible, then it’s not enough to just eat at a caloric deficit. You must also get the macronutrients right! Going too low in any one macronutrient can be an absolute disaster.
Protein
The first macronutrient to set is your protein intake. Protein plays the most important role when dieting because it will help with muscle retention on a cutting diet. Furthermore, a diet high in protein helps keep you full. Protein should be set at 1 gram per pound of goal body weight. This is slightly more than necessary but better to air on the safe side. So if you are 190 lbs and you want to cut to 175 lbs then you would eat 175 of protein per day.
Fat
I then recommend setting fat intake at 25% of total calories. There are reasons for this intake. Fat is the most caloric dense nutrient. High-fat diets result in a big reduction in food volume. Just think about it, a spoonful of oil is 120 calories. As well, a handful of almonds is easily 200-300 calories. On top of that, fat cannot be used to replenish glycogen stores that become depleted from training.
When glycogen stores are chronically depleted the risk of muscle loss becomes exceedingly higher. Lastly, a high-fat diet does not support muscle growth. Yes, it’s true, a very low-fat diet suppresses testosterone. However, only a moderate intake of fat is required to stimulate anabolic hormone release.
To calculate fat intake multiply your calorie intake by 0.25. Divide that number by 9 to get grams of fat per day. Round it to the nearest multiple of 5. So if your fat intake is at 63g then you would round it to 65g. Or if your fat intake was 68g you would round it to 70g.
Carbs
Last but not least we have our carbs. Carbs will be the dominating macronutrient on this diet, making up roughly 40-50% of total calories. This is critical for multiple reasons: A higher carb intake will support recovery and high-intensity muscular work (lifting weights and cardio). High carbs will support the testosterone to cortisol ratio in active individuals, leading to a better hormonal profile. High carbs will keep you satisfied and promote relaxation and better quality of sleep.
This is because carbohydrates trigger the release of serotonin in the brain. When carbs are chronically low, serotonin drops negatively affecting mood and quality of sleep. Furthermore, carbs will support leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and metabolism. In the long run, low carb diets lead to a lower-powered metabolism and ravenous appetite. Finally, carbs will support the maintenance and growth of muscle tissue. Carbs release insulin which plays a critical role in driving amino acids into the muscle cells where they can be used for muscle growth.
To calculate carbs you will need to multiply grams of protein by 4 and grams of fat by 9. Add these two numbers together. Next, subtract this number from total calories. Take that number and divide it by 4 to get grams of carbs per day. Now you should have your protein intake, fat intake, and carb intake set. Now it’s just a matter of hitting those numbers with mostly natural foods and the occasional ‘whatever else you want’.
Example
For those of you who are a little bit lost, I apologize. There is a lot of math involved and it can be confusing initially. Let me give you an example to make this simpler.
Let’s say that your calorie intake when dieting is 2200 calories and your goal bodyweight is 160 lbs. This would mean that protein intake would be 160g per day. Fat intake would be 60g per day (2200 x 0.25 = 550, 550 divided by 9 = 61g). Protein calories (160 x 4) + fat calories (60 x 9) = 1180. Total calories subtracted by fat and protein calories = 2200 – 1180 = 1020 (carb calories). Carb calories divided by 4 = grams of carb per day. 1020 divided by 4 = 255g of carbs per day.
Therefore, in this example, you would be consuming 160g of protein, 60g of fat and 255g of carbs per day. For those of you who are freaking out about the number of carbs, relax! If you’re in a caloric deficit you will burn fat.
Step Four – Determine Meal Frequency
Now that you have determined your daily macros, you will need to set up your meal schedule. Personally, I have had the greatest success with 2-3 meals per day in a 6-10 hour window. This is known as intermittent fasting. You will skip breakfast (black coffee and tea only), fast until lunch or later and eat your 2-3 meals within a designated 6-10 hour window.
The benefits of intermittent fasting are enormous. As well, it allows you to maintain a little hedonism in your life while cutting. Meals can range in size from 800-1500 calories and thus, cutting will feel like heaven. I have worked with numerous clients who have fallen in love with intermittent fasting and will never go back. It takes some adapting, but eventually the fast becomes enjoyable and the big meals are treasured.
3 Meal Per Day Intermittent Fast
For the 3 meal per day option, you will fast 4-6 hours after waking and consume 3 meals within an 8-10 hour window.
Ex:
- Wake up – 7am
- Meal 1 – 12pm
- Meal 2 – 4:30pm
- Meal 3 – 8pm
2 Meal Per Day Intermittent Fast
For the 2 meal per day option, you will fast 6-8 hours after waking and consume 2 meals within a 6-8 hour window.
Ex:
- Wake up – 9am
- Meal 1 – 4:30pm
- Meal 2 – 10:00pm
Notes
Don’t become obsessive over your feast and fast window. What’s most important is hitting your macros. Don’t sweat it if you break your fast early or extend your feast too late (can’t get home for a meal in time). Don’t let your fast/feast window control you. It’s there to make dieting easier and more enjoyable. I often break my feast late because I am out and can’t get a meal in time. The macros are what matter, stick to the macros and you’ll drop fat like it’s no one’s business.
Step Five – Determine Food Distribution
The last topic I want to look at is food distribution. For many of you, I am going to encourage you to place most of your calories and carbs around dinner time. Having most of your carbs at dinner (instead of spread throughout the day) has been shown to lead to better fat loss, improved health markers, greater satiety and a smaller drop in leptin (a hormone that regulates appetite and metabolism). Here’s the study – Greater weight loss and hormonal changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner.
This probably goes directly against what you’ve been led to believe. If you’ve done much nutritional reading you’ve probably been told that you should eat most of your carbs earlier in the day and reduce carbs at night. The reasoning behind this set up is completely flawed. The idea is that carbs are to fuel activity and since activity and metabolism slows down at night, eating carbs would lead to fat gain.
If you’ve been reading my articles for any length of time you are probably already calling BS! The problem with this belief is that it is completely irrelevant. If you’re in a caloric deficit your body will burn fat, period! Eating most of your carbs at night just means that fat oxidation will be higher during the day and lower at night.
Warrior Shredding Program
For a complete course on getting absolutely shredded, I recommend my Warrior Shredding Program. This will allow you to effortlessly drop body fat while building strength in the gym and getting more chiseled than ever. This is the program I use when I want to cut down to very low body fat without going crazy.
Warrior Shredding Program
Recent One Month Kinobody Transformation
Paul
One of my recent coaching clients! I was shocked when he sent me these after pictures after only one month of the program (a 1-month cut). He dropped 10 lbs of fat, 2″ off the waist and his lifts went up by 5.5-11 lbs on average. I am really looking forward to seeing where he will be at the 2 and 3-month mark. Awesome job Paul! Note: Paul was on a 2 meal per day plan and consumed plenty of carbs at night.
Do you want results quick?
Check out my Aggressive Fat Loss program.
Read Beach Ripped Parts 2, 3 & 4:
Part 2 – Counting Macros
Part 3 – Cardio for Fat loss
Part 4 – Single Digit Body Fat
228 Comments
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Hello Greg,
Past Info. Used to be 405lbs of just fat. Dropped it down to 265 then gained back up to 365 now (Includes Muscle I didn’t have before and fat that I had before). I was looking for something different and my cousin Patrick got me on your website. Been on IF for about 5 weeks. I just recalculated my macros taking into fact a 10% less intake in order to try and lose more. I am 6’2 365 lbs. and have a good amount of fat I am trying to lose. My question is, have you ever coached anyone that is around or more than my size? I was very active before (Playing basketball and working out, that’s how I lost most of my weight) 3 years ago I broke my ankle, now I am mainly into lifting heavy at the gym so I used the lightly active multiplier for my macros. Workouts usually are 1.5 hours to 2 hours and get pretty intense. Just looking to pick your brain. Thank you for your time in advance.
Hi Greg, I’m trying to download the pdf guide, but everytime I click to “download”, the blog directs me to “select your body type”, can you say me why? thanks man!
Hey Greg just wondering if you could double check my macros. I’m 6’3″ 19 yr old highly active male, at 275 lbs. Here’s what I got:3,500 cals
225 g protein
100g fat
425g carbs
Just stumbled on your youtube and its really great. Your link to calculate bf% doesn’t seem to be working though.
fixed :)
Hey greg
I eat quiet a lot of rice with meals.
If I get 20g of protein from rice over 2 meals. Do I count this towards my overall protein intake or should I only count protein from meats?
Well the protein definitely counts, so you can count it. Or you don’t have to count it, and just consider it a bonus, just be cognizant that you’ll be taking in those extra calories/macros.
who is that in the picture up top? btw, Love your blog and info
Joe Mangiello (not sure about the spelling of his last name). Thanks man
Hey Greg,
I have been eating ultra low carb/ketogenic for 8 months+ with some random carb refeeds that didn’t go that well (gained fat instantly). My family has a history of diabetes and insulin resistance. I’m not diabetic, but I did the keto diet in order to improve my insulin resistance and it worked great. I’ve been doing a slow recomp and so far it has worked great, but it gets slower every week and I feel it’s hard to gain muscle this way. I’m about 12-13% BF (I think) at the moment, and still gaining some muscle while shedding fat slowly. My goal is to reach 8-9% BF and then do a lean bulk. I want to start adding carbs again and have been experimenting with going up to 150g twice a week after workouts. I feel this is my upper limit, as whenever I go beyond this in regards of amount and frequency, I get sluggish and sleepy, and insane cravings. I have no problems adhering to my diet at all, except when I go beyond 150g carbs which is still considered low carb. What do you suggest I can do? BTW I’m 5’7 and currently 140 lbs and what I think is 12-13% BF (4 top abs are visible).
Try and get most of your carbs on these refeed days from potatoes, sweet potatoes and a couple apples. These will fill you up the most and it’s doubtful you will need to overeat. Also make sure to consume a moderate amount of fat on these refeeds, otherwise you might become very hunger. Start at 150, if you think you can push it up to 180-200 go for it.
Sup Greg, I stumbled upon your channel on YouTube, pretty cool man, very informative. I have a question about IF. I’ve always had a problem sticking to it seeing I work long hours and I start at 6am. I read your biggest meal should be around your workout but, I wasn’t getting to the gym till around 6:30 to 8pm (way over my 8 hour eating window). Could you give me an example of how I could structure my intermittent fasting diet to fit my work schedule? I was thinking about joining a 24 hour gym but not sure. Thanks a lot.
Well I’d recommend eating your first meal 2-4pm and your final meal at about 8pm or 9pm. You can have some pieces of fruit in there if you get hungry.
Hey Greg,
I was just wondering if calorie calculators really work? I am 22, female and workout almost everyday doing some kind of resistance training and/or cardio. On myfitnesspal.com it says for maintenance I should eat 2100 kcal a day. I probably average around 1600-1800 per day. I actually want to put on some lean muscle so just wondering your thoughts if 2100 kcal for maintenance sounds right?
Thanks:)
I’d say maintenance for you is around 14-15 calories per pound of bodyweight max. A lot of calculators over estimate maintenance.
Hey Greg!
One quick question: in this guide you recommend 1g per pound of target bodyweight of protein, which means that if we’re cutting protein will be lower than 1g/ lb of BW (because we’re aiming at a lower bodyweight). However, in your WSP you recommend as much as 40% of total calories, which is a lot more than 1g/ lb of BW.
For example, if I’m 130 and want to cut to 125 (eating around 1600 calories), the first example would have me eating 125g of protein, while the second would have me eating 160g of protein!
Which amount of protein do you currently recommend for cutting and which has given you and your clients best results?
Thanks!
Both options work. 40% of calories from protein will keep you very full. But if you’re taking in 1g per pound of goal bodyweight, you have enough protein to maintain/build muscle.
Oi Greg, I’m having some trouble calculating the carbs part of my updated nutrition plan.
Weight 75 kg/ 165 lbs
Calories per day : 2475
Lifting days:
2975 calories
Protein : 180g
Fat: 82g
Carbohydrate:
Resting days:
2575 calories
Protein: 180g
Fat: 71g
Carbohydrate:
I don’t know but I can’t seem to figure out how much carbs I need to get? I always get a number that just seems off
380 carbs on lifting days and 300 carbs on rest days.
Hey Greg. I calculated my Macros. Does this seem right. Want to cut to 175 from 183lbs.
83kg @ 11.5% BF
Protein – 175 grams
Fat – 70 grams
Carbs – 292 grams
Cals are 3022 with Moderate activity. So going to aim for 2500 a day.
Would this be okay as after weights i do VI Cardio Intermediate plan and i also cycle to and from the gym which is 4 miles about 20 mins.
Any thoughts or suggestions.
Thanks
Yah that’s a good starting point but you’ll likely have to drop the carbs down to 200-220. Don’t do cardio after weights.
Why no cardio after workout? I do some cardio (light / walking) after my workput to burn 300-400 kcal.
Overkill. Focus on nutrition, not obsessive amounts of cardio.
This may be a silly and over-asked question, but I don’t think there is a search feature for the comments. So if you don’t mind indulging one more time ha ha.
Basically this. If I have my macros and daily calorie expenditure set at let’s say 2300 calories. However it’s a lifting day and I burn let’s say 500 calories during my workout. Do I then (to stay in the deficit) need to eat the 2300 or do I need to eat 2800?
Thanks again for all your help.
Eat 2300. 2800 would be way too high.
how do you calculate refreed day ? Thanks Greg
Go up to maintenance or slightly above. Increase your calories from carbs mostly.
how often do you do refreed days? one a week?
Once or twice per week depending on body fat.
How much calories above maintenance would you recommend if I would go do Phase 1 of VIMB with the goal of building muscle?
300 cals over maintenance
Hey greg you may remember me from a week ago I wanted to achieve a physique similar to tom welling, so anyway I started going the gym and walking on rest days and counting macros but a quick question, im 5 foot 6 and 176 pounds, so what bodyweight should I aim for to achieve a body like tom welling?
thanks for answering all these questions! your the best!
176 lbs and 5’6 is quite heavy. You’ll probably need to be around 160 lbs but very lean.
Hey Greg quick two questions
1.) when you say you do walking for cardio, how long and intense do you do these walks?
2.) and how have you found it best with adding cardio to you workout that helped you achieve great results?
1) Usually a fairly brisk pace for 40-50 minutes
2) what are you saying?
I meant how have you found it the most beneficial in regards of adding your cardio
Example: every other day, Monday/Wednesday/Friday…etc
How do you fit it in the superhero physique training guide
Usually I add cardio on rest days 4x per week. Sometimes on workout days I’ll go for a 20 minute walk
Hey So why only workout 3-4 times a week to get in warrior shape? I get that might be all that is needed but what if we have time to workout everyday or 3-7 days a week and would like to go the extra mile? Could we do that or why do u recommend so little? not asking for all that is needed just asking for how to get the best results possible
Well you’ll get the best strength gains lifting every other day, 3 times per week. Cardio really isn’t necessary. As long as you’re getting some activity each day, you’re fine. Hammering the cardio can be counter productive.
1.what if we have the time to lift weight more than 3-4 times a week? is that counterproductive or could it help more?
2. if it is better what is the maximum amount of times per week of strength workouts? could i everyday even as long as i rotate body parts? going to purchase and do your warrior shredded program workouts with adding a whole leg day for sarcoplasmic growth.
thank you need your input Greg!
1. You’ll make better strength gains at 3-4x/wk max
2. I wouldn’t suggest doing so. 3-4x/wk max. If you lift every day, even if your rotate body parts, you’ll tax your nervous system which will never have a chance to fully recovery. This can hamper strength gains. You need to lift heavy and hard with compound lifts then take a full rest day from weights.
really want that definition!
I would like more muscle still in my chest and legs but would like to get down to really low ripped bodyfat and density everywhere. im already at like 10 percent and need to get lower. for this which program would be best to follow, the kinobody muscle building course or the warrior shredding manual you have coming out?
Well the muscle building course is for gaining muscle. It’s not for leaning up. You could use that for now to build up your chest and legs then do the warrior shredding course in 4 months to get totally shredded.
I think i would rather get down to a lower bodyfat first that’s more my priority,not looking to get huge superman at the moment,if i cant add a little size in some areas and get defined at the same time then i feel like getting leaner is the less ‘fun’ part, so might as well as get the harder part out of the way no? I am going to buy one of your programs actually both just at different times. thats why im consulting you as to which one first. i just meant my physique in size is good, but I would like a bigger chest and NEED bigger legs but really want my definition/cuts and lower abs to show good over everything. can there be small size gains at all in the warrior shredding program or will I only get more definition and lose size? thank you Greg and sorry just I like your ideas and programs and want to be on the right starting path
Yes you can gains some size while leaning down. Alright get lean first and then lean bulk up. That works :)
Can this diet be used by women too?
Yes but I would advise 11 calories per pound of bodyweight
Hi, can this be used for women as well?
Most definitely
hey greg…
I had thisa blazing question n mind…after going thrugh your article..
ques.in one of ur article usaid that “eating 10calories per pound of BW…has helped u loose fat easily…even without cardio…
but reading ur this article …the amount calories I m getting after using all the formulaes written above is 500-600calories more than u get from 10calories per pound bw…
I started from 16%bf…now I am at 9.4%…bf…It took me 2months to get to this level…but still my abs are not quite visible…so. I am aiming for getting to 8%bf in 1montg…after which I will start a lean bulk with 16calories per pound bw…or300-400calories.above maintenance as u say…
so my question was…which routine or count should I follow the 1given in this article…or ur 10calories per pound bw…
Note-i am cutting down…till I reach to 8% bf
I am following ur superhero workout routine including both sptand rpt style training…orshould I cut spt style training…
3-..I can’t get that much of protein say…I mean…at a max I can get 100gm protein thatsit…I have no access to protein shakes or supplements…I take 6raw eggs and 5egg whites and half litre milk…asmain source of my protein…other minimal amounts of protein comes from my other foodslikepulses..
how should I increae my protein intakeusing thes foodonly…should I double.my milk…or eat more eggs…please help…sir…
10 cals per pound is good for rapid fat loss. That said, I prefer a much more modest deficit, this is why I like this approach shown here in this article. I’d recommend consuming cottage cheese and eating meats if your not a vegetarian. Beans are also a decent source of protein.
Hey Greg! This is an excellent article!
I’ve been following this plan for over a week now and I’ve noticed I dropped 6lbs (currentt weight 170). Pretty sure its fat. I measure my self and my biceps are the same measurements (14in) and waist went down (from 36.5 to 36) and stomach went down (34 to 32). Amazingly I seem to have better days at the gym. I have more strength and energy. This program seems to be working!
My current weight is 170.0
I also count my calories..
Caloric Intake – 2017
Protein Intake – 170
Fat Intake – 56
Carb Intake – 208
My question however is when do you think I would be ab-bound? According to one of the online BMI pages you recommended my BMI is 23.1 and my BF% is 21.8. does that sound right? if so what BF% is ab-bound for me?
Damn that’s awesome man! Keep up the solid progress. 21.8% sounds high at 170 lbs with a 32″ waist. Aim to bring your waist to about 45% of your height.
Thx Greg!
Although I think you misunderstood. My waist is 36in and stomach is 32in. I do however need to get my waist to 45% which in this case is 32in?
Just verifying.
Yes
What do you think of this TDEE calculator? I recently found it. It seems fairly accurate and pretty close to the calculations that I get using your numbers.
http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
wow I actually really dig that calculator, it’s pretty awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Greg,
I’m grateful to have found this information as well as the Road to Ripped Podcast. I am a 6’2 formerly obese guy who went from close to 350 lbs to around 210 lbs about 8 years ago. I have struggled with maintaining my weight ever since. I would extremely cut my calories for a long period of time, get tired of it and stop doing what I was doing and gain all my weight back. This was frustrating because I feel like certain areas of my body would get more defined but I still felt kind of skinny fat with excess belly fat. In the process of this yo-yo cycle I’ve realized that I’ve totally affected my metabolism and T-levels for the negative from doing this. I’ve been following an approach like what you have laid out here (except lowering calories on nonworkout days and bumping them up on workout days – I’m averaging the number I got using your calculations) for the past few weeks and I can say that I feel better than I have in a while. I feel like I’m repairing my metabolism and hormone levels.
My question is: after a long period of yo-yo dieting how long does is typically take for someone to repair their metabolism and hormone levels by using a more conservative (20%) calorie deficit?
Sorry for the long post. I really appreciate your work, man.
There’s really no actual concrete evidence or research to suggest that you can damage your metabolism. Whenever you’re dieting your metabolism will automatically slow down slightly from losing weight. A smaller body burns less calories. This becomes a greater problem if you are not strength training and losing muscle mass as well. In addition, prolonged low calories will cause a drop in leptin, this will further slow down the rate at which you lose fat. It will also increase your appetite so you can regain weight quicker.
I honestly don’t think you have anything to worry about with a ‘broken metabolism’. Now that you’re eating at a healthy 20% deficit, you will be completely fine. Fat loss will take place, just at a slower rate. You may need to re adjust calories ever couple months to take into account your lower bodyweight but that’s it. Your metabolism will be completely fine once you start strength training and once you start eating a proper intake and not going too low.
Thanks Greg. I think what really is being “repaired” are my hormone levels. Normalized is likely the word I am looking for. The last time I spent focusing on fat loss I was eating around 1600 or so calories a day on nonworkout days and 2000 or so on workout days. I kept that up for the better part of a year. I saw a lot of initial weight loss and got below 200 lbs for the first time ever but things just stopped after a while. I couldn’t drop my calories any lower and not be miserable. I was also going through a lot of stress in my life during this period. I had blood tests done and found my T-levels were way low, as was my Vitamin D. Now focusing on a more moderate deficit, I am feeling much better and feel my strength levels and all kinds of others things related to testosterone are improving. I have a slower more “lifestyle” approach to diet now and I thank you for all your great info.
Greg-
Great article, you definitely have a skill for simplifying the macro-calculating process, and make it easy for people to fit getting ripped into a lifestyle they can enjoy! Quick question- do you cycle these macros at all? I know you are similar to Nate Miyaki in that carbs are important in fueling anaerobic exercise (I agree), but 250-260 G of carbs per-day scares me a bit on non-lifting days (I run or HIIT on most non lifting days).
I often refer friends to your site when they are looking for weight loss advice, Thanks!
There’s no reason to be scared about consuming 200-300g of carbs as long as you’re in a deficit. The more carbs you’re consuming while eating at a deficit, the better, well to a certain extent. Carbs will help maintain muscle mass and improve sleep and recovery.
Hey Greg, could you use this iifym dieting style to bulk too, aside from cutting?
Yes but you would want to eat at a 10% calorie surplus or so.
I posted earlier on 06/06/13 and want to give you an update. I started my “road to ripped” journey a year ago. So far I’ve lost 54 lbs from 235 to 181 and went from a 39″ waist to 33″. I’ve been stuck on 181 for about two weeks, my macros are :
pro 170
fat 60
carb 242
for a total of 2190 calories. that was done at 25% calorie deficit. My circadian rhythm is on point as I wake every day at the same time w/o the need of an alarm clock but I dont feel like getting out of bed for a considerable amount of time. Im guessing this could be a leptin issue based on what you and chris have discussed in the podcast.
I have recalculated my macros and came up with this as I feel I was working out too much with the calories i was consuming. This time around Im using a 20% deficit
pro 170
fat 70
carb 260
total calories 2356
I think this will help me coax my way down to lower BF, your thoughts?
You’ve lost a lot of fat! I’d focus on maintaining your weight for a few weeks and staying out of a deficit. From there you can bring calories back down to a 20% deficit. If you’re still not losing weight at that point your energy expenditure might be lower than calculated and then you’d have to go lower in calories.
hi greg, i work as a security guard, im am standing for about about 9 hours per day 5-6 days a week, what Activity Multiplier should i choose? thanks
Start with the moderately active multiplier. If you’re losing weight too fast then bump up the calories by 200-300. Ideally fat loss should be in the 1-1.5 lbs per week range.
hi greg, great stuff!
I wanted to ask you about carb intake. throughout the years I have cut down carb to almost zero.
I have just started IF and counting Macros
a recent typical day of eating was this: Protein 165g Fat 59g Carb 21g
I’m 5’9″ 160lb and 19% body fat. Waist 34″. Target is 13% body fat and waist 31″.
on your calculations I should do Protein 160g Fat 50g Carb152g
1. is there any benefit to carbs?
2. and is it detrimental to keep it so low like I did/do?
3. I’m 43. does my age make a difference to your workouts and carb intake?
thanks
Carbs play a very instrumental role in muscle building, workout performance, sleep, recovery, testosterone, leptin….. I would suggest bring carbs up to the 100-160g range. However, if you find you function way better on very low carbs then do it. But I find that most people will be better off consuming plenty of veggies, a couple pieces of fruit and a moderate amount of potatoes/sweet potatoes. Age won’t make a huge difference. It’s more a matter of activity level.
thank you for that Greg.
I do eat a lot of vegetables but here in Malaysia our staple is more rice, noodles.
so instead of say potatoes/sweet potatoes have a moderate amount of rice, noodles or pasta right?
Yes that can work
Hi greg
instead of calculating my bf% can i use your 15 cal/bw that you reccomend on your mb course and then reduce 20/25% from that value?
Thanks
Yah that tends to be fairly accurate. If you’re losing 2 lbs or more then increase calories by about 10%. If you’re losing less than 1 lbs then drop calories by about 10%. You want to lose around 1-1.5 lbs per week.
Hey Greg! On the BF calculator, how do you measure your waist? Do you measure it like it says on the directions on the calculator site (one inch above navel) or do you just measure it right on the bellybutton?
I measure it right around the navel, relaxed and first thing in the morning. I would suggest taking both measurements just to be a bit more accurate. They should probably be pretty close.
Hi Greg, really great article!
I am a little confused though. My BMR is ~1700 calries/day and considering my sedentary lifestyle I would say my energy expenditure is around 2100. So in order to lose around 1 lbs of fat per week I need to be at a caloric deficit of around 500 calories, right? So if my lifestyle remained as it is I would have to consume 1600 calories per day to drop 1 lbs of fat/week.
But what if started working out (3 days of strength training and 3 of 70% heart rate cardio per week) and my lifestyle would change so that it requires 2600 calories per day to maintain weight, would consuming 2100 calories/day result in losing 1 lbs of fat per week? Or, would I still need to consume just 1600 calories/day?
I hope it makes sense…
Thanks a lot! I appreciate the effort you put into these articles :D
If you’re more active so that you’re expending 2600 calories per day, then you can lose a pound per week on 2100 calories. If you’re not losing much on 2100 you may need to go down to 1800-1900 or so.
If I’m doing a three meal intermittent fast, what percent of my calories should be allocated to the three meals? Since you said most should be around the last meal I’m just wondering. I would eat at 12pm, 4 pm and 8pm. I’m also working out fasted at 7am. Thanks.
It’s really up to you! You can have an even distribution of protein and fat in all three meals but more carbs in the final meal. You’ll need to determine what best suits you.
Hey when is the best time after a meal is it to workout? is 3 hours enough for a strength workout?
thanks
Joe
2-3 hours is fine for a strength workout.
Hi Greg! First, thanks a lot for your valuable information ! That’s very helpful ;)
a few questions;
1) Which method would you recommend for assesing our maintenance level – bodyweight in Lbs x 15 Kcal or the method outlined above?
2) what kind of a 3 day workout routine would you suggest for someone suffering from a Spinal disc herniation and struggling following an intermitent fast? Not precisely looking to reach a ripped physique but looking to get rid of most fat. Current weight = 74kgs for 170 cm with an objective weight of 64kgs!
Thinking of doing a Chest, back and Abs workout 2 to 3 times a week and avoiding Squats, Shoulder Presses and other spinal disc stressing exercices.
3) How to kick off with the diet given that I have been away from the gym for a while and shooted down my metabolism by reducing drastically my calories? Would you suggest trainning on maintenance and incorporate carb refeed on workout days (2 to 3 days a week) and stay at a 20 to 25% caloric deficit on rest days?
Thanks
1) 15 calories per pound is a good starting point. You may have to adjust upwards or downwards though.
2) You can also add in some lateral raises, bent over flyes and direct arm work.
3) I’d suggest doing 2 weeks at maintenance then you can eat at a 20% calorie deficit 5-6 days per week.
So just to be entirely clear about it… If I’m planning on combining the Beach ripped stuff and your Muscle building course (or the Warrior physique workout), I’ll do 3x cardio with about 500 calorie deficit, and 3x lifting and only 1-2 refeed? No need to be always in surplus on lifting days?
As you say this is rather for fat loss but still.. Does this combination enable also some moderate muscle gains besides fat loss?
By the way, your work and lifestyle has been a great inspiration for me. Thanks a lot!
Don’t worry about being on a surplus on lifting days. You’ll be doing that more after your finish the cut. If you’re getting stronger you can build some muscle as you lean down.
Hi Greg,
You said “With beach ripped calorie intake will be mostly constant throughout the week…” Does that mean there is a calorie deficit even on workout days (7 days a week)? Shouldn’t there be calorie surplus on workout days? I don’t understand how then to combine 3x Beach-ripped diet and 3x Muscle building.
Also, you wrote “If you’re not doing cardio you can just cut back on the calorie intake by about 300 cals or so. I would definitely recommend tracking calories when lean bulking. You want to ensure that you are at the right surplus…” It confuses me – not the same deficit on workout as well as on cardio days? (3x cardio, 3x workout)
Thanks for your help!
This is aimed mostly at fat loss! My kinobody course is aimed at recomping or muscle building. That said you can do 1-2 refeeds per week, ideall on a lifting day.
Your calorie expenditure will be similar on cardio/lift days. It will only be lower on pure rest days without any lifting or cardio. Don’t overcomplicate it buddy.
Hi Greg,
I’ve done my calculations and daily calories after a 25% deficit come out to 2100 per day. First question…on the days I weight train and on the cardio days I would burn an additional 300-500 calories, wouldnt that put me at possibly at a 800 calorie deficit?
Second question…My target weight is 170lbs and I currently weigh 190. Should I set my protein macro to 180g and once I reach 180lbs adjust them to 170g or just go with 170g from the get go?
Thanks, you have a great site.
If you used the activity multiplier then the 300-500 calories burned through exercise will already be included in your total daily energy expenditure. 170g of protein will be enough to maintain muscle mass. If you wish to consume 180g of protein for now then you can do that. It’s really up to you but just know that 170g of protein is sufficient.
Hey what’s up greg! I’ve been using your lift like a bodybuilder and eat like a model diet and have lost 15 lbs in 3 weeks! But I’m also very tired and weak now. I’m 6’0″ 185 lbs now and at about 20% bodyfat, since I have very little muscle and a begginer, would I be able to build strength and muscle if I went on a more moderate calorie defecit like the one described in this article? I want to lose weight, but I don’t want to look like Christain Bale in the Machinist lmao
Yes, the model diet is a good way to kick off a fat loss program. I would switch to this diet, which is much more moderate. You’ll probably be able to build some muscle too.
thanks bro!
Hi Greg!
I am what you would consider a “skinny fat person” and I just started weight training 2 weeks ago. I just have a few questions about fasting. First of all, I workout in the morning around 7:30 am and i was wondering if I can take Whey Protein instead of BCAA as a pre and post workout during fasting? I noticed you recommend BCAA but I already bought 100% Whey isolate protein :/.
What time of the day do you prefer do the the Cardio / Ab workout routine? Do you recommend taking BCAA and Whey protein on Cardio / Ab days? My rest days are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday but I only do cardio 2 days a week.
1 more question lol, how do you warm-up before lifting weights?
I hope to hear from you soon,
Richard
You can take If you’re training in the morning you can train completely fasted then have 40g of protein from whey afterwards. You can do the cardio/abs workout at anytime of the day. Go with what works best for you. You can have bcaa/whey on cardio days. Ideally afterwards not right before.
You’re the man Greg, and thanks for the quick reply!
On weight training days, do you recommend light cardio before lifting weights or do you recommend lift lightly and work my way up to heavy? I am following your Hollywood bulk up routine (Great stuff btw).
I’ve really found that there is little need for cardio before weights. If anything this will make you more fatigued. My recommendation would be to do 2-3 warm up sets before hitting your first set.
Hi,
great article, I just had a quick question about intermittent fasting…outside of your eating window, are you allowed to consume protein shakes (say when u first wake or after my morning gym session?)
Thanks,
Antonio
Nope. Just water, coffee or tea. The only exception is if you’re training fasted then you can have 10g of BCAA just before.
Thanks for the reply.
Yeah I train every morning before work and the odd evening after work (class or sport with friends or something)
My diary roughly looks like this
Up 6
Gym 6.30
Work 8.30
lunch 1.30
finish work 5.30
bed 10.30
when would you suggest I do my fasting?
Antonio
You could probably have a light protein meal at around 10. Lunch at 1:30 and Dinner at 6:30. Alternatively you could skip the first meal, have your first meal at lunch and a second meal at 6:00 and maybe another meal, smaller, at 9:30 or 10.
Up to you really.
Hi Greg,
After about 3.5 weeks following this I’ve dropped from about 11.8% to about 9.2% bodyfat…. so making progress :)
That’s a few lbs of fat lost.
I’ve just redone the above calculations with my current statistics and I think along withe the 4 – 5lbs of fat I’ve lost just under 1lb of lean mass.
This is very small so I’m guessing it’s nothing to worry about. Correct?
I’m hoping to be around 7% bodyfat after about 8 weeks but as I’ve never been at that before I have no idea what it will look like.
Thanks!
Awesome progress Matt! You should be thrilled.
Have you lose any strength? If not, you may have not lost any muscle. With reduced calories, less water and glycogen, it may appear that you lean body mass when you didn’t.
Thanks Greg!
No I haven’t lost any strength… it’s increased actually. I only came to the conclusion that I may have lost a tiny bit of muscle because when I did the above calculations (on this article) with my new weight/measurements, my lean body mass number came in at just under 1lb less than before. It doesn’t really concern me at this point but figured I ask.
Would you say at my current rate I could get to around 7% BF by the 8 week mark?
Thanks again!
You can probably drop 2% body fat per month.
I do some form of cardio every day(30 mins of basketball 3-4x and one your cardio protocol as well 3-4X) should I use the very active multiplyer?
Very active is more for people getting 2 hours of exercise per day. Maybe somewhere slightly above active.
HI! thank you this is so helpful but I don’t quite understand about all the nutrients and all that, can you give me like a sample day? That would be very helpful. Thank you again!
https://kinobody.com/2579/beach-ripped-counting-macros/
Hey Greg, all your information is so helpful and interesting, keep it up! I am going for the lean and defined physique like that of Brad Pitt from Fight Club. I was wondering if you could give a brief explanation of the differences between warrior physique vs beach ripped vs shredded manual vs VI phase 3 then bonus phase. I am just curious how these differ, and what would be the best for my desired physique. Thanks a lot buddy!
All of those different workout plans can accomplish your goal of the tyler durden physique! There’s more than one way to skin a cat. Beach Ripped focuses on diet and cardio, you will need to follow one of the other strength training routines to build up your muscle.
Thanks that helps a lot! I know you recommend BCAA’s before a fasted workout, could you recommend a brand?, and whether powder or pills are better? And do you prefer a certain food scale?
Any digital food scale will do. I prefer powder, it’s most often way better value for your dollar.
Hi Greg,
In regards to losing weight, I’m at 110 pounds right now at around 5’5″, so my BMI is on the line between being “normal” and “underweight”. I have a good amount of muscle on me from training for 3 months, but I still don’t have a very toned look from fat hanging around the midsection and like. Would I have to gain more weight in muscle to be able to cut without being “underweight”?
Good question! I wouldn’t really acknowledge what the BMI says. If you feel that you want to get more toned and lose a bit of fat on the midsection then do that. That will require you to bring down calories under maintenance. Maybe you’ll get down to 105 lbs and then build back up to 110 or 115 slowly.
Hey Greg
Using this method for fatloss, can this be used to reach 10% body fat or even 9 or 8%? Also, do I need to bother with refeeds if im getting a decent amount of carbs this way of dieting?( 250carbs per day)
Yes this can be used to reach low levels of body fat. I would recommend doing refeeds when your get down close to 10%. It will help coax your body into the single digits.
Hey Greg,
Do you need to adjust this as you progress? I intend to do an 8 week “cut” following this soon and I was just wondering if you need to adjust things as you go on to reflect your new bodyweight? i.e. create new targets each week?
Thanks a lot,
Matt
You won’t need to adjust calories every week, more like ever 4-8 weeks. You’ll need to go by your weekly rate of fat loss. For example, if you are losing less than 1 lbs per week then you will need to drop calories by about 10% or so.
Hey Greg, I have been taking BCAAs when i don’t eat and fast before i workout and i was wondering if i stop taking them, so i don’t have to spend the money, will it affect muscle growth? Like will i lose muscle and/or will it become harder to gain muscle?
Thanks
No you will be fine. It makes a very small difference. I’ve trained completely fasted for many months without any issues. That whole time I was able to get stronger and bigger.
Hey I am 150lb around 12% bf… I should reach the ideal bf at 63kg roughtly… if i follow this prg means 1900cal x day… however if I follow the 10cal x pound rule it would mean 1400cal… which one would you recommend?
10cal x pound
or bmr x 1.36 – 20%
??
Start with 1900 calories per day. You should be able to lose 1-1.5 lbs per week.
Hey Greg just wondering if you have sent out any new e mail updates. Last one i got was on the 7th of march. Progress is going well. Im now at 9.2% BF.
Any advice to drop fat at the same rate as i feel its getting harder/slower to drop.
Thanks
I have not yet, but the new article is up. https://kinobody.com/2579/beach-ripped-counting-macros/
Dude you’re 9.2% bf! That’s very, very good. Take it slow from here on out.
Greg, question;suppose you were in a muscle building mode and calorie surplus for several months and already hit plateaus during that period, what would be your basis for your maintenance level calories for your cutting. Would it be the 1st day you started to build or your latest calorific plateau before the cut?
Thanks!
Probably your latest calorie plateau before the cut. Keep in mind, maintenance calories is a changing figure. So it’s possible that a few weeks into the cut weight loss slows down slightly. You may need to adjust calories during the fat loss phase.
Greg my man, what do you do when you are on the go, on lunch break, or running errands and you arent home to cook your meal? What is your preference or where/what do you buy when you have to eat out? Of course I will try and cook my lunch beforehand, but you know there are those days during the week and even the weekend. I had some turkey and sweet potato from a bbq spot, but I think I did more overpaying than hitting my macros. Thanks man!
Chipotle and subway are two great restaurants and usually you can get pretty close to your macros. Sometimes I’ll eat a few quest bars with some nuts or fruit if I don’t have time to cook a meal.
You can always look up the nutritional information of a restaurant online and determine your best meal choices.
Hey Greg,
Awesome post man!! loving the new series. Quick question for you if I may. I am struggling to eat that many carbs per day. Your example macronutrient ratio fits me quite well. I have no problem hitting protein / fats targets as I will supplement to hit protein macs and fat of course is p*ss easy cause its anything that tastes nice :p. Can you advise some good food sources to help hit those carb levels. Only so many bananas I can eat. Bought some rice crispies, bagels and pita breads as quite high in carbs. Also, if I hit protein and fat macros and reduce carbs for instance will this be a quicker way to lose fat??? Thanks.
For carbs you can go with potatoes, yams, rice, pasta (I like brown rice pasta)…….You definitely don’t want to get too much fruit as fruit doesn’t have much of an effect on leptin and isn’t as efficient at replenishing glycogen stores. Maybe 3-4 pieces of fruit per day, max. If you go a little lower in carbs that’s fine. You’ll probably just end up losing fat at a faster rate.
hi greg, is this cut program suitable if i just do calistenics? thanks greg!
Yes definitely
Hey Greg, thank for the amazing series! The next time a chick looks at me salivating, I will thank you mentally : P Just one question, I notice you are talking about refeed days. Is it possible instead of these refeed days to go low on calories 4 days a week when not lifting, and 3 days at maintenance level calories when lifting? My goal is to lose weight a bit slower but to have greater strength gains and maybe a bit of muscle.
Yes, that’s another option. THat works well if you are happy with 0.5-1 lbs of fat loss per week. I’d go with about a 25% calorie deficit on non lifting days and around maintenance or 5% above on lift days.
OK, thanks a lot man! Just to clarify, if I eat maintenance or 5% above on training days and deficit in non-training, do I need ANY refeed days or days in which I eat LOTS of carbs?
Nope. Eating maintenance or slightly above serves as you’re refeed day.
I’m I suppose…:)
Oups! The correction is there but not the question:)
So here’s the question: by doing a cut like this, what are the progress that I should see ( amount of weight loss per week, diminution in waist mesurement)?
You should drop about 1 lbs per week and lose 1″ off the waist each month.
Thx! If I’m loosing less then that, how should I adjust the calorie deficit?
Reduce calories by about 10%.
really valuable article for all! question,can we use this approach specifically the workout program like the warrior phys. that you’ve set instead of the phase 3 of rusty’s VI and still end up with the density/tone of the muscles?in phase 3 requires 5days workout and i can’t afford that much time because of my day job.
Thanks!
Yes you can!
Hi, Greg! I’m planning to do 16/8 IF with two meals only. Would it be okay if Meal#1 is on 12pm and Meal#2 is 7pm? Because these meals are 7hrs apart.
Yes that is fine. Personal preference should dictate how you structure your meal schedule.
Hi
Can you tell me?
– how do I know my macros in maintenance
– how do I know my macros and calorie intake in building mass
regards,,
For maintenance you will skip the step where you reduce energy expenditure (maintenance calories) by 20-25%. For building mass I would increase calories by 250-300 above maintenance. This increase in calories should come mostly from carbs. Fat should still stay around 25% and protein at 1g per pound of goal bodyweight.
Just wondering if there are any alternative workouts to using the dip bar. Unfortunately I don’t believe there is one at the gym I go to. P.S. Using the warrior physique workout program.
Close grip bench is a good substitute
Hi Greg! What sort of strength progression would you expect to get with this training vs your Muscle Building Course?
Thanks,
Dave
Well I haven’t written a lifting program for this cut. I actually recommend following the strength and density workout in my muscle building course.
Now that I know you recommend bcaas while training fasted do you recommend them on off days before cardio? Or is cardio fine to go completely fasted without bcaa’s?
Thanks
Definitely before weights! Not necessary before cardio but I do it anyways. I usually initiating my workout at-least 16 hours fasted so I like to get in a bit of pre workout protein (BCAA). As well, my diet isn’t that high in protein, around 160g, so the extra BCAA should be beneficial for muscle retention.
Greg im a little confused. I started doing the kinobody fatloss diet ( 10 cals per goal bodyweight) and i dig it! However, in this approach the calories and macs are way higher. Im 5’8” @ 18% bodyfat and weigh 185. Goal is warrior @ 150lbs. Should i stick with kino diet (which i love) or adopt this approach? Also how long should/can stay on cutting mode? Thanks a million Greg!!!!!
If the kinobody fat loss diet is going well then stick with that. You’ll lose fat faster with that program. This beach ripped program is aimed at slower fat loss, 1 lbs per week, while increasing lifts and building a bit of muscle. You can eventually switch to the beach ripped program, maybe when the diet starts to feel too low in calories.
Greg, I need your help man. I’ve been lifting weights for 4 years. I play running back and outside linebacker in football. I’m 5’10 175lbs I think I have around 15% bodyfat at 15 yrs old. Well the coach is making me go to workouts and last year they slowed me down and I didn’t gain strength or muscle, and I’m afraid it’ll be the same this year. I might go to the park and do some barstarzz type stuff lol.What do think I should do to keep my strength and speed? I’m not really concerned about size. Thank you so much in advance you rock!
It’s highly doubtful that working out with weights is making you slower. It will only make you faster. Olympic sprinters are known for squatting up to 3x their bodyweight.
Greg could I do your advanced strength and density workout? Is it the same as in your kinobody muscle building guide?
You can do it on this diet but it’s not the same as the program in the kinobody muscle building guide.
Greg, I would like to cut right before Summer just like everyone else. I have some muscle and would like to know a good routine to keep the muscle that I do have while cutting? I know you love the RPT I would like to know which workout I should follow? Thank you.
For the strength training routine I recommend performing the strength and density program from my Kinobody Muscle Building Course. It is ideal for cutting. If you don’t have the program, the next best thing would be the warrior physique workout.
Hi Greg,
Firstly, great work with the article, keep up ;)
I have a question – if I’m on a building muscle course should I start with intermittent fasting?
Right now I’m 6ft 1″ and 144 lbs with 10% of fat.
Please reply ASAP.
Intermittent Fasting really comes down to personal preference. At the end of the day, it’s up to you. Hitting your macros is what’s most important. IF has some benefits, especially when it comes to making dieting very lifestyle friendly. If you’re bulking you will need a big appetite to make it work. Otherwise it will be pretty damn difficult to get in the calories.
Hey greg my man, some questions here. If going on a calorie deficit will losing some strength be common? Meaning the key is not to lose substanitly, so you can gain it right when you go back to maintenance, Right? also what vitamins and supplements do you take. thanks Greg. You the man
No, you shouldn’t lose strength. If you train properly you should actually be able to gain some strength. This is common with myself and most of my clients I work with. The weaker and less experienced you are, the more this is true. Right now I’m taking Vitamin D, Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc, Fish oils (ran out, need to get some more) and BCAA.
Great article!!
What do you think to switch barbell shoulder press with seated dumbbell shoulder press?RPT training or all 3 sets 10 repetition then add 2 kg?
For example 20 kg (per hand) next set 18 third set 15 and the next workout add 2 kilos to the 2nd and 3rd set etc??
I arch my back everytime i do barbell shoulder press (standing or multipower)
You can switch to seated dumbbell press if you’d like. The reason you probably arch your back is because the weight is too heavy that you can’t lift it up with proper technique. I’d recommend squeezing your glutes, staying forward and once the bar passes your head you want to push your head forward and through.
Hey Greg. Great post ! You’re killing it right now. Kinobody is fast becoming my favourite place on the net for quality info. Keep up the good work! Here’s the thing. I’m in an odd place. I’m a 5″7 man at around 10% body fat but weigh 134lbs. I’d like to get to 7-8% body fat,but as you can imagine, I kinda wanna put on some more lean mass. I’d like to get to 140lbs for starters and I think I’d be totally cool with being around 145-150 with 7-8% bodyfat. At that point I’d be cool with going into maintenance mode. I’ve done my calculations using the formulas you have in the post, but is there a way to adjust the calculations if you want to put on weight? I’m interested in knowing how I should set my macros for the lean mass I’m wanting to add. Any help/info would be much appreciated.
After determining your maintenance calories I would add 250-300 on top of that. This should allow you to gain about half a pound per week. You don’t have to eat the same calorie target each day, just make sure to average that number.
Hi Greg,
After a year of lifting i still dont have enough mass for Warrior physique. Right now im somewhere around 9%bf 6`4 / 192lbs. Is this too soon to go for ripped look? My face looks much better lower BF i go, but i dont want to overdo it and endup sick looking. But i want to see how my face will look at 6%bf lol…
Whats your advise? Wait and put some more lbs or go for it now?
Im now clean bulking on IF.
Is here any different bulking at 9% or 6bf? I read somewhere that its hard to put a mass on when ripped.
thank you
At 192 lbs you still have some decent size, albeit on a very long frame. It’s really up to you, if you decide to drop fat you want to make sure not to go too low in bodyweight. Maybe cut to 186-188 lbs at 6-7% body fat. It will take a few years to be able to carry around a significant amount of muscle at a low body fat. In two more years of lifting you should be able to be around 200-205 at 8%.
Is it possible to burn fat while maintaining the same total body weight, as if fat was replaced by muscle mass?
In some cases that is possible. Usually it is experienced in beginners who start eating at a calorie deficit with sufficient protein while engaging in a strength training routine. It’s also possible if you cycle calorie surpluses with calorie deficits throughout the week. That said, I see faster and superior results when people either go for muscle gain or fat loss. Trying to mix the two is a tricky and slow process.
Greg I apologize in advance however I am so confused. I am 153lbs with 14% body fat. Where the hell do I go from here. Again sorry I just can not get it to save my life. Thank you for your time.
A simpler method would be to set calories around 12-13 per pound of bodyweight. If you’re doing cardio 3-4x per week + weights then use 13 if you’re just doing weights then use 12. Get 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you’re not losing 1 lbs per week then you will need to drop the calories by 200-300.
Amazing article. I am currently doing the Visual Impact program Phase I and next week I will move to Phase II. I guess this will help! By the way is the strength program you recommend the same as Phase II of Visual Impact?
It is a little different than phase 2 of visual impact. I recommend longer rest periods, different set up and progression scheme and slightly lower volume.
Thanks for the response!
I have another question. I am 5″7-5″8 height, I weight 65Kg and have a body fat percentage of 12%. I don’t have a lot of muscle going on, but I’m not skinny either. My abs are not visible, only the top 2 ones are a bit visible, and I’d like your opinion on what to do. Bulk up or Shred/Cut? I am following Visual Impact and I’m finishing Phase I in one week. I have made a lot of progress, especially on the chest area but overall it’s not that visible. I want to be in the better shape I can be in Summer. What diet should I choose, I will be following Phase II/III until summer by the way.
You should definitely cut! I’d recommend following the diet set up in this article.
Greg, I know I’m becoming annoying and I’m sorry. But I’m confused. I’ve spent hours reading about IF in leangains, kinobody and a bunch of other websites. To cut I calculated about 1800-1900 Kcal. I found protein to be 145g/day but I’m confused about fat and carb intake. In previous posts you talked about low carb diets (50-80g), diets that consist of 40-45% of carbs, alternating between high carb/low carb days. Which one should I choose?
Follow this plan. This is the most recent of my writings and my preferred approach. Lower carbs and carb cycling can work but it’s not necessary. The important thing is to be in a deficit.
Very nice article my friend! When will you post the rest ? I’ve got a question: from what i understood, i should calculate and apply a daily caloric deficit. Should this remain the same throughout the week or should there be high/low caloric days? Also, regarding the warrior workout, cardio should be performed in between weight lifting days? For example, M-W-F are lifting days, then Tu-Th-Sat should be cardio days? Thanks !!!
I recommend keeping your low calorie days at a 20-25% deficit. Once or twice per week you can do refeeds. I will discuss this in a later article. For now I would recommend eating at about maintenance once per week. The next article will come out next week. Yes you have the right idea for the lifting and cardio days.
Hey Greg,
I am a 37 year old male. I weigh 159 lbs at 5’8″. Waist is 32 in. How low in weight do you feel I will need to be at to get visual abs?
Thanks!
Good question! I’d say maybe 150-154 lbs. You might need to get your waist to a 30-31″.
Greg,
Would you recommend 8-10 weeks to achieve this or could it be done sooner? I am training 3 days per week, your strength routine, but I do not do direct ab work. Would this help when my body fat gets low enough or does it really matter?
Thanks!
You could probably get there in 6 weeks. Direct abs work will definitely help improve abs definition at a reasonably low level (under 12%).
Hey Greg,
Would you recommend taking hypergain to try to gain muscle while on this cutting diet or should i wait until after cutting to take it?
Thanks in advance!
Personally I would save hypergain for a muscle building phase. Especially if you haven’t taken it before. If you’re already using it then I would suggest keep using it to better maintain strength and muscle.
Hey Greg, I was already trying IF with 3 meals in my 8 hour window, but I think I will try the 2 meal approach since it works easier with my 12p-9p work schedule. My routine will be pretty much the same as the model you described: Wake up – 9am
Meal 1 – 4:30pm
Meal 2 – 10:00pm
My question is, when should I eat my last meal since I usually workout when I get off at 9pm. I ask since previous articles say to eat the last meal after the workout, but if I wait until after the workout, i would exceed the 10pm window. I know it would still be within my 8 hour feeding window, just trying to set it up right. Maybe im thinking too much lol. Thanks in advance.
I would definitely eat after training! It’s not a big deal if you extend the feast window a little late. If you get hungry before the workout you could consider having a light meal.
I forgot to ask one last question. I am not a coffee drinker is diet soda acceptable?
Don’t drink diet soda in the fasted window. The only time I recommend using diet soda is if you’re going to mix it with liquor if you’re drinking. You can purchase caffeine tablets for pretty cheap with 200mg of caffeine. Take 1-2 per day. Once morning and again in the early afternoon.
Great Article! Does the calorie intake stay the same as your losing or do you have to go back in and make adjustments at some point?
If you’re strength training and maintaining your lean body mass then your metabolism shouldn’t drop. This is especially the case if you incorporate strategic high carb refeed days 1-2x per week. The only thing is that the lighter you are the less calories you will burn doing cardio. So to compensate you will have to increase your speed/intensity as you drop weight.
Hi mate!!! awesome post, looking forward to each one!!! whats your opinion on cheat days, i was considering having one on a saturday folllowed by a 24 hr fast on the sunday. Cheers
Personally, I prefer to use refeed days. For physiological benefits these are superior. This is where you would boost calories to slightly over maintenance every 4 to 7 days. The increase in calories is mostly from carbs as carbs have the greatest impact on leptin. For psychological reasons many clients prefer to use cheat days where they don’t need to track food intake. For some people who have good self control this can work. For other people, way too much damage can be done in one day without any emphasis on controlling food intake. Personally, I’ll have a calorie/macro target for each day. If it’s a higher calorie day I still make sure not to over shoot the calorie intake. For me, a no holds barred cheat day, could potentially ruin a weeks worth of dieting.
If you want to do cheat days, I would instead do a cheat meal or cheat window. So every saturday evening from 6 to 10pm you can eat whatever you like, within reason. This might mean going out and treating yourself to a big dinner followed by a desert of choice (low fat icecream). After 10pm no more eating.
Thanks mate, great reply! Yeah i usually use IF all the time 16/8 approach. So if i was to include a cheat day on saturdays i was planning in using IF until say 5pm that day and eating til 10pm so im having a longer fast prior to the feed. I think for me personally a massive refeed once a week really helps me mentally. So id follow this with a 24hr fast and low calories on the sunday. If i was to go as far as say 5000 calories on my cheat day (maintain being aprox 2300) but make this fit into my weekly calorie target would that be ok in your opinion?
5000 calories would be too high. That’s 2700 over maintenance or just over 3/4 of a pound of fat. I wouldn’t go more than 1000 calories over maintenance, so you’re looking at 3300.
Thanks again mate, ill give that a try. Would that 3300 have to fit into my weekly calories or would i just hit target calories 6 days then the cheat day (3300 cals) would be extra?
just because if im in defecit the 6 days prior, therefore the 7th day id be on tracj for the full 3500 deficit but instead id be having 3300 so im decreasing my overall weekly defecit by 1000, whats your opinion on this?
Cheers
Hit your calorie targets 6 days per week with the one high calorie day. The strategic high calorie day will help stimulate your metabolism and help you hit a new weekly low. If you want to lose weight a bit quicker, consider going a little bit lower in calories on the sunday.
Damn bro, this is an awesome post!
Great content, ridiculous in-depth, and totally actionable. The rest of this series is going to be awesome, too :)
-Tom
PS – Hit me up soon! Definitely gotta chat..
I’ve never learned so much since receiving your emails and reading your articles. You have no idea how helpful this is; I started intermittent fasting as per your advice a month ago and I have dropped 10 lbs of fat. I am going to start applying these macros now and hopefully lose the last 10 lbs of fat I’ve been aiming for. Thank you for the link to that calculator and the Math – very helpful.
I’ve never used BCAA’s before; but I think I might start taking them before my workouts (which are fasted – thanks for that advice also – I have more energy which I was not expecting).
My question is – should carbs mainly cosist of fruit and veggies or startchy carbs – or what percentage (roughly) of each? I am a woman if that makes a difference. Thanks again!
Way to go on dropping 10 lbs of fat in a month! That’s awesome. As well, I’m glad you’re finding the emails and website helpful.
As per your question, I actually don’t bother counting the calories/carbs from fibrous veggies. Spinach, broccolli, cauliflower, peppers and onions I don’t even bother counting. These foods add tons of fiber and vitamins with very little caloric content. I just recommend having roughly the same portion of veggies each day. Starches like potatoes, yams, rice, rice pasta… should make up the bulk of your carb intake. These foods are ideal at replenishing glycogen, boosting leptin and are low in anti nutrients (glutens and phytates). Having 2-3 pieces of fruit per day is also a good idea. Count that into your carb intake. I don’t recommend going crazy on fruit because of the high fructose content which is inefficient at replenishing muscle glycogen or elevating leptin.
Thank you so much! You’re the best!
Aww yes the beginning of the end :D (for the fat at least haha)
I had a question Greg, one you would probably be familliar with since you have done MMA yourself.
on my cardio days I plan on doing MMA, besides the kicking and boxing we do push ups and some pull ups/sit ups would this be counterproductive with the strength training i did the day before or is it ok to do?
Cheers buddy, this series will help allot of people out!
Keep up the great work!
Push ups, sit ups and pull ups are relatively a low percentage of your 1RM so it should be fine. I’d really recommend stopping short of failure if possible. However, if you’re doing this in a MMA class this may not be possible.
I’ve been training and watching what i eat for 6 weeks now and i’m under 10.5% at the moment. I want to get some suggestions about building and sculpting my abs. I want to have a really hard, dense look. Any advice. Your new plan looks great. I also fast for 16 hours ( 6pm till 12 noon the next day) with a workout between 10 – 11 am.
I’d recommend doing the V-Abs routine on cardio days 2-3x per week.
Greg,
This is an excellent post with fantastic information as always.
Looking forward to the upcoming articles following this.
Paul
This has to be one of your best articles! Anyone looking to cut weight should follow this program!
Great article, keep going!
Hey two questions about intermittent fasting..
1) do you consume/recommend protein/bcaa pre workout while fasting?
2) you say to eat most carbs at dinner..would that be immediately following your fasted workout? That would be at about 3 pm for me.
Thanks in advance!
1) Yes, I take 10g of BCAA before a workout if I’m fasted.
2) If you’re doing the 2 meal per day option, you can keep both meals high carb. If you’re doing 3 meals then I would recommend making the last two meals higher in carbs. Some of this will be personal preference. I do 2 meals per day (5pm and 10-11pm) and keep both meals very big and high in carbs. If my first meal is too small then I get very hungry soon after. Play around and see what works best for you.
Another great article Greg!!
Quick question re. the daily calorie intake – I’ve been using the principles of your Kinobody Shredding Program (i.e. maintenance, low calorie, and 24 hour fast days), for my calorie intake…should I continue to do that, or just eat the same calories every day?
Thanks man!
Both methods can work! Recently, I’ve preferred eating roughly the same calories and macros and doing more cardio (3-4 sessions per week for 30-40 mintues). I will do high calories 1-2x per week.
Nice article mate, looking forward to the rest of the series.
How long would you typically expect to need to go on this “diet” if you’re already lean but looking to get “ripped”? 8 – 10 weeks?
I’d be looking to time it right so that I’m sharpest for a two week holiday away… but obviously most of summer here in the UK would be great.
Thanks,
Matt
You can drop about 2-3% body fat per month on this program. So if you’re 12%, going to 7% would take 2 months.
Hey Greg,
Now that I’ve read your latest article on refeeds, it’s getting a little confusing.
Following on from my comment above, can I not do an 8 week stretch to go from around 12% to around 7% without refeeds? Or will the refeeds be mandatory to get the job done?
It just seems to complicate the original simplicity. How would you recommend incorporating refeeds if necessary?
Your clarification would be great.
Thanks a lot!
Matt
You could, theoretically. Feel it out yourself. Maybe you can handle several weeks continuously in a calorie deficit. For many people this is not the case and continued low calories leads to overburdening hunger and cravings. Maybe start with just one refeed per week. Eventually as you break into the single digits you can do one every 4th day.
Just to let you know that you also have a female following – well, at least one lady here in the UK!
I’ve never calculated macros before . Good job I like maths.
Thanks for putting so much time and effort into this for our benefit.
Welcome aboard Clare! This will be just as relevant for females as males.
Awesome article bro, you killed it. You broke down the formulas and desrciptions real well. Quick question, any particular tea you recommend instead of the black coffee? I’m a customer and a fan; looking forward to Part 2.
Green tea, Chai Guarana or Yerba Mate. Those are my favourites.
I’m stoked for this series of articles, not just because it’s great content, but there hasn’t been this comprehensive of a guide online. And trust me, I’ve scoured the darkest parts of the Internet for info at some point! lol
But really, I think it’s also entirely commendable that you would give away this much info/advice for free. It says a lot about your character.
Cheers mate!
Lovin’ the name.