Screw building mass! Nothing trumps a well muscled physique with chiseled abs, pecs and an angular face. 

In this post I am going to share with you two awesome kinobody transformations! In both cases these men lost considerable body fat revealing insane muscle tone. Abs became permanently visible and jaw lines became chiseled.

Kinobody Transformation #1 – Maurice 

Duration – 12-14 weeks

Workout Routine - Kinobody Shredding Program

Diet - Kinobody Shredding Program

Maurice took his average built physique and completely transformed it in a matter of 3 months! His physique is completely shredded and his face resembles that of a male model now. Maurice was using my regime from my kinobody shredding program. He lowered his cals and carbs 4x per week to allow for steady fat loss and utilized strategic carb refeeds on his lifting days 3x per week. In addition he followed the intermittent fasting schedule to allow himself to eat bigger, more satisfying meals and thus make fat loss much more fun! Maurice also incorporated 2 interval training workouts per week. As well he added in some low intensity walking on his rest days to assist with fat loss.

To learn about the Kinobody Shredding Program –> http://www.kinobody.com/get-shredded/

The Interval Workout –> http://www.kinobody.com/1741/cardio-abs-workout/

Kinobody Transformation #2 – Cedric 

Duration – 8 weeks

Workout Routine - Hollywood Style Workout 

Diet – Kinobody Shredding Program 

Cedric took lean to a whole new level coaxing his body fat percentage down into single digit range using the shredding program principles. He is now as ripped as he could ever desire and is ready to slowly build more muscle and strength to further enhance his physique. Great work Cedric!

What you can take away from this? 

1. You can dramatically enhance your physique by cutting to a low body fat percentage in a short period of time (2-3 months). 

Most guys who lift already have a decent amount of muscle. Their problem isn’t that they need to build more muscle but rather it’s that they need to get rid of the fat covering up their muscle. By doing so you can completely transform your physique to the point where people can’t keep their eyes off you! On the other hand gaining muscle is a very long and slow process. You can drop 10-15 lbs of fat in 2-3 months but in the same time frame you’d be lucky to gain 5 lbs of muscle.

2. Diet is of Utmost Importance 

In both cases these guys were already lifting weights and doing some cardio! The reason they completely transformed their bodies is because they focused their attention where it counts -> their diets. They tracked their calories and macros (protein, fats, carbs) to ensure they were eating at a caloric deficit to lose fat while getting in enough protein to maintain muscle and maximize satiety. They were also cycling their calories/carbs to boost leptin levels and enhance training performance as outlined in the kinobody shredding program. This becomes more important the leaner you get.

3. There are no magic supplements 

As you can see I didn’t mention any supplements that these guys were taking. Why? Because supplements are completely overrated. Wanna know my favourite supplement? Hard work and consistency. Currently there are no pills that will increase your mental toughness to stick to a diet and force you to lift heavy weights. That all comes from within. Protein supplements completely suck on a diet because they do practically nothing to alleviate hunger. Your best bet is to chew your protein.

Final Comments 

Don’t put shredded abs up on a pedestal! It will take time but you can get there and when you do hit your body fat goal not much will change. The more you obsess about being insanely lean and ripped the more challenging it will be. Every time I hit a very low body fat percentage I didn’t even realize it. Stick to a diet, hit the weights, track progress and have patience. Go on with your life and keep your shredded quest in the background. If you make a mistake or cheat a bit forget about it and carryon.

Note

Currently have room for a couple more coaching clients. Learn more here –> http://www.kinobody.com/consultations/

Wanna learn my method for getting the lean and muscular physique? Check out my kinobody shredded program! For $20 you can learn what took me years!

I have been experimenting with a fat loss diet that has been so effective, pleasureful and simple that it would be a crime not to share it with you right away! This is a diet that has allowed me to consistently eat low calories without feeling deprived and thus get lean rather quickly. It has also freed up massive amounts of time cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. Since following this diet I have plenty of energy all throughout the day, laser like focus and I sleep like a baby at night. I would now like to run you through the diet program and how it works. Enjoy!

Intermittent Fasting 

On this diet you will eat all of your meals in a 6-8 hour eating window. This is best accomplished by going 5-6 hours upon waking before having your first meal. Your last meal should be around 2 hours before going to sleep. Example – Wake up at 10am. Meal 1 at 3-4pm. Meal 2 at 6-7pm. Meal 3 at 10pm.

By skipping a morning breakfast you force your body to break into it’s fat stores to fuel itself instead of burning food energy. In addition by pushing your first meal later into the day you can enjoy big, satisfying healthy meals while staying in a caloric deficit.

If you haven’t skipped breakfast before it may take some getting used to. After a few days of skipping breakfast your body will learn to thrive in the fasted state. You will stimulate the sympathetic system and feel effects such as alertness, laser like focus and a hunger blunting effect.

Coffee in the Fasted State 

Consuming 2-3 cups of coffee while fasting will accelerate your metabolism, reduce your appetite and make you feel good. In addition if you are going to be working out then the coffee will have a positive impact on your strength and stamina. The effects of coffee seem to last up to 6 hours so even if you train later in the day you should still get an extra kick from the morning coffee. In addition coffee is a rich source of anti oxidants and has been shown to have numerous health benefits.

Breaking the Fast

I recommend keeping the first two meals very healthy and modest in size. If you break your fast with a big meal you will shift your body out of the sympathetic mode and into the para sympathetic mode. This will shut off fat burning and make you tired. Definitely not ideal for the midday/afternoon. In addition a big meal during the day doesn’t seem to be very effective for limiting hunger (my own personal experience, could be different for you). Lastly cooking, eating and cleaning a large meal during the day is a hassle and is not very lifestyle friendly.

Your best bet is to eat just enough food to nourish your body and stave off hunger without overtaxing your digestive system. This will allow you to maximize energy and focus. I like to have a smallish meal of 300-400 calories. I opt for some quick/easy protein, fruit and some healthy fats.

Meals 1 & 2 Example:

1) Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese topped with berries and almonds.

2) Can of Tuna, Apple and 1tbs of olive oil

3) Chicken breast, Salad Greens, Apple and Half an Avocado

4) Omelette (2 whole eggs + 0.75-1 cup whites) and Berries

5) 40g whey protein mixed with 1 cup almond milk (unsweetend), 20g almonds and serving of fruit

Key Points 

As you can see all of the sample meals include a convenient source of protein, fruit and some health fats. This food combination is what I have personally found to be the most effective for staying satisfied on low calorie meals. The fruit is highly nutritious, easily digestible and is effective at replenishing liver glycogen. By increasing liver glycogen you will bring your body into an anabolic state and reduce hunger. I recommend including the fat source (nuts, olive oil or whole eggs). If you keep fat too low in these small meals you will get hungry again very quickly. I pretty much stick with Greek Yogurt (250g), Fruit and Nuts (25g) for these two meals. It’s quick, easy, doesn’t require cooking/preperation and tastes amazing. I will usually throw some cinnamon in too.

The Grand Feast

By this point you have fasted, consumed two small meals and thus have creating a very large calorie buffer. It is likely that you have only consumed 600-800 calories by this point. When on a fat loss plan I like to eat around 10 calories per pound of goal bodyweight per day. This level of calories has never failed me at getting lean even with the absence of cardio. Depending on what your goal weight is this may give you 600-1200 calories to play with. I generally keep this meal around 800-1000 calories in size. I recommend keeping this meal high in protein with moderate amounts of fat and carbs. If you are having a very lean source of protein (chicken) then you can use fats more sparingly (butter with potatoes or rice, coconut oil for cooking, cheese for topping). If you are going for a fattier cut of meat (beef, salmon) then I recommend staying away from any additional fats.

Sample Meals

1. Chicken Breast, Veggies, Brown Rice, Coconut Oil (add 1-3tsp to rice and 1tsp for cooking chicken)

2. Chicken Breast, Veggies, Potato Wedges (boil for 5 minutes and cook on skillet in 2-3 tsp of oil)

3. Steak, Veggies, Sweet Potato (add cinnamon)

Question & Answers 

1. Why have you included carbs in the main meal? I thought carbs make you fat? Carbs are only problematic when eaten excessively, beyond what your body requires. As long as you are eating low calories then carb intake will make very little difference in respect to fat loss. In other words two diets of equal calories with varying levels of carb intake will result in the same level of fat loss. If you are still unsure then you can read this brilliant article by Lyle Mcdonald, Low Carbohydrate Diets Have No Metabolic Advantage. In addition carbs in the main meal serve very important functions such as increasing leptin (improved satiety and metabolic rate), refilling depleted muscle glycogen stores and triggering the release of seratonin which will improve your quality of sleep and make you feel good.
2. Can I have Fruits instead for the Main Meal? I recommend avoiding fruits for the main meal. Fruits are rather inefficient at replenishing muscle glycogen and don’t have as much of an effect on leptin levels as grains/tubers.
3. Won’t eating a big meal before bed make me fat? As long as you are in a calorie deficit then meal timing is irrelevant. In some cases large late night meals have been shown to preserve muscle mass better on a diet and result in a greater loss in body fat percentage. I highly recommend reading Martin Berkhan’s article on the subject – Is Late Night Eating Better for Fat loss and Health.
4. I am hungry during the day, what should I do? Give your body time to adapt to fasting and under eating during the day. This adaptation process may take a few days or a couple weeks. The best part about this diet is that while you might feel slight hunger sensations at times there will be no junk/food cravings. Many people including myself find it easier to deal with a little intermittent hunger then to deal with sneaky food cravings. As well everyday you get to look forward to eating a very big and satisfying meal at night. This takes the grind out of dieting.
5. Can I have a cheat meal? Once or twice per week you can have a treat. Remember you will have 600-1000 calories to work with in the main meal. This should make it pretty easy to enjoy some of your favourite foods or go out to a restaurant with friends/family. Just make sure to not go over the calorie budget for the day. If you do end up going over the calorie budget for the day then you can compensate by slightly reducing calories the following days.
6. Won’t I lose muscle and have no energy if I train on an empty stomach? I have had my best workouts completely fasted! Once you adapt to training in the fasted state you get a boost of energy and strength. I think this goes back to stimulating the sympathetic system (fight or flight). In addition Fasted training has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and improve nutrient partitioning. This means that your body will be more efficient at directing nutrients into muscle cells and away from fat stores. Thus training in the fasted state makes the subsequent meals more anabolic. With that said pre workout protein is beneficial at increasing protein synthesis, elevating metabolism and reducing muscle breakdown. Therefore I recommend 10 grams of BCAA before fasted training.

Q 1 – How did you get started in fitness?

How i got into fitness is a funny story actually, i’m sure many of the readers have a similar story. I started out when i was 16, and unless you have been living under a rock, i’m pretty sure everyone has heard of the Twilight series. In that series, the character Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) got into phenominal shape. When i saw New Moon and heard everyone’s reaction when he took his shirt off, that was where the motivation sparked. I pretty much started out just wanting “Six pack Abs”. Looking back on it, i had no idea what i was doing, but being consistent with eating cleaner and working out everyday paid off!

Before I started working out and changing my eating habits.

Q 2 – Where does your motivation come from? 

My motivation comes from the constant progression that i see in my body and reaching my goals. I remember when i first started i told my sister “I will have six pack abs one day” she just laughed, but look at me now! haha. Also seeing my peers work hard and transform their bodies motivates me to work even harder. I also am debating on competing in Mens Physique competitions in the next few years, so having that to get into shape for is a motivator itself.

Q 3 – What workout routine has worked best for you?

As i said earlier, when i first started i had no idea what i was doing. Being consistent got me in shape after 6 months to a year, but eventually i needed further guidance. I stumbled upon Kinobody and Fitness Black Book one day, and their views on lifting really opened my eyes because it was very different from mainstream fitness. I ended up following Gregs “Build Muscle Like a Greek God” routine and Rustys “Visual Impact Muscle Building” program. Those two programs along with other various programs on the Kinobody site got me to solid lean physique that i had wanted.

Q 4 – If you had to pick only 3 exercises what would they be?                                 

Man this one is a tough one, but i would probably choose

- Incline dumbbell presses
- Weighted chin ups
- Weighted Dips

Q 5 – What is your diet like? 

I used to do the whole 6+ meals a day, but recently this summer I have gotten into the whole Intermittent Fasting deal. After reading Greg’s “Intermittent Fasting for Maximum Muscle and Minimum Fat” and “10 AWESOME reasons why i fast everyday” articles, i had to give it a go, and i love it. I usually fast from 8PM to 12 or 1 PM the next day. First meal is usually my post workout meal. I try to eat as cleanly as possible, but cheat on occasion. Main foods are meats (Chicken, Steak), eggs, brown rice, whole grain tortillas, veggies, fruits, etc. IF is awesome because you can have massive meals!

Q 6 – What is your favorite form of cardio for fat loss?

When i was cutting down i use to do a lot of HIIT, and maybe one steady pace cardio session a week. I feel like HIIT is where it’s at though.

Q 7 – What is your supplementation like? 

Protein powder- MTS Whey, Trutein

Pre Workout- Citadel Nutritions “Tier 1″ Shoutout to you guys.

Creatine- Optimum Nutritions Creatine Monohydrate

BCAA- When training fasted. (Amino X)

Multi Vitamin

Those are pretty much the only supplements i have ever used, brands may change, but what i take has always been the those listed above.

Q 8 – Who do you consider having the best physique?    

Greg Plitt, hes number 1. Taylor Lautner in the Twilight series had a pretty sick physique. Greg O’ Gallagher, Scott Herman, Jeff Seid, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale. Those are the ones i can think of off the top of my head, but there are many more with awesome physiques!

Q 9 – What do you do for abs? 

I train my abs 2-3 times per week. 2 days of the week I do higher rep training, and 1 day of the week i use weights with it. The staple ab workouts that I did are Hanging leg raises (feet to bar) Side to side oblique V ups, and Renegade Rows. I usually throw in a bunch of various ones but those are the staple ones.

V abs Workout Article 

Stats

Age – 19                                                                                                                             Height – 5’7
Weight -146 lbs
Waist (relaxed around bellybutton) – 30 1/2″
Chest (relaxed around nipples) – 38 1/2″
Arms (Flexed) – 15 1/6″

Lifts (weight and reps) 

Incline Dumbbell Press
90 lbs per hand for 8 reps

Weighted Chin ups
BW + 70 lbs for 4 reps

Shoulder Press
Standing Press with 115 lbs for 6 reps

Curls
Standing Barbell with115 lbs for 4 sets of 5

My Comments 

Tony Do started off as a typical 16 year old teenager with no abs and no muscle. After seeing Taylor Lautner get into incredible shape Tony became truly inspired! He knew what he wanted and he went after it with hunger and with belief in himself. This really sets Tony apart from everyone else! Most people are ‘talkers’ not ‘doers’ and Tony Do is definitely a ‘doer’.

Tony understood that transforming his body was going to take hard work, dedication and the right workout routine and diet. As a result he did his homework and came to the right place, KINOBODY! Everything else is history and fast forward a couple of years later and Tony Do has the body of Taylor Lautner! In addition Tony Do has some serious lifts at a bodyweight of only 146 lbs! Way to go Tony.

If people want to learn more about you and follow you where can they go? 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tony.do.752
Twitter - www.twitter.com/Tdo93
Bodyspace - http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/tonydo93/

Merely staring at a picture of Bruce Lee and I feel myself utterly inspired. There are few people in this world who have conquered life with the sheer determination and tenacity as did Lee. There is so much to learn from the way this man lived his life that I wouldn’t even know where to begin. In this article I wish to capture just one of his many profound lessons and that is his brilliant stance on simplicty.

The Art of Simplicity 

Bruce Lee’s foundation in life was his martial arts training. The martial arts was his passion, his obsession and his life’s work. It was in his martial art journey that he learned through sparring and fighting that it is better to master a few moves than to know a thousand. This is highly evident for those who watch Mixed Martial Arts. There are thousands upon thousands of strikes, kicks, take downs, throws, holds, submissions……… but only a small fraction of these are commonly seen inside the Octagon. Some moves look good in training but lack the simplicity to be used in full out combat against an aggressive opponent.

How does this relate to Fitness and Muscle Building 

It is through my seven year training journey that I have came to precisely the same conclusion. It is more effective to master a few movements than to flirt around with 50+ exercises. It is through the past two years of my training that I have been actively hacking away at the unessential. Taking that which works and discarding the rest. Only after I removed the unnecessary did my progress really seem to take off.

When you focus your efforts on a few movements progress really picks up. Each week you’re adding weight to the bar and your strength is going up. You can bet your ass that this continual strength progress is leading to solid muscle growth. Conversely if you spread yourself thin with too many exercises then your body never really improves. Imagine trying to perfect ten different takedowns in a few weeks. You would most definitely end up sucking on all of them. The human body is amazing at learning one thing at a time. Throw multiple tasks at the human body and stagnation is inevitable.

Revamping Your Training 

Pick four exercises that will be your indicator exercises. These should work your whole body pretty well and your goal should be to get continually stronger on these movements overtime. The progress on these exercises should guarantee a leaner, stronger, more muscular body. The effectiveness of your training is directly related to the progress on these four exercises. By accepting this your training program will become 10x more effective. You will direct your efforts on that which will make you stronger and more muscular and divert your attention away from everything that is a distraction. Every exercise, every set and every rep has a purpose.

My Four Indicator Exercises 

I will now share with you my four indicator exercises. I have chosen these movements because I feel they enhance my physique in the best way possible.

1. Standing Barbell Shoulder Press

My go to exercise for shoulder development and true strength. This exercise also seems to contribute to the ‘square chest look’ by filling in the top area of the chest just under the collar bone. In addition standing presses will work the triceps very hard. I avoid seated shoulder presses with the elbows flared out to the side. This is a very unnatural position for the shoulders and overtime may cause pain and injury.

2. Incline Barbell Bench Press

There is nothing wrong with the regular barbell bench press. It is a terrific exercise at building the whole pectoral region if done properly. With that said I feel that most people would benefit more from the incline version which develops the upper pecs better. In addition in most athletic pressing movements the arms push forward at a slightly upward angle as opposed to directly straight out. An example of this would be pushing a car or throwing a punch. For this reason the incline press may be more relevant from a functional standpoint.

3. Weighted Chin ups 

Chin ups have developed my back so well that I’ve actually avoided doing any additional work for my back. In addition chin ups hit the biceps very hard. Lat pull downs and rows don’t even come close to the effectiveness of weighted chin ups.

Chin ups I feel are a superior exercise to pull ups. Both movements hit the lats very hard (what you thought turning your wrist completely changed the primary mover?) but chin ups bring in more biceps action and are performed with better technique and a fuller range of motion. Thus making them the exercise of choice.

4. Power Cleans from Hang 

This is a very athletic movement that builds great power through the legs, hips, back and traps. I avoid direct leg training because it tends to over develop my legs and contribute to the ‘sweep’ that I consider feminine. I have found that hang cleans bring about explosive power but without the leg mass that squats and dead lifts build.

I have also found hang cleans to be the most effective exercise at developing my trap muscles. Shrugs don’t do anything for my traps but hang cleans get them every time. Lastly since dedicating my time to hang cleans I have noticed a big increase in my jumping abilities. Check out my 48″ box jump video 

Important Note

These four exercises are not the only movements in my routine. I include a few more assistance exercises that help add more volume and fill in the gaps. These include weighted dips, barbell curls, lateral raises, rear delt raises and rope extensions. I just make sure to prioritize my training around my four main movements.

My Training Routine 

I train 3x per week on non consecutive days alternating between Workout A and Workout B. I’ll perform 2-3 work sets per exercise. I rest 3 minutes between sets. My first set is my heaviest and I’ll use a weight that I can get between 2-5 reps with. I’ll reduce the weight by 10% for my second set and I’ll aim to get 1 to 2 more reps. If I perform a third set I’ll reduce the weight by 10% again and go for 1 or 2 more reps than my second set. For the accessory exercises (optional exercises) I will perform 3 sets of 6-10 reps with 90 seconds between sets. These isolation movements respond better with higher reps and shorter rest periods.

Workout A 

Incline Bench Press

Weighted Dips

Skull Crushers

Optional – Rope extensions and Rear Delts

Workout B 

Weighted Chin ups

Standing Presses

Hang Cleans

Optional – Lateral Raises and Biceps Curls

Here is an example of how I train 

Visit the link below to get access to the free report

–> http://leanvacationreport.com/

Kinobody is my self expression of physical perfection in aesthetics, performance and life.

Kinobody is my self expression of what I feel the ultimate physique is and how to build it. This goes beyond aesthetics and also includes athletic attributes including strength, power, flexibility and agility. You see I want to have the body of a greek god and also be a true master of fitness. Lastly these goals need to be accomplished without having to consume my life. Therefore my training and diet approach have to be absolutely brilliant. I have set the bar very high for myself and those of you who wish to join me on this journey of self improvement. If you want to rise above mediocrity and become a super human being then welcome aboard!

Kinobody Aesthetics

“Shirtless, I scrutinize my image in the mirror above the sinks in the locker room at Xclusive. My arm muscles burn, my stomach as taut as possible, my shoulders steel, pecs granite hard, my eyes white as ice.” Patrick Bateman, American Psycho

The kinobody physique requires a beautiful combination of mass, definition and proportion. These three qualities must work together in harmony. You must first and foremost maintain a low body fat with a slim waist. The next step is to add muscle strategically to the body. Wide back, masculine square chest, powerful delts, rock hard arms and deep dense abdominals. Lastly the legs and glutes must enhance the physique by being lean and defined not bulky and curved. The end result will be absolutely breath taking. However this is a very difficult condition to achieve. Rarely do people ever reach the trifecta of mass, definition and proportion.

Kinobody Performance

Picture of me performing muscle ups on a playground beam

It is not enough to just be another pretty physique! We must be strong, fit and capable. Aesthetics and performance must go hand in hand. Therefore we must train for strength and power and accept muscle growth as a side benefit. In addition we must supplement this training with speed and agility work such as sprints, intervals and jump rope. Lastly we must ensure our bodies are limber and mobile by practicing bridging, L sits and dynamic stretches.

This may seem like overkill but believe me the last thing you want is a physique that looks great but lacks functionality. I can’t help but laugh at meat heads at the gym who are all buffed up but can barely bang out 8 chin ups. That’s like driving around in a Ferrari with a honda civic engine. When shit hits the fan you don’t want to be the dude who is all show and no go. Unfortunately typical bodybuilding training accomplishes just that. To hell with that! We want the best of both words and accept nothing less.

Kinobody Perspective

While all this training and self improvement is all fine and dandy it is certainly not everything. Therefore we must not let our training and nutrition take over our lives. You see fitness is meant to enhance and better your life not detract from it. Mastering your health and fitness is to make staying in top shape as effortless as possible. You should never have to give up any of life’s great pleasures because you’re worried it will interfere with your training and diet.

Once you have everything dialed in you will only need three intense workouts per week to make continual progress. As well you will be able to maintain your shape with as little as 2 workouts per week with minimal equipment. In addition once you adapt to intermittent fasting you will be able to go hours without food. That means you can spend more time on getting shit done and less time eating, preparing and cleaning. In fact I usually eat only two meals per day. A light afternoon meal and a large evening feast.

The Kinobody Revolution is Here!

I will be developing a series of articles explaining the entirety of my approach to fitness and nutrition. As well I am developing my full in depth fitness/nutrition program that will take things much deeper. I haven’t set a release date for this program but I plan to have it finished before Christmas.  Stay tuned for up coming articles.

Ps. Here is a video of me showing a little diversity in fitness and reenacting an iconic scene from American Psycho.

Daniel Craig has done it again by getting into tremendous shape for the new bond movie. Skyfall is Daniel Craig’s third outing playing James Bond. Craig’s first was Casino Royale and second was Quantum of Solace. In both movies Daniel Craig came in for filming in amazing physical condition.

Muscling up for Skyfall would be Craig’s biggest challenge yet. This is because Craig let himself wither away in his previous movie, Cowboys and Aliens. Therefore Craig would have to start from scratch to build up his scrawny body. As well at the age of 43, Craig feels he is already getting too old to cope with the extreme physical demands of playing James Bond.

Daniel Craig Height and Weight – Before Filming Skyfall

Daniel Craig stands 5’10 tall and was down to 160 lbs for Cowboys and Aliens. As you can see Craig appears very slim and lacks the muscular and dominant look that he displayed as James Bond. Craig actually lost weight on purpose for this role as he felt he needed to be scrawny to play a cowboy. He accomplished this by eating a low calorie diet in conjunction with absolutely no weight lifting. Consequently he lost a good deal of muscle. The studio head was not happy with Craig’s weight loss and thus ordered him to gain weight for Skyfall.

Gaining Muscle for Skyfall

Daniel Craig desperately needed to gain some serious muscle for Skyfall. His bosses actually wanted him to gain 15-20 lbs before filming began. Fortunately for Craig he had muscle memory on his side. Therefore he would be able to gain muscle quicker than expected once he starts hitting the weights and upping his calorie and protein intake.

Step 1 – Increase Calorie and Carb Intake

Daniel Craig was very lean after filming Cowboys and Aliens. Since he was so skinny his body had actually become primed to build muscle and gain weight. You see after a period of intense calorie restriction all kinds of anabolic hormones and receptors get up regulated. Therefore once you begin eating normally again you are able to direct a lot of nutrients to building muscle.

With that said Craig still needed to be careful not to consume too many calories. At the age of 43 Craig is more susceptible to fat gain due to lowered testosterone levels. Therefore he needed to keep his calorie intake close to around maintenance. For building muscle 16 calories per pound of target body weight is a good amount to shoot for. Depending on your activity levels you may need to go lower or higher. For Daniel Craig’s target weight of 180 lbs this amounts to 2880 calories per day.

When eating at a calorie surplus or maintenance you should be getting most of your calories from carbs. Carbs will help maximize your glycogen stores which will maximize the anabolic growth signalling. In addition plenty of carbs will give you more energy to train hard and plenty of carbs will improve sleep and rest.

Step 2 – Adequate Protein

Consuming plenty of protein is very important for building quality muscle. Daniel Craig made sure to include plenty of protein into his diet to allow for muscle growth to occur optimally. In addition protein can be very helpful to avoid gaining fat. This is because protein is the most filling macronutrient. Low protein meals tend to welcome overeating. As well protein is very hard to store as fat because it is so metabolically costly.

A high protein intake was a key strategy in Daniel Craigs transformation. Younger folks can tend to get away with less protein and still build muscle efficiently. However as you get older giving protein more priority helps to build muscle while avoiding fat gain. A good protein intake to shoot for is one gram per pound of goal body weight. For Craig’s goal weight of 180 lbs this was 180 grams of protein per day.

Step 3 – Intense Strength Training Regime

In order to trigger muscle growth Craig had to lift heavy weights 3-4x per week. At the age of 43 Daniel Craig was unable to handle or even benefit from training 5-6x per week. This is because as you get older your recovery abilities become reduced. As a result you need to limit the training sessions to no more than 3-4 per week. As well you need to limit the duration of each workout to 45-60 minutes.

Step 4 – Supplementation

When you’re in a crunch to build muscle quickly there is only one legal supplement to turn to. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably know that supplement is creatine. In fact creatine is the only supplement scientifically proven to help build muscle. With that said taking plain ol monohydrate doesn’t quite cut it. The absorption process of monohydrate is rather inefficient and thus causes the infamous creatine bloat. There is a solution however to build rock hard muscle without the water retention and bloated look. If you are a professional fitness model you probably know exactly what I am talking about. Check out the improved creatine to build shredded muscle.

Daniel Craig Height, Weight and Body fat Percentage in Skyfall

In Skyfall Daniel Craig muscled up to 180 lbs at 5’10. Craig’s body fat percentage is around 10-11% which is considered very lean. Craig has visible abs, a clean line down his chest and a very defined jaw line. These three traits are very indicative of a low body fat percentage. 10-11% body fat is a great goal for guys to shoot for. At 10-11% and solid muscle development you will blow most people away. As well maintaining a low body fat will ensure that you look great in nice, stylish clothes by having that crisp GQ look.

Now if Craig was 8% body fat or lower we would see more vascularity through his arms, legs and lower abs. As well his abs would be much more shredded. This level of definition while impressive is probably not necessary. As well if you drop down to 6-8% body fat you start to appear quite a bit smaller. This is because it can be rather challenging to hold onto muscle at such a low body fat.

Daniel Craigs Workout for Skyfall

With little information on Daniel Craig’s actual workout routine I can only speculate as to what he actually did. Fortunately I have helped hundreds of men transform their bodies into the condition of Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans. Therefore I will provide a workout routine to build a physique like Craig. Let’s get started

Workout A – Chest & Triceps

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 4 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)

Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)

Rope Extensions: 2 sets x 8-12 reps (1 minute rest between sets)

Workout B: Back & Biceps

Weighted Pull ups: 4 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)

Deadlifts: 3 sets x 4-6 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)

Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 6-10 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)

Incline Dumbbell Curls: 2 sets x 8-12 reps (1 minute rest between sets)

Workout C: Shoulders & Legs

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 4 sets x 6-10 reps (3 minutes rest between sets)

Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)

Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets x 6-10 reps per leg (2 minutes rest between sets)

Standing Single Leg Calf Raises: 3 sets x 10-15 reps per leg (1 minute rest between sets)

Notes:

Workout 3x per week on non consecutive days. Example – monday, wednesday and friday. If you really want to step it up you can run a 5 day schedule and workout 3x in 5 days. I only recommend doing the 5 day schedule for short periods of time. No more than 8-12 weeks at a time. During this period you should be getting plenty of sleep and rest and you must be diligent with your diet.

Ex:

Day 1 – Chest & Triceps

Day 2 – Back & Biceps

Day 3 – Rest

Day 4 – Shoulders & Legs

Day 5 – Rest

For maximum muscle building I recommend taking a good quality creatine supplement. Hypergain is by far the best creatine supplement I have ever used. I have been able to gain muscle and increase definition with hypergain.

If you are having trouble getting enough protein in your diet from food alone then consider taking a protein supplement. Your best bet is to get a time released protein formula that includes fast, medium and slow digesting protein. This will keep you fuller longer and will provide your muscles with an extended supply of amino acids. My favorite protein supplement is iso-fuel. If you gain fat easily then substitute one of your meals for 2 scoops of protein. If you have trouble gaining weight then add 1-2 protein shakes to your normal diet. For best taste I like to mix these shakes with unsweetened almond milk.

What about abs?

Abs should be trained 2-3x per week for maximum development. For a great abs workout routine that will build a full developed 8 pack then try my V-Abs Workout.

Bodyweight Training is no freaking joke!

For a long time bodyweight training was considered inferior to lifting weights. People associated bodyweight training with high rep push ups, squats, chin ups and dips. Fortunately martial artists, gymnasts and inmates showed us that bodyweight training is no freaking joke! The mind is the limit with bodyweight training. Keep an open mind and foster creativity and you can take any simple bodyweight movement and turn it into an absolute nightmare. Many of the strongest weight lifters in your gym would be unable to knock out muscle ups, one arm push ups or explosive pistol squats.

The Bodyweight Movement is Strong

People that were once ignorant to bodyweight training have now become ignorant to weight training! They have switched sides and now tout the benefits of bodyweight training and the damaging effects of lifting weights. It baffles my mind that humans inherently feel like they need to choose one or the other.

This takes me back in time to when Bruce Lee was dominating America! It was then that martial artists were expected to be loyal in their chosen style of martial art. To cross train and practice two or more arts would be blasphemy. Fortunately Bruce Lee stepped away from the status quo and learned from as many styles as possible. Boxing, Wing Chun, Fencing, Savate, Muay Thai, BJJ, Wrestling……. He then created Jeet Kune Do Concepts which strived to end the dogmatic approach to martial arts and seek simplicity and effectiveness over all else. This paved the way for what has now become mixed martial arts.

The same concept is true with resistance training! In order to be a true master of strength it is not enough to lift external resistance. You must also master your own bodyweight. The marriage of bodyweight training and weight training is where the greatest gains will be realized. I have always combined bodyweight movements with weight training. I want to be well rounded, universal and complete. I want to be able to hold my own in the weight room and the playground/beach park.

The World is Your Gym

One major benefit of bodyweight training is that you can do it anywhere. I can easily maintain my strength and physique anywhere in the world as long as I perform some advanced bodyweight exercises a couple times per week. Whether I’m locked up in a prison cell, on a 3 week adventure or unable to make it to the gym I know i can get a bodyweight workout in. This allows for a great sense of freedom.

Now I don’t feel that bodyweight training should become the entirety of someone’s workout program. But rather bodyweight training should complement your routine. For packing on muscle nothing beats the simplicity of adding weight to the bar.

At any given time I recommend including a few bodyweight exercises in your routine. Keeping your bodyweight skills sharp will allow you to get a workout in anywhere if need be. In addition bodyweight training will also promote relative strength. Adding fat is very counterproductive with bodyweight exercises. A few pounds of fat gain can make an exercise much more challenging. For this reason including bodyweight exercises in your routine will keep you motivated to avoid overeating and causing fat gain. With traditional weight training getting fatter helps. Fat is added leverage.

Best Bodyweight Exercises for Building Muscle & Strength!

1. Full Range Handstand Push ups

Handstand push ups have been my primary vertical pressing exercise for a long time. My joints feel way better doing these over traditional shoulder presses. You eventually want to build up to doing full range handstand push ups with your hand elevated against the wall.

–> Hand Stand Push up Tutorial

2. One Arm Push ups

One arm push ups provide a very unique challenge. For building pure pressing strength and muscle they are not as effective as bench pressing. For this reason I like to use one arm push ups as a secondary pushing exercise. The benefit of one arm push ups are that they build enormous amounts of core stability especially in the obliques. The anti rotation element is very useful for punching power.

–> One Arm Push up Tutorial

3. Bar Muscle ups

I sometimes like to finish off my workouts with a few sets of muscle ups. The muscle up is great for building explosive pulling power. The muscle up involves doing an explosive pull up up and over the bar into a dip. This takes a ton of upper body strength and power to pull off. Most people that witness this exercise firsthand are blown away. I will have a muscle up tutorial very soon.

4. Pistols (one leg squats)

Pistols are my primary lowerbody exercise. I like to do a few sets of 5 reps, slow and controlled. You can add weight to this exercise to make it more challenging but I prefer not to. Adding weight to this pistol can lead to excess lower body mass. For this reason I just do them bodyweight. Sometimes I will perform them with an explosive jump onto a box for building pure power.

–> Pistol Tutorial

5. Front Levers

For building incredible core strength and lat strength nothing beats front levers! This exercise is extremely challenging but with consistent effort you can accomplish it.

–> Front Lever Tutorial

Bonus – Weighted Chin ups and Dips

Weighted chin ups and dips are great movements for building extraordinary strength and muscle! Technically since you are adding weight these exercises are not bodyweight movements but lets not get into semantics. Weighted chin ups for a long time have been my only pulling exercise in my routine. My back has developed so well from getting strong at chin ups that I haven’t had any need for further back training. To be honest my back has almost became too big from weighted chin ups. I now perform this exercise with my hands 4-6 inches a part to emphasize more biceps and less lats.

Combining Bodyweight Training with Weights

One of my favorite methods for combining bodyweight training with weights is to perform a heavy pushing movement (Incline Bench Press) as my first exercise followed by a bodyweight pressing movement (one arm push ups or handstand push ups). This is usually how I start off my chest/shoulder/triceps workout. I then follow this up with lateral raises, skull crushers and occasionally muscle ups for fun.

Take a second and look at the picture above. Ask yourself which physique is more desirable for you. Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer. Both levels of development represent a kinobody. Now on the left you have a slimmer Henry Cavill at a shredded 6% body fat with exceptional muscle definition. And on the right you have a bulkier Henry Cavill at 8-9% body fat with incredible muscle development. In one picture Cavill is portraying an ancient greek warrior and in the other picture Cavill is portraying a superhero.

Depending on your natural build you may be better suited for the warrior physique or the superhero physique. Throughout my training I have fluctuated between both levels of physical development. However I have found that my body gravitates towards the superhero physique more-so due to my love for food and king size appetite.

In this post I am going to discuss muscle building for the man wanting to build the superhereo physique. This in itself requires a much greater emphasis on resistance training to boost muscle growth to superhero status. In addition, the superhero physique will allow for a more liberal intake of carbohydrates compared to the warrior physique.

Superhero physique commands attention!

I have been as low as 6% body fat and absolutely shredded! It was definitely cool for a while. My face was chiseled to the bone, veins were prominent all over and muscles were constantly in a state of definition. That being said, this state of definition can be considered a little too extreme for some people’s taste. Since adding some serious muscle and a bit of fat I have noticed more attention from the fairer sex. As well, guys seem to be considerably more apologetic for bumping into me at a clubs and bars. Lastly I have felt the power of a heightened sex drive from giving myself permission to be a little heavier and thus consume more carbs. This is the power and advantage of striving for the superhero physique.

Superhero Muscle Building Protocol

The foundation of my lifting program has always been centered around building strength in the 4-8 rep range. Simply getting stronger at key exercises guarantees an increase in muscle size overtime. The 4-8 rep range will maximize overall muscle fiber recruitment while allowing for sufficient volume to stimulate growth. This style of training will account for about 75% of muscle growth. The best method for this type of growth is Reverse Pyramid Training. If you are after the warrior physique, this style of muscle building is all that is needed.

For the superhero physique we need to exploit an additional training technique. One that will allow us to carry an additional 5-10 lbs of ‘pretty muscle’ from increased glycogen storage in the muscles. To bodybuilders this is known as pump training or fatigue training. The addition of pump training to a heavy lifting regime will give the muscles a fuller and more impressive shape. This is a necessity for acquiring the superhero body. The best style of pump training is Standard Pyramid Training.

The combination of low volume strength training and higher volume pump training is the holy grail of adding rock hard muscle. Unfortunately most people find one effective lifting technique and apply it all across the board to every exercise. Consequently muscle growth is drastically limited. We will overcome this limitation by incorporating both styles of lifting into one kick ass superhero workout.

Reverse Pyramid Training

Reverse Pyramid Training is what is going to deliver 75% of your muscle gains. As well, RPT will build superhero strength like you would never believe. This style of lifting is best suited for compound movements with a large potential for strength gains. The main goal of RPT is to allow you to lift heavier weights overtime within a specific rep range (4-8 reps).

The premise behind RPT is to perform your heaviest set first while you are completely fresh. This allows for optimal lifting performance and thus consistent strength and muscle gains. For the subsequent sets you will be reducing the weight by 10%. The reduction in weight after your heavy set is a key component of RPT. This will ensure that you don’t over stress your nervous system from heavy lifting. Rest between sets should be long, 3-4 minutes. We are striving for maximum performance; not fatigue. Lastly each set should be pushed hard. Aim for as many reps as possible without failing on a rep.

This type of lifting triggers myofibrillar hypertrophy. This is an increase in size of the actual contractual filaments of a muscle. Building muscle this way is a slow and steady process. It takes time and you won’t see results overnight. The good news is that the muscle you build will be very stubborn. Once it’s gained it won’t want to leave you. You can take a few weeks off lifting and you’ll hardly experience any muscle atrophy. Not to mention, you could cut your workout volume by 1/2 or 1/3 and maintain your muscle gains indefinitely. Lastly, this type of muscle gain is very resilient during fat loss phases. As long as you lift heavy a couple times per week you will have no problem maintaining all of your ‘hard earned muscle.’

Standard Pyramid Training

The other component of the superhero muscle building protocol is going to be standard pyramid training. This will deliver one heck of a muscle pump and will create a super glycogen compensation effect. You will be depleting a fair amount of muscle glycogen with this type of training. As a result your body will adapt by storing more glycogen in the muscles to better handle future training. This extra glycogen will make your muscles bigger and fuller. As well, this type of lifting triggers sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This is a type of muscle growth which leads to increased fluid in the muscles.

The good news is that this type of muscle growth comes rather quickly. A few weeks of this type of lifting and you should notice that your muscles have a bit more size. The downfall is that this type of lifting doesn’t have any profound effect on strength or power. As well, this type of muscle gain can be considered temporary. If you go on a two week vacation and don’t workout you will gradually start to notice your muscles flattening out. Think of this type of training as the cherry on top of your overall workout routine. It will give your muscles a more visually impressive look when stacked on a heavy lifting reverse pyramid training routine.

With Standard Pyramid Training the goal is to really fatigue your muscles and maximize volume. For that reason rest between sets should be short, 30-60 seconds top. You should also be performing several sets, 4-6 would be ideal. You want to be using the same weight for all sets with Standard Pyramid Training. Your first set should be around 12 reps. As fatigue sets in on your subsequent sets you will be performing less and less reps. For that reason I recommend doing 12, 10, 8, 6 reps. To maximize total depletion and glycogen super compensation you can add two more sets of 6 reps.

Superhero Supplement Protocol

I recommend using a creatine supplement if you are going for the superhero physique. By supplementing with creatine you will easily be able to gain 5-10 lbs of lean mass and increase strength and power considerably. I have experienced by far my best gains with hypergain. Its more expensive than regular creatine but the difference has been night and day. I take 3 pills per day one hour before my workout. On rest days I take 3 pills with my first meal.

The Superhero Workout Routine – Dual Pyramid Training

Chest & Triceps (Monday)

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets – 5, 6, 8 reps (RPT)

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets – 6, 8 reps (RPT)

Incline DB or Machine Press: 6 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6, 6, 6 (Standard Pyramid)

Skull Crushers: 3 sets – 6, 8, 10 reps (RPT)

Rope Extensions: 6 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6, 6, 6 (Standard Pyramid)

Back & Biceps (Wednesday)

Weighted Chin ups: 3 sets – 5, 6, 8 reps (RPT)

Cable Rows: 6 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6, 6, 6 (Standard Pyramid)

Bent Over Flyes: 3 sets x 8-12 reps (1-2 mins rest between sets)

Incline DB Curls: 3 sets – 5, 6, 8 reps (RPT)

Cable Rope Curls (hammer grip): 6 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6, 6, 6 (Standard Pyramid)

Shoulders & Legs (Friday or Saturday)

Seated DB Shoulder Press: 3 sets – 5, 6, 8 reps (RPT)

Hang Cleans: 3 sets – 5, 6, 8 reps (RPT)

Lateral Raises: 6 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6, 6, 6 (Standard Pyramid)

Pistol squats or Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets x 6 reps (2 mins rest between sets)

Standing Dumbbell One Leg Calf Raises: 3 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6

Workout Notes

RPT = Reverse Pyramid Training. Your first set should be an all out effort stopping one rep short of failure. For following sets the weight should be reduced by 10% of total weight and reps should be increased by 1-2. Rest between these sets should be long, 3-4 minutes.

Standard Pyramid you will be using the same weight for all sets. Rest between sets will be very short, 30-60 seconds. This will cause cumulative fatigue which is why the reps pyramid down on each set. The last 3 sets you will be performing 6 reps with the same weight. If you are unable to perform 6 reps on your last two sets then rest a little longer.

You can customize this training to your current physique. If you don’t want to add too much size to your chest then you can just perform the heavy lifting and forgo the high volume standard pyramid. For example I do the high volume standard pyramid training on my shoulders, biceps and triceps. Chest and back I just do reverse pyramid training. This will allow you to build up your physique to the perfect proportions based on your genetics and current development.

Kinobody Consultations

I am currently accepting consultation requests.

Editors Note:

Kinobody introdues guest author Christopher Walker, a male model and expert in bodyweight training to outline an effective strategy for achieving your first muscle up. Christopher is the author of the No Gym, Perfect Body Program and Editor at NoGym.net where he educates people on optimizing their hormonal environment to achieve not only the body of their dreams, but also create lasting health that persists for a lifetime.

The Foolproof Formula For Doing Your First Muscle Up: How I Learned To Muscle-Up in 2 Weeks

Most people approach their first muscle-up completely wrong.

As a result, they struggle for months, even years before actually doing one. Some people don’t even stick around that long before abandoning the pursuit. Others don’t even try because it looks difficult.

Why Do You Want To Do A Muscle-Up In The First Place?

1. They’re cool. We’ve all seen those videos of the guys in New York City repping out muscle-ups on YouTube. A muscle-up is an impressive feat of human strength and power. Most of us are attracted to that and would love to be able to do it ourselves.

2. They are an amazing workout. A muscle-up works your entire upper body and core, front and back. The movement, an explosive pull-up into reverse dip, engages your chest, back, shoulders, abs, obliques, forearms, biceps, and triceps. It’s the ultimate resistance exercise and can be used as a great single-movement workout if pressed for time or experimenting with minimalism.

So what’s the problem? Why can so few people do muscle-ups, even after trying and trying for months?

Well, most people approach the movement incorrectly. They walk up to the bar, jump up, hang for a second, swing their legs, and pull up, trying to thrust themselves over top of the bar. For even the strongest of us, this approach will prove fruitless.

Most people do not break it down to the core movements, electing instead to just go for it… and they fail.

The problem with this approach is caused by the fact that most of us are used to lifting weights and don’t have much experience with bodyweight training. It’s a completely different animal. With weights, if it’s too heavy, we can just subtract plates then try again. However, with bodyweight movements, especially technically difficult ones, strength, power, and technique all need to be present, or it ain’t happening.

The correct approach, the approach I used to personally learn to do my first muscle-up in only two weeks time, is focused on the fundamentals.

When I approach anything, I tend to break things down to the absolute foundation. A compound bodyweight movement like the muscle-up is a complex system of muscle contractions and momentum. But at the core, two things need to be present in order to execute the movement:

a. Adequate physical power
b. Correct technique

I’ll break each of them down for you here, then tell you the exact approach I used over 2 weeks to do my first muscle-up.

You Need Adequate Physical Power

The muscle-up is as much about power as it is about strength. I could actually make the argument that it is more about power and less about strength. I’ve seen some pretty skinny guys do muscle-ups at Tompkins Square Park in my time training there. They do not possess the muscular strength that many bigger guys do, however, they clearly have some amazing neuromuscular adaptations from bar training in general and their muscles can burst explosively very well.

The nature of the movement requires an explosion over the bar as you transition from pull-up to reverse dip. This means you need to train for explosive power.

The best way to do this for a muscle-up is to work on plyometric pull-ups and high “bar-to-chest” pull-ups.

The two best plyometric pull-ups to do are:

1. Basic plyo-pulls where you explode at the top of the pull-up movement, letting go of the bar momentarily as your hands leave it before grabbing back on as you descend back toward your starting point.

2. Clap pull-ups where you explode so high above the bar that you can clap your hands together (similar to clap push-ups) before descending back to the beginning of the movement.

Bar-to-chest pull-ups are essentially high pulls. You will do a standard pull-up, only instead of peaking at the neck you continue to pull until your chest touches the bar, preferably beneath your pecs. Hold it momentarily before descending.

All of these movements will challenge you. They will be uncomfortable. But doing them will guarantee you the adequate power to do your muscle-up. Please note that you will likely be much sorer than usual when doing these moves. Very important neuromuscular adaptations are taking place when you begin training this way. Your muscles are being worked DEEPLY. The result will be rock-hard, dense, explosive muscle. Definitely worth the work.

You Need To Use The Correct Technique

Technique is the single most important aspect of a muscle-up. It is also the element that few people pay attention to. No wonder they struggle.

False Grip: False grip is not absolutely essential for a muscle-up, but if you’re a beginner I highly recommend learning to do them this way. False grip, once you get used to it, will make your life a lot easier.

For those of you who do not know what false grip is, it is when, instead of gripping the bar with your thumbs wrapped around the bar, you place them over top of the bar with the rest of your fingers. You are essentially resting the majority of your weight on the pad of your palms.

Having your thumb over top of the bar really helps make that transition from pull-up to reverse dip so much easier because you are not trying to pull your thumb over as well. It’s already sitting up on top.

Center of Mass: You need to get this correct. When I teach people to muscle-up, the first thing I look for is where their center of mass lies in relation to the bar as they hang underneath it, right before trying to transition over top.

The most common mistakes I see are when an individual’s CoM is either too far forward at transition time or too far backward.

To clarify what I am talking about, your CoM is the point where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. For the non-Physics inclined, when your CoM is aligned correctly relative to the bar, the transition over the top becomes exponentially easier.

CoM too far forward

CoM too far back

CoM perfectly inline: notice where my waistline is in this pic compared to the others

In an effort to not have people trying to think too much about this, I’ll just say: you want your CoM as close to directly underneath the bar at transition time as possible. This will give you least resistance and allow you to channel the momentum you’ve just generated into exploding in the exact right direction, not too far forward and not too far backward.

Part of getting your CoM is getting the ‘feel’ correct in terms of using your body’s natural (or unnatural if you want to try kipping a little) swing to carry momentum into the transition. This will take a little trial-and-error practice but you’ll figure it out eventually.

Try and feel for the point right before transition where you feel almost “effortlessly” light for a split second. That’s where you want to be.

Exactly What I Did To Muscle-Up In Two Weeks

In this section I’m going to tell you exactly what I did over this twelve days. Keep in mind that you and I may have been starting from a different level of strength so you may get it a little quicker, or it may take a little longer to master.

At the point of my first attempt, I was able to do over 30 pull-ups. So I was confident I had the muscular strength and gripping strength. However, I was completely new to bodyweight power training so my muscles were very sore for much of this period of time.

Also, I made the decision to drop all weight lifting and focused this period of time entirely on pursuit of the muscle-up. I believed that any other type of training may compromise my muscle-up training so I stopped everything else altogether.

But to be honest, if you try this program, you’ll probably be too sore to do any extra lifting anyways ;D

And when I trained, I ALWAYS focused on technique. I can’t stress enough how important correct technique is as you learn this movement.

So what can you gather from this training snapshot? Well, the big thing I did was use the principle of progressively overloading my muscles with the same stimulus then resting them completely before overloading them again. I’ve found this practice to be very useful when trying to learn a new skill. The muscles usually adapt pretty quickly and, if given the time to recover, will come back stronger and ready for more.

I also focused on technique every time I went to the bar. This ensured that I was teaching myself correctly and not just forming a new bad habit.

Also, and this is something I haven’t touched on yet, I made sure and eat as healthy as possible during this time, figuring that if I could drop even a pound or two it would help a little bit because it would be less weight to pull.

So that’s it! My foolproof formula for doing your first muscle-up!

I really hope that this helps many of you achieve a goal and opens up some new possibilities for you in terms of bodyweight training. Since doing my first muscle-up I’ve become completely addicted to power-based bodyweight training. I haven’t lifted a weight in almost a year. I’ve gotten much leaner, gained muscle, and become way more powerful in general.

Adopting a minimalist approach to fitness has allowed me to train only 2-3x per week while consistently gaining strength. I can now easily rep out sets of 8-10 muscle-ups when I work out. My muscles are as dense as rocks.

There is something so freeing about knowing you can get a great workout in anywhere you go and not having to worry about being near a weight room or having a gym membership.

If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below and I will answer all of them and help as best as I can.

____________________________________________________________________________
About the author: Christopher Walker is a writer, male model, and entrepreneur. He is the author of the No Gym, Perfect Body Program and Editor at NoGym.net where he educates people on optimizing their hormonal environment to achieve not only the body of their dreams, but also create lasting health that persists for a lifetime.
____________________________________________________________________________

In my last article on Dual Pyramid Training I touched briefly on the two different types of kinobody physiques. As well, I outlined a very effective workout strategy for building the Superhero Physique. I now wish to switch sides and discuss the perks of the warrior physique and what it takes to achieve it. Displayed above is Brad Pitt from the movie Snatch displaying a chiseled and tatted up physique.

A Background on Kinobody

When I started this fitness blog I wanted to breakaway from the bodybuilding mentality and provide a kick ass resource for people who wanted the total package! That being the trifecta of strength, definition and proportion. I began to dedicate myself to learning how to master fat loss, build incredible strength and godlike proportions. Things began to take form fast and my methods proved exceedingly effective. Soon after I was able to maintain a body fat as low as 6-7%. In addition I built incredible strength and a very respectable amount of muscle mass.

My training and dietary methods were far from conventional. I knew that to reach a truly awe inspiring condition I would have to do things much differently. Most of my work was dedicated to creating the most enjoyable and sustainable diet that allowed for effortless fat loss and low body fat maintenance. In addition to creating a very effective workout program that allowed me to build crazy amounts of strength on movements that best enhanced my physique. This led to what is now known as the kinobody warrior physique. To achieve such condition you need to master eating at a caloric deficit and building a great deal of strength.

In this picture I was around 172 lbs at 5’10. I could incline dumbbell bench 100 pounders for 5 reps and I could perform chin ups with 100 lbs attached for 5 reps. My waist was around 31″, chest 42″, arms 15.5″.

 

What it takes to achieve this condition?

Getting into warrior shape is no easy task. It requires a unique blend of strength training, dieting, cardio and supplementation. In today’s article I am going to cover diet only.

1. Dieting

Getting into such a ripped state requires one to withstand low calories 5-6 days per week. In addition, as one becomes increasingly leaner, dieting becomes increasingly more difficult. This is due to less fat availability and lower levels of leptin which lead to increased hunger and a reduction in spontaneous activity. Using myself as an example, I can maintain 13-15% body fat rather easily without having to think twice about it. This is including plenty of carbs daily and junk foods a few times per week. At this body fat percentage my appetite regulation is very in tune. If I overeat, my appetite will down regulate and I’ll become more energetic. So it becomes rather effortless to maintain my weight. This is known as body fat set point. There are a few genetically blessed individuals who maintain single digit body fat easily without any effort.

**If you are overweight you are guaranteed to be above your body fat set point. It is likely that you are highly sensitive to the food reward pathway and therefore easily overeat on junk foods. If you stick to natural foods only; animal protein, veggies, nuts, fruits…. You will probably shed weight easily until you reach your body fat set point. Combine eating natural foods with skipping breakfast and eating 2-3 meals per day and fat loss should become effortless.

Dieting below body fat set point

Now when I venture below 12% body fat things become rather interesting. I can no longer use my appetite and impulses to guide me. I have to be much more methodical with my food intake. Taking things into the single digit range is even more tricky. In order to do this I need to use very subtle calorie deficits and aim for a rate of fat loss of about 0.5-1 lbs per week. You can lose fat in the single digit body fat range faster than this but it is an awful experience. If your goal is to maintain single digit body fat then your best bet is to take those last 4-8 pounds very slowly. Keep in mind that your body is happy at a certain body fat level. For me this happens to be 13-15% body fat. It takes a effective approach for me to cut into the lower body fat range. Below I will share some of my most effective strategies for doing so:

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is one of my favorite methods for dropping fat and maintaining a lean physique with ease. By engaging in a 15-18 hour fast and consuming 2-3 meals per day, creating a calorie deficit becomes so much easier. The fasting phase becomes hunger blunting, especially when combined with black coffee and green tea consumption. As well, by fasting you are able to eat much bigger and more satiating meals while staying in a calorie deficit. Dieting no longer feels like dieting, it’s as if you are bulking.

Another advantage of intermittent fasting is that it makes dieting so much simpler. I am all about enjoying life and letting your physique pursuits enhance your life and not detract from it. Having to carry around, cook, clean and prepare several meals per day is a pain in the ass. Intermittent fasting helps with this tremendously.

High Protein Intake

Recently there has been a trend in the fitness industry challenging the need for a high protein consumption. Most of the research suggests that 1.8g per kg (0.8g per pound) is the maximum amount needed to support optimal muscle growth in resistance training athletes and prevent lean body mass loss on a diet. While this may be true I actually recommend a higher intake of protein for quite a few reasons. Protein is the most satiating of all nutrients. Therefore a higher protein intake will help keep you fuller on a diet. As well, protein has the highest thermogenic cost of all macronutrients. Therefore you’ll likely expend more calories with a higher protein intake.

If you look at most individuals who maintain muscular and ripped bodies year round they tend to consume quite a bit of protein. I am hard pressed to find a fitness model that doesn’t consume at-least 1 gram per pound of body weight. Furthermore look back to evolution and the foods we evolved on. Most of our ancestors thrived on a very high intake of protein. I’ve experimented a wide range of protein intakes from 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight and all the way up to 1.25 grams per pound of body weight. I’ve always felt better with the higher intake of protein, 1-1.25 grams per pound. Stronger morning erections (good predictor of testosterone), better satiety, better recovery, more energy…..

Therefore most of the diet plans I create have about 1-1.25 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. For overweight clients this is lower (1 gram per pound of goal body weight) due to a lower percentage of lean body mass.

Fats and Carbs

Fats and carbs have a very important role in the fat loss game. Many diet guru’s like to drastically restrict the intake of either fats and carbs. Some coaches prefer to keep fats low on training days and carbs low on rest days. I don’t find this approach to be optimal. I prefer a balanced approach to these two macronutrients for several reasons.

Fats play a very important role in hormone regulation, testosterone, fullness and taste. Dramatically limiting fats on training days just so you can fit in a few more carbs is ridiculous. Better to enjoy food, feel satisfied and maintain ample testosterone levels. On the other hand drastically restricting carbs on rest days is a nightmare for many people. A very low carb intake leads to a drop in leptin and low seratonin levels. This can make people irritable, destroy sex drive and cause sleeping problem.

What I recommend? Keep protein and fat intake constant throughout the week. Carbs can increase on training days or refeed days but not at the expense of fats. Generally I don’t recommend carbs or fats falling below 25% of total calories on any day.

Food Choices 

Food choices play an important role in overall satiety. Whole food protein is ideal; chicken, beef, fish, cottage cheese/greek yogurt and egg/whites. Added fats should be included as necessary to achieve the proper intake of fat. Nuts, avocado’s, cheese, coconot oil and olive oil are great sources of added fats. For carb sources I like fruits (apples and bananas), potatoes, yams, oatmeal, beans and rice. As well, cruciferous veggies should be consumed with meals freely without regard for calorie content.

Refeed Days

If your ultimate goal is fat loss then I recommend staying in a 20-25% calorie deficit 5-6 days per week. So that means 1-2 higher calorie days per week. There is a trend in body composition coaching to include 3 reefed days per week on a diet. The problem with this is that in order to make this strategy work at any decent rate you need to go very low in calories 4 days per week. Most people would prefer to eat at a moderate 20-25% deficit 5-6 days per week than have to eat at an extreme 35% deficit 4 days per week. Save the three high calorie refeed days per week when you are recomping (maintain weight, build muscle and lose fat). This is the only time I’ve seen this strategy work effectively in my experience.

Kinobody Fat Loss Transformations

Phil

Zach

John

Tobias

Gisle

Kinobody Update

I have three open spots for my personal coaching program. It’s going to be getting pretty crazy over the new years so If you’re interested you’re going to want to email me pretty soon. For more information check out consultations.

Big News

My new kinobody muscle building program will be released very soon. This will be a 70 page downloadable ebook detailing my approach to building muscle while staying very lean. This will also include several different workout plans based on your goals and current physical development. The goal of the program is to simultaneously increase strength, muscle mass, definition, proportion and sex appeal. This is not a program for the bodybuilding physique but rather the body of a Greek God.

Natural Physique Development in Aesthetics, Strength and Fitness 

Kinobody to me is about achieving extreme physical excellence in aesthetics, strength and fitness. Now when I say aesthetics I am not referring to the puffy, round and curvy physique of bodybuilders. Rather I’m talking about a hard, dense and angular physique with broad thick shoulders and upper back muscles, masculine square chest, rock hard arms, taut waist and athletic legs. However even this detailed description allows room for different builds. In fact, as my physique has improved and I’ve built strength in the gym, my body has shifted in size and development. This has encouraged me to classify the three different types of kinobody physiques. These include the Warrior, Greek God and Superhero build. With each physique there is an emphasis on aesthetic proportions, leanness and functional strength. The difference between the three classes is the level of muscle development attained. With proper, tailored nutrition intake and a well designed strength training program, you can achieve any of these physiques. Let’s take a look at each class individually:

Warrior Physique 

• Exceptionally lean, toned and wiry
• Shredded abs
• Appears slim in clothes
• 6-8% body fat
• Ex: Brad Pitt in Fight Club, Christian Bale in American Psycho

The warrior build is the original kinobody physique that I encouraged at the start of this blog back in 2011. I was turned off by the meat head movement to get bigger at all costs and opted for a lean and toned physique instead. The warrior physique requires a mix of lower volume strength training and cardio/intervals to attain. As well, it is essential that you reach and maintain a low body fat through proper diet and nutrition. The great benefit of the warrior physique is that your face will be seriously defined and chiseled. Blue steel baby! Your body will also photograph incredibly well. You may appear slim in clothes but when you take your shirt off jaws will drop.

Greek God Physique

• Muscular with great definition and proportion
• Stands out in clothes
• 8-10% body fat
• Ex: Brad Pitt in Troy, Daniel Craig in Casino Royale

This is the look that I have shifted my emphasis towards in the last year. The Greek God Physique definitely attracts more female attention, provided you wear well fitted clothing. As well, this bigger and more muscular build makes you appear more dominant and imposing. Girls will ask to feel your muscles and they may even nonchalantly bump into you quite often. This type of physique comes with some serious strength and power! In fact I didn’t have this physique until I was capable of incline benching 240 lbs for 5 reps and chinning 100+ lbs for 5 reps. My new Kinobody Muscle Building Course is designed around achieving this type of physique.

Superhero Physique

• Incredible Muscle Development
• Looks like a real life superhero
• Rockhard muscles and chiseled abs
• Ex: Chris Evans in Captain America, Chris Hemsworth in Thor, Henry Cavill in Superman

The Superhero Physique is very similar to the Greek God Physique but with an extra 5-8 lbs of ‘pretty muscle’. This additional growth makes a very big visual difference and is attained by adding high volume pump training into your lifting regime. An emphasis on high quality carbs is important to stock up muscle glycogen stores. In my Kinobody Muscle Building Course I provide a 3 level superhero workout program with increasing levels of exercise volume. This type of training should be reserved for those who have surpassed the intermediate stages of strength and training experience. The superhero look is truly an astonishing one. Adding in the high volume lifting and high carbs will buff up your body fast and give you the shrink wrap effect making your muscles look absolutely incredible. I plan on being in superhero condition for April 1st, 2013.

Building the Kinobody Physiques 

Attaining anyone of the Kinobody Physiques doesn’t happen by accident. It requires proper diet and nutrient intake tailored towards your goal. It also requires a consistent increase in strength on movements that best enhance your muscle development. My preference is towards incline bench, standing presses, dips, chin ups, barbell curls, skull crushers, lateral raises, rear delt flyes, bulgarian split squats, calf raises…..

If you are getting stronger in the gym, maintaining a low body fat or gradually dropping any excess fat then you are bringing your body closer to the Ideal Kinobody Physiques. Continue this process and you will eventually reach the Warrior or Greek God build. You will need to attain a lower body fat for the warrior physique. For the Greek God physique you will need to build up more strength and mass. Taking things into Superhero status requires a great nutrition protocol and some additional high volume lifting. For a fully in-depth program on attaining the Greek God & Supehero Physique checkout my new Kinobody Muscle Building Program. After 7 years of working out and investing in countless workout programs this is the very system I have created to conquer my strength and physique goals.

Welcome to part 2 of achieving the warrior physique. In the last article I covered nutrition and dieting for the ripped and wiry warrior build. In case you missed it here’s part one warrior physique part 1. In this article I am going to talk about a systematic workout approach to build the warrior physique! But first let’s take a look at some kinobody examples!

1. Koy

Koy is a buddy of mine who is clearly in shredded shape! His bodyfat is ridiculously low and as a result his vascularity becomes much more pronounced. Koy is around 5’10 and 150 lbs and has the warrior physique!

2. Bryden

Bryden is my 16 year old younger brother and is also 5’10 and 150 lbs. I’ve been helping him with his training and nutrition for the past two years. In that time he has gradually decreased his body fat and improved his muscle definition and strength significantly.

3. Greg (me)

This is a picture of me from the summer of 2011. I’m around 170 lbs at 5’10 and 6-7% body fat. Since that time I’ve put on a substantial amount of muscle.

Strength Training for the Warrior Physique

Strength training is a large component of the warrior physique! Without it you may get lean but you will lack muscle definition and shape. As well, strength training is imperative as it will give your body the proper proportions and aesthetics when combined with a low body fat. However, with the warrior physique, the volume and intensiveness of the workout session will be lower. This is because we don’t want to overdo the muscle building. With the warrior physique we are after a natural amount of muscle mass in conjunction with minimal amounts of body fat.

Repetitions will be primarily lower as to avoid sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Therefore most of the muscle gains will be accrued from increases in the contractile filaments of the muscle, aka myofibrillar hypertrophy. When limiting muscle growth it makes sense to target this type of hypertrophy because it will have a direct influence on strength and power and it will give the muscles a harder and denser look. As well, adding muscle with lower reps will ensure that you look good all of the time since this type of muscle growth doesn’t fluctuate based on blood, glycogen or fluid.

You may notice that some exercises will be higher in repetitions. This is because particular exercises and muscle groups respond best to higher reps. For the lateral and rear delt I like to go higher in reps and volume. This will help keep your shoulders bigger and fuller giving you a more masculine appearance.

Warrior Strength Training Routine 

For the strength training portion of the exercise routine you will alternate between two different workouts, 3x per week, on non consecutive days. Workout A will be focused on hitting your chest, shoulders and triceps. Workout B will be dedicated towards training your back, biceps and legs. I have been following this type of split for several months now and have made my best gains ever! By going with a 2 day split (half your body on one day and other other half on the other day) you get to hit each muscle group once every 4-5 days. From my experience this is the absolute most effective muscle frequency for strength and muscle gains.

Workout A 

1) Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets x 4-6 reps

2) Standing Barbell Press: 3 sets x 4-6 reps

3) Weighted Dips: 2 sets x 6-8 reps

4) Barbell Upright Row (medium grip, pull to lower chest): 4 sets x 10-12 reps

5) Hanging Leg Raises: 4 sets x 10-12 reps

6) 15-20 minutes of low intensity cardio (optional)

Workout B 

1) Weighted Chin ups (hands facing each other): 3 sets x 4-6 reps

2) Barbell or Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets x 4-6 reps

3) Bulgarian Split Squats: 2 sets x 6-8 reps

4) Cable Rope Face Pulls: 4 sets x 10-12 reps

5) Dip Bar Leg Raises: 4 sets x 10-12 reps

6) 15-20 minutes of low intensity cardio (optional)

Notes

Exercises 1, 2 and 3 rest 2-3 minute between sets and stop 2 reps before muscular failure. Use the same weight for all work sets. Exercises 4 and 5 rest 60-90 seconds between sets and stop 2 reps before failure.

For exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4 increase the weight by 5 lbs when you can perform all sets for the maximum number of reps. So for incline barbell bench press you will increase the weight by 5 lbs for the next workout when you can do 3 sets of 6 reps. Try and add at-least 1 rep to 1 of your 3 sets each workout. So the first workout you might get 5, 4, 4. The next workout you’d try to get 5, 5, 4 and then 5, 5, 5. Once you build up to 6, 6 and 6 reps then you will add 5 lbs the next workout.

For the leg raise variations try to lift your legs as high as possible forming a V with your legs and torso. As fatigue mounts in you may need to bend your legs slightly to continue lifting your legs up. That’s fine, do the best you can.

Lastly, if you want to speed up fat loss you can add 20 minutes of low intensity cardio after the strength training workout. My preferred method is a brisk walk on the treadmill with an incline. My second favourite option is the elliptical machine. I am not a huge fan of the bike because I find I have to work twice as hard to burn the same number of calories. As well, I spend more than enough time per day sitting on my ass so I’d rather not do that while I’m exercising.

Cardio Training for the Warrior Physique 

Cardio training plays an important role in leaning down to single digit body fat. I’m a big proponent of strength training 3x per week or every other day. However, I feel that it is important to get physical activity on a daily basis, especially when dieting. Doing 45-60 minutes of low to medium intensity cardio will help you burn 400-600 calories. This gives you a lot more room to work with in your diet. For example, if you burn 2200 calories on a rest day then you will need to slice calories down to 1700 to put you into a 500 calorie deficit. Adding some exercise into the mix and you can bring your energy expenditure up to 2600 relatively easy. Now you can consume 2100 calories and be in an optimal 500 calorie deficit for fat loss. Alternatively, you could consume the same 1700 calories but this time be in a 900 calorie deficit. This would allow you to lose fat at almost double the rate!

So hopefully this shows you how cardio can make dieting much easier. Now it may be tempting to go beyond this and do 90-120 minutes of cardio on rest days. I don’t feel that this is a particularly wise idea. I consider 60 minutes of cardio per day to be the cutoff point for assisting with fat loss. After which, the cardio becomes a pain in the ass and inevitably leads to a proportional increase in appetite. So basically, if you want to eat like a bird or lose fat at a slow rate, complete inactivity is acceptable and can work. However, if you prefer to eat more calories or burn fat at a faster rate then adding some cardio on rest days may just be the best thing for you.

Cardio Recommendations

I recommend performing the type of cardio that you enjoy the most on your rest days (non strength training days). My preference, when dieting, is towards lower intensity forms of cardio such as walking on the treadmill with a slight incline. This type of training won’t cut into your recovery capabilities. Depending on how I’m feeling, I might step up the intensity at times, but I let my mood and intuition guide me. Sometimes i’ll alternate jogging with walking. This is similar to interval training but the intensity is fairly low. If you prefer to play sports, swim or run then do that! The cardio form that will most consistently get done is the type that you should do.

If you are already very active during the day then you probably won’t need to add additional cardio exercise on top of that. Your energy expenditure will already be exactly where in needs to be. Adding cardio to the picture will likely cause more problems than it solves.

What about boosting your metabolism or jacking up growth hormone? 

I don’t recommend performing cardio for the sole reason to boost your metabolism or jack up your growth hormone levels. The metabolism boosting effect of interval/sprint training has been drastically misinterpreted. Best case scenario you’ll burn an addition 15% on top of the calories burned from the interval session. So if you burn 200 calories from a 20 minute interval session then you’ll burn a whopping 30 calories on top of that from the metabolism boosting effect. And because interval/sprint training requires you to take a lot of rest between exertions your average intensity level will be substantially lower than if you were to maintain a steady pace throughout.

In terms of fat loss, it’s really all about the weekly calorie deficit that you create. Focusing on boosting your growth hormone levels from training will have hardly any effect at all. Similarly, chasing the testosterone boosting effect of squats/deadlifts or different training protocols has absolutely no impact on overall muscle growth. The only way for these hormones to make a difference is if you take immense quantities, artificially (illegal injections).

When should you perform cardio? 

For most people the best time to do cardio will be when it will most consistently get done. However, as you reach lower levels of body fat it can become more difficult to mobilize stored fat cells. So for people who are under 12% body fat it’s best to do cardio in the fasted state or 3-4 hours after a meal. However, for this cardio to have any effect, you must be in a calorie deficit. So doing empty stomach cardio in the morning and then overeating for the rest of the day will cause you to store excess fat. For those that are already following intermittent fasting and skipping breakfast you won’t have any issues mobilizing stubborn body fat. You will be oxidizing plenty of fat during the fasted phase, assuming you are in a calorie deficit.

Key Points 

1. Gaining 1-2 lbs per week will inevitably lead to fat gain

It is common for people to try and gain 1 pound of muscle per week! Therefore they consume approximately 500 calories over maintenance in hopes to store all of those calories into their muscles. Short of a heavy supply of anabolic steroids this rate of muscle gain is completely futile.

If you were to gain 1 lbs per week over the course of 6 months that would equate to a massive 26 lbs increase in scale weight. Best case scenario half of that would be muscle. That would mean 13 lbs of muscle and 13 lbs of fat. Let’s say you started off at 10% body fat and 150 lbs, well that would put you at 16% body fat and 176 lbs. That’s a huge 6% increase in fat composition. Now you would have to undergo a 3 month long cutting phase to get rid of the fat and hope you don’t lose any of that precious muscle gain.

Alternatively, if you would have aimed to gain 0.5 lbs per week and set the calorie surplus to reflect that then you would have gained almost entirely muscle without any fat gain. After 6 months you would have an additional 13 lbs of muscle without the extra fat. For the next 3 months instead of having to diet off the fat you could continue building muscle.

The best part is that you wouldn’t ever have to walk around with all of that unpleasant fat ruining your physique and face. You get to look lean and great all year round. As well, since you aren’t gaining much fat at all you never have to undergo long dieting phases.

2. Aim to gain 0.5 lbs per week

As I explained above, if your goal is to gain muscle you should aim to gain about 0.5 lbs per week. This means consuming about 250 calories over your calorie maintenance. You have a couple options here. You can eat 250 over maintenance everyday or you can fluctuate calories up or down depending on the day. For example if you are lifting 3x per week you might consume 500 calories over maintenance on lift days and you might eat a small 100 calorie surplus on non lifting days. If you prefer to keep calorie intake constant then you can do that. Both options work.

3. Track your body composition

I recommend tracking your body composition by measuring your waist circumference on a weekly basis. During a muscle gaining program you never want your waist to go up by more than one inch. A one inch increase on your waist circumference usually reflects about 5 lbs of fat gain. If your waist is staying the same and your gaining strength and gaining weight slowly then you’re doing everything right. If your waist goes up by one inch then you should lower the calories by about 10-20%.

4. For advanced lifters you should only be gaining 1 lbs per month 

If you have been training for several years and have already built an appreciable amount of muscle mass then you will not be able to gain muscle at the rate of 0.5 lbs per week. Simply as you get closer to your genetic limit the rate of muscle gain slows down considerably. For that reason I recommend eating only about 100-200 calories over maintenance and aiming for about 1 lbs of weight gain per month. For truly advanced lifters you may only be able to gain 5-6 lbs of muscle over the course of an entire year.

Final Comments

For a fool proof system for packing on pure muscle in the most aesthetic and functional way possible I recommend my kinobody muscle building course. So far the response has been incredible. If you read the comment section you will see what people have to say about the program.

Editors Note:

This evidence-based exploration of mental supplements was set forth by Sol Orwell and Kurtis Frank. You can usually find them collating scientific research on supplements and nutrition over at Examine.com

Nootropic – An umbrella term of importance 

The term Nootropic is used to refer to drugs/supplements/foods that have cognitive enhancing properties. It is derived from Noo- (the mind) and -tropic (towards), and is an umbrella phrase for any substance that could benefit your mind.

The researcher who originally coined the term nootropic (Corneliu Giurgea, inventor of Piracetam), proposed that anything considered a nootropic must be very safe and have no possibility of harming the body.

This idea is a problematic ideal – it’s hard to provide proof that a substance has absolutely no harmful effects on your body. Even his own piracetam would not fit that fill; a study showed it to be thin blood as effectively as Aspirin, and would cause problems if taken with prescription blood thinner. So we will talk about safety, but don’t dive in head first.

The word nootropic is so broad and vast that we need to categorize them further. Nootropics can work in different ways, and the following categorizes how they work (they all work to benefit your memory and/or cognition).

• Neurotransmitter Modulator: molecules which alter the concentrations of neurotransmitters in the body. These are either substrates for the neurotransmitters (L-Tyrosine and 5-HTP), enzyme inducers or inhibitors that modify neurotransmitter levels (MAOIs or Huperzine-A) and reuptake inhibitors that allow more neurotransmitters to stay in the synapse (SSRIs).

• Neurotransmitter Mimetics: molecules which act on receptors themselves, rather than needing to modify levels of neurotransmitters. This includes compounds like nicotine or ephedrine, which directly activate receptors.

• Transmission Modulators: These are things that, regardless of what happens at the synapse, alter the cellular effects and action potential of neuron. These either act at the receptor level (such as Honokiol or Aniracetam positively influencing GABA or AMPA receptors without directly acting on them) or on the axon (Levetiraetam and calcium channels)

• Structural Modification: These are compounds that modify the structure of the neuron. Regardless of what the action potential decides to do or the synapse contains, these merely make the neuron itself more structurally robust. At the least, they repair the structure of a poor neuron. Piracetam, Bacopa Monnieri, and Phosphatidylserine all fall in this category

• Therapeutic Compounds: These are characterized by having cognitive enhancing properties in persons with impaired cognition, but do not act in a unilateral manner. Instead, they only really benefit those with impaired cognition; the magnitude of benefit is lessened when used in an otherwise healthy person

These categories are not exclusive by any means. For example, yohimbine is an antagonist of alpha-adrenergic receptors (second bullet) and secondary to this it inhibits noradrenaline reuptake (first bullet). Piracetam is highly therapeutic (fifth bullet) possibly working via structural means (fourth bullet) although there is some evidence for it acting on calcium channels weakly (third bullet).

That being said, finding a nootropic compound that doesn’t fall into one of the above 5 categories is near impossible. This at least gives us a footing to begin wading through the vast world of nootropic compounds.

                                                                                                                            Cholinergerics – An important class of molecules 

Cholinergic compounds are those that interact with acetylcholine or its receptors, and thus induce acetylcholine-like effects (cholinergic-like effects). Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter highly involved in learning and memory formation, and tends to be one of the main focuses of many nootropic supplement regimens.

Cholinergic compounds can either be those that increase acetylcholine levels by supplying the substrate (choline or Alpha-GPC supplementation) or inhibiting its degradation (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; Galantamine is the reference drug here, and Huperzine-A is also commonly touted).

Direct agonists of acetylcholine receptors exist, with the most commonly used direct agonist in usage (by lay persons) currently being nicotine.

Overall, the goal of any cholinergic is to induce more acetylcholine signalling to target neurons in the hope that it increases learning and memory formation.

                                                                                                                                   Racetams – A heterogenous and popular category 

The term Racetam was born alongside the molecule piracetam, and refers to the common 2-pyrollidone structure in these molecules (If we look at the structures of levetiracetam, aniracetam, piracetam, nefiracetam, etc. we will always find a pentacyclic ring with a nitrogen in it and a double bonded oxygen one carbon away from it. This is the 2-pyrollidone group).

Racetams are actually categorized based on their physical structure, not what they do inside your body. It just so happens that when a molecule has this functional group, it tends to be highly  neuroactive.

For example, although piracetam has a variety of activities, the one that is pertinent here is rheological; binding to a cell membrane and improving fluidity (the fourth bullet).

Aniracetam is an AMPAkine, binding the the glutamate receptor subset known as AMPA and facilitating signalling through this receptor. Nefiracetam has been implicated in acting on another glutamate receptor, NMDA (which Aniracetam doesn’t do anything to).

Levetiracetam was synthesized off of Piracetam to enhance the inhibition of Calcium V2.2 channels (third bullet of altering signalling) and as such has a better role in epilepsy management.

So why are racetams popular? Racetams are akin to designer drugs for your mind, and it attracts a lot of people interested in neural benefits that do not care for “natural therapies.”

Although all known racetams are synthetic, there are some compounds borne from traditional medicines with similar (although not exact) structure to the pyrrolidone group on racetams; morus alba (white mulberries) and loganolactone (longan fruits) have a racetam-like structure that might be worth investigating.

So what can you eat? 

In Part 2 we will go over the various popular nootropics, including cholinergics and racetams. In the meantime, eggs are a great source of choline (a cholinergic), and small fatty fish (sardines, mackeral, herring) are good sources of both fish oil as well as phosphatidylserine (two structural modifying nootropics). Additionally, as mentioned earlier, longan fruits and white mulberries could have possible cognitive enhancing properties. It might be prudent to start to train your taste buds to enjoy tea, as tea can also be phrased as ‘water soluble extraction’ and opens up an entire world of plants to sneak into your diet.

So there you have it – a quick primer. Nootropics are supposed to enhance brain function, and they do so in roughly five primary ways. Cholinergics specifically target acetylcholine in order to help with memory function, and racetams are designed-drugs that can function in a variety of ways.

Drive is one of my favorite films! The beautiful cinematography, well placed retro music, and Ryan Gosling’s amazing yet understated performance. The whole movie came together perfectly. I felt like I was being taken on a ride through Los Angeles, moonlighting with Gosling. The realism and minimalistic nature of the film are all reasons for why it resonated so deeply with me. Ironically, the first time I watched Drive I left the theatre in complete and utter disappointment. It wasn’t until I watched it a second time that all of the reasons for disliking it, became reasons for loving it.

Now you might be wondering why the heck I am talking about the film Drive. Well the connection I am trying to underline is the emphasis on minimalism. From sheer simplicity; each line, each picture, each scene and each moment became infinitely more powerful. The same way the movie Drive was constructed and carried out is how I approach developing my physique.

If you take a look at many of the articles and workout routines contained here, on kinobody, you may have noticed a minimal number of workouts, exercises, sets and reps. More often than not, my routines fit the premise of 3 strength workouts per week with 4-6 exercises per session of 2-3 work sets. Granted, for some isolation based movements I perform 4-6 sets, but I digress. The point being, the overall theme as expressed through my training mentality and workout routines is minimalism. In this article I wish to uncover the truth behind minimalistic training and why the hell you should embrace the old adage, less is more.

What is minimalism?

Before I can even ask you to comprehend my way of lifting, it essential that you understand the meaning behind minimalism.

Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts

How does this apply to lifting? Well basically what I am doing is stripping down strength training to the absolute essential. It is only by eliminating the unnecessary that the effective truly becomes effective. For example; two of my favourite lifts are weighted chin ups and the incline bench press. I consider these to be my core upper body movements. Now the power of these two movements is tied tightly to your progress with them. It doesn’t matter if your chest and back feel torn to shreds, if you’re not adding weight then the exercises are useless.

This is exactly where minimalism comes in! A back and biceps workout consisting of weighted chin ups, t bar rows, cable rows and dumbbell pull overs + barbell curls, preacher curls, incline curls, cable curls…. might look good on paper, but it’s not! All of that volume just diluted the effectiveness of your core movement, weighted chin ups. I’ll bet dollars to dimes you’re not getting stronger on that routine. Admittedly, you might get some good sarcoplasmic, volume based growth for a few weeks. However, all good things come to an end unless you add some weight and make that bar bend!

From a long term strength and growth standpoint you’d be much better off with weighted chin ups, maybe one extra back exercise, plus a direct biceps movement. With this workout you’ll be able to add 2-3 lbs to the chin up belt each session. In a matter of months you’ll be chinning 100+ lbs for reps and I would stake my reputation that your back and arms would be nothing short of jacked at that point. Unfortunately, some people let their impatience get the best of them. So they add more sets and more exercises and expect better results. Nothing changes except for sorer muscles and slower strength and muscle gains.

Can you really make gains with such low volume? 

Superhero Physique – Here I come!

Hell yah you can! I don’t train this way because I’m lazy, far from it. I’ve adopted minimalistic lifting 18 months ago because it’s the more effective way to train. In a similar light Bruce Lee discovered that the key to becoming a better martial artist was to embrace simplicity and steer the hell away from the complex! Mastering a few basic moves served more useful than trying to learn every technique under the sun. This is what led Bruce to adapt his rigid gung fu to a more adaptable, more practical concept.

Not to over glorify what I’m doing, but I have discovered that the more effective way to gain strength and build muscle, is to hack away at the unessential and strive for improving the strength of my core lifts, above all else. Second to that, I see if I can add a bit more volume to increase muscle growth without impeding strength gains. This very process has led me to the following guidelines

1. 3 lifting sessions per week
2. 2 day split (Chest, Delts, Tri’s / Back, Bi’s, Legs)
3. 4-6 exercises per workout
4. 2-3 work sets for heavy, strength based movements (reverse pyramid training)
5. 4-6 sets for superhero pyramid training (constant weight, descending reps)

Workout Discoveries – 3 Recent Training Gems 

I would now like to share a few new realizations I have made in the past few months that have significantly improved my physique.

1. Shoulders can handle a lot of volume without any detrimental effects 

I have been able to successfully perform a high amount of volume on shoulders without impeding recovery or strength gains. The result has actually been a solid increase in shoulder size and roundness. If you’re performing heavy incline presses, shoulder presses and dips the anterior deltoid is getting plenty of work. Doing direct anterior exercises is pointless. The key is to hammer out volume on the medial and posterior head! I am currently doing 6 sets of lateral raises or upright rows on my chest, delt and triceps workout and 6 sets of face pulls (rear delts) on my back and biceps workout. I must say, I am getting a lot of compliments on my shoulders.

2. Take it easy on the triceps

It is very rare in life that we are required to perform a pure triceps extension. Think about it, It just doesn’t happen. The triceps are designed to assist the chest and shoulders in pressing against resistance. Therefore the triceps are going to get the best benefit from compound presses; incline bench, shoulder presses , dips and close grip bench. This is what the triceps are truly designed for.

As a personal anecdote I was struggling to make progress on my weighted dips. Once I stopped doing rope extensions at the end of my workout I was able to add 5 lbs to dips each workout. Eventually I decided to add rope extensions back in and sure enough my dip strength plateau’d and started to retract. I quickly came to the realization that direct triceps work was causing more harm than good. I haven’t done any direct triceps work in a couple of months and my strength and muscle development is the best it’s ever been!

Just remember, if you’re doing plenty of benching and shoulder pressing then you don’t need any direct triceps work. If you’re paranoid about your triceps then just make sure you’re either doing weighted dips or close grip bench. Trust me, the superior strength gains will more than make up for any reduction in training volume on the triceps.

3. Permission to curl 

Unlike triceps extensions, the biceps curl is actually a very functional movement. Very often are humans required to curl their arm up. Whether it’s lifting an object up to the shoulders, holding someone in a clinch, resisting against an arm bar…. the list is endless! We are designed to curl and this anti curl movement has got to come to a complete end. It’s actually ridiculous. I have yet to see someone with great biceps development that doesn’t curl. Currently on my back and biceps workout I am doing heavy incline dumbbell curls and high volume, superhero pyramid style cable curls. My biceps have never been better! The tape measure is stretched to 16.5″ cold and this direct biceps training has had no negative effects on my chinning progress.

Be Like Drive! 

I challenge you to take on minimalism. Let go of any irrational fears of losing muscle or wasting away. It will not happen. Instead you will gain strength at a superhero rate and muscle growth will follow predictably.

If you’re looking for a course based on this type of training then I would definitely encourage you to consider my Kinobody Muscle Building Course. I am pleased to report that the response from this program has been amazing!

Carb Backloading is starting to get tons of attention in the online fitness world! After having several people ask me my thoughts on this unique diet strategy, I thought it was time to address it in a full blown article. Whether you’re interested in this program or not, I think there will be a lot of value in this article that you can take away!

What is CBL (Carb Backloading)?

Carb backloading is a nutritional program created by DH Kiefer. The program is based around eating very low carbs during the day, training in the afternoon and loading up on carbs in the evening. DH Kiefer doesn’t discriminate against so called junk foods; pizza, icecream, donuts, pancakes! It doesn’t matter you can have it. Believe it or not, there is actually some method to the madness.

By eating very low carbs during the day, your force your body to use fat for fuel. This means an enhanced rate of fat burning. Further, keeping carbs low during the day helps many people stay alert and focused, enhancing work productivity. The afternoon or early evening is the ideal time to train on this program. After the training session your glycogen stores will be depleted and insulin sensitivity will be at an all time high. This will allow you to handle very high amounts of carbs extraordinarily well, via enhanced partitioning effects. Meaning you will get more nutrients stored in your muscle stores and less to your fat stores.

My Objective Thoughts? 

My inclination is that this diet strategy will allow someone to maintain more muscle on a cut and build a higher ratio of muscle:fat on a bulk. I surely have experienced this phenomenon for myself from overloading on carbs in the evening, post training. Granted, I train fasted and use a 6-8 hour eating window. This makes the probability of overblowing my calorie intake much lower than CBL. Bringing me to one glaring flow of CBL:

With CBL you’re eating all day long. During the day you’re eating primarily protein, fats and veggies and at night you’re eating very high carbs in addition to protein and fats. Meaning; the calories are coming in all day long without any emphasis on tracking calories or macronutrient intake. To me, CBL is a superior way to limit fat gain on a dirty bulk. But as a fat loss strategy, there is no way in hell you are going to be in a caloric deficit.

For CBL to work as a fat loss strategy you will need to track your calorie and macronutrient intake. What does this mean? It means that it’s not going to be nearly as fun as DH Kiefer makes it out to be. As well, most of those junk foods won’t be very workable into your macros. This is because pizza, icecream, pie, cookies….. are not only high in carbs but also very high in fat. Since you’re eating protein and fat earlier in the day, you will need to restrict fat intake in the evening.

The CBL Solution 

To make CBL more effective, I would incorporate intermittent fasting and I would track macronutrient intake. Something more or less along the lines of Nate Miyaki’s Intermittent Feast Program. If anyone knows how to get seriously ripped and make it enjoyable and lifestyle friendly it’s that guy!

Trust me, if I could get sliced to shreds using CBL I would do it in a heartbeat. I mean who wouldn’t want to be able to eat all day long with plenty of junk at night and be ripped? Unfortunately there is just no way I am gonna be in a deficit eating that way. And that is precisely why I have gravitated towards Nate Miyaki’s teachings. Nate’s Intermittent Feast is a highly functional program that actually gets you ripped. Plus the dude is living proof of his system, walking around with 1/3 of the body fat of DH Kiefer.

Nate Miyaki vs. DH Kiefer (Like I said, 1/3 the fat) 

Final Comments

For getting ripped, go with intermittent feast! If you’re already very lean and want to add some quality muscle while staying relatively lean then CBL can work quite well. Just remember, you have to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat. The best fat loss strategy is going to be the one that allows you to eat at a deficit as effortlessly as possible. For me this happens to be 2 big meals per day in a 6-8 hour window. For other people, albeit with much lower appetites, they may be able to successfully cut with CBL. However, these people are few and far between.

For many of us, getting lean for summer is on the forefront of our minds. We want to look our physical best with impeccable muscle definition, chiseled facial features and six pack abs (without flexing). We want to sport this killer physique all summer long; at the beach, pool and boardwalk. We also want to achieve this physique before summertime hits. That way we can enjoy the summer in maintenance mode. Having to diet during the summer months with barbecue’s, pool parties and nights out on the town is not fun. So get ready to get your cut on and be beach ripped for summertime! In this guide I will teach you how to cut effortlessly while retaining muscle and building strength. Let’s get started!

Step One – Determining Maintenance Level Calories 

The first step to designing an effective fat loss diet is to determine the amount of calories you require per day to maintain your weight. This is known as your energy expenditure and it varies wildly depending on your lean body mass and activity level (exercise and non exercise). To get an estimate of your energy expenditure you first need to calculate your basal metabolic rate. This is the amount of calories you require to sustain yourself if you were bedridden all day. I like to use the Katch Mc-Ardle formula. However, this will require you to know your lean body mass (total weight subtracted by body fat). A good calculator to get a rough estimate for body fat percentage can be found here.

Calculate BMR

Once you know your body fat percentage you will need to multiply that number by your total bodyweight. That will tell you how much fat you have. So if you’re 15% body fat and 150 lbs then you would multiply 150 lbs by 0.15. This would give you 22.5 lbs of fat. You will then need to subtract this number from total bodyweight to determine lean body mass. Lastly you will need to convert this figure to kg by dividing it by 2.2. For example: 150 – 22.5 = 127.5 lbs. Divided by 2.2 = 58kg of Lean Body Mass. Enter your lean body mass into the formula below to calculate your BMR.

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Use an Activity Multiplier 

The next step will be to multiply your BMR by an activity multiplier to calculate your total energy expenditure.

In the first article of the Beach Ripped Series I showed you how to determine the number of calories you should be consuming to be in an optimal calorie deficit. I also showed you how to set up you macronutrients; proteins, fats and carbs. Lastly, I went into detail about meal frequency, and food distribution. Well, in todays article I will show you exactly how to hit your calories and macros with awesome meals!

Rule #1 – Keep it Simple 

You want to keep your diet as simple and effortless as possible. Therefore I recommend using simplified rules. These include:

1. Don’t bother counting calories from fibrous veggies/greens

Trust me, there is nothing to gain from being obsessive compulsive and weighing/measuring your veggies. These foods are very high in vitamins/minerals/fiber and very low in calories. The amount of calories your body can actually utilize from fibrous veggies is so small it’s practically a zero calorie food. Therefore I recommend consuming a moderate intake of fibrous veggies/greens with each meal without regard for calorie/macro intake.

2. Don’t bother counting calories from low calorie sauces/flavorings (mustard, hot sauce, tomato sauce, soya sauce, rice vinegar) 

Low calorie sauces add very few calories. Just be conscious of how much you use and there is no need to have to count that towards your calorie/macro intake.

3. Don’t bother counting trace proteins

Starchy carbs usually come with a trace amount of protein but I recommend ignoring this. It’s simpler just to count your protein from meat. So a big serving of potatoes might have 10g of protein. Consider that extra protein a bonus. When you start having to count protein from your starches it makes things very complicated when you are increasing or decreasing your carb intake. In addition, you don’t want to reduce your meat intake because you are consuming more starches. Meat intake should stay relatively constant.

4. Don’t worry about hitting your calories and macronutrients exactly

Aim to be within shooting distance of them. So within 5g of your fat intake, within 10g of your protein and carb intake and within 50 calories of your calorie intake. Trying to be 100% exact is ridiculous. Even if you are 100% exact, you won’t be. This is because food labels and measuring your food isn’t even 100% accurate. You can’t be 100% accurate, you just need to be within shooting distance.

Rule #2 – Use an App 

To really keep yourself accountable I recommend recording everything you eat with a handy smart phone app. I really like MyNetDiary, it’s a simple and easy to use app that has many neat functions. You can customize your daily calories and macros, you can search practically any food, you can scan barcodes, you can create custom foods, you can even track your weight and measurements. The customized food function is really helpful. You can find out how many carbs are in a serving of potatoes, rice, rice pasta and you can customize that food subtracting the trace protein and trace protein calories. This way it won’t count the trace nutrients towards your calorie and macro count.

Rule #3 – Get a Electronic Food Scale 

I strongly recommend you purchase an electronic food scale. This will allow you to quickly and easily weigh your food so you can accurately enter it into your app to determine the number of calories and macros your are consuming.

Rule #4 – Weight Your Meat Raw 

There is a lot of confusion whether you should weigh your meat before or after cooking. For greatest accuracy you should weigh it in the raw state. However, you need to make sure that you are using the uncooked nutrition information when you enter it into your app. This is because cooking your meat can reduce the weight of the food by 25-35%. So if you are weighing your chicken raw and entering it into your app as grilled chicken your calorie and protein numbers will be much higher than they should. On most grocery store bough meats the nutritional information is listed on the back. This refers to it in it’s raw state. Go by those measurements. 100g of raw meat most likely has around 20g of protein. Depending on the type of meat, there could be anywhere from 0-20g of fat. These fat numbers need to be counted towards your macro and calorie intake.

Hitting Your Macros

Count your protein numbers from meat, your carb numbers from starches (potatoes, rice, rice pasta, yams, fruits), your fat numbers from meat and added fats (coconut oil, butter, macadamia nut oil, nuts). If you want to add any additional food on top of that, you will need to count both the carb and fat numbers.

Example Meal – 60g protein, 20g fat and 100g carbs

300g chicken breast (60g protein)

4tsp of oil/butter (20g fat)

135g rice/pasta (100g carbs)

Broccoli (zero)

In this example, chicken breast is practically fat free so you need to get all of your fat from added fats. In this case you can use oil/butter for cooking and taste. I like to use 1-2 tsp of oil for cooking and I also like to add the rest of the fat to the rice cooker to give the rice more flavor.

Example Meal 2 – 80 protein, 25 fats, 120 carbs

400g Flank Steak (80g protein, 20g fat)

1tsp of oil (5g fat)

600g Potatoes/Yams (120g carbs)

Cauliflower (zero)

In this example, flank steak has fat so we need to take that into account and reduce our added fats. We have 1tsp of fat to work with so we will just use it for cooking or to add for taste.

Example Meal 3 – 75g protein, 25g fat, 100g carbs 

What if you want to work some desert into the meal? How about a haagen daz icecream bar with 25g fat and 30g carbs. Well in this example you would need to keep your fat intake very low in the meal and reduce your carb intake to make room.

375g Chicken Breast (75g protein)

350g Sweet Potato (70g carbs)

1 Haagen Daz Icecream Bar (25g fat and 30g carbs)

Veggies

It’s really this easy! 

You will be surprised how easy it is to hit your macros when you stick to lean meats, starches and added fats. Just count your protein and fat from the meat, get any extra fat you need from butter, coconut oil or macadamia oil. Alternatively, you could add almonds or peanut butter or even a yummy desert to reach your fat numbers so long that you take into account any extra carbs. And of course, get the bulk of your carbs from sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, rice or gluten free pasta (rice pasta).

Fat loss will never be so effortless and rewarding! 

Once you get in the habit of being accountable for your overall macronutrient and calorie intake then getting lean will become as easy as a stroll through the park. You will no longer be fighting your food cravings being victim to a restricted lifestyle. Instead, you will be able to eat whatever you like. This results in a very cool shift in thinking. Knowing that you can have whatever you like creates a very healthy relationship with food. Just by being accountable, you tend to gravitate towards healthy, natural foods and deserts only in moderation. This is because you want to make the diet as enjoyable as possible and natural, wholesome foods are the best for satiety. If refined foods, sweets or deserts make up a big portion of your overall food intake, hunger may become exacerbated. So by default your diet becomes perfectly balanced without having to set stringent rules. But when you tell yourself, you can never have chocolate cake or icecream again, you will be fighting a monkey off your back for the rest of your life.

Epic Kinobody Meals

Want to see the type of daily hedonism I subject myself to? On my kinobody facebook page I post up some of my favorite meals.

Cardio is the most misunderstood exercise in the world. This is increasingly true when we are talking about fat loss. Very rarely do people give cardio the credit it deserves. On one hand you have people that completely overvalue cardio training. On the other hand you have people that consider cardio to be a complete waste of time. In this article I wish to clear up any confusion regarding cardio and it’s role in fat loss and body composition.

Say No to Cardio? 

The recent trend in the fitness industry is to lift weights to promote muscle growth and use diet exclusively to lose fat or stay lean. I feel that this can be an effective approach and a great starting point for most people. You definitely don’t want to get in the habit of relying on excessive amounts of exercise to lose weight and stay lean. That being said, the lift and diet strategy only works well for two types of people. One – people that are just looking to maintain there weight and don’t need to tap into a calorie deficit. Two – people who are moderately active during the day and have larger energy expenditures. However, for those of us who are mostly sedentary, this no cardio approach can mean one of two things when it comes to losing weight.

1) We lose weight at a slow rate

2) We have to consume very low calories

The reality of the situation is that most of us are sedentary. We drive to work, sit on our butts all day and spend a negligible amount of time on our feet. Many of us are lucky to get a combined 30 minutes of walking per day. This results in very low energy expenditures. To even tap into a calorie deficit, we have to eat a very modest amount of food.

The Fat Loss Advantage of Cardio 

By increasing our movement and giving our bodies 30-45 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, we can burn 300-600 calories. This gives us much more room to work with in our diet. As well, getting exercise on a daily basis helps with dietary adherence. People are more likely to follow through with their diet if they are exercising that day.

I have found that for sedentary individuals, getting 30-45 minutes of exercise on non lifting days can help tremendously. You’ll be much more satisfied as you’ll be able to consume considerably more food and lose weight. In addition, 30-45 minutes of cardio is relatively short. That’s like one episode of television. How many of us watch a few hours of tv each day? Not to mention, getting exercise on a daily basis helps with mood, energy levels, motivation…. Lastly, this amount of cardio shouldn’t have too much of an impact on your appetite and hunger.

Too much of a good thing 

There’s always the risk that someone will think a moderate amount of cardio is beneficial, therefore an extreme amount of cardio will be even more effective. This train of thinking is flawed and leads to doing more harm than good.

With too much cardio you can cause what is known as cardio compensation. This is where you reach a point where any additional calories burned will result in a proportional increase in hunger. This is much more apparent during longer 1-2 hour cardio workouts. These marathon long cardio sessions tend to create an insatiable appetite. What’s more, very long cardio sessions can cut into recovery and negatively impact strength gains and muscle mass.

Putting Cardio into Perspective

One of the reasons why cardio gets such a bad rep is because it’s so easy to undo an entire cardio session if you’re not careful. Let’s say that you did cardio for one hour and burned 500 calories. A serving of desert after dinner could completely off set that one hour of cardio. In this scenario your 60 minutes in the gym was traded for the few minutes of pleasure from a desert.

This scenario is common with people who solely use cardio to stay lean and let the chips fall where they may on their diet. Obviously this is not an ideal strategy for body composition. However, this is not the approach I am suggesting. My preference is to pay close attention to your diet and to use cardio synergistically. This is the ultimate fat loss plan. It’s a two vs one fight. Cardio + Diet vs Body fat.

Why Cardio Should Be Used? 

Let me give you a perspective on cardio that will help you understand why I value cardio training and how I like to use it. Let’s say that you’re an average male who isn’t very active aside from 3 strength workouts per week. On your lift days your maintenance calorie requirements are around 2500. However, on your rest days your maintenance requirements are considerably less at only 2100-2200. On your lifting days you can consume 2000 calories and be at an optimal 500 calorie deficit. Unfortunately on your rest days you need to cut calories down to 1600-1700 to be at that same 500 calorie deficit.

Wouldn’t it be far more enjoyable to exercise at a comfortable intensity for 30-40 minutes and consume 2000 calories than have to eat very low calories? If you feel this way then cardio is probably for you! So ultimately, with cardio, you should already be eating under your calorie requirements. Cardio will help increase that calorie deficit so that you can lose fat at an appreciable rate.

Beach Ripped Cardio Recommendations 

Forget about intervals, crossfit, p90x, insanity, complexes, circuits, medley’s, and the tough mudder. If you’re doing cardio to get lean then it’s a matter of burning calories while side stepping overtraining and increased hunger. Don’t let the allure of a turbo charged metabolic rate fool you. That’s a myth, a marketing ploy. The after burn effect of intense exercise is at best, a mere 15% of calories burned. Now that we have that out in the open let’s proceed with the workout.

Ultimately, the type of cardio you should do is what you enjoy the most provided that you stick to a few key principles.

1) Aim to burn a certain number of calories per session – 2-3 calories per pound of bodyweight.

2) Avoid activity that impairs recovery for strength and muscle building workouts.

Abide by those two principles and you’re in the clear. The options are endless, really! You can go for a long walk, alternate walking and jogging, mountain bike, jump rope, hit up the cardio machines, play a multitude of sports, swim, hike, shadow box, dance……… The aim of course is for movement and an increased energy expenditure while realizing all of the amazing health benefits of daily exercise.

Now for sake of simplicity and convenience I will outline a fun cardio protocol that you can do at your gym. The goal of the session is to burn calories, increase fat loss and avoid boredom.

Beach Ripped Cardio Workout 

1. Treadmill Interval Pyramid: 

2 min walk / 1 min jog x 6-8 or 1:15 walk / 45 second run x 10-12

For gym cardio, I always like to start with some form of interval. This is not because I feel that intervals magically boost my metabolism to the stratosphere but rather, it goes by much faster as my mind always has something to focus on. This is also not to be mistaken with high intensity interval training, in which you’re exerting a maximal effort. With that type of training, you are at a risk of cutting into recovery capabilities while on a diet.

For these I like to use a 2 degree incline and walk at 3.8mph (4.0 mph seems unnaturally fast for a walk). For my first interval I will run at a comfortable 6mph. With each interval that passes I will build up the speed. Depending on how I’m feeling I might go up by 0.5 or 1 mph each interval. So I might do 6-7-8-9-9.5-10. If the diet is getting to me or I don’t have the energy I might just jog at 6 or 6.5 during the running portion of the interval. Nothing is 100% set in stone with cardio workouts so you can take the ball and run with it or walk with it. This is completely different than how I approach my strength training workouts, which are very structured, goal oriented and maximal effort.

Note: We’ll be tracking calories during cardio. Make sure to manually enter your weight into the machine for a more accurate calorie burn reading.

2. Steady State Cardio: 10-20 minutes

During the first portion of the workout, the intervals, you should have been able to burn around 200-300+ calories. This is largely dependent on your weight, cardiovascular shape and level of exertion. During the second portion of the workout you will aim to burn the remainder of your calorie target off. I like to go at a low to moderate intensity for active recovery and fat burning. Somewhere around 60-70% of your maximal heart rate. Again the options are endless for this: I like to hit up an elliptical style machine, the one with the handles that you can push. I opt to avoid the bike and the rower for a couple reasons: Much of my day is spent in the seated, spine compressing position, why add to that while exercising? As well, I can burn significantly more calories on the elliptical machine.

My favorite modalities for this part of the cardio workout include: jumping rope, elliptical (pushing handles) and incline walking. For incline walking I will pyramid the incline for fun. So I will walk at 3.8mph and increase the incline by 1 each minute until the half way point. Then I’ll decrease the incline by 1 each minute until I’m finished.

3. Stretching and Abs Training 

This is an ideal time to train your abs and stretch out any tight muscle groups. I like to do a lot of hanging abdominal movements. These exercises build very strong abs and don’t cause any low back pain like most crunching movements. I finish off with bridging, the king of all exercises. Bridging is the reason why I have been lower back pain free for 2 years. These movements also serve to decompress and elongate your spine, you may notice you stand slightly taller, a nice side benefit.

1. Leg Raises (hanging bent leg, hanging straight leg or from dip bar): 3 sets x 10-20 reps

2. Side to Side Knee ups or Abs Whee Roll outs: 2 sets x max reps

3. Hip/Back Bridge Hold: 2-3 sets x 20 seconds

4. Bonus stretches (optional)

Notes: rest 1-2 minutes between sets.

Calorie Targets? 

I’d recommend aiming to burn about 2-3 calories per pound of bodyweight. So if you’re 150 lbs, you’d aim to burn 300-450 calories per session. This is a reasonable amount, shouldn’t take too long to complete and will result in a proportionally smaller increase in appetite than calories burned. So you might find that it’s just as easy to consume 2000 calories per day on complete rest days as cardio days.

Beach Ripped Cardio Q&A?

1. I play (insert sport here) 2-3 times per week, should I still do cardio?

If you are involved in sports then you can count that as your cardio workout. So on a day that you are playing a particular sport, you won’t need to do a cardio workout. Only do cardio workouts on days that you are not active or lifting weights.

2. I work manual labor, should I still do cardio?

If you work manual labor then your energy expenditure will be very high. If you are spending several hours per day walking, lifting, moving and doing physical tasks there is no need for additional calorie burning exercise. Lift weights 3x per week to build strength and maintain muscle and that’s about it.

3. I find that on days I do cardio I become very hungry? 

There are some individuals that find even 30-45 minutes of cardio exercise can make them much hungrier. If that’s the case for you and you find it more enjoyable to eat low calories without cardio then go for it. Alternatively you can try just doing a limited amount of exercise. Maybe a 10-30 minute walk to see how that affects your appetite/cravings.

4. Won’t cardio cause me to lose strength and muscle? 

If you stick to the cardio protocol that I laid out, there will be no negative impact on strength, power or muscle mass. Take a look at athletes from a wide array of sports including basketball, hockey, rugby, boxing, mixed martial arts….. These athletes have incredible cardiovascular fitness and in most cases great strength and muscle development. Not to mention, many of these athletes are required to do cardio intensive activities for several hours per day.

The belief that cardio training will cause you to sacrifice strength, power and muscle mass has been completely over exaggerated in the fitness/bodybuilding world. For this to even remotely come about, you’d already have to be very big, strong and muscular so that your body would need to take a turn to efficiency. As well, you would have to push the cardio to the limit. Perform cardio frequently and push your body very hard so that you are signalling improvements in endurance are demanded.

Remember this, high level aerobic fitness and elite strength and power are opposite adaptations. You’ll rarely come about a 500 lbs squatter who can run 3 miles in under 20 minutes. Trying to get stronger while trying to train for a road race is never the best idea. If you’ve read this article you will understand that I am not trying to get you in top physical condition for a endurance competition. We are simply using cardio as a tool to increase fat loss. Therefore those extreme endurance based physiological changes will not take place. Instead you will just maintain a reasonable level of cardio fitness, think of it as your base. You can build strength and muscle at the maximal rate with this base. However, if you want to take your cardio to the extreme, you will need to put your strength and muscle into maintenance mode. Like the Chinnese proverb, the man who chases two chickens catches none.

Beach Ripped Part One and Two

1. The DIY Guide to Cutting - http://www.kinobody.com/2552/beach-ripped/

2. Counting Macros and Making Meals - http://www.kinobody.com/2579/beach-ripped-counting-macros/