The Christian Bale Workout for Getting American Psycho Shredded
The Christian Bale workout helps you achieve a well developed, lean and muscular hollywood physique like that of Christian Bale in American Psycho. His well developed musculature combined with minimal body fat results in an astonishing look.
This is by far the most impressive Christian Bale has ever looked in his acting career.
The chiseled american psycho look takes a whole other level of dedication and it’s the exact physique I teach people how to build in my Warrior Shredding Program.
On the other hand, the Christian Bale body in Batman Begins was much more muscular, but he also was carrying around quite a bit more body fat. A bulky appearance is nothing special and quite easy to attain with a big appetite and few hours in the gym every week.
This body type requires an intense, shredded workout program in conjunction with a strict diet. Many people lack the will power to do either of those, let alone both.
This was no problem for method actor Christian Bale who possesses the will power of 1000 shaolin monks. In fact, Christian Bale is notorious for putting his body through intense, unhealthy measures in order to portray a character.
There is no doubt that Christian Bale trained intensely to achieve his physique in American Psycho.
The following is the Christian Bale workout for American Psycho.
The American Psycho Workout
Strength Training – Monday and Friday
1. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 4-6 reps (2 mins rest)
2. Pull ups (add weight if necessary)*: 3 x 4-6 reps (2 mins rest)
3. Lateral Raises: 3 x 8-12 reps (60 seconds rest)
4. Standing Dumbbell Curls: 2 x 6-8 reps (90 seconds rest)
5. Bar Dips (add weight if necessary): 2 x 6-8 reps (90 seconds rest)
*Make sure you use a high-quality weight belt once you add weight to prevent discomfort and distraction from training.
Strategic Cardio Training and Abs – Wednesday and Saturday
1. High Intensity Interval Training: Perform on Treadmill, Stationary Bike or Elliptical or Sprinting outside
Option 1: 30 seconds hard / 30 seconds easy x 12
Option 2: 60 seconds hard / 60 seconds easy x 8
2. Low Intensity Cardio – perform on any piece of cardio equipment
15-30 minutes at a pace similar to walking
3. Core Training
Hanging Leg Raises: 3 x 8-12 reps (90 seconds rest)
Kneeling Abs Wheel Roll outs: 2 sets x 8-12 reps (90 seconds rest)
Rest Days – Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
On rest days the goal is to let your body recover.
There is no need for any intense training on these days. Simply go about your life as normal and take full permission to avoid the gym.
There is no need to kill it in the gym day in and day out. A great physique is built off intense workouts, ample recovery and solid nutrition.
You’ll do more harm than good if you are working out intensely each and every day.
Moreover, you’ll likely ramp up your appetite, this will make it next to impossible to stick to a strict diet.
steps for a Christian bale body transformation
Step 1 – Proper Mindset
Christian Bale immersed himself into his role as Patrick Bateman, a high powered investment banker with a psychopathic ego.
I can only imagine that tapping into this character would make it easier to summon the dedication to achieve an extremely defined physique.
It is almost like his character, Patrick Bateman lacked human qualities making it effortless for Christian Bale to eat strict and exercise rigorously.
One of my favorite quotes from the book goes like this, “All it comes down to is this: I feel like shit but I look great” Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho.
Of course, that’s not my approach. You can look great AND feel great with the right mindset and approach.
One of my tricks to reaching extremely low body fat is tapping into the present moment and accepting where I am.
This puts my mind in a state of empowerment, where I can easily make good choices to propel me towards my goals, without all the negative self-talk.
My accepting where you are, right now, you can start to move towards your goals. If you hate where you are, you’ll only stay stuck.
Step 2 – Heavy Strength Training
The Christian Bale workout is composed of heavy weight and low to medium reps with long rest periods.
This style of training is the most effective way to build dense muscle without causing excessive muscle growth.
In addition, lifting heavy will allow you to maintain muscle mass and increase strength as you strip away body fat from a low calorie diet and strategic cardio.
The volume should be kept low (around 2-3 sets per exercise) because when you’re on a shredded workout plan, recovery abilities are reduced. Too much volume is unnecessary and counter productive while cutting fat.
I also recommend performing the reps in a controlled manner to maximize tension, resulting in greater muscle tone. Stop each set a rep or two before muscle failure. Training each set to failure will lead to burn out and stalled strength gains.
The areas of the physique we really want to focus on include the shoulders, upper chest, arms and upper back.
The legs need to be kept lean and defined, as opposed to curved and bulky.
For this reason I recommend strictly sprints and cardio to develop your lower body while avoiding lower body lifts altogether. Heavy squats and deadlifts tend to add too much size to the legs and butt.
This can make it awfully difficult to fit into nice, slim fitting pants. By focusing on intervals and cardio for the legs, you can rock GQ outfits like Patrick Bateman.
Step 3 – Strategic Cardio Training
The Christian Bale workout also includes strategic cardio, which is the most effective way to burn fat.
It involves performing high intensity interval training followed by steady state cardio. The high intensity interval training boosts your metabolism, elevates fat burning hormones and triggers the release of stored fat cells into your blood stream.
Follow this off with 15-30 minutes of walking and you will have one of the best fat burning workouts of your life.
In addition, this form of interval training will build the legs to the perfect size while also making them fit and athletic.
Furthermore, strategic cardio is very effective when you’re at those last 5-10 lbs and you’re having trouble dropping fat. The combination of intervals followed by lower intensity walking is an absolute wicked combination for mobilizing stubborn body fat.
That said, you have to have your diet dialed in for this to work.
Step 4 – Effective Yet Sustainable Diet
The Christian Bale diet for American Psycho helps you achieve very low levels of body fat.
This is precisely why Christian Bale looks so damn good. Low levels of body fat allow for incredible muscle tone, chiseled facial features and great proportion.
To achieve this state you need to be taking in less calories than you’re burning, this is what forces you to tap into stored body fat for fuel.
I recommend setting calories around 10-12 calories per pound of goal bodyweight, which is my approach in my extremely popular Aggressive Fat Loss program.
This will ensure you drop body fat while still being able to support training and feel good. If you go too low in calories you will sacrifice muscle and be miserable.
You should be consuming plenty of protein to support muscle growth, increase fullness and boost metabolic rate.
That’s right, protein is not just to help you build muscle. Protein will also keep you full on a diet and will elevate your metabolism. This is because protein has a very high thermogenic effect.
When you consume protein, 25-30% of the calories are burned through the process of digestion. This is one of the reasons why high protein diets tend to outperform low protein diets for fat loss.
I recommend setting protein to being around 0.82 grams per pound of bodyweight.
How TO Make This Even Easier
Getting down to 12-15% body fat can be achieved with a solid diet and exercise program.
However, getting to single-digit body fat like Patrick Bateman requires a more deliberate approach. I share all of my favorite strategies for leaning down in my shredded workout program.
Here are a few tips from the program that will help you break through any fat loss plateau.
1. Cut out so-called health foods such as nuts, milk, protein shakes and dried fruits
These have very little effect on fullness and make it easy to overeat.
Instead, you should be basing your diet predominately on satiating foods like lean meats, cottage cheese, veggies, fruits, and sweet potatoes or russet potatoes.
2. Cut out breakfast
Most people are under the false assumption that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. The idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day has largely been pushed by big cereal companies to increase the sales of an otherwise useless food product.
When you skip breakfast, getting to a low body fat becomes easier than ever. This is because you’re finally able to eat big, enjoyable and downright satisfying lunches and dinners while keeping calories low to drop body fat.
Furthermore, the process of fasting in the morning actually boosts the metabolism from an increase in adrenaline, raises growth hormone (this helps preserve muscle and burn fat) and improves mental alertness.
Not to mention, intermittent fasting has wide array of health benefits ranging from life extension to cardiovascular disease and neuroprotective mechanisms.
After a few days of skipping breakfast, you start to adapt and dieting becomes easier than ever.
3. Refeed once per week
Eventually, dieting will become a grind. To counteract this you’ll want to throw in refeed days once per week.
When eating low calories for an extended period of time, the hormone leptin will start to drop, this, in turn, will down-regulate your metabolism and up-regulate your appetite.
By performing high carb days you can boost leptin and get the ball rolling again. As well, these high carb days will help with workouts and muscle retention.
My advice is to add about 150-200g of additional carbs on your refeed day once per week. You’ll probably feel like a million bucks.
Warrior Shredding Program
For a complete workout routine to get ripped, 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.
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[…] ripped for his part in ‘American Psycho’ he exercised like a crazy person. Take a look at https://kinobody.com/CBale to see just how intense his regime was. If we all did this, we’d all look amazing […]
I’m a 17 year old gymnast who is 7% body fat and around 120lb at 5ft8in. I’m very cut and very defined I just need more mass. How long do you think it would take me to achieve this physique roughly?
close to 2 years depending
Hi Greg! Have you seen the Calisthenics and Weight Training channel?: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCGdeZ5-Hzn5dGh21dzW0tw . I was wondering how much body fat he has since it seems he is able to maintain it all year round :P Plus, loving the the warrior shred!
How much did Christian weigh in this film? :)
About 178 lbs at 6′ tall.
1. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 4-6 reps (2 mins rest
all sets without rest and then 2 minutes rest or 2 minutes rest between sets e.g. 1 x 4-6 reps rest 2 minutes 2 x 4-6 reps rest 2 minutes 3 x 4-6 reps rest 2 minutes. or 1 set change to next set change to 3rd set and then rest 2 minutes thanks.
2 minutes rest between all sets.
Hey Greg,
I have decided that the Patrick Bateman physique is the look for me. I’m about 5’11, 180 lbs, 13% body fat. I have a few quick questions;
1. My dumbells don’t go heavy enough to use effectively for incline presses. Is it okay if I use a barbell?
2. I don’t have access to a dipping station. Is there an alternative exercise for the lower chest and triceps? Please note I also don’t have access to a decline bench. Would weighted decline pushups work? Or can you suggest another exercise?
3. Would burpees work well for the HIIT component of the strategic cardio? And what about jump rope?
Also, thanks for the tip on skipping breakfast. I’ve always hated breakfast, and I now have a reason to avoid it.
1. Yep Barbell is fine!
2. You can do close grip bench press instead
3. Yeah jump rope is great. Bureeps are annoying as hell haha.
Yeah everyone loves to believe breakfast is so amazing, but it’s not.
Hey Greg,
just to be clear: With the HIIT training, we choose one of the 2 options?
Yes!
How to hit calves to achive those aesthetic Patrick Bateman’s calves?
I think that only cardio won’t be enough for me because i need to add a little bit of mass.
So which exercises and how many sets and reps, please; and how long should I rest between the sets.
Thank you in advance
You can do cavles on your rest days if you want. Do single leg, elevated, calf raises holding a dumbbell. 4 sets of 10-15 reps should be plenty.
Thank you!
And how long should I rest between the sets?
90 seconds
Is this a variation on the workout you used to get your body into your picture in the article or was it mostly with the warrior shredding programme? I just don’t have the money to buy one of your programmes at the moment so I was curious
I got in that shape from following a similar set up to warrior shredding program. But beforehand, I was doing a workout very similar to the american psycho workout. I’d start with the AP workout then go into the warrior shredding program.
hey greg,
a buddy of mine linked me this workout the other day and i cant wait to get started. i was just wondering realistically how long it would take to achieve this physique.
i’m about 6’0,197 lbs 20 % bodyfat
thanks
Well you’re looking at dropping about 24 lbs of fat while maintaining all of your muscle. So getting to about 175 lbs at 8% body fat. I would say it’s going to take about 6 months. Lean down slowly while getting stronger and building muscle density. That may sound like a long time, but once you build that body, you’ll have it for life, assuming you keep things up.
How long would it take me to get this physique Greg?
I’m 6’1 205lbs 16% bodyfat
Thanks!
You’re looking at slowly cutting down to around 185-190 lbs. So it would probably take about 4 months.
Hey Greg,
Will following this workout guarantee bale-like results or would you recommend adding and experimenting with different workouts and diets?
This workout won’t guarantee anything. It’s the person that gets the results, not the program. If you stick to the program, push yourself, and handle your nutrition, you will make great gains. But no one can guarantee that for you.
Hey Greg,
What body fat percentage is Bale in American Psycho?
I’m very much interested in achieving this level of aesthetics and will most likely purchase your warrior shredding program.
Keep up the good work!
I’d guess around 8% body fat, he was very lean but wasn’t totally shredded.
Hi Greg, I found a “Dark Knight” workout online that is filled with supersets and drop sets, looks pretty intense. I want to get ripped and build up some muscles but not so much. I’m 165 pd and 5′ 10′. Should I do this American Psycho workout adding some exercises in the strenght days? Thanks a lot.
No don’t add exercises, it will dilute the effectiveness.
Hi Greg,
First off, congrats on running an awesome site! Between you and Nate Miyaki, I have no shortage of excellent fitness and nutritional advice. I promote you guys to all my friends! My question pertains to the use of Creatine. I’m 6’3″ 228 lbs and am trying to cut to around 190-200. I’m doing the Bale workout 3X/week (Mon, Wed, Fri) only doing 2 sets of each exercise.
With my current caloric intake being lower than usual, I’m curious to know if taking Creatine will help maintain my muscle/strength during the cutting period, or is it more or less irrelevant? Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!
If you have already been using creatine you can continue taking it. If you haven’t used creatine before, save it for when you’re taking in more calories. It will work better that way.
Hey Greg, I have two questions to ask.
Can I schedule the workouts as follows :
Strength Training
Cardio & Abs
Rest
Strength Training
Cardio & Abs
Rest
Rest
Also, with the “cardio day” your doing high intensity cardio then steady state cardio and lastly abs in one day right ?
Anyways thanks in advance !!!!!!
Yes that works.
I’d doing it this way :/
Weightlifting
rest
Cardio
rest
Weightlifting
rest
Cardio
Rest
Repeat
That’s a 8 day schedule, you want to do this in a 7 day schedule. So I’d suggest taking out one of the rest days.
Hey Greg,
I recently finished my second season of highschool wrestling. Our team is notorious for having some of the hardest cardio condition around. We’d have days where we would do body weight exercises (40xpullups 80xpush ups 3xrope clumps ect) and just go hard at sprints and running for Twp hours. However, even though I lost a lot of weight. I still have a tiny bit of fat on my lower abs and slight love handles. I have little to no fat everywhere else, you can actually slightly see my top abs showing. I rarely eat junk food and always make homemade meals. Why do I still have this body fat? Any tips or advice?
That’s just the last place you store fat. You need to get to a lower weight to get rid of that last bit of fat. That’s the bottom line.
Thanks for posting this, really helpful. I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you won’t mind. I’m around 212 pounds 6’2 with around 20% bf (lifting on and off), I’m starting this workout routine with a diet at around 2000-2100 calories. Do you think I’m on the right track, and naturally how long does it take to reach a physique such as the one seen in American Psycho. Also, do you seriously think that weightlifting twice a week is more than enough to achieve that physique ?
Can you also brief me on your eBook, and what it has to offer (referral website).
Yes that sounds like you’re on the right track. Well to get to Bale’s level of definition will probably require you to lose 25 lbs of fat. You’re looking at 16 weeks. Yes, strength training twice per week actually works very well. You just have to focus on getting stronger each session.
Greg,
Love the strict fasting diet with the program, but I was concerned that I have to stop taking protein shakes while on this diet. I take a protein shake after I workout, I don’t use it as meal replacement only if I really have to, so on that note can I still continue taking protein shakes after my workout? Yes or no?
There’s really no need to use protein shakes. You can take them if you want, but I prefer not to because they’re not as filling as meat.
Greg,
I’m very excited to start the workout plan, but I was wondering if I can try this.
I was wondering if I can do the Monday and Friday workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then do the cardio training on Tuesday and Thursday, leaving my weekends to rest or an active rest.
Love to hear back to get any help!
Email: rosasjeremy21@gmail.com
Yep that works.
I am really anxious to start this workout, but I am still skeptical about one thing. You see, I am already very skinny: 140 pounds, 6 feet, and 17 years old. I was wondering if all of this fasting, dieting, and hardcore cardio is still necessary for me.
Well you can still do fasting. But you’re going to want to eat more food in the window. Cardio won’t be necessary. I’d suggest eating lots of food, lifting and you can fast if you enjoy it. Sounds like you need to pack on a good 20 lbs.
Hi Greg,
Great articles, I have about 50 lbs. to lose as I stand at 6′ 3″ and about 266 currently. I have purchased your aggressive fat burning plan, and I want to incorporate a work out as well. Should I use this plan to shred and get lean or would you recommend another workout like Gosling or Craig?
Thanks for all your insight
This will work very well! The craig one is also great, but if ou do it, i would suggest cutting the sets down.
Hey greg,
Thanks for much for doing this! I have two questions for you.
1. I broke my arm in february and it still has not conpletly recovered so i haven’t been able to do underhand pullups or the dumbells, what exercises could i substitute these with? Ive started trying to do similar workouts with cables instead and overhand pullups, what do you think?
2. Ive tried to do this exact workput routine but everytime i do weights, i never feel sore the next day except for my chest, does that mean im doing it wrong? Ive tried increasing the weight but then i cannot finish the reps. I have noticed improvments in all my muscles just wondering if i should adjust weights or reps.
Thanks!
hey Greg
I’ve been following a modified version of this for 7 weeks now. I’m still not where I want to be however. I know how you’re not a fan of crossfit but the gym I go to is a crossfit gym so I kind of have to use the classes from time to time. Anyways my programs below. I’d love to hear if you think it’s good or if I should tweak a bit. Or do I need to just stick with it.
Intermittent Fasting for 14-16 hours 5 days per week
eating 1700-1900 calories a day (I’m 176lbs and 5’11)
Mostly protein (180-200 grams a day) fat and green veggies
Two days per week cross fit classes (varying types of movements) – done in fasted state in morning
Two days per week doing the Strength Training above (american physco) – after lunch
One day a week doing spin -done in fasted state in the morning
Thats pretty much it. I do some other daily activities on weekends, but nothing strenuous. I keep my calories fairly similar but I do have a cheat meal here and there. Plus I do drink at least one night per week.
Any tips/advice or tweaks would be great!!!
Yah I think that can work! 1700-1900 calories is not a lot especially for that amount of activity but I think you should be okay. You could probably add more carbs to your diet.
Do I really need to cut out dairy and whatnot to get down to 6-7% bodyfat? I have a protein shake everyday after my workout with fat free milk and the whey protein powder I use has zero grams of saturated fat. I only have 1 protein shake a day and it’s always after my workout. The reason I ask this is because I know you mentioned earlier how I should cut out diary but it doesn’t seem to be really impacting me in a negative way. I’ve been having it since I was 16% bodyfat and now I’ve slimmed down to 9.6-9.9% bodyfat (I’m 167-170 pounds and I’m 5’11).
Because of how active I am (My work outs usually last about an hour and 15 minutes to 2 hours) I usually don’t worry about calories, I focus more on staying away from sugar and saturated fat and so far it’s been working out for me. My personal trainer even told me not to worry about calories but to focus more on staying away from saturated fat.
Dairy is fine unless you can’t have it for some specific allergic reason. You also don’t want to stay away from saturated fat since saturated fat is vital for testosterone functioning. And calories are very important. So you must be aware of calorie intake since that’s what determines weight loss or gain.
Hey Greg if I want to drop to a caloric deficit, should I cut the calories right away or cut it by 100 week by week or it doesn’t matter and it won’t decrease your metabolism thanks in advance
You can cut right away. That’s perfectly fine.
How would I be able to get an upper body like a Greek God and the core
Of a warrior.
Follow the greek god program – http://greekgodprogram and once you build the necessary mass then do the warrior shredding program.
Love this workout. Thanks a lot Greg. Also the diet feel fairly easy, especially with the big lunch. appreciate your free plan. I just need a herb mint face mask ad I’ll be perfect
HAHA!
The strength training: Are these the only exercises acquired?
Yes, but getting very strong on these select movements will do wonders to your physique. Less is more.
Hey Greg how are you? I have purchased your shredded workout routine a while back. Since then you have updated it and changed some things I think. Can I get the updated version of it please? I would be eternally grateful!! Thank you Greg. Your products and knowledge is by far the most incredible and unique information on the internet PERIOD!!! You get unparalleled results with your programs. Thanks for helping ones like me, to guide me in achieving my goals.
Ryan
Thanks a lot man. The warrior shredding program is not an update. It’s a completely new program to my old shredding program. So I don’t give the update for free.
Awesome post Greg.
Would you still suggest this routine and nutrition template for someone, like myself, who is slight already (177cm, 66kg) and 8% BF? I haven’t been able to workout at all, after internal surgery on my stomach, for 6 weeks so I feel my strength has plummeted but my previous muscle tone remains mostly unchanged through solid nutrition.
Also, I have been skipping a morning meal most days and reaching the fast with a big smoothie around 12-1pm, and generally have 2 meals for the remainder of the day. Is this alright, as an energy dense liquid (usually 1000 calories, 30-40g fat, 60g c=CHO) meal until my dinner at ~8pm? Problem is I work 8.30-5.30pm, sitting most of the day, and generally go pretty low on carbs during the day and feast on plenty of carbs at night after working out.
Thanks Greg,
Jonny.
Yes Jonny, the liquid is fine as long as you hit the proper number of calories each day. And the workout will work well for you but you should focus mostly on gaining muscle while staying lean. I’d actaully suggest my daniel craig skyfall workout more so for that. Google kinobody skyfall workout
Last year I weighed 220 now I’m 160, I’m interested in the program but I’ve already lost so much fat. So if I purchase this. Should I get protien powder or just stick to the lean meats? And also I wanted to reassure, do I need any equipment for this program or no?
Thank you in advance
For you – I’d suggest my greek god program to build muscle while increasing definition even more – http://greekgodprogram.com
Thanks for all the info, very helpful. I am a vegan, would love to know if you have any dietary advice.
Focus on hitting your macros, that’s it. So find good vegan sources of protein.
Hey Greg just a quick question.
I am currently ~174 lb and looking to slim down my body fat percentile and hopefully end up around 180 lb.
Using your advice I need to set my calorie intake to a range of 1800-2160 and probably a tad higher on workout days. Firstly are these net calories per day, after exercise, or just total caloric intake? Secondly, is it unrealistic to attempt to lose body fat and gain muscle at a the same time?
Thanks.
That refers to total calorie intake. Yeah, trying to lose body fat while getting heavier is very unlikely. I’d focus on getting lean and then slowly building up the muscle.
Greg, I only weigh about 120 lbs while being at a height of 5’4, 5’5 on a good day. I’m not necessarily trying to lose body fat, but more build muscle. If I do this workout would it get me shredded or would my body type get in the way of that?
You can definitely get shredded! It doesn’t matter if you’re 5’0 or 6’6 or any height for that matter.
I get shoulder pain from doing dips, is there an alternative like OHP or OHP with dumbbells instead?
You can do close grip bench or shoulder press. That’s fine.
Hey,
I want to gain muscle very fast with a six pack abs. any suggestion?
Check out my other post. https://kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/dual-pyramid-training/
Greg, could I add an extra set for curls and dips from 2 to 3?
Yes
What would you change for someone who has 30lbs to lose to hit 12% BF, much less dream about single digits?
The same approach will work quite well. You can just expect faster progress and you probably don’t need to go as high in proteins and you could even reduce the carbs slightly.
hi greg.
thank you for the article.
i would like to ask, is it ok to do the american pyscho workout in the morning , followed by fasting ramadan style (ie no sip of water) until dinner time to break the fast?
I have been experimenting in doing weights training every morning before work, and when i got back from office at night, then i break my fast ( ie ramadan style). So basically, every day i’m fasting from 9pm to the next day 8 pm.
Somehow,i feel like it’s not working, and i dont know if i’m overtraining/raised my cortisol level and such.
Hope you can advice.
Many thanks
Yah that’s fine as long as you can consistently stick to it and it’s not overly difficult.
Your website, testimonials and programs look impressive.
Working out is not a problem. My problem is meals. I need a program that lays it all out.
ie 1700 calories per day. This is exactly what you eat for breakfast (or not breakfast), lunch and dinner.
If someone gave me a meal outline with the recipes for everyday for 4 weeks, I’d cook all the meals for the week on Sunday. I’d repeat all 4 weeks until the goal was reached. If I have to figure out the meal plan myself, it doesn’t get done and I just do the “see-food diet”.
Do any of your programs provide this? If not, can you recommend one.
Thanks
My warrior shredding program gets into detail about the nutrition plan. I also have a cook book that will be coming out very soon.
Hey Greg, been doing the GG program and really love the workouts. I also have your old shredding program. Lately Ive been doing maintenance on training days and 10cals per pound bodyweight on rest days but I’m not really dropping any fat. I’m at around 12% bf but want to get down around 8 to 10%. Thinking about using this to cut for a month then start lean bulking.
Do you recommend RPT for the Incline Press and Pullups or is that too many reps/sets when cutting? Can you add in flys to help develop the upper chest faster and sub in incline dumbbel curls to hit the biceps differently?
Thanks!!
If you’re doing RPT while cutting just do 2 sets for most movements. That’s plenty. You can do incline curls, flyes aren’t very effective to be honest.
My new warrior shredding program is downright effective. I would suggest eating about 11-12 calories per pound about 5-6 days per week and 1-2 days per week go up to 15 cals per pound.
Got it thanks! I really want to accelerate fat loss since I am in the transformation contest so, I think I am going to do 10 cals per pound of bw (.08-1 gram protein per pound of bw, 20% of cals being fat, and the rest carbs). Then I am going to throw in one day per week where I eat at maintenance and jack up the carbs, preferably on a training day. I don’t plan to gain much muscle, but the goal here is to drop fat. Then I am going to start a lean bulk meal plan with Mega workouts in a month.
I’m also going to do RPT for the first 2 exercises of the strength workout w/3 warm-up sets and 2 heavy sets. What do you think?
One last question, what do you think about going heavier on lateral raises and staying in the 5 to 6 rep range rather than 8 to 12? My shoulders tend to lag behind and need more development so I would like to challenge them more.
Thanks for all your help man!
Sounds like a good plan. Just do 3 warm up sets for the first movement of a major muscle group. Then just jump into the work sets.
Lateral raises don’t really work well if you’re going heavier than your 8 rep max. You’ll get better growth hitting them in the 8-15 rep range.
Is your program also effective for women?
Yep it works well for women. The principles hold true to everyone.
Love, love, love this post! I’m a girl, but I have found many of your posts helpful — especially this one, since it emphasizes cardio and cuts out direct leg work. Just making that one change has made significant changes in how jeans look and fit on me.
Here’s to summer beach prep! xo
Thanks Keturah! Really appreciate it :)
Glad things are going well and good luck on your beach prep
Hey Greg — normally my daily calorie intake is around 1,300 to 1,500 a day and I work out for about 2 hours 5 days a week. I’m a 150lb 18yr old guy.
About once a week I’ll pretty much eat whatever I want within reason. It usually ends up being around 3,000cals. Is that bad as long as the rest of the week I stick to my strict diet and excerise routine?
Yeah that’s fine! But you’re going too low in calories and training way too much.
Don’t ever go below 10 calories per pound of bodyweight. You should be consuming about 1500-1800 calories per day and training no more than an hour per day.
Dude, if you want to gain muscle, you need to eat more than you burn, simple as that. dont worry about gaining fat, its gonna happen, and when you gain muscle a small amount of fat gain is almost unavoidable. If youre intent on no gaining fat, do sprints on the weekend.
step that diet up to 2500-2800 cals a day
Corey I’m pretty sure he wants to get lean and drop body fat.
which hiit option you prefer more?
P.S. great post
I like both pretty equally! Maybe the 2/1 slightly more.
im already at 7%bf, but cant get my muscle to pop and shred like I would like . I work out 4-5 days a week, I do no HITT workouts as I am a hard gainer. my cardio comes from super and tri sets. my diet is around 2500 cals a day with 100-125g of protein. what do u suggest
The single biggest growth mover is going to be getting stronger. If you’re pushing the weights up each week, muscle gain will be taking place. I think people often forget this! All you need to concern yourself with is getting more reps or lifting more weight each week. Do this for three consistent months and you’ll be stronger and more muscular than ever before.
This is so wrong. You need to focus on the burn you are getting, doing more weight is a common misconception in muscle gain.
You need to eat lots of protein and ~3000 calories per day, through 6 meals
Workout 3-4 days a week
make sure you are doing combination body exercises like squats, standing shoulder press, benchpress, etc
lol. Corey, have you actually built much muscle in your life? The burn and fatiguing your muscles with high reps will do very little for muscle growth. Progressive tension overload is the biggest primer in muscle growth. High rep pump training is grossly inferior. Although it still has it’s place, but very few people will get great physiques with that style of training.
You don’t need that much protein. Only about 0.82g per pound for maximum muscle growth. 3000 calories per day is just an arbitrary number lol, it depends on the person. Meal frequency is irrelevant, as long as you’re getting in the same number of calories and macros, meal frequency doesn’t matter.
Hey Greg! How many calories should I consume on workout days? Shouldn’t I eat more on work out days to replenish the calories burnt?
Good question. You can eat slightly more on workout days, but ideally you’ll be around the same deficit.
So let’s say your energy needs are 2700 on workout days and 2300 on rest days then you might go down to 1700 on rest days and 2100 on workout days. Once per week, ideally on a workout day, you’d bump things up to 2700-3000.
Is there a different ab workout you would recommend other than the ab wheel? My core is pretty weak, so I can’t really do it very well, and it hurts my lower back even though I’m not slouching.
I’d recommend doing a regular plank for 2-3 sets of 30 second to one minute.
No, planks dont build strength. THis ab routine will help
2 sets reverse crunch to burnout ~2minutes (no rest) each time
2 sets crunches to burnout
2 sets flutter kicks to burnout
Those movements are all very easy and can be performed for countless reps. They’re a waste of time. Focus on challenging abdominal movements like hanging leg raises, abs wheel roll outs, renegade rows and dip bar raises.
Greg, just bought your Warrior shredding program!
I had a question though.. For those who are around 20% bf you recommend 1 refeed, but do I also change the caloric intake on my regular days aswell or does this remain the same?
Thanks in advance
I keep calorie intake closely matched 5-6 days per week. Only on the refeed days do I change the calories.
Hi Greg,
How much should my carbohydrate intake be, and what kind of carbs do you suggest to eat?
Also this work out is 4 times a week I would like to train more!
And I have done the strength work out from this plan and I thought it was too easy. Should I grab weights of 80 percent of my max or do you suggest another percentage.
Thank you in advance!
Your carb intake will depend. Set your calories at 11-12 calories per pound for fat loss. Get about 30-40% of your calories from carbs.
The strength training program is designed to build strength and muscle. The first few workouts will be easy in nature. But when you start adding weight or going for more reps each workout, it will start becoming a lot more challenging and you’ll be building muscle like crazy.
[…] of course – my Balenciaga is in, and I have to go to the Oscars with Christian Bale (the American Psycho one, not the American Hustle […]
Hi Greg,
I just turned 15,I’m 5’10 I weigh 145, I have 5% or less body fat and I’ve been working out for about a year or so, plus I play baseball, how can I get more chiseled but at at the same time gain more weight because I feel I’m too skinny? I read that you said Christian bale weighs about 180 and I want to get there too but with muscle weight not fat.
Thank you!
Okay gotcha! You’ll need to keep hammering out strength training three times per week. In addition, it’s important that you track your lifts and strive for more weight or reps each week. Furthermore, you need to be eating plenty of food to ensure you’re gaining about 0.5 lbs per week.
Hey Greg,
I was wondering if you have any other meal plans for meals 1 and 2 just for variety.
You can incorporate different meal plans as long as you stick to the calories and protein numbers.
Only 2×5 pull ups? What are benefits of so low sets and reps of pull ups?
When you’re dieting to a low body fat, your body can’t handle much training. Keeping the volume very low is the most effective way to maintain muscle and strength throughout a cut.
If you’re focusing on building muscle then you can go up to 3 sets.
When doing your workout, how do I figure out what weight to start with, and how do I know when to go up in weight and how much?
Also, is it 2 sets of 5 reps? (2×5 reps?) I’m guessing this is where playing with the weight change comes into play,
You’ll have to guess for yourself. Start with a light weight and back out a few reps and rest then repeat with a heavier weight. Try to find a weight that you know will challenge you for 5 reps. I’d also recommend using a rep interval like 4-6 reps. When you can do all of your sets for the top end of the rep range (6 reps), then you’ll want to increase the weight on the following workout.
Only 2 x 5 pull ups? Is that too low?
Nope, as long as you’re progressing in weight lifted then you’ll build a solid amount of muscle. We want to keep the number of sets and reps low to build muscle density while stripping off the fat.
Hey man. I’m 6’2 and weigh 140. Any idea what the diet should be for me?
Sounds like you need to focus on gaining muscle and overall size. I’d advise for about 16 calories per pound of bodyweight. You should be striving to add a couple pounds each month.
I need some advice on the structure of this. Im somewhat of a beginner but I feel like I am not getting as much out of the low number of reps. Im using higher weight so to get to 5 reps is usually near the maximum times for that weight for me, but after the entire workout I feel like I could have done alot more, like I almost want to go back and do lower weight but around 8 reps. My body feels like it could do a lot more. Is this how it should feel? I just need some clarification, thanks.
As long as you come back to the gym stronger each week then you’re doing awesome. This usually means leaving with a little in the tank.
HAHAHA 8-10 x body weight in calories… hahaha goodluck,… cut carbs.. um how come the chinese and african countries are so lean on high carb diet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp8-Z7Qn3_0
Hey Sam,
This post is a few years old. My preferred approach back in the day was pretty harsh calorie deficits with very low carbs. I now use a much more moderate approach you can read about it in my beach ripped post – https://kinobody.com/diet-and-nutrition/guide-to-cutting/
Hello Greg,
My biggest question with this routine is whether or not leaving out any lower body lifts will have any impact? Just curious….also, you would NOT suggest this for someone looking to build muscle and stay as lean/toned as Christian, correct? We are maintaining muscle in this routine, not building more? Any suggestions on trying to get this low of a body fat percentage while also building muscle/size?
thank you.
Well it’s going to be challenging to build muscle while dieting down to 8% body fat. That said, you may actually gain some muscle with this routine. But increasing volume and doing more workouts will work against you on this calorie intake. When you get lean enough then you can switch to a muscle building course.
Greg, thanks for the great post! One thing tho, I already do 1h of karate on these very same cardio days (tue, thursday and saturday) every week. Can they compensate or should I sneak in some of this cardio program aswell (maybe not all of it?)
Karate can compensate for cardio.
Hey Greg,
Probably a dumb question, but will this workout make you stronger? Or just more chiseled and “look better”?
Definitely both!
Hey Greg! My body fat is about 10% so i don’t have problems with fat.
So can I run 3km for cardio?
Yeah
Hey Greg, I’ve been doing your workout for a couple months now and have noticed big improvements. I know most people have set days for different muscles groups where they workout different parts of the same muscle. Will doing this workout program result in uneven muscles, for example bicep curls might only work out a certain part of the bicep?
Thanks for the awesome tips by the way!
Biceps curls will hit the entire biceps region. There’s no need to use so many exercises in a routine. It’s excessive and cuts into your ability to make steady progress. This routine will build a very strong, muscular and balanced physique.
I’m currently 15 years old. I am 5’11, weigh 132 pounds and have 7% body fat. I would like to get down to 6%-5.5%
I take Platinum Hydrobuilder as a post workout. I take one serving mixed with 1/3 cup half and half, and 2/3 cup water. One serving consists of 30g Whey Protein and 5g Creatine.
For most of the excercises below I am doing 4×12 reps. My arms are currently out of proportion with my body, they are too skinny. How many reps/sets should I do for them?
Please keep in mind that I am a model and my agency will not like if I get big or bulky looking.
LEG (Calves, Hamstrings, Quadriceps) Monday/Thursday
– Dead-lifts
– Barbell Squats
– Barbell Calve Raise
– Calve Press
– Calve Bends
– Leg Press
– Calve Leg Press
– Leg Extension
– Seated Leg Curl
Core (Abdominals, Chest, Lattisimus Dorsi, Trapezius Tuesday/Friday
+ Pull Ups
+ Dips
+ Flat Bench press
+ Incline Bench press
+ Decline Bench press
Ω Lat Pull Downs
Ω Seated Row
Ω Back Extension
+ Pectoral Fly
+ Decline push up
+ Cable Fly 2 Motions
• Crunches
• Leg Raises
• Rope Crunches
• Pullup crunches
• Leg Lifts
• Russian Twist
• Bicycle
• Brazillian Twist
• Ab Wheel
• V Ups
• Single Leg V Ups
ARM (Forearm, Bicep, Tricep, Shoulder) Wednesday/Saturday
+ Hammer Curl
+ Dumbell Curl
+ Forearm Curls
+ Tri Pull Down
+ Tri Push Down
+ Dumbell Front Raises
# Machine Shoulder Press
# Rear Deltoid Fly
+ Lateral Raises
+ Military Press
+ Shrugs
Ah, and by the way what I mean by pull up crunches are when you hold on to the pull up bar with your hands, let your body hang and just move your lower body up to target lower abs. I suppose they are just leg lifts.
Dude, that routine has way too many exercises. Pick 2-3 exercises per muscle group max! 3-4 sets is plenty. Lift weights 3x per week.
What if I stick to compound exercises I tend to try and hit the gym Monday Wednesday and friday but include my cardio within these sessions but I perform
-Olympic lifts
– Bench Press
– Bent Over row
– dead lifts
Sometimes add squats and perform tricep and bicep workouts with dumbbells
Anything I should change or try and switch up?
That strategy can work okay. The one I outlined is more streamlined and will develop more of an aesthetic, patrick bateman looking physique.
Hi Greg,
Im only 140 lbs at 5’8 with about 20% bf. So I’m skinnyfat. Should I still aim for the 8-10 calories x bodyweight for cutting? which would be 1120 – 1400 kcal. Or would such a low calorie diet affect my thyroid/metabolism? Any advice what I should do?
Thanks!
Yah I would probably go for 1400-1500 calories at the lowest.
Hi Greg,
Roughly how much does Christian Bale weigh in American Psycho?
Im currently 165 pounds with 15% body fat. I firstly want to strip away fat until I get to 10% but once this is achieved I will not have enough muscular development to match the Bale look. This workout seems to be targeted for people who already have the muscle and just need to shred. I don’t have the muscle and need to lose fat. So should I be looking at another workout routine of yours to get a plan together for a similar physique, can you recommend one?
Thanks man.
He’s about 175-180 lbs at 6’0-6’1. This workout routine will help build the american psycho physique.
Would you suggest ending the weight session with 15-20 min of low intensity cardio like in the warrior workout? Thanks again
Yah if you have the time adding 15-20 minutes of low intensity cardio can speed up fat loss.
Greg,
Do you think that adding some sets of push-ups throughout the lift days would be overdoing it, or is that something that would be productive? Thanks a lot Greg!
Greg,
Do you think that adding some sets of push-ups throughout the lift days would be overdoing it, or is that something that would be productive? Thanks a lot!!
It’s really not necessary and may in fact cut into recovery for your strength. But if you can tolerate it then it’s really up to you. Just know that it won’t speed up your results.
[…] Here’s Some Insight On Bale’s Workout Routine […]
Is it possible to achieve his level of physique through bodyweight training only?
If so, how would you go about doing it? Would it be mainly through compound exercises and time under tension? Thanks
Yes, it’s possible! But it would be much more efficient and simple using progressive resistance.
Hi Greg,
Without specific strength training for legs aren’t you at risk
of sculpting a ‘top-heavy’ body, can running alone actually
create proportioned legs with regard to the torso? Thanks.
It really depends on the person, their training status and genetics. People who have been squatting for 2 years probably have over developed legs and can get away with just intervals/sprints for the legs. I think most people overdo the leg training and develop huge legs and butts that chafe and can’t fit into fitted pants.
Greg,
Having played rugby I probably have over-developed my legs/butt and as you say struggle buying certain types of trousers. What would be the best way to cut legs down without losing muscle/strength in them?
Cheers
My recommendation would be to drop direct leg movements from your routine. Focus on intense sprints/intervals and plyo’s (depth jumps, box jumps and squat jumps)! You can also do hang cleans and power cleans to build power without adding mass.
Greg, first let me tell you that ou have a hell of a website, it’s really awesome ;) congrats
The thing is i am 17 years old and my bio is 6’2 and 130 lbs
It’s really embarassing to go out on summer with a skinny body
I wanna gain more weight and i’ve been loking for a workout routine
the question is: with this workout, my body will change?
pd: if you have a diet, can you please give me some alimentation advices?
Yes! Of course you body will change with this routine. However, you have to give it a reason to change. You must be consistent, you must push yourself and you must lift heavier each week.
Greg what are your thoughts on lifts like power cleans and explosive bench? I believe these are two of the lifts Bale used for to gain weight after the machinist. If they are good at building muscle can they be worked into the strength training you provided.
Yes, they are good movements. You can incorporate them or replace another exercise with them.
Cool..do I follow this routine with the video? Like the video you said every morning or is it all together
The video was just for fun! I don’t actually do that routine each morning.
How long can I do this workout?
3 months before changing routines
when you say reduce carbs to 50-80 grams a day, does that entail just starchy carbs or things like fruit and vegetables as well which classify as carbs? as im trying to lose weight from about 214lbs whilst being in ok condition having played a lot of rugby so trying to figure out the best way
Fruits are included into 50-80g of carbs. Don’t worry about veggies for the most part.
Will getting stronger thus mean getting bigger (up to a point) ? My arms are not as big as i would like, and have been training for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy for a few months now and they aren’t getting much bigger.
Yah! When you can bang out 6 reps of weighted chin ups with 100 lbs, your biceps will be pretty big. When you’re close grip benching 225 for 8 times, your triceps will be nice. When you can standing dumbbell curl 60 pounders like it’s nothing, your arms will be jacked!
Thanks bro :)
Hey Greg, I was just wondering how long a time period this process requires? I’m still bulking but looking to cut for summer and want to leave myself enough time to get the full results of this workout.
Hey Greg,
Is the 60 or 90 second rest apply to both between sets and between exercises? Great website by the way!
Yes, although sometimes it may take longer to set up on a different exercise. That’s perfectly fine.
Im confused looking at this and the Gossling workout as to how to approach a routine. I’m not out of shape, I’m 5-11 and 160 pounds. I’m not toned nor do I have big muscles, and having both would be nice. Where would I start? The higher reps or the heavier weights and low reps. Right now I train with a boxing trainer 3 times a week but we only do circuit training, use very light weights if any, and core strengthening. Can I incorporate either of these workouts?
You need to lift heavy weights to build muscle and strength. High rep, low rep training is an inefficient form of strength training or muscle building. You can’t tone a muscle, you can only burn fat or build up the muscle. Lifting heavy is the best way to build muscle and thus improve tone.
Hey Greg, you said that getting ripped like him by doing intense training is the hard part. Well for me it is the opposite I love to do anything cardio but the problem for me is gaining the mass to cut down from. Im at about 6’1 and 155 pounds. I saw your video “evolution of gog9” and was wondering how you managed to gain the size first. I am having such a hard time just eating sleeping and lifting heavy and I’m barely gaining weight.
Building muscle is a slow process and it takes time! You need to be very consistent and hard working, striving to hit personal records each week. If you’re lifting more and more weight each week, your body will start to build muscle. Eat enough food and get plenty of rest and be patient.
I am 5’6 (135lb) and around 11% body fat from what I see. I can see my abs but they are not shredded or completely visible. Current I am eating 1900 calories per day which is around 400-500 less than calories I need to maintain my weight. I have been doing this for a month and have dropped 3 pounds (from 138 to 135). I am certainly looking better and have gained muscle but I am losing it too as I am moving forward. I don’t understand the aspect where you eat at a surplus for few days and cut for few days. Can’t I just try and lose 4-5lbs more and then start adding 250-300 calories surplus to my diet? Thank you for all the information you provide.
Yes you should cut 4-5 lbs more before going to a surplus. This method is more effective and easier to track progress.
Hi,
I’m small/skinny (5’6″; 129.4lbs, 13.22% bf) and I’m looking to get this look (looking to get around 140-150lb, 8%bf). Should I lean down even further and then try to bulk up, or should bulk up and then lose the fat?
Thanks.
Good question. I’d lean down about 5 lbs and get your bf% to around 10%. Then gain muscle slowly (2 lbs per month) until your reach about 145 lbs. Then you can cut down to like 140 lbs and 8%. At 5’6 140 lbs and 8% body fat is very good. After achieving that you can try and get up to 150-160 lbs and 8-10%. However that is likely to take around 3 years of consistent training.
Awesome! Thanks for the advice. Time doesn’t bother me as I’ve got the patience of…. I don’t know. Something really patient. Ha ha.
Thanks again.
Greg, you said Bale was 175 at 6′ with a body fat of 6-8%. I am 162 at 6’1″ with a body fat % of 14.8 while trying to get down to 6-8%. However, this would put me around 150, so how should I cut body fat while putting on that much muscle? Should I follow the warrior workout, then after (hopefully) attaining 6-8%, move to the Greek god workout?
I’d diet down to about 10% while following this workout. That that should put you at around 152 lbs. Then I would do a muscle building phase and build up to 175 lbs. That may take close to a year. From that point forward you can do a recomposition. Eat at maintenance but higher calories on lift days and lower calories on rest days to build muscle and drop fat.
Thanks man
Hi Greg I’ve calculated all my cals protein etc for my goal weight and decided to eat 3 meals 25% of total at 12.00pm, 25% of total at 4.00pm and the remaining 50% at 8.00pm. I like the idea of fasting in the morning but the only thing I wondered was I train at 7.00am and wondered if waiting until 12.00pm on strength training days before eating is too long? Should I move up my first meal to make sure I get some protein in or does it not matter?
Thanks A
Take 10g of BCAA before and after training and you will be fine.
Greg, How much do you think bale weighed precisely in American psycho? You did a pretty awesome calculation of body weight and muscle you would need to look like Ryan Reynolds in blade. Thanks mate.
Bale was around 175 lbs in AP at 6 feet tall.
Greg, the workout routine in this seems to basically be a full body, is there an advantage to that as oppose to a 2 body part split?
Greater muscle frequency and thus faster progress. Works great for those who have been training for less than 2-3 years.
okay that actually makes quite a bit of sense! i am following this routine fasted with the exception of whey beforehand like you mentioned. Was this bales exact routine?
Nope, but this is how I would go about attaining his level of physique development.
awesome thanks greg. You sir are the bee knees of the fitness world, the tits of exercise. Thanks for the quick replies and helpful advice man.
hahaha! Best compliment thus far.
I am fourteen in the moment and have a very simple routine. 120 pushups and 120 situps a day, I’ve been doing that for the past 5 months and have slowly but surely started to look more aesthetically pleasing. Am I able to follow this routine? Is it too intense for someone my age? I am too young to take the prograde metabolism, I know that. But will this stunt my growth at all?
Thanks,
Carl
If you perform the exercises with proper form and technique then you surely won’t stunt your growth. No need to use supplements at your age.
Reduce calories to 8-10 calories x body-weight
Reduce total carbs to 50-80 grams per day
Get 0.7 to 1 grams of protein per pound of body-weight
Make up the rest of your caloric needs from fat
Give yourself one free day per week
At first you say
“Reduce calories to 8-10 calories x body-weight”
But measurement? I mean 8-10 calories for x kilos or pounds? I am not sure but perhaps pound as well at the third line. Could you clarify please?
By the way I am 176 pounds. And how am I supposed to calculate those things? 0.7 gram of protein per pounds of body weight you say. But it is not daily right? I mean according to this I should take 120 grams of protein every day and that’s too much.
120 grams of protein is too much? You’re kidding me right?
That’s like 3 chicken breasts. I actually now recommend eating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight or slightly more. Helps so much keeping you full.
Pounds
Greg, I was wondering if I could do the cardio and ab program that you laid out on the off workout days?
Yes for sure!
Hi Greg, Very good article! I have a question on what I should do. Currently I am 5’6” at 135 lbs at 5 percent body fat. I want to achieve the hollywood effect, but should I reach my ideal weight of 145 first? …Then start incorporating the density training? Or can I start to gain mass toward my ideal weight while ‘hybriding’ my exercise to achieve both? Thanks, and keep it up!
Yah! You should probably hybrid your lifting to build up to 145 lbs. Check out my latest article ‘dual pyramid training‘
Hey greg, question: I’m really confused on what to do currently. i am 5’11 165 8 percent body fat, and id like to get to 4-5 percent and keep my muscle. is if truly the best route? or should i stick to 6 meals a day and use this routine? thanks man. been keeping updated with your vids, good shit and best of luck brotha.
Thanks man. Assuming you’re eating the same amount of calories it won’t make a difference if you eat 6 meals or 3 meals. Whichever one you can stick to better.
Hey Greg, would you recommend this workout routine to someone who’s starting into workouts ? Or would you rather recommend another routine ?
This is a solid routine for someone getting involved in training.
But for a real starter which one would you recommend ? You’ve got multiple workout routines that look the same to me .. Which one is the most effective ?
-American Psycho
-Build a body like a Greek God
-Build a Hollywood Physique
You will get great results with either program. It is up to you which one you choose.
Great article my question is by doing this workout 3 days (non consecutive) and lifting as heavy as you are will you be to sore or anything the following workout or should I be “fresh” and ready to go. Thank you
These workouts shouldn’t cause a lot of soreness. The number of sets and exercises are reduced to avoid excessive soreness and muscle damage.
So this routine will help you lose weight and make your muscles look more dense ?
And also im targetting alot more body parts than this should i stop doing them or add them to the routine?
Thanks.
Doing more exercises than this is not necessary. Especially when following a lower calorie diet. Yes this will help you gain definition and density.
I will start this workout tomorrow. My question is do I move up the weight each day say for instance I work out tomorrow then Monday add more weight to each rep? Thank you.
You’ll have to gauge it for yourself. Try and improve in someway. Either add a rep somewhere or progress to a heavier set of weights.
Love this atricle!! would you recommend using your diet plan from the shredded manual along with this workout?
Yes that would allow for better strength and muscle gains while getting ripped.
Greg,
I’m 6’1″ and about 170 lbs with about 18% body fat. Should I follow this program to lean out and will it help maintain muscle, or is it possible to add any muscle to my current frame with this plan? I want to stay around the 170 range but with more solid muscle compared to the soft look that I have know. Thanks for the help.
At 18% body fat your best bet is to diet down to 10-12%. That would put you at 155-158 lbs. Once your abs are very visible then you can focus on slowly adding muscle. 2 lbs of muscle per month is a good rate and about as fast you can gain.
Hi, I am a long distance runner with a very minimal amount of muscle. With a higher calorie and protein diet will this exercise routine keep me lean but give me more size? currently im 6’2″ and 150lbs. I want to look as you do in your youtube videos haha
The hollywood style workout would probably work better for you at helping you gain muscle. Try it out –> https://kinobody.com/1815/bulking-up-hollywood-style/
The christian bale american psycho routine is better for maintaining muscle and cutting to a low body fat.
@admin. thanks for the response! I was also wondering if there was a chest routine I could add to this workout once or twice a week that would accelerate the process of eliminating excess fat build up in the pec area? Thanks for the help
Hitting chest won’t do anything to eliminate fat in the pectoral area. The only way you can get a masculine chest is if you get very lean. Adding extra volume on a low calorie diet is going to cause more problems.
Thanks Greg, I will keep you posted and probably check back for more advice.
Greg, I do not have a visible six pack. Should I follow this routine to lean out? And then how do I go about building muscle? I don’t want to look to thin. I was thinking that if I were at a low body fat % at a weight of 165 would be ideal for me. What do you think?
Yes. Follow this routine and diet to lean out. Once you get the abs visible then focus on building muscle. Try a higher volume routine and eat more calories and carbs.
If I wanted to incorporate a biceps blast routine into this workout twice a week, how or even would you advice I did this at all? Would it be best to do the 3 bicep exercise cycle when I am done with the workout completely, or incorporate it in when the workout normally calls for a bicep curl? Thanks again!
I would limit hammering your biceps to once per week on this routine. Perhaps finish off with extra biceps training after every friday workout.
Hi, I am 5’9″ and weigh about 163lbs. If I do this routine/diet will I start looking to thin? I want to be lean but muscular (like most people). What would you recommend?
Do you have visible 6 pack abs? If not then you could probably benefit from getting leaner. I recommend you get lean first and then take your time building up your muscles.
In the diet section you mention keeping calorie intake to 8-10 x body-weight. Is that current body weight, or target body weight?
Goal bodyweight. Although I don’t recommend setting your goal bodyweight more than 10-15 pounds below your current weight. You can always re adjust once you reach that weight.
Hey Greg,
I’m a 19 year old college student at home for the summer looking to get more defined before school this fall. I am current 5’11 and around 168 pounds. Before my first year of college (this year) I weighed about 151 pounds. My goal this year was to gain weight, and I did, but unfortunately and unavoidably some of this weight was not good. My whole life I have been in good shape, but I have accumulated some fat around my waist/hip area that I am looking to get rid of while also toning up the rest of my body. Overall, I would say I’m in good shape but I know I can improve. I found it hard to eat healthy at college, especially because my school only offered chain food (fast food). I guess what I am looking for is some tips and a recommendation of which of your workouts you think I should try! Thanks a lot.
hello,how do you warm up,and how your training in gym looks like? because I’m going to start this routine,but it seems to me it lasts for 20 min max,and isn’t that to short. I have probably misunderstood something, so please explain how your training looks from begining to end. Thanks for all the info,and you are right people like it more to have lean body vs huge bulky look
@Marc
I usually do 1-2 warm up sets with a lighter weight most exercises. If you are resting long enough the workout should take much longer than 20 minutes. Remember the strength workouts are STRENGTH workouts. So you need to give yourself rest between sets so you can lift a heavy weight.
Great website man. I’ve been working out for a while now, and mostly use barbells. As long as I am doing the same basic exercises but substitute the barbell, will it be fine?
@Thomas
Yes. That is perfectly fine.
Thanks man…I’ll do that.If I get down to a body fat % I’m happy with I might try gain muscle using the Thad Castle workout you posted..Looks good.
Hey man…This plan sounds like the real deal.I recently lost over 50lbs of weight by just dieting and strength training..I now weigh about 205lbs and got back playing sports.I just got injured and was told that I have to have a cruciate ligament operation.I am devastated coz I still want to lose at least another 20lbs.I won’t be able to do the cardio part of this but would have no problem following the diet and strength training coz I don’t need my knee for that.Do you think I could get results doing this and would it be bad to follow a diet as strict as this after having an operation as my knee might need extra nutrition or do you think the diet above would provide sufficient nutrients to help heal the knee after the operation?…..10/10 website man.
@John
I’m not a doctor but since you are not doing the cardio the low calories shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Talk to your doctors and see if it’s okay to follow a diet during the recovery process.
Thanks Greg – I’ll try that. P Bateman is one of my favourite movie characters, fine body, fine women and fine living… obviously apart from the psychopathy and killing.
How do you deal with hunger on such low calories? I’m aiming for sub 1300 cals per day but even though I’m on keto im still finding that I get harsh hunger pangs! I reckon I’m at 12% bf at the moment. I’m trying to get to 8%.
I got lyle mcdonalds rapid fat loss handbook and even though it makes sense on paper, I was experiencing fatigue and hunger PAINS. That’s right, not pangs but pains lol!
I’ll be interested in your input mate. My fat calipers say im at 10% but I reckon just visually I’m more at 12 – 13% bf. My progress pictures are on my blog. Let me know what you think. Cheers!
@Peter
Try increasing your fat intake. That should help with the hunger pangs. Possibly bump your calorie intake up to 1600.
So if I follow this workout it could easily take my body fat to 6-7%??? how long would that take? I’m at 10-12% now. I see veins on my stomach but there not popping out.
@Black Mamba
Yes but I wouldn’t say easily. Dieted down to 6-7% is far from easy.
I am a little confused… please tell me if i have understood in basic terms.
in order to not bulk up but to have more density then i need to lift heavy with 1_4 reps
if i wanted to get bigger i lift heavy with 6_10 reps
if i want to shape and get bigger (but not stronger) i do 12-15 reps lighter weights?
this seems to be the opposite to some of the routines/stats of bodybuilding.com members profiles, i just go by the pictures of the bodys i think look good not big particulary and they are all high in reps??
@Ollie
Low reps (1-4) stimulate large increases in maximal strength with little accompanying muscle growth. This is because when doing 1-4 reps there is very little volume to the muscles. It takes more total volume to stimulate size increases. I think 6-10 reps and 12-15 reps are both great for building muscle. 6-10 reps will be better over a long period of time. 12-15 reps is good for adding quick size through more glycogen storage.
Hey,
Fantastic post. I’m 5’10” and weight around 215lb. I’ve always been fairly muscular naturally. I’ve just started hitting the gym and am currently doing a lot of swimming (almost every day for about an hour) because I need to lose weight on my stomach desperately. Is there any advice you could give me on what I need to be doing to lose weight as fast as possible (mainly from my beer gut lol). Also is swimming a good substitute for the treadmill when it comes to interval training etc?I know there aren’t any quick fixes but any advice would be much appreciated.thanks
I’ve started doing 15-25 mins of intense interval cardio during every work out (about five times per week) and this has made a massive diference to my look and has reduced my body fat %2-3 within a few weeks. I would recommend adding this to anyone’s workout for sure – many guys I know stay away from cardio totally but it’s absolutely key to the shredded look that this site teaches and most guys are ultimately aiming for! Thanks for a great site Sir!
Hey,
I started this workout about two weeks ago. When I do the cardio workout, I do a two minute warm up, then 60 seconds hard/60 seconds easy x 8, then 15 minutes of steady cardio. But when I’m doing the 15 minutes of steady cardio, I end up pushing myself to about 90% of my max heart rate(about 180 bpm) because I feel like I am not doing any work if I go slower. Is pushing myself this hard counterintuitive to losing that last bit of body fat? I’m 17 if it helps in any way.
I would recommend increasing the speed on the treadmill when doing high intensity interval training, the idea is to push yourself so hard that you shock your body into burning a higher amount of calories than you usually would for the rest of the day, the 15min of steady cardio being increased will not affect fat loss however it may cause your body to start using muscle as fuel, something which can occur when doing long amounts of cardio
This is actually not true. Lower intensity steady state cardio burns predominately fat for fuel. Very intense cardio or intervals burn mostly glycogen. Also you don’t need to totally kill yourself when doing cardio or intervals. Save that intensity for the weights. As long as your are burning calories you will increase the calorie deficit. Going to hard or intense on the cardio tends to increase the appetite which off sets any additional calories burned.
Hey Greg. Quick ?. Is there something that would replace eggs because my mom doesnt want me eating eggs my 5 diet days and neither do i. Thank You
Yah eat another source of protein like meat.
Eggs are fine. There are even scientific studies showing that the cholesterol from eggs don’t effect your bad cholesterol.
Do you do any warm up sets? or warm ups prior to this workout
@Vince
Do 2 warm up sets for the first couple exercise. warm up set 1 = 8 reps at 60% of your work weight. warm up set 2 = 6 reps at 80% of your work weight.
hey, i was just wondering roughly how long it takes to get hard muscle? about a month or so?
@Jon
Depends on the individual. If you have well developed muscles and a low body fat then increasing your strength will increase muscle hardness. You should notice a difference after a few months. The key is to maintain this state and keep lifting to cause muscle maturity.
Alright, thanks again.
Hey, just wanna clarify for myself when it says 8-10 calories x bodyweight is that bodyweight with or without fat content, just because i feel if i deducted my fat i would be eating so little? Thanks again love this site!
@Claudio
Thats total bodyweight (including fat)
Can I start the Convict Conditioning During this workout as a second workout.
@Richard
Yes you could. The convict conditioning program is not very taxing and can be combined with another workout program.
I weigh 220 lbs. 20% body fat is it when figuring out my caloric intake do I calculate it @ my current body weight or at what I would like it to be 185 lbs? Also would being as strict with the fasting before the workout becessary? Thanks in advance.
I like to eat around 10 calories per pound of goal body mass. So for you that would be around 1850 calories per day. This method seems to work extremely well. If you exercise on top of this you will lose weight at a fast rate. You can give yourself one refuel day. I like to do my refuel from saturday at 6pm until sunday at 6pm
Can u post up Captain America workout or Thor workout :D
I’ll work on that in the future ;)
Good Article…What was your diet like in phase II of visual impact? Did you cut your calories down from phase I?
How does alcohol affect the process? If I weigh 195, eat 1700 calories, 175 grams of protein, 60 grams of carbs, and the rest is made up of fats and 4 oz of liquor with a diet coke, how much of a role will the alcohol play?
For a while I was losing 2-3 lbs of fat per week while having 3-4 drinks 4 nights per week. It didn’t seem to impact me. Just make-sure you don’t overdo it and get hung over.
ok nice site
Awesome article bro keep up the good work!
Hey man, great post.
I’m 6’1 and about 173. Maybe 12-14% body fat. Do you think this would be effective for me to rip up or would I end up a little light and not enough muscle?
Cheers.
Lloyd
@Llody
You could go either way. You could focus on packing on 10-15 lbs of muscle while cutting fat. You can do this by restricting calories 2-3 days per week and eating in a caloric surplus 4-5 days per week.
Hahaha bro its like your read my mind or something i just watched this movie the other day and was thinking the same thing!
One question though is when you concentrate on a low volume(1-5 reps) for a while; will you gain any new muscle mass or will you just create denser more defined ones you have and no new growth at all (sarcoplasmic nor myofilbular)?