Allow Us To Answer Your Questions – For FREE
The world is getting a lot more confusing.
Not only does your favorite “guru” tell you to exercise and eat a certain way, but then, in another email, he tells you you should buy someone else’s product (that has the complete OPPOSITE approach).
So we understand why you may be spinning your wheels (which is another reason we say “unsubscribe from everyone else’s stuff).
Look, a lot of people will sell you out to make a quick buck, but not us.
We’re gonna do something no one else is willing to do… ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS. Check the video out for details.
Stay cool,
Brad
p.s. Don’t get sucked in by the whirlwind of product launches. While it’s true that some are great, most are either rehashed info that everyone else is selling or based on unproven theory conformed around a limited amount of research or even research where the results are SO miniscule, you’d laugh if you knew the truth. There are only a few people that are CONSISTENTLY ahead of the curve and we aren’t willing to sell our souls just for you to get even more confused.
It’s not worth it.
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Hi Brad, I have 2 questions for you. I recently tried to go low-carb but I don’t seem to do as well on it as most people do. Why do you think this is? Also, do you think that insulin resistance may have anything to do with it?
Thanks in advanced!
Anna,
Unless you’ve been clinically diagnosed with an blood sugar/insulin regulation disorder then I wouldn’t think that has anything to do with it. And most people don’t do well on ‘low carb’.
JB
Which method of cardio do you feel works the best? HIIT? Regular cardio ie running? Bodyweight circuits?
Ray,
Whichever method you can stick to and doesn’t drive you nuts.
JB
If for maximizing AI… neither.
Focus on the weights and let nutrition handle your waist.
B
Brad, John and Brad,
Why do I look so much leaner when not eating carbs on a low calorie diet? Whenever I have my cheat day I get super swollen and lose definition. It makes me think that if I ate high carb low calorie I wouldn’t look as lean as when I go low carb low calorie.
I also was wondering if I lift weights in the hypertrophy range for sets and reps how low can I go on calories to still get some growth in muscle. I want my abs to get more lean and my biceps and shoulders to grow more. I am eating anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day, six days a week with a cheat day of probably 4,000 to 5,000. I lift hard 5 days a week and do HIIT cardio 4 days a week (after lifting is done). I am 6′ tall have 48.5″ shoulders (trying to get to 51″ or 52″) have 15″ biceps (want to add another inch or two) and have a 32″ waist (I am fine with the cirumference of my waist I just don’t have very lean looking abs, there is a thin layer of fat over them). Also I currently weigh 175. What is my best approach? Should I continue to lift in the hypertrophy range while being in a caloric deficit? Would creatine be a good idea? What’s a general time line to had 3 to 4 inches to shoulders and a inch or two to biceps. I am 25 years old and been lifting regularly since I was 17 is it possible I am capped out at my genetic limit or is everyone capable of hitting the 1.618 ratio?
Thanks,
~Mike
Hey Mike… it’s water dude.
If you saw my video last week, you noticed I talked about being “dry” and “wet”…
I’ll let John get into the mechanics but the basic gist is that low carbs shed water weight due to the depletion of glycogen stores in your muscles and I’m sure other things. I can easily swing 5 lbs in water on an up or down carb day.
Me personally, with all of the cardio work coupled with the lower calories, I’d bet you’re not lifting the amount of weight you could be due to it.
Try killing the cardio for 30 days, eat normally, try creatine and see what happens. I have a feeling you’ll get the look you want.
(oh, and by the way, some people’s abs just don’t “pop” like others do due to the muscle bellies. But naturally, we’d need a pic to tell you otherwise
)
Whatcha say Johnny?
My question is what the hell are you wearing?
LOL
Kidding buddy – I’m here to help answer questions as needed.
B
What is the best approach to drop your body fat into the single digits if you are skinny fat and not carrying a lot of muscle? . I’m 43 years old 6ft 1′ 190lbs and currently around 18% bodyfat.
I give off a skinny appearance but would not be caught dead taking off my shirt in public lol
Hope all is well!!
~R~
Ralph,
Eat less calories than your daily metabolic requirement…that’s all I did.
JB
My question is what the hell are you wearing?
I have a similar question to Ralph’s. I’m 6′3″ 200lbs right now. I’ve had sucess losing weight over the last few years and come down to as low as 169 at one time last year(my new goal is 165) from 292 when I started 5 years ago. I have been overweight my entire life until recently (30 years or so) and even when I got down to 169, I still had this roll of something around my waist. In front, I’m fairly certain it’s loose skin because of the flappy nature (gross, sorry) but around my lower back and love handles (classic male trouble spots) I’m not so sure because it felt thicker. Is it true that once adipose tissue is deposited you never lose it, it just “deflates” when you empty the fat from it? IF so, is there any way to get rid of that flappy skin other than surgery? It’s so frustrating to have worked so hard, see veins popping out on my upper body and legs but still be afraid to take my shirt off because of that damn “deflated muffin top” roll of whatever hanging over my waistband.
Oak,
First of all, great job on such a dramatic weight loss.
As far as the excess skin goes, I don’t know of any way to deal with that other than a surgical procedure (but certainly don’t take my word for it, go see a doctor for this).
And yes fat cells seem to always be there, but they can be ‘emptied’ to the point where it seems as though there is nothing left of them.
JB
You give tons of advice for losing weight, but what do you recommend for ectomorphs? I need to lose 4% more bodyfat around the waist, yet somehow gain 4-5 inches on my shoulders.
Orland,
What do you mean you need to lose 4% bodyfat around your waist?
JB
@Pilon and @Justin
It’s my pimp Camel Hair baby! Wait until we announce the winners of the Transformation contest… or do a video on it…
… I’ve got a LONG pimp daddy fur coat… and will be sipping on Cristal.
It’s gonna be fun.
@Everyone
Awesome questions so far. Keep ‘em coming.
We’ll get them answered for you here on the blog in the comments section as well.
First let me start by saying that I love your podcasts and the blog content.
I am 33 years old. 5′7″ and 125 lbs body weight. 4% body fat measured by callipers.
Q1) What are the most effective exercises to make the abs pop. As with all other muscle groups I know that changing your routine is important but how many different kinds of abs exercises can one do? Especially for the last pair of abs to show. My body fat % measured by callipers is 4% and I have defined upper 4 abs; but not lower.
Q2) I normally do 10 mins of cardio after my weight training (3x/week). My goal is to increase my lean muscle mass and do not have a significant fat to lose (Body fat around 4%). I recently read that one should not do cardio because of “interference effect” which causes the muscles to be confused and not grow. Is it true?
Q3) I eat around 4500 calories a day and still manage to gain only 2 lbs of muscle in 6 months, after intense full body workouts 3x/week. I take creatine after workout. Should I also take creatine on the rest days? I wan to gain at least 10 more lbs of lean muscle.
John,
Lets take these in order:
1. There is no special way to train abs, you probably already know all the ways to do them…everyones abs are shaped differently and not all people necessarily have a full set of 6 discernable abs per se, don’t worry about getting more abs to show up. If you are at the bodyfat you say you are then all your abs should be visible.
2. Cardio is fine, continue doing it.
3. What makes you think you can gain 10 more pounds of muscle? And why is this your goal? And creatine is the only supplement I can think of that is worth taking for muscle building. Also if you expect to gain more weight you should be doing at least half of your workouts on your lower body…are you doing this?
JB
Curious about a timeline for women’s system
Enjoying all podcasts though!
Heather,
It’s on it’s way, something this year.
JB
Heather… you can go here to join us in the “discovery” process.
Nothing to buy for a while though
http://www.venusindex.com
B
I need clarification on a few things please. I am 6′2″ and weigh 210 right ow ( biggest I’ve ever weighed ). My BMR is 2200 . So if I have it right, I need to eat 1700 calories per day to drop 1 lb. per week, or eat 1200 calories per day to drop 2 lb. a week. For my height, what would be my ideal ( lean weight ). I’m thinking about 195-200 lbs. would be it. To get your accurate BMR, do you plug in the weight you want to be, or your current weight ? Also, if I adhere to eating say, 1700 calories per day ( in oder to drop 1 lb. per week ) from Monday – Friday and then on Sat. and Sunday I eat my BMR caloric intake ( 2200 calories ), would this be sufficient for me to drop 10 or so lbs. ? Another thing, is Protein intake for me per day. I have been consuming 300 grams of Protein per day ( 1.5 x my current body weight ). But from what I have read here, I only need to consume 150 – 200 grams per day max. Is this correct ? One last thing is Cardio. I absolutely hate it, but I know it can def. help in getting a calorie deficit. If I lower my caloric intake by 500 calories below my BMR, could I almost get by without doing much, if any cardio and still get as Lean while maintaing muscular definition as my genetics will allow ? Thanks so much for the help and taking the time to answer my questions . Great site and very informative – Michael
Michael,
Cardio is not necessary to burn fat.
According to our calculations your ideal weight is probably around 195ish.
I can see no reason to eat that much protein, but if you like it go ahead, just be sure that trying to hit such a high amount of protein isn’t also causing you to overeat. 150 is probably more than enough.
JB
Brad x 2 and John,
The information you guys discuss is really beneificial. I’m an ectomorph, but have finally found a fairly good program where’ I’ve finally been able to put on about 1″ on my shoulders (currently 46.25″ over the last 11-12 weeks, while maintaining the same body mass. I believe I’ve dropped from 10-11% BF to the 5-6% BF range over this same time frame. My main question is on certain days I look more defined than others (shoulders ,abs, chest), why is that? I follow ESE 1/week (used to be twice/week) and generally consume ~2000 kcal/day on non-fast days. Are the day’s I’m less defined due to how my body holds water? If yes, are their certain foods/diets, resistance programs/techniques, etc to become more defined?
Thanks,
Jeremy
Jeremy,
The degree of ‘definition’ you have on a daily and moment to moment basis is largely determined by the amount of water you’re holding. Keep in mind that bodybuilders take very powerful drugs to drop their water before a show and that is how they get that really shredded hard look.
JB
How do you guys approach injuries? I tweaked my shoulder the other day and I’m confused if I should train around that injury, rest, or just go light on the lifting.
Justin,
Use pain as your guide. If it hurts, don’t do it.
JB
Ok this may seem like a strange question .For Eat Stop Eat, lets say your BMR is 2000 calories. So if you fast 2x a week, and eat at your maintenance levels the rest of the time, does this mean you burn only 4000 calories for the entire week, or does each day of fasting burn 4000 calories for a total of 8000 a week?
Keith,
You’d burn 4000 calories.
JB
How do you drop a good amount of body fat %. Do I need to diet or are there any specific workouts? I lift three times a week and run about everyday alternating between HIIT and just running/jogging. What else is needed? THanks.
June,
A calorie deficit any way you can create it. Easiest way is eating less.
JB
ok thanks!
is cardio still necessary or should i just lift?
also, how often should i lift and run?
thanks.
Depends…
Do you run because you like it or are you running for caloric deficit?
B
Hey there guys I am competing in the 12 week contest and am excited by the prospect of doing pretty damn well and if I work hard enough get in the top 3! Im loving the blog too.
Currently I am studying karate several times a week for hours at a time, I am competing at a contest at the end of the month and as a result cannot quit the cardio as you suggest, I am aware that this will affect my muscle growth but i believe losing body fat and going down to a 30 inch waist will still improve my AI considerably, I was wondering if you had any tips about still being able to gain muscle while I am training so much, and also how you can increase testosterone and HGH levels and get the best recovery I can with the time available as i had them tested and they are a bit low probably because i have been under way to much stress for a long time. I can take a break to just 4 hours karate practice a week after the end of the month so that might be the best period for putting on muscle, but I am interested in what you guys have to say.
- Could you put any measurements in your posts also in cm/kg please ?
- Could you put aa written transcript of your podcasts pleassse ?
- I’m 1.71, 65kg, exercising for 2 years (so neither really skinny, neither fat). My European working hours (8 to 8…) let me workout just once or twice a week. I have skinny arms and legs, but big abs and torso. What would be the plan to balance all that ?
- Since doing some months of weighted abs, the upper ones protrude too much & my waist expanded… already stopped that kind of exercise but any idea how to correct that ? meaning flaten my abs ?
- We need a specific post on the inguinal crease – moneymaker – sex lines or any name you give to that !)
Keep up the great work
Eat less… lift heavy… quit doing weighted abs.
B
(1)What is your advice for post workout nutrition?
Question (2) Background Info…
I have two simple workouts, A and B, that cover all of my major muscle groups.
I mainly do each workout once per week as in A-B, but sometimes do A-B-A or B-A-B for a week or two to get my body to work a little harder.
I also alternate between doing heavy weight, low-rep sets (5×5reps) and medium weight, high-rep sets (5×10reps) every 4-5 weeks.
Additionally, for some exercises I switch between using dumb bells for the high-rep sets and using ergonomic machines when doing the low-rep sets. Some exercises remain the same such as using a bar bell for deadlifting.
I’ve been having good workouts and increasing my strength all over the place, so I’m pretty sure I’m doing something right.
(2)According to what I’ve told you, am I using a sound system? I want to cover all the fundamentals of a great body building system, so if you see a fundamental that is missing, I’d like to know what it is.
(3)How important is it for me to change the exercises entirely rather than simply changing set/rep, weight, and machine/dumb bells?
For example, how important is it to switch from dumb bell curls to let’s say hammer curls or from seated cable pulls to something like kneeling dumb bell rows?
I find variation is good simply for staying consistent and not burning out mentally.
You might want to bump it up to a 3 day per week routine and get some more work done.
As long as you’re covering the whole body then you should be on the right track at this point.
JB
Thanks for the feedback!
Hey G,
Sure on the measurements, but for now, just divide lbs by 2.2 to get kg and divide inches by 2.54 to get cm.
As far as transcripts, we need to find a cost effective way of getting it done and also get a measure of how many people would actually prefer and/or use the transcripts versus the audio.
Right now, with the amount of audio and video that we do in minutes per month is up there (which we will continue), but time also affects cost.
It’s just a matter of making the numbers work
B
I need clarification on a few things please. I am 6?2? and weigh 210 right ow ( biggest I’ve ever weighed ). My BMR is 2200 . So if I have it right, I need to eat 1700 calories per day to drop 1 lb. per week, or eat 1200 calories per day to drop 2 lb. a week. For my height, what would be my ideal ( lean weight ). I’m thinking about 195-200 lbs. would be it. To get your accurate BMR, do you plug in the weight you want to be, or your current weight ? Also, if I adhere to eating say, 1700 calories per day ( in oder to drop 1 lb. per week ) from Monday – Friday and then on Sat. and Sunday I eat my BMR caloric intake ( 2200 calories ), would this be sufficient for me to drop 10 or so lbs. ? Another thing, is Protein intake for me per day. I have been consuming 300 grams of Protein per day ( 1.5 x my current body weight ). But from what I have read here, I only need to consume 150 – 200 grams per day max. Is this correct ? One last thing is Cardio. I absolutely hate it, but I know it can def. help in getting a calorie deficit. If I lower my caloric intake by 500 calories below my BMR, could I almost get by without doing much, if any cardio and still get as Lean while maintaing muscular definition as my genetics will allow ? Thanks so much for the help and taking the time to answer my questions . Great site and very informative – Michael
Both John and I have lost over 30 lbs while getting stronger just by diet and lifting heavy.
Our new reco if your goal is maximizing AI is no cardio at all as long as you’re lifting heavy.
You’ll generally get enough protein in your diet without having to “monitor” it.
And yes, as long as you hold the deficit, you’ll lose.
B
Hey guys, cool idea for this post! Here goes some questions…
1- What is the importance of TEMPO during the exercise and what is the best one to build muscles?
2- Will eat stop eat influence in ANY way the rate of my muscle growth? If yes, how?
3- If I workout 4x a week, how should it be spaced? Could I do it monday to thursday and rest for 3 days or is there a better way?
4- When I’m doing standing shoulder presses I tend to have some trouble maintaining my posture and straight back. What would you suggest? Shoud I do abdominals exercises? Should I sit?
5- I have trouble maintaing balance while doing dumble squats. Can I do it with the bar/machine?
6- What is the best duration for a workout? I read that after 1 hour the muscles start to catabolize. Is it true?
7- How much should I rest between exercises?
Henrique,
1. Tempo isn’t that important and the weight you use will dictate the tempo (for the most part)
2. Probably not, but if anything it might help (just my opinion).
3. Whatever fits for your schedule, I’d say 4 days in a row is probably not the best idea, but sometimes if your week just goes that way then it’s what you gotta do.
4. I don’t understand what you mean? can you explain more?
5. You need to learn proper squat form first. Don’t squat with dumbbells until you’ve got the motion perfected without any weight. You might need to get someone to teach you.
6. Not true, and there is no rule about duration.
7. The amount that is written on the workout program (if you’re following the Adonis Index program)
JB
Hey Brad, I’ve had a rocky road the past five years. I had a traumatic brain injury in 2004 and wasn’t expected to live for three days! I had to learn how to do everything all over again, i.e. walk, talk, eat, sleep, even breathe! I have what is known as “drop foot” on my left. My balance is not very good. My question is, can you think of any exercises that will benefit my lower leg, specifically my calf. I would really like to prevent my leg from hyperextending and I know that I can do that if I get my calf strength back. Thankyou very much for your website, I have started eating healthy and losing my ugly belly fat.
Brian
Man, congrats on the awesome recovery.
The only thing I can think of would be seated calf raises but even I’m not comfortable recommending them sight unseen…
My advice.
Talk to a physical therapist about it and go with that.
B
my primary question is how many calories does the adverage persone burn strength traning vs traning cardio or is there even a defenent number or an easy way to discover the # of calories burned in a workout.
I know you guys touched in this before. Anyways thanks.
D Monk,
It’s hard to say because each workout is so different…I will say that most people overestimate it and its a good bet it’s not as many as you think.
JB
I would like help in some areas. I am 28, 6 ft 6 in and 200 pounds (give or take) with a waist of 35.4″ and between 12-15% fat. Even though I think my numbers are not that bad (I guess), my body composition is a disaster. At least for me. I used to be leaner and now I have my waist expanded (love handles which I didnt have, at least like this). My ideal body type is not the one of a bodybuilder, but more of a sprinter (Powell, Bolt) or Terrell Owens (they are not huge, but with nice musculature; I dont look to bulk, rather than tone and define)
I would like to know a few things: how many calories would I need to eat, in order to lose some fat (my ideal is 10% fat or as low as 8% but no less than that); how do I build some muscle (I dont care if much, I think, as you do, that you dont need great amounts but in the right places) and to become as strong as I can get. This are general gidelines of what I look for me.
Nutrition: how do I alter hormones like insulin, glucagon, cortisol and leptin, in order to lose weight properly?
Muscle building while losing fat: is it really possible? Should I train for strength while losing fat in order to stimulate type II muscle fibers and not become thin and amorphic?
Here is the catch, I had a shoulder surgery in the past and never regained the strength despite assisting to kinesiology (the thing is there are some exercises i cannot perform, without a lot of pain).
Thanks
FCA,
You’ve got to eat below your RMR to burn body fat. Forget about manipulating hormones with your food…that is out of your control. As for muscle building, a 3-4 times per week program that covers the whole body will be sufficient, and just work around the exercises that are causing you pain.
JB
Thank you John. I will try all this and hope after the 12 weeks in the adonis system I get the looks I want.
One question: I have three “trouble” areas: my back, triceps and shoulders. Should I do something specific for them or just by doing the program I would be able to gain strength and size in those areas as well?
What should I do after completing the 12 weeks program? Should I repeat indefinetely the same 4 week modules?
Thanks for everything
Hey guys. What are your guys thoughts about so called “stubborn fat”? Usually described as lower abdomen and chest fat on men. Is there certain fat that is resistant to caloric restriction?…or is it simply the fat in question just happens to be last to go? Thanks for you info, I’ve pretty much stopped reading all other blogs!
Z
Hey John,
The Adonis programs seem to have a high volume of sets per workout. Would you take the first set of an exercise to failure? If so, the following sets would end up using lighter weights due to fatigue?
Brad Pilon talks about trying to minimize the amount of work required in the gym, would you consider lowering the number of sets per exercise?
Are you able to design a 3 day program rather than 4 days?
Ty,
The idea of progress is to do more, not less. Cutting back to 3 days per week would make it really difficult to get enough work done each week.
JB
John, would two upper body workouts and two lower body workouts per week be sufficient, or does one need to hit a particular body part more often than twice per week?
Hey,
I’m 21, 5ft 10, 172 lbs and my ultimate goal is to get down to 6% body fat for the summer. I’m currently 12.5% and I’ve set sub-goals for myself to reach 10% then 8% and finally 6%. My training schedule is as follows: I go to the gym 3 times a week training 3 seperate body parts each time doing 5 sets of about 5-8 reps for 3 different exercises for each body part if that makes sense ha, so basically I’m doing 15 sets for each body part. After that I will do some HIIT outside for about 15 mins then finally after that I will do 20-30 mins steady-state on the bike. I’m in the British army so we obviously have mandatory PT 3 times a week as well, which consists of many different activities but mainly running and circuits. We have this on the days I’m not at the gym. I’m also following eat stop eat fasting for 24 hours twice a week on the days I’m not at the gym (normally Tuesdays and Thursdays). I’ve been following this for 3 weeks now and I’ve gone from 13% to12.5% nothing special I know. I was just wondering what u think of this and if I’m on the right track to achieving my goals.
Lewis,
Yes looks good to me.
JB
Want to have a 5k time of 20 mins but I also want to be close to my AI indexs as possible. Dont want to look like those kenyans in the marathons.
How often should i go to the gym?
should I cardio seeing that I run three times a week?
Is it ok to work a body part more than once for the week if there’s a three day difference?
Zico,
I would say to use the Adonis Index program.
JB
Need to add that Im 6ft 2. currently 197lbs. Shoulders are 47 with a 33inch waist. think that my ideal weight would be 190lb
Hey Brad,
your probably hearing this a lot, but seriously… thank you so freaking much for your insight and honest approach to nutrition! its taken A LOT of stress away from my life!
I just want to ask how can you accurately determine how much calories your body needs a day and how much your body burns just with your BMR? How are you sure that is the correct BMR and caloric need?
Thank you again Brad,
your friend, supporter and fan!
Grace
Grace,
We can never be sure our exact BMR or the exact amount of calories in all the foods we eat…So…I suggest you go online and find 4-5 bmr calculators and estimate your bmr then take the average…then from there assume that is slightly too high…then from there assume the calorie counts are too low in all of the foods you are eating.
Hedging your bet this way will be the simplest way to err on the side of less calories than more.
JB
Great job with the site you guys!! I have 2 questions to ask:
1) What’s the best way to prevent/ stop water retention to achieve a shredded look?
2) What’s the most effective way to burn extra calories to create a greater caloric deficit?
Miguel,
1. Fast for 24 hours
2. Eat less than you’re currently eating
JB
Hey John,
I tend to easily get really sore from lifting weights. After being sick, I took a break from lifting for almost two months and started again last Monday. After doing curls, even today I still cannot straighten my arms all the way out in from of me though they’ve gotten better after being the worst on Wed. I didn’t even lift that heavy. I also get really sore when I do squats.
What can I do to help prevent it? Warm up more? I’ve read creatine helps with recovery, would that help?
Thanks
Tim,
The more consistent you are with your training the less sore you will get. This is a normal reaction.
JB
Hey Guys, i’ve just started loading creatine (20mgx5 days) for the first time. So far after 7 days (now 5g a day)I’ve added almost 7lb on bodyweight and i’m now nudging 13stone @ 6ft1… My question is, I know that creatine causes superhydration of cell, but I also read somewhere that a study has shown that such cell volumisation may also trigger protein synthesis… Is this true?
Jo,
Yeah there is some information suggesting that, but it’s not clear exactly how it works yet.
JB
Should I drink anything during the fast? Thanks a lot by the way.
Miguel,
Water, tea, coffee and diet soft drinks are all acceptable.
JB
my question is: Does the AI workout program include exercises for obtaining the IDEAL waist???…i am talking about the BUILD program
Ronix,
There is no muscle building specifically to ‘build’ a waist. All of the work done in the gym will be working on core muscles so there is no need to focus specifically on that area.
JB
how do i get bigger rounder and denser bicep peaks?
my shoulder are pretty stubborn when it comes to gaining mass, what can i do to overcome this??
my abs are pretty hard when flexed , but they’re small, diagonally that is. is there any way to increase their size?
i usually lift heavy, and iv tried HIIT but it hasnt proved very effective for me, i still have a layer of fat above my abs and dont have the definition i want. my diet consists of a lot of chicken breasts, rice ,sometimes bread, 3/4 a liter of milk a day, around 2 liters of water etc. what should i do ?
i was considering taking creatine for a month, would it be okay for someone in my position who wants bigger arms,shoulder and an upperchest but an overall more defined physique?
my current stats are 32.5 waist, 47 around the shoulders, 42.5 around the chest – measuring tape over the nipples, 15.3 inch bicep.
Thankyou in advance for your help.
sorry i forgot to mention, im 18 and 6′0
Eat less than you’re eating now if you want to drop fat.
How heavy are you lifting for shoulders? What exercises and reps?
Creatine is fine.
Muscle shape is largely determined by genetics.
B
i just got off the athlean x dwight howards shoulder routine,
yeah but isnt there a way to influence the prominence of the muscle, everyone goes on about using concentration curls for a rounder peak
right now my shoulder workout is 3 sets each of these
the pushups are to failure and apart from the military press the others have decreasing reps from 12 down to 8 with the weight increments
handstand pushups
military press 3 sets x 15 reps with 20kg dumbbells
behind the neck barbell press 3 sets going from 20 to 40 kg
reverse grip EZ bar front raise 3 sets going 20 to 30 kg
lat raises 3 sets going from 10kg dumbbells to 16kg ones
rear deltoids cable extension 3 sets 10 kg going to 15 each side
#1 Who’s everyone and if it were true, it would have already worked for you and you wouldn’t be asking
#2 Are you increasing the weights you lift each week? If not, then change that.
Hey guys,
I’m 5′11” weighting 170lbs, about 13%bf, and ectomorph. For about 3 years I’ve been using the bycicle to go to college and since it’s uphill and I’m always in a hurry, I’ve done this high intensity 20min long “leg workout” everyday, and it led to gaining lots of muscle size in the legs (tight meas. 23”). Problem is, the upper body didn’t follow (biceps are now 13”)… which do you think is the best strategy to gain muscle in the upper body and achieve the AI index while keeping the lower at it’s current size? Would a similar approach as the “leg workout” work for arms and shoulders?
Another question is, what would you say is the ideal daily water intake for muscle building? Thanks in advance!
Best strategy?
Use our systems.
Other than that, lift heavy.
Water? Drink ’til your pee is clear.
B
Hi,
A few questions, a bit different from the rest on here. Being less than well endowed in the brains department, I snapped my Humerus in a drunken arm wrestling match, nice! my question revolves around how I can limit the damage to my overall fitness and shape whilst obviously being unable to workout. Is it still advisable to fast? would this make my already shrunken arm worse? is it a good idea to focus on cardio(bike) or any kind of diet whilst my body is repairing? Should I just resign myself to the fact that my body will be a lot smaller on that side for a long time and work on bringing it back into symmetry when given the all clear?
Hope you can help, very confused.
I’ve broken arms and you’ll be amazed at how fast it all comes back… 30 days tops.
I always just did the same things I did before minus the obvious stuff I couldn’t do due to the broken arm.
Overall, just chill and wait until you heal up. No need to kill yourself will injured.
B
Brad,
I am kind of confused at the moment. I had a very rigorous phase of intermittent fasting where I went on alternate day fasts continuously over a period of 2 months or so. Maybe more than that. And I went on seriously low cal for most part over the weeks. Now I am thin, low body fat of 8% no doubt, but I look THIN, THIN as in like those withered FTV Male Models you see sometimes. Now I am concentrating on gaining muscle and at the same time I have loosened up my diet, I have a Burger Kind every alternate day. I am now scared I will gain all that weight back.
My question. When we do intermittent fasting, how loose can we go on our food/diet and when we say weight gain happens OVER A COURSE of time, how long is that course of time? Just today, its 5PM now, I must have had like 2500 calories and am planning on having a beer and some chicken wings tonite. Rest of the week it will be clean though. Please remove my confusion, how can I gain muscle without increasing the BFL from this point on.
My friends go crazy when they see I eat those Burger King burgers and still look thin, they just me on those alternate non fast days. This is crazy, I am scared/confused/also enjoying my low bfl and easy diet BUT I want some muscle weight!
I am 183cm and 65kg!
Aditya,
How old are you and how long have you been weight training?
JB
I am 25 and I have been weight training for around a year and half now, on and off, but that was not serious, like I would be very irregular and lifting light weights not caring much about the form.
Serious heavy lifting stuff has been since the last 2/3 months. I am taking care of the form and stressing on heavy weights and low reps.
Thanks
This is easy.
Do a search from BMR calculator and get an idea of what your rough weekly base calories should be (just multiply by 7 to get weekly)
For me it’s 1950 kcal per day x 7 = 13650
Then, maybe add 500 calories for everyday you workout on average (so if you workout 4 days a week for an hour, add 2000 kcal)
13650 + 2000 = 15650
Divide these calories however you want over the week.
At the end of the week, measure your waist.
If it went up, then you’re too high… adjust downward
Repeat
B
p.s. This calculation is for maintenance, not dropping body fat. To drop, base calories off of
BMR (RMR)
Two questions:
1) I am able to control my body fat quite sufficiently by regulating my calorie intake. Given that, is there any point/benefit in doing cardio?
2) At 5′7″, I’m down to ~15% body fat and 32 inch waist. If I take the remaining 2 inches off, my face will look gaunt. Is there any way around this? I suspect not but curious what you think.
Thanks guys. Great bog. Peace.
1. From an AI perspective… no. From a “health” perspective (ie cardiovascular health), if you’re lifting heavy using AI style systems, this may handle this as well (we’re researching)
2. lol… don’t think so
B
Hey
I’ve been working out for about 2 years now, always been kind of active.. Anyway I’m not getting the results I want to. I get stronger, and I am stronger than most people in the gym, but when I stand next to just about any guy who does the same execises as me using the same weights I can’t but help feel working out is useless.
I get stronger but my muscles doesn’t grow that much in comparsion to others. Is there anything I can do to maximize growth and not strength?
// Thanks in advance, Chris
The both go hand in hand for the most part.
What lifts are you comparing yourself to other with?
Also, muscle “size” can appear bigger with higher body fat. You may just be leaner than the other guy.
B
Thanks John!!
Hey guys,
Thanks for the advice you have giving, it really has helped me to gain more muscle and definition the right way and I have a few questions for you.
What do you think is a good post-workout drink/food? I usually have 1 or 2 peanut butter (protein) and honey (carbs) sandwiches along with a glass of creatine if I have any.
Also, I tend to lose bodyfat easily so usually all I have to do is fast about once a week and tend to keep the same BF % (10%), but if I wanted to get about 8% or less should I do a few bodyweight circuits a week (I don’t do any cardio ATM).
One more thing. What do you think about taking off from working out one week every 6 weeks or so in order to recover?
Thanks!
-Michael H
It all sounds fine.
Skip cardio, keep increasing the amount you lift, and add in another fast (to 2/week)
Why add in cardio when you’ve seen how effective you can be with just caloric (diet) manipulation?
B
Hi,
I’m trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating each day.
I’m 31, 5′7″ and weigh 195lbs with 20% body fat.
I just used 3 different calculators and 2 of them said 1959 calories/day. The third one said 3330/day. I’m new to BMR so I’m still trying to understand it fully.
Basically I’ve been eating between 1200-1500 calories/day. Sometimes as low as 1000 (but I’ve read that any lower than 1200/day isn’t good.)
If I’m trying to lose between 1-2 lbs/week, what should be my caloric intake each day to achieve this result? My ultimate goal is to obliterate my love handles.
Thanks!
Dan
Go with the 1950 one.
1 pound – 3500 kcal deficit
2 pound – 7000 kcal deficit
Do the math for yourself and get cranking
B
two questions: How low does my weight have to be to really get the flat washboard stomach? I got the 6-pack, but still have a little pudge, that chunk of fat, that seems impossible to get rid of, at the belly button. most people would guess me at the most 10% at the least 6% body fat. I am 6′ 2″ and weigh about 175 to 178. currently measure 32in waist, and 50in shoulders. The other question is do you lose strength the less you weigh? I remember when back last summer I weighed 215-220lbs and could easily lift 225 on bench for 7-8 reps at a pretty quick rate, but now I slowed it down a bit(time under tension) but I cant do more than 4 reps and I think I lost near 20lbs on max. I thought time under tension and slowing it down would gain strength, not lose it! My deadlifts are great, twice my body weight max, but the upper body seems lacking, could it be from being to lean? I dont care that much about how much I can bench, but I just dont want to look skinny while being this lean.
Why don’t you just lift like you did last summer and see what happens?
It also could be the fact that you were using momentum to lift then as well.
I’m 6′0″ and approaching what you weigh and I lift more at this weight than I did at 215
B
Hi,
I have a question about chest training. i feel like i´ve been trying every singel way to get bigger and stronger chest muscles, but nothing works… so what’s the best way to build bigger pecs?
Heavy chest presses.
What type of exercises, weights, and reps schemes are you using?
B
Hi,
I’m 6′0 and 154lbs. My AI score is about 1.53 and my Waist measurement is 32 and Shoulders are 46.45. I’m in know about 4 Months and I did improve my Shoulders and overall Muscles in the First 2 Months(I did train before), but since January I don’t make any Progress at all. I feel like beeing stuck at my Training Progress. I can’t lift much more weight as back in December. I can’t do as many reps or as heavy weights then I did. My Energy during Workout feels like less, so the will is there to lift, but I don’t get any more reps than I did in the first 2 months.
Nutrition:
I’m eating 1000kcal/day, so I’m about in a 800kcal deficit/day. This Ends up in a deficit of 4700kcal/Week(4×800kcal deficit, 2x 1800kcal, 1x ESE).
My BIG Question would be about juvenal Muscle Growth and how it’s related to Muscle Growth and Eating Habits(How much to Eat)???
Questions:
1. What should I do(Training related)?
2. Is there a relationship between the weights I can lift in the Gym and Eating less, while beeing in the Juvenal (Muscle =)) Growth?
3. What would be my ideal Weight?
Thanks!
Gino
You’re at your ideal weight for your height and yes, you will have less energy when you eat lower, so you’ll lift less.
Go to 2000 kcal (2500 if you still want to do a fast during the week) and see what happens.
Your AI (based on your numbers above) is a 1.45 not 1.53 as well (46.45/32 = 1.45)
Just do the AI System with these tweaks and you’ll be fine.
B
Ideal Weight is 154lbs(72inches height), not more???
And if i want to drop bodyfat, eating 2000 calories isn’t it contra productif?
By the way my waist is 30inches(my fault)
thx!
Gino
Gino,
At 72 inches with a 30 inch waist, how much bodyfat do you want to lose? You can’t have much on you at that waist size.
As far as AI is concerned, your challenge is expanding your shoulders.
Are we missing something?
B
I know that a 30′ waist is very low, but I want to get visible abs and actually I don’t know how much or less bodyfat i have, so could it Could it be that I’m limited genetically to see my abs?(If I pinch at my stomach part 1cm remains in my fingers)
Actually I don’t want to shrink my waist more than it is right now.
By the way, my legs are small and either im near the ai, so I will train on my legs more(twice/week) than my upper body(1x).
Makes sense?
Did I do something wrong?
What should I do?
Hey guys,
I am 18 and 182 lbs 5ft 10. My bodyfat when tested about 3 weeks ago was 10.6%. I have been under 8% before but want to get to about 6%. I know all the different diet tricks and workout things I need to be doing but I tend to get ahead of myself and expect better results faster. What is a reasonable amount of time I would be able to drop fro 10 to 6% bodyfat?
1 to 2 lbs per week depending on how aggressive the diet. (so 5-10 weeks)
B
1) John, you wrote: “You’ve got to eat below your RMR to burn body fat.” So this doesn’t include calories burned during the day? For example, someone’s BMR (RMR? Are they the same thing?) is 2000, but he burns another 500 calories, for 2500 total calories. If he ate 2000 calories, would that be a 500 calorie reduction? I know eating less is better than moving more, but I’m still curious about the numbers.
2) During calorie restriction, have you noticed anything like irritability, difficulty sleeping, moodiness, lethargy, etc., in yourself or other dieters? I want to be aware of any negative side effects before they happen, for when I finally cut my calories dramatically. lol.
3) I think I know the answer to this, but I’ll ask it anyway. If I create consistent calorie deficits for several months, there’s absolutely no possibility that something like leptin, set point, etc., will slow down weight loss? I know you don’t believe in “slow metabolism,” but like I said, I’ll ask anyway, once and for all.
1. If you could track it accurately, yes, the numbers work.
Easier just to use BMR or RMR as a baseline. Less headache and you’ve already given yourself a “head start”
2. More during the first couple of days for me, then it goes away. Nothing to be concerned with.
3. If this we’re the case, anorexia would not exist.
Excellent! Thank you.
Adonis Lifestyle Dudes,
I’m 5′11 currently 150lbs looking to gain 30lbs. I’ve read that one of the quickest ways of gaining weight is through the GOMAD diet (gallon of [whole]milk a day). I was hoping you guys could give me your thoughts on this. It would be an extra 2000 calories and 50-100g of protein depending on the milk. It is also quick digesting. Looks pretty good on the outside, but is drinking so much milk lets say for 4 weeks good for you?
Tom…you should check out the AI Guy’s great podcasts on “Gaining Weight vs. Gaining Muscle” and “Can You Eat Your Way To Bigger Muscle”. It will first address the fallacy of trying to gain an arbitrary number of weight (30lbs in your case). Also they discuss why eating large excess calories are not going to lead to muscle gain. If that was true, obese people would be very muscular.
Test it out.
My vote: You get fatter. (unless you’re severely undereating by 1000 calories per day now).
Here’s what to test:
1. Measure your shoulders/waist/bodyfat now.
2. Follow that plan for 30 days. Measure your shoulders/waist/bodyfat then.
3. If waist/bodyfat has increased, lower calories to decrease bodyfat back to previous level.
4. Remeasure.
5. Report results.
B
Hey
I’m 17 (almost 18) years old, and Ive been struggling with getting definition. I have a 33 inch waist, and a large upper body all around (my bench is 350) but putting on muscle isn’t hard for me, genetically. I watch my diet somewhat (barely any soda…lay off the sugars and sweets…small but frequent meals) and I’m on the swim team, so I’m swimming everyday except the weekends. Oh and I’m 6′3 and 200 lbs. I workout at least 3 days a week and sometimes 4…and I cant seem to shed off the fat that covers my muscular definition. Any advice or tips? Things I’m doing wrong? Does it have to do with my age? Give me all the input you can, thank you!
All of your numbers sound spot on to me.
Define “definition”.
Is it that your abs aren’t “cut”?
B
Abs..arms…lats…etc. Just full body cut I guess. I mean swimming really helps with getting wider shoulders and smaller waist but not so much getting cut. Oh and i did some measurements. My arms are 15.5 inches and my shoulders are 52. I don’t know if that helps?
any ideas on the shedding off the last 10 lbs of fat? without loosing muscle or loosing energy?
Hey guys,
First of all everything that you have told me about bobybuilding is 100%true so thanks a lot
I am 16 years old nearly 6ft tall and weigh 160lbs with a waist size of 34 and shoulder size 38. I have decent broad shoulders but i look kind of short. I play tennis and I used to work out 3 times a week but I stopped for this month as the college gym was closed due to exams. I want to add more muscle to my frame and arms and lose fat but still look tall. Is there anything wrong with my workout or eating habits? Please advise me.
Dhruv
What’s your workout routine?
B
day 1 legs
day 2 chest,shoulders and triceps
day 3 biceps and forearms
I train abs on all three days and thanks to your methods Ireduced waist size from 36 to 34 and my abs are slightly visible now. My arms are 15 inches when flexed but I feel they are not really that strong
Doesn’t look bad.
If it’s working, why change it?
B
If Im 18 years old, 6ft tall, 174 pounds. Does this give me the liberty to eat more than other guys since im still young? Because my BMR is 1950 but that means i would have to eat 1400 calories to lose 1 pound a week which seems extremely low for a guy my age? Are people around my age in general able to eat more than other older guys?
Interesting question but likely irrelevant to your goal.
Fact is, you can eat whatever and however much you want… but you may not get to your goal.
Keep it simple.
Measure your waist. Are you where you where you want to be?
Yes… then your intake is likely okay.
If not, eat less and measure your waist again.
B
Ya thanks, cause sometimes I eat a ton of food for multiple days in a row and look exactly the same
Sure… it likely means that OVER TIME, you’re eating at maintenance.
So, now you know what to do if you want to change it.
B
I did not get no reply
Hey John and Brad,
What advice do you have for plateaus? I’ve been stuck at 202lbs for the longest now. My first goal is to weigh 185lbs. And then see how my body looks afterwards. I would love a six pack or a really flat belly at least. I’m 25, 6′1″, with 22% body fat. I currently don’t have access to a gym right now. I’ve only been able to do bodyweight exercises for the pass 4 months. And with diet, what types of food should I stay away from and what should I eat more?
Thanks in advance.
You should eat LESS.
Use diet to control waist
Exercise to control shoulders/muscle
Do you measure your waist relaxed or “sucked in?
I flex my abs to give me a better idea of a baseline. But that’s me.
I wouldn’t “suck in” though.
I think Barban just picks his arms up over his head to measure.
I measured relaxed and standing with good posture.
Hi Guys
I am 5ft 11ins 220lbs, 55yo and 20.2% body fat. I aim to get to 180lbs. Low carb diet works well for me(even lowers my cholesterol level). I also try to fast every third day and am reasonably successful. I do interval training on the rower and am increasing weight training. Two questions firstly does the weight loss of 40 lbs equate to a % body fat of 10% approx based on my stats or am I doing somthing wrong? Secondly Though I have always had a reasonably strong upper body I find chin ups and push ups pretty difficult and fail quickly. Any suggestions?
40 lbs should get you near your ideal waist and ideal waist (by my hypothesis) corresponds to a bodyfat % around 10% (ish)
Want to do chins and push ups better?
Do more chins and pushups.
(Remember, every exercise is different and strength gains don’t necessarily translate evenly to different motions, even though you think you’re using the same muscles)
B
I have two more questions for you guys that came out to me while listening to the radio about a pill that supposedly increses your testosterone level.
1) Is there any way to increase testosterone naturally?
2) If so, what is/are the benefit(s) in doing so?
Thanks once again!!
Yep…
Lift heavy.
Get in fights or compete
B
Thanks for the swift reply guys. You have totally helped me understand the things I’ve been doing wrong in order to get my body fat levels lowered ( like killing myself with Cardio ). So thanks for all your help and for creating this site
Hey guys, So here is my thing I’m 36 yrs old, exercise at least 3-4 time s a week, I focus both on weights and cardio.Id say I spend at least an hour and a fifteen minutes for each workout splitting it between weights and cardio. (45 minutes weights – 30 minutes cardio)
Diet wise Ive cleaned up by eating a lot more fruits,veggies, and lean meats. I Stopped all the junk and fried foods.
I’m naturally husky and broad shouldered, Ive always had a wide body and been a bit on the on the chubby side.
Im satisfied with the overall shape of my body, big shoulders, big arms, toned legs however
I tend to carry a lot of chest fat and a turtle shell belly to match lol
Whats the best way to flatten out the turtle shell belly and lose the chest/belly fat?
Eat less
I know, sounds simplistic, but that’s all John and I have done.
B
Hi,
As for the calorie in vs. calorie out idea, what role does the net balance of fat storing hormones( insulin, estrogen) to fat burning hormones (glucagon, thyroid hormone, and GH) play in fat loss? We have trouble burning fat in the presence of high insulin, hence the “skinny fat” look of diabetics. It seems a person eating a nutrient dense diet of pasture fed animal products, nuts, seeds and their oils and plenty of veggies (particularly the liver friendly cruciferous type for their role in estrogen metabolism, thyroid hormone conversion and carb metabolism) could achieve fat burning at a significantly higher caloric intake some someone eating an insulin promoting nutrient depleted diet high in processed carbohydrates and pro-inflammatory fats.
Why make it so complicated?
With hormones, because they are all interconnected, picking and choosing certain ones because they are “correlated” with fat loss just drags along the web of all the other hormones that your choices also influence.
The answer isn’t to figure out every single way you can pack in more calories throughout the day… that’s minutia.
The answer is to figure out the best way for you to eat less than maintenance with your lifestyle.
And lift heavy.
B
If one only cares about a waistline then I don’t suppose it matters. After all, crack and heroin addicts usually never have a weight issue. If health is a priority I’d say it matters. Insulin and insulin resistance are contributing factors to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Estrogen is also linked to cancer, especially the prostate. Food has a powerful effect on the body. So why not eat in a way to optimize the hormones. Secondly when eating less than 1000 kcal/day it’s going to be difficult to get even the RDA of vits and mins unless one is eating nutrient dense foods. I’m all for keeping it simple but the quality of food is more important than the quantity, within reasonable caloric limits.
i’ll defer to brad/john for a more substantive reply, i was just reading your posts and trying to figure out what exactly is your point.
it seems you are saying that if someone eats just the right kinds and/or balances of foods they can actually consume more calories and still lose weight than they could by eating otherwise.
i’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you are not arguing that this is the only way to lose weight and maintain ‘healthy’ fat loss (although it seems like you are definitely implying that it is the best way), but first i am just curious if you have any clinical research or support for this. IF (notice the big “if” there) there are such differences i would imagine they would be relatively small – i mean, how much of a metabolic difference could there be between X amount of calories from a muffin and the same amount of calories from almonds?
there may be a difference in feelings of satiety from our food choices, but are you going to be able to eat more “quality” calories than you are burning and still lose weight? if so, then i think you have found the equivalent of a perpetual motion machine and should cash in on it (seriously).
at any rate, it should be easy enough to prove or disprove your theory: just do it and track your progress with weights, measurements, and health indicators. if you are correct and you can eat more than you burn to lose fat, you will have the results to prove it. otherwise, i agree with brad about why make it more complicated than you need to? but then again, if you like those specific kinds of food and the lifestyle that goes along with focusing so much on them, then i would also say there is nothing wrong with that either. i would say its ultimately more about quality of life than quality of food, so as long as our food choices enhance our lives, then what else could be better (i just remembered this is how john and brad p. concluded their last phi-life podcast, with birthday cake being the ‘healthiest’ food we can eat)?
I don’t have clinical research nor have the desire to dig for it. All I have is the theoretical understanding that the food we eat triggers hormonal responses. Just because you eat a calorie doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to be used as fuel. Eating refined carbs triggers a big insulin response which tells the body to store those calories as fat for a rainy day, as well as storing other nutrients. This served us well when we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from. I also know that there is research indicating that lower insulin levels are a marker of longevity. I haven’t worked much with food intake and weight loss but have seen people drop inches without changing their diet when they used supplements to balance their glandular system. Nor am I suggesting that one can eat unlimited quantity of quality food and burn them all. But 200 kcal worth of broccoli is going to provide nutrients necessary to oxidize food for energy and be more filling and have lower insulin response than 100 kcal of potato chips. So I’m asking the guys who seem to have poured through the research if what I understand in the theoretical realm is demonstrated in the real world. Weston Price found people eating their traditional diets of non processed food had better bone and teeth structure and less disease than their neighbors eating processed food and this was in the ’30’s, cleary documented but not clinical. Francis Pottenger did extensive studies with cats and found disease and genetic defects in animals fed cooked and processed foods. I guess it does go back to implied goals and if the only goals are the perfect AI measurement then fine but seems most folks interested in build are also interested in health and longevity
Oh… and from a longevity standpoint, the overriding answer is less stress and a close knit social network.
… and less food.
Waistline is the first indicator of everything you’re concerned about.
So, doing what you can to get your waist under 50% of your height is the first goal for most people.
And yes, the OVERCONSUMPTION of food has a powerful effect.
I guess the main mindbender is this:
“If you’re eating ‘heathly’, all organic, plenty of fruits and vegetables, nutrient dense… but you’re still overeating…
… is this still considered eating ‘healthy’ when all of the ‘health markers’ you are displaying (blood pressure, etc) say otherwise because you’re overweight.”
That is the frame work we work within here
B
Thanks Brad,
I’m probably interested in too much theoretical for this arena. I have no disagreement about overeating, whether healthy food or junk food. And agree that we should look at health markers such as BP, FBS, fasting insulin, inflammatory markers, etc. I guess what I was getting at is that empty calories and hormone levels trigger the desire to overeat and limit the ability to tap into fat stores. Again I haven’t looked at double blind studies, just trying to apply my understanding to it. Higher quality food would provide both satiety and better hormone balance. And your marketing niche is not health but build, though the two could easily be coupled. Thanks for humoring me.
not sure if you’ll check back to read this, but if you are interested in the science side of things you should really read brad pilon’s Eat Stop Eat e-book. he explains the biological and metabolic processes quite well with extensive clinical research support, and i would say that fasting in and of itself accomplishes most of what you are concerned with, like insulin/glucagon levels and other hormone balances.
It’s not that the 2 CAN be easily coupled… it’s that they ARE coupled.
A good looking body is a healthy body (unless we’re talking ‘roids).
As far as theory goes, you would have to define a lot:
- what is “higher quality food” … at this stage, the definition depends solely on who you ask and what they are trying to sell.
- what is “better hormone balance”
- here’s a good question for you to research, is it the simple consumption of “empty calories” that causes the phenomena you’re trying to prevent, or is it the OVERconsumption of said calories that does it.
In other words, if I ate McDonalds everyday… at maintenance levels (which no one ever does), would THAT cause your hormone stuff as well.
Or is it that the overconsumption (from a total calorie standpoint) is the real problem.
You have to answer that question first to see if the “high quality” food aspect has merit.
Do you see where I am going with this?
In other words, find a study where “in shape” people with low bodyfat levels eat the same number of calories overall, one from “high quality”, one from “low quality” and see what the hormones and health markers end up like.
Then, go from there.
B
Brad,
I am wanting to lean up and basically be shredded for this summer. I have gone from a little over 200lbs down to 174lbs just with doing cardio and using the EatStopEat method. I can see some better muscle definition now but it is nowhere I want it to be at. I still have some fat around the chest area and the midsection. I know its the last places for it to some off and it will just take time. So with me wanting to get lean I know I have to lift weights to get there and to get more definition. Should it be lifting heavier weights to get bigger or should I be lifting light wieghts with more reps? Is there anything that I need to be doing different to get there?
Thanks
Lift heavier.
Use diet to manipulate fat.
Kill most cardio other than walking for health.
B
Hey guys,good stuff.
I’m 30 years old,5′5 tall and about 150 pounds.Ive been trying to cut down my BF% but keep doing the yo-yo thing(drop 10 pounds gain 10 pounds)and it’s making me nuts.Here are my questions.
1)According to most BMR calculators on the net,I’m at around the 1500 range.Does that sound right?
2)If my BMR is 1500,does that mean I have to eat around 500 -700 calories a day in order to create a nice caloric deficit?That sounds crazy low.
3)If I have days were I don’t eat anything until dinner,could that slow down or kill my metabolism?
4)Whats your take on the whole starvation mode/eating every 4-5 hours thing anyhow?
5)On one of your podcasts you guys were talking about how little you actually ate daily.Could you expand on that and maybe post some sample menu’s of what and how much you actually eat per day?I know that might sound silly but I think most people totally underestimate cal/portion sizes so it might be good to see exactly how much food were talking here.
Thanks
All the calculators I see say roughly 1600 for you.
Now, just take a week or 2 and eat at THIS level and see what happens.
(Maintain, gain, lose)
If you maintain, then you’ve found maintenance
If you lose, then your maintenance is higher, go up 250 a day and see what happens.
If you gain, then your maintenance is lower, go down 250 a day and remeasure.
There are some days I only eat 500-700 calories and I haven’t lost strength, etc.
There are days that I don’t eat until dinner as well, and I’m still losing.
Starvation mode in the realm of what you’re talking about doesn’t exist. Now, some of the people we need to help out in some of the poorer African countries, that’s a different story.
Some days, I just eat 2 cans of Chunky soup… about 440 calories, a salad (all greens) – maybe another 100 calories.
B
HI,
Say my BMR is 2000 calories. If I fast from say Monday night 6pm to Tuesday night 6pm, but on Tuesday night, I end up eating 2000 calories. Would this completely negate the effects of the 24 hour fast? I know I wont gain any weight, but will i lose any.
In general, yes… you’d stay at the same level.
The point of the fast is to resume eating like you NORMALLY would, not to save up your calories for one big meal.
So, if your normal dinner is a 700-800 kcal meal, then you just eat THAT meal.
Make sense?
B
Hey. Got more questions!
What about the amount of sleeping that is necessary?
Can you give some tips for naturaly maximizing my testosterone levels besides lifting heavy?
Personal questions:
What time in the day do you guys prefer to workout? Why?
You taught that creatine is the only proven suplement on market that helps muscle building. Do you guys take other suplements to help general “health” (like multivitamins) or to give a boost to workout (like caffeine)?
See below…
Necessary? Necessary for what? You need to go deeper with your question.
Necessary for building muscle, for fat loss?
Personally, and this is just experience, I do best with about 7… that seems to be my sweet spot for productivity, which is my main concern during the day and what I build my life around.
Your goal may be different, I’ve heard some bodybuilders trying to get in 10…
Sleep has general guidelines, but it’s really based solely on your preferences more than anything (from my LIMITED point of view on the subject, John may know more)
Naturally boosting test?
Do you have low levels of test? Most natural ways to raise test are based on bringing levels up into “high normal” or “normal” from low… not to go “super freak”.
Either way, you’re still in the normal range.
If you’re concerned, get it tested.
Workout times… typically mornings for me (or whenever I can fit in) and I know John and Pilon workout at night.
Why? That’s when it fits in our days. For me, I try to start of the day with a workout because it helps with my productivity (notice a theme).
Other than that, pick a time that lets you develop a streak and some consistency… that’s where the REAL magic begins.
I use caffeine (drink coffee, green tea sometimes, etc)
No multi’s, etc
After John and Pilon came back from the anti-aging conference and said that some of the research was pointing to the fact that anti-oxidants can become PRO-oxidants at higher or supersaturation levels, I just let vitamin supplements go.
But again, I’ve never really tested out deficient at anything either.
B
Thanks brad!
Just out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on isometric training? Pros and cons?
Hi,
I am 72″ tall at 8% body fat. My waist is 30″. According to the AI index my waist should be 32.4″, is this attainable? How do you add size to your waist?
Thanks.
Mike
Hey Brad,thanks for getting back to me,heres one more question for ya.
I seem to have a little problem with retaining water especially in my face and it really has a dramatic effect on the way I look.One day I’ll look great and the next day I’ll wake up looking like the frog man.
I keep my sodium levels and calories really low and drink 64-100 ounces of water a day but these tricks only seem to make it worst.In fact the more H2O I drink the more my face puffs out.My pee is always clear so I know I’m getting enough fluids…I think I’m just getting TOO MUCH fluids.BTW I’m also a big coffee drinker if that makes any difference.
Do you know of any good water cutting techniques besides obviously drinking much less water and hard diuretics?Are there natural ways to drop fluids and help the process along?Any info is much appreciated.
Thanks Brad
Hey guys,
Just a quick one: what are the best exercises for building abs? Currently I’m just holding a few different planks for 2 minutes each every day and fasting 2-3 times per week. I don’t do crunches etc as I’ve heard that they have little if any affect and that they even hinder your progress.
Also is it essential to eat after you have trained? Because I would prefer to eat at about 5pm and fast from then and train at 6 or 6.30. Currently I am training first then end up eating at 8.30-9pm and fasting from then.
Any help would be really appreciated!
Lewis.
Ok i have a question about ESE. When you finish a fast from say 6pm one day to 6pm the next and you eat a 600 calorie meal, where do those calories factor into? Do the 600 calories go into your next day allotment, or are they simply a neutral amount that dont count for either days?
I measure daily calories during the actual day they occur on, so from midnight to midnight.
So if you started a fast on Sunday at 6 until Monday at 6, that 600 cals goes on Monday.
B
Hi
Assuming that I am training hard enough to stimulate muscle growth how many extra calories above base would you require to build muscle?
Out of interest, is it possible to build muscle whilst dieting even if you are training hard enough to build extra muscle?
Best regards
Marek
Regarding Creatine:
Usually, I like to put creatine into my water bottle during the day, and drink it during the day. A friend told me “this would damadge the creatine”. Fact or fiction?
Hello again!
So I started to lower my calorie intake and started to lose size.
I’m 22 years old, 185cm and I went from 82kg to 77kg in 3 weeks just by eating less and fasting 1 time a week.
My dilema is that my bones are too thin so my waist is getting really small. I look between a ecto and mesomorth. My girlfriend says that I’m starting to look as a match stick.
So here are my questions:
1- Will my bones get any thicker when I get older?
2- How do you know the best look? Should I just look for the golden ration and forget how fat or thin I am? Match stick with abs or Normal muscle size but with a belly?
P.S.: Sorry I didn’t measure my waist and shoulder ratio.
Just want your ideas on this topic…
hi brad and barban! i have a question for you> you talk about the perfect shoulder to waist ratio (1.618). but what if a guy has that perfect shoulder to waist ratio according to his height, but has somewhat broad hips. since hip bones cannot be reduced,,, will that look attractive??? will that have the same social effect you guys are talking about?? please answer me.
Yep.
You’re good to go.
B
Hi there guys,
I first started training with weights in early 2009 after a particularly brutal breakup. The gym was my way of coping and at the same time build a new physique and confidence. In one year I went from a underweight 67 kgs up to my current 77.5 kgs. I work as a film actor in feature films and tv commercials and I’m starting to get into modeling. My physique could still be better. I originally did the whole 6 meals a day, complicated training until I found your program . I started the build program and have already started putting on weight but I was wondering when your next transformation contest is, because I feel it would give me the extra motivation to succeed , as physical appearance is an important part of my career. Thanks guys the info you provide is great
The next one starts March 1st… you’ll get an email on Thursday about it and the coaching calls that go with it.
B
Hey guys, got a few quick questions for ya. Whens the best time to take creatine…An hour before working out, after working out?? Is it alright to workout with sore muscles with the Adonis workout or is that detrimental. Last, what would be the best way to track the weights you use in the Adonis Index workout without having to write “everything down” i.e. exercises, sets, etc? Thanks a bunch guys
Brandon,
Does matter when you take your creatine (take it when you can remember)
You can workout through soreness to a degree, you’ll know if it’s too bad, but in general a little soreness is ok to work through.
Print out the workout pages and write down your weights next to the exercises as you do them.
JB
Regarding Creatine:
Usually, I like to put creatine into my water bottle during the day, and drink it during the day. A friend told me “this would damage the creatine”. Is it true that creatine is damaged by water?
Hey there, quick question.
How do I sign up for the upcoming Transformation Contest that starts on the 1st of March? I am an Adonis Index customer, I have the program and I’m real keen to be involved.
Kai – Bondi Beach – Sydney
Hi – sorry for this question – I did a search for “measuirng waist” and it did not return any results. My question is what is the correct way to accurately measure my waist? Around the belly button, if I pull the tape tight I can get 34? (I have read that fat doesn’t compress so this is a valid measurement), but if I just let my belly hang loose – I get 37.5?. I am 6?2? tall. Seems like if you just “don’t let it hang but don’t suck it in” is very subjective and you are going to get a different measurement every time, hence my confusion. How to get a good repeatable measurement?
Thank you in advance
hey guys love your work, in the adonis effect there are meal plans for 7 days of the week, but you also say muscle can be built using eat stop eat so which one should i follow?
Hey guys you mentioned not doing any cardio while on Adonis, but what about strengthening your heart, lungs and circulation? Is walking enough? What about the target heart rate?
Also I started hit the sauna after my workouts. Do you have any info if this is good or bad for my training?
Thanks,
L.