Achieving The Warrior Physique Part 1 – Diet
How to Achieve the Warrior Physique
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.
In my last article on Dual Pyramid Training I touched briefly on the two different types of kinobody physiques. I also outlined a very effective workout strategy for building the Superhero Physique.
I now wish to switch sides and discuss the perks of the “Warrior” physique, which is the basis to my Warrior Shredding Program, and what it takes to achieve it. Displayed above is Brad Pitt from the movie Snatch displaying a chiseled and tatted up physique.
What Is The Warrior Physique?
The warrior physique standards entail having a trifecta of strength, definition and proportion.
Following my Warrior Shredding Program strategy I was able to build crazy amounts of strength on movements that best enhanced my physique. The Warrior Physique is perfect for people who want that sleek warrior look that really makes your aesthetics pop.
To achieve such condition you need to master eating at a caloric deficit and building a great deal of strength. Below is a picture of me when I followed this program.
In this picture I was around 172 lbs at 5’10. I could incline dumbbell bench 100 pounders for 5 reps and I could perform chin ups with 100 lbs attached for 5 reps (using my high quality weight belt). My waist was around 31″, chest 42″, arms 15.5″.
What it takes to become a warrior?
Getting into warrior shape is no easy task. It requires a unique blend of strength training, dieting, cardio and supplementation. In today’s article I am going to cover diet only.
1.) An Effective Dieting Strategy
Getting into such a ripped state requires one to withstand low calories 5-6 days per week. In addition, as one becomes increasingly leaner, dieting becomes increasingly more difficult.
This is due to less fat availability and lower levels of leptin which lead to increased hunger and a reduction in spontaneous activity. Using myself as an example, I can maintain 13-15% body fat rather easily without having to think twice about it. This is including plenty of carbs daily and junk foods a few times per week.
At this body fat percentage my appetite regulation is very in tune. If I overeat, my appetite will down regulate and I’ll become more energetic. So it becomes rather effortless to maintain my weight. This is known as body fat set point. There are a few genetically blessed individuals who maintain single digit body fat easily without any effort.
** If you are overweight you are guaranteed to be above your body fat set point. It is likely that you are highly sensitive to the food reward pathway and therefore easily overeat on junk foods. If you stick to natural foods only; animal protein, veggies, nuts, fruits…. You will probably shed weight easily until you reach your body fat set point. Combine eating natural foods with skipping breakfast and eating 2-3 meals per day and fat loss should become effortless.
2.) Dieting below body fat set point
Now when I venture below 12% body fat things become rather interesting. I can no longer use my appetite and impulses to guide me. I have to be much more methodical with my food intake. Taking things into the single digit range is even more tricky. In order to do this I need to use very subtle calorie deficits and aim for a rate of fat loss of about 0.5-1 lbs per week. You can lose fat in the single digit body fat range faster than this but it is an awful experience. If your goal is to maintain single digit body fat then your best bet is to take those last 4-8 pounds very slowly. Keep in mind that your body is happy at a certain body fat level. For me this happens to be 13-15% body fat. It takes a effective approach for me to cut into the lower body fat range. Below I will share some of my most effective strategies for doing so:
3.) Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is one of my favorite methods for dropping fat and maintaining a lean physique with ease. By engaging in a 15-18 hour fast and consuming 2-3 meals per day, creating a calorie deficit becomes so much easier.
The fasting phase becomes hunger blunting, especially when combined with black coffee consumption. As well, by fasting you are able to eat much bigger and more satiating meals while staying in a calorie deficit. Dieting no longer feels like dieting, it’s as if you are bulking.
Another advantage of intermittent fasting is that it makes dieting so much simpler. I am all about enjoying life and letting your physique pursuits enhance your life and not detract from it. Having to carry around, cook, clean and prepare several meals per day is a pain in the ass. Intermittent fasting helps with this tremendously.
4.) High Protein Intake
Recently there has been a trend in the fitness industry challenging the need for a high protein consumption. Most of the research suggests that 1.8g per kg (0.8g per pound) is the maximum amount needed to support optimal muscle growth in resistance training athletes and prevent lean body mass loss on a shredding diet. While this may be true I actually recommend a higher intake of protein for quite a few reasons.
Protein is the most satiating of all nutrients. Therefore a higher protein intake will help keep you fuller on a diet. As well, protein has the highest thermogenic cost of all macronutrients. Therefore you’ll likely expend more calories with a higher protein intake.
If you look at most individuals who maintain muscular and ripped bodies year round they tend to consume quite a bit of protein. I am hard pressed to find a fitness model that doesn’t consume at-least 1 gram per pound of body weight. Furthermore look back to evolution and the foods we evolved on.
Most of our ancestors thrived on a very high intake of protein. I’ve experimented a wide range of protein intakes from 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight and all the way up to 1.25 grams per pound of body weight. I’ve always felt better with the higher intake of protein, 1-1.25 grams per pound. Stronger morning erections (good predictor of testosterone), better satiety, better recovery, more energy…..
Therefore most of the diet plans I create have about 1-1.25 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. For overweight clients this is lower (1 gram per pound of goal body weight) due to a lower percentage of lean body mass.
5.) Fats and Carbs
Fats and carbs have a very important role in the fat loss game. Many diet guru’s like to drastically restrict the intake of either fats and carbs. Some coaches prefer to keep fats low on training days and carbs low on rest days. I don’t find this approach to be optimal. I prefer a balanced approach to these two macronutrients for several reasons.
Fats play a very important role in hormone regulation, testosterone, fullness and taste. Dramatically limiting fats on training days just so you can fit in a few more carbs is ridiculous. Better to enjoy food, feel satisfied and maintain ample testosterone levels. On the other hand drastically restricting carbs on rest days is a nightmare for many people. A very low carb intake leads to a drop in leptin and low seratonin levels. This can make people irritable, destroy sex drive and cause sleeping problem.
What I recommend? Keep protein and fat intake constant throughout the week. Carbs can increase on training days or refeed days but not at the expense of fats. Generally I don’t recommend carbs or fats falling below 25% of total calories on any day.
6.) Food Choices
Food choices play an important role in overall satiety. Whole food protein is ideal; chicken, beef, fish, cottage cheese/greek yogurt and egg/whites. Added fats should be included as necessary to achieve the proper intake of fat. Nuts, avocado’s, cheese, coconot oil and olive oil are great sources of added fats.
For carb sources I like fruits (apples and bananas), potatoes, yams, oatmeal, beans and rice. As well, cruciferous veggies should be consumed with meals freely without regard for calorie content.
7.) Refeed Days
If your ultimate goal is fat loss then I recommend staying in a 20-25% calorie deficit 5-6 days per week. So that means 1-2 higher calorie days per week. There is a trend in body composition coaching to include 3 reefed days per week on a diet.
The problem with this is that in order to make this strategy work at any decent rate you need to go very low in calories 4 days per week. Most people would prefer to eat at a moderate 20-25% deficit 5-6 days per week than have to eat at an extreme 35% deficit 4 days per week. Save the three high calorie refeed days per week when you are re-comping (maintain weight, build muscle and lose fat).
This is the only time I’ve seen this strategy work effectively in my experience.
Kinobody Fat Loss Transformations
Phil
Zach
John
Tobias
Gisle
185 Comments
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] using the warrior shredding program and intermittent fasting for men. Want to learn more? kinobody.com/… #intermittentfasting #fatloss #diet #exercise […]
does intermediate fasting affect my ability to learn or activity in school?
No, it does not
Hey Greg im 16 years old 5’10 i weight 125 pounds i have a bit of fat on my stomach and have a little bit of a chubby face im 16% body fat should i take the warrior shredding program and should i also do intermediate fasting?
anything wrong with changing the macros just a little bit? Can I lower protein to 35%…carbs to 25% and bump up fat to 40%? I find it much easier for me to hit my macros this way. Or would this potentially screw up my results?
Yeah that’s fine, the important thing is that you find it more enjoyable to hit your macros that way. That’s what matters.
Hey Greg hope you had an awesome Christmas. If I wind up eating WAY to much on a day (My mom made cinammon roles on Christmas and so I endedup eating like 3000 calories) is it ok to eat really low calories for the next day like only eat 1000 calories and then just proceed as normal with cutting?
I don’t like doing that. But if it’s not too tough then go for it. I’d suggest fasting for 20-22 hours. Eating a big meal. And then maybe something light before bed. You don’t have to go down to 1000 calories. But maybe 1400 would do the trick.
If it’s miserable and you’re excessively hungry then I don’t recommend it. If you can handle it then go for it.
Hey Greg I am thinking about sending in some pictures to get a body fat estimate from you but how do I do that? I don’t see like an attach picture option or anything like that.
email me at gregoryogallagher@gmail.com
Hey Greg,
My main problem, aside from staying consistent all year long with my training, is counting macros/setting up my meals. I’m about to try the Aggressive Fat Loss diet, but I’m stuck on the macros portion, and it might be I’m over thinking things. For the smaller meal you say to try and eat 500-700 calories. You gave an example of 1-2 chicken breast, Greek yogurt, 2-3 whole eggs and egg whites. My question is do we just eat one of the items off the list and have it come up to the set calories, or is that the actual meal? Exercising, tracking the macros on MyNetDiary, and weighing out the food is no problem at all, it’s just setting up my meals. Any advice? Thanks in advance for your time!
So you’d have 500-700 cals to work with. So you can have that much of the specific food. That’s a lot of eggs and egg whites haha. Or you can use a couple chicken breasts and cook them in a bunch of oil. And have an apple with it.
Hi Greg,
I have a client who lost a lot of weight (from 240lbs to 175lbs) and now his skin is stretched out at hangs from his belly. Will this problem resolve itself or he needs surgery? He’s very young (only 17yo).
Have any of your clients experienced this as well?
Thanks!
No, he won’t need surgery. It may take 6 months or so to tighten up.
So Greg I’m finishing up with 2 weeks eating at maintenance and I’m going to cut until I start the Greek God program during the end of January/beginning of February. If I am correct I think my bodyfat is around the 11-12% range but here’s the thing. I have never been able to cut at 12x bodyweight which I have said before, now during my last cut I ate at 10x bodyweight 6 days a week (honestly though out of caution I tended to eat just below my calories to compensate for possible incorrect measuring) and I stopped dropping fat after 3-4 weeks. I felt good so I’m assuming metabolic adaptation rather then a leptin drop. So I’m thinking eating 10x-11x bodyweight 5 times a week and two refeed days a week, do you think this will work Greg?
Thanks man you’re the best
Yeah dude that should work just fine. I’d for sure start at 11 cals per pound. And maybe just do one refeed day per week at first. If you have to go down to 10 cals per pound then do it, but don’t rush it. You really shouldn’t ever have to go lower than 10 cals per pound.
Also, sometimes water retention can mask weight/fast loss. So if you stall for a few days, doesn’t mean you’re not dropping fat. It can take 10-14 days to see a difference sometimes.
Greg I typed the above comment right before I left for work and didn’t read it so let me rephrase that abomination. I was eating at 10x bodyweight 6 times a week and lost about a pound a week. After the third week I stopped losing weight. I feel fine so I assume metabolic adaptation because it doesn’t feel like low leptin. I curious if the restoration of a 2nd refeed day would counter that adaptation or if it would make more sense to just stick with 1 refeed day and instead take a week off every 3-4 weeks? Like would 2 refeed days let me go for like 6-8 weeks?
I think the best thing to do would be to eat roughly at maintenance for 2 weeks. Maybe start at around 13 cals per pound for the first week, then go up to 14 cals per pound for the second week. And if yah want bring it up to 15 cals per pound for the final week. When you go back to your diet, start at around 11-12 cals per pound.
Hey Greg so a few weeks ago I talked to you about not having lost weight for 3 months eating at 12x bodyweight even with a month at rough maintenance and so I went ahead and cut my calories by 250 down to 10X bodyweight so about 1550 calories since I’m 5’10 with one pretty large refeed day a week at about 2300-2400 calories.
So during the 1st week my weight declined from about 156-157 to 153 obviously the vast majority of which was water but still. Next week my weight was 152 then the week after 151 and now still after another week 151. I know it has only been one week stuck but I like to plan ahead so in case what would you recommend? 2 refeed days, maybe a week off 3 weeks on kind of model? It seems weird I would plateau after 3 weeks.
Give it another week to see what happens. If you get stuck. I would bring calories up to 2000-2200 for two weeks to bring you maintenance up and bring up leptin.
Whoops my bad, I forget you respond to like a 1000 people a day. But I am 5’10, 155 Ibs. The issue with 1800 calories and walking on non lifting days is I haven’t lost weight for months. I even took an entire month off to eat at maintenance thinking that would do the trick, but it didn’t. I actually have been patient but I haven’t lost weight or gotten leaner in two months, 3 including the maintenance month. I also bought two new food scales just to compare them with the one I have been using to see if that was the issue. So if the HIIT is useless should I just cut my calories by 250 like you suggest in the program which will put me at bodyweight times 10?
That’s very interesting. Is it possible you’re not tracking properly or are underestimating calories? Make sure that if you’re recording calories from meat, you weigh it raw, not after cooking. BUt yes, you could drop the cals down by 250 and see what happens.
Well that’s the thing, I can only cook my food one day a week. However chicken generally loses between 1/4 to 1/3rd of its weight when cooked so I just be safe and add a third to it’s weight. I know it is not ideal but I live in a college dorm, and this is the strategy I used in the summer and it seemed to work then. Anyway I will cut by 250 and hopefully that will get the ball rolling. But I think I am gonna go by a George Foreman, they are against school policy but you know I pay 1000’s of dollars a year so the school can fuck off.
Fingers crossed cause I wanna start the GG Program in January, I wanna be the size of zac efron but like 2 percentage points lower
Nice. Yeah that strategy is perfectly fine. Just add like 30% to the weight and you’ll be fine. I do that sometimes as well.
Greg these are my macroes
1800 cal
720 protein cal, 180 grams
540 carb cal, 135 grams
540 fat cal, 60 grams
Now with these macros I have been unable to lose weight with one refeed day a week, warrior program and 2 days of abs and cardio with cardio usually being a 15 minute HIIT session and one day of walking. Mike Matthews recommends 4-5 HIIT sessions a week with one refeed day. Last week I did 4 15 min HIIT sessions and I THINK a lost a pound I’m gonna try another week but tell me what you think of this
Sunday= Workout 1 plus my job, 7 hours of walking, will use as a refeed day
Monday= Abs and 15 min HIIT
Tuesday= workout 2 maybe HIIT
Wednesday= Abs and HIIT
Thursday= Workout 3 and HIIT
Friday= HIIT only if not done on Wednesday, otherwise walking
Saturday= work/day of slow cardio
HIIT not back to back with lifting, several hours in between
So I’m looking at 3 lifting, 3-4 15 minute HIIT sessions and 2 ab workouts a week
Your thoughts?
Sorry how long this is Greg I’m approaching my deadline soon and I really want to be super lean when I bulk so I’m gettin kinda anxious (deadline is end of January)
DUde, you have to give me your stats like height and weight. C’mon!!!
But if you weigh anything over 160 lbs, then you’ll definitely be dropping fat on this intake. You just have to be more patient. I think you’re training too much. Stick to weights 3 days per week and 45 minutes of walking on the other days. HIIT won’t do anything.
Hey Greg sorry to ask this again but I got locked outta my email and so I never got your response. I’m doing the warrior program Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I do abs and a short HIIT session on Tuesday and Thursday with a reffeed day on Friday. I eat 1800 on a regular day and 2300-2400 on Friday. My problem is on Saturday and Sunday because of work I am on my feet for 6-8 hours a day and I don’t know how to eat to respond. Should I still eat 1800 like usual or should I eat 1800 plus x calories per hour. Maybe eat 1800 on both days but restore my 2nd reffeed day? I really just do not know and have a tendency to kinda eat randomly on those days. What is your solution o master of fitness?
If you feel really hungry on saturday and sunday well try adding like 300 calories. Add as little as possible while feeling satisfied. That’s the key.
Hi
Im 6′ even and 209lbs and my training and nutrition plans are all over the shop…im addicted to reading blogs haha. Im fully aware of the right food to be eating and the reuired macros and what good and bad sources of macros look like. im also going dairy and gluten free for medical reasons. my training fluctutates between doing weights, the usual 3 day split for a month or something, then will chop to just doing 5-7km runs and bodyweight playground type workouts for another couple of weeks. i know i need to get a more consistent training plan…your warrior workout looks very doable, because i personally dislike the gym. I am awaiting delivery of Monkii Bars…a suspenion training system. which i think will be much more motivating being outdoors and i can mimic all of the workouts here. with maybe 1 day a week at the gym to do the heavy compounds.
i am intriguied by your recommendation of 1.25g of protein per pound. that would put me in the range of 261g of protein per day! Throw that in the mix with intermittent fasting, im not sure how i can get that much protein into my remaining 2-3 meals of the day?
cheers for your great blog
ned
australia
Yeah I wouldn’t go that high in protein in your scenario. You can do like 1g per pound of goal bodyweight. If you are having issues staying full and want to eat more protein then raise it slightly.
thanks, thats what i thought.
first morning of fasting today…man am i hungry! black coffee number 1 is on the desk. nespresso pod….
i ran out of time to make todays lunch last night so im going to attempt to find smething takeaway which meets my macro needs
What would u u recommend someone do that needs/wants to put on a few pounds a land shed a few…I am guessing I am 15% body fat….I’m only benching 150 for 5…so my strength is below average although it’s definitely improving. ..
What’s your take on recomps? You for or against it? Rather would u choose to lean down first while maintaining or possibly gaining strength and then lean bulking?
Yeah recomps can work. But at 15% body fat, you have a good 10 lbs of fat to drop. So it would be much more efficient to cut first then slowly lean bulky.
Ok would something like this work?
I was thinking about 6 days a week at a 650 calorie deficit and one surplus day at a 300 calorie surplus. The numbers would add up to exactly 1lb of fat loss per week on a 2500 calorie maintenance tdee.
What I would do is cycle my surplus day each week to benefit each workout. So for example:
Mondays
Workout A
Wednesdays
Workout B
Fridays
Workout C
First week workout A would get the surplus than the following week workout B would be the surplus day and the following week workout C. Does this sound like a good plan?
Yeah that is also a good strategy but there’s really no need to cycle the refeed. Keep it on the same day each week. Just put it on the day that you want to give the greatest priority to.
one more question, I am 77kg (170 pounds)
daily, I am having 170g of protein, how much carbs and fats should I have and what should my total calorie intake be daily? I dont understand how to calculate these from the article
Well maintenance for you will likely be around 2500 calories. To lean down around 2000 calories will be the sweet spot. With 170g of protein, you can make up the rest of your cals with a good mix of fats and carbs. I’d recommend about 70g fat (balanced number) and 170g carbs. That’s a solid balance of macros. You may decide you want less fat and more carbs, or vice versa. But I gave you an amazing starting point.
Hey Greg!
You mentioned you don’t recommend going below 25% of total calories for fats. Does this apply to cutting as well? Also, this may sound silly, but would 25% be okay for women too? I’ve been afraid of fats and carbs for so long I’m not sure what to do!
Thanks for all the great info!
Josey
Yes, especially for cutting. Adequate fat is important in staying full and maintaining health and hormonal functioning. And this definitely applies for women, if not more so. Fats and carbs are vital for hormonal functioning, sleep and health. Get a balance amount and you’ll be fine. The problem is that most people eat high amounts of fats and carbs. You need to balance it out. If you’re eating steak, you won’t have room to have additional fat with a meal. That said, if you’re eating a lean cut of meat like chicken then you can add fats like butter on your potatoes. This approach works gangbusters.
hi, was wondering, if I am skinny fat with a BF of 17%, should I just eat healthy or should be using intermediate fasting and refereed days? if so, how often???
Intermittent fasting would definitely be helpful. Sounds like you need to lean down. And yes, you should eat healthy.
I’m confused, so if my BF is 17%, I should use just use the training program and eat healthy (without intermediate fasting or refereed days?????). If I am meant to use refereed days, should the higher calorie days be on training days or rest days or whenever?????
You can do intermittent fasting and refeed days. I’d just do one refeed day per week maximum.
how often, should I do intermediate fasts?
Everyday works best. Don’t do super long fasts. I usually eat 5-6 hours after waking.
If you are interested in this program and you are already skinny or have a low body fat %, what do you recommend the diet to be like to achieve this physique?
I’d suggest the diet from my Greek God Program. Basically 2000 calorie WEEKLY surplus
Hey Greg I’m interested in buying the warrior shredding program i came across a promotion deal where I think it was 7 dollars to try for the first month then you will be billed 40 after the month is over ,is the promotion still available? If so I would like to order the program . Thanks
Yeah here’s the link – http://lp.kinobody.com/shredding-program-sneak-peek/
Regarding appetite suppresants, with green tea does it matter if it is hot or cold?? I tried black coffee for the first time today and I almost gagged on yhe taste.
Hott probably helps a bit more but both would work.
Hey Greg,
Great info. I’m down to the last 10 pounds which would make my total fat loss 50+ pounds. I’m at 15% body fat and would ultimately like to get down to 9%. I’ve been doing the intermittent fasting since the beginning of this year but I seem to be stuck. I do well all day but if I have any carbs at dinner, game over.
So, I’m very afraid of eating carbs at all. How do I push past this roadblock? Thanks!
I don’t know what you mean by game over.
Carbs are your friend. Don’t cut them out completely. Keep it balanced while staying in a deficit. That said, I think this would be a good time to spend 5-14 days eating at maintenance. you’ll probably gain 5 lbs of lean mass. Don’t worry about the weight gain. Then go back into a deficit.
Hey Greg
Thanks for all your hard work in putting these programs together. I had been pretty consistent in your warrior physique program a couple months ago, but I haven’t done any lifting in a long time. I am starting the Warrior physique program I just purchased on Monday. My question is how would you go about the 15-20 minute treadmill walk after strength training days to expedite the fat burning process? Should I walk at 3.8 and 2% incline the entire time, or up the incline? Thanks for the help, I’m looking forward to great results!
Yes that’s the right approach. You can pyrmaid the incline if you want. Build up to 6-8 incline then pyramid back down to 2
Hey.. I’m slim but i wanna lean down. I workout but I was wondering if I start Treadmill to loose very little of belly fat i have developed cause of may overeating a bit in order to gain MUSCLE. Does treadmill effect muscle growth too? I heard that Treadmill is not recommended in while you’re working out to gain muscle.
Treadmill is not going to help you here. You need to focus on proper nutrition.
Hi Greg, is your warrior program suitable for women too?. Would be easier if we both ate the same foods…
My wife and I that is…:)
Yes definitely. The only difference is that because women are smaller, they’re going to be consuming less calories overall. So they’ll still see great results on the plan.
Greg,
Great post. Have you ever experimented with extreme diets for short periods like your colleague Rusty endorses with the 2 shakes and a salad diet for 2-3 wks? On one hand i see the drawback in terms of mood, diminished sex drive and slight muscle loss. On the other, Im told that occasional short term extreme periods in diet or workouts can be beneficial for accelerating results leading into event, photoshoot etc. Thoughts? Thanks.
I have in the past. But I won’t do it again. Going below 11 calories per pound is just downright miserable so I don’t see the point. And everytime I did super strict dieting I couldn’t keep it going.
Will the kinobody chef book be for sale? :)
Yes, definitely!
Could you make an example of much meat and shakes and cottage cheese 200 grams of protein is?
Get the app MyNetDiary
Hey greg, what do you think about metabolic acidosis?? is it common and is it something we should worry about? I follow a healthy diet except I eat pasta and brad on a regular basis (always with some protein alongside..).
greg, what do you think about diet coke? if u drink it on a regular basis will your abs show up a little bit less,will u get fat ecc… ???? cause no one ever talks about it but it d be great to hear your opinion
Diet coke won’t make you fat, it doesn’t have any calories. That said, aspartame may not be something that’s great for overall health.
Hi Greg,
I think I need some reassurance that you can actually gain lean muscle mass and lose fat each week. I plan on working out 3 times a week (Workout A, B, A). On the workout days I will consume a 20% calorie surplus. And on non workout days (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) I will consume a deficit of 20%.
Basically, I don’t know much at all about the intrinsics of muscle building hence why I am grateful for all the advice you share, but i’m a bit skeptical that achieving both goals of increased muscle and reduced fat at the same time is achievable. This is because if you are properly working out three times a week where you have shredded the shit out of your muscles, you will surely be in a state of muscle repair 7 days a week. Now, as you need a calorie surplus to gain muscle, if you are in surplus for only 3 days a week, is that even enough to make tiny increases in muscle mass? And on the deficit days, won’t you even lose a bit of muscle whilst also losing fat too? I don’t doubt your knowledge as you are the king when it comes to knowing your shit about lean bulking and cutting, but i need to know I can actually do those at the same time for the sake of my motivation. Thanks man!!
Dude! I’m pretty sure I already answered this question very thoroughly. Did you not ask this question on one of my articles before? And yes, it is very possible to make small net gains in muscle mass while getting leaner. I’ve done it myself and seen it done with many of my clients.
Also, there isn’t actually any scientific studies to suggest you have to be in a surplus to gain muscle mass. Provided you’re getting in sufficient protein and eating around maintenance you should be able to gain size assuming strength is going up.
First of all let me say that thanks to u and rusty i developed a huge passion towards fitness. Whenever i need motivation i start to hang on kinobody ,read some posts and maybe watch a few video of your santa Monica s workout aiming to learn muscle ups and front levers!
Everyday i hope there s a new artiicle on kinobody!
Now 2 questions for u sir :
is there a way to boost metabolism ? I already can eat a lot and stay 11 percent bodyfat ,but it would be cool to learn how to boost it . What do u think about starve mode (the book which rusty talks about.
Also, i m thinking about buying your course but wanted to know since i m short of money, is it way more detailed than your workout posts?
Keep up the good work man!
Thanks man, appreciate the kind words!
When you say ‘boost your metabolism’ I assume you mean increase the amount of calories that you burn throughout the day without having to add cardio. The best way to boost your metabolism would be to add muscle. Adding muscle won’t directly make you burn a lot more calories, but having to carry that extra 10-20 lbs of muscle around all day will add up to an extra 150-300 extra calories and potentially more.
Also if you can find ways to make yourself more active without formal exercise that will help. In terms of fat loss, I recommend about a 20% calorie deficit. If you drop calories much more than that, you are going to make dieting miserable. And yes, there can be a slight decline in your metabolism from harsh deficits, but never enough to off set the deficit that you created.
And yes, my muscle building program goes much, much more indepth than my posts. And I have a new shredding program coming out.
Hi Greg,
Im not sure if this is a silly question but, is counting calories absolutely necessary? I want to just listen to my appetite and not count calories. A few of my friends who are ripped don’t count calories and just eat when they are hungry and make sure their meals are high in protein and carbs to fill them up, however to be honest they could still do with stripping away a little bit more fat to get super shredded. Your ambition is physical perfection, but if you still want to get into pretty good shape, can you be a bit more chilled out with regards to the calorie counting or if you don’t count calories are you at risk of getting nowhere as you have no idea if you are operating on a deficit or surplus? I want to add 10 lbs of muscle to my physique taking me to 170 lbs. Thanks from the UK!
No counting calories is not absolutely necessary. That said, for fat loss you must be in a calorie deficit and for muscle gain it’s important to be eating at maintenance or slightly above to encourage muscle growth.
Some people are able to consciously reduce or increase their food intake in correspondence to their goals. If you’ve been tracking your food intake and eating at maintenance for a while then this is very simple to do. You can just slightly reduce or increase your serving size of carbs and added fats. You’ll still be in a deficit or a surplus, it just won’t be 100% accurate. Then again, you can never be 100% accurate, so trying to ball park it is probably the best method.
My recommendation would be to track your macronutrient intake for at-least 2 weeks. Set up a scheduled meal plan. Once you get a pretty good idea of the amount of food your eating for your respective goal, then you’ll be able to eye ball it and go with your instincts from then on.
Thanks, I think this is the best thing to do. I don’t want to be weighing my oats or chicken breasts on kitchen scales everyday for the rest of my life unless I was preparing for a competition or something! That said however, Is there a risk of getting nowhere if you don’t count calories? Because over the course of the week you may average a ‘neutral’ calorie intake where you have seen no loss in fat and no gain in muscle when you are having both deficit and maintenance/surplus days. Is this unlikely to happen?
Just one other question out of interest. When you go to the gym obviously with the aim of tearing your muscle fibres, if those fibres don’t receive enough calories or protein to fully recover, what actually happens to them? Do they just sit their un-repaired or heal very very slowly over the course of weeks, whereas if you had the adequate protein/cals, they would have healed in say 2-4 days? Thanks!
Yes, it is possible that by not tracking your calorie intake you end up consuming too many or too few calories, and thus don’t achieve your goal. However, if you’re very conscious with your food intake it shouldn’t be that difficult to be in the ball park.
Well if your nutrition is not adequate then protein breakdown will exceed protein synthesis and you will lose muscle. It’s vitally important that you consume adequate protein while training. In addition, carbs trigger the release of insulin which inhibits protein breakdown.
Ok, so do you recommend keeping protein intake just as high on non- strength training days as strength training days? And if i’m currently 164 pounds in weight, aiming to increase to 170 lbs, should I be eating around 170 grams of protein everyday? Thanks!!
Yah! I recommend keeping protein high on all days. 170g of protein per day is perfect.
Greg,
On my calorie surplus days I am looking to hit 3000 calories. If I make sure I am getting that amount of calories, and getting 170 grams of protein which makes up part of those calories, do I need to care about carb and fat percentages? Thanks!!
P.S I am so pumped up for getting into awesome shape and hopefully hitting kinobody status! Before I was kind of interested in fitness, but your website has taken my passion for it to a whole new level!
If you’re hitting your calorie and protein numbers then there’s no need to really stress out about getting an exact amount of carbs or fat. It won’t make much of a difference. The one suggestion I would make would be to consume a balanced amount of fat or carbs. So fat should be around 25-35% of total calories and carbs around 35-45% of total calories. So don’t let fat go under 25% and don’t let carbs go under 35%.
If you keep either fat or carbs very low then you will decrease testosterone. Oh and super glad that I was able to boost your passion. Definitely what I’m on here to do so thanks!
Hey Greg I have a question for you. I am 200 pounds but im 6’5” so im still a very skinny guy. Would you still recommend a calorie intake of 14-16 x bodyweight and at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight? My problem is trying to eat that much 200 grams of protein can be difficult for me, especially wit my job situation. Any tips or advice you could give me on this matter?
Well if your goal is muscle gain I would suggest 16 calories per pound. Aim for 0.5 lbs of weight gain per week. Adjust calories accordingly. Keep track of waist measurement to ensure you’re not gaining fat. It’s not difficult to consume 200g of protein per day. Just make sure to eat protein first in a meal before eating the carbs. As well, having a big serving of protein at lunch and dinner will make it very easy. Finally, you can add protein shakes if you have a difficult time hitting your numbers or you can include cottage cheese.
thanks! Well said!
Great site and post! Quick question – so when you are in calorie deficit for extended periods, your leptin goes down. Does this mean you are more or less hungry? when leptin goes up, does this mean you are now more hungry or now less? Thanks!
When leptin goes down your appetite will increase and activity level will naturally decrease. Your body is trying to store and conserve energy with low leptin. When leptin is elevated your body wants to burn off energy so your appetite will decrease and energy levels will increase.
What’s importnat is leptin sensitivity. So obese people become desensitized to leptins effects. Lean people have very good leptin sensitivity so they respond more favourably to it.
Hey Greg :) Awesome article! I have a question though regarding protein intake. Due to my budget , I can only get in roughly 90-100g of protein ( here in sweden , protein powder,chicken,beef etc are really expensive and I can only get my protein sources from eggs,oatmeal,youghurt and pasta) and I was wondering if this is bad ? My dietplan is 4 low calorie and 3 refeed days. My weekly deficit is around 3300-3500 calories( which in theory should be 1 pound lose per week). I weigh 158 pounds.
90-100g of protein per day isn’t the end of the world. IF you strength train 2-3x per week then you should be able to maintain most of your muscle no problem.
How do you determine how many calories to eat on the refeed days?
A slight surplus works best. Something like 10% over maintenance.
I’m doing shake salad as well and I’ve put in one cheat day to boost leptin levels so I can continuously burn fat. How many calories do you recommend eating on the cheat day and how would you split the macro ratio?
Thank you very much!!
If you’re doing a once per week refeed then you can eat 10-20% over maintenance. Or 1.5x your calorie intake that you are dieting with. For refeeds carbs should be the most dominant macronutrient. I’d aim for 0.82-1g of protein per pound. Keep fat low, 40-70g. Make the rest of your calories up from carbs. Carbs have the most profound effect on leptin that is why carbs should be very high.
Greg my goal bodyweight is 150lbs. Should i diet down by intaking 10 cals per pound of goal bodyweight? =1500 cals. Im going for the warrior (3x per week and doing your cardio n abs 3x). Need to lose 20lbs. Doing IF 16-18hrs daily. Goal is 6-8% bodyfat. Thanx Greg!!!!
1500 calories would be the lowest I would go in terms of calorie intake. You could probably bump up calories to 1800 and lose about 1 lbs per week. Depending on your activity level or the amount of cardio you’re doing you may even be able to go higher than 1800. So I’d start with 1800 and if you’re losing 1-1.5 lbs per week keep it.
I see. Now would that be 1-1.5 pounds of fat or bodyweight? I think i read that 1lb of fat is equal to two lbs in weight. Something to do with water. Is that accurate? Thanx a lot Greg!!!!
I’m talking about weight but that should be nearly all fat. What you’re refeering to is for crash dieting when you try to lose 0.5-1 lbs per DAY.
Is it ok to have a one refeed dAy on the weekend and not on a workout day? I’m doing shake salad diet.
Thanks dude!
Yah that’s fine.
Hi Greg!
You are one of the few fitness experts i trust. your advice will be appreciated. among the diet programs below, what are your top 3 overall choices in terms of effectiveness and convinience? i would want to follow some programs.
1. eat stop eat
2. leangains
3.renegade diet
4.anything goes diet
5.xtreme fat loss diet
6.cheat your way thin
7. warrior diet
8.paleo solution
9.feast fast
10. carb backloading
11. intermittent feast
12. chaos bulk
13. reverse taper diet
14. the fat loss consultant
i am very sorry if i typed in too much programs, and if some are not familiar. i just like to do a lot of research.
thanks in advance! :)
I haven’t read – 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13
I really like Intermittent Feast. That’s my favourite one right now. Nate is the man! Leangains is also a very effective system. Although there isn’t really a leangains book out. I also really like the warrior diet and renegade diet. Both excellent.
Eat stop eat is great to learn about the science behind intermittent fasting. After reading ESE I was no longer scared of fasting. I realized how beneficial and health it is.
thanks Greg! really appreciated it!
Hey man is ok to do a 24 hour fast after a refeed day?
My refeed days are around maintenance 1900 cal and I double carb intake so like around 200-220 g of carbs.
Thanks!!!
Wahib, that sounds like a fairly low maintenance. I’d suspect you’re much higher than that unless you’re a <130 lbs.
If you're working out and getting activity on a daily basis it's more likely maintenance is 14-16 cals per pound of bodyweight. I don't think its necessary to do a 24 hour fast after a maintenance calorie day. I only like to do 24 hour fasts after a big surplus day. That's not very often.
Yeah im at 130 lbs with still 10lbs of fat to go :(. But i think i’ll go for the 2000 cal refeed days instead.
Thanks for the insight!!
Once upon a larger excess calories one day, doing 24-hour fasting, how many calories you are putting the that day?
Thanks.
I don’t understand what you’re asking
Great thanks man, and its just personal pref. when i do the refeeds, or should a training day be better for it?
Ideally have refeeds on training days.
Ok, thanks for the tips bro
Hey greg what do you think would be more beneficial, I am at 9% bf want to drop it to 7% (176 5’11), should I have a refeed day once a week on sunday (off-day) or should I have to carb up mondays and thursdays (lagging body parts days) while other days keeping a strong deficit. And how much carbs do you have on a reefed day?, thanks bro. Im getting at least a 700 deficit everyday
A very good question!
If you abs are visible when flexed then you’re probably lean enough for 2 refeeds per week. If your abs are visible then I’d stick with 1 refeed per week.
If you’re at a 700 calorie deficit right now then you can keep protein and fat intake the same and add an extra 200g of carbs on these refeed days. That will put you at a slight 100 calorie surplus which will be helpful for boosting leptin levels. So if you’re eating 150-200g of carbs now then you’ll have 350-400g of carbs on the refeed days.
Greg,
As a reference, what food specifically do you keep in your place? Despite a really good and consistent workout regimen, I almost always overeat. I feel like diet is at least 70% of the game here. Any light you can shed on that?
Chicken, eggs/whites, flank steak, greek yogurt, veggies, apples, bananas, rice, potatoes, yams, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, almonds.
If you have trouble overeating you should start recording and tracking your food intake. Don’t try and eat too little food. If you aim just to eat 500 or 600 calories under maintenance then hunger shouldn’t be a huge issue.
Hey Greg
I have a question. Is it fine to do HIIT after lifting 5x/week? I’m working towards burning fat and putting on dense/lean muscle. Is it okay to do cardio after lifting? will it hurt my muscle growth?
Thanks
I’d say that HIIT after lifting 5x per week is too much. I would do HIIT 2-3x per week max. On the other days you could do 20-25 minutes of low intensity cardio. If you find yourself getting beaten down, worn out and your lifting performance effected then you will be hurting your muscle growth.
Just read both warrior articles. Jumping into this program asafp! Just have a question. Can you put up some examples of your diet on Training days and non training days? Im 5’8 140 lbs, ihave been doing the intermittent fasting- loving it. Down to two meals a day basically, i just dont know if im doing its 100% correctly. Anyways this site kicks ass, very inspiring, keep the knowledge coming
Usually my meals consists of some form of animal protein (beef, chicken, egg/white omelette), veggies (broccoli/cauliflower) and starches (potatoes, sweet potatoes or white rice).
Whats a good workout for the warrior physique?
The strength and density routine in my muscle building program will get the job done. Combined with my cardio and abs workout 3x per week you should be able to get shredded rather quickly.
Thanks. looking forward to your muscle building program
It’s out right now. Here’s the link – https://kinobody.com/kinobody-muscle-building-course/
On your kinobody shredding program, will the strength workout you listed maintain strength or build strength?
Also should i use my lean body mass to calculate maintenance calories or just my bodyweight? Cause im not overweight, but i still have a decent amount of fat on me. THANK YOU SO MUCH :D
If you are very advanced then it will maintain strength and muscle. If you are beginner to advanced you can build strength.
Yo greg first off, awesome article
i had a question though
many people claim that a fat loss will come to a halt after a period of time, so people gradually lower their calories.(they start small, like eating 200 calories less)
But i’ve bein following you since the beginning of kinobody and i cant understand how you maintain a solid fat loss week after week while eating verry few calories (around 800-1000 calories less) without your body stalling the fat loss.
would be great if you could clear it out for me with some info (:
Your metabolism can decline from an extended period of calorie restriction. That said the slight decline in metabolic rate doesn’t off set the deficit. So you may be able to lose fat a little faster in the beginning then near the end. As well, I use refeeds once or twice per week to boost leptin and keep the metabolism in check. These days I prefer to use more moderate calorie deficits. 20-25% under maintenance usually.
Just wanted to say thanks for all your articles. A lot of really good information provided, appreciate it.
Does it matter when I eat my chicken protein? I have 1.5 chicken breasts for lunch and 2 for dinner with broccoli and potatoes after I workout. For breakfast I just have a protein shake and cereal.
That looks good. As long as you get the protein in then different meal frequencies and distribution set ups can work. Go with the one that is most sustainable.
Great article, I do a lot of the same stuff. I took a break over the holiday but now I am getting back into my routine and diet.
Hi,
I was wondering your thoughts on fasting programs that consist of fasting for 24 hours (usually twice a week) and then eating normaliy spaced out meals all other days of the week, vs calorie deficient diets that span over several days like the one you described?
Thanks
I prefer to maintain a calorie deficit 5-6 days per week. This is much more manageable then 2-3 very low calorie days. Also just ‘dieting’ 2-3x per week doesn’t help change your eating habits on the other days
Do you agree that 10 sets of 10 reps is a quick way of putting on a lot of muscle?
Don’t really like 10 x 10. You have to use pretty light weights (20 rep max) and since intensity is so low then hypertrophy is reduced. For a high volume routine I prefer 6 x 6 or 8 x 8.
How do you find the bodyfat percentage where your body is in tune?
Hi Greg thanks for this it’s a great article! I was wondering when calculating daily calories needed and the proportions of carbs/protein/fat am I basing this on my current body weight which is probably 20lbs heavier than I want or my goal body weight?
Thanks
Good question. Won’t make too much of a difference. You can set protein to one gram per pound of bodyweight. Fat can be at 25-30% and carbs can make up the rest.
When you say fat at 25-30 %, is it of your total calorie intake or your bodyweight? Thank you!!
Total calorie intake.
Hey Greg,
Great artikel!
I wonder if you offer your Personal coaching only for men or for women too?
I work with both male and female clients.
Hey Greg, I bought the Visual Impact program from Rusty but I’m really confused as to what stage I should begin at (or should I use your Superhero Workout Routine). I’m 5’8 and 140 pounds with around 13/14% body fat. Ideally I want to become more muscular and more lean/defined but I don’t know if I should gain muscle first or become lean first. Also are you still doing consultations?
You can start with Phase One. I would keep cals around maintenance or slightly below.
Hey! When is the new book coming out? :) Can you give us an exact date?
Hey Jack! Well my good buddy Nate Miyaki is releasing his program very shortly. Therefore I think I’m going to wait until February before I release my program. Sorry for the delay.
I have been body weight chin ups for a while now and can’t seem to increase my reps, I can only get 8-10. I rest about 3 minutes.
Try adding weight. Add 2.5 lbs every workout and keep the reps the same. Getting stronger at weighted chin ups will directly increase your max bodyweight reps.
Can’t wait for the new ebook Greg. It’ll be a great kick start to the new year.
[…] Achieving the Warrior Physique Part 1 – Diet Find out the perks of the warrior physique and what it takes to achieve it. […]
When do you plan your book to come out?
Very soon!
With leangains as you are increasing in weight do you have to keep increasing your caloric needs too then?
Nope! Only after 10 lbs increase or loss in weight.
Hi Greg!
Great article. i have a question. Do you include cheat meals in this diet?
thanks in advance :)
Yes, one or two cheat meals per week is acceptable.
Hey greg, about how many lbs should I shoot for to gain per month when trying to bulk up?
2 lbs per month for pure muscle gain. 4 lbs per month if you want to accept fat gain.
Hey man, what is your take on shakeology? I read their ingredients book and it is made with lots of natural herbs, plants and roots that pack a ton of health benefits. Is it the real deal or just glamorized?
Haven’t looked into it.
Hey greg, I have a question. Is it possible to achieve this physique solely through body weight training? Because of my schedule I cannot make it to the gym as much as I would like to. Thanks
Yes, if you focus on progressive overload and mastering challenging bodyweight movements.
What will the price of the e-book be? (No hate)
I’m looking at setting the price at $33
[…] Source: Kinobody Fitness Systems […]
Greg,
Loved the article you make it easy to get lean. I got some questions like what do you think is the most effective method for calculating body fat percentage? Also what exercises are best for increasing vertical jump?
Thanks
DXA or hydrostatic or bodpod. I like explosive olympic lifts for vertical jump and plyos. If you’re not very strong then it’s in your best interest to build up to a 2x bw squat.
Hey,
I wanted to know your opinion on carb backloading?
I like the idea of placing more carbs later in the day, post training. But I think an end all carb fest will lead to fat gain in most individuals. I also don’t like the idea of going super low in carbs on non training days. That is a miserable experience.
As always great article man! How big are your arms now? Great post and I can’t wait to see the book!
16 and 1/4″
Hello Greg, nice article, thanks, a question though; When you say “20-25% calorie deficit 5-6 days per ” you base the deficit on the basic metabolism or the daily energetic needs in Kcal depending on activity;
illustrated by example:
Man :34y.o. 5.9feet, 176p
1798,4911 DER (kcal) : Dépense Energétique de repos et à jeun (homme) : formule de Black et al 1996
3273,2538 Besoin énergétique en (kcal) par jour (selon Black et al) : Homme actif (activité physique intense) = dépense énergétique de repos x 1,82
Do you reduce 1798 or 3273 ?
thanks, take good care;
dan.
Total daily energy expenditure not resting metabolic rate.
I’ve been following Greg’s articles for about two years now and I’ve been following a diet plan similar to this for about a year. In that time I’ve lost about 10-15 lbs (175 down to 160) and I’ve become more defined and have increased musculature and I feel awesome! Thanks Greg for all the great information.
Great to here about your results.
Great read, Greg. I’m looking forward you your new book. Thanks for your dedication and continuing inspiration.
Great stuff, Greg.
Looking foward to that E-book.
You don’t necessarily need animal protein and dairy. Can get enough protein from greens, legumes and fruits. I’m a boxer and living proof of this. I feel much healthier, lighter and recover faster. Best decision I ever made giving up acidic animal muscle. Peace. By the way love your blog, so much good info.
I´m not done reading the whole text but I figured I´d make my little comment before I forget it. I have been using intermittent fasting for quite a while now and you mentioned drinking green tea in the fasting phase, that is something that me and a few other people I have talked with can´t do. For us it immediately gives us nausea and puking is not far away. Is that something you can relate to or have experienced? I´ve been looking for an answer but it is always kind of vague why it happens.
Great blog btw! ;)
Good question. If I drink green tea in the morning fasted then I get nausea. If I wait later in the day then I’m fine. So my recommendation would be to have coffee earlier in the day, first 4 hours. Green tea you can have later or maybe between meals.
Greg,
I agree with your dieting philosophy. In particular, I’ve found daily fasting to be the easiest way to stay lean. I’ll typically have my first meal around noon. Takes some getting used to but it works well!
Alykhan
Another great article man. I prefer the warrior physique and it’s always great to hear someone advocate the balanced carb/fat approach opposed to the cyclical stuff. Sometimes keeping things simple is so much more sustainable and enjoyable – especially when dieting.
Whats the exact meal plan?
There isn’t a meal plan. As I said I recommend a 20-25% calorie deficit 5-6 days per week with 1-2 higher calorie days. Protein should be around 1-1.25 grams per pound. Fats constant everyday and carbs should fluctuate based on activity level. You can use a wide array of foods and abide by these principles.
What do you use to calculate someone’s caloric needs?
14-16 calories per pound of bodyweight seems to be a good predictor. This works for about 95% of people who get about 1 hour of physical activity per day. If you are more active, 2 hours of training per day, then your metabolism is probably higher. Once you track calorie intake and weight for a couple weeks then you can get a very good estimation of your metabolism. So the best method is to guess and check. The most you should be off with the 14-16 calorie predictor is 200-300 calories.