One of the best podcasts ever recorded on training for the purposes of fat loss and muscle growth! Sit down and enjoy your ride, even the most educated and experienced fitness expert will be sure to learn constantly in this episode.

Lyle McDonald is notorious as one of the brightest minds in the fitness and nutrition industry. His ability to communicate even the most complicated concepts in simplistic terms is rather remarkable.

Whenever I need clarity on fitness or nutrition topics, Lyle McDonald is the first person I seek out!

Lyle runs the amazing resource that is bodyrecomposition.com. He’s authored great books including  A Guide to Flexible Dieting and Ultimate Diet 2.0.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How effective is cardio for fat loss (00:50 seconds)
• How much can interval training boost your metabolism by (7:50)
• What effect does cardio have on appetite and dietary adherence (13:00)
• How much muscle can you gain as a natural (15:40)
• What causes muscle growth and what’s most important; intensity or volume (18:30)
• The most important factor to muscle growth that no one wants to talk about (23:30)
• Why strength gains in the moderate rep range builds the most muscle (28:20)
• Why it’s difficult to gain strength with higher reps (19:13) 
• Do certain muscle groups respond better to high rep ranges (33:15)
• Can you build muscle in a calorie deficit (36:30)
• Can you build muscle at a very low body fat (44:00)
• The danger of getting really lean (48:30)
• Free weights vs machines: do machines have their place (49:30)
• The reason free weights got popular (54:40) 
• The importance of isolation work (57:40)
• Can squats and deadlifts trigger whole body growth (1:00) 
• What we can expect from Lyle McDonald in the near future (1:04)

Watch The Video Here

Thank You For Listening!

To get more RTR content sent directly to your device as they become available, you can subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated… We read each and every one of them!

Editor’s Note: 

Kinobody introudces guest author Darius from SexyStyleforJoe.com. Darius is a long time follower of Kinobody, and an absolute expert in style! In fact, he has some of the best outfit ideas I have seen online. He also works with men online as a personal style consultant. Anyways, without further ado, I am pleased to share this article that Darius wrote for kinobody! If you’re going to put in the effort to build a great body, you would have to be illogical, not to put in a little effort to dress well and look good! 

Maximizing Your Sex Appeal: How To Pick Clothes To Go With Your Sexy Physique

Physique and style goes hand in hand when it comes to creating an image of a man, who’s sexy, confident and demands respect.

Here, at Kinobody.com, you have some of the best resources when it comes to improving your physique. You also have an excellent article on dressing-well written by Nicolas – How to Dress with Style for the Kinobody Physique. He covered the basics and how to pick particular pieces like shirts and jeans, when you’re packing some muscle. Make sure to check this article if men’s style basics still elude you.

With this article I won’t repeat what was already said – instead, I’d like to help you take a step further and go from being well-dressed to looking straight up sexy. As a result, we want women, when checking us out, go from “he looks nice, I think I’d like to meet him” to “yummm… I will do bad things to this man when we’re alone!”

Why Focus On Sex Appeal?

Tell me, why you first got into fitness? Yes, we all want to be healthy and strong, but really – is that the reason why you first started hitting the gym, watching what you eat, etc.?

If I were to make a calculated guess, I’d say that about 7 or 8 out of 10 guys here started working on their appearance for the same reason I started learning about clothes and men’s style – to get women and have more control over our sex life.

In my case the situation was quite dire – I was a freshman in university, studying IT, without any success with women – the nightmare of becoming a 40-year old virgin, or something close to that, seemed to be just around the corner. The fact that I had a huge crush on the hottest girl in the dorm didn’t help my case either.

I did work out at the time, but I was rather clueless on the subject and was pretty much beating around the bush without getting any noticeable results – guys, you have no idea how lucky you are to have a site like Kinobody.com right now! (This is the part where we say Thank You to Greg for his work)

So I aimed on learning to dress in a way that would present me in the most attractive way. One of the reasons I focused on clothes is quick results – your new, sexy persona can be achieved in a single shopping trip, when you know what you’re doing.

And yes, afterwards, just like fitness, it becomes a way of self-expression, you want your image to correctly represent all the great qualities that you have on the inside. But for most of us, it all starts with a very basic need of being attractive to the opposite sex.

Being Well-Dressed Vs. Dressing Sexy

The two are not mutually exclusive, but one does not necessarily guarantee the other – you can be well-dressed and still appear stunningly boring or you can dress very sexy but not exactly in a way that would be deemed stylish by general public (it’s a bit of a cliché, but think Brad Pitt in Fight Club – red leather jacket with patterned shirt, not exactly something your typical style consultant would recommend)

As a rule of thumb, you want to be well-dressed when your goal is to impress other men, like a job interview, business lunch, etc. and dress sexy when you want to be perceived sexually attractive by women.

Naturally, if you are able to achieve them both and with this article I’ll do my best to help you achieve exactly that effect – more power to you!

How To Maximize Your Sex Appeal Using Clothes

I’m sure that by now most of you are thinking something along the lines “Yeah, yeah, I get it – I want to dress sexy. But how?!”

Fortunately for us, it’s really not that complicated, nor will we need to spend ridiculous amounts on expensive tailored suits and watches.

Maximizing our sex appeal boils down to two qualities:

• Creating the most visually flattering proportions.
• Conveying the right character qualities on first impression.

Creating the most visually flattering proportions

The proportions that makes us look sexy are actually quite the same as ideal aesthetics discussed in Greg’s Adonis Belt article (make sure to check Kinobody Physique calculator to see what we should be aiming for).

In simplest terms, we should aim to appear lean, muscular with strong shoulders and chest. I’d like to stress the “appear” part. The truth is, most women will first see you with your clothes on and it won’t matter how ripped you are, if you’re rocking a loose hoodie with pockets around torso (unnecessary layer of fabric) it will visually add several inches to your waist.

In the same manner, you can be quite skinny (I am) but if you know how to manage colors, you can wear a brighter buttoned shirt, tight dark vest and you will create that sexy V-form without actually changing how much muscle you’re packing.

Anecdotally, I have a friend, who used to do fitness on a competitive level, despite that, in our circle of friends pretty much no one even suspected that he worked out, because he used to wear baggy, thick clothes all the time, which made his overall stature appear sloppy and rather unimpressive.

Don’t get me wrong, your actual physique is very important – think of it as a multiplier. The better your actual physique is, the more impressive and sexy you will look with the right clothes. And if you’re stick-figure skinny or on the obese side, it’s probably better to focus on your gym time instead of trying to camouflage your faults with clothes.

A guy with an average physique and sexy style can look good, but only when you combine sexy style with Greek God physique you will get that “Wow!!…” panties-dropping effect.

One important aspect that we need to consider that is not often discussed in fitness, with clothes we should aim to appear taller too.

Can we actually do that? Absolutely!

We recently did an experiment, where we surveyed women asking to estimate my height and attractiveness with two different outfits. The difference between crappy, baggy style and my normal, fitting style was 5 cm (~2 inch). In other words, if you want to appear taller forget magic pills and platform shoes, you can “grow” 2 inches by simply dressing properly.

Conveying the right character qualities on first impression

It takes moments, yes, just moment for people to make their first impression about us and that impression can be a very persistent one. In practice, this means that most women you meet have already put you in some category in her mind before you even get a chance to say a word. Scary, right?

Well, as someone who paid his dues in the gym, you probably shouldn’t worry too much. Your impressive physique already demonstrates a lot of attractive qualities.

But we also should understand that your clothes convey much more than just where you shop. With ease you can transform your look from a nice guy, who “should totally meet her parents” to a bad boy, who’s “probably slept with half the women in here.”

If you’re looking for something more serious, it might be a good idea to show a more conservative, safe, stable side. But if your goal is a casual hook up or some sort of short-term dating, you’d be way better off showing your edgy, sexual side.

To quote a study on the subject:

“In other words, despite expressed preferences, many women who participated in this and other such studies actually wanted nice guys only as friends or long-term boyfriends, but preferred “bad boys”-those more physically attractive and willing to manipulate women into sexual activity-as sexual partners.”

-G. C. Urbaniak and P. R. Kilmann, “Physical Attractiveness and the `Nice Guy Paradox': Do Nice Guys Really Finish Last?” Sex Roles: A journal of Research 49 (2003): pp. 413-426.

As we’re talking about peaking our sex appeal, I’ll assume that your goal is the latter. The question is – what qualities your image should then show?

• Display your edgy, rebellious side.
• Show that you’re a sexual man and comfortable with it.
• You want to appear strong, dominant, even a little intimidating.
• Differentiate yourself from the crowd, show that you’re comfortable in the spotlight.
• Show that you’re socially savvy and not a risk.

Can you really do this with clothes? Sure, and the rest of the article is meant to show you some easy to implement, practical tips that combined will convey exactly those qualities.

Practical Ways To Maximize Your Sex Appeal

But first, let me stress, that spot on fit is extremely important with all those strategies. If you’re struggling with identifying whether an items fits you properly, I have an article to help you out.

Create Visually Flattering Proportions

As mentioned previously, one of our goals with clothes is to visually create that sexy V-from effect for our upper body and keep our hips and legs looking proportionate.

We have several tools at our disposal for this: color coordination, layering, cuts.

Few basic rules to keep in mind:

• Tighter cuts will emphasize and draw attention to your physique. Looser cuts will visually add an inch or two.
• Darker colors will have a visual slimming effect. Brighter colors will make you appear bigger.
• Add additional layers where you need to add volume (usually biceps, chest and shoulders). Avoid adding unnecessary layers, like big pockets, where you want to look lean (usually torso.)

Aim To Appear Taller

When it comes to perceived height, you have several cards up your sleeve:

• Avoid high color contrast between upper and lower body. If you’re wearing a dark top, pick darker jeans too. If you’re over 6 ft. or so, feel free to ignore this part.
• Avoid items that cover your legs (long coats, jackets, etc.)
• Darker outfits in general have a lengthening visual effect.
• Baggy clothes (especially jeans), are taking inches away from your height!
• Low rise jeans will help your torso look longer and more proportionate.
• Don’t underestimate the power of boots. It’s the best way to actually add some height without looking like you’re overcompensating (pick Chelsea boots for classier outfits.)

Show Some Skin

You know how a woman with sizeable, perky breasts in a tight, skimpy top can instantly put a smile on your face? Heck, I’m sure that just by putting this image in your head I just made you smile.

Guys can have that same effect on women too, so don’t be shy to open another button on your shirt or pick a tee with a deeper cut, especially if you worked on your pecks – we want our pretty ladies smiling, don’t we?

We’re all biologically programmed to respond to healthy looking skin and it also shows that you’re comfortable in a more sexual outfit.

Go Tight

You paid your dues in the gym and cut the junk food long enough to have results to show for it – damn you look impressive in front of the mirror. But why nobody seems to notice your effort when you hit the bars and clubs or just going around your day-to-day business?

You start wondering, maybe you should just pull your shirt up for everyone to see your rock-hard abs…

No! Don’t do that. Instead, you need to accept that baggy clothes are only wearable at home, while camping and doing garden work. Even standard cuts are not doing justice to your physique.

It’s time to go tight – and trust me on this, once you do this, you will never look back, the feedback you’ll start getting from women will be so overwhelming, that you’ll start wondering why the hell you ever thought that a baggy piece of clothing looked good.

Keep It Simple, Keep It Raw

One problem I see with a lot of my ripped clients is that they tend to overcomplicate their outfits. They read on some men’s style magazine that they should be wearing plenty of layers, in a variety of colors and fabrics, all of which “matches perfectly with their skin tone”, etc. and took it to heart without considering their own unique situation.

The thing is, general advice like that is mostly dedicated to guys, who are too lazy to hit the gym or like their beer a bit too much.

Being in great shape, you already have “The Goods” and anything in your outfit that distracts from your epic physique should be removed. Even accessorizing should be kept subtle.
Keep your outfits simple and to the point, drawing attention to the work of art that is your body.

Don’t Shy Away From Edgier Clothing

Safe, conservative styles have their place – mostly, in business lunches and family reunions, but when it comes to women and attraction you really want a slightly edgier look. Safe is boring and boring is not sexy. That said, it’s important not to go overboard with this – you don’t want to appear like talking to you is a social risk (forget “peacocking”.)

To find this perfect spot between edgy and socially savvy, start introducing edgier items one-by-one and adjust based on the feedback and the image you want to present.

Few tips how to make your look edgier:

• Accessorize – add a necklace, bracelet, scarf, or a belt with a more interesting buckle.
• Add rugged, washed, distressed items to your outfit.
• Go for deeper cuts, open another button on your shirt.
• Leather items are great for edgier looks.
• Adding a bolder color or two is a great way to “spice up” a classier outfit.
• A pair of cool looking shoes is probably the easiest way to transform your look from boring to sexy.

 How This All Comes Together

I’m often asked – so what do I actually wear?

The answer, however, is a bit anticlimactic – whatever you really want, as long as you meet the following requirements:

• Your clothes fit perfectly.
• Your clothes are not wrinkled, stained or sweaty.
• Your image conveys the qualities you want people assume about you.
• Your clothes display your physique in the most flattering way.

First two points are rather basic and hopefully by now you have a much better understanding how to assess and, if needed, correct your style based on the two latter points.

Other than that there are very little rules of what you should and should not be wearing. Some guys prefer dress shirts and blazers, others prefer deep V-neck tees and biker leather jackets, and anything in between.

As its winter outside right now, I would like to offer a small parting gift to those, who feel really lost when it comes to men’s style and could use some inspiration – Style Inspiration: I’m Too Hot To Get Cold! (Winter 2014)

Cheers,

Darius

In this podcast, Tom and I flesh out how to achieve faster fat loss with an aggressive diet, while avoiding the negative effects of crash dieting… If you ever wanted to know how to lose fat quickly, without counting down the days like a prison inmate, then this episode will teach you how!

The approach we break down here is based off of my Aggressive Fat Loss course (this program has spawned pretty remarkable transformations in a short period of time). I’ll be relaunching this program next week, making it WAY more detailed and effective.

Hands down it will be the most enjoyable program to drop 6-9 pounds of fat per month, consistently. If you want to jump on the waiting list, you can do so here – Aggressive Fat Loss 2.0.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• When an aggressive diet may be a good idea
• How aggressive dieting compares to ‘crash dieting’ or extreme dieting
• Can an aggressive diet increase dietary adherence
• How to maintain higher testosterone levels and a good mood on an aggressive diet
• How much protein should you consume on an aggressive diet
• Can you build muscle on an aggressive diet and the best workouts to perform
• How long can you stay on an aggressive diet for
• And much more…

Watch The Video Here

Thank You For Listening!

To get more RTR content sent directly to your device as they become available, you can subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated… We read each and every one of them!

In this podcast, I jump on the line with one of my followers, Malcolm Boyce! Malcolm achieved a stunning transformation in only 10 weeks following my Aggressive Fat Loss nutrition program (with warrior shredding program workouts).

He dropped his waist from 34″ all the way down to a flawless 31.5″ at a height of 5’11. All while improving strength! He traded a beefy football player/wrestler look for that of a lean and chiseled warrior.

In this episode, I pick his brain and we learn how he succeeded on this journey, uncovering plenty of tips on how you can achieve great results too!

Oh and big news – I’ve recently completely re-hauled my Aggressive Fat Loss program. And I’ve made it my most up to date and complete fat loss course, ever! I’m contemplating dropping my personal coaching program because of how effective this thing is.

If you want to be notified on the release date (very soon) go here – Aggressive Fat Loss 2.0. If you have the original course, you will be able to get the new course for a small upgrade investment, since this is way more comprehensive. Anyways…. 

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• The importance of taking your mind off getting lean and focusing on the day to day journey (5:30)
• How Malcolm was able to break free of his carbophobia and get to his leanest physique ever (11:00)
• Malcolm’s experiences with intermittent fasting and his coffee trick for people that hate coffee (12:00)
• Malcolm’s experience with counting his macros and how he learned to do it (14:20)
• Malcolm’s favorite filling and delicious meals on an intermittent fasting diet plan (16:55)
• How to maintain a high sex drive and energy levels on an aggressive diet (22:50) 
• Why rapid fat loss diets aren’t worth it and probably won’t work in the long run (24:00)
• Why you don’t need cardio to lose fat and stay lean (30:00)
• How smashing your fitness goals can change your entire life (33:00)
• The most important first two steps you must take to reach your long term goals (35:20)
• How to eat like shit and stay lean (39:00)
• The main reason why we track macros, no one will admit this (40:50)
• How to deal with people judging you for eating big meals like a boss (42:30)
• And much more…

Watch The Video Here

Thank You For Listening!

To get more RTR content sent directly to your device as they become available, you can subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated… We read each and every one of them!

Experimenting with lower calorie diets and long hair, it’s kewl

People that have been reading my writings for some time, watching my videos, or listening to my podcasts…. Know very well that I promote this idea of not being in an absolute rush to get lean….

That it’s important that we learn to accept ourselves right now, enjoy the process, and make our nutrition habits rewarding and something that we can continue with ease.

When you are able to finally enjoy the process and see weekly progress, it truly is beautiful. Yet, for most people, this rarely ever happens.

Working out, dieting, fitness…. it’s all become somewhat of an obsession.

A practice that is all about how hard you kill yourself, how strict you diet is and of course, how many hours you train each week.

It has turned into a competition of extremism. Yet people still struggle to make results.

They still complain about stubborn body fat, stalled strength and difficulty gaining muscle….

It’s funny to see, people will pour in so much effort because they have fantasized about this idea of having a ‘great body’, yet they have nothing to show for it!

My Philosophy is Simple 

My philosophy is simple… If you’re not enjoying each and everyday to your goals… Then the journey is quite simply, meaningless.

Creating a breathtaking physique, and maintaining it for life, is a matter of making weekly progress, while fully enjoying the process.

This is because if you’re not about to enjoy the process, eventually all that will power will wear thin, and you’ll cave in, shooting right back up to the starting point.

Now that’s not to say, it’s all rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes you have to push through discomfort. But in the end, you should be able to feel complete.

You should be able to feel fulfilled, knowing full well that you’re experiencing joy and satisfaction along the way, instead of salivating over the thought of some future goal.

What Does This Have to Do With Low Calories 

Well in projecting this message to my audience, I have left some people with the idea that fat loss should happen very slowly. Though this is definitely not the case.

For some people, yes, they’ll want to take fat loss slowly and eat at a smaller deficit. This is the case for people that are burnt out from low calorie diets, and eating low calories for them is a miserable experience.

That being said, some people are very well suited for low calorie diets. In fact, they do better on a lower calorie protocol, because when they decide they are fully committed, they stick to it and the faster results keeps them more engaged.

My cousin Shea is a great example of this. He has no issues on a lower calorie plan, in fact he loves them. Last year he dropped about 45 lbs in 4 months on my Aggressive Fat Loss Program. And he gained considerable strength and gained a little muscle in the process.

So the motif is this – make fitness and nutrition something that enriches your life, not consumes it. If going on a low calorie diet makes you brood about food all day, if it makes you miserable and requires a monk like amount of will power to follow through – then low calorie diets are the last thing you should do!

Do Low Calorie Diet’s Cause Muscle Loss & a Drop in Metabolic Rate? 

The answer is quite frankly, no. The combination of calorie restriction and resistance training has been shown to maintain muscle mass and resting metabolic rate. Now you have to take the study with a grain of salt. Because it was performed on overweight newbie lifters.

When you have more fat to lose it’s easier to maintain muscle mass, because you have so much available fat stores to burn off. Further, when you’re new to lifting you can actually gain strength and muscle mass, while losing body fat, quite easily.

That said, the study participants were eating an extremely low calorie diet, lower than I would ever recommend, at just 800 calories per day. This is what I would call a crash diet. And nothing you will ever see me promote.

Now if I was to take someone with years of lifting experience, throw them on an aggressive diet that has them dropping 1.5-2 lbs of fat per week combined with intermittent fasting, a couple big meals per day with a good mix of protein, fat and carbs and three low volume, reverse pyramid training workouts per week…

Well I guarantee they would at the very least, maintain every bit of muscle and probably see some strength gains. Hell you’ve seen the case studies on my site and my courses! My point here is simple, wipe away any fear you have about crashing your metabolism or losing your muscle mass.

The Only Viable Concern For Low Calorie Diets 

The only concern you should have with low calorie diets is if it’s something you can actually stick to and handle. Funny enough, I was actually able to gain strength when I did an aggressive cut. Now not necessarily absolute strength, but rather relative strength.

Relative strength is how strong you are proportionate to your bodyweight. If you’re following any of my courses, you’ll see that all of the strength standards are based on your bodyweight and lifting a proportion of your bodyweight for 5 reps.

Relative strength is the best predictor of athleticism and aesthetics. An easy way to improve your relative strength is by dropping down to a low body fat. In fact, when I dropped down to 7% body fat, I was able to do 2 one arm chin ups and incline bench press 1.5x my bodyweight for 5 reps, easily.

Although, on that aggressive cut experiment, I was only working out once per week. I maintained most of my strength, during those few weeks, but I did lose size from the sheer drop in training volume. But had I been training 3 days, as I usually recommend, it would have been a different story.

My Experience With Low Calorie Diets 

Interestingly enough, I thought my days of lower calorie diets were long gone. You see, I had done the super low calorie intake (1400-1700 cals per day), and gawd damn, that was miserable. It was an awful experience and my sex drive was shot and I could never fully stick with it long enough to see tangible results.

That said, I found an ‘aggressive deficit’ (not extreme deficit) to be much, much, more manageable. Paired with a balanced intake of macros to best support sex drive and training… Intermittent fasting, strategic black coffee, a couple servings of fruit to stave off hunger between meals, and two big satisfying meals per day… And bam. Eating at an aggressive deficit was a walk in the park.

In fact, this is why I decided to write the Aggressive Fat Loss Program 2.0. It’s a really incredible routine if you want to make leaning down fast (6-9 pounds of fat loss per month), pretty damn enjoyable while maintaining muscle.

And certainly all the reviews, emails and testimonials I’ve been sent have reflected that, you can read about them here or keep up on my instagram account where people are commenting on my pictures daily, sharing their results.

Now sure, you’re not going to be eating as much as you will in the warrior shredding program, and you probably won’t experience the same level of strength gains and improvements in muscle development… But if your main goal is to lean down fast and enjoy it, the Aggressive Fat Loss Program is fucking fantastic.

If you wanted to lean down slower (4-5 pounds of fat loss per month), while progressing on your lifts in the process, then my Warrior Shredding Program is more up your alley.

Being Very Lean is the Key to Looking Great

Now while we’re on the thread of low calorie diets, I should probably mention – if you want to look freakingggg fantastic, you will need to get very lean. And sometimes that might mean going lower in calories at times.

As long as you’re not doing anything extreme, as long as you’re continuing to strength train and you’re consuming a balance of proteins, fats and carbs, you will be fine. In fact, you will be better than fine.

The easiest way to dramatically improve you appearance is by dropping fat and leaning down. When you strip off the extra fat, your muscles will appear harder and more defined. They’ll have more shape and your body will have much better proportion.

In my programs, I provide measurement standards to build up to. And they’re all based on ratio’s. Getting your arms, chest and shoulders to a certain proportion of your waist. So leaning down and slimming your waist, will automatically improve your ratio’s considerably.

Just take a look below!

Just by shedding about 10 pounds of fat, my appearance dramatically improved. This was taking my waist from about 33″ to around 31.5″. So stop worry about your muscle mass and metabolism, it will be just fine.

The ratio of my chest, shoulders and arms improved dramatically. For example, at a 33″ waist, if I wanted to have a chest measurement that was 1.4x my waist (ideal for superhero proportions), I would need a 46.2″ chest.

But with a slim 31.5″ chest, I would only need a 44″ chest! So the key to building awesome proportions is to get your waist very lean. Ideally about 44-45% of your height.

How Much Fat Loss Should You Aim for Each Week

Now of course, comes the question – how much fat should you try to lose each week?

For moderate fat loss I recommend setting calories and macros for about 1 lbs of fat loss per week. For faster, aggressive fat loss I recommend going for about 1.5-2 lbs per week. Now trying to lose anything more than 2 lbs of fat per week, is generally, a horrible idea.

This is when you simply just don’t have enough room to work with in your diet. You’ll be starving, sex drive will tank and you’ll be counting down the days like a prison inmate! As well, in trained lifters, this is when it becomes increasingly more difficult to hold onto strength and muscle mass.

As well, you’ll mess up with your leptin levels. Leptin regulates your metabolism and appetite. When you diet too hard, leptin falls dramatically, making you conserve your energy, while up-regulating your appetite making an extreme diet next to impossible to stick with.

So basically going from an ‘aggressive diet’ to an ‘extreme diet’ will equate to slightly more fat loss, with a decline in training performance and a risk of falling off the diet and regaining the weight.

So remember, going for anything beyond 2 lbs of fat loss per week is a bad idea. That said, many times, you’ll drop 3-5 lbs of fat for the first week or two on an aggressive diet. This is from a drop in water weight, less food content in the stomach and less glycogen in the muscles.

This has become one of my most well received youtube videos to date, so naturally, I had to share it here. (Just check out the comments, they have warmed my heart and soul like a big bowl of crispy potato wedges)

In this video I cover what to do on your rest days and I share my personal experiences with learning to live in the ‘Now’ and how it can transform your life.

Interestingly enough, since encouraging people to listen to Eckhart Tolle audiobooks, I have received endless emails and messages from people thanking me deeply for sharing Tolle with them.

Here are a few:

Casey 

I also took your advice and stared listening to the teachings of Eckhart Tolle which has helped me realize that the journey is the reward not the end game. The power of now is real and should be taught to all fitness enthusiasts. Don’t let your ego project happiness into the future because all we really are promised is right now.

Brice 

I am loving your work, loving the posts, the inspiration… everything ! great job and thank you for offering such an interactive way to be fi and live! I am even listening to the Ekhart Tolle‘s audiobook everyday, I am feeling the transformation coming !! ;) thank you for sharing these valuables tips, keep them going !

Marvin

My name is Marvin and Im from Germany. I really love your site and I´m also doing your Greek God Program but also the spiritual part of your site i really enjoy ! Since im doing meditations of Eckhart Tolle my feelings for the present and ” living in the moment” went to the top ! already thank you soo much for that !

Scott

Kudos on all you’ve done. If all I ever got out of your site and products was the referral to Eckhart Tolle, it would be more than worth it.

First Lesson – The Past Has No Power Over The Present Moment (Stop Looking to Your Past to Define You)

The human mind is an incredible powerful tool. Unfortunately the tool has taken many of us over. We look to our past to give us an identity, an identity that is often hard to escape. An identity that defines us to this day.

If your vision for how you want your life to be, for who you want to be, doesn’t support your current identity  – well you will self sabotage like crazy. The only way to break free of this is to learn to become present.

To stop defining yourself in the past. To use your past solely for a learning experience and to dis identity from any thoughts and beliefs that don’t support you. This is through becoming a powerful observer of your mind and it’s habitual thoughts.

“You can’t apply yourself and at the same time resist it.” If you can’t accept yourself right now, you will never be able to achieve your goals. It will be like a shadow following you around. No matter how fast you fun, it will be there, right behind you.

Second Lesson – The Mind Loves to Look to the Future for Salvation

The ego lives in past and future. Just like the mind looks to the past to define you, it looks to the future for the promise of happiness and fulfilment. But here’s the thing, if you’re not happy now, if you’re not complete now, you never will be.

We often tell ourselves that we’ll be happy or complete when we have this or that. Maybe it’s the perfect body, girlfriend or job…. This isn’t us talking. It’s our ego. The instrument has taken us over. And the problem is that the ego doesn’t exist in this moment.

The ego is never satisfied with the present moment. So even if you achieve your goals… Soon you will find yourself experiencing the same state of lack, the same state of incompleteness… This is a horrible way to live to constantly fall for the illusion.

Always wanting the future and not wanting what you have. This is when success is hard work and stressful. You want to be somewhere other than where you are. The entire journey is a chronic obsession to arrive, without any real value.

When you are able to fully accept yourself now. When you are able to realize that nothing you can ever do, have or become, can make you a more complete person. You realize you are fully complete in this moment.

This is a beautiful awakening

Being complete now doesn’t mean you won’t be motivated to achieve your goals. Quite the opposite really. What this means it that finally you can work towards your goals with much more ease, joy and lightness than before.

If your goal is to build a great body. Stop dwelling on the future, stop dwelling on the fantasy! Attach your happiness, joy and fulfilment into the journey. The reward isn’t the future outcome, it’s the adventure.

Live with Enthusiasm 

When your happiness isn’t tied to the future. Finally you can enjoy the process. When there is joy for what you’re doing, plus the added element of a vision you’re working towards – you create enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm is the key to success. What is the common denominator of pretty much all successful people? They truly loved what they were doing, plus they had a vision. Now don’t mistake your vision for happiness. Seeking happiness is the antithesis if happiness.

Since it means that you don’t appreciate what you have, you don’t appreciate this moment. Hence why the film title, The Pursuit of Happiness, is completely paradoxical in nature.

Third Lesson – Realize Deeply That The Present Moment is All There Ever is

“Have you ever lived, done or felt anything in the future or will you ever? The answer is quite obvious, is it not.” Eckhart Tolle

Stop waiting for the future. Stop waiting for something to happen. Stop wanting to be anywhere other than where you are now. This doesn’t mean to retire and stop applying yourself or taking action.

It just means that you accept what you have to do. If you’re working for hours late at night on your business, the mind might want to complain and even say “I can’t WAIT for this to be over with.” When you don’t WANT to be doing something, the quality of your work suffers big time.

So when I say, ‘stop wanting to be anywhere other than where you are now’, it means to fully accept what you’re doing. This will allow the ease of life to flow through you. Whenever we are in the ‘flow state’, whenever we are working at our absolute best, we are flowing with life.

When Leo Dicaprio is killing a role, is he thinking, “I can’t wait to get this over with so I can party with models”. Or does he have complete acceptance and joy for what he’s doing? Obviously the latter.

When I’m writing this article, am I trying to get this done so I can eat chipotle? Or am I getting swept up in writing this, and letting everything else dissolve away?

Imagine you’re going out to a bar with friends but you don’t really want to be there. How much fun are you going to have? Very little. You’re going to be a buzzkill.

Be one with this moment, anchor your attention into the now and watch how your entire life transforms. You start having fun, the stress, anxiety and struggles of live dissolve. And you begin to laugh at how you have created your own unhappiness, your own stress.

You see, external reality is a complete reflection of your internal state. If you’re not happy with the outer, you must change the inner.

When you learn to become present, your entire life improves… Fitness, work, dating, sex… Everything.

The Kinobody Morning Ritual

If you are new to LISTENING to Eckhart Tolle, I recommend you do the Kinobody Morning Ritual for two weeks. This is as simple as downloading the audiobook Practicing the Power of Now. Listen to it for 20 minutes each morning. Carry on where you left off the previous day. I recommend listening to the entire audiobook at-least 3-5 times.

The idea isn’t to ‘understand’ this stuff on an intellectual level. It’s to be able to experience the shift in consciousness, to be able to learn to become more present and take control of your mind, instead of being controlled and defined by it.

“You can’t think about presence, and the mind can’t understand it. Understanding presence is being present.” Tolle

In this episode, I sit down with one of the smartest guys on the fitness and nutrition scene, Brad Pilon. This is the second part to our previous episode on fat loss.

Brad Pilon is the author of the amazing intermittent fasting book, Eat Stop Eat and the advanced muscle building course, Anabolic Again.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The definitive answer to how big you can get naturally: 1:00
• The concept of ‘muscle allowance’, and how to use it to achieve beautiful aesthetics: 9:30
• Why you will look more muscular at a much lower weight than you think: 12:30
• Hollywood tricks to gaining muscle quickly (15:00)
• The paradox of the squat or die movement (17:20)
• The best way to track your physique (20:20) 
• The problem with eating to gain muscle (24:00)
• How to use ‘cut offs’ to build great aesthetics (24:50)

Watch The Video Here

I never lift two days in a row, that’s my secret!

Even after writing multiple articles explaining my approach of lifting three days per week and minimalism in the gym, I still get people hitting me up about that. “Greg, is three days in the gym really enough?

Greg, I feel like I still have so much left after the gym, can I do more? Greg, I’m making very good gains on your program, but everyone says you have to do five days, I feel like I should do more. Can you speak to that?”

Normally I like to link them to one of three articles, which addresses this perfectly. Or even a youtube video I did a while ago, explaining this concept.

1. The Magic of Lifting Three Days Per Week 

2. A Lesson on Minimalism from The Film Drive 

3. A Lesson from Bruce Lee on Minimalism

But in this article, I want to set the record straight, once and for all. I want to explain to people exactly what is going on and why this approach often works way better than anything else.

That said, this will require an open mind. But I’ve been fortunate to have such open minded readers. That’s you ;)

This reminds me of a story:

A learned man once went to visit a Zen teacher to inquire about Zen. As the Zen teacher talked, the learned man frequently interrupted to express his own opinion about this or that. Finally, the Zen teacher stopped talking and began to serve tea to the learned man.

He poured the cup full, then kept pouring until the cup overflowed. “Stop” said the learned man. “The cup is full, no more can be poured in.” Like this cup, you are full of your opinions” replied the Zen teacher. “If you do not first empty your cup, how can you taste my cup of tea?”

I decided to get my body fat tested with the most accurate device known to man. The DEXA scan. This device uses Dual X-rays to measure your bone mass, fat mass and lean body mass. What’s amazing about the DEXA scan is that not only does it show you your body fat…

It also tells you exactly how your fat is distributed throughout your entire body. This is cool because you can determine where you store most of your fat.

You’ll also learn how your muscle is distributed throughout your body and if you have even development on your left and right sides. Finally, you’ll get a clear picture of how dense your bones are, among other interesting pieces of data.

It’s a very fascinating test, altogether it probably took around 30 minutes and the total cost was 125 dollars Canadian. This is definitely something that I would consider doing a few times per year for fun and to see an exact blueprint of how my body is progressing.

My Go to Method for Tracking Body Composition 

My go to method for tracking body composition includes taking pictures, weighing myself and measuring my waist, chest, arms… This has been very useful because I can see if I’m dropping fat (waist goes down) and if I’m building muscle (chest and arms go up).

That said, this approach, while still very effective and useful, isn’t quite as exact as the DEXA scan. One way this is possible is that you could be dropping fat without little to no change in your waist measurement.

This can happen if you’re predominately losing fat in other areas of your body. As well, you could be dropping fat, while maintaining muscle, but your chest and arm measurements might be going down. Does this mean you’re losing muscle? Not necessarily.

You see, you could be maintaining all your muscle, but losing fat in your torso and arms, thus making the measurements smaller.

Lastly, measurements aren’t exact… They can fluctuate slightly… Their can be minor differences in how you do your measurements… Or you could have more carbs in the muscle one day….

These things can throw off measurements to a small degree. Now that’s not to say measurements don’t matter! Of course they do. If you have solid measurements, you’re going to look phenomenal.

The Dexa Scan: A Blueprint into Your Body

If you are going for maximum accuracy and if you want a full blueprint into your body, then DEXA is the way to go.

I’m excited to get tested again in 3-6 months and see how my body fat and muscle development changes. If I gain muscle, it will be cool to see exactly where that muscle went (arms, legs or trunk and in what amount). If I lose fat I’ll get to see exactly where the fat dropped.

Oh yeah and if I decide to be lazy as hell and workout just 1-2 times per week, I can see if I maintained all of my muscle or if I lost muscle. This is some really state of the art data!

Now make no mistake, knowing all this information isn’t necessary to build a better body. And frankly, if there’s room for improvement, the camera won’t lie to you.

But, the DEXA just takes things to a much, much, deeper level! So I thought I would share my test results with you :)

The Day Before the Test 

The day before the test I snapped these pictures and posted them to my Kinobody Facebook page. I got people to guess my body fat. Altogether there was a huge range. Some people said 6-7% body fat, others said 8%, some people said 10-12% body fat and someone even said 17% haha and he was dead serious (I playfully tease this guy in the ensuing video).

To be fair, the DEXA scan is the least forgiving of all body fat tests! It’s not uncommon for a guy with totally ripped abs to score 10-12% body fat. This is actually why I was very nervous about doing a DEXA scan.

Ultimately, if you have the look you want, it doesn’t matter if you’re 6% body fat or 12%. That said, I liked the idea of being single digit, it sounded cool. So I really wanted to fall in the 7-9% body fat range.

Now without further ado….. Here is the entire video documentary of me getting my body fat tested. It’s about 12 minutes long, and if you enjoy it, make sure to share it with your friends, like the video, and subscribe to my channel :) 

The DEXA Scan Body Fat Documentary

The Results

Body Fat

8.1% of my tissue is composed of body fat (not including bone). Now that isn’t my actual body fat percentage since that number doesn’t include my bone mass.

My actual body fat, taking into account bone mass, is an extremely lean 7.7% body fat at a bodyweight of 178.3 lbs.

This is because I’m carrying 13.8 lbs of body fat at a weight of 178.3 lbs. Your fat mass divided by total body mass = body fat percentage.

13.8 lbs divided by 178.3 lbs = 7.7% body fat.

Lean Body mass 

My lean body mass is also a very high 164.5 lbs for my stature (5’10 or 177cm). In fact, this is at the top end of my maximum muscular potential. Simply put, as a natural lifter, I don’t have much room for more muscle growth (without turning to steroids, yah, no thank you)

At low levels of body fat, there’s harsh limits to how much muscle you can carry naturally. If you see someone who is 200+ lbs and shredded, invariably, they’re using some type of gear (unless they’re 6’2+).

My results are actually quite remarkable because for the last few months I’ve been following my Aggressive Fat Loss program. I’ve been going quite low in protein (120-140g per day on average) and lifting just 2-3x per week. Oh yeah and eating lots of chipotle, chocolate and potatoes baby!

People often think that building an incredible physique naturally is such hard work! Well I’m pleased to say that I’ve really cracked the code.

My latest courses for building muscle is 

Superhero Bulking Program

My latest course for dropping fat (and the program I’m following now) is 

Aggressive Fat Loss 2.0

My course for the womenz is

Goddess Toning Program

My Measurements 

At 5’10 tall, 178.3 lbs and 7.7% body fat, I’m rocking the following measurements:

Waist - 31.25-31.5″

Chest – 43.5-44″

Arms – 16″ Flexed (no pump)

This is quite simply fantastic! I could work towards getting my waist down to 31″ to get super shredded…. Or I could focus on filling out my chest and arms some more.

But what would be the point? I already have the look I want. Getting leaner or bigger at this point, isn’t going to make me look any sexier for da ladies… Nor would I look better in clothes.

And frankly, I dig the way my body looks now. I think I’d look ridiculous if I was carrying a lot more muscle.

The Mistake That Top Fitness Models Make 

I think a huge mistake a lot of the best natural fitness models have made is that they get to a point where they look really good! But it’s never enough for them and they want to keep growing (past their natural limits).

‘Naturally’ they grow frustrated, impatient and expectantly, turn to drug use. And they trade their great looking, natural physique for a drugged up body that, frankly, has as much sex appeal as a shirtless Seth Rogan ;)

I refuse to make that mistake. I refuse to chase the idea that more is better. I understand completely that fulfilment, success and happiness doesn’t lie in the land of more muscle and less body fat.

True fulfilment, true happiness and true success leaves room for gratitude. So before you incessantly chase more of something, whatever it is, looks, money, fame…. take a moment to consciously accept everything you have right now – thus allowing gratitude to flow into your life.

Is your sense of self invested in your on going pursuits and future accomplishments? If it is, you will be chasing the idea of happiness, success and fulfillment.

But you’ll never actually experience it. It will be locked in the future. When you understand this and experience this shift in outlook, your entire life will transform

Yeah I Just Got Really Deep #sorrynotsorry

My plan is to enjoy my physique that I have built. I’m not going to obsess about building more muscle or getting more shredded. Simply, I’m going to have fun eating great meals and kicking butt in the gym a couple days per week.

Besides, I have the look I want and my measurements are pretty much bang on based on the Kinobody Physique Calculator.

I created the Kinobody Physique Calculator to pretty much give you an idea of the perfect proportions for a natural lifter. Achieving the Kinobody measurements would put you somewhere around the Greek God / Superhero Physique with about 8% body fat.

Trying to go beyond this and surpass these measurements would actually make you look overdone and compromise sex appeal, interestingly enough.

You can download the Kinobody Physique Calculator below!

What is The Ideal Body Fat?

Many of you are probably thinking what is the ideal body fat percentage for a great looking physique. I’d say anywhere between 6-10% body fat for maximum aesthetics. Let’s break them down:

Cut – 9-10% body fat

9-10% body fat is a good looking level of leanness. And generally speaking, people will consider you to be in great shape. That’s also precisely when your body and face will take on a much leaner and more angular look.

Over 10% body fat and a lot of your muscle will be blurred from fat. The quickest way to look amazing is to get your body fat to 10% or less. I see a ton of guys hanging out in the 12-15% body fat territory with a good amount of muscle. That said, they still only look decent because they are carrying too much fat.

Chiseled – 8% Body Fat

8% body fat is really the bench mark for the hollywood physique. That’s where you’ll have very visible muscle definition, slim waist and chiseled face.

If you follow the kinobody protocol of fasting, training three days per week and hitting a good balance of proteins, fats and carbs from satiating foods, you’ll be able to stay extremely satisfied and maintain a high sex drive and solid social life at 8% body fat.

Shredded – 6-7% body fat

Getting to 6-7% body fat is where you’ll look amazing for photoshoots and on video. It’s very low and probably not somewhere that you want to be all year round. As well, testosterone, training performance and muscle building potential may be comprised at the 6-7% mark.

Below 6% body fat is not healthy and it looks completely overdone. Girls, generally, hate that freakish look of excessive veins and muscle striations that come from being under 6% body fat. 

How Much Do I have to Lose to Drop 1% Body Fat?

This is a question I get a fair bit. Someone is 20% body fat and they want to get down to 10% body fat. So then the natural question becomes, how much fat do they have to lose. Well let’s say they are 180 lbs.

That’s about 1.8 lbs of fat loss for one percentage point. Since 1.8 lbs represents 1% of your bodyweight. So to drop from 20% to 10% body fat, this person would have to lose approximately 18 lbs of fat.

If you’re 150 lbs, to drop 1% body fat, you’d have to drop 1.5 lbs of fat. And if you’re 300 lbs, you ‘d have to drop 3 lbs of fat to lose 1 percent body fat.

Smaller people usually complain it’s harder to lose weight since they have to eat less. While that may be true, smaller people don’t have to lose as much fat to reduce their body fat percentage to the same degree. (Nor do they have the appetite if larger people, typically) .

So it balances out in a way! Now this formula isn’t 100% exact, but it’s fairly close. But typically, most guys, dropping 1 percent body fat represents around 1.5-2 lbs of fat loss.

I’m out!

Hope you guys enjoyed this article and video documentary! If you want to show someone what a true 8% body fat is then share it along :). And make sure to download the kinobody physique calculator below:

In this podcast, I sit down with pro fitness model and former skinny boy Nate Tebow to discuss how to achieve your dream physique. Interestingly enough, we get more into the topic of mindset than anything else.

This is important because it’s your mental model that makes or breaks you. People have gotten into amazing physical condition with different approaches. The common denominator is a mindset that attracts success.

We also cover what it takes to get into professional fitness model shape and how you can eat ice cream and high carbs while getting to 6% body fat.

Watch The Video Here

In this post you will learn how to enjoy alcohol while dropping fat and building muscle. My philosophy can be summed up in three words.

Win, Win, Win.

I want you to get the greatest enjoyment and pleasure in life, while working towards your fitness goals.

Now first, ask yourself this – what’s the point of looking fantastic if you can’t enjoy it? That’s crazy! Your fitness and nutrition program should be a part of your lifestyle, not the focal point of it.

Getting in fantastic shape is totally awesome, but it’s not everything. Going out and socializing does not have to be put on hold until you reach your goal. That logic is absurd and it will only end up biting you in the ass.

You’ll invariably put much more attention and mental energy into your fitness and nutrition than needed.

This will lead to a lack of motivation and inevitable burnout.

The More You Stress the More Likely You Are to Burnout 

You see, the more you obsess about your workout and diet, the more likely you are to screw up. But when you blend your fitness and dieting efforts into your life, the journey is much more rewarding and smooth.

So by all means go out and have drinks a couple times per week. Letting loose, having fun and enjoying the progress you made that week will only bring you more happiness, fulfillment and further motivation.

It doesn’t have to be a trade off! You don’t have to choose between going out and getting in shape or eating dessert and having abs.

So in this post, you’ll learn my very strategy to enjoying alcohol, and food, while making gains.

Whether those gains are to drop fat and lean down or to build muscle and bulk up! Alcohol, in no way, has to diminish your results.

The Kinobody Guide to Drinking & Getting Lean

Here are the facts of the matter.

Fact #1 – The only way to gain fat while drinking alcohol is to be in a calorie surplus

That is how the body works and fifty years of research supports this.

So long that you consume fewer calories than you burn, you can drink to your hearts content with absolutely no fat gain. Of course, this is easier said than done.

If you’re planning on slamming back eight beers over the course of the night, that’s 1200 calories that you need to make room for.

Fact #2 – A moderate intake of alcohol may increase testosterone in men 

We’ve all been told that drinking will destroy testosterone levels and kill our manhood. Well, interestingly enough, a low dose of alcohol (approximately 4-5 drinks for the average male), actually leads to a small increase in testosterone. 

So much for alcohol killing your testosterone. Now obviously, if you’re planning on getting hammered drunk, you will negatively affect your T levels. That said, as I will be addressing later, getting hammered drunk is a win lose strategy (not a win win).

Fact #3 – Alcohol calories are not as fattening as one would think

There is some debate on whether or not alcohol calories even count. This is because, drinking calories from alcohol doesn’t result in the expected weight gain.

Moreover, some research shows that moderate alcohol intake may protect against obesity, particularly in women.

It’s important to understand that there is absolutely no way to store ethanol (alcohol calories) as fat. That said, drinking alcohol will impair fat burning until the alcohol has been metabolized.

So if you’re in a calorie surplus, your body will store any food that hasn’t been burned as fat, but the alcohol will not be stored as fat.

Now interestingly enough, some research shows that alcohol leads to a decreased appetite for food. This, in itself, can help support fat loss.

Fact #4 – Moderate drinking is not unhealthy 

Research shows that moderate to light drinkers outlive non drinkers. As well, moderate alcohol consumption improves insulin sensitivity, allowing you to better handle carbs.

And light to moderate alcohol consumption seems to protect agains type 2 diabetes, Alzeihmers disease and depression. No need to feel guilty the next time you enjoy a whiskey soda.

Fact #5 – Moderate drinking does not impair muscle gains 

While yes, excessive drinking is in now way productive for your goals of building strength and a great physique, moderate drinking seems to be fine. The research is clear on this.

In fact, it’s been shown that moderate alcohol consumption does not impair overload-induced muscle hypterophy and protein synthesis. 

Fact #6 – After 4 drinks, alcohol gives you nothing 

Roughly four drinks in and you have all the positive effects of alcohol with little impairment. You feel mild euphoria, a sense of well being, relaxation, joyousness and talkativeness.

What’s more, alcohol in moderation is effective at reducing stress and tension, depression and feelings of self-consciousness. As well, low dose alcohol has been found to improve certain types of cognitive performance – including problem solving and short term memory. 

Exercise self control and alcohol will give you more than it takes from you. It’s only when you abuse alcohol that it turns into something negative. Being able to drink alcohol moderately is really the key. And something we will be exploring in this article.

As a general rule, one drink or less per 40-50 pounds of bodyweight is around the moderate level. This is over the course of a night (3-4 hours), and not to be consumed rapidly.

How to Drink Moderately 

Hangover, what’s that?

If you want to get the most from alcohol, you must learn to drink moderately. Moderate drinkers experience some amazing benefits, it’s only when you take things to the excess, that alcohol becomes something unhealthy and takes more from you than it gives you.

Moreover, by drinking moderately, you limit your calorie intake, and you’re able to wake up feeling like a million bucks the next day. Now, no question about it, some days you’re going to want to test your limits.

But on the whole, the idea is to learn how to nail down this whole moderate drinking thing. Which, of course, requires us to address why we’re even drinking in the first place.

Why do you even want to drink? 

Most people drink because they want to socialize or party. They’re hitting the bars with friends, they’re going to be talking to people, and frankly, sobriety just ain’t going to cut it.

Maybe you’ve had a long day and your brain is stuck in work mode, sometimes having a few drinks can break you out of that – making you a more loose and fun person to be around.

Not too bad, now is it?

Well the problem comes when you put too much weight on alcohol. When you rely on alcohol to give you confidence and to throw away your inhibitions. Essentially, you’re walking through life stifled, hiding behind the real you, and using alcohol as a crutch to express yourself.

This is not cool. And something every grown human being needs to get past. The question you need to ask yourself is “how can I truly express myself without having to dumb myself down with excessive drinking?”

The answer is to be in the moment

What is stopping you from letting go and having fun? Your mind. When you’re able to ground yourself in this moment, dissolving the past and the future, there is no fear, no anxiety.

You simply can let go. This isn’t easy and is often best accomplished by taking small steps. But the key, is to take action. To push outside of your comfort zone.

Enjoy a few drinks, but don’t rely on the drinks to give you confidence. Just make a few drinks part of the experience. And enjoy yourself, have fun, and let go.

Developing this ability to be present 

Having the ability to just have a few drinks and be completely un-stifled is insanely awesome! You’ll save tons of money on alcohol. You’ll get in way better shape and you’ll develop natural confidence, not a false sense of confidence that’s dependent on alcohol.

On top of that, you’ll be much more composed and witty when you’re not in a drunken stupor. Your social acuity and ability to read situations will be much higher.

Now developing this presence is unfortunately not as simple as reading this passage and then deciding that you’re going to go out and not care what people think and not be stuck in your head.

Socializing Without Getting Drunk is a Skill Set 

Think of it as a skill and you have to develop it. It will be awkward at first, you’ll have to push through that and eventually your ego will let go. You’ll reach this incredible state where you’re totally at ease, nothings holding you back and you feel incredibly confident and totally present.

One thing that really helped me was the audiotape, Practicing the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Listening to that audio on a daily basis is insanely powerful at developing the ability to be present and alive in the now.

If possible, I’d recommend listening to it every morning for 20 minutes for two weeks straight. You will be blown away at how much more present, relaxed and comfortable you become.

This is something I discuss more thoroughly in the Kinobody Morning Ritual, as well, it’s something I discuss in my youtube video on Tolle.

Of course there are other motives to drinking

Some people want to drink to escape their problems and to cope with the daily stresses of life. Or maybe they just want to get out of their head and feel alive and express themselves. And the answer is still, to be present. What problem do you have at this moment?

There aren’t any problems in the moment. There are things you either have to accept, or work towards making a desired change. But why turn something into a problem?

Now without further ado, let’s discuss some drinking strategies to let loose, have fun while still progressing towards your fitness goals.

The Kinobody Guide to Drinking 

1 ) Stick to lower calorie drinks

If you’re just going to have 1-2 drinks and you really want a beer, some wine or a cocktail, then go for it! That will only be 250-300 calories. That said, if you want to drink 3-5 drinks, I recommend the lowest calorie option.

That would be your favorite liquor of choice (vodka, whiskey, gin) and some sparkling water! The advantage of sparkling water is that it will help fill up your stomach with no calories, while also hydrating you.

A great tip if you’re fasting is to have 1-2 glasses of sparkling water if you start to get hungry. I learned this from one of my clients and have been using it since.

An ounce and a half of liquor is around 90-100 calories. That said, alcohol calories don’t result in the expected weight gain. So if you make room for the alcohol calories, you’ll likely be in a greater calorie deficit than you’d expect.

2) Drink in Moderation

I’m going to keep stressing this because it’s that important. If you want to lead a win win win life, you need to become a master of moderation. This means being able to only have 2-5 drinks during a social outing.

Do that and you will get all the positive effects of alcohol with little drawbacks. Overdo it, and alcohol will take from you.

3) Make room for the alcohol calories 

There’s no need to completely cut out carbs or fats, doing so is just unenjoyable. I mean, who wants to eat nothing but chicken breast and broccoli to enjoy some drinks?

Not me! Not to mention, a low carb and low fat diet suppresses testosterone and sex drive. Not ideal if there’s the possibility of sex later. The easiest way to make room for alcohol calories is to intermittent fast.

Skip breakfast and eat two meals per day. A solid lunch and dinner. Enjoy meals composed of lean meat, veggies and potatoes for maximum fullness.

Remember, as long as you are consuming less calories than you’re burning, there’s simply no way of storing fat. Most likely, you’ll wake up leaner than before.

4) Avoid late night eating (or have lower calorie options instead) 

The biggest issue with drinkers, is what happens after all the alcohol. Late night IHOP, Pizza or here in Toronto, it’s all about that Poutine. Well of course, if after slamming 8 drinks, you decide to ingest 800 calories, you’re going to gain weight.

My recommendation is to avoid after drink snacking. If you have the room in your calories, a bag of pop chips is a personal favorite option of mine. It’s only 370 calories and it’s filling as heck, and takes a solid 10+ minutes to eat.

Another solid option would be 1-2 quest bars. In fact, having these options available is extremely helpful. Another sweet option and a personal favorite of mine are 2-3 cheese quesadilla’s. These are fantastic and if you make them for a girl, she will forever love you.

What about Day Drinking? 

Ah yes, summer is coming up and sometimes we want to do a little day drinking. Well in that case, you’d follow the same layout. You’d just have your 3-5 drinks around lunch time.

Either before lunch (fasted), or after lunch (fed). Yup, I’ve done fasted day drinking before and it’s actually quite fun. And then when it’s time for my first meal of the day, I’m usually not even as hungry, interestingly enough (this is good if the goal is to get lean).

If you are going to do fasted day drinking, I advise you to be careful. Limit yourself to 3-4 drinks and drink lots of water. And if you need to eat something, by all means eat something. I’m just sharing what has worked well for me, but by all means, don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right to you.

Now if you plan on doing day and night drinking all on the same day, well it will be difficult to stay in a calorie deficit. So you might have to settle with maintenance (no fat gain or loss).

Closing Thoughts

I hope this post gives you the tools to enjoy alcohol while making positive progress to your goals. I also hope it has freed you from the belief that alcohol will sabotage your fitness goals or health.

Exercise moderation with drinking and start intermittent fasting and you can live a win win win life! In fact, recently I got back from an all inclusvie week long vacation in mexico.

My schedule went down like this – coffee for breakfast, chips and guac for lunch, a couple afternoon mojito’s, double orders of steak for dinner, more chips and guac, coconut icecream for dessert, and a few late night gin and soda’s.

And by some stroke of god, I happened to come home 2 lbs lighter, as evidenced by the picture below.

If you want to learn my full blown vacation strategy for dropping fat, and the protocol I’ve used in LA, Miami and Mexico, then download the Lean Vacation Report.

It’s pretty thorough and will teach you how to approach eating out and working out on vacation. Make no mistake, you don’t have to be on vacation to use this strategy.

It will work beautifully if you just want to eat out more often, not worry about tracking macros and you want to do some drinking.

In this podcast, I sit down with the founder and owner of the Personal Training Development Centre, Jon Goodman, to discuss how to build a successful fitness business.

I know many of my readers and listeners are personal trainers or are considering a career or business in the fitness industry. What better way than to get on one of the top experts on building a successful fitness business.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s important to build gratification points into a long term fitness program or business (9:00)
• How to achieve your goals by breaking the journey down into small manageable chunks (11:30)
• How to use NLP ‘priming tactics’ to get yourself into state for training or work (13:50)
• The dark side of building a successful business (21:00)
• The power of an isolation period to experience clarity and your ultimate purpose (30:00)
• How to stop chasing validation and start living now (37:00)
• The two best books for building a successful fitness business (47:40)

Jon Goodman is the author of the top selling book, Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Business. If you’re interested in building a personal training business, it’s a must have resource!

Watch The Video Here

In this post, I will teach you how to achieve a lean and chiseled Summer body, well, effortlessly. Now, not effortless in the literal sense of the word. Because, after all, commitment and diligence is involved in achieving an amazing body.

But, rather, effortless in the sense that you will feel completely, and absolutely liberated. Everyday, you will feel incredibly full and satisfied off foods you love. And you will walk through life, knowing, that nothing can stop you from getting to your goal.

Dinner dates, social outings, weekend drinks, and sheer laziness, none of this has to put your fat loss goals on halt. Well, that is the case if you start implementing the five keys to effortless fat loss.

The Goal of Effortless Fat Loss

The goal of effortless fat loss is simply to make eating at a calorie deficit, simple, easy and enjoyable. That is all! Being in a calorie deficit is what creates fat loss.

Contrarily, eating at a calorie surplus, is what causes us to gain weight. Funny enough, no one argues that eating too much causes us to gain weight. Yet, some ‘diet guru’s’ will try to mislead you into believing that calories don’t matter.

That’s like saying energy doesn’t matter. It’s a completely absurd statement. Now when you’re eating at a calorie deficit, the body needs to meet it’s energy requirements one way or another. So it is forced to tap into stored body fat for fuel.

The question then becomes, how do I make eating at a calorie deficit as simple, easy and enjoyable as possible! That my friend, is where the five keys come in.

Key #1 – Learn to Eat Just Two Meals Per Day

Then you can eat meals like this :D

This is the holy grail of effortless fat loss. In fact, it’s why I’ve been able to lean down on every vacation I’ve ever gone on, while eating triumphant meals and drinking liberally.

The modern day push towards propagating a higher meal frequency is not only confounded on zero research, it also is what is making fat loss so damn hard!

When we feel like we need to eat 4-6 meals per day, we have no wiggle room, no freedom, no chance to be human. When you learn to eat just two meals per day, you can enjoy life to the utmost.

You can eat big and bad ass meals and feel like a true warrior. You can enjoy all kinds of epic meals on a weekly basis, while dropping body fat, it’s kinda nuts actually.

When you can enjoy food completely and hold a low body fat, life gets kinda awesome.

How to Make Eating Two Meals Per Day Effortless

This is something I go into much greater detail in my Aggressive Fat Loss Program, which is, easily, bar none, the most effective course on getting super lean and enjoying life.

But the concept is to eat only a lunch and dinner! I recommend saying good bye to a morning breakfast for life. It’s one of the best things you can ever do. This is something I discuss in the Kinobody Fasting Handbook. 

Intermittent fasting increases fat mobilization, spares muscle protein, boosts mental alertness and even has life extension properties and numerous beneficial health effects. As well, from my experience, intermittent fasting allows you to retain more muscle on a cut.

Black Gold

Fasting until lunch is actually not that hard once you adapt to it. The key is to drink a few cups of black coffee during the fasting portion of the day. Black coffee will blunt appetite, improve mental clarity, elevate mood and increase energy levels.

If you’re worried about drinking coffee, don’t fear, coffee is a health packed elixir and it may even save your life. If you hate coffee, you can make ice coffee and chug it down.

Now the key is to only drink coffee during the fasting portion of the day and at no other time. We’re using coffee strategically to make intermittent fasting effortless.

Another cool trick is to hold off on drinking coffee for the first 1-2 hours of your day. This will help you push your first meal later into the day. Pushing your first meal later into the day will allow you to eat like a king and lean down (since you’ll have so many calories to eat in just 2 meals, yippie).

An Apple a Day (or two) 

If you get hungry before your lunch and dinner, I recommend the apple trick. This is where you simply eat an apple as a snack. A typical apple has only 80 calories, yet it does a pretty great job at staving off hunger.

In fact, my friend and fitness expert, first got me onto eating 1-2 apples per day from this post. 

So your day might look like this 

wake up – 7am

coffee – 9am (enjoy 2-3 cups of coffee over a couple hours)

snack (1 apple) – 12pm

Big lunch – 1 or 2pm

Snack (1 apple) – 6pm

Big Dinner – 8pm

Pretty much anyone can adapt to the above strategy. You can adjust it depending on your typical wake up time. The earlier you wake up, the earlier your big meals should be.

Let’s Put this Into Perspective 

With this approach, you can eat big, incredible meals. It doesn’t matter how much fat or carbs you take in, it doesn’t matter if you eat sugar or ice cream, if you’re in a calorie deficit, you will lean down.

As long as you take in sufficient protein and strength train 2-3x per week, you will maintain muscle while dropping fat. So on this protocol, you could eat chipotle for lunch (double steak, tons of cheese) and a big ass steak with french fries for dinner.

And guess what, you’d probably drop fat. To make this protocol more ‘aggressive’, I would substitute one of the meals for a lower calorie meal (400-600 calories). This will put you in a bigger deficit and allow you to eat until a state of bliss for your other meal.

This is precisely the approach that I describe in my Aggressive Fat Loss Program and the feedback and results been nothing short of astonishing.

Here’s the latest one from Cody B. after only 30 days

Key #2 – Stop Obsessing About Protein Intake & Macro Numbers 

To make fat loss effortless, we need to let go of the head games. Tracking macronutrients is not as necessary as many people make it out to be. The ‘If It Fits Your Macros’ approach has gotten a little out of hand.

The idea is to make eating at a calorie deficit as enjoyable as possible (while getting adequate protein). Now sure, certain macro ratio’s and intakes can be more enjoyable.

The main idea is to avoid doing anything stupid. And by stupid, I mean going really low in fat or carbs.

The Problem with Going Low in Fats & Carbs 

You see, when you go really low in fat (under 20% of total calories per day), you impair hormonal functioning, you make food taste bland and it’s really hard to stay full (since adequate fat helps promote fullness).

When you go really low in carbs (under 20-30% of total calories per day), bad things happen. Carbs help support training, testosterone, reduce stress and improve mood through release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and tryptophan that help keep you relaxed, happy and help with sleep.

So the whole concept is to consume adequate protein and enjoy a balanced intake of fats and carbs. That can be accomplished with a range of macro intakes. So this gives you more flexibility to enjoy food without trying to fit everything into some macro number.

The Problem with Eating Tons of Protein

As for protein, I’ve been enjoying going lower in protein. About 0.7-0.8g per pound of bodyweight. This approach works really well if you are only eating two meals per day.

This is because you’ll be able to eat big servings of filling protein, while also having tons of room for delicious and satisfying fasts and carbs. As well, when you don’t have to worry about hitting a crazy amount of protein each day, your life becomes easier.

You don’t have to do as much cooking, it’s easier to eat out and you can enjoy really tasty food. If you were to eat a ton of protein, you’d have to drop your carbs and fats down a lot.

A lower protein and higher carb diet (with fat being equal), actually promotes a higher level of testosterone in men. I’ve actually noticed that I no longer have any sex drive issues when dieting to extreme levels of leanness since dropping my protein and upping my fats and carbs.

In the aforementioned study, a lower carb higher protein diet, decreased testosterone by a stiff 30%. Yikes, on a calorie deficit, testosterone will already be taking a hit.

Don’t make matters worse by eating tons of protein at the expense of your fats and carbs.

Don’t force yourself to eat more protein or macros if you’re not hungry 

One question I get all the time is this – “Greg I’m already full but I still have some macros left, do I have to eat them”. My answer is no. The whole point of the nutrition strategy is to make fat loss a breeze.

If you’re already full, then stop eating. That just means you’ll be losing fat at a faster pace. Even if you haven’t finished your protein numbers for the day, that’s fine.

It’s okay to go lower in protein on some days. And if you’re getting around 0.7-0.82g per pound of bodyweight in protein, then you pretty much have got everything you could possibly need.

It’s a disservice to force yourself to eat on a cut, if you’re not hungry. Learn to listen to your body and tune into it, for effortless fat loss.

Key #3 – Consume Foods That Keep You Full & Satisfied 

Potato Wedges are the Bees Knees

This brings me to the next point. The key to effortless fat loss is to really focus on eating foods that keep you full and satisfied! While avoiding foods you seem to have no control over or leave you in a state of wanting more.

Lean meats, potatoes, veggies, beans, low fat cheese, corn tortillas, PopChips, whole eggs mixed with egg whites…. Are all very satiating. I recommend basing your diet off these foods. I also recommend using a little fat from butter and coconut oil for cooking to make food crispy and delicious.

I encourage people to avoid eating pasta, rice and cereals and foods that don’t do much to satisfy you. I also find chocolate in moderation, to do a really good job at satisfying a sweet tooth and promoting fullness.

Have a few hundred calories of chocolate and you’ll probably be satisfied. Have a cookie or two, and you’re going to want to eat the entire bag. At-least that’s my experience haha!

Low fat frozen yogurt with chocolate chips is an amazing dessert that’s satisfying and low in calories. Catching my point here? Eat foods that you enjoy and help make eating at a calorie deficit easy.

Or, at-least focus on this 80-90% of the time.

This is partially a learning process. But once you find meals and desserts that you truly enjoy and make dieting easy, well stick to them. There’s no need for a ton of variety. Simplicity is best!

Key #4 – Be a Minimalist in the Gym 

I’ve built my physique off three 45 minute lifts per week !

The fourth key to achieving effortless fat loss is to learn to become a minimalist in the gym. What most people don’t understand is that a high level of exercise can drive up appetite.

This can make dieting a miserable experience. My suggestion is to limit your training down to three intense 45 minute strength training sessions per week. And to go for a 40-60 minute walk on your non lifting days.

This is the optimal amount. Adding intervals, crossfit, p90x, circuits, high volume strength training sessions, 4-6 lifts per week…. All that training just makes dieting harder as it ramps up appetite, depletes will power reserves and destroys confidence when you can’t sustain it.

And for what purpose? Building a great physique is tied to hitting a calorie deficit (through proper to nutrition) to reach a low body fat, and progressing on key lifts.

Once you’re lifting intensely three days per week, eating properly and getting in some low intensity walking, you already are doing everything you could possible need to promote a lean and chiseled physique.

Why make building a great physique and achieving a low body fat harder than it needs to be? When you hone your training down, you’ll experience accelerated results because recovery will be on your side and you’ll finally be able to pour yourself into the workout sessions.

Key #5 – Stop Giving a Fuck 

One reason why I’ve had such amazing success dropping body fat on vacations, trips and travel experiences is because, well, uh, I stopped giving a fuck.

My mind wasn’t even thinking about fat loss. I was just enjoying myself and doing the best I could.

When you’re constantly thinking about fat loss and dieting, you’re essentially putting a weight on your shoulders, mental baggage if you will. This makes fat loss, 10x harder than it needs to be.

Do your best to follow your workout program and nutrition plan, then forget about it altogether and live your life. This usually, involves, accepting yourself.

Be okay with where you are right now in this moment

If you don’t accept yourself, if you don’t accept this moment and where you’re starting from at this point in time, then you will unconsciously cling onto exactly where you are right now.

You’ll never completely achieve your goals because your ego won’t allow you to. This is because your identity is now based around not being happy with how you look and your ego will do whatever it can to preserve that very identity.

So if you truly want to be happy with how you look, if you truly want to achieve your goals. You must live as if you are where you want to be right now. You must feel happy and complete with yourself now.

Accepting yourself and having gratitude does not mean that you will stop working towards your goals

On the contrary, when you’re no longer resisting what you don’t want, you will be free to move forward with ease, joy and lightness. This is because you can’t resist something, while at the same time fully apply yourself. “What you fight you strengthen. Whatever you resist, persists” Eckhart Tolle

External reality is a reflection of your internal reality. Once you change your internal reality, everything in your life will transform.

When you learn to have peace and acceptance with yourself, then you can finally enjoy the adventure to your goals without the stress, chronic thinking and mental baggage that was there before.

This is a huge component of my Aggressive Fat Loss Program 2.0. And is partly why it’s so successful!

Six Week Aggressive Fat Loss Transformation (Safe to say, Nick is Beach Ripped)

Now for the Big News: Project Beach Ripped

I’m kicking off project beach ripped! My goal is to help you achieve a lean and chiseled body this summer, and enjoy it. I’ve even started an exclusive facebook group that I’ll be active in daily, answering your questions. I want to leave no man or woman behind.

I want you to enjoy patio drinks, steak and french fries on the regular while getting consistently leaner each and every week.

And all you have to do is pick up my latest and greatest fat loss course to be a part of the program. I mean, I want to help you, but I can’t spoon feed yah everything. 

Anyone that has my AFL 2.0 program can go to the AFL download area to join Project Beach Ripped. Building an amazing lean and fit body does not have to be a sacrifice ! It can actually be the most awesome thing ever.

This is what I’m trying to teach the world ! I don’t want you to have to struggle anymore! 

One More AFL Transformation From Today (2.5 weeks) 

Another AFL transformation, though he didn’t take a before pic, crazy, I know!

“Hey Greg!

First off I loved AFL2.0! It made losing weight super easy, and I was rarely hungry while dieting.

I used the program for about 2-3 weeks to try to lose a few pounds before my hydrostatic weighing test for my exercise physiology class!

I dropped about 8lbs in 2.5 weeks! Before starting the program I was probably 13-14% bf (according to skin fold/eyeballing), and got to 10-11% (I don’t think our hydrostatic results were super accurate tho)…”

8 pounds in 2.5 weeks and it was super easy and he was rarely hungry – yup, that’s the power of the Aggressive Fat Loss Program. 

Project Beach Ripped: Next Steps

1) Pick up AFL 2.0

This includes the full blown PDF, cheat sheets, recipe guide, workout program, mindset guide and more….

You can purchase it directly here – AFL 2.0

2) Join The Project Beach Ripped Facebook Group 

After picking up AFL, you’ll get access to a members download area. That will have instructions for joining the Project Beach Ripped Facebook Group. Currently we have an awesome discussion going. And I’ve even posted some videos

3) Take Your Pictures, Weight & Waist measurement

I want you to see concrete proof of how effective this system is. That means taking pictures, recording your weight and measuring your waist around bellybutton level.

Always take your weight and waist measurement first thing in the morning for greatest accuracy. Your waist measurement will fluctuate an inch or more, after drinking water or eating.

By having this data, you will no, objectively how much progress you’re making. Sometimes weight will stall, but your waist may go down. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket (weight or waist measurement). Look at the full picture.

4) Start Implementing the Protocol

Plan your day, know exactly what you’re going to be eating that day. Go grocery shopping if you have to. Get your coffee game on to help with fasting. Pick up some delicious apples, lean meats, coconut oil and potatoes!

There’s no need for a ton of variety. Keep it simple. You’ll be leaning down so nicely, you won’t care if you’re eating the same handful of meals every week. Especially when you’re satisfied as heck!

In only a few short days, the latest installment of the Avengers – Avengers 2: Age of Ultron – is hitting the theatres. Two of the cast members have incredible physiques… Can you guess who they are?

I’ll give you a hint: they have the same first name…

Yup! Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans.

Both of these actors have quite remarkable muscle development and leanness.

I would categorize them both as having the “Superhero physique”. The Superhero physique is the third and highest level of Kinobody development (Warrior being the first stage and Greek God being the second stage).

In this post, I’ll teach you how you can achieve a Thor or Captain America status physique.

First Things First: Strength is King 

There’s no shortcut to adding a ton of muscle. I’m sorry, it’s just the truth. Packing on 20 lbs of muscle in 2-3 months is… well… out of the realm of what’s possible. It’s just not in the cards.

The research doesn’t support it in the least (unless you’re regaining muscle that you lost)… Gaining a good chunk of new muscle takes months. Adding about 20 lbs of muscle takes a good year of training.

Now the only way you’re going to be able to support an extra 20 lbs of muscle is if you become a hell of a lot stronger. There’s no doubt about it. If you’re benching 150 lbs, you’re not going to add a lot of size to your chest until you can rep out 225 lbs.

It’s just really freaking hard to have a lot of muscle and be weak. Funny enough, no one really argues that. I mean, you’re not going to be able to do 100 lbs dumbbell shoulder presses (per hand) and have small shoulders.

However, most muscle building workouts people follow don’t focus on the number one driver of muscle growth: Progressive overload! 

Every week you want to be pushing for some type of personal record, whether it’s one more rep or an extra 5 lbs on the bar. If you do this week after week, you will gain muscle consistently.

This is why I recommend lifting only three times per week (to maximize total recovery), focusing on key movements and getting strong at them and using a reverse pyramid set up so you can push hard for personal records without getting burnt out.

The bottom line is this – if you’re not getting stronger week after week, your chances at building a Hollywood Superhero-worthy physique are pretty much all but gone.

Leanness Over Mass 

I only weigh 176 lbs, but I look significantly bigger

When it comes to looking like a real-life superhero, or even playing one on the big screen, leanness trumps mass. It doesn’t matter if you’re 220 lbs, no one cares – it’s the look that you have.

Russell Crowe in Gladiator probably had about 20 lbs on Brad Pitt in Troy, but no one was talking about the “Gladiator workout”. Everyone wanted to look like Achilles.

Well, the same goes for building the Superhero Body. Leanness and proportion beat mass. And in order to have great leanness and proportion, you’re going to often weigh a lot less than you’d expect.

Why? Because body fat and waist measurement need to be very low. This is what will support great definition, muscle shape and this is what will create the illusion of being a lot bigger than you are.

Don’t obsess with packing on the pounds. That will kill the chance of you looking like a superhero. Instead, take the weight gain slowly to ensure little to no fat gain.

If you’re getting stronger and progressing on your workouts, you’ll be building muscle and supporting an awesome physique (don’t worry about adding weight quickly)

Pack on Muscle in the Right Areas

Focus on packing on muscle in a way that will have the most powerful effect.

For the Superhero look, you want to build just enough size on the upper back to support a great V shape. This can be accomplished with a regular dose of heavy weighted pullups (building up to the 100-Pound Club).

You also want to build some big, rounded superhero-worthy shoulders. This requires a combination of heavy shoulder presses and high volume lateral raises and rear delts.

The third most important area to build is the upper chest. A thick and full upper chest gives you a powerful, aesthetic and masculine appearance. Your chest will look like a plate of armour or even a superhero suit.

I recommend focusing primarily on heavy incline presses to develop the upper chest. Another great movement is to do hybrid incline dumbbell flyes or Kino Flyes (featured at the end of this post).

Finally, if you want to fill out your sleeves and have a great looking set of arms, you’ll need to do ample curls and triceps extensions. That said, this is the icing on top of the cake.

Building a great upper chest, shoulders and back will naturally support good looking arms. The direct arm work will take things to another level.

Prioritize Two Key Muscle Groups 

During a Superhero-style bulking program, I recommend prioritizing two muscle groups that you really want to build quickly.

People make the mistake of trying to get huge fast everywhere, at the same time. As a result, they see little to no progress. The idea is to make slow and steady progress on your entire physique, while making dramatic results on two muscle groups.

For Thor, I would focus heavily on the upper back and shoulders (Hemsworth has an awesome upper back and shoulder development). Therefore, these two muscle groups would be hit with more volume than the rest of the physique.

For Captain America, I would focus heavily on building the chest and biceps. This seems to be where Chris Evans has the best development. In both cases, these guys would be slowly adding muscle to their entire frame.

Only their prioritized muscles would be growing the fastest. What you’d notice is with Thor – his back and shoulders would pop out and strike you. With Captain America, you’d be blown away by his chest and biceps.

Utilize Rest Pause Training on Prioritized Muscle Groups

To take muscle gains to the next level, we’d want to do a form of ‘pump training’ to maximize fluid-based muscle growth (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy). The most efficient and effective form of pump training is known as rest pause training.

This is where you pick a weight you can do for 10-15 reps. After this ‘activation set’ you rest only about 10-20 seconds. Using the same weight, you rep out about 3-6 reps. Rest 10-20 seconds, perform another mini set of 3-6 reps. Rest and repeat for a total of 4 mini sets.

This protocol works so well because it allows you to maintain a high degree of muscle fiber recruitment with a relatively light weight. This almost gives you the benefits of heavy weight training and the benefits of lighter weight training – in one simple protocol.

Bonus – Rest Pause Movements for a Thor Physique

Here are my favorite rest pause movements for a Thor physique. These exercises are going to focus on providing more volume onto the shoulders and back.

These are supplemental exercises in nature, and are to be performed in addition to heavy compound movements.

Movement #1: Cable Lateral Raises

Movement #2: Incline DB Lateral Raises (No Cables No Problem)

Movement #3: DB Cuban Presses (to Destroy the Lateral & Rear Delts)

Movement #4: Sternum Pull ups or Seated Cable Rows (for a Great Back) 

Rest Pause Movements for a Captain America Physique

The following movements are my favorites for building a Captain America physique. These exercises are going to hit the chest and biceps beautifully.

These are supplemental exercises in nature, and are to be performed in addition to heavy compound movements.

Movement #1: Kino Flyes or Machine Flyes (for a great chest) 

Movement #2: Pull-Down Machine Curls 

Movement #3: Kino Curls (No pull down machine, no problem)

Super Big News

Oh yeah and super big news!

I know how excited people are about the launch of the Avengers movie. And I know how naturally, people are going to want to be more motivated than ever before to take their strength and muscle gains to superhero status.

So, I decided to do something special… I decided to let people get my latest muscle building course – the Superhero Bulking Program -for $30 dollars off… Yep, for a limited time (because of the Avengers 2 movie coming out) it’s now only $47.

And I rarely – like RARELY – ever discount my Superhero Bulking Program.

It’s simply packed with so much value, that it’s worth its weight in gold. That said, I want you to take action and achieve the superhero physique. So if this gives you the kick in the butt you need, then I’m happy!

Your Own Team of Avengers 

What’s even BETTER is that I’m starting an elite Facebook group for my Superhero Bulking Program…

It’s called “Project Hollywood Physique”.

This is where you can interact with other people following the program, ask me questions, share progress and share pictures of your meals or clips from the gym.

It’s going to be the most awesome thing ever. It will be like having your own team of Avengers to get jacked with you. But to get access to the elite group, you need to be on the Superhero Bulking Program.

If you haven’t picked it up yet, click here to get access to superhero bulking.

(You’ll get the invite to the exclusive FB group in the member’s area, so you’ll be able to join it right away.)

In this podcast, I jump on the line with one of my followers, Malcolm Boyce! Malcolm achieved a stunning transformation in only 10 weeks following my Aggressive Fat Loss nutrition program (with warrior shredding program workouts).

He dropped his waist from 34″ all the way down to a flawless 31.5″ at a height of 5’11. All while improving strength! He traded a beefy football player/wrestler look for that of a lean and chiseled warrior.

In this episode, I pick his brain and we learn how he succeeded on this journey, uncovering plenty of tips on how you can achieve great results too!

Oh and big news – I’ve recently completely re-hauled my Aggressive Fat Loss program. And I’ve made it my most up to date and complete fat loss course, ever! I’m contemplating dropping my personal coaching program because of how effective this thing is.

If you want to be notified on the release date (very soon) go here – Aggressive Fat Loss 2.0. If you have the original course, you will be able to get the new course for a small upgrade investment, since this is way more comprehensive. Anyways…. 

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• The importance of taking your mind off getting lean and focusing on the day to day journey (5:30)
• How Malcolm was able to break free of his carbophobia and get to his leanest physique ever (11:00)
• Malcolm’s experiences with intermittent fasting and his coffee trick for people that hate coffee (12:00)
• Malcolm’s experience with counting his macros and how he learned to do it (14:20)
• Malcolm’s favorite filling and delicious meals on an intermittent fasting diet plan (16:55)
• How to maintain a high sex drive and energy levels on an aggressive diet (22:50) 
• Why rapid fat loss diets aren’t worth it and probably won’t work in the long run (24:00)
• Why you don’t need cardio to lose fat and stay lean (30:00)
• How smashing your fitness goals can change your entire life (33:00)
• The most important first two steps you must take to reach your long term goals (35:20)
• How to eat like shit and stay lean (39:00)
• The main reason why we track macros, no one will admit this (40:50)
• How to deal with people judging you for eating big meals like a boss (42:30)
• And much more…

Watch The Video Here

Thank You For Listening!

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Why Building Muscle & Losing Fat is So Hard 

Often people talk about gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. They want to drop twenty pounds of fat and build twenty pounds of muscle, while staying at the same weight.

It sounds great, but it’s often unrealistic. Why is it so hard then, to build muscle and drop fat? Well one major reason is because, to gain muscle, you need to be anabolic.

Anabolic means growth. To burn fat, you need to be catabolic. Catabolic means breakdown.

It seems physiologically impossible to be both anabolic and catabolic at the same time. Therefore, the idea that you’re building muscle while losing fat, seems to be a losing proposition.

Can it be done 

Interestingly enough, every week, I get some transformation from someone following my program that managed to lose a considerable amount of fat while gaining muscle.

So how is that possible? How could it be that people have been able to drop down to a low body fat while increasing strength and muscle mass?

First, let’s look at a couple transformations!

Transformation #1 – Nick Raptis (@nrmswole on IG) 

In four months, Nick dropped from 195 lbs to 165 lbs following my Aggressive Fat Loss Program (averaging 1.8 lbs of fat loss per week all the way down to abs definition).

I asked him how the journey went and this is what he said:

“Hunger was not a problem for me since it was so easy to lose fat and enjoy satisfying meals. As far as strength my bench went from 225 x 2 to 225 x 10 (that’s a 69 lbs increase based on predicted 1rm). Also all other lifts went up as well. Thanks for creating a great program @gregogallagher ”

Transformation #2 – Sam Stone 

This was accomplished in one year! Sam Stone went from 210 lbs to a lean and defined 150 lbs.

“Hey Greg I know you’re a very busy guy and gets tons of emails like this but I just thought id share my transformation over the past year as kinobody.com has completely changed my life.

Thank you so much for putting out such great content that actually fucking works.

I fell for so many random fitness marketing ploys over the years and was really depressed for a long time going up and down trying everything out there until I decided to give intermittent fasting a try.

After seeing it starting to work the first few weeks I came upon your website and youtube channel and have not looked back since.

My transformation has taken just over 1 Year with me falling off for a month too, I started out at 210lbs and now comfortably sitting at 150lbs and my strength levels have shot up.

Feel free to use my transformation pictures if you wish and one last time thank you so much.”

Transformation #3 – Adam S (@superleanfitness IG)

In just two months following Phase Two of my Superhero Bulking Program (shoulder specialization) Adam S. dropped fat and added a considerable amount of muscle to his shoulders, arms and chest.

He was eating at a calorie deficit while doing the superhero bulking program to see if he could lean down and gain muscle at the same time. He did.

Intermittent Fasting for Fat Loss & Muscle Gain

I believe that intermittent fasting can support fat loss and muscle gain. The reason is simple, intermittent fasting optimizes catabolic activity and anabolic activity.

During the fasting window, you are in a heightened state of fat burning. Growth hormone is elevated, insulin levels are low and fat mobilization is optimized. This allows you to experience some net fat loss each day (provided you are in a overall calorie deficit).

What’s more, the increase in growth hormone actually helps preserve muscle protein. Then when you shift into the feasting portion of the day, you enter a state of temporary overfeeding.

You’re eating big meals and taking in a lot of calories in a condensed period. This places your body into a state of anabolism. This allows you to experience some net muscle gain (provided strength is going up in the gym.)

Interestingly enough, intermittent fasting improves nutrition partitioning and insulin sensitivity, allowing you to better handle and direct nutrients to muscle tissue and away from fat stores, when you eat.

Theoretically, with intermittent fasting, proper nutrition and proper training (getting stronger on key lifts in the gym), you can experience some net fat loss and net muscle gain on a daily basis.

Now you’re not going to gain 10 lbs of muscle and lose 10 lbs of fat in two months. The change in muscle will be much more subtle.

That said, you may be able to drop 15-20 lbs of fat in 3-4 months, while gaining 5 lbs of muscle. These are results I typically see when someone follows my Warrior Shredding Program.

Optimize Catabolic Activity & Anabolic Activity 

You don’t want to be in catabolic state for too long, otherwise you will run the risk of muscle breakdown.

This is why I only recommend fasting for 14-18 hours per day. Fasting for 20-30+ hours is not only not enjoyable, but the risk of muscle protein breakdown is higher.

Remember, you want to balance anabolic and catabolic activity. Push your first 4-8 hours after rising and you will achieve the perfect balance of catabolic and anabolic activity.

If you’re catabolic for too long, you will start to breakdown muscle tissue. If you’re anabolic for too long, you will increase fat stores.

The Benefits of Fasting During the Day & Feasting at Night 

I believe that intermittent fasting is an amazing lifestyle and nutrition protocol that can make building an amazing physique, easier and more enjoyable than ever before.

By placing your calorie and macronutrient intake later into the day, you can experience greater results, than if you were to simply spread your calories across the entire day.

Besides, this is likely, how humans have evolved to eat. Fast and hunt during the day, stimulating the sympathetic system that keeps us alert, focused and energetic.

Then feast in the afternoon and evening and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system that promotes rest, relaxation and recovery.

By eating this way, you truly feel incredible.

How to Build Muscle & Lose Fat with Intermittent Fasting

Combine an intermittent fasting set up, with a three day workout routine geared around getting stronger on key lifts, and you can experience amazing results.

If your goal is primary fat loss and you’re eating at a deficit, you will likely gain a considerable amount of strength and some muscle, while getting lean.

If your primary goal is muscle gain and you’re eating at maintenance or above, you will likely gain solid muscle while staying lean, pretty easily.

This is why people have likely achieved such amazing results with my programs and routines. The interplay with intermittent fasting, proper calorie and macronutrient set ups, optimizing training and recovery.. create amazing results.

Take the Next Step

As a little bonus, I have put together the Kinobody Fasting Handbook. It is my approach to intermittent fasting to make it as effective and enjoyable as possible.

You can download it for free below.

And of course, if you’re not sure which program of mine is best for you, take the survey or learn about the different courses here.

Kino Meals ;)

In this podcast, I jump on the line with one of my followers, and blogger over at fitrovert.com, Alykhan.

We talk about aggressive fat loss, intermittent fasting, delicious meals and being an introvert.

Alykhan is a member of Project Beach Ripped, the exclusive facebook group for people following my Aggressive Fat Loss Program.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• How to make intermittent fasting and two meals per day effortless (5:25)
• The difference between real hunger and psychological hunger (6:20) 
• Why most people are overweight and how to diet below your natural body fat set point (6:50)
• Our favorite recipes for getting lean and staying satisfied (10:00)
• Why low fat cheese is amazing and the best thing ever (12:20)
• How to make Greg’s famous and simple as hell cheesy chicken (14:00)
• Why you should be eating potatoes to get lean (16:30)
• Should you break your fast with a big meal or a small meal (18:00)
• Greg’s Aggressive Fat Loss diet hack to be more satisfied from a meal (20:00)
• How Greg’s famous cheese quesadilla’s were invented, plus buffalo chicken quesadilla’s (22:00)
• Why I love pure milk chocolate bars (25:20)
• Our favorite macros for cutting and feeling great (29:00)
• All about introverts and the best way to workout and train as an introvert (32:30)
• And a lot more ! 

Watch The Video Here

Thank You For Listening!

To get more RTR content sent directly to your device as they become available, you can subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated… We read each and every one of them!

In this podcast, I talk with one of my followers who has undergone an incredible transformation in only 5 months!

The initial transformation was posted by Michael himself on Project Beach Ripped (the exclusive Facebook group for people following my Aggressive Fat Loss or Warrior Shredding Program).

After posting his transformation, the entire group went crazy and started asking him questions…

So naturally, I had to get Michael on a podcast.

In five months, Michael went from 201 lbs to 156 lbs, while building some strength and muscle in the process. He actually followed my Greek God Program, while eating at an aggressive deficit, similar to my Aggressive Fat Loss Program.

Here’s what Michael P. had to say about following Kinobody:

“Thanks to the info on Kinobody I was able to block out all the noise of the Bro-scientists and understand that the key to weight loss is simple energy balance (calories in vs calories out) and that’s it’s much more important finding a method that fits your lifestyle than doing what other people tell you works.

Intermittent Fasting for me is that lifestyle. It’s effortless now. Plus I think looking at photos of Greg’s physique everyday helped keep me motivated and gives me something to aim for.”

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• What Michael was doing before following Kinobody (0:50)
• Michael’s experience with Intermittent Fasting (6:10)
• The key to making low calorie dieting effortless (9:36)
• What to do when getting burnt out from a low calorie diet (11:00)
• What Michael’s day to day diet would look like (12:50)
• How Michael’s training was using the Greek God Program (16:23)
• Tips for someone that is starting a cut (20:25)
• How to overcome the obstacles that make fat loss challenging (22:25)
• How to handle family and friends telling you, you’re losing too much weight (27:36)
• And a lot more!

Watch The Video Here

Thank You For Listening!

To get more RTR content sent directly to your device as they become available, you can subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated… We read each and every one of them!

Learning how to cook great meals is one of the most essential skills to achieving your physique goals. In fact, I believe everyone should master a handful of recipes that they truly and absolute love.

This will make hitting your fitness goals a walk in the park.

But let’s back up a tad… What makes a meal great?

There’s no shortage of cookbooks. In fact, sometimes it seems like there’s a new cookbook just about everyday. Unfortunately, most of these cookbooks don’t get the job done.

You see, smashing your physique goals (building muscle or dropping fat) comes down to a numbers game. It’s about hitting the proper amount of calories, fats, carbs and protein.

Too many cookbooks focus on eating ‘clean foods’ and leave the numbers out of it. This strategy is like trying to throw a dart in pitch black.

Even with the books that focus on calories and macros – many times they fall into one extreme. They either are low carb cookbooks or low fat cookbooks.

As if humans were only meant to eat two out of the three macronutrients bestowed on this earth. Yeah right!

Kino Chef Key #1 – The Importance of Balance 

It is my firm and unwavering believe that great meals should be balanced in macronutrients. Forget low fat, forget low carb and forget insanely high protein.

The reality is that all of these macronutrients are incredibly important. For one, a low fat diet suppresses testosterone, typically tastes awful and invites insatiable hunger.

Carbs are equally important in promoting testosterone levels, as carbs trigger the release of neurotransmitters that support sleep, mood and cognitive performance.

Carbs are also important for recovering from training and supporting an anabolic state, since they contribute to insulin and glycogen storage (both are important for supporting muscle gains).

Don’t worry about insulin and fat gain; if your calories are dialed in, it will be a non-issue. In fact, raising insulin intermittently on a cut will help support muscle growth.

And yes, protein is vital for muscle growth among other processes. That said, the common held fitness belief that you need absurdly high levels of protein is flat out, wrong!

Enjoying Life

But all that aside, do you really want to have to choose between fat or carbs? When you learn how to enjoy meals that are balanced in fat and carbs, then you can truly enjoy life.

This is because the best meals include both fat and carbs. I mean, who wants to eat potatoes without butter? Meat without carbs?

Pizza, hamburgers, steak and fries, chipotle bowls…. The best meals have a good ratio of proteins fats and carbs.

When you learn how to balance out your macros, you can truly enjoy the best tasting meals. This requires you to focus on eating lean meats and using just the perfect amount of additional fat for cooking.

Kino Chef Key #2 – Simplicity 

To be a true Kino Chef, you need to master simplicity. If you really want fitness and nutrition to fall in the background of your life, you need to learn how to whip up meals effortlessly.

Forget following complicated head ache inducing recipes, forget having to use 101 ingredients. Simplicity is the key to brilliance.

Cooking great meals certainly does not have to be that hard. In fact, my favorite meals are the simplest to make.

We’re busy, we’re getting shit done, we don’t have the time to spend hours in the kitchen. If a meal is not simple to make, I’m not going to make it.

Nor do I want to spend hours preparing foods and cleaning dishes. I’m here to create the life of my dreams. So if a meal is not simple, it’s not a kinobody meal.

Kino Chef Key #3 – Delicious 

As crazy as it sounds, some people believe that ‘fitness meals’ shouldn’t taste good. That bland meals are the way to go.

I couldn’t disagree more! The reality is that supporting a lean, muscular and chiseled physique is as hard as you make it out to be.

If you want to endure boring, tasteless meals, then by all means go for it. That said, you’ll be battling cravings non stop.

And it’s just a matter of time until you act on these cravings, binge eat and destroy days of progress. If you want to truly reach your goals, you need to learn how to love your nutrition plan.

When you make meals that are absolutely delicious, you won’t brood about food all day. You’ll feel completely satisfied. You won’t have to battle cravings.

And you’ll actually stick to the program, this is the really key. If you want to experience amazing results, you need to stick to the program.

Kino Chef Key #4 – Filling

Ah yes, the fullness factor, my absolute favorite! When the goal is to rock an absolutely chiseled and fit physique, you need to learn how to stay full on lower calories.

Since, to drop any and excess fat, and stay at a body fat level that very few people will reach, you need to eat low calories.

If you are hungry on your diet, it’s just a matter of time that you’ll give in. Screw hunger! I’m always satisfied and full on my cuts.

Part of this is because I follow intermittent fasting. Because I eat only a couple times per day, I can enjoy big ass meals.

However, I still focus on eating foods that truly keep me full. Lean meats like chicken breast, flank steak, sirloin roasts, eggs/egg whites are my favorite ! As well as, low fat cheese and lots of potatoes among other foods.

In fact, if you want to make getting lean effortless, you need to start incorporating potatoes into your diet. They are awesome and are one of the most filling and satisfying foods known to man.

Pretty much all my clients complain of being too full, despite dropping fat. This has been a huge focus of mine over the last few years.

Learning how to make dropping fat and rocking 7-10% body fat year round, so easy, so enjoyable, that it blows everyones mind.

I believe Kino Chef will take this a step further!

Kino Chef Key #5 – Health

This wouldn’t be complete if this strategy didn’t support great health and vitality. The reality is that so many people have different views on what diet is the best for health.

If you’re intermittent fasting and maintaining a lean weight (or working towards a lean weight), you are already supporting a very healthy body.

Drinking coffee during your fast has a plethora of health benefits, as well. Then, ensuring a good balance of fats, proteins and carbs takes it a step further.

Finally, basing most of your food intake around meats, veggies, eggs, potatoes and sweet potatoes is a great strategy at providing the body with tons of nutritional value.

In fact, lean beef is one of the best foods you can eat. The vitamin and mineral content in a lean cut of beef is insane! 

I also recommend cooking exclusively with oils like coconut oil and macadamia nut oil, that are stable at high temperatures.

There is also something to say about, relaxing and enjoying life! Stop trying to be perfect. I enjoy some chocolate or frozen yogurt ice cream nearly every night, and you know what, my health markers are off the charts.

There’s no need to be perfect. In fact, if you try to be perfect, you’ll probably end up overeating. I mean, if you follow all the rules and try to eat tons of healthy foods, you’re going to end up consuming way too many calories.

This will backfire. So don’t stress about eating perfectly. Enjoy your life. And of course, if you have adverse reactions and intolerances from specific foods, then by all means cut them out.

Introducing Kino Chef

I am freaking relieved to announce that the kinobody cookbook – Kino Chef – is finally finished and will be launching in just a few days. Yes, this very week.

So many people have been asking me when it’s going to be done, and I kept pushing it back.

But thankfully… It’s done!

Kino Chef is really going to be a one of a kind. It encompasses all of the above five keys! If you want to be notified as soon as it’s live, make sure to join the insiders list below.

Editors Note:

Kinobody introduces guest writer, Emily Ness of CookingUpHappiness.com, to share an unbelievable ‘kino’ recipe to incorporate into your nutrition plan. This recipe is simple, delicious, filling and of course, it has some solid macros.

All things to support a lean and solid physique, effortlessly, while enjoying life and feeling fantastic! Emily has been following Kinobody for a long time and she has a passion for cooking.

I actually teamed up with Emily to create Kino Chef, and she absolutely killed it. I handled the Bachelor recipe section. And she handled the Gourmet section. 

What’s more, Emily is a living breathing Kinobody case study. She followed the Goddess Toning Program to achieve some awesome results:

Anyways, without further ado, I’ll let Emily take over.

A Little About Emily…

When the opportunity came around to work on Kino Chef, I couldn’t wait to get started. I made it my goal to create a resource for people who wanted to cook healthy and filling, yet macro-friendly meals.

My husband had been following Kinobody for close to a year at that point, and I already supported the philosophy behind Kinobody. After all, how many “diets” out there or “fitness gurus” claim you should be eating filling, delicious meals and enjoying food and your life… Instead of putting restrictions on yourself and listing out endless rules about what you can’t eat.

In the end, it comes down to enjoying the process as you reach towards your goals – and enjoying large, satisfying meals is a huge part of that.

Once you crack that code and understand how to do it, it’s not a diet anymore; it becomes a complete lifestyle change where you’re actually excited for your meals every day.

For the past year, I’ve done all the experimenting, testing and tweaking to help YOU take the guesswork out of cooking healthy and delicious meals.

About the Recipe

This baked boneless buffalo wings recipe is actually one of the first recipes I created or Kino Chef… Close to a year ago when we started working on it. (It’s crazy to think it’s been in the works for that long!)

What I love so much about this recipe and why we look forward to making every time is because it’s so delicious. We personally love Buffalo Wild Wings (who doesn’t, right?), but even an 8-piece is a total calorie bomb… So we wanted to create our own version of boneless wings that hits the spot while still hitting your macros.

Throw in a side of simple Greek yogurt ranch dipping sauce and you feel like you’re not missing a thing :-)

A great thing about this recipe is that the base of it – the oatmeal-coated boneless chicken pieces – are so versatile. You cook the wings the same every time, but can then toss them in a different sauce to completely mix up the meal: BBQ, honey BBQ, buffalo, honey sriracha, kung pao… Or pretty much any other sauce you want, as long as you make sure to watch the serving size so you don’t go overboard.

These Boneless Buffalo Wings pair really well with some baked potato wedges (if you’re really after a B-Dubs copycat meal!) – also included in Kino Chef. We’ve included two versions of potato wedges in the book, one is my recipe and one is Greg’s.

You’ll have to let me know which one is your favorite :-)

And on that note, here’s the recipe!

Baked Boneless Buffalo Wings

Ingredients (Wings):

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast tenders (trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
6 tbsp. Buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Combine oats with garlic, salt and pepper in food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds and pour into a shallow baking dish or bowl. Put the beaten egg in a second bowl.
3. Take chicken and dip in egg, then into oatmeal mixture, pressing both sides into the mixture until both sides are coated, and place on baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
4. Cook for 18-20 min until chicken is fully cooked. After it’s done, put chicken pieces into a large metal bowl and pour sauce of your choice over the top (make sure you measure it out) and toss chicken until the pieces are completely coated.

Enjoy with a side of baked potatoes wedges, veggies and a side of Greek yogurt ranch dipping sauce (below).

Ingredients (Greek Yogurt Ranch Dipping Sauce):

1 tbsp. Hidden Valley ranch dry seasoning
1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp. 2% milk

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in small bowl and set in fridge until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

For the Baked Boneless Buffalo Wings

Servings: 4

Calories: 379
Fat: 9 g
Carbs: 20 g
Protein: 56 g

For the Dipping Sauce:

Servings: 4 (4 tbsp per serving)

Calories: 45
Fat: 1.5 g
Carbs: 3 g
Protein: 6 g

If you try this, let me know what you think! And if you haven’t already, join the waiting list to get emailed when Kino Chef comes out… It’s been a long work in progress and Greg and I are both so excited to be bringing it to you (finally!).