BIGGER LEANER

STRONGER
The Simple Science of Building the
Ultimate Male Body

Fourth Edition
Also by Michael Matthews

e Year One Challenge for Men

e Shredded Chef
Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger
Muscle for Life
inner Leaner Stronger
e Year One Challenge for Women
e Little Black Book of Workout Motivation
Fitness Science Explained
Bigger Leaner Stronger
e Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body
Fourth Edition
By Michael Matthews (www.mikematthews.co)
Copyright © 2022 Waterbury Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. is book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a
book review. e scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means
without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions of this book. Don’t participate in or encourage electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials.
is book is a general educational health-related information product and is intended for healthy adults age
18 and over.
is book is solely for information and educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Please
consult a medical or health professional before you begin any exercise, nutrition, or supplementation
program or if you have questions about your health.
ere may be risks associated with participating in activities or using products mentioned in this book for
people in poor health or with preexisting physical or mental health conditions.
Because these risks exist, you should not use the products or participate in the activities described in this
book if you are in poor health or if you have a preexisting mental or physical health condition. If you choose
to participate in these activities, you do so knowingly and voluntarily of your own free will and accord,
assuming all risks associated with these activities.
Speci c results mentioned in this book should be considered extraordinary, and there are no “typical” results.
Because individuals di er, results will di er.
Cover designed by Damonza (www.damonza.com)
Book designed by Victoria Wolf (wolfdesignandmarketing.com)
Edited by Armi Legge and Mary Adams-Legge
Published by Oculus Publishers (www.oculuspublishers.com)
Free Bonus Material (Workouts, Meal
Plans, and More!)

Giving up on our long-term goals for immediate grati cation, my iends, is

procrastination.
—DAN ARIELY

T
hank you for reading Bigger Leaner Stronger. I hope you nd this book
insightful, inspiring, and practical, and I hope it helps you build the t,
strong, and healthy body you really desire.
I want to make sure that you get as much value from this book as possible, so
I’ve put together a number of additional free resources to help you, including:

A savable, shareable, printable reference guide with all of this book’s

key takeaways, checklists, and action items.
Links to form demonstration videos for all Bigger Leaner Stronger
exercises.
An entire year’s worth of Bigger Leaner Stronger workouts neatly laid
out and provided in several formats, including PDF, Excel, and Google
Sheets. If you’d prefer the workouts in a digital or hard-copy book,
check out e Year One Challenge for Men
(www.biggerleanerstronger.com/challenge).
Twenty Bigger Leaner Stronger meal plans that make losing fat and
gaining lean muscle as simple as possible.
 My favorite tools for getting and staying motivated and on track inside
and outside of the gym.
My all-time favorite tness books.
And more.

To get instant access to all of those free bonuses (plus a few additional
surprise gi s), go here now:

www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus

Remember too that if you have any questions or run into any di culties, you
can shoot me an email at [email protected], and I’ll do my best to
help!
To all the people who have supported me and my work and made this fourth edition
possible.
is is for you.

And to be honest, I hope that a er reading it, you’ll say it’s the best tness book for
men ever written. If nothing else, it’s the absolute best tness book for men I’m
currently capable of writing.
 Contents
Also by Michael Matthews
Free Bonus Material (Workouts, Meal Plans, and More!)
Foreword

What’s In This For You?

It Works
e Promise
Who Is Mike Matthews and Why Should I Care?
How to Use is Book

Winning at the “Inner Game” of Getting Fit

Have You Found Your Real Fitness Whys?
e Art and Science of Upgrading Your Willpower
e Easy Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones

The Last Diet Advice You’ll Ever Need

e 10 Absolute Worst Diet Myths and Mistakes
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Flexible Dieting
e Easiest Way to Calculate Your Calories and Macros
e Bigger Leaner Stronger Meal Plan

The Last Exercise Advice You’ll Ever Need

e 10 Absolute Worst Exercise Myths and Mistakes
 e Ultimate Strength Training Plan for Men
e Best Exercises for Building Your Best Body Ever
e Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Program
e Right and Wrong Ways to Track Your Progress
e Bigger Leaner Stronger uickstart Guide

The Last Supplement Advice You’ll Ever Need

e Smart Supplement Buyer’s Guide

The Beginning
Frequently Asked uestions
From Here, Your Body Will Change
Would You Do Me a Favor?
Free Bonus Material (Workouts, Meal Plans, and More!)
Do You Want One-on-One Coaching?
Going Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger

Appendix
e Hidden Barrier to E ective Eating & Exercising
Also by Michael Matthews
References
 Foreword
Mark Rippetoe

M
ike and I have been doing podcasts together for a while now, and
we’ve gotten to be buddies despite the fact that he’s too skinny and
has too many abs.
I keep telling him he’d make a great li er at 275 pounds, but he plays golf,
and you know how those people can be.
Nonetheless, I have a great deal of respect for anyone who insists on telling
the truth in this ridiculous industry, the home of charlatans, frauds, liars, and
fools all over the world. Mike and I agree about far more than we disagree, and we
learn from each other.
More importantly, Mike is his own guy—he works for himself, thinks for
himself, and writes for himself. And you are the bene ciary. He sells no useless
quasi-pharmaceuticals, no silly devices, no “breakthrough” programming, and no
bullshit. He gets no money from sponsors, and he is owned by no one.
Mike may be mistaken (as may I), but he doesn’t lie to you. He tells you the
truth, and you should listen.
If you want to use strength training for aesthetics, Mike is your source. He
understands the importance of getting strong. He knows that muscle determines
the shape and appearance of the human body, and that muscles grow when they
are stressed by heavy loads. He knows that hard work is the only e ective use of
your training time. He understands the science of nutrition, and he can explain it
to you—and even to me.
 I’m an old hardheaded strength coach, but I have enough sense to know that
most people are primarily interested in their appearance. So read this book, and
read mine too, and come away with what you need to know. e rest will be up to
you.

Mark Rippetoe
Author of Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training and Practical
Programming for Strength Training
 PART 1

What’s In This For You?

 It Works
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results.
Will You Be Next?

T
he men you just saw are like you. ey’re in their twenties, thirties,
forties, and beyond, and they come from all walks of life and levels of
tness. Some of them were once t, while others were always heavy;
many had tried various diet and exercise routines before and failed, while others
were brand new to it all; and some had plenty of time and energy for working
out, while others had very little.
What they all have in common, though, is that they used my diet and
exercise principles and programs to get into the best shape of their lives. ey’ve
replaced unwanted fat with lean muscle and dramatically cut their risk of disease
and dysfunction by eating foods they love, doing workouts they enjoy, and taking
few, if any, supplements.
I want to introduce you to a few of them whose stories have inspired and
touched me, and who are de nitive proof that with the right know-how and
guidance, anyone can build a body they can be proud of. If they can do it, why
not you?
 KENDRICK’S STORY

I’m 26 years old and dropped 47 pounds in four months following Mike’s Bigger
Leaner Stronger program, going from 210-to-163 pounds and around 8-to-9
percent body fat.
I’ve tried a LOT of other programs that didn’t work the way I expected. I got
bigger and a little bit stronger but never got the de nition I desired. For the rst
time in my life, I got signi cantly stronger while losing fat. Learning to lose fat
the correct way has been such a blessing.
I’ll admit I was a bit suspicious of the advice to li heavy weights while you
lose fat, because it goes against all “conventional” wisdom. I’d done several
programs which involved doing as many reps as you could in a minute, drop sets,
even one in which you did 10 sets of 10 reps of each exercise. I always got burnt
out, plateaued, and took forever to recover, and I gained too much body fat along
the way.
With Bigger Leaner Stronger, my bench press has increased from 240-to-265
pounds, my squat has gone from 250-to-320 pounds, my deadli has gone from
295-to-365 pounds, and my military press has gone from 145-to-175 pounds.
ose results speak for themselves.
I think anyone who’s willing to put forth the work and wants to maximize
their potential will bene t from this program. I always had the work ethic to
achieve it; I just needed the knowledge. is is just the beginning, and I’m far
from done.
I’m much more con dent, and my friends are constantly asking me to go to
li with them and set them up on a program and diet. at’s been awesome to
me! Push yourself, be patient, trust the process, and nd out what you are capable
of accomplishing.

BRANDON’S STORY
I used Mike’s Bigger Leaner Stronger program to lose 60 pounds in twelve weeks
to prepare for a men’s physique competition for men over 50. I took h place in
the men’s open novice division, and my strength increases were massive too. My
bench increased from 185-to-285 pounds, and I increased my squat, deadli , and
overhead press too!
Before discovering Bigger Leaner Stronger, my excuses and untrained mind
(conditioned to give up easily) prevented me from attaining my goals. I used my
shoulder surgery, my drinking problem, and my lack of wanting to change my
lifestyle as excuses.
en, I stumbled upon Mike and Bigger Leaner Stronger, and my life
changed. I used the knowledge Mike shares to overcome anything that was in my
way—cravings, urges, and thoughts that had held me back in the past. I haven’t
looked back since September of 2016, and now I’m unstoppable.
THIS PROGRAM WORKS! Just apply the principles that Mike has laid
out for you, and trust me, the sky’s the limit. Don’t change, add, subtract, or
manipulate anything—just do it like he’s laid it out and record your workouts
daily.
Remember, this is NOT a quick x, Hollywood diet, or fad weight loss
program. is is the beginning of a lifestyle change you need to maintain for the
rest of your life to feel and be happier and healthier. I guarantee you that Bigger
Leaner Stronger is better than anything you’ve tried before.
I promote Bigger Leaner Stronger and Muscle for Life on a daily basis—so
much that it now interferes with my own personal workouts, but that’s ne with
me. is program saved my life! A BIG and SINCERE thank you to Mike—I
owe you big time!

JENKIN’S STORY
In one year of following the Bigger Leaner Stronger program, I went from 207-to-
142 pounds for a total of 65 pounds of weight loss! For the rst six months my
strength improved, especially my deadli . It went from 275-to-325 pounds while
I lost weight!
Working out wasn’t an issue, but being disciplined and not eating whatever I
wanted every day was tough. It took me a solid three months to really make the
permanent lifestyle changes I needed to.
I came across Mike’s book and saw that it had all the basics of eating for
building a great physique. Originally I was only going to follow Mike’s nutrition
plan, but a er reading about the training program, I saw it shared a lot of the
same principles I had come across in other programs I liked. I couldn’t help but
completely agree with what Mike was saying, so I gave that a shot too.
e whole program really spoke to me, and I appreciate how Mike backs
everything he says with facts. Mike really connected with me as a reader, and he
gained my trust. I felt he had integrity; thus, I was willing to follow his program.
And I have only gotten results since.
e program is not a magic pill or quick x; it does not give you a secret or a
shortcut. It merely teaches principles. By abiding by these principles, you’ll see
results, but it will take time, patience, discipline, and e ort—DON’T GIVE UP!

I’m so moved by these outstanding guys, and I hope you are too. What’s even
more amazing, though, is I hear from people with similar success stories every few
days, and I’ve shared hundreds of them on my website at
www.biggerleanerstronger.com/success (worth a gander if you’re in need of some
get-up-and-go). Transformations like these aren’t reserved only for those with
elite genetics or superhuman discipline. Anybody can join the club, including
you. Who knows, maybe people will be reading about your results one day?
Anything is possible if you want it enough. And in this book, I’ll show you
the way.
 1

The Promise

No matter how old you are, no matter how bad your genetics, and no matter how
lost you now feel a er trying and abandoning past diets and workout programs …
You absolutely, positively can have the lean, muscular, and powerful body that
you dream about, and you’re about to learn how.

W
hat if you could follow a science-based, time-proven formula for
eating and exercising that makes adding 15-to-25 pounds of lean
muscle while also shedding handfuls of body fat a breeze?
What if you could build your best body ever without starving or depriving
yourself ? What if you could still indulge in the “bad” foods that you love, like
pasta, pizza, and ice cream? And what if you didn’t have to live in the gym or
grind through grueling workouts that leave you feeling beaten up and burned
out?
What if you could see dramatic results in the mirror in just the rst thirty
days and know that you’ve nally found the master key to getting (and staying)
big, lean, and strong, now and forever?
Imagine waking up every morning, looking and feeling t, strong, and
powerful. Imagine, in just a couple of months from now, taking your shirt o at
the pool or beach with con dence and having dawn-to-dusk energy to tackle your
day. Imagine how relieved you’ll be to no longer fret about your waist size or how
you look naked. Imagine how satis ed you’ll feel, knowing that you’re getting a
little tter, stronger, and healthier every day.
All that and more is what awaits you on the Bigger Leaner Stronger program,
and it won’t be as di cult nor as complicated as you may think. Whether you’re
twenty-one or forty-one, t or fat, strict or slack, you have the power to transform
your body. Ask the many people whose lives have been changed by my books,
articles, podcasts, and other work. ey accepted my help, and now they’re in
better shape than ever before. ey’re the proof that together, we can do the same
for you, too.
ese may sound like outrageous claims, but this book is a realistic blueprint
anyone can follow to realize them. It’s a blueprint quite unlike what you normally
nd in a tness book, too, because it doesn’t involve “hacks,” quick xes, or other
unsustainable methods that produce fast but eeting results. Instead, I’ll provide
you with nutritional principles and meal plans with enough structure to get
results and enough freedom to embrace your eating preferences and lifestyle. is
way, you can look forward to every meal that you eat and never feel like you’re
“on a diet” ever again. I also won’t try to force you into a cookie-cutter training
program that may or may not meet your needs or liking. Instead, I’ll give you
three workout routines to choose from—a three-day-per-week routine, a four-
day, and a ve-day—and teach you how to modify them according to your goals
and circumstances. is way, you can enjoy your training and never feel like
you’re working too hard or not hard enough.
I’ll also be your guide the whole way, encouraging you to discover what
you’re truly capable of; helping you overcome obstacles and setbacks like lack of
motivation, diet and exercise plateaus, and nagging aches and pains. I’ll show you
how to avoid pitfalls like self-doubt, perfectionism, and unrealistic expectations,
and how to achieve your biggest tness goals in a skillful and sustainable way.
 In Bigger Leaner Stronger, I’ll also prove to you that getting ripped isn’t as
complicated as you’ve been led to believe. It doesn’t require following a “special”
diet like intermittent fasting or keto, using “sophisticated” exercise techniques
like muscle confusion or functional training, or lling your cabinets with dubious
pills and powders like collagen protein or branched-chain amino acids.
Instead, the real “secret sauce” of the tness elite can be summed up like this:

1. ey control their calorie and protein intake.

2. ey mostly eat nutritious foods.
3. ey do at least a few hours of strength training per week.

In other words, the gateway to the body you’ve always wanted is in the
fundamentals, not the fringes. e devil’s in the details, however, because as you’ll
learn in this book, there are many more incorrect ways of executing those
strategies than correct ones. It’s like making music—the process amounts to
combining notes into pleasing harmonies, melodies, and rhythms, but simply
knowing that isn’t enough to create a hit. You need to understand how to work
with those elements in very speci c ways. Unfortunately, however, there’s a lot
more misinformation about how to get t than how to make music. Why is that?
Why are long-debunked lies still tra cked by celebrities, in uencers, authors, and
“experts”?
First, there’s a lot of money in it. When millions of people are strongly
motivated to solve a problem, brilliant marketers will always nd an abundance of
things for them to buy. us, in the case of the tness advice industry—
magazines, websites, books, podcasts, and so on—much of the information is,
shall we say, inspired by the need to keep you buying. And one of the best
marketing buttons for getting people to buy is “new.” By steadily sharing new
suggestions, then—diet, training, and supplementation “tricks,” “breakthroughs”
and “shortcuts,” for example—information sellers can keep you hooked.
at isn’t to say that new information is bad, though. Fitness is a sweeping
subject with many trails, tunnels, and caverns to explore. Most of them won’t get
subscribers, however. Your average guy just wants to gain 20-to-30 pounds of
muscle in the right places and see his abs, not learn about the nuances of nutrient
metabolism or training periodization, and it doesn’t take more than a single book
(like this one) to teach him how to do that. If the tness advice industry told it
straight, they’d have maybe twenty- ve essays, total, that’d teach you basically
what you’ll learn here.
is book, however, is di erent, because I have other incentives and payo s.
I’ve had success as a self-published author and entrepreneur, so my livelihood isn’t
beholden to publishers, advertisers, or fads. Instead, I get my lifeblood directly
from you, and how well I do depends entirely on how well I serve your interests.
us, in this book, I can go against the grain and recommend science-based diet
and exercise strategies that di er from the kind of miracle-solution promises that
make editors and marketers salivate but ultimately fail to deliver.
First and foremost, I’m going to teach you the power of e ective strength
training for gaining and maintaining muscle, and getting and staying lean. I’ll also
introduce you to eating and training systems that actually work as a long-term
lifestyle. For example, I’ll show you how to lose fat and gain lean muscle while
eating plenty of carbs; how to transform your body with just a few hours of
strength training per week and a lot less cardio; and why supplements are entirely
optional and o en a waste of money because only a small number are
scienti cally proven to enhance your physique, health, and performance.
at said, Bigger Leaner Stronger isn’t for everyone. It’s not for people who
prefer comfortable lies over cold truths. It’s not for people who are hunting for
the One True Plan that doesn’t require skill, struggle, or sacri ce. It’s not for
people who always demand a lot for a little. It’s for people who know that the
only “secrets” that work are those you’re willing to work for. It’s for people who
are ready to screw up their courage and leave their comfort zone. It’s for people
who want to earn a hearty tomorrow by investing in it today.
Skeptical? You should be. I was too when I rst encountered the information
and strategies I’ll share with you in this book. Take heart, though, because Bigger
Leaner Stronger doesn’t require a leap of faith. Most of what you’ll learn has been
around for decades, already known to high-level strength and bodybuilding
coaches and athletes, but nobody has connected the dots for you like I will here.
Moreover, Bigger Leaner Stronger works, and fast, so you’ll see real, visible
improvements in your body within the rst thirty days of starting the program,
and within a couple of months, people will start asking what the deuce you’re
doing. You’ll see your weight moving in the right direction, your clothes tting
better, and your muscles looking more de ned. I promise.
And if, for whatever reason, you’re not seeing these types of results, I still
have good news for you: It’s not because this is just another overhyped hoax that
can’t or won’t work for you. It only means that you need some help with the
execution, and I’m always just an email away and happy to assist, so feel free to
write to me anytime at [email protected].
Remember, too, that tens of thousands of men (that I know of ) have used
the principles and program in this book to build a t and strong body they’re
proud of. So, you’re in good hands. And soon you’ll be on your way.
If we’re to succeed, however, I’ll need a few things from you. First, I need
you to approach this book with an open mind. Many “gurus” promise similar
payo s as I have and then leave you in the lurch, creating an intoxicating surge of
hope that becomes a crushing wave of despair. is time will be di erent. By
dealing with diet, exercise, and supplementation in entirely new ways, you can
 nally stop stumbling o and scrambling back onto the wagon, a little worse for
wear each time. Bigger Leaner Stronger will show you how to escape that terrible
tailspin. It’s a realistic and sustainable plan that men of all ages and circumstances
can win with, but you must temporarily suspend your disbelief and trust in the
process.
Second, I need you to show up. Some people buy a book like this with an eye
to execution, but for whatever reason, their intentions don’t translate into actions.
at’s the only guaranteed way to fail with the program. So in this book, I’ll
periodically ask you to stop reading and start doing—to take concrete steps
toward your new body and life. If you can take those steps, and then keep taking
them, you can reach the promised land.
And third, I’d love to hear from you once you’ve achieved your rst major
milestone, like lling out your favorite t-shirt and jeans, waking up full of energy,
or thrilling at your growing strength. Admittedly, this is a sel sh request, but
hearing how people are using my work to get tter, healthier, and happier is the
real pay for my e orts, so I’d love to listen to your story when you’re ready to
share it. And since And since I always try to lead by example, I’ll quickly tell you
mine.
 2

Who Is Mike Matthews and Why

Should I Care?

Opportunity is missed by most people, because it is dressed in overalls and looks

like work.
—UNKNOWN

I
’ve made some strong claims about what this book will do, but I’m con dent
that the Bigger Leaner Stronger program will work for you. Not only is the
program evidence-based, but it’s also the product of my own journey in
tness. A er examining much of the important scienti c literature, trying scores
of workout programs, diets, and supplements, and working with thousands of
people, I don’t know everything, but I do know what works and what doesn’t.
Like most people, I was clueless when I started li ing weights nearly twenty
years ago. I picked up some bodybuilding magazines and started working out a
couple of hours per day and spending hundreds of dollars on supplements per
month. I carried on that way for over seven years, jumping from diet to diet,
workout program to workout program, and supplement to supplement. Despite
my considerable e orts, I had only gained about twenty- ve pounds of muscle
and novice-level strength, and I still didn’t know how to get and stay lean or
break through my training plateaus and build the body I really wanted.
 I then started working with personal trainers, but it was just more of the
same: Training programs that revolved around “sophisticated” (and mostly
useless) training techniques like supersets, functional training, and “muscle
confusion”; various brands of “clean eating” that didn’t make a di erence; and
exotic-sounding pills, powders, and potions that merely lightened my wallet and
brightened my pee. A er giving many months and paychecks to trainers, not
much had changed. I still looked the same and still had no idea what to do to get
bigger, leaner, and stronger. I enjoyed working out too much to quit, but I wasn’t
happy with my physique and didn’t know what was holding me back.
I nally decided to get “serious” about my tness and learn the true
physiology of muscle growth and fat loss. I tossed the magazines out, ditched the
Internet forums, and stopped paying attention to locker room chatter, and started
studying the work of leading strength and bodybuilding coaches, consulting
veteran natural bodybuilders, and reviewing scienti c research.
Before long, I began to realize that getting into outstanding shape is much
simpler than many tness experts would have you believe. It has little to do with a
lot of the stu we see on TV and social media, and read in websites, books, and
magazines. is data smog of myths and misconceptions not only makes losing
fat and gaining muscle much harder than it should be, it also undermines our self-
con dence, strains our relationships, and blunts our desire for self-improvement.
When I nally escaped all of the misinformation and changed what I was
doing in the kitchen and gym according to what I was learning, the results were
almost too good to believe. I started gaining muscle again. I started gaining
strength again. I got a six-pack for the rst time. I was getting jacked by spending
less time in the gym, doing less cardio, and eating more freely. It felt like I had
found the cheat codes to the tness game.
It wasn’t long before friends and family noticed how my body was changing
and asked for advice. I shared what I was doing and helped them shed fat they
thought they’d never lose, gain strength and muscle de nition they never thought
they’d have, and experience levels of self-con dence they’d only dreamed about.
Some of these people started urging me to write a book about my methods. I
liked the idea. “What if I’d had such a book early on?” I thought. It would’ve
saved me untold time, money, and frustration, and I would’ve reached my tness
goals much faster. So, I wrote that book—this book—and self-published it in
January 2012.
It sold maybe twenty copies in the rst month, but within a couple of
months, it was selling twenty copies per day and generating just as many positive
emails and reviews from readers. I made notes on how to improve the book based
on suggestions and feedback, and I saw the opportunity to write more books on
the science of getting healthy and t.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve written and published multiple tness books
that have sold over 1.5 million copies, including one for women called inner
Leaner Stronger, a cookbook called e Shredded Chef, and a pick-me-up called
e Little Black Book of Workout Motivation. What’s more, dozens of men and
women write to me every day and share how my work is helping them build their
ideal body faster than they ever thought possible. And that never gets old.
So, are you ready to become one of them? Turn the page and we’ll be on our
way.
 3

How to Use This Book

Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means e ort, pain,
di culty.
—THEODORE ROOSEVELT

T
here’s an old Chinese proverb that encapsulates the essence of this
book. It goes like this: “tell me, I’ll forget; show me, I’ll remember;
involve me, I’ll understand.”
is isn’t a book that you just read and re ect on—it’s a book you act on.
e information I’ve included and the way I’ve organized it is intended to help
you li the ink o these pages and use the principles in your life. us, I want to
share a roadmap that’ll help you get the most from Bigger Leaner Stronger.
is book contains six parts:

1. In this rst part, I’ve given you a foretaste by introducing you to the
Bigger Leaner Stronger philosophy, and hopefully, whetted your
appetite and inspired you to make a simple decision: “I’ll give this an
honest look.”
2. In the second part, we’ll address the “inner game” of tness and help
you cultivate a winning mindset by clarifying goals and purposes,
boosting your con dence, and strengthening your willpower.
 3. In the third part, you’ll learn how to get and stay t and healthy
without following a restrictive “diet” ever again. Instead, I’ll give you a
simple but powerful method of meal planning that provides maximum
exibility and sustainability.
4. In the fourth part, we’ll get into how to train the Bigger Leaner
Stronger way, and I’ll give you a science-based system for transforming
your body as well as ready-made workout routines for you to start
doing.
5. In the h part, I’ll touch on the least important aspect of the program
—supplementation— because while most supplements don’t do much,
some can enhance muscle and strength gain, physical performance, and
overall health and wellbeing.
6. In the sixth part, we’ll wrap up with additional insights and tactics
that’ll boost your results as well as pre-designed meal plans and
workout templates.

ere are also two ways you can approach this book:

1. Read it and then apply what you’ve learned.

2. Read and apply as you go.

I recommend number two because, a er working with tens of thousands of

people, I’ve found that the sooner someone can get going, the more likely they
are to keep going. So long as we’re in motion, the thorny vines of doubt and
despair can’t seize us. So long as we’re doing, thinking can’t stop us.
erefore, I’ve inserted implementation steps throughout this book that will
ask you to act. I didn’t choose these spots arbitrarily—I picked the points where
immediate execution will greatly increase your chances of long-term success. If I
were coaching you, this is exactly how I’d start you on the program.
Some of these steps will require writing, and I recommend you use a
notebook. Many people like to use a journal for creating their meal plans,
tracking their workouts, and reviewing their progress. By keeping everything in
one place, you can easily assess and revise your plans as needed, and you can
memorialize your transformation. In fact, if you’re like many of us meatheads,
you’ll come to treasure your dog-eared stack of tness diaries as a testament to
your dedication to self-improvement.
If you want to get started as soon as possible, you can simply learn the
“hows” of the program, start right away, and then learn the “whys” a er. To do
this, begin with chapter 10, which will teach you how to create meal plans for
losing fat and gaining muscle. Make your rst meal plan, start using it, and then
go to chapter 14 to nd the workout routines. Get going on them (and if you’re
not sure how, check out the quickstart guide, read the following chapter on how
to track your progress, and nally, read chapter 17 to learn about
supplementation. en, come back to this book and read it from the beginning to
learn how to get the most from the Bigger Leaner Stronger program.
Finally, this book contains a lot of information, including many technical
details, but don’t let that intimidate you. I’ve tried hard to ensure this is an
accessible and practical handbook for everyone, not an academic textbook for
tness geeks. No matter how green you may be, soon, you’ll know more than
most people ever will about how to build muscle, lose fat, and get strong.
Whether you take your time to read and absorb everything in this book
before starting or skip to the actionable items and learn the rest a er you’re o
the scratch line, if you commit to the program, you’ll win. Doubts will dissolve,
and you will realize that you’re more than capable of upgrading your physique.
And remember, you can email me anytime at [email protected] if
you have any questions or need help.
 PART 2

Winning at the “Inner

Game” of Getting Fit
 e Big Ideas

1. Know your true fitness whys.

2. Envision two dimensions of your ideal
body.
3. Create powerful affirmations to stay on
track.
 4

Have You Found Your Real Fitness

Whys?

e discipline of desire is the background of character.

—JOHN LOCKE

I
n his timeless bestseller e Inner Game of Tennis, Tim Gallwey explained
that while many people view games purely in terms of their “outer”
components—external opponents, challenges, and goals—there’s another
element at least as important—the “inner game” that takes place inside our
minds, involving obstacles like lack of focus and motivation, anxiety and
insecurity, and other feelings and attitudes that inhibit performance.
at astute observation is just as tting to tness as to any sport or pastime.
While most authors, coaches, and experts focus on aspects of the outer game of
tness like diet, exercise, and supplementation protocols, they rarely give much
attention to the inner game. is sets people up to fail because simply knowing
what to do to lose fat and gain muscle isn’t enough. You need to then consistently
do those things for days, weeks, months—ultimately years—if you’re going to
master your tness.
For most people, motivation and discipline are the nastiest inner-game
barriers—the ones that most undermine their enthusiasm and resolve. I’ve seen
this unfold many times. People struggle with restrictive diet plans, di cult
exercise routines, and unexpected physical and mental challenges and setbacks.
en, as time passes, they see little change in their bodies, so the process feels like
all pain and no gain. Given those circumstances, it’s no surprise that so many
people give up on their tness goals within the rst few months. Sometimes
sickness or injury strikes, or they take a week o and then never return.
Sometimes, they just “stop caring” about getting t.
Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself. I certainly have. Fitness is hard, and
no matter your determination, if you can’t make it a lifestyle that delivers clear
and consistent results, your drive will dry up as sure as water is wet. I don’t want
this to happen to you. I want to see you solve the puzzle and win the prize. In
fact, I want Bigger Leaner Stronger to be the tness program that nally makes all
the di erence and surpasses your expectations.
To do that, however, you must learn to appreciate the process rather than
obsess over the outcome. We live in the Age of Impatience—too many people
want four-hour workweeks, six-minute abs, and thirty-second meals. ey don’t
want principles and protocols; they want shortcuts and “secrets.” ey don’t want
to plant in the spring, tend in the summer, and harvest in the fall; they want to
shirk and slack and reap a bounty that was never sowed.
I wish it were otherwise, but you can’t gain ten pounds of muscle in thirty
days or add a couple of inches to your biceps or get rid of your gut in a couple of
weeks. You have to give a lot to get a lot. at’s okay, though, because this teaches
you an invaluable life lesson. Fitness is one of those rare things you can’t buy,
steal, or fake. Lying, cheating, or kvetching cuts no ice in this arena, and there are
no privileges or points awarded for status or style. “Working out” is an apt
description, because you either put in the work or you get put in your place.
at doesn’t mean you must be a tness fetishist, though. Everywhere you
look on social media, there’s another hard-faced hardbody growling about
embracing the suck and doing it anyway so you can earn the a ermath. e ball-
ache is that approach ultimately holds you back because you can only burn the
candle so much before burning out.
On the other hand, there are those who coo in ASMR tones about the need
for kindness and care, for embracing your wholeness and radiance, for dropping
into your heart space and feeling into your sensations and don’t forget to exfoliate
and it’s okay if you didn’t work out today … here’s a baby Yoda. Such syrup goes
down easily, but mollycoddle yourself too much and your spirit cools and
congeals and you slide into stupor.
Too many people lean too heavily toward one of these extremes and neglect
the other. ey’ve weaned themselves on either a diet of nothing but oppressively
tough love or cloying self-care. e key is balance—in knowing when to ow and
when to oat, when to brace up and bear down, and when to back o and
breathe. Go, go, go versus slow, slow, slow.
How do you nd that balance? at’s one of life’s mysteries, and I wish I had
the answer. My guess is there isn’t one. It’s a matter of learning about ourselves
and our capabilities and limits, and the only way to do that is to spend a lot of
time at the coalface and re ect on our experiences. How hard can we push before
the wheels start to fall o ? How much rest do we need to recover?
Regardless of where your Goldilocks zone lies, know this: Self-care is meant
to be a sojourn, not hearth and home. Linger there for too long and it’s
procrastination; leave it out for too long and it’s punishment. e trick is
knowing how to thread this needle, how to get the work done without ravaging
the worker.
Fortunately, you can make as many mistakes as it takes to get into your stride
without screwing this tness thing up. You can garbage down enough food to
tranq a girthy bu alo without blowing it. You can miss a workout or two or ve
because of injury, travel, or reasons best known to the Dread Lord Cthulhu
without wrecking it. In short, you can fail over and over in tness and still
succeed.
How? e only way to lose at this game is to give up. at’s the only mortal
sin. No matter how many times you go o the rails, so long as you get back on
course, you can’t mess this up. Fitness isn’t a contest with winners and losers.
ere are no deadlines or duels, distinctions or demerits. Fitness is like love,
laughter, and learning—a wellspring of health and happiness to pursue purely for
its own sake. Fitness isn’t eeting. It’s forever. Delight in the realization that you
have all the time you need to nd your feet (and abs).
ere are many obstacles and pitfalls that can prevent you from achieving
your full tness potential, however, and in this section of this book, I’ll help you
develop the inner game that’s required to overcome them.
To start, I have a question for you: Why are you reading this book? If you
don’t have a prompt, passionate answer, we have some work to do, because people
without clear, inspiring, and attainable tness goals are always quick to quit. ey
work out sporadically and barely even break a sweat. ey falter when faced with
temptations and troubles (pesky neighborhood potlucks!). ey want to believe
in magic bullets and miracle methods. If you’re going to succeed where most of
these people fail, we need to rst engage in a little soul-searching.
ere are many reasons why people follow diet and training regimens. Some
enjoy pushing their body’s limits. Others are in it to impress peers and potential
partners. Many want to boost their self-con dence and wellbeing. Most want to
be healthy. ese are all terri c reasons to get t—looking and feeling great,
avoiding disease and dysfunction, and so on—but it’s important to discover your
reasons.
 What Are Your Fitness Whys?
One of the best parts about being t is the occasional moment when you do
something that makes you stop for a second and think, “Wow, it’s awesome I was
able to do that.” ese are experiences that make you beam, put a spring in your
step, and sometimes even make your day. And I’m not referring to shallow wins
like “turning heads in the gym,” but “enjoying my vacation guilt-free,” “playing
with my kids without getting winded,” and “being a good role model for my
family.”
I’ve worked with thousands of guys, and here are some of the tness wins
they’ve shared with me:

Getting asked for advice in the gym

Feeling strong and con dent
Looking great naked
Being more productive
Feeling more energetic
Relishing “cheat meals”
Surprising their doctor
Loving how their clothes t
Setting a good example for their family
Enjoying sports and outdoor activities
Beating a disease or dysfunction
Tackling a new physical hobby

I love these because they’re simple, speci c, and sincere slices of the good life
—the real kind of reasons to get into outstanding shape. What would your list
look like? Why do you want what you’ve just a rmed? Why are you committed
to your tness? Brainstorm your reasons and write them down until you feel
keyed up and ready to get into action, because soon, you’ll be working to make
them all a reality.
Now that we’ve contemplated your most personal reasons for getting into
great shape, let’s talk about the most visceral dimension of tness: the visual.

What Does Your Ideal Body Look Like?

If you’re like most people reading this book, you want to look a certain way. And
there’s nothing wrong with that. Just because you’re motivated by the mirror
doesn’t mean you’re a narcissist. To be sure, there are plenty of pu ed-up tness
wackadoos out there, but if we can trade on our vanity a bit to help us feel
fantastic, what’s wrong with that? Especially when that energy ows to every
aspect of our lives, enhancing our ability to love, work, and play. As “Prime Time”
Deion Sanders said, “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play
good. If you play good, they pay good.”
If you could have it your way, what would your body look like? Words and
daydreams are a good place to start, but let’s go further and nd a couple of
pictures of the type of body you want. Maybe it’s a movie star or athlete in their
prime, like Gerard Butler in 300, an in uencer you follow online, or someone
else. Once you’ve found your pictures, save them on your computer or phone or
in the cloud for whenever you need a jolt of inspiration. Some people also like to
print and stick them in their tness journals.
Not sure what to choose because you’re not sure what’s possible? Start here:
How would you have to look to hit the beach shirtless without a hint of
insecurity? Find a couple of pictures of that look because that’s something
everyone can accomplish.
Why bother with pictures of your goal? Because it helps to know that every
completed Bigger Leaner Stronger workout is a stepping stone to a physique that’s
as real as this book, not merely a gment of your imagination. What’s more, when
you take regular progress pictures of yourself (something we’ll talk about later in
this book), your excitement will mount as you witness your body approaching its
prime.

What Does Your Ideal Body Feel Like?

One of the biggest bene ts of this journey is the sublime pleasure of inhabiting a
strong, t body rather than a weak, disabled one. Getting t produces an uprush
of energy, mood, alertness, mental clarity, and physical resilience, to name just a
few. And then there are the more profound experiences that await, like more
intimacy, pride, purpose, satisfaction, and self-actualization.
Let’s explore what this might be like for you in the form of a rmations—
positive statements that describe desired states of being like “I’m always full of
energy” and “My thinking is always quick, clear, and focused.” I know it sounds a
bit woo-woo, but research shows that creating and reviewing a rmations can
bene t you in various ways, including enhancing exercise compliance, working
memory, and cognitive performance.
ere are four broad categories of health and tness a rmations that I’d like
you to address:

1. Physical. Physical a rmations concern physical energy, beauty, and

function. ey include statements like “I sleep well every night,” “I’m
rarely sick,” and “I have no signi cant aches or pains.”
2. Mental. Mental a rmations concern cognition—your ability to
acquire knowledge and understanding through thinking and
experiencing. is can include proclamations like “I focus deeply,” “I
learn quickly,” and “I remember easily.”
3. Emotional. Emotional a rmations relate to positive or negative
sensations. ey can include declarations like “My feelings don’t
 control me,” “I can always nd inspiration,” and “I bounce back easily
from setbacks.”
4. Spiritual. Spiritual a rmations involve your sense of purpose and
motivation. is can include pronouncements like “I’m always my
most authentic self,” “I’m always growing,” “I make my destiny,” and “I
know I’ll succeed.”

And here are several tips for getting the most out of your a rmations:

Keep them short. is makes them easier to process and remember. A

sentence of four or ve right words is more e ective than a windy
passage.
Start with “I” or “My.” A rmations center on you, so that’s where you
should start. “I have no shoulder pain” is much better than “ e pain
in my shoulders has disappeared.”
Write in the present tense, not in the future. For example, “I enjoy my
meals and never struggle with hunger or cravings” is superior to “I will
enjoy my meals and never struggle with hunger or cravings” or “Within
three months, I’m enjoying my meals and never struggling with hunger
or cravings.”
Don’t a rm “wanting” or “needing.” You want to focus on being,
doing, or having, not desiring.
Make positive statements. is may require rejecting negative thoughts
and attitudes, but your words shouldn’t represent this. ink, “I’m
disciplined and determined,” not “I’m no longer undisciplined and
unmotivated,” or “I enjoy my training,” instead of “I don’t dread
working out.”
 Give your a rmations some emotion by including, “I’m [emotion]
about …” or “I feel [emotion].” For example, you could say “I’m excited
to get a little tter every day.” is addition can make your ideas more
exciting (thus impactful) and in uence how you feel during whatever
you’re a rming (for example, actually feeling excited when you go to
bed because you know you got a little tter that day).
Make your claims believable. Unrealistic a rmations won’t do much
for you, so make sure you’re formulating concepts that you can have
faith in. If you’re struggling, start with a quali er like “I’m open to …”
or “I’m willing to believe I can …”

Are you ready to start scribbling? Great! Begin with one a rmation per
category (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual), and revise them as much as
you need to nd concepts and phrasings that resonate deeply with you, sparking
joy and positivity.
All right. You’ve formulated your rst a rmations. What should you do
with them? I like to read them rst thing every morning and then revisit them
whenever I feel down. e daily repetition reinforces my intentions, and the as-
needed reviews help breathe wind back into my sails when I’m losing
momentum. Feel free to add more a rmations as you go, too!

Review the work you’ve done in this chapter whenever you’re dragging anchor or
need a pick-me-up. Remember it when you’re scanning the menu of your favorite
restaurant, rubbernecking at the ice cream aisle, and rolling out of bed in the
morning like a log o a truck. Return regularly to your personal “whys,” physique
goals, and a rmations, so when you encounter di culties or setbacks, you may
stagger but you won’t stall. You’ll always nd a way to steady yourself and
persevere toward your goals.
e process won’t be a cakewalk, though. It’ll take time. It’ll take patience.
It’ll take resilience. You can’t go from cauldron-bellied to washboard-abbed in
twenty days or bulge your arms or swell your chest in a couple of weeks.
Upgrading your physique is a rewarding endeavor, but as I said earlier, you have to
give a lot to get a lot.
at’s why, in the next chapter, we’ll explore the sticky subject of self-
discipline. We’ll learn how to avoid common willpower mistakes and pitfalls, and
how to cultivate the character required to achieve outstanding tness.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

ere are many reasons why people follow diet and training regimens—
but it’s important to discover your reasons.
Find pictures of the type of body you want and save them on your
computer or phone or in the cloud for whenever you need a jolt of
inspiration.
Imagine what your ideal body feels like for you, and then jot it down as
a rmations, which are positive statements that describe a desired state.
You can organize your health and tness a rmations into four broad
categories: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Physical a rmations concern physical energy, beauty, and
function.
Mental a rmations concern cognition—your ability to acquire
knowledge and understanding through thinking and
experiencing.
Emotional a rmations relate to positive or negative sensations.
Spiritual a rmations involve your sense of purpose and
motivation.
One of the best ways to use the statements you’ve formulated is to read
them every morning before you start your day or whenever you feel down.
 e Big Ideas

1. Tackle temptations that sabotage your

fitness.
2. Supercharge your ability to stick to your
p an.
3. Manage stress properly to make it
productive
 5

The Art and Science of Upgrading

Your Willpower

“Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”

—JERZY GREGOREK

A
ccording to a 2010 survey conducted by the American Psychological
Association, lack of willpower is the number one obstacle people face
in achieving their goals. is makes many of them feel guilty about
letting themselves and others down and that their lives are, in large part, not
under their control. Rather, they feel that many of their actions are dictated by
emotions, impulses, and cravings.
On the other hand, studies show that those with higher levels of willpower
enjoy many advantages in life—they do better in school, earn more money, have
better social and romantic relationships, and are generally happier, healthier, and
less stressed.
It’s clear, then, that more willpower always trumps less, just as strength of any
kind—physical, emotional, spiritual—is always superior to weakness. Regardless
of where we generally fall on the willpower spectrum, however, we all have
challenges to face, especially those of us who want to get and stay t. Some of
these di culties are biological—for example, the desire to eat greasy, sugary foods
that our brains recognize as vital to our survival—and others are more uniquely
ours. What we nd tempting, someone else might nd repulsive. And their vices
might be as appealing to us as airline food.
Whatever the details, the machinations are the same. Your excuse for
skipping the gym—again—is remarkably similar to the foodie’s justi cation for
bingeing again. How you justify walking through a workout is how someone else
eases the guilt of giving in to his cravings for nicotine. It would appear that the
struggles of self-discipline are just part and parcel of being human.
Why is self-discipline such a heavy burden for some people though? Why do
they give up so easily on goals? Why do they blissfully indulge in so many self-
sabotaging behaviors? And what can be done about it? To answer these questions,
let’s endeavor to better understand the nature of this willpower-devouring beast
and how to successfully tame it.
When we say someone has or lacks willpower, we’re usually referring to their
ability to say “no.” ey’re supposed to study for the exam, but instead accept the
invitation to the movies. ey’re trying to follow their meal plan, but just
couldn’t resist the apple pie. In short, they have trouble saying “I won’t.”
ere are two other aspects to willpower, though: “I will” and “I want.” “I
will” power is the other side of the “I won’t” coin—it’s the ability to do something
even when you don’t want to, like grinding through a workout, paying the
overdue bill, or burning the midnight oil. And “I want” power is the ability to
remember the why when impulse strikes—the long-term goal or thing you really
want—more than the fast food or night on the couch.
If you can win more battles than you lose with your won’ts, wills, and wants,
then you can become the master of your destiny. Procrastination licked. Worst
habits replaced. Temptations banished.
is ability takes work, though. A real willpower challenge isn’t a eeting,
“wouldn’t that be nice” fancy that disappears as quickly as it came. It’s more like
an all-consuming battle between good and evil raging inside your skull. You feel it
physically because when your brain xates on a promise of reward, it gets bathed
in a chemical called dopamine, and suddenly, all you can hear is the sweet song of
immediate grati cation.
Dopamine is a devious little devil too, because it’s not designed to make you
feel happy and content. Its role is to stimulate you to action, which it achieves by
arousing you, sharpening your focus, and revving your drive toward the prize.
Furthermore, when dopamine is released, it also triggers the release of anxiety-
inducing stress hormones. So the more you think about the thing you want, the
more important it becomes, and the more you want it right now.
What we don’t realize, however, is that this stress we feel isn’t caused by not
having the dessert, pair of shoes, or Candy Crush trophy. e desire itself causes
the stress, like an emotional stick compelling us to obey. Our brain doesn’t give a
damn about the bigger picture, either. It cares nothing about how we’ll feel when
we’re twenty pounds heavier or a few hundred dollars poorer—it simply
identi es sources of pleasure and then raises hell until we give in, even if pursuing
those promises will entail risky, chaotic behavior likely to cause more problems
than they’re worth. Ironically, the rewards that we so ardently desire can escape us
time and again, but if there’s even an outside chance to nally secure them, we can
remain hooked, sometimes to the point of obsession.
Another problem we have to contend with is the halo e ect. Research shows
that the dopamine release triggered by the promise of one type of reward to make
us more likely to pursue others. For example, when you look at erotic images, you
may be more likely to make risky nancial decisions, and if you dream about
striking it rich, food can suddenly become very appetizing.
is reward-seeking behavior is especially touchy in today’s modern world—
one with many honeypots explicitly engineered to keep us wanting more.
Retailers design our in-store experiences to entice us to buy—from what we see
when we enter to the arrangement of the aisles, the stocking of shelves, the scents
pumped in the air, the free samples o ered, the tempo of the background music,
and more. Food scientists test hundreds of variations of products to nd their
“bliss points”—the precise amounts of key ingredients like sugar, salt, and fat
needed to produce a blaze of delight in every bite. Social media makers carefully
cra algorithms to drown your neurons in dopamine, which explains a lot of the
addictive behavior seen among social media users.
When we’re constantly awash in dopamine, it’s all too easy to feel like one
big itch that always needs scratching. And when we consider our neurons,
overtargeted and overstimulated by the incessant and inescapable calls for
consumption, it’s no surprise that the average person is an overweight
procrastinator hooked on junk food, entertainment, and social media. erefore,
it takes a rather dramatic shi away from “normal” behavior to avoid these traps
and succeed in this brave new world (sorry, had to).
First, we must learn to distinguish between the many toxic rewards dangled
in front of us and the genuine ones that produce true ful llment and satisfaction.
Imagine you’re in line at your favorite burger joint, craving a thousand-calorie
heap of greasy meat, cheese, and bun. e fog clears for a moment, however, and
you remember that you’re on a diet. Losing the weight matters too. You want to
be t, healthy, and happy. You swore on everything sacred (with a nod to the
profane) that you’d see it through this time.
When viewed in that context, the cheeseburger you’re about to eat poses a
threat to you. It can’t force itself down your throat with a few handfuls of french
fries in tow, though. It needs your cooperation. So, in this sense, you’re the threat.
Self-sabotage is the enemy, not ground beef and potato sticks.
 How can we tame this wily foe lurking in the murky recesses of our psyche,
then? Let’s nd out.

Don’t Fight the Wave—Ride It

You’ve just hit the couch a er a long, tiring day, and your mind begins to wander.
Suddenly, a glowing pint of ice cream materializes, and your salivary glands snap
to attention. No, you say to yourself, anything but ice cream! Don’t think about ice
cream!
e commands don’t work, though. e harder you try to banish the vision
of the cold, creamy dessert, the more it dominates your consciousness and grips
your nervous system. Finally, the only way to extinguish the alarm bells appears to
be spooning the stu down your gullet.
e problem in this scenario isn’t the fall into the quicksand, but rather the
ailing attempt to escape. Fortunately, there’s another way to deal with such an
emergency. Research shows that a willingness to think thoughts and feel feelings
without acting on them is an e ective method of dealing with a wide variety of
challenges, such as mood disorders, food cravings, and addiction. On the other
hand, trying to suppress negative thoughts and feelings, like self-criticism,
worries, sadness, or cravings, can lead to greater feelings of inadequacy, anxiety,
and depression, and even overeating.
In other words, instead of “ ghting the urge” to do something we know we
shouldn’t, we should try to“ride the wave” until it crests and peters out, when
cooler heads can prevail. is doesn’t have to be as di cult as it sounds, either.
When a disturbing thought or longing appears, just face it calmly instead of
trying to eject it from your mind. You don’t have to contemplate its meaning or
read into it. You just have to accept that it’s there and play it down as something
unimportant that’ll fade.
“Riding the wave” is particularly relevant to dieting, as research shows that
the more you try to suppress thoughts about food, the more likely you are to
struggle with cravings and binge eating. A much better strategy for dealing with
hunger and cravings can be found in a study published in the journal Psychology of
Addictive Behaviors to help people smoke fewer cigarettes. e technique goes
like this: rst, notice and accept the undesirable feelings; then, remind yourself
that while you may not always be able to control where your mind and emotions
wander, you can always control how you respond; and nally, before indulging in
whatever has your eye, remember the goal at stake and why you’re committed to
it.
A simple way to implement this tactic is to introduce a mandatory ten-
minute wait time before you allow yourself to act on a craving or other impulsive
urge. is may not seem like much time, but research conducted by scientists at
Princeton University shows that it can make a big di erence in how you perceive
the situation. e wait not only gives you time to pause and re ect on the matter,
but it also tarnishes the allure of immediate grati cation. By pushing the reward
just ten minutes into the future, you can disarm its most e ective weapon for
undermining your intentions—urgency.
is approach can help you overcome “I will” challenges as well. If you’re
dreading something you know you should do, commit to doing it for ten
minutes, and then decide whether to continue. Chances are, you’ll nd that once
you’re in motion, you’ll want to keep going.

Do It for (Future) You

“I want the works

I want the whole works
Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
Of all shapes and sizes
 And now
Don’t care how, I want it now
Don’t care how, I want it now”

ose words were sung by Veruca in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,
and if you listen closely, you can hear millions of people so ly singing along every
day. ey want it all, and they want it now. Food, entertainment, money, love, abs
—you name it.
Here’s the rub: e longer we have to wait for rewards, the less desirable they
become. Economists call this our time preference—how much we “discount” a
reward’s value based on how long it will take to receive it. People with a high time
preference discount heavily, caring far more about immediate satisfaction than
long-term payo s or consequences. ose with a low time preference, however,
exhibit the opposite behaviors, caring more about future pleasure and choosing to
forgo immediate bene ts to maximize it.
Some people discount the future more steeply than others, and studies show
that the higher someone’s time preference is, the worse their self-control will be.
In many ways, time preference helps explain why consumer credit card debt is
soaring, why fast-food joints are far more pro table than gyms, and why millions
of people still light up cigarettes every day. When it comes to the crunch, one
bird—or Big Mac—in the hand is o en worth many more in the bush.
Like most positive and meaningful things in life, tness is very much an
exercise (heh heh) in time preference. How much discomfort are you willing to
endure to enjoy the fruits of a bigger, leaner, and stronger body? How many
occasions to eat more and move less are you willing to forfeit in pursuit of larger,
delayed opportunities? How well can you keep your eyes on the horizon?
One powerful way to lower time preference and increase the chances for
long-term success is to change how we view the nature of today’s and tomorrow’s
rewards. For example, we o en don’t want to lose something we have, even if we
stand to gain something of greater value later. Psychologists refer to this as loss
aversion, a trap many of us have fallen into when dieting. When we’re hovering
over a doughnut, it sure seems a lot more desirable in the moment than reaching
our weight loss goal a little sooner at some indistinct point in the future. We can
turn this psychological quirk to our advantage, however, by reframing willpower
challenges. Research shows that before surrendering to desire, if we think about
the future outcome at stake and how giving in now will sacri ce progress toward
it, we can lower the chances of acting against our best long-term interests.
So when you face the prospect of putting down a pile of piping hot pizza
with all your favorite toppings—for the third time that week—take a moment to
vividly imagine having achieved your ideal body composition. Really feel your
rippling abs, bulging biceps, and powerful chest. Envision how proud you are of
your new physique when you step out of the shower and look in the mirror. See
how well your clothes now t you. en think about how digging into the pizza
will mean trading all of that for a bloated and bulging body. Chances are the big
glutenous grease wheel will suddenly look a lot less appetizing.
You can also institute the mandatory ten-minute wait mentioned earlier. If
ten minutes of waiting (and visualizing the long-term desire) isn’t enough to
squash the desire to indulge, then give in, but not before the ten-minute mark.
“But wait,” you might be wondering, “I thought you said I could get into
great shape eating pizza?” You can, but as you’ll soon learn, it’ll need to be the
exception, not the rule. You won’t always have to say no to pizza, but there will
likely be times when you do if you want to stay on track.
Another highly e ective strategy to change your time preference is called
precommitment, which entails taking action now to strengthen your dedication to
a behavior and ward o any seductions to stray. Much like how Odysseus
instructed his men to lash him to the mast to ensure he didn’t fall prey to the
songs of the Sirens, you too can put safeguards in place, making it much harder to
fail. ese defenses consist of anything you can do today that makes it di cult
and uncomfortable to change your mind tomorrow.
For example, if you have trouble with procrastinating on the Internet instead
of working, you can download a program called Cold Turkey
(www.getcoldturkey.com) that allows you to block speci c websites and
applications, or turn your Internet o altogether, for as long as you’d like. If
sticking to a meal plan is your struggle, you can precommit by throwing out all
junk food in the house and not rebuying it, preparing healthy lunches to bring to
work every day, or putting money on the line at a website like www.dietbet.com.
If you want to precommit to exercising regularly, you can pay for an annual gym
membership instead of going month to month, sign up for an online coaching
service, or recruit a friend to work out with you.
Another tool that has helped many thousands of people precommit
successfully to all kinds of goals is the website www.stickk.com. Stickk allows you
to set a goal and time frame, wager money, and decide what happens with it if you
fail. (It could go to a charity, for example, or even an organization you don’t like,
which can be a stronger incentive.)

Let’s All Get Fat and Jump O Bridges

According to several studies, just 10 percent of people eat enough fruits and
vegetables to meet their body’s most basic nutritional needs, and just 20 percent
exercise enough to preserve their general health and wellbeing. What do they do
instead? irty-two percent eat fast food at least one-to-three times per week, 70
percent eat more sugar than they should, and 30 percent would rather do
housework, le their tax returns, or clean out their garages than give time over to
working out.
 Statistics like these are supposed to “scare us straight,” but they can actually
have the exact opposite e ect because they remind us that “everyone else is doing
it too.” And when that’s the case, how wrong can it really be?
Even if you’re not inclined to think this way, don’t assume you’re immune to
that turn of mind. It’s comforting to believe that we’re not like that, that we
singularly chart our own course in a vacuum, but this simply isn’t true. Extensive
research shows that what others do—and even what we think they do—has a
marked e ect on our thoughts and behaviors whether we realize it or not,
especially when the people we’re observing are close to us.
When we’re not sure how to think or act, we tend to look at how other
people think and act and follow along, even if subconsciously. We’re all
instinctively drawn to the allure of safety in numbers. In the marketing world, this
e ect is known as “social proof,” and it’s used in myriad ways to sway us. is is
why customer reviews and testimonials are vital to every business (“if all these
people say it’s good, it must be good!”), why companies pay exorbitant sums to
secure celebrity endorsements (“if David Beckham likes it, it must be good!”),
and why media mentions are so powerful (“if Forbes has featured it, it must be
good!”).
is e ect also occurs naturally in our everyday lives. Whenever we tell
ourselves that actions are acceptable because other people are doing them too or
because of how “normal” they are, we’re appealing to social proof. Research
conducted by Dartmouth College scientists suggests that we can pick up
anything from temporary solutions to long-term habits this way, and they can
come from people we do and don’t know, including even characters we see in
movies.
e reality? Mindsets and modi operandi are far more contagious than most
of us realize. Studies show that …
 ose with obese friends and family members are far more likely to
become obese themselves.
e more a student believes that their peers cheat on tests, the more
likely the student is to cheat (even if they’re wrong).
e more someone believes that others underreport income on their
taxes, the more likely they are to cheat the IRS themselves.
e more teetotalers hang out with people who drink alcohol, the
more likely they are to start drinking too.
e more nonsmokers hang out with smokers, the more likely
nonsmokers are to start pu ng away.
e more time people spend with those who feel lonely, the more likely
they are to feel lonely themselves.

It gets worse, too, because even if overeating, drinking, or smoking isn’t your
thing, seeing others indulge in these vices can encourage you to give in to other
impulses as well. Seeing someone overspend might subconsciously trigger you to
overeat. Hearing about someone skipping work might help you justify skipping
your workout. Reading about someone cheating on their partner might make it
more acceptable for you to cheat on your diet.
You may have heard that we’re the average of the ve people we spend the
most time with, and an abundance of scienti c evidence con rms this to one
degree or another. Even if we don’t directly adopt the destructive outlooks and
activities of those we’re around most, the mere presence of these people can
in uence us in insidious ways, making it harder to do the things we want to do
and become the people we want to be.
Remember this if you’re just beginning your tness journey because such
“toxic” people are always the rst to criticize and question it (and anything
positive you might want to do, for that matter). I have a hardline policy for these
types of folk—an abrupt and decisive parting of ways—but whatever you do, just
don’t let them run you into the sand. If you can’t avoid contact with such people
(coworkers, bosses, relatives, etc.), you can at least defang them by minimizing
your interactions and o ering them pleasantries over personal matters.
Fortunately, positive attitudes and behaviors are contagious as well, so if we
surround ourselves with people who are generally upbeat, upli ing, and possessed
of higher than average willpower and self-control, we too can “catch” these traits.
Moreover, research shows that simply thinking about people with high levels of
discipline can temporarily increase our willpower.
Whether you tend to struggle with diet and exercise compliance or not, you
can make your life easier by doing three things:

1. Limit your exposure to instances of people failing willpower challenges.

at said, while this is generally good advice, watching others lose
control can increase resolve in some people by prompting them to view
such lapses as threats to long-term goals, not as tempting invitations to
follow suit. I happen to be one of these types of people. Other people’s
ops make me want to work harder to succeed, not falter or fold up. In
fact, I view much of what most people consider “normal” as highly
negative and undesirable—so much so that a reliable compass for my
decision-making is to rst ask what “most” people would do in a
situation and then consider the merits of doing the exact opposite.
2. Connect with at least one person who’s on the same path as you and
making progress. You don’t even have to physically take the trip
together. Regular phone, email, or text check-ins can be enough to
encourage each other’s success.
3. Read or listen to stories about how others have gotten t. I interview
men and women on my podcast (www.muscleforlife.show) who have
 used my programs, products, and services to transform their bodies and
lives, and every week, I hear from listeners who tell me how motivating
they nd these interviews because they reinforce my promise that
everyone listening can do it too.

The Trap of Being “Good” and “Bad”

Have you ever praised yourself as “good” when you did what you needed to do or
stayed strong? Or chided yourself as “bad” when you procrastinated or acted
impulsively? Have you ever used virtuous behavior as permission to be sinful? Of
course you have. Of course I have. Of course every human who has ever lived has.
Scientists call this phenomenon moral licensing, and it can powerfully
undermine our self-control. When we assign moral values to our actions, they can
feed our desire to simply feel good (enough) about ourselves, even while we
compromise our long-term aims or harm others. By being good, we reckon, we
“earn the right” to be a little (or a lot) bad. For example, a er basking in the glow
of a successful training and eating day, we may nd ourselves oversleeping and
overeating the next, still feeling righteous and in control.
Interestingly, “right” behaviors that can justify the “wrong” don’t even have
to be related. Studies show that shoppers who pass up a purchase are more likely
to feel justi ed in splurging on indulgent foods; when reminded of their virtue,
people tend to donate less to charity; and merely thinking about doing something
good can increase the likelihood of immoral or excessive behavior.
In an even stranger feat of mental contortion, when some people imagine
what they could’ve done but didn’t, they feel righteous. For instance, a er adding
healthier items to its menus, McDonald’s began selling more Big Macs than ever
because, according to research conducted by scientists at Baruch College, the
mere opportunity to eat healthily gave people some of the satisfaction of actually
doing it, which in turn permitted them to choose the cheeseburger.
 e moment we feel an ache for moral permission to stray from our goals or
standards, it’s all too easy to nd that emotional green light. e irony, however,
is that all these “licensed” harmful behaviors keep us from achieving what really
matters—a t body, a robust mind, a long life, a balanced budget, a completed
project. We’re tricking ourselves into believing that squandering our health,
money, time, e ort, and opportunities is a “treat” to be “cherished,” that self-
subversion is okay so long as it feels okay.
To escape from this trap, we must rst stop moralizing our behaviors. Instead
of using fuzzy feelings of “right” and “wrong” and “good” and “bad” to guide our
actions, we need to remember why we’ve committed to doing the hard things—
like exercising, eating well, and getting enough sleep. We need to view these
actions as independent steps necessary for achieving the results we desire, not as
noble conduct to counterbalance our sins.
For our purposes here, remember that our goal isn’t just e ective training or
on-target eating. It’s looking and feeling t, strong, and dynamic. It’s the pride
and satisfaction we feel a er every workout. It’s the surprise on people’s faces
when they haven’t seen us in a while. It’s the newfound intimacy in our love life.
So bingeing on ice cream and skipping workouts aren’t little “oopsies” that we can
erase with the right thoughts. ey’re threats to our overarching objectives, and
while they’ll inevitably win some of the battles, we must ensure they don’t win the
war.

The Crystal Ball of Delusion

Another common psychological trick for abandoning self-control is to justify
indulging now with plans for future prudence. For example, research shows that
planning to exercise can increase the likelihood of cheating on a diet. In another
study, making a future commitment to volunteer three hours per week for a
charity doubled people’s likelihood of choosing to buy an extravagance like
designer jeans over a practical item like an identically priced vacuum cleaner. In
another experiment, agreeing to tutor a fellow student decreased the amount of
money that people donated to charity.
is type of thinking smacks of moral licensing, but it also introduces
another critical problem: e assumption that we’ll somehow make di erent
decisions in the future. “Today, I’ll eat more dessert,” we may say, “but tomorrow,
I’ll stick to my diet.” Or “Today, I’ll skip my workout, but tomorrow, I’ll train
extra hard.” Or “Today, I’ll binge on my favorite TV shows, but I won’t watch any
for the rest of the week.”
Such optimism would be reasonable if we knew we could implicitly count on
ourselves to follow through. But we both know that’s not how it goes. We simply
give our future selves too much credit, counting on them to be able to do
whatever we can’t bring ourselves to do now. We’re too quick to assume that we’ll
be more enthusiastic, energetic, willful, diligent, motivated, brave, upstanding—
whatever—in a couple of days, weeks, or months, and o en for no good reason in
particular. When the future nally arrives, that principled, idealized version of
ourselves is nowhere to be found, and the new burdens are more demanding than
we previously imagined them to be. And so we put them o again, hoping that
they’ll rescue us next time. In this way, we freight Future Us with an impossible
burden of tasks and responsibilities.
Remember—Future You isn’t some abstraction whose emotions and desires
will be radically di erent from Present You. When tomorrow comes, you’ll likely
nd yourself in a similar state of mind, and thus, you’ll likely respond in a similar
way. is is why we can all bene t from improving our ability to connect our
present actions with their future consequences. Scientists call this future self-
continuity, and research shows the better we are at this, the easier it is to get and
stay in shape and do the many other creative, constructive things we want to
accomplish. Studies show that there are also several simple ways to improve our
future self-continuity:

1. You can think about how you’ll behave in the future. Just thinking
about the future—not even the rewards per se—can strengthen your
willpower. Speci cally, by imagining yourself in the future, doing what
you should be doing or refraining from what you shouldn’t be doing,
you can increase your chances of success. For example, if you’re
struggling to stick to a meal plan, you can imagine yourself grocery
shopping and eating di erently; or if you’re dreading the next day’s
workout, you can envision yourself getting it done despite how you feel.
If you’re anxious about an upcoming holiday party where you’re going
to be surrounded by your favorite foods, you can picture yourself
having a good time without being excessive.
2. You can write a letter to Future You. In this letter, you should write
about what you think Future You will be like, what your hopes for
them are, what you’re doing for them now that’ll pay o later, what
they might say about Present You, and even what the consequences of
failing now will mean for them down the line. If you want to make this
more fun, use the website www.futureme.org, which allows you to write
an email to yourself and choose a future date on which it’ll be
delivered.
3. You can imagine Future You in vivid detail. To do this, explore the
future consequences of your current lifestyle, both good and bad. What
will your Future Self look like if you don’t commit to stopping the
things you know you shouldn’t be doing and starting the ones you
should? What are the likely physical, mental, and emotional
consequences? Disease, regret, shame, ugliness, depression, and
 loneliness? Don’t hold back. en, consider what’ll happen if you
succeed in your endeavors. How will you look and feel? Will you be
lean, strong, and healthy? Will you feel ful lled, excited, and thankful?
How might these developments a ect your life? Will you get more
work done and advance your career faster? Will you enjoy more
activities with your kids? Will you enjoy your romantic relationships
more? Again, explore the possibilities. If you want a comprehensive,
evidence-based, and guided method for doing this, check out the Self
Authoring Program (www.selfauthoring.com) from Dr. Jordan
Peterson.

Like with physical exercise, the more you do these three drills, the stronger
your future self-continuity will become, and the better you’ll be able to deal with
willpower challenges of all kinds, tness-related and otherwise. Let’s start now,
shall we?
First, let’s write a letter to Future You and explore the angles listed above.
Feel free to expand on them, too, following whichever seems most interesting or
fruitful.
Next, let’s envision Future You as described.

“Oh, Why Not? I’m a Lazy Idiot Anyway!”

What do people tend to do a er a relatively minor misstep, like missing a
workout or eating too many sweets? Do they shrug it o and move on, or do they
berate themselves, catastrophize the a air, and lose the plot?
Unfortunately, the latter is far more common. For many, the vicious cycle of
“stumble, sulk, and splurge”—called the what-the-hell e ect by psychologists—
seems inevitable and inescapable. is is how the extra handful of chips can
become the whole bag, the nibbles of chocolate can continue until the entire bar
is gone, and the glass of wine can be a prelude to the bottle … or two. Whenever
people confronted with a setback say to themselves, “I’ve already messed up, so
what the hell,” they’re embracing this mentality. ey give in, and then, to feel
better, they indulge in earnest, which o en triggers even worse feelings of shame
and regret, which can lead to even greater comedowns.
Well, I have good news for you: You’re going to make mistakes on the Bigger
Leaner Stronger program. You’re going to eat too much at parties, stay in bed
instead of going to the gym, and give less than 100 percent sometimes. Why is
that good news? Because like most everything in life, you don’t need to be
anywhere near perfect to win in the tness game. You just have to be good
enough most of the time. Perfectionism isn’t required, nor is it even desirable,
because it o en makes the whole process more stressful than it needs to be.
So don’t dump on yourself when you mess up. e “damage” is never as bad
as you think, and an abusive tirade of self-criticism only makes things worse. For
example, many people worry that they’ve “blown” their diet a er a single evening
or day of overeating, not realizing that the absolute amount of fat that they can
gain from a single meal or day—no matter how much they’ve eaten—ranges from
negligible (a few ounces) to mildly irritating (0.5-to-1 pound).
erefore, when you goof (and you will), show yourself the same
compassion and forgiveness that you’d show a friend. Research shows that this
type of response in times of frustration and failure is associated with better
willpower and self-control because it helps us accept responsibility for our actions
and steam ahead, unfazed.

Nothing Fails Like Success

Once we’ve set our sights on a goal, what do we crave most? Progress, of course.
We want to see positive change and forward movement, which, we hope, will
inspire us to keep going.
 But that’s not how it always goes. Progress can cut both ways. e
satisfaction it produces can become complacency, a powerful catalyst for
weakening willpower. Instead of reinvigorating us for another charge into the
breach, progress can lull us into following one step forward with two back.
is paradox has been demonstrated in a number of studies. For example,
scientists at the University of Chicago found that when people were led to believe
they were closing in on their weight loss goals, they were 32 percent more likely
to choose a chocolate bar for a snack over an apple. I’ve seen this many times. All
too o en, people use weight loss progress as an excuse to loosen the dietary reins
and hinder further progress.
How can we guard against the slackening e ects of success? According to
another study conducted by the same University of Chicago scientists, we should
avoid getting into the habit of attering ourselves for all the work we’ve done.
Instead, we should view our wins as evidence of how important our goals are to us
and how committed we are to seeing them through. at is, we should discipline
ourselves to keep our eyes on the road, not slow down and take in the scenery.
is has been one of my personal “secrets” to success inside and outside the
gym. I’ve always remained more focused on what I still have to do to realize the
future I want for myself and my family than on how far we’ve already come. I’ve
strived to embrace doing and becoming (present and future) over arriving and
having (past) and to maintain respect for processes and fundamentals. is
philosophy has certainly increased the stress quotient in my life, but the payo
has been well worth it, and I don’t just mean that in a nancial sense. In reality,
the non nancial rewards, which can be summed up in one word—self-
actualization—mean a lot more to me than the money.
Moreover, while you may think that this lesson has merely to do with work
ethic or persistence, it’s deeper than that. Many people think success is like a
utopia—an endless beach full of beautiful people frolicking over the golden sands
and foamy shores. is is a fantasy. e beach is private and pretty, but it’s also a
mine eld. Navigate it skillfully, and you get to stay and enjoy its luxuries. Make
too many false moves, however, and it’ll blow you to pieces. e corpses are
buried, but they’re there, just below the surface—the bodies of the people who
committed the cardinal sin: forgetting their broom.
e broom symbolizes the willingness to do any and all work with dignity
and pride. Andrew Carnegie, one of the greatest “rags to riches” stories of all
time, revered the broom:

“But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the

boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to
try his hand at the broom.

“I was one of those sweepers myself, and who do you suppose were my
fellow sweepers? David McCargo, now superintendent of the Allegheny
Valley Railroad; Robert Pitcairn, Superintendent of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, and Mr. Moreland, City Attorney.”

Whether we’re pursuing tness, nances, or some other re in our belly, the
broom is the key to it all. Lose our broom, or our respect for it, and we’re done
for.
I know people who learned this in the hardest ways. One guy lost $70
million (cash) in ve years at, one bad investment at a time. All the while, his
broom was collecting dust in the closet. Another guy burned through $13 million
in legal fees in a misguided and unsuccessful corporate revenge mission. He
traded his broom for a club. Yet another went from a humble business owner and
millionaire to a megalomaniac with nothing but burned bridges and millions in
debt. He now despises the broom and everything it stands for.
e broom also represents the humble appreciation of the challenges of the
work at hand. Frank Gehry, one of the most celebrated architects of all time, still
values this second lesson of the broom, even a er decades of acclaimed work:

“For me, every day is a new thing. I approach each project with a new
insecurity, almost like the rst project I ever did. And I get the sweats. I
go in and start working, I’m not sure where I’m going. If I knew where I
was going I wouldn’t do it.”

Consider the fact that the man who said that has received over a dozen
honorary degrees from various universities, including Harvard, Yale, and
Princeton, and has designed some of the most famous buildings in the world.
Vanity Fair called him the “most important architect of our age.” And every day,
what does such an accomplished person do? He picks up his broom and starts
sweeping as best he can. Shouldn’t we do the same?

The Stress Paradox

Most people think of stress as purely negative, assuming that it should be
avoided at all costs. is is mistaken. Our body was designed to handle stress,
which is one of the reasons exercise is so bene cial to our health. For example,
research shows that acute stress enhances immunity, which in turn accelerates
recovery processes and increases resistance to infection.
However, the problems begin when we overdose on stress. Our bodies
haven’t learned how to e ectively cope with chronic stress, which keeps us on high
alert, accelerates aging, increases susceptibility to disease, and raises levels of
systemic in ammation.
What’s the solution? It isn’t to shy away from or numb ourselves to all forms
of stress, but to learn how to manage stress e ectively. Two of the most powerful
tools for this are rest and relaxation. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that the
overall quality and longevity of our lives will depend heavily on how well we can
relax. ink of this form of stress management as the “nutritional” aspect of your
willpower and self-control. Minimizing the negative side e ects of stress in your
life not only helps you maintain a healthy level of self-possession, but also opens
the door to improvement through “exercising” your discipline.
How do most people try to relax and cope with stress, though? What do
they routinely turn to for consolation? Food, alcohol, video games, television,
shopping, and sur ng the Internet are the usual suspects, and ironically, studies
show that the same people using these strategies o en rate them as ine ective for
reducing stress levels. In some cases, they actually increase stress levels because
indulging unhealthy and unproductive impulses leads to guilt, followed by more
indulging, followed by more guilt, and so on.
Comfort food is particularly problematic because it spikes blood sugar levels
to provide emotional reprieve, and then crashes them, which, like stress, is a
precursor to willpower failures. Research shows that when blood sugar levels are
low, we’re more likely to give up on di cult tasks, vent our anger, stereotype
others, and even refuse to donate to charity.
If we shouldn’t turn to feel-good vices to feel better, what should we do
instead? An e ective way to recover from the stresses of the “daily grind” is to
deliberately relax. at’s not surprising, of course, but it’s not necessarily simple
either. For most people (myself included), it’s a skill they have to learn.
A band-aid you can quickly apply when stressed is deliberately slowing your
breathing to about 10-to-15 seconds per breath, or 4-to-6 breaths per minute. An
easy way to do this is to exhale through your mouth slowly and fully with your
lips pursed as if you were blowing lightly through a straw. As simple as this
technique is, research shows that it can instantaneously boost your willpower and
ability to deal with stress.
Relaxation shouldn’t be something you “turn on” only when you feel
frazzled, however. Studies show that taking time to properly relax every day not
only reduces stress hormones and increases willpower but helps preserve health as
well. For many people, that means an evening of wine and Net ix, but a much
better choice is an activity that elicits a speci c type of physiological response.
When you’re truly relaxed, your heart rate slows, your blood pressure drops, your
muscles loosen, and your mind stops analyzing and planning. Everything just
slows down.
Let’s review thirteen simple and e ective ways to enter this state.

1. You can change your perception of stress.

We know that high amounts of stress are associated with impaired mental and
physical health and wellbeing, but there’s a twist. Research shows that our
perception of stress as harmful is what really gives it teeth. Stated di erently,
getting overly stressed about stress is what really pushes us into the mud.
Studies show that if we can learn to consciously reappraise stressful
situations (choose to look at them di erently), however, we can drain them of
much of their destructive power. For instance, a frustrating situation doesn’t have
to be an excuse to rip your hair out. Instead, you can view it as an opportunity to
exercise a virtue like patience, tolerance, or resilience. Similarly, a setback is also
an opportunity for you to learn what doesn’t work, and a painful situation can
teach you that you’re tougher than you thought.
is reappraisal strategy is far from new. Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome’s
most famous emperors, had it right a couple of thousand years ago with his
Meditations when he said the following:
By contrast, things outside our control have no ability to harm us. Acts of
wrongdoing by a human agent (torture, the , or other crimes) harm the agent,
not the victim. Acts of nature such as re, illness, or death can harm us only if we
choose to see them as harmful.
...
Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—
and you haven’t been.

2. You can get more sleep.

If you sleep too little too regularly, you’ll nd yourself more susceptible to stress
and temptation, lacking the mental energy needed to keep your good habits in
play and your bad ones at bay. Indeed, research shows that sleep deprivation
causes symptoms similar to ADHD: Distractibility, forgetfulness, impulsivity,
poor planning, and hyperactivity. By sleeping enough, however, you can improve
fat loss, muscle growth, immunity, longevity, cognition, and even physical
attractiveness.
Sleeping enough really is the ultimate “health hack,” so, if you’re sleeping less
than 7 hours per night, you likely aren’t sleeping enough, and if you get at least
seven-to-eight hours of sleep per night, you’ll immediately enhance just about
every aspect of your wellbeing.

3. You can exercise regularly.

If you want a willpower quick x, this is it. Nothing seems to improve self-control
in all aspects of our lives like exercise. Studies show that regular exercise reduces
cravings for both food and drugs, increases heart rate variability (a sign of
reduced stress), makes us more resistant to stress and depression, and optimizes
brain function.
Exercise’s e ects are immediate, too, and it doesn’t even take a lot to boost
willpower. For example, research shows that just ve minutes of low-intensity
exercise outdoors is enough to improve your mental state.
So, the next time you’re feeling too tired or short on time to work out,
remember the bigger picture. Every workout you do replenishes your willpower
and energy, even lighter ones like walks and bodyweight training.

4. You can consume less media.

is shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone these days, but research shows that
exposing yourself to a constant barrage of bad news, fearmongering, and morbid
reminders of your mortality increases the likelihood of overeating, overspending,
and other breakdowns of willpower. By reducing our exposure to the daily drip of
pessimism and alarmism, we can also reduce our stress levels.
e maximalist would say to simply swear o media altogether and “go
dark,” and although an argument can be made for this, I think it’s important to at
least try to follow what’s going on in the world, so I simply limit the time I give to
current a airs (15-to-20 minutes per day during work breaks, usually).

5. You can avoid screens before bedtime.

is is a follow-up tip to the last one because even if you get to bed on time, if
you’re spellbound by screens all evening, you can sleep poorly. Nighttime light
exposure suppresses your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that induces
sleepiness. is not only makes it harder to fall asleep but also impairs the quality
of the sleep you do get.
Although ideal, completely eliminating all exposure to light once the sun
goes down isn’t exactly feasible. I doubt you’re willing to “go dark” come 7 p.m.
Fortunately, you don’t have to because light’s melatonin-suppressing e ects
depend on intensity. e more intense the light, the more it suppresses melatonin
levels.
us, a good rule of thumb is to keep all sources of light a er dark as dim as
possible, to get away from screens altogether at least an hour before bed, and to
sleep in complete darkness (and to wear a sleep mask if this isn’t possible). If you
want to go a step further, invest in a pair of blue-light blocking glasses. ey look
silly, but research shows wearing them in the hours before bed can improve sleep
quality.

6. You can spend less time with tech.

While staring too much at screens at night messes up your melatonin production,
it appears that staring at them too much in general can mess up your mind. A
number of studies have shown that the more people use and feel tied to their
computers and cell phones, the more stressed they generally feel.
In fact, a study published in the journal BMC Public Health found that
technology overuse is associated with a number of symptoms of poor mental
health. Here’s a quick summary of their conclusions:

People who used their cell phones heavily were more likely to complain
of sleep disorders and depression.
People constantly available on their cell phones were the most likely to
experience mental health issues.
People who regularly use the computer late at night were more likely to
experience sleep disorders, stress, and depression.
Frequent computer use without breaks increases the likelihood of
stress, sleep problems, and depression.

Researchers aren’t clear as to the causes just yet, but the relationship is
unmistakable. e more time we spend with our devices, the worse our mental
state will likely be.
If you suspect that you spend too much time on social media, email, games,
and the rest, and want to see how disengaging from them can bene t your mind,
mood, and manner of living, I have a “digital declutter” challenge for you that Cal
Newport shares in his book Digital Minimalism:

1. First, take a thirty-day break from all non-essential technology,

meaning anything you don’t absolutely need to keep working and living
on a day-to-day basis.
2. During this period, consider what’s truly important to you. What are
you interested in and what do you value and enjoy outside of the
Internet? What should you spend your time doing instead of ddling
with electronics and why? For example, would exercising more make
sense? Reading more books? Volunteering more? Learning a new
language or instrument? Working more on your side hustle?
3. A er thirty days, start reintroducing technologies, but only those that
support things you deeply value and are the best ways to a rm those
ideas, experiences, or activities. For instance, you may deeply value your
relationships with close friends and family, and while Instagram is one
way of staying in touch, a video call once per week may be far more
meaningful.

7. You can have more sex.

If you’re not having much sex these days, science says you should get busy because
it reduces anxiety, stress, and depression and improves mood, happiness, and
resilience.
Interestingly, other research indicates that the stress-reducing e ects of sex
are largely due to improving the quality of people’s relationships rather than just
the physical release. is helps explain why sex’s many bene ts seem to be greatest
for couples who have been together the longest or are married, and smallest for
people in unhappy or uncommited relationships.
8. You can enjoy nice smells.
Aromatherapy is a couple-thousand-year-old method of reducing stress and
promoting relaxation. It also has some modern scienti c evidence on its side. For
instance, scientists at Asia University found that the scent of certain essential oils,
like lavender, bergamot, chamomile, and geranium, can lower blood pressure,
reduce anxiety, and improve sleep quality.
ere are several ways to incorporate this into a daily relaxation routine: a
di user, candles or fragrance stones impregnated with essential oils, or a small
ceramic disc sometimes called a stone di user.

9. You can give and get a massage.

I probably don’t need to cite research to convince you that receiving a massage is a
great way to relieve stress, but one rather interesting study published in the
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry found that giving a massage
has similar e ects. at’s right: make a deal with your signi cant other to trade
massages before bed, and a whole lot of relaxation is probably going to occur.
e bene ts of massage don’t stop there, either. Studies show it also reduces
pain, anxiety, and depression, and increases immunity as well. It also doesn’t take
a lot to get the job done—just 10-to-15 minutes of massage is enough to make a
di erence.

10. You can listen to classical music.

Next time you’re stressed, put on some slow, quiet classical music, and before
long, you’ll be nestled in its soothing embrace. (Some of my personal favorites are
Max Richter, Ludovico Einaudi, Beethoven, and Bach.)
Mozart can do more than just chill you out, too. Several studies show that
classical music can sharpen your mind, engage your emotions, lower blood
pressure, lessen physical pain and depression, and help you sleep better.
11. You can drink green tea.
I’m a big fan of tea and its many health bene ts, and here’s another reason to
drink it regularly: It’s a powerful stress buster. Researchers believe the primary
way green tea accomplishes this is through its high doses of the amino acid L-
theanine and ascorbic acid, which have known anti-stress properties.
As for which types of tea are best for de-stressing, green tea is the most well-
researched, but studies show that chamomile, peppermint, lavender, and fennel
tea can also help you unwind as well.

12. You can go for a walk (and ideally in nature).

When you review the daily routines of many of history’s greatest thinkers and
innovators, you’ll quickly notice how many of them valued long walks in nature.
Beethoven spent his a ernoons walking in the Vienna Woods and found his best
inspiration always came while walking. Tchaikovsky was adamant about his
twice-a-day walks, which he felt were essential for his health and creativity.
omas Je erson advised his nephew that “there is no habit you will value so
much as that of walking far without fatigue,” and took regular walks around his
Monticello estate well into old age.
Science shows they were onto something. In a study conducted by Heriot-
Watt University scientists, just 25 minutes of walking in an urban park was
enough to noticeably reduce frustration and improve mood. In another study,
published in the journal Scienti c Reports with 20,000 participants, researchers
found that those who spent at least two hours in nature every week were
signi cantly happier and healthier than those who spent less time in nature.
Finally, other research shows that immersion in and even viewing pictures of
nature improves health outcomes for sick people, increases healing a er surgery,
and reduces blood pressure, resting heart rate, and all-cause mortality.
13. You can take a hot bath.
For thousands of years, hot baths have been used to ease pain, aid in relaxation,
and ward o and treat disease. In fact, the word spa comes from the Latin sanus
per aquam—“health through water”—which was an ancient Roman remedy for
battle-weary soldiers.
Modern medical research has con rmed that regular dips in hot water are
indeed healthful and restorative. Scientists at Loughborough University found
that an hour-long soak in a hot tub causes improvements in blood sugar control
and other markers of metabolic health similar to an hour-long bike ride.

Human nature is full of paradoxes, and willpower and self-control are no

exceptions. We’re drawn to both delayed and immediate grati cation in the forms
of long-term satisfaction and short-lived delight. We’re inherently susceptible to
urges but also have the power to resist them. We’re o en oscillating between
contradictory emotions like frustration, anxiety, and doubt and happiness, calm,
and certainty.
While we may or may not be able to fundamentally change our personality
through strengthening our willpower, we certainly can improve our ability to
conquer our day-to-day challenges and enjoy more mindfulness, e ectiveness,
and con dence.
What’s more, tness is a fantastic training ground for willpower and self-
control because if you can summon the spirit to push through a punishing
workout when every ounce of you wants to quit, to squash cravings when goodies
are within arm’s reach, and to stay committed to a tness routine despite the
vicissitudes of life, then chances are you’ll also have what it takes to meet
important work deadlines, live within your means, and realize your other
ambitions for self-development and growth.
If you’re to do all of that, however, you’ll need more than a strong will. You’ll
also need an e cient system for channeling and amplifying that vital and limited
energy so it can sustain a lifestyle that, as Earl Nightingale put it, allows you to
progressively realize worthy goals or ideals. e fulcrum of such a system consists
of habits, which is the topic of the next chapter.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

“Riding the wave”—the willingness to think thoughts and feel feelings

without acting on them—is an e ective method of dealing with a wide
variety of challenges, such as mood disorders, food cravings, and
addiction.
A successful strategy that’s helped people deal with hunger and cravings
involves three steps: notice and accept the undesirable feelings, remind
yourself that while you may not always be able to control where your
mind and emotions wander, you can always control how you respond,
and remember the goal that’s at stake and why you committed to it.
A simple way to implement this tactic is to introduce a mandatory ten-
minute wait time before you allow yourself to act on a craving or other
impulsive urge.
If you’re dreading something you know you need to do, commit to doing
it for 10 minutes and then deciding whether to continue.
Precommitment entails taking action now to strengthen your dedication
to a behavior and ward o any seductions to stray.
You can make your life easier by limiting your exposure to instances of
people failing willpower challenges, by joining forces with at least one
person who’s on the same path as you and making progress, and by
reading or listening to stories about how others have gotten t.
You can improve your future self-continuity by thinking about how you’ll
behave in the future, writing a letter to Future You, and imagining Future
You in vivid detail.
Like most everything in life, you don’t need to be anywhere near perfect
to win in the tness game—you just have to be good enough most of the
time.
We should view our wins as evidence of how important our goals are to us
and how committed we are to seeing them through, not as excuses to
relax our e orts.
Some simple and e ective ways to deliberately relax are changing your
perception of stress, getting more sleep, exercising regularly, consuming
less media, avoiding screens before bed, spending less time with tech,
having more sex, enjoying aromatherapy, giving and getting a massage,
listening to classical music, drinking green tea, going for a walk (and
ideally in nature), or taking a hot bath.
 e Big Ideas

1. Understand the anatomy of habits.

2. Hijack the habit loop to beat bad habits.
3. Build better habits in three simple steps.
 6

The Easy Way to Build Good

Habits and Break Bad Ones

e chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be
broken.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON

W
hen you woke up today, what did you do? Did you go straight to
the shower? Did you check your email rst, or Facebook and
then email? When did you brush your teeth? Which shoe did
you tie rst—the right or le ? What route did you drive to work? What did you
do once you got to your desk?
If you take a moment to re ect on these questions, you’ll quickly understand
why the cliché that we humans are creatures of habit exists: We all have ingrained
patterns of behavior. In fact, according to a 2006 study conducted by Duke
University, over 40 percent of people’s daily actions don’t stem from conscious
decisions, but unconscious conventions.
In many cases, this mechanism is useful because it saves us mental energy. We
don’t need to decide newly each day which shampoo to use or time to go to bed.
However, other habits that develop without our “permission” can be quite
troublesome. For example, research shows that many families that eat fast food
regularly didn’t originally intend to eat as much as they do. e monthly habit
eventually became a weekly one, which eventually became a biweekly one, until
nally they were eating junk food every day. Similarly, thirty minutes of TV per
day can become sixty, and then one hundred. Skipping one workout per week can
lead to skipping twice per week, and ultimately culminate in quitting. e
occasional drink or two can turn into the regular nightcap.
ankfully, the power of habits can be applied to positive outcomes, too. As
Dan John shares in his book Attempts, a little bit of the right things, like exercise,
o en enough, over the long haul, can produce greatness. Forty- ve minutes of
exercise several days per week, if done long enough, can transform your body and
health. irty minutes of reading per day, over time, can make you into an expert
in just about anything. A few hours of focused and uninterrupted “deep work”
per day, over a career, can produce a legacy.
Harnessing our habits is di cult, though. Our biological hardware isn’t
oriented toward mechanically repeating the same actions countless times until
we’ve achieved something extraordinary. It’s drawn to cheap thrills and primrose
paths. Fortunately, however, with the right practices and plenty of patience and
perseverance, we can gain control of our habits and ensure they’re nudging us
toward, and not away from, our long-term tness and life goals.
You can read entire books on this topic ( e Power of Habit is a good
primer), but in this chapter, I’ll give you a crash course on building good habits
and breaking bad ones, based on the most important and e ective information
and evidence currently available.

The Anatomy of Habits

A habit is an automatic behavior or response that’s triggered by a situation,
person, or environment. You probably know habits are formed through
repetition, but there’s also a speci c pattern in play that goes like this:
 1. Cue—We’re cued (prompted) by a time, location, event, situation,
emotion, person, smell, etc.
2. Response-—We perform an action or routine in response.
3. Reward—We feel or receive some sort of reward.

We experience this “habit loop” in many ways, and o en, we move through it
automatically, regardless of motivation, stress levels, attention, or other factors. A
simple example of it is walking into a dark room, feeling the desire to turn on the
light to feel safe or simply be able to see better (cue), icking the light switch
(response), and feeling relieved and comforted by the ability to see our
surroundings (reward).
e more we go through this process in a particular way, the more automatic
it becomes, until it’s a default path of almost no resistance that requires very little
cognitive e ort to complete. is mechanism is useful when driving, let’s say,
because our re exive ability to operate our car allows us to also safely have a
conversation on the phone or listen to a song, but it becomes detrimental when
passing a fast food joint on the way home stirs a craving for greasy grub that sends
us veering o the road (and our meal plan) to dig in.
Simply understanding this three-part model of habit formation and
continuation is the rst step to mastering it. Next is learning how to commandeer
this system and use it to consciously break bad habits, and create and reinforce
good ones.

Beating Bad Habits

As Charles Duhigg explains in e Power of Habit, with time and e ort, almost
any habit can be reshaped by doing the following:

1. Identify the routine

2. Experiment with rewards
 3. Isolate the cue
4. Have a plan

Let’s review each of these actions in more detail.

1. Identify the Routine

is is usually simple enough because the routine is the behavior you want to
change. It could be skipping breakfast and buying a donut at work, staying up too
late at night on your phone, or heading to the couch a er dinner instead of going
for a walk.

2. Experiment with Rewards

Rewards are powerful drivers of behavior because they satisfy desires and
cravings, but they aren’t always obvious. Do you want the morning donut solely
because it’s delicious? Or are you just as driven by the social interaction or the
temporary boost in energy you feel a erward?
Such subtleties can be di cult to tease out through re ection alone, but
with simple experimentation, we can discover and exploit them for more
constructive ends. is process may take some time—several days or longer—so
have patience and don’t pressure yourself to make any meaningful changes just
yet. Instead, think of yourself as a scientist observing your behavior and collecting
data.
To begin, when you feel the urge to do a routine action, try changing the
action, the reward, or both. Do you want the donut, or do you just want
something sweet? Maybe you’re just hungry and want some food? Or is it more
about mingling before heading to your desk to start working?
To nd out, you could test a few di erent routines when you feel the urge to
get a pastry: One day, you could buy a di erent sweet food like a cookie or candy
bar and eat that instead. e next day, you could choose something nutritious,
like an apple. e following morning, you could try a cup of co ee instead.
Finally, you could see how skipping food and beverages altogether and just
stopping by your friend’s o ce impacts your habit loop.
Exactly what you do instead of eating the donut isn’t important, so long as
you’re testing a plausible theory about what’s causing the donut dilemma. If it’s
the desire for something sweet, the cookie should satisfy. If it’s just hunger, the
apple should take the edge o . If it’s a spark of energy, co ee will work nicely.
And if hobnobbing is the culprit, the o ce drop-in should su ce.
As you test di erent rewards, Duhigg recommends that following each
variation of routine or reward, you should write down the rst three things that
come to mind. ey can be feelings, random thoughts, thoughts about how
you’re feeling, or even just words that spring to mind. en, set an alarm for
een minutes, and when it’s up, see whether you still feel an urge for the original
reward.
It’s important to write down three things a er the routine because it forces
you to focus on what you’re thinking and feeling at that crucial moment of
consummation, and it helps you to remember exactly what happened when you’re
done with a round of experimentation and seeing what you can glean from the
experience. As for the 15-minute wait, this helps you determine whether you’ve
pinpointed the proper reward. If, as in the curious case of the morning pastry,
een minutes have passed a er eating an apple and you still want the donut, you
can assume the craving isn’t motivated by the need for calories. If chinwagging
with a colleague doesn’t hush the hankering, then the reward isn’t the need for
interaction either. On the other hand, if a er a cup of co ee, you nd it easy to
get your day started, then you’ve identi ed the reward underlying the loop—a
boost of energy—as well as a frictionless way to eat fewer calories.
By testing di erent rewards, you can isolate your true cravings, which is
critical in reconstructing a habit.

3. Isolate the Cue

Many habits can be more easily adjusted when you understand the cues that
trigger them, but such prompts are o en di cult to identify because there’s just
too much going on. Are we skipping our weekend workouts because we’re tired?
Or because we’re at home instead of at the o ce? Or because we feel lazy and just
want to relax? Or because we’re with our family and don’t want to leave? Or all of
them together?
To help nd the signal among the noise, we can use a simple system of
organizing cues into ve categories and looking for patterns in our experiences:

1. Location. Have you ever walked into your kitchen, seen a bag of chips
on the counter, and eaten a few handfuls just because they were there?
en you know the sway location can have over our behavior. In fact,
many habits derive much of their persistence almost solely from the
environments they’re performed in. O en, changing the environment
(keeping the chips in the pantry, or better, not buying them in the rst
place) is the easiest way to discourage or encourage speci c behaviors.
2. Time. Many of our daily actions are dictated by the clock. We wake up,
go to the bathroom, take a shower, brush our teeth, etc. We stop
working midmorning to mosey on over to the kitchen or cafeteria. We
hit the couch a er dinner and plug into one of a dozen streaming
services vying for our attention. Sometimes it’s not the time that
matters per se, but what happens or how we feel at that time—two
other cues we’ll discuss below.
3. Emotional state. Feelings are powerful drivers of behavior, and for most
of us, this cue appears more commonly in bad than good habits. Many
 people say they eat, shop, or scroll on social media when they feel bored
or depressed, but not many report showing up for morning workouts
or abstaining from late-night snacking because of their feelings.
Instead, we o en perform good habits despite how we feel.
4. Other people. As we discussed in the previous chapter, the people we
surround ourselves with can have a marked e ect on how we think,
feel, and behave. Put simply: If you spend too much time with people
who motivate you to do things you know you shouldn’t, like eating or
drinking too much, sleeping and moving too little, and so forth,
making substantial changes in your life will be extremely di cult.
5. Immediately preceding action or event. Many habitual actions are
responses to other things that happen, like a phone, social media, or
email noti cation, a discussion or argument, or a person arriving or
leaving. Understanding this can help you untangle unwanted habits.
For instance, you might turn o all app noti cations to undercut the
habit of checking your phone too o en, or avoid drinking alcohol
while eating to work on the habit of eating and drinking too much.

ere are cues that don’t t neatly into these buckets (thoughts, smells, and
hunger), but research shows that most habits are prompted by the ve
phenomena listed above.
So, if you’re trying to gure out the cue for late-night snacking, you’d write
down answers to the following ve questions when the urge strikes:

Where are you? (on the couch)

What time is it? (10:45 p.m.)
What’s your emotional state? (annoyed)
Who’s with you? (nobody)
 What action or event preceded the desire? (scrolling through
Instagram)

e next time:

Where are you? (in bed)

What time is it? (10:35 p.m.)
What’s your emotional state? (bored)
Who’s with you? (girlfriend)
What action or event preceded the desire? (watching TV)

e third instance:

Where are you? (kitchen)

What time is it? (10:22 p.m.)
What’s your emotional state? (fatigued)
Who else is around? (nobody)
What action or event preceded the urge? (texting with a friend)

is reconnaissance could uncover many potential patterns, but in the case

of night eating, a common cue is simply staying up too late. e reason for this is
threefold: it gives you more time to get hungry again a er dinner; it makes you
more likely to undersleep, which generally increases appetite; and it usually
involves spending more time doing things associated with eating (like
screentime).

4. Have a Plan
Once you’ve identi ed the reward and cue for a routine (habit) you want to
change, you can rewire it to serve your interests by following the right plan.
It starts with the cue. If you can’t or don’t want to eliminate it altogether, you
must nd a new way to respond to it that leads to the reward you crave. If
lethargy is the cue driving the habit of eating a morning donut and energy is the
reward of this loop, then sticking with the cup of co ee may be all the plan you
need. “When I get to work and feel sluggish, I’ll drink a cup of co ee to get a
boost of energy.” Or, in the case of the nocturnal noshing, removing the cue by
going to bed early may be the easiest way to prevent excessive food consumption.
“When I’ve nished getting ready for bed, I’ll go right to sleep instead of staying
up later.”
In any case, reprogramming habit loops will require making deliberate
decisions to behave di erently. An easy way to do this is with what psychologists
refer to as implementation intentions, which are statements about how, when, and
where you’ll act. Implementation intentions can be expressed in di erent ways,
but a common formula is “When situation X occurs, I’ll respond by doing Y.” For
example …

“Every Tuesday, ursday, and Saturday, I’ll wake up at 7 a.m., drink a

cup of co ee, and do a workout” will be far more e ective than “I’ll
work out a few times per week.”
“Every evening a er dinner, I’ll sit on the couch without my phone and
read twenty pages before turning on the TV” in place of “I’ll read every
night.”
“Every weekday, I’ll eat a portion of lean protein and three servings of
colorful vegetables for dinner” is preferable to “I’ll eat more healthy
food.”
“Every Sunday morning, a er I eat breakfast, I’ll prepare food for the
next three days” will help you follow your meal plan better than “I’ll do
more meal prep.”
 “Every day, I’ll keep a bottle of water with me to drink from and re ll it
whenever it’s empty” will outdo “I’ll drink more water.”

Don’t underestimate the e ectiveness of this practice. In a study published

by scientists at the British Journal of Health Psychology, 91 percent of participants
who created implementation intentions for exercising (“During the next week, I
will partake in at least twenty minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME
OF DAY] at/in [PLACE]”) worked out at least once per week. is is compared
to just 38 percent of participants who read a few paragraphs from a random novel
and 35 percent of participants who read a pamphlet on and were told how
exercise bene ts your heart.
Over one hundred published studies prove the power of implementation
intentions to in uence many positive behaviors, ranging from breast self-
examination to dietary adherence and more. e conclusion is crystal clear: by
explicitly stating what, when, and where you’ll do something, you’re much more
likely to actually do it. Such statements are far more reliable for regulating
behavior than depending on inspiration or willpower, because they function as a
trigger-and-response mechanism that doesn’t require deliberate supervision.
You can take this technique even further and put your important
commitments on your calendar so they stay top of mind. At the beginning of
every day, when you check your calendar, you can review your pledges and
improve your chances of following through.
You can also use your phone’s assistant to receive daily reminders of your
obligations so you don’t accidentally forget. If your task is eating a nutritious
homemade lunch every day, you can set recurring reminders in your phone to
prepare the food the night before and grab it in the morning on your way out.
Such spadework may sound too simple to be e ective, but don’t discount its
importance. e timely reminder or mundane preliminary, like getting into your
workout clothes rst thing on Saturday morning so you’re dressed for your
lunchtime workout, can o en be the factor that ensures follow-through.
Such preparatory measures enhance our stick-to-itiveness by reducing the
amount of activation energy required to act. is chemistry term refers to the
minimum amount of energy needed to trigger a chemical reaction, or more
broadly, as the minimum amount of e ort necessary to start or change
something.
Generally, the more mental or physical energy it takes to get in motion or
shi our course, the more susceptible we’ll be to the peaks and valleys of our
willpower and motivation levels. When determination is high, follow-through is
about as hard as a haircut, but when it’s low, implementation feels like trying to
play the piano with boxing gloves. By taking simple steps to protect our habits
from the wax and wane of these ckle feelings, however—like those I’ve just
shared with you—we can greatly boost our consistency and long-term results.
Another type of scienti cally proven tool you can use to further reduce the
activation energy of changing habits is the if–then statement, which looks like
this: “If X happens, then I’ll do Y.” e psychology behind this phrase echoes the
what–where–when statements (a speci c stimulus and response), allowing you to
accommodate life’s inevitable contingencies and curveballs so you can make the
right decisions when things go sideways.
In a scenario given earlier, you’ve decided to wake up at 7 a.m., drink co ee,
and work out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. To complement this
implementation intention with if–then statements, consider what may frustrate
your objective and what you can do about it. For example …

If I go to bed too late, then I’ll still get up at 7 a.m. and train.
If I can’t train at 7 a.m. for whatever reason (early meetings or calls,
errands, etc.), then I’ll go to the gym a er work.
 If I can’t train a er work for whatever reason (personal appointments,
kid stu , etc.), then I’ll train on Saturday or Sunday at 9 a.m.

Or what about if-then statements for the what–when–where statement,

“Every weekday, I’ll eat a portion of lean protein and three servings of colorful
vegetables for dinner.”

If I don’t have time to cook dinner, then I’ll get lean protein and a
couple of servings of vegetables from the hot bar at the grocery store.
If I have to eat out for dinner, then I’ll eat just one piece of bread, order
lean protein and vegetables, and skip dessert.
If I have a social event to attend in the a ernoon, then I’ll have a
protein shake beforehand so I’m not tempted to overeat.

If I eat a di erent dinner or overeat, then I’ll forgive the deviation and follow
my meal plan the next day.
Every what–when–where statement can be forti ed with if-then
companions, and probably should be, because there’ll always be unforeseen
di culties and complications. is process of using thought exercises to stress
test your plans is akin to running mental simulations, and research shows that it
can increase your ability to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals.
Amending habits takes practice and patience. It’s easy to forget to do new
routines or backslide into our old ways, but by remaining focused on the process
of making steady improvements, we can produce remarkable change.

Creating Good Habits

O en, establishing a new desirable habit can be just as thorny as breaking an
undesirable one. In fact, if New Year’s resolutions are any indicator, people
struggle at least as much with doing more of the right things as doing fewer of the
wrong ones.
According to a YouGov survey conducted in December 2020, 50 percent of
people who intended to make New Year’s resolutions wanted to do more exercise
or improve their tness, 46 percent wanted to lose weight, 44 percent wanted to
save more money, 39 percent wanted to improve their diet, 21 percent wanted to
pursue a career ambition, 18 percent wanted to spend more time with their
family, 14 percent wanted to take up a new hobby, 13 percent wanted to spend
less time on social media, 10 percent wanted to give up smoking, and 4 percent
wanted to drink less alcohol.
Many of these intentions are di cult to realize because they entail passing
up immediate and certain rewards (languor, food, shopping, etc.) for the hope of
future payo s ( tness, nancial security, etc.). And habits can take a lot longer
than 22 days to reach automaticity. Research conducted by scientists at
University College London shows that it can range from 18 to 254 days, and in
this study, the median was 66 days. Clearly, pep alone o en isn’t enough. You also
need a plan.
Here are three simple ways to greatly increase the stickiness of new habits:

1. Start small
2. Stack
3. Celebrate

Let’s go over each.

1. Start Small
Most people think they bungle their attempts to build new habits because they
lack the motivation or willpower required to make lasting change. is is rarely
true. ey only lack the right approach.
As you know, willpower seems to function much like a muscle. It starts the
day fresh, and with exertion, becomes fatigued, but then adapts to the stimulus to
become a little stronger. at also means that our resolve has its limits—that we
can demand more of it than it’s capable of (or, perhaps more accurately, that we
can access under normal circumstances). us, when someone is unable to
successfully go from zero exercise to an hour per day and then chastises themself
as a failure, this is about as sensible as trying to squat 315 pounds on their rst
day in the gym and feeling stung when they get stuck.
What should they do instead? Reduce the di culty, of course, and the same
goes for habit building. By starting small—very small, if necessary—you can more
or less guarantee a smooth progression toward bigger and more signi cant
transformations.
B.J. Fogg, Stanford University researcher and author of Tiny Habits, calls
these tiny actions “smallest behaviors that matter,” or SBTMs for short, and they
have four features:

1. ey can be done at least once a day.

2. ey take less than 30 seconds.
3. ey require little e ort.
4. ey’re relevant to the full desirable behavior.

e idea is to start with something so simple that you can’t say no to it.
ink ten push-ups per day, not a full workout, and one serving of vegetables per
day, not a whole new meal plan. Just how small you should start with a new habit,
including those that form the foundation of the Bigger Leaner Stronger program,
will depend on your circumstances. Ten push-ups or one serving of vegetables per
day may be so small and easy that you get no sense of satisfaction from it, in
which case you’d want to increase the di culty to something that involves a little
(but not no) e ort.
 Many people I’ve spoken with have shared with me that they started the
program by implementing parts of the diet or training component rst (eating
less “junk” before following a set meal plan, doing three workouts per week, not
ve, etc.), then once that was in hand, gradually adding the rest.

2. Stack
A simple way to get a running start with new habits is to place them into the
slipstream of existing ones already ingrained. is technique is known as “habit
stacking,” and it uses a special type of implementation intention that works like
this: “ A er [CURRENT ACTION], I will [NEW ACTION].” For instance,
“A er I drink my cup of co ee in the morning, I’ll go for a 15-minute walk.” Or
“A er I get out of my work clothes, I’ll change right into my workout clothes.” Or
“Before I watch sports on Sunday a ernoon, I’ll prepare my lunches for the
week.”
Habit stacking works so well because it allows you to piggyback on behavior
patterns that are already automatic. We can make momentum our ally. Once
we’re in motion, it’s easier to stay in motion—even if we’re going in a new
direction.
You can grow your habit stacks over time, too, adding as many actions to the
chain as you need. For example, I have a well-established habit stack for my
morning routine: I wake up at 6 a.m., go to the bathroom, drink some water,
make myself a cappuccino (my favorite part), read for 45-to-60 minutes, do 10
minutes of stretching, get dressed, make a protein shake, eat a banana, brush my
teeth, and go to the gym. I have another stack for when I get home: Take my
post-workout and greens supplements, check my calendar and create my to-do
list for the day, and start answering work messages. I have a stack for driving (call
a friend, family member, or coworker), taking scheduled phone calls (if it’ll be at
least twenty minutes, take it on my upright bike and get my thirty minutes of
daily cardio done), and 9 p.m. pre-bed routine ( oss, brush my teeth, and spend
some time with my wife). In fact, so many of my daily activities are pre-
programmed according to a game plan that most of the time, it feels like I wake
up and the rest just takes care of itself.
Regardless of how you plan on using habit stacking, the key is selecting the
right cue—the right place in your daily routine to insert the new habit you want
to adopt. If you’d like to read in the morning like me but can’t escape the
household chaos for more than a few minutes at a time, consider another time
when it’ll be easier to execute, like a er you take a shower.
According to Fogg’s research, when selecting cues for habit stacking, you
should strive to match the physical location, frequency, and theme or purpose. To
pair the location, ensure that the new habit can be performed in the same place as
the existing one. As for frequency, if you want to do something new every day,
but try to couple it with something you do every other day, on average, that’ll
cause hiccups. And as to theme or purpose, the more compatible the components
of a habit stack are, the better it’ll function. us, don’t try to combine ossing
your teeth with sweeping the garage or eating vegetables with watching TV.
To nd the right cues for new habits you want to adopt, start with writing
out a list of your current habits (the things you do every day). For example:

Get out of bed.

Go to the bathroom.
Drink some water.
Brush your teeth.
Get dressed.
Make co ee.
Eat breakfast.
Take your kids to school.
 Start working.
Etc.

You can also make another list of things that happen to you each day
without fail, like …

e sun comes up.

You get a phone call.
You get hungry.
e sun sets.

With these two lists, you should have no problem nding places to
introduce new habits into your lifestyle.
Remember too that implementation intentions work best when they’re
highly speci c and immediately doable. “When I take a break in the a ernoon,
I’ll go for a 15-minute walk” may not be clear enough to succeed. Do you go for a
walk before you eat a snack or a er? And where are you going to walk? Better
would be, “When I get o the computer around 3 p.m., I’ll go for a 15-minute
walk around the block.”
You can create if–then statements as well, if needed. For instance, as you’re
roadmapping your new system of habits, you may already foresee eventualities
that should be addressed up front. Or maybe you don’t realize until a er you get
underway that there are more wrinkles than you had anticipated.

3. Celebrate
Unsurprisingly, research shows that a habit can form quickly when we
immediately feel good a er we perform an action. is reward is the glue that
makes habits stick. erefore, whenever we’re trying to change or adopt a new
habit, we need to ensure it results in a feeling of success and satisfaction, even if
it’s slight.
is step doesn’t have to be elaborate, either. Brie y doing, saying, or even
thinking about something that brings joy is o en enough—a st pump, or
“awesome” said aloud or subvocalized. What you do to rejoice doesn’t matter
nearly as much as the immediacy and emotional intensity of the celebration.

You now know how to win at the inner game of tness:

1. Understand your whys.

2. Cultivate your willpower.
3. Control your habits.

If you can implement and ultimately internalize that action plan, you can
develop the mindset and lifestyle that’ll allow you to discover and express your
full tness potential. It won’t be easy, though. It’ll take discipline and endurance,
which are hard and always will be. We’re not wired for restraint and regularity,
but for stimulation and novelty. Self-command and stamina require conscious
strengthening, just like a muscle.
So don’t mistake any di culty as a sign that the undertaking isn’t worth it.
e di culty is the point. e di culty signals its worth. Tribulation isn’t a sign
that you don’t belong in the arena; the struggle to overcome it is how you prove
you’re worthy.
Fortunately, once you get your arms around the outer game of getting t—
like you will by the end of this book—the process is a lot more gain than pain and
fun than frustration. And that’s exactly what we’ll tear into next, starting with
si ing the art and science of everyone’s least-favorite four-letter word: diet.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Habits are formed through repetition in a pattern known as a “habit

loop” that goes like this: cue, response, reward.
You can reshape any habit by identifying the behavior you want to
change, experimenting with rewards, isolating the cue, and having a plan.
If you can’t or don’t want to eliminate the cue altogether, you must nd a
new way to respond to it that leads to the reward you crave.
Implementation intentions are statements about how, when, and where
you’ll act that help you make deliberate decisions to behave di erently,
and a common formula is “When situation X occurs, I’ll respond by
doing Y.”
To further reduce the activation energy of changing habits, use if–then
statements such as “If I go to bed too late, then I’ll still get up at 7 a.m.
and train”.
When creating good habits, start by committing to something so simple
that you can’t say no to it, then once that’s in hand, gradually increase the
di culty.
To get a running start with new habits, place them into the slipstream of
existing ones already ingrained using a technique known as “habit
stacking.” For example, “A er I drink my cup of co ee in the morning, I’ll
go for a 15-minute walk.”
Whenever you’re trying to change or adopt a new habit, ensure it results
in a feeling of success and satisfaction, even if it’s slight.
 PART 3

The Last Diet Advice You’ll

Ever Need
 e Big Ideas

1. Understand the importance of energy

ba ance.
2. Diet properly and your metabolism will be
fine.
3. Ignore rigid dietary dogmas and fads.
 7

The 10 Absolute Worst Diet Myths

and Mistakes

e road to nowhere is paved with excuses.

—MARK BELL

S
ince time immemorial, the highest hallmark of physical status and
attractiveness has been a lean, toned, athletic body—a stamp of the
ancient heroes, gods, and goddesses. A t body is still idolized today,
but with obesity rates over 42 percent here in America (and still rising), one
could assume that looking like a paragon of tness requires youth, top-shelf
genetics, or superordinary e ort, discipline, and sacri ce. is isn’t true. e
know-how is easy enough to grasp—you’ll learn everything you need in this book
—but it doesn’t require as much grit as you may think.
To help you better understand the real science of getting and staying t, lean,
and strong, I want to rst disabuse you of some of the biggest diet myths and lies
that tie people up in knots:

1. “Calories in versus calories out is bad science.”

2. “Calories in versus calories out are all that matters.”
3. “Dieting can ‘damage’ your metabolism.”
4. “Carbs and sugars make you fat and unhealthy.”
 5. “You have to ‘eat clean’ to be t and healthy.”
6. “Vegan and vegetarian diets are healthiest.”
7. “You have to eat huge to get big.”
8. “You should or shouldn’t skip breakfast.”
9. “Frequent eating speeds up your metabolism.”
10. “Eating at night can cause weight gain.”

Let’s hit these ctions head-on. If you’ve bought into any of them yourself
(like I once did), you may be skeptical, even scornful, of what else I have in store
for you and thus less likely to give the program a fair shake. ink of this chapter
like a construction project—clearing away the dietary debris before we pour the
foundation and build the superstructure.

Myth #1

“Calories In Versus Calories Out Is Bad Science”

“Calorie counting doesn’t work,” the overweight MD says in his latest bestselling
book. “It’s a relic of our ignorant dietary past,” the pretty woman who has been
skinny her entire life tells the morning show hosts. “It’s time we realized food
quality is what matters, not calories,” the former triathlete turned guru says on his
popular podcast.
e sales pitch sounds sexy. Eat the right foods and you can “unclog your
hormones” and “supercharge your metabolism,” and your body will take care of
the rest. is is music to many people’s ears who want to believe they can get lean
and t without ever having to restrict or even pay attention to how much they eat,
only what.
is is malarkey. In fact, it’s worse than that. It’s a blatant lie because as far as
your body weight is concerned, how much you eat is far more important than
what you eat. Don’t believe me? Just ask Kansas State University Professor Mark
Haub who lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks eating Hostess cupcakes, Doritos, Oreos,
and whey protein shakes. Or a science teacher, John Cisna, who lost 56 pounds in
six months eating nothing but McDonald’s. Or Kai Sedgwick, a tness enthusiast
who got into the best shape of his life following a rigorous workout routine while
eating McDonald’s every day for a month.
I don’t recommend you follow in their footsteps (the nutritional value of
your diet does matter, particularly for health), but their stories speak to an
indisputable point: You can improve your body composition, or how much muscle
and fat you have, while eating copious amounts of junk food. e key to
understanding how this works—and to understanding what really drives weight
loss and gain—is energy balance, which is the relationship between energy intake
(calories eaten) and output (calories burned).
Technically, a calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one
kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. Various foods contain varying numbers
of calories. For example, nuts are very energy dense, containing about 6.5 calories
per gram, on average. Celery, on the other hand, contains very little stored energy,
with just 0.15 calories per gram. If you added up the calories of all the food you
ate in a day and then compared that number to how many calories you burned,
you’d notice one of three things:

1. You ate more calories than you burned. (You’ll gain weight.)
2. You ate fewer calories than you burned. (You’ll lose weight.)
3. You ate about the same number of calories as you burned. (You’ll
maintain your weight.)

is is the rst law of thermodynamics at work, which states that energy in a

system can’t be created or destroyed but can only change form. is applies to all
physical energy systems, including the human metabolism, which is the series of
physical and chemical processes that keep us alive—namely, the production of
energy as well as the creation, maintenance, and destruction of cells and tissues.
When we eat food, its stored energy is transformed by our muscles into
mechanical energy (movement), by our digestive systems into chemical energy
(body fat), and by our organs into thermal energy (heat).
ese scienti c axioms explain why every controlled weight-loss study
conducted in the last century has found that meaningful weight loss requires
energy expenditure to exceed energy intake; why decades of obesity research has
concluded that energy intake exceeding expenditure is the main driver of weight
gain; and why bodybuilders dating back just as far—from the “father of modern
bodybuilding” Eugen Sandow, to the sword-and-sandal superstar Steve Reeves, to
the iconic wunderkind Arnold Schwarzenegger—have been using this knowledge
to control their body composition as desired.
Your checking account is a trite but apt metaphor for how this process
works. If you “deposit” (eat) more calories into the account than you “spend”
(burn), you create a positive energy balance, and your body will “save” (store) a
portion of the surplus energy as body fat. If you put fewer calories into the
account than you spend, however, you create a negative energy balance or energy
de cit, and your body will turn to its “energy savings” (body fat, mostly) to make
up for the shortfall and get the energy it needs to keep functioning. And what
happens if you consistently make small withdrawals from your savings account?
at’s right—the total gets whittled down to lower and lower levels, and in the
case of tness, this is what makes you leaner and leaner. We’re lucky our body
works this way, too, because if it didn’t and we missed a meal, our energy supply
would run out and we’d die. Luckily, when food energy isn’t available, our body
can break down body fat (and other tissues when necessary) and use the
constituents to produce cellular energy.
Now, none of this means you have to meticulously count calories to lose
weight, but you do have to understand how the calories that you eat in uence
your body, and manage your eating according to your goals. What you don’t have
to do, however, is follow a fad diet that eliminates foods or even entire food
groups from your diet. is can work for some people because forbidding the
delicious, high-calorie foods that people love—the ones that are easiest to overeat
—and prescribing less palatable, lower-calorie fare, can lower calorie intake
enough to produce weight loss. But it can fail just as easily if it doesn’t result in a
large enough calorie reduction to produce the energy de cit to achieve weight
loss.
Put di erently, the people who have lost weight with restrictive diets didn’t
succeed because they stopped eating carbs, sugar, gluten, or any other bogeyman
per se—they lost weight because doing away with certain foods or substances
helped them keep “calories out” over “calories in” long enough to reduce their
weight. is is why studies show that people who eat the least lose the most
weight and those who eat the most lose the least (or even gain weight), regardless
of the dietary protocol used, which has included Mediterranean, vegan,
vegetarian, paleo, Weight Watchers, Slimming World, South Beach, Best Life,
Atkins, DASH, and others.
So, know this: No matter what type of diet you follow, you’ll lose weight
only when you consistently eat fewer calories than you burn, and the only way to
fail to lose weight is eating too many calories too consistently, not outing or
following the wrong arbitrary eating rules.
Still skeptical? I understand. Maybe you’ve heard that recent scienti c
research has contested or even confounded the energy balance model, or maybe
you know of individual stories that seem to refute it, like people who apparently
can’t lose weight with a very low-calorie diet. “Bill ate 1,000 calories per day and
worked out like a end for a month and gained weight. How can energy balance
explain that? Hormones?” Puzzling indeed, until you realize the culprit is almost
always human error, not haywire hormones or metabolic hoodoo. Virtually every
time, such people don’t understand what hormones are—chemicals transported
by the blood or other bodily uids to cells and organs, where they cause some
action or have some speci c e ect—and are making one or more of the three
most common weight loss mistakes:

1. Underestimating calories in. Most people are bad at estimating and

even tracking how many calories they’re eating. For instance, studies
show that people can think they’re eating 800 calories per day (starving
themselves), when it’s actually 1,200, 1,500, or more. is mistake is all
too easy to make when you review the delicious foods many people like
to eat. Take a single slice of pizza or cheeseburger, for instance, which
contains 300-to-400 calories or about as many as you burn in a 30-
minute jog or 60-minute weightli ing workout.
2. Overestimating calories out. Physical activity, including exercise,
doesn’t burn as many calories as many people think. In a York
University study, people overestimated how many calories they burned
during vigorous exercise by 72 percent on average. is error alone
could prevent weight loss even when energy balance is understood and
eating is well regimented.
3. Overeating in the extreme. Too many “cheat meals,” or worse, “cheat
days,” can make meaningful weight loss impossible. Let’s say that you
ate about 300 fewer calories than you burned Monday through Friday,
creating a total calorie de cit of 1,500 calories. Huzzah! at’s enough
to lose a half a pound of fat! Saturday, however, is your cheat day, and
 so you eat about 1,000 more calories than you burn. Sunday is a
cooldown, but you still eat a few hundred more calories than you burn.
What just happened here? Run the numbers. You’ve just wiped out the
cumulative calorie de cit (and thus the fat loss) of ve days of dieting
in two days, and now you’re back to square one.

Along with complete ignorance of energy balance, these three missteps are
responsible for most weight loss failures and explain the unreliability of diets that
deal in rules and restrictions instead of hard science and numbers. Again, you can
lose weight without counting calories, but it can be di cult to maintain a
consistent calorie de cit if you have no idea how many calories you’re eating and
burning day-to-day.
Another popular argument against the primacy of energy balance is the
claim that the human body is far more complex than the simple heat engine that
powers our lawn mower or car, so it’s silly to assume they operate according to the
same principles. is is pseudoscienti c sophistry. e human body is certainly
more intricate than the combustion engine, but that doesn’t confound the weight
of nearly 100 years of evidence in the scienti c literature. Energy balance works
just as I’ve described in the lean and obese, the healthy and diseased, the old and
the young.
In the body composition show, energy balance is the hero. It isn’t the whole
cast, though, which brings me to the next myth …

Myth #2

“Calories In Versus Out Are All That Matters”

For all its majesty, the “CICO” (calories-in-calories-out) model has feet of clay: it
accounts for how much energy you’re eating and burning, but not where the
energy is coming from.
As critics of energy balance will o en point out, this detail is vital because
our body doesn’t process all calories the same way. Protein, for example, has very
di erent e ects in the body than carbohydrate or fat, which explains why some
foods are more conducive to fat loss and muscle building than others (but don’t
have special properties that make them “fattening” or “slimming”).
CICO also neglects the nutritional dimension of eating, which must be
considered for long-term health, tness, and vitality. While it’s possible to get and
stay lean eating like a 12-year-old boy on vacation, body composition isn’t a
perfect barometer for health. Just as you can be slightly overweight and healthy if
you eat well and exercise regularly, you can also be t but unwell if your body is
starved of key nutrients because you’ve forsaken fruits, vegetables, whole grains,
and high-quality protein for cookies, chips, pizza, and ice cream.
erefore, if you want to optimize your body composition and your health, a
carefully controlled diet of junk food won’t cut it. Instead, you’ll want to follow a
system that scientists refer to as “ exible dieting,” which you’ll learn about in the
next chapter.

Myth #3

“Dieting Can ‘Damage’ Your Metabolism”

If you poke around online, you can nd many stories about people, typically
women, who say they aren’t losing weight with extremely low-calorie dieting and
hours of exercise every week because of metabolic abnormalities caused by calorie
restriction.
Essentially, the story goes like this: Dieting dramatically decreases your
metabolism, eventually halting fat loss, and if you go too far, you’ll need to follow
a lengthy “recovery” protocol to x the “damage” to have a healthy metabolism
again. Hence, the term “metabolic damage.” Also, when your body is experiencing
the physiological adaptations that apparently cause metabolic damage, it’s said to
be in “starvation mode.” is apparently kicks in the rst day of your diet and gets
progressively worse as time goes on.
How true are these claims, though? While your metabolism does decrease
slightly while dieting, the drop isn’t nearly as dramatic, signi cant, or prolonged
as many people make it out to be. “Metabolic damage” isn’t real, has never
stopped someone from losing weight, and doesn’t need to be “ xed” with special
diet techniques. “Starvation mode” is sort of real, but it isn’t nearly as dramatic as
it’s o en portrayed, and naturally resolves itself a er you stop dieting.
A salient example of this comes from a scienti c study published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In this experiment, 171 overweight
women lost an average of 26 pounds in ve months, and the researchers measured
the participants’ body composition and resting metabolic rate (the number of
calories your body burns at rest in 24 hours) four times over a two-year period.
e scientists found that a er ve months of dieting, the women’s RMRs had
only dropped about 50 calories per day, and a year later, when measurements were
taken again, their metabolisms had recovered to where they were before.
Other studies have shown that the metabolic decline associated with dieting,
including long periods of very low-calorie dieting, ranges from less than 5 to
about 15 percent. Furthermore, it took about a 10 percent reduction in body
weight to produce the larger, double-digit drops, and most of the research on the
matter was conducted with people who made every mistake in the book—they
ate too few calories and too little protein and did no resistance training.
So, while scientists have known for decades that dieting checks metabolic
rate, which can make it harder (but not impossible) to continue losing weight,
they don’t refer to this e ect as metabolic damage. Instead, it’s known as
metabolic adaptation.
As you know, energy balance alone explains why meaningful weight loss
requires that you eat fewer calories (less energy) than you burn for an extended
period of time, and why the essence of e ective dieting is “eat less and move
more.” What many people don’t realize, however, is their daily energy
expenditure can change signi cantly once they start dieting. By reducing “calories
in,” “calories out” also naturally drops because restricting your calories doesn’t just
cause weight loss—it also leads to a cascade of unfavorable changes in hormones
like leptin, ghrelin, thyroid hormones, and testosterone, which all work to reduce
energy expenditure and increase energy intake.
is counterpunch can be frustrating when you want to lose fat, but it’s also
been vital to our survival as a species. For most of human history, calories were
scarce—we’d regularly go for days without eating—and so our body adapted to
favor the storage of excess calories as fat. In other words, humans physically and
psychologically evolved to endure famine by storing and conserving calories, and
when you decide to diet to get rid of your belly fat, your body responds the same
way as if you were truly starving—it employs “defense mechanisms” to keep you
alive. us, calorie restriction acts as a physiological tripwire that increases
hunger, decreases motivation to move and exercise, and reduces metabolic rate,
and these phenomena make getting leaner increasingly di cult as time goes on.
e important thing to remember, though, is that while metabolic
adaptation can slow weight loss, it can never stop it entirely. Additionally, these
adjustments quickly reverse themselves once you’re no longer in a calorie de cit,
and there are simple steps you can take to mitigate metabolic downsides of
dieting like doing strength training, using mild-to-moderate calorie restriction,
and eating enough protein (all of which are part and parcel of the Bigger Leaner
Stronger program).

Myth #4

“Carbs and Sugars Make You Fat and Unhealthy”

People love simple explanations and compelling conspiracies, and these two
quirks explain the popularity of most mainstream fad diets. e three-step
formula is simple:

1. “It’s not your fault you’re overweight and unhealthy. Jerks keep saying
it’s because you eat too much and move too little, but they’re wrong.
You’re a victim of bad science and worse food.”
2. “New research shows you what to blame. Behold the heinous methods
or molecules responsible for all your woes. Take your weapon! Strike
them down with all your hatred and your journey toward the dark side
will be complete!”
3. “Avoid this at all costs and you’ll live happily ever a er. Renounce this
hobgoblin, escape its wrath, dream your quest and bring your visions
into fantasy … blah blah blah green tea in nity … will that be cash or
credit?”

ese emotion-based tactics are how marketers sold us on low-fat dieting a

decade ago and how they sell us on low-carb and low-sugar dieting today. Cut the
vile carbohydrates and sugars out of your life, they say, and the pounds will just
melt away.
It all sounds so neat until someone like me comes along and points out
examples of the glitches in the matrix, like randomized controlled trials (the gold
standard of scienti c evidence) that have found no di erence in weight loss
whatsoever between low- and high-carb and low- and high-sugar diets. For
instance, scientists at the following institutions found similar results:

An Arizona State University study found no di erence in weight or fat

loss between people consuming 5 and 40 percent of their calories from
carbohydrate for ten weeks.
A study published in the journal Hypertension found no di erence in
weight or fat loss between people consuming 4 and 30 percent of their
calories from carbohydrate for six weeks.
A Harvard School of Public Health study found no di erence in
weight loss between people consuming 65, 45, and 35 percent of their
calories from carbohydrate for two years.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
found no di erence in weight or fat loss between people who
consumed 50 and 25 percent of their calories from carbohydrate for
one year.
A Duke University study found no di erence in weight or fat loss
between people consuming 4 and 43 percent of their calories from
sugar for six weeks.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found no
di erence in weight loss between people consuming 5 and 10 percent
of their calories from sugar for eight weeks.

Although the anti-carb and anti-sugar hysteria has reached a frenzied pitch
in the last several years, as the studies above show, it’s completely unwarranted.
Carbs and sugars aren’t nearly as dangerous or fattening as you’ve been told. ey
don’t make you fat or unhealthy—only overeating can do that—and ironically,
most people achieve their tness goals faster with more carbohydrate in their diet,
not less.
“But what about insulin?” people o en ask me. “Don’t carbs spike insulin
levels, and doesn’t that make you fatter?” Not quite. Eating carbs (among other
foods) triggers insulin production, and insulin triggers fat storage (among other
physiological reactions), but fortunately, none of that can make you fat—only
overeating can.
Insulin is a hormone that causes muscles, organs, and fat tissue to take in and
use or store nutrients like glucose (a sugar in many carbs and an important source
of energy in organisms) and amino acids (the molecules that make up proteins).
When you eat many types of food (including protein), insulin levels rise, and this
allows your body to use some of the energy provided by the meal to power the
many physiological processes that keep you alive. Depending on the
circumstances, your body can also use some of the energy to increase its fat stores,
which is why some people call this state the body’s “fat-storing mode.” en, a er
you’ve nished digesting, absorbing, burning, and storing food you ate, insulin
levels fall to a low, baseline level, and your body must now rely primarily on fat
stores for energy. is state is o en called the body’s “fat-burning mode.”
You ip between these states every day, storing small amounts of fat a er
most meals and then burning small amounts in between them. Here’s a simple
way to visualize this mechanism:
 e lighter portions represent the periods when you’ve eaten food, giving
your body energy to use and store, and the darker parts show when food energy is
absent and body fat must be burned instead. Insulin’s role in this system makes it
an easy scapegoat for unwanted fat gain, but this makes about as much sense as
blaming the mailman for receiving too much junk mail. Without the excess
calories needed to physically grow fat cells, no amount of insulin or insulin-
producing foods can signi cantly increase body fat levels.
In the nal analysis, you have nothing to fear from insulin, so you can
achieve peak health and tness while eating many of your favorite foods. If you’re
still skeptical, maybe because some experts claim otherwise, that’s okay, because
before long you’ll have rsthand proof in the way of rapid muscle gain and fat loss
as well as improvements in just about every health biomarker you care to monitor.

Myth #5

“You Have to ‘Eat Clean’ to Be Fit and Healthy”

e cult of “clean eating” is more popular than ever these days, and while its heart
is in the right place, its brain is a muddle.
For starters, many “gurus” disagree on which foods are “clean” and which
aren’t—one’s trash is another’s treasure—so there are many sects to choose from
that prescribe wildly di erent protocols. Will you go vegan or carnivore, for
instance? Keto or fruitarian? Gluten-free, non-GMO, raw, or organic, or all of
the above? Choose carefully, because no matter which philosophy you pick,
someone will claim it’ll eventually ruin your body, mind, and soul.
Second, binary labeling of food as “clean” or “dirty,” “healthy” or “unhealthy,”
or “good” or “bad” is simplistic and inaccurate. Just as it’s incorrect to stamp high-
calorie foods as “fattening” and low-calorie ones as “slimming,” it’s incorrect to
designate more nutritious foods as “good” and less nutritious ones as “bad.”
Instead, it’s far more useful to think of foods in terms of their key characteristics
—calories, macronutrients (nutrients required in relatively large amounts—
speci cally, protein, carbohydrate, and fat), and micronutrients (nutrients
required in trace amounts). Also, instead of judging whether an individual meal is
healthy, it’s more constructive to think about whether your diet on the whole is
healthy, which depends on energy balance (is your calorie intake calibrated
properly?), macronutrient balance (are you eating enough protein, carbohydrate,
and fat?), and micronutrient balance (are you getting enough vitamins, minerals,
and other nutrients to preserve health?).
For example, if you get most of your daily calories from nutritious foods like
high-quality protein, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc.,
your diet is healthy regardless of which foods the remaining calories come from.
Ironically, this style of eating produces a diet that looks fairly clean because it
adopts what’s useful in the clean eating paradigm. e more accurate rendition of
this myth, then, is, “You have to eat clean-ish to be t and healthy.”

Myth #6

“Vegan and Vegetarian Diets Are Healthiest”

ere’s no denying that plant foods are vital for maintaining optimal health and
performance. A large body of evidence shows that people who eat higher
amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are generally healthier and more
likely to live longer, disease-free lives than those who don’t eat enough of them.
Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, but they also
contain other types of phytonutrients that bene t health in various ways. Two
good examples of this are sulforaphane and anthocyanins, phytonutrients found
mainly in broccoli and blueberries and known to reduce cancer risk, cellular
wear-and-tear, and cholesterol levels, but are not found on food labels, which list
only vital-to-life nutrients. Many of these additional nutrients aren’t in
multivitamins or other supplements, either, so pills and powders can’t replace the
real McCoy.
Fiber is another (o en overlooked) component of plant foods that deserves
attention. Fiber is an indigestible type of carbohydrate found in many types of
foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and grains. Its importance has
been known for a long time—the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who
famously said “let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food,”
recommended whole-grain breads to improve bowel movements—and modern
scienti c research has con rmed that eating enough ber increases your chances
of living a long and healthy life.
While healthy eating necessarily includes a wide variety of plants and
vegetables, ranging from dark, leafy greens to garlic to cruciferous vegetables to
cereal grains and more, that doesn’t mean eating only those foods is ideal, and
especially if you’re trying to improve your body composition.
For instance, gaining muscle is trickier as a vegan or vegetarian because it’s
di cult to eat enough high-quality, well-absorbed protein. is partly explains
why studies have shown omnivores tend to have more muscle than vegetarians
and vegans. You can work around this issue by carefully choosing certain plant
foods that are rich in suitable protein, but even then, you’ll likely have to eat quite
a lot of these foods or include supplements in your regimen to meet your daily
protein needs.
Studies show that certain micronutrient de ciencies are more common
among vegans than omnivores, too, including vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids,
zinc, calcium, and others. You can mitigate this problem by consuming a variety
of di erent micronutrient-dense foods, but you’ll also need to supplement
strategically.
ere’s another (and arguably better) way to get enough premium protein
and key nutrients, though: Simply include animal foods in your diet, and
speci cally red meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and eggs. Some call this a “ exitarian
diet.”
at’s controversial advice nowadays, though. Take red meat, for instance,
which many plant-based apostles liken to cigarettes. Just a serving or two of red
meat per day, they say, is enough to markedly impair your health and wellness. A
cursory review of the scienti c evidence doesn’t o er much insight. Some studies
seem to show that red meat is indeed bad for you, others suggest it’s benign, and
others indicate it’s actually good for you.
Unriddling the matter would require a book unto itself, but the long and
short is twofold:

1. e argument against eating red meat relies on evidence that shows an

association between red meat (particularly processed red meat) and
cancer and heart disease. It’s worth noting, though, that much of this
research is based on relatively low-quality studies involving sedentary,
o en overweight people following a standard Western diet awash with
highly processed foods. us, it’s hard to say how eating red meat or
even processed red meats would a ect active, lean, healthy people who
are also eating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
2. e highest quality research available on red meat eating shows that it
isn’t unhealthy and that reducing red meat consumption has no
signi cant bene t. Moreover, meat also provides a good source of
protein and nutrients di cult to get with vegetarian and vegan diets,
like iron, zinc, and creatine.
 Dairy and eggs are two more animal foods o en wrongfully attacked as
unhealthy. Despite claims to the contrary, studies show that milk doesn’t cause
weight gain or cancer, doesn’t degenerate your bones, and doesn’t contain
unhealthy amounts of hormones, pus, or blood. Research also shows that eggs
don’t raise cholesterol levels or increase the risk of heart disease.
While you can get and stay t, lean, strong, and healthy on a vegan or
vegetarian diet, it’s easier to mess up with this kind of diet rather than with a well-
designed omnivorous one.

Myth #7

“You Have to Eat Huge to Get Big”

You’ve probably heard that big muscles require a big appetite. You’ve probably
also heard that “bulking” is unnecessary and even counterproductive because of
excessive fat gain. ere’s a measure of truth in both of these claims. If you want
to maximize muscle building, you need to eat quite a bit of food, but if you
follow a cookie-cutter bodybuilding bulking program, you’ll probably gain a lot
more fat than muscle.
Why? Because how much food you eat (energy balance) strongly a ects
muscle growth. Put simply: your body’s “muscle building machinery” runs best
when energy is abundant, so if you don’t eat enough calories every day, you’ll
struggle to get bigger and stronger.
When you restrict your calories for fat loss, you won’t gain much muscle or
strength because muscle protein synthesis rates drop, hormones sour, and workout
performance su ers. ( at is, unless you’re new to resistance training, but more
on that later.) us, if you want to build muscle e ectively, you need to make sure
you’re not consistently in a calorie de cit, even if it’s slight. Instead, you want to
do the opposite: regularly feed your body slightly more energy than it burns
(provide it with a “calorie surplus”).
How big of a calorie surplus is required to grease the skids, though? is is
where people o en go astray. ey mistakenly assume that more food means
more muscle and so try to eat like a Clydesdale—20, 30, or even 40 percent more
energy than they burn every day. Unfortunately, research shows that the “sweet
spot” for goosing muscle gain is eating between 5–10 percent more calories than
you burn, and eating more than that will only cause you to gain more fat, not
muscle.
“But won’t even a small calorie surplus like 5 or 10 percent cause fat gain,
too?” you may be wondering. Yes, it will, but the fat will accumulate slowly, at
about the same rate as muscle (approximately 1:1 ratio). “But why not instead
strive to eat the exact number of calories you burn every day to avoid any fat gain
whatsoever?” First, because a calorie surplus is inherently anabolic—to a degree,
overeating alone stimulates muscle growth. Second, because your total daily
calorie expenditure is a small moving target that’s basically impossible to nd, let
alone hit. e best we can do is accurately estimate calories out using methods
like those you’ll learn in this book and then overshoot it by a bit (5–10 percent)
to ensure we’re not habitually in a calorie de cit.
Fortunately, however, any fat added while “lean gaining” is easily stripped
with a proper “cutting” phase (and you’ll learn all about those techniques soon),
and this process of alternating between phases of lean gaining to get bigger and
stronger and cutting to get rid of excess body fat (while preserving lean mass) is
how you transform your physique. With every round, you get a little tter, until
nally, you have the look (size, symmetry, and de nition) that you want.

Myth #8
 “Frequent Eating Speeds Up Your Metabolism.”

You’ve probably heard that you should eat many small meals when trying to lose
weight to “stoke the metabolic re,” accelerate fat loss, and better control your
appetite. e theory is simple: When you eat, your metabolism speeds up as your
body processes the food. us, if you eat every few hours, your metabolism will
remain in a constantly elevated state, right? And nibbling on food throughout
the day should help with appetite control, right?
While this may seem plausible, it didn’t pan out in scienti c research. In an
extensive review of diet literature, scientists at the French National Institute of
Health and Medical Research looked at scores of studies comparing the
metabolic e ects of a wide variety of eating patterns, ranging from one to
seventeen meals per day. ey found no meaningful di erence between nibbling
and gorging, because small meals caused small, short metabolic increases, while
large meals caused larger, longer increases. erefore, when viewed in terms of 24-
hour energy expenditure, eating pattern had no signi cant e ect. Another study
published in the British Journal of Nutrition echoed this nding. In this case,
there was no signi cant di erence in weight, fat, or muscle loss between groups
of people eating three meals and three meals plus three snacks per day.
And what about meal frequency and appetite? is can go both ways.
Scientists at the University of Missouri found that a er twelve weeks of dieting to
lose weight, increasing protein intake improved appetite control, but meal
frequency (three versus six meals per day) had no e ect. A similar experiment was
published in the journal Obesity, investigating the e ects of meal frequency and
protein intake on perceived appetite, satiety (fullness), and hormones. ey also
found that higher protein intake led to greater feelings of fullness, but
surprisingly, six meals resulted in generally lower levels of satiety than three. On
the other hand, research shows that some people are less satiated on three meals
per day versus more and that increasing meal frequency can also increase feelings
of fullness and make it easier for people to stick to their diets.
As you’ve likely gathered by now, in many ways, the best dietary protocol is
the one you can stick to, and that’s very true in the case of meal frequency. Most
people I work with enjoy eating four-to-six meals per day (I’m the same way), but
some enjoy eating just two or three meals per day.

Myth #9

“You Should or Shouldn’t Skip Breakfast.”

Breakfast is a controversial meal these days. Some “experts” say it’s vital for
preserving health and preventing weight gain while others claim skipping it
entirely is the trick to staying lean and healthy.
Scienti c research cuts both ways as well. For example, one study conducted
by the Harvard School of Public Health found that men who regularly skipped
breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from heart disease.
Another study found that skipping breakfast was associated with a higher risk of
weight gain. On the other hand, an extensive review of the literature published in
the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that missing breakfast has
either little or no e ect on weight gain. In fact, the data showed that breakfast
eaters tend to consume more calories than those who skip it.
What’s the deal, then? Does skipping breakfast make it easier or harder to
lose weight or does it have no e ect whatsoever? And what about muscle
building? Does it help or hinder those of us looking to get tter and stronger?
Let’s take a closer look at the studies I just referenced and see what we can learn.
e rst thing that jumps out in the Harvard research is the people who
didn’t eat breakfast were generally hungrier later in the day and ate more at night.
Eating food at night isn’t a problem per se (see the next myth), but research shows
that meal skipping can lead to overeating and an increase in total overall energy
intake. Overeating leads to weight gain, of course, and as overweight people are at
an increased risk of heart disease, skipping breakfast can be associated with an
increased incidence of cardiac events and heart disease. But that doesn’t mean
that skipping breakfast causes heart attacks.
How about the review study? e researchers found only a handful of
rigorous, well-executed studies on the e ects of eating and not eating breakfast,
and you have to go all the way back to 1992 to nd the only long-term, carefully
controlled trial that randomly assigned people to routinely eat or skip breakfast
and then measured the e ect on their body weight. In the 1992 study, conducted
by scientists at Vanderbilt University, eating or skipping breakfast had no
signi cant e ect on weight loss. What mattered weren’t breakfast habits but
overall eating habits and dietary compliance, which merely con rms what
metabolic researchers have been saying for decades—when you eat is far less
important than what and how much.
We can nd more support for these ndings in the research available on the
intermittent fasting style of dieting. In case you’re not familiar with it,
intermittent fasting revolves around eating (feeding) and not eating (fasting) on
a regular schedule, with particular emphasis on fasting.
With a normal type of diet, you eat food every few hours, from, let’s say, 8
a.m. until 9 p.m. at is, every day you eat food intermittently for about 13 hours
and eat nothing for about 11 hours. With intermittent fasting, however, you ip
this around by eating food intermittently for, with some methods, about 8 hours
and eating nothing for about 16 hours. For example, with intermittent fasting,
you might start eating every day at 1 p.m. and stop at 9 p.m. In fact, that exact
protocol (“16/8”) is particularly popular among bodybuilders who enjoy
intermittent fasting, and it’s basically just skipping breakfast.
And what about scienti c evidence? Several studies show that intermittent
fasting is just as e ective for improving health and body composition as eating
more frequently. at said, contrary to the claims of many intermittent fasting
fanatics, it also doesn’t appear to o er any inherent advantages.
e bottom line is this: If you enjoy breakfast, eat it, and if you enjoy
skipping it, skip it. Many people like eating breakfast because they just like
breakfast food. Others nd that a hearty breakfast helps perk them up or reduce
hunger levels throughout the day. On the other hand, just as many people prefer
to skip breakfast and “break the fast” closer to lunch because they aren’t hungry
or don’t like standard morning fare. e key is knowing what works best for you.

Myth #10

“Eating at Night Can Cause Weight Gain.”

For years, personal trainers, weight loss gurus, and fake doctors on the Internet
have claimed that your metabolism is fastest early in the morning and gradually
slows throughout the day before bottoming out in the evening. us, they claim,
you should eat more calories in the morning and fewer calories in the evening to
avoid fat gain. “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a
pauper,” as the old saw goes.
Well, research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows
that metabolic rate doesn’t change signi cantly while you sleep, much less in the
evening hours beforehand, and studies show that in people who are a healthy
weight, metabolic rate can actually increase slightly while you sleep. What’s more,
even if metabolic rate did decline as the day wore on, this wouldn’t make eating at
night more fattening than eating earlier in the day because of … you got it …
energy balance. e only way to gain weight (fat) is to eat more calories than you
burn, regardless of when or what you eat.
Now, while eating at night doesn’t cause weight gain, that doesn’t mean there
aren’t any bene ts to eating less at night. Speci cally, research shows that eating
more calories earlier in the day can lead to less hunger and cravings. In this way,
eating a large breakfast and successively smaller meals can help with weight loss or
maintenance for some people (see the previous myth). Conversely, however, other
studies show that in some people the opposite is true—they’re generally less
hungry when they eat smaller meals during the day and a large dinner.
As with eating breakfast, eating larger meals at night is purely a matter of
personal preference. Do what works best for you.

In reading this chapter, you’ve taken your tness knowledge to a whole new level
—a level very few people, including many doctors, athletes, and even scientists,
rarely achieve. And we’re just getting warmed up (pun intended)!
In the next chapter, I’ll build on everything you’ve learned here and
introduce you to the easiest and most e ective approach to dieting in the world:
Flexible dieting. In fact, as you’ll soon see, it barely even quali es as a “diet” in the
way that most people understand the term because it enables you to transform
your body eating foods you want to eat, seven days per week. Even better, once
you experience the power of exible dieting rsthand, you’ll thrill at the
realization that you’re now immune to the diet frustrations and anxieties plaguing
most people, and that you’re nally free to develop a positive, healthy relationship
with food.
Big promises I know, but exible dieting will deliver on them in spades. Keep
reading to nd out how.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Energy balance is the relationship between energy intake (calories eaten)

and output (calories burned), and it’s the basic mechanism that regulates
weight gain and loss.
If you consistently consume more calories than you burn you’ll gain
weight. If you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn you’ll
lose weight.
No individual food can make you fatter. Only overeating can.
e three most common weight loss mistakes are underestimating calories
in, overestimating calories out, and overeating in the extreme.
Some foods are more conducive to fat loss and muscle building than
others, but none have special properties that make them “fattening” or
“slimming.”
“Metabolic damage” isn’t real, has never stopped someone from losing
weight, and doesn’t need to be “ xed” with special diet techniques.
“Starvation mode” is sort of real, but it isn’t nearly as dramatic as it’s o en
portrayed, and naturally resolves itself a er you stop dieting.
Carbs and sugars don’t make you fat or unhealthy—only overeating can
do that—and ironically, most people achieve their tness goals faster with
more carbohydrate in their diet, not less.
It’s more useful to think of foods in terms of their key characteristics—
calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients—than to label them as
“clean” or “dirty,” “healthy” or “unhealthy,” or “good” or “bad.”
Your body’s “muscle building machinery” runs best when energy is
abundant, so if you don’t eat enough calories every day, you’ll struggle to
get bigger and stronger.
 e “sweet spot” for goosing muscle gain is eating between 5–10 percent
more calories than you burn, and eating more than that will only cause
you to gain more fat, not muscle.
Meal frequency has no signi cant e ects on metabolic rate or weight loss.
Skipping breakfast doesn’t appear to o er any inherent advantages, so if
you enjoy breakfast, eat it, and if you enjoy skipping it, skip it.
Eating at night doesn’t cause any more weight gain than eating during the
day.
 e Big Ideas

1. Control your calories to control your

weight.
2. Eat a high-protein diet to improve your
body composition.
3. Eat a ba ance of carbs and fat that works
for you.
 8

Welcome to the Wonderful World

of Flexible Dieting

ere’s more to life than training, but training is what puts more in your life.
—BROOKS KUBIK

H
ow important is your diet to achieving your health and tness goals?
Some people say it’s everything. Others say it’s second- ddle to
exercise, genetics, or some other factor. Still others say it’s 70, 80, or
even 90 percent of the game.
I say it’s 100 percent. And training correctly? at’s another 100 percent.
Having the right attitude is 100 percent too. And let’s not forget getting enough
sleep and rest, which is also 100 percent. I know, we’re at 400 percent so far, but
that’s my point—we need a new paradigm because the foundation of tness
consists of pillars rather than puzzle pieces. If you undermine just one of them
enough, the whole structure collapses. You won’t lose fat or gain muscle
e ectively if you don’t control your calories and macros. You won’t recover from
your training if you don’t give your body the necessary nutrition. You won’t get
stronger if your workouts don’t follow certain principles and patterns. You won’t
enjoy the process if you have the wrong expectations. You won’t be able to stick to
the plan if you don’t maintain good sleep habits. e list yammers on.
 at’s why I want to help you go all out in your pursuit of your best body.
at’s why the Bigger Leaner Stronger program will likely be di erent from any
you’ve tried before. And that’s why I want you to give 100 percent to each part of
it to achieve 100 percent of the gains. Let other people train at 60 percent, diet at
30 percent, and focus at 20 percent. Soon, they’ll be in your rear-view mirror, and
who knows, maybe you’ll inspire them to pick up the pace.
Metaphors aside, the straight answer to how important diet is in your tness
journey is this: It either works for you or against you, enhancing or degrading
your bottom-line results. No matter what you do in the gym, you’ll never get the
full payo unless you also know what to do in the kitchen. is explains why
people can sweat blood in their training, yet look like they’ve never even seen a
barbell or bicycle, let alone spent countless hours with them.
e rst step to successful eating is understanding its proper relationship to
training and your body composition. You use diet to control your body fat level
and boost muscle growth, and you use training to gain and maintain strength and
muscle. Many people get this mixed up. ey think that they work out mostly to
burn calories and fat, which o en leads them into the hamster wheel of exercising
like mad to cancel out all of their eating—an unrewarding, unsustainable, and
o en unhealthy lifestyle that o en ends in a total wipeout.
at won’t happen to you on this program. With Bigger Leaner Stronger,
you’ll learn how to use food and training to satisfy both your wants and your
body’s needs. And that means you’ll no longer dread “dieting,” which o en feels
more like self-sacri ce than self-improvement. My program educates you on how
your metabolism works and gives you the tools to manage it e ectively, while
most diets resort to browbeating, fearmongering, and food restriction instead. If
you want to get t, they proclaim, kiss just about everything you like to eat
goodbye. Grains, gluten, sugar, re ned carbs, red meat, processed foods, dairy,
caloric beverages—it’s all gotta go. All your toys. row them all into the re.
If you’ve contemplated such programs and thought maybe I’m not up to this,
maybe I’m not tough or dedicated enough, or maybe that beach body isn’t really
worth it … . I have good news for you. e Bigger Leaner Stronger diet isn’t one of
those ordeals, and you absolutely are up to it, you absolutely have what it takes,
and looking and feeling better than you ever have before is absolutely worth it.
In fact, this diet de es how most people understand the word because what
kind of “diet” has you be less strict about the foods you eat? How can you eat
bucketfuls of delicious carbs every day while “dieting”? Which self-respecting
“dieter” could eat candy or fast food with a clean conscience?
e answer is an evidence-based system of eating known as “ exible dieting,”
and it has four steps:

1. Control your calories.

2. Eat plenty of protein.
3. Eat plenty of nutritious, relatively unprocessed foods.
4. Eat a balance of carbohydrate and fat that works for you.

If you can follow that simple formula (which, you may have noticed,
contains nothing about only or never eating certain foods), you can transform
your body and develop a healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable lifestyle and
relationship with food while eating meals you enjoy every day.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these points.

1. Control your calories.

is is the rst step because it’s the most important part of the equation,
especially for improving body composition. Trying to lose fat, maximize muscle
growth, or maintain your physique without an accurate and reliable way to
control calorie intake is about as straightforward as shaving with an axe. Possible,
but not prudent.
Furthermore, each of those three goals requires that you calibrate your
calories di erently.

To lose fat, you must consistently eat fewer calories than you burn. is
creates the calorie shortfall required for shrinking your body’s fat stores,
and without such an energy de cit, nothing much will change—no
matter what else you get up to in the kitchen or gym.
To maximize muscle growth, you must consistently eat more calories
than you burn. When you restrict your calories to lose fat, you get
leaner, but you also impede muscle building. us, if you want to gain
muscle and strength as quickly as possible, you need to ensure you’re
not eating too few calories, and the easiest way to do this is to
intentionally eat slightly more calories than you burn. If you’re now
wondering about fat gain (“Won’t that make me fatter?”), you’re on the
ball, and you’re correct—a calorie surplus does indeed cause a fat gain.
Fortunately, however, when you know how to do it correctly (as you
will on the Bigger Leaner Stronger program), you can minimize the
unwanted fat storage.
If you want to maintain your body fat level and slowly add muscle and
strength, you want your calorie intake to match your calorie
expenditure. Practically speaking, exactness isn’t possible because your
calories in and out are moving targets that you can’t pinpoint perfectly.
You don’t need to hit either of those bullseyes, though—you only need
to be accurate enough and adjust your meal plan based on how your
body responds.

2. Eat plenty of protein.

A protein is a naturally occurring compound that’s composed of one or more long
chains of amino acids. Proteins are an essential part of all organisms and are used
to create body tissues such as muscle, hair, and skin, as well as various chemicals
vital to life.
While the scienti c search for the “One True Diet” continues, there’s one
thing we know for certain: it’s going to be high in protein because study a er
study has con rmed that high-protein dieting is superior to low-protein dieting
in multiple ways, including …

Faster fat loss

More muscle gain
Faster metabolism
Less hunger
Stronger bones
Better moods

Protein is even more important for us gym-goers because working out

increases our need for amino acids, and high-protein eating is also essential for
preserving lean mass while dieting to lose fat.

3. Eat plenty of nutritious, relatively unprocessed foods.

You can stay t, healthy, and vital while hitting the drive-thru or greasy spoon
now and then or having some sugar or “empty calories” regularly, but not if too
much of your diet consists of nutritionally bankrupt fodder. Over time, this can
lead to nutritional de ciencies that cause health problems, impair mental and
physical performance, and even blunt fat loss and muscle gain.
An illustrative example of the importance of nutrition is the mineral zinc,
which is found in foods like beef, seeds, and legumes and is required for proper
thyroid function. As the thyroid produces hormones that in uence metabolic
rate, if your body doesn’t get enough zinc, your metabolism can slow down.
A University of Massachusetts case study shows how signi cant this can be.
In this experiment, two zinc-de cient college women received 26 milligrams of
zinc per day for four months, and just four months later, one woman was burning
194 more calories and the other was burning 527 more calories per day than
before. ose numbers represent the amount of energy burned in about thirty
and sixty minutes of moderately intense cardio and, all other things being equal,
would speed up fat loss by about ½ and 1 pound per week—from just correcting a
zinc de ciency.
Now granted, such a case study can’t support sweeping claims about the
relationship between nutrition and metabolism, but it still demonstrates the
importance of providing our bodies with a spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and
other crucial molecules. Baking is a good analogy for this dimension of eating.
What happens if you underdose the leavener? Or overdose the our? Or forget
the fat? You can do everything else right and still cook up a clunker because the
gods of baking are merciless tyrants. Without all of the right components in the
right quantities, instead of cookies, you get wretched lumps of charred tree bark.
Likewise, the recipe for robust health and tness calls for a lot more than
mere calories. Take ber, for example, which is o en overlooked, even among
“healthy” eaters. Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate found in many types of
plant foods, and studies show that eating enough of it reduces the risk of many
types of disease and is linked to living a longer, healthier life. Accordingly, the
USDA recommends 25 grams of ber per day for women up to age 50 and 38
grams for men (unfortunately, however, American adults eat slightly less than 20
grams per day, on average).
Another bene t of eating mostly whole, minimally processed food is that it
requires more energy to process. About 20 percent of the calories in whole-grain
bread with lightly processed cheddar cheese are burned during digestion, for
example, compared to only 11 percent of the calories in white bread with highly
processed American cheese.
is phenomenon is referred to as the thermic e ect of food (TEF). While
trivial in a single meal, eating mostly highly processed, low-TEF foods can
become a signi cant metabolic disadvantage. You may burn several hundred
more calories per day just by choosing less processed fare—instead of a bagel for
breakfast, some homemade muesli; instead of chips for a snack, some crispy
potato wedges; and instead of white pasta at dinner, whole-wheat instead. Bit by
bit, day by day, these di erences add up.
is third element of exible dieting re ects the importance of nutrition and
understanding what you should be eating regularly as opposed to what you
shouldn’t. It feels fuzzy, though—what do I mean by “nutritious” and “relatively
unprocessed” foods? And how much is “plenty”?
Nutritious or relatively unprocessed foods haven’t been extensively pre-
prepared or pre-packaged. ey’re in, or close to, their natural states, and you
prepare and cook them yourself. ink lean protein, fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and oils. Such foods are rich in vitamins, minerals,
ber, and other nutrients, and while they may have undergone mechanical
processing (cleaning, cutting, portioning, heating, or freezing), there’s minimal
(or no) chemical or compositional treatment (adding sugar, salt, preservatives,
hydrogenated oils, or avor enhancers).
As for “plenty,” the rule of thumb is to eat at least 80 percent of your calories
from the “good stu ,” and so long as you do that, you can use your remaining
calories (20 percent or less) for your favorite treats, if you desire. Hence the
“ exible” in “ exible dieting.”

4. Eat a balance of carbohydrate and fat that works for you.

If you’re like most people, this nal principle of exible dieting o ers a welcome
counterpoint to many current dietary dogmas. High-carb, low-carb, high-fat,
low-fat—these choices don’t much matter for improving your body composition,
but they do for enjoying your diet. And so, with Bigger Leaner Stronger, you can
eat carbs—even lots of carbs, if you prefer—including the ones you like to eat.
You’ll eat dietary fat, too, to support health, feel fuller, and enhance avor, but
you won’t have to eat nearly as much as people following, let’s say, a ketogenic or
paleo diet (unless you want to eat that way).
To better understand why restricting carbs is unnecessary (and is actually
counterproductive when you’re physically active), let’s discuss what a
carbohydrate is and what happens in your body when you eat it.
Whether we’re talking about the natural carbs (sugars) found in fruit or
vegetables or the processed ones found in candy or soda, carbs of all types are
composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen and are turned into a simple
molecule in the body called glucose, which the blood transports to cells for use.
e key di erence between these forms of carbohydrate is the con ersion rate—
the soda contains sucrose (table sugar), which turns into glucose quickly, whereas
the fruit and vegetables contain uctose and starch, slower-burning sugars.
Some people say the slower a carbohydrate is digested, the “healthier” it is
and vice versa—hence the dietary protocols that revolve around eating only
“slow” carbs. is is mostly wrong. To be sure, vegetables are slow carbs that we
should eat regularly, but a baked potato is a “fast” carb that’s rich in vital
nutrients; white rice—a nutritive “fast” grain—isn’t associated with negative
health e ects; and a Snickers Bar is a slower carb than oatmeal, one of the greatest
grains for human health. So, a slow carb isn’t always a high-quality one and a fast
one isn’t always junk.
e primary reason we can’t replace carbs like potato, rice, and oatmeal with
sugary delights isn’t because of how quickly or slowly we assimilate them, but
because the body needs a lot more than just glucose to survive, let alone thrive. It
also needs vitamins, minerals, ber, and other substances not found in junk food
and beverages. Hence the association between eating large amounts of added
sugar, like sucrose and fructose, and obesity, metabolic and health conditions, and
nutritional de ciencies. People who eat too much added sugar tend to eat too
little nutritious food, which harms their health. at doesn’t mean that we need
to completely avoid nutrient-poor carbs, though, or restrict our consumption of
all forms of carbohydrate, especially those with health bene ts like whole grains,
fruit, vegetables, and legumes.
What’s more, if you’re healthy and physically active, you’ll likely do better
with a moderate- or even high-carb diet, not a low-carb one (especially if you’re
doing strength training). Your body creates a substance from carbohydrate
known as glycogen, stores it in the muscles and liver, and uses it for fuel during
intense exercise. When you cut your carbs, your body’s glycogen reserves fall, and
studies show that this hurts workout performance and processes related to muscle
repair and growth. e situation is exacerbated by the fact that, when you’re
exercising regularly, restricting carbs also raises your cortisol and lowers your
testosterone levels, which further hinders performance and recovery. It’s no
surprise, then, that research shows athletes following a low-carb diet recover
slower and gain less muscle and strength than those eating more carbs.
Now you know why, in the next chapter, I’ll invite you to eat a considerable
amount of carbs regardless of whether you’re looking to maximize fat loss or
muscle gain. And if you’re tempted (but timid) to accept my o er because of the
specter of weight gain (and worse) that you’ve been warned about elsewhere, just
follow the plan exactly as it’s laid out, and within mere weeks, the results will be
undeniable, and your fears will be routed.
 Let’s now talk about dietary fat, the darling du jour of the diet industry, the
star of runaway hits like paleo and ketogenic diets. According to some nutrition
experts, a high-fat diet is a near cure-all. No matter what may ail you—obesity,
lethargy, brain fog, acne, you name it—they claim the solution is simple: just eat
more dietary fat (and, incidentally, less carbohydrate).
As you’ve likely already guessed, I don’t share their enthusiasm for this
slippery little molecule. Although you need to eat a fair amount of dietary fat to
stay healthy, you have no reason to follow a high-fat diet unless you enjoy it, and
even then, you may want to consider dialing it back. Let’s talk about why, starting
with a discussion of the two di erent fats found in food: triglycerides and
cholesterol.

Triglycerides
Most of the dietary fat that we eat is in the triglyceride form, which is composed
of three molecules of one or more fatty acids and one molecule of glycerol (a
colorless, odorless, syrupy, sweet liquid).
Triglycerides are found in many foods, including dairy, nuts, seeds, meat, and
more, and come in two types: ose that are liquid at room temperature
(unsaturated) and those that are solid (saturated). Both are necessary, bolstering
health and tness in many ways—absorbing nutrients from food, creating
hormones, supporting skin and hair health, etc.—but there are important
di erences between them that you should know about.

Saturated Fat
From the 1950s until just recently, o cialdom has claimed that eating saturated
fat increases the risk of heart disease—full stop. We now know this isn’t true.
While prominent nutrition and cardiology researchers still maintain that eating
too much saturated fat can impair heart health, low-to-moderate intake appears to
pose no risk to our tickers.
e diet and supplement industries have made mountains of hay with this
reversal, spawning all manner of high-fat diets and supplements that allow or
even encourage eating nearly unlimited amounts of saturated fat. e problem,
however, is that much of the scienti c literature used to promote these regimens
has been criticized by respected researchers as deeply awed, and some studies
still show a weak but consistent relationship between high saturated fat intake
and heart disease. us, many scientists still stand by the generally accepted
dietary guidelines for saturated fat intake, which is less than 10 percent of daily
calories, and I agree—nobody can credibly claim that eating large amounts of
saturated fat can’t endanger your health.

Unsaturated Fat
Unsaturated fat comes in two forms: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Monounsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature and solidi es when cooled,
and some of the better sources include nuts and their oils, olive oil, seeds and
their oils, avocado and its oil, and many types of meat, poultry, and seafood. is
is one of the best forms of fat you can eat—studies show that monounsaturated
fat can reduce the risk of heart disease, and it also appears to be responsible for
some of the health bene ts associated with the Mediterranean diet, which
involves eating a lot of olive oil.
Polyunsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature and remains so when
cooled, and common sources include sa ower, sesame, and sun ower seeds and
oils, corn, many nuts and their oils, and sh such as salmon, sardines, tuna, trout,
mackerel, and herring. ere are two types of polyunsaturated fats known as
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids—designations that refer to their chemical
structures. We must get these fatty acids from our diet (our body can’t produce
them from other substances), which is why they’re referred to as essential fatty
acids.
ese molecules produce many e ects in the body, and while the chemistry
is complex, omega-6 fatty acids generally cause “bad” (but sometimes necessary)
things to happen, including higher levels of in ammation and insulin resistance,
and omega-3 fatty acids generally cause “good” (but sometimes inappropriate)
things to happen, including less in ammation and more insulin sensitivity.
Some people think that means they should avoid omega-6 fatty acids and
load up on omega-3s, but the key is striking the right balance. While scientists
once believed that it was important to keep omega-6 fatty acid intake relatively
low, the latest research suggests that eating enough omega-3 fatty acids is more
important than restricting omega-6 intake. Speci cally, a ratio of omega-6-to-
omega-3 intake between 2:1 and 1:1 appears to be optimal, which for most
people would require at least 3-to-6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day.
Unfortunately, though, the average American doesn’t approach this target.
What with the large amounts of vegetable oil, butter, meat, and eggs low in
omega-3 fatty acids and the paltry amount of fatty sh (the best dietary source of
omega-3 fatty acids) in his diet, Joe Six Pack eats less than 2 grams of omega-3
fatty acids per day on average and maintains a ratio of omega-6-to-omega-3 in the
range of 15-to-17:1. Eventually, this can play havoc with his health, increasing the
risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and in ammatory and autoimmune
diseases.
ankfully, the solution is straightforward: swap several weekly servings of
poultry, pork, or red meat for fatty sh (salmon is my personal favorite) or
supplement with sh oil (which we’ll talk more about later in this book).

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is the other form of fat found in food, and it’s a waxy substance
present in all cells that’s used to make hormones, vitamin D, and chemicals that
aid digestion.
Like saturated fat, cholesterol has long been maligned as harmful to heart
health, but recent research has shown that this isn’t accurate. A crucial detail is
how cholesterol is delivered to cells. It’s carried by molecules known as
lipoproteins, which are made of fat and proteins. ere are two kinds of
lipoproteins:

1. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

2. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)

Although similar in structure, these molecules have di erent e ects in the

body. Studies show that high levels of LDL in your blood can lead to an
accumulation of fat in your arteries and increase the risk of heart disease, which is
why people generally refer to it as the “bad” type of cholesterol. HDL, on the
other hand, carries cholesterol to your liver and other organs, which ushes it
from your body, earning it the reputation as a “good” molecule.
Scientists are still studying how lipoproteins work, but the current weight of
the evidence shows that you want to keep your LDL levels relatively low and your
HDL levels higher. Despite what you may have heard, the best ways to do this
aren’t eating a low-cholesterol diet and avoiding saturated fat. e recipe is
fourfold:

1. Regular exercise (especially intense exercise, including strength

training)
2. Healthy (relatively low) body fat levels
3. Good sleep hygiene
4. Not smoking

Studies also suggest that out of the four, regular intense exercise most
bene ts cholesterol levels, which points to a theme in the tness literature—in
some ways, exercise alone can neutralize at least some of the downsides of other
unhealthy habits, including a poor diet. It would be a stretch to call exercise a
natural panacea, but it may be as close to one as we’ll ever have.
By now you likely see why exible dieting allows you to nd a balance of
carbohydrate and dietary fat that works for you. Once you screen the evidence
and separate the facts from the falsehoods, you realize that this approach not only
re ects the science of how these macronutrients a ect your health, performance,
and body composition, but also allows you to enjoy your diet—the critical
component of long-term success. In other words, exible dieting is one of the
only styles of eating that works as well in reality as it looks on paper.

Time and again, headlines announce that “diets don’t work.” According to one
study or expert or another, if an eating practice quali es as “dieting,” it won’t help
most people lose signi cant amounts of weight and keep it o . You’ve probably at
least entertained the idea yourself based on your own experiences with fad diets
that have come and gone over the years.
is is like saying that economics or politics “don’t work”—reductive and
at-out ridiculous when you understand that the problems aren’t with the
framework but the forms. Most diets don’t work simply because they suck—they
heavily restrict calories, which makes you miserable; they neglect protein, which
means more hunger and muscle loss; they forbid foods, which frets your nerves;
and they lack an exit ramp for returning to normal eating, which is why so many
people regain some, much, or even all the fat they lose.
None of that means that all forms of dieting must suck and fail, though. As
you’ll soon see for yourself, your diet can be e ective, enjoyable, and sustainable,
no matter your goals and tastes. With exible dieting, you can secure a 360-
degree win. And in the next chapter, you’ll learn how, including guring out your
calories, macros, and food choices, culminating in your rst Bigger Leaner
Stronger meal plan that you can implement right away, while you read the rest of
this book.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

You use diet to control your body fat level and boost muscle growth, and
you use training to gain and maintain strength and muscle.
“Flexible dieting” has four steps: control your calories, eat plenty of
protein, eat plenty of nutritious, relatively unprocessed foods, and eat a
balance of carbohydrate and fat that works for you.
Controlling your calories is the rst and most important part of
controlling your weight and improving your body composition.
To lose fat, you must consistently eat fewer calories than you burn.
To maximize muscle growth, you must consistently eat more calories than
you burn.
If you want to maintain your body fat level and slowly add muscle and
strength, you want your calorie intake to roughly match your calorie
expenditure.
A high-protein diet is superior to a low-protein diet in multiple ways,
especially for people looking to improve their body composition.
Eating plenty of nutritious, relatively unprocessed foods prevents
nutritional de ciencies that cause health problems, impair mental and
physical performance, and even blunt fat loss and muscle gain.
A good rule of thumb is to eat at least 80 percent of your calories from
nutritious, unprocessed foods, and use your remaining calories (20
percent or less) for your favorite treats, if you desire.
If you’re healthy and physically active, you’ll likely do better with a
moderate- or even high-carb diet, not a low-carb one (especially if you’re
doing strength training).
While eating too much saturated fat can impair heart health, a low-to-
moderate intake of less than 10 percent of daily calories appears to pose
no risk to our tickers.
Eating enough omega-3 fatty acids is more important than restricting
omega-6 intake. Speci cally, a ratio of omega-6-to-omega-3 intake
between 2:1 and 1:1 appears to be optimal, which for most people would
require at least 3-to-6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day.
e current weight of the evidence shows that you want to keep your
LDL levels relatively low and your HDL levels higher, which is best done
by exercising regularly, maintaining relatively low body fat levels, getting
enough sleep, and not smoking.
 e Big Ideas

1. Calcu ate how many calories to eat every

day.
2. Calcu ate how much protein, carbohydrate,
and fat to eat every day.
3. Eat plenty of nutritious foods you like and
allow for treats.
 9

The Easiest Way to Calculate Your

Calories and Macros

You are right to be wary. ere is much bullshit. Be wary of me too, because I
may be wrong. Make up your own mind a er you evaluate all the evidence and
the logic.
—MARK RIPPETOE

W
ith the exible dieting formula you learned in the last chapter,
you can transform not only your physique but also your
relationship with food. You can lose fat and gain muscle while
giving yourself permission to eat a wide variety of foods you enjoy without guilt
or shame. You can steadily follow a meal plan without being consumed by it. You
can nourish your body without neglecting your needs.
ere’s a catch, however: It involves some math. It’s simple stu —basic
arithmetic—and I’ll carefully explain and illustrate each step, but if gures make
your eyes glaze, take your time with this material. Not only do I know with
certainty that you can master the numbers (I’ve yet to have anyone drop out of
this class), I also have a contingency plan: Ready-made meal plans for losing fat
and building muscle. You won’t want to follow these templates for long (you’ll
want to customize them), but they can help you get into your stride.
 To give you a foretaste of the Bigger Leaner Stronger method of exible
dieting, let’s walk through what a typical day on this program might look like. As
you’ll see, I’ll ask you to use measuring utensils to ensure you don’t accidentally
over- or undereat, but in time, as you become attuned to proper portion sizes,
you’ll use the spoons, cups, and scale less and less until you don’t need them at all
(except in special circumstances—like dramatic changes in your meal plan).
So, here we go: You wake up and mix a scoop of protein powder with some
water, milk, or a milk substitute, and you eat a banana. at holds you over until
the middle of the morning, when you enjoy a cup of low-fat Greek yogurt (or, if
you’re like me, Icelandic skyr) and 10 halves of walnuts. Next is lunch, where you
have 5 ounces of chicken or sh on a homemade salad topped with tomato,
carrot, and three tablespoons of your favorite dressing. A couple of hours later, it’s
mida ernoon snack time, and you eat a cup of low-fat cottage cheese topped with
½ a cup of blueberries on a buttered English mu n. en, at dinner, you cook up
a tasty meal of another 5 ounces of chicken or sh, a cup of coconut rice, and a
vegetable medley. Finally, to end on a (sugar) high note, you savor 3 ounces of
your favorite dark chocolate. Your actual mileage will vary, of course, but this
example gives you a avor of the straightforward nature of the program.
In the previous chapter, you learned the framework of exible dieting, and
now, you’ll learn the eldwork—the practical formula for tting it to your goals
and lifestyle. is process has four steps:

1. Calculate your calorie target.

2. Calculate your macro targets.
3. Choose your foods.
4. Create your meal plan.

Let’s review each, starting with the rst element: calories.

 How Many Calories Should You Eat Every Day?
Suppose you’re planning to drive across the country with a friend, and they say
they want to do it without looking at the gas tank. ey insist you should only
stop to refuel when you feel like stopping, and only pump as much (or as little)
gas as you feel like pumping. What would you think?
What if they noticed your side-eye and snapped back with something like, “I
refuse to be a slave to the fuel meter! I’ll drive however I want!” Or “Someone on
Instagram said you don’t have to worry about fuel levels if you use organic,
gluten-free, low-carb, non-GMO gasoline.” Or “Who wants to constantly keep
an eye on fuel levels? ere has to be a better way.” What would you do next?
Gather up your toys and go play with someone else, right?
e point is, when someone says they want to improve their body
composition without even considering their calorie intake, they’re acting just as
cracked. You don’t have to count calories per se (although there are good reasons
to do so, at least initially), but if you want to greatly increase your odds of success,
you need to ensure that your energy balance serves your goals.
Fortunately, you don’t need a degree in Excel or even a special app to gure
out how many calories to eat—just the calculator in your phone. First, you need
to decide what you want to do with your physique. Here are your basic options:

Cutting—If you want to get leaner, you need to consistently eat fewer
calories than you burn. Fitness folk call this a “cutting phase.”
Lean gaining—If you want to maximize muscle and strength gain, you
need to consistently eat slightly more calories than you’re burning. is
is a “lean gaining” phase.
Maintaining—If you’re happy with your body composition, and you
want to slowly (and for more experienced weightli ers, very slowly)
add muscle and strength without gaining fat, you need to consistently
 eat about the same number of calories you’re burning. is is a
“maintenance phase.”

To get the body you want, all you have to do is use lean gaining phases to
focus on adding muscle mass to your frame (along with some fat) and then
cutting phases to strip away that fat (while retaining the newly gained muscle).
ink of it like sculpting, where you add clay (lean gaining) and then mold it
(cutting) until you’re ready to present your creation’s nal form (maintenance).
is is how you transform your physique.
Maintenance can feel like quite a luxury, too, because the tter you get, the
more lenient you can be with your diet and training without losing ground. It
takes a lot more time, e ort, and precision to build a great physique than to
maintain one, so once you’re ready to ip on the cruise control, you’ll be able to
eat more loosely, allowing your calories and macronutrients to uctuate more
than usual. If you desire, you can also scale back your strength training to try
other types of exercise that may interest you, like calisthenics, circuit training,
Olympic weightli ing, martial arts, cross-training, or something else.
is phased approach to bodybuilding is vitally important, but understood
and followed by few. Instead, most people try to gain muscle and lose fat at the
same time and wind up failing on both fronts. Why? “Body recomposition,” as it’s
known, is only possible to any signi cant degree when you’re new to strength
training and your body is hyper-responsive to it. Once your “newbie gains” have
expired, however—six to eight months for most people—the only way to
continue gaining muscle and strength is lean gaining, which always entails at least
some fat gain as well, and the only way to lose fat is still cutting.
Whenever someone comes to me stuck in a body composition rut, this
phenomenon is almost always one of the reasons. ey haven’t faced up to the
fact that the rules have changed and they no longer can have their cake and eat it
too. ey’re usually eating maintenance calories (and o en think they’re eating
far more than they really are), and as they err on the side of undereating to
prevent fat gain, they’re also frequently in a slight calorie de cit. When this is the
case, they’ll remain stalled no matter what they do in the gym.
Remember this advice as you watch your abs fade while you’re in a lean
gaining phase. You’ll have them back soon enough (along with a slightly tter
physique). Furthermore, realize that body fat going up when you’re lean gaining is
a good sign because most people gain about as much muscle as fat. us, you
know you’re succeeding when your body weight, body fat, and strength are all
rising.

How Many Calories You Should Eat When Cutting

We’ve established that you must consistently eat fewer calories than you burn to
lose signi cant amounts of fat, but how many fewer? Ten percent? Twenty
percent? More?
Some experts counsel mild calorie restriction and modest workouts to lean
out over many months. e advantages of this “slow cutting” approach
supposedly include less muscle loss, better workouts, as well as less hunger and
fewer cravings. is isn’t entirely wrong, only wrongheaded. Slow cutting can feel
easier than a more aggressive approach, but the upsides are minor in most people
and o set by a major drawback: duration.
Slow cutting is, well, slow, and this can cause more trouble than eating less
food every day. For instance, by eating 10 percent fewer calories than you burn
every day instead of 20 percent fewer, you’re halving your rate of fat loss and
doubling the duration of your cutting phase. And if you’re like most people, the
longer you’re restricting your calories, even slightly, the more likely you are to
stumble over or even succumb to life disruptions, dietary slip-ups, scheduling
snafus, etc. So when cutting, we don’t want to take the scenic route and risk
losing our way. Instead, we want to zip directly toward our destination, with as
few stops as we can comfortably manage. is way, we get faster results while
spending less time restricting our calories and more time enjoying more food.
Fortunately, when you know what you’re doing, you can achieve rapid fat
loss without sacri cing muscle, su ering in the gym, or sinking your metabolism.
is mostly depends on how many calories and how much protein you eat. As for
the calories, my recommendation for cutting phases is an aggressive-but-not-
reckless calorie de cit of 20-to-25 percent.
is isn’t a range I picked from thin air. Research shows that, when
combined with resistance training and a high-protein diet, eating 75-to-80
percent of the calories you’re burning every day strikes an ideal balance between
fat loss and muscle preservation—even in lean athletes who are more susceptible
to losing muscle while cutting.
How many calories is that for you, though? is is where many evidence-
based tness guys like me would begin sharing formulas for calculating basal
metabolic rate (how much energy you burn at rest) and then total daily energy
expenditure (your basal metabolic rate plus additional energy burned through
physical activity and digesting food).
is approach has advantages, especially with people who are unusually
active, but chances are you’re not one of those people, so we can take a shortcut.
When cutting, eating between 8 to 12 calories per pound of body weight per day
creates a 20-to-25 percent calorie de cit in most people. If a guy weighs 210
pounds and wants to lose fat rapidly, he should eat between 1,700 (210 x 8,
rounded up by 20 calories) and 2,500 (210 x 12, rounded down by 20 calories)
calories per day.
You should choose the low or high end of the range based on how physically
active you are.
If you’re sedentary (little to no exercise or vigorous physical activity),
you’d have to choose the lowest number (8) to lose a signi cant amount
of fat. is can work (a calorie de cit is a calorie de cit, a er all), but it
makes for a meager meal plan (“poverty macros” as bodybuilders like to
say) and all but guarantees muscle loss. Furthermore, if you simply eat
more without also exercising, you’re now “slow cutting,” which is also
suboptimal. is is one of the many reasons I don’t recommend solely
restricting calories for weight loss—including exercise, particularly
strength training, makes the process more productive and enjoyable.
If you’re lightly active (one-to-three hours of exercise or vigorous
physical activity per week), you should choose the middle of the range
(9-to-10 calories per pound of body weight per day). is, for instance,
would be appropriate if you’re following the 3-day Bigger Leaner
Stronger program and don’t do any cardio to speed up your fat loss.
If you’re moderately active (four-to-seven hours of exercise or vigorous
physical activity per week), you should choose the highest number
(12). is would be a good place to start if you’re following the 3-day
program and doing an hour or two of cardio per week or if you’re
following the 5-day program with no cardio.
If you’re very active (eight or more hours of exercise or vigorous
physical activity per week), you’ll likely want to eat more than 12
calories per pound of body weight per day when cutting—14 or even
16 depending on how much energy you’re generally burning every day.
is is a case where more detailed metabolic calculations are
recommended, and to make it easy for you, I’ve created a total daily
energy expenditure calculator that you can nd at
www.biggerleanerstronger.com/TDEE.
 And just like that, we’ve demysti ed an element of dieting—calorie intake—
that stymies so many, ranging from the hal earted weekend warrior to the hard-
charging athlete. But how can the answer be so artless? How can such a simple
method work?
It starts with a little-known fact: Your basic metabolic needs for survival
drive most of the body’s energy expenditure, not physical activity. For instance,
the brain alone accounts for about 20 percent of the basal metabolic rate, and
excluding muscle, the other major organs are responsible for another 60 percent.
To give that context, my basal metabolic rate is about 2,100 calories per day, so
nearly 1,700 of those calories are just the table stakes of staying alive.
Soon a er scientists discovered how energy hungry our organs are, they
realized that with the right data, they could produce a mathematical model for
estimating energy expenditure in people who didn’t move around much. Next,
they set out to expand their computations to include an estimation of the
additional calories burned from moving around. To do this, researchers
exhaustively explored the energy costs of various types of activities and used their
ndings to slowly increase the accuracy and utility of their predictive formulas.
Eventually, all they needed to approximate someone’s all-in energy expenditure
was their gender, weight, and amount of light, moderate, and vigorous physical
activity per week.
is line of work was (and still is) unknown to most, but it gained currency
among the more scienti cally minded bodybuilders, who started to use it to
re ne their nutrition plans for more fat loss and muscle growth. en, astute
practitioners developed guidelines based on patterns they observed, like 8-to-12
calories per pound of body weight per day for cutting and others, which I’ll also
share with you in this chapter.
So, while these dietary signposts are simple, don’t mistake them as simplistic.
Additionally, remember that no matter how involved calculating calorie intake is,
it only gives you a reasonable starting place, to be adjusted based on how your
body responds (something we’ll discuss later in this book).

How Many Calories You Should Eat When Lean Gaining

As you learned in chapter 7, the easiest way to maximize muscle building is to
intentionally eat more calories than you burn. You don’t want to overdo this,
though, because a er a point, eating more only makes you fatter, not tter. What
is this threshold? Research suggests that it’s somewhere around 110 percent of
your total daily energy expenditure. is means that you can gain almost as much
muscle (but a lot less fat) eating 10 percent more calories than you burn every day
as you can at 20 or 30 percent more.
So that’s my recommendation for calibrating calories when lean gaining:
Maintain a calorie surplus of about 10 percent. For most people, this comes out
to 16-to-18 calories per pound of body weight per day.
As with cutting, you should choose your number based on how physically
active you are.

If you’re sedentary (no exercise or vigorous activity), you shouldn’t be

lean gaining because extra calories without resistance training just
makes you fatter.
If you’re lightly active (one-to-three hours of exercise or vigorous
activity per week), start with 16 (and try to do at least three strength
training workouts per week).
If you’re moderately active ( ve or more hours of exercise or vigorous
activity per week), go with 17, and then if you aren’t steadily gaining
weight and strength, move up to 18.
 If you’re very active (eight or more hours of exercise or vigorous
physical activity per week), use my total daily energy expenditure
calculator (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/TDEE) to determine how
many calories you should eat when lean gaining.

How Many Calories You Should Eat When Maintaining

Twelve-to-sixteen calories per pound of body weight per day is the sweet spot for
most people when maintaining.

If you’re sedentary, choose the lowest number (and start training!).

If you’re lightly active, 13-to-14 should work.
If you’re moderately active, 15-to-16.
If you’re very active, use my total daily energy expenditure calculator
(www.biggerleanerstronger.com/TDEE) to determine how many
calories you should eat when maintaining.

And that’s it for calories. Before you can use what you’ve just learned to
create e ective meal plans, though, we need to address your protein,
carbohydrate, and fat intake (macros).

How Much Protein You Should Eat

ere’s a lot of con icting advice on protein intake. Zealous meat eaters and
weightli ers o en suggest sky-high amounts, up to 2 grams per pound of body
weight per day. On the other hand, many tness experts, especially those
following plant-based diets, advocate a much lower amount, ranging between 0.5
and 0.8 grams per pound of body weight per day.
Fortunately, a large amount of research has been done on the protein needs
of physically active people. For example, the authors of a review published in the
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition explain that 0.55-to-1
gram of protein per pound of body weight per day—or 25-to-40 percent of daily
calories—is adequate for supporting muscle gain so long as calories are at or
above expenditure (maintenance or lean gaining). And when calories are
restricted for fat loss, the authors suggest a higher protein intake: 1-to-1.5 grams
per pound of body weight per day. at said, the higher end of that range isn’t
necessary unless you’re lean and muscular and working to get very lean (a
bodybuilder preparing for a show, for instance).
For the rest of us, 1-to-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight per
day when cutting is adequate, and if someone’s very overweight, 0.6-to-0.8 grams
per pound of body weight per day is su cient. And when lean gaining and
maintaining, 0.8-to-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day is
tting. In all cases, protein intake usually comes out to around 30-to-40 percent
of daily calories.
To put ideal protein intake into perspective, here’s the protein content of
popular high-protein foods:

A full chicken breast: ~55 grams of protein

A 3-ounce steak: ~24 grams of protein
A 3-ounce salmon let: ~19 grams of protein
A cup of low-fat Greek or Icelandic (my favorite) yogurt: ~15 grams of
protein
An ounce of Parmesan cheese: 11 grams of protein
An egg: 6 grams of protein
A cup of pinto, mung, or fava beans: ~14 grams of protein
A cup of green peas: 8 grams of protein
A cup of cooked rice or quinoa: ~7 grams of protein
A scoop of whey protein powder: ~20 grams of protein
A protein bar: 15-to-20 grams of protein, depending on the brand
 As you can see, high-protein eating is fairly straightforward—a couple of
servings of meat or sh per day along with some dairy, legumes, or whole grains,
and maybe a scoop or two of protein powder if needed. is may be more protein
than you’re used to eating, but in my experience, most people settle into the
routine within a month or two. If you’re concerned because you’re not big on
meat, seafood, and dairy (the best whole-food sources of protein), you can lean
more on sources of high-quality plant protein (beans, spelt, chickpeas, lentils, and
seitan are my top picks) or protein powders.
at’s it for guring out how much protein to eat.

How Much Carbohydrate You Should Eat

Unlike protein, you have a lot of exibility with your carbohydrate intake because
it has a smaller impact on your body composition. If you prefer restricting your
carbs or even following a low-carb diet, we can make that work.
However, as eating more carbs, not less, works best for most physically active
people, especially those doing regular strength training, I recommend you start
with 30-to-50 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrate when cutting,
lean gaining, or maintaining. is comes out to about 0.75-to-2 grams of carbs
per pound of body weight per day for most people.
And how do you turn “percent of daily calories” into “grams of carbs per
day”? Easy. Let’s say you’re a 200-pound man starting a cutting phase. You’ve just
determined your daily calorie target is 2,100 calories, and you want to get 40
percent of those calories from carbs. First, you’d multiply 2,100 by 0.4 to get 840.
en, since each gram of carbohydrate contains about 4 calories, you divide the
calories of carbs by 4 to determine how many grams to eat every day. So, in our
example, you’d divide 840 by 4, which comes to 210 grams of carbs per day.
Now, if you like lower-carb living, you can adjust that number downward—
15-to-20 percent of daily calories from carbs works well for many people because
it gives enough room for a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables—or upward
to 50 or even 60 percent if you particularly enjoy carbs, so long as you ensure that
the majority of those calories are nutritious and that your protein and fat intake
doesn’t drop too low.
Also, if you drastically cut your carbs, you’ll need to increase either your
protein or your fat intake to ensure you don’t eat too few calories. I could make
an argument for increasing just your protein intake (more satiety and possibly
more muscle growth and less fat gain), but it won’t likely work because most low-
carbers want to “trade” carbs for more fat, not protein, and that’s ne so long as it
doesn’t send saturated fat soaring. Anyway, to successfully adjust your
carbohydrate intake downward, you only need to know how to turn additional
calories allotted to protein and fat into grams. Like carbohydrate, protein also
contains about 4 calories per gram, and fat has about 9 per gram, so here’s a
simple way to work the numbers:

1. Calculate your daily calories from carbs.

2. Calculate your daily calories from protein.
3. Add them together and subtract the sum from your total daily calories.
4. Assign the remaining calories to protein and fat as you see t.

To illustrate this, say you’re 200 pounds again and plan on eating 2,100
calories and 200 grams of protein per day with 20 percent of calories from carbs.
To determine grams of carbs per day, you do the following: 2,000 x 0.2 = 420 and
420 / 4 = 105. To turn 200 grams of protein into calories: 200 x 4 = 800. en,
to add them together and subtract the sum from total daily calories: 420 + 800 =
1,220, which is deducted from 2,100 for 880 calories remaining to give over to
protein or fat, and if you wanted to allocate them all to fat: 880 / 9 = 98 grams
(which you could round up to 100). us, your macros would be 200 grams of
protein, 105 grams of carbs, and 95 to 100 grams of fat, for a total of
approximately 2,100 calories.

How Much Fat You Should Eat

You don’t need nearly as much dietary fat for optimal health as the fat freaks
claim. Studies show that 20-to-30 percent of daily calories from fat—0.2-to-0.4
grams of fat per pound of body weight per day for most people—works well. If
you’re following a low-carb diet, however, you can eat a lot more fat than that—
up to 50-to-60 percent of daily calories depending on your preferences.
ere are two ways to tally your daily fat target:

1. Figure out your protein and carb targets rst, and see how many
calories that leaves for fat.
2. Figure out your protein and fat targets rst, and see how many calories
that leaves for carbs.

If you care more about eating enough carbs than splurging on fat, go with
number one, and if eating oodles of fat is more important to you than carbs,
number two. Either way, the procedure is the same: turn the two macros you’ve
worked out into calories, subtract the sum from your total daily calories to learn
how many you have le for the nal macro, and change those remaining calories
into grams.
For instance, if you weigh 170 pounds and are starting a lean gaining phase,
you may work out your calories and macros like this:

170 x 17 = 2,890 calories per day, rounded up to 2,900

170 grams of protein per day, which is 170 x 4 = 680 calories
2,900 x 0.5 = 1,450 calories from carbs per day, which is 1,450 / 4 =
362 grams, rounded down to 360
 680 + 1,450 = 2,130 subtracted from 2,900 = 770 calories per day
remaining for fat, which is 770 / 9 = 85 grams

Once you’ve nished calculating your macros, you can quickly con rm
you’ve done it correctly by multiplying your protein and carbs by 4 and fat by 9
and checking the result against your daily calorie target. ey won’t match
exactly, but they should be within 5 percent or so of each other. If the result is o
by a signi cant margin, however, review your math because there’s a mistake.
To help you better understand all of this in practice, let’s review some more
examples of calorie and macro targets for di erent dietary preferences (primarily
adjustments to carbohydrate and fat), weights, goals, and activity levels. Also, I’ll
continue rounding up and down for the sake of simplicity—62 grams of fat
becomes 60, for instance, 278 grams of carbs becomes 280, and so forth.

Weight Goal Activity Level Calories Protein Carbs Fat

170 lbs Cutting 3 hours/week 1,700 170 130 55

190 lbs Cutting 6 hours/week 2,300 190 230 70
210 lbs Cutting 2 hours/week 2,100 210 170 65
230 lbs Cutting 5 hours/week 2,800 230 290 80
250 lbs Cutting 8 hours/week 3,000 200 370 80
150 lbs Lean gaining 5 hours/week 2,700 150 320 90
170 lbs Lean gaining 3 hours/week 2,700 170 340 75
190 lbs Lean gaining 8 hours/week 3,400 190 435 100

So much for the arithmetic of dieting. Now let’s thrash out food choices.

What Kind of Foods You Should Eat

I wish that we could supercharge our body and mind by eating just a few portions
of special foods every day, but it just ain’t so. No individual food transforms our
health or tness. Only a lifestyle can do that—one that prioritizes proper
nutrition, training, sleep hygiene, and rest and recovery.
Unfortunately, gri ers never let pesky facts foil a ripe opportunity for fraud,
and so we have the “superfood” bonanza, starring greens, grains, seeds, fruits, and
other predominantly plant-derived foods. is craze has motivated many people
to eat better, but it has also sowed confusion about how the body works and how
to boost health and wellness. Here’s the score: you need to eat several portions of
fruit and vegetables every day to get adequate nutrition, including vitamins,
minerals, and ber. And if your macros allow it, a daily portion of whole grains
and legumes is also advisable.
is element of eating is nonnegotiable. Just as you can’t reliably manage
your weight without an understanding of energy balance or reliably gain muscle
without a high-protein diet, you can’t maintain optimal long-term health without
eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables. No exceptions.
Eating a variety of fruits and veggies—especially colorful ones—is also
helpful, because some contain more of certain nutrients than others. Most of your
calories should come from a combination of these types of foods and whole
grains (brown rice, corn, oats, quinoa, barley, etc.), healthy fat (oils—especially
olive oil—nuts, seeds, and avocado are excellent), legumes (beans and peas), and
tubers (potatoes and other root vegetables).
As for protein sources, the worthiest are animal foods like meat, sh, eggs,
dairy, whey, and casein. While many plant foods contain protein, and sometimes
a fair amount per serving, it’s o en less conducive to muscle gain than animal
protein because of de ciencies related to their amino acid pro les, bioavailability,
or both. at isn’t to say you can’t get t on a plant-based diet—you absolutely
can—only that it’s trickier and requires studious micromanagement of your diet.
For all the diversity of food choices I’ve just given you, you may have noticed
that I didn’t include any caloric beverages. is is intentional because they o en
have little nutritional value and don’t satiate like food, making them a generally
poor source of calories. Drink 500 calories of fruit juice or soda, which contains
little or no nutritional value, and you can be hungry an hour later, whereas 500
calories of nutrient-dense protein and veggies will keep you full for hours. Little
wonder, then, that studies show that sugary drink consumption is associated with
weight gain and an increased risk of several medical problems, including diabetes
and an increased risk of obesity.
at said, you don’t have to completely abstain from all caloric beverages.
Except in the case of whole milk, a source of protein and healthy fat, you just have
to regard caloric drinks as treats—the next and nal element of Bigger Leaner
Stronger meal planning we’ll discuss.
What should you drink, then? Water, of course. In fact, drinking enough
water is a simple shortcut to better health and performance. Research shows that
dehydration hurts cognition, mood, and endurance, causes constipation, and may
even increase the risk of heart disease.
As for how much water you should drink, if you simply drink whenever
you’re thirsty, you’ll stay well hydrated. While you can follow more rigid formulas
(eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day, 0.5 to 1 ounce of water per pound of
body weight per day, one liter per hour of exercise, etc.), research shows it’s
unnecessary even when you’re exercising in hot, humid conditions. If you’re
thirsty, drink water until you aren’t thirsty, and if you aren’t thirsty, don’t drink
any. is holds true even if you’re a heavy sweater or exercising in hot, humid
conditions.
While we’re talking about hydration, let’s address the common claim that
ca einated beverages like pre-workout supplements, co ee, and tea are
dehydrating. Ca eine does have a slight diuretic e ect, but studies show that it’s
negligible even at high doses (up to 500 milligrams per day) and doesn’t
signi cantly impact hydration status. So, good news: your daily dose of jitter juice
counts toward your water intake.

What About Treats?

As no individual food can harm your health—only your diet on the whole can—
no foods are o limits with exible dieting, no matter how “unhealthy” they
supposedly are. For instance, my favorite dainties are dark chocolate, ice cream,
pancakes, pastries, and pasta.
To make room for such sweetmeats, you can use up to 20 percent of your
daily calories for them when cutting, lean gaining, or maintaining, and these
calories can come from whatever mixture of protein, carbs, and fat you’d like.
Let’s see how this might work with our 2,100-calorie cutting plan. In this
case, we’d have 420 calories to give over to goodies, which provides plenty of
options—a pint of low-calorie ice cream, a bar of chocolate, ve Reese’s cups,
nearly a bag of lower-calorie chips, or a stful of Oreos. And yes, I’m saying you
can eat any of those things every single day when cutting if you’d like with
absolutely no downsides.

Should You Cut, Lean Gain, or Maintain?

If you feel your body fat percentage (the portion of your body weight that’s fat) is
too high and above all you want to get leaner, you want to cut rst. ere’s no
reason to lean gain—which will require gaining some fat—when your primary
concern right now isn’t gaining muscle as quickly as possible. e same goes if
you’re very overweight—you also want to cut rst even if your long-range goal
involves gaining a fair amount of muscle mass. is is the healthiest and smartest
way to begin your tness journey.
If you’re thin or lean and want to focus on getting bigger and stronger, you
want to lean gain. What’s more, if you’re new to strength training, research shows
that for the rst couple of months of lean gaining, you’ll gain very little fat.
Lastly, if your body fat is in a normal range, I recommend you decide to cut
or lean gain based on your body fat percentage. If you’re 15 percent body fat or
higher, start Bigger Leaner Stronger with a cutting phase to get down to 10-to-12
percent. ere are two reasons for this:

1. You’ll like how you look more. At least half of the reason you’re reading
this book is to look good, and there’s nothing wrong with that. When
you get above 15 percent body fat, abs and vascularity disappear and
you start feeling overweight, which can be demotivating. You may start
to question why you’re working so hard to look like that. By setting a
ceiling for your body fat percentage, however, you’ll nd it easier to stay
the course.
2. Your cutting phases will be easier. e higher your body fat percentage
is at the beginning of a cut, the longer and more di cult it is to get lean
because even when you do everything right, more time restricting
calories generally means more hunger, cravings, and other pesky side
e ects of dieting. us, by never letting your body fat level get too
high, you’ll always have shorter and more manageable cuts.

Finally, if your body fat percentage is between 10-to-15 percent, you can cut
or lean gain based on what’s most exciting to you. If you’ve never felt big and
strong, and you most want to move more weight and take up more space, start
with lean gaining. And if you’ve never seen your abs and want to check that box
before committing to a calorie surplus, start with cutting.
You’re probably not sure how to determine your body fat percentage, so let’s
review that, starting with some visuals.
 As you can see, you look “athletic” around 15 percent body fat, “ripped”
around 10 percent, and “shredded” around 8 percent. To gure out your
approximate body fat percentage, simply compare your physique to those in the
chart and nd the one that’s the closest t.
Many people want to measure their body fat even more accurately, and while
this isn’t necessary to get into great shape (or even useful, really, because
ultimately all that matters is what we see in the mirror), my preferred method for
this is called skinfold testing. You should know, however, that skinfold testing
tends to work best with people who have average or above-average amounts of
body fat (15 percent and higher). In leaner people, it tends to underestimate body
fat percentage. For example, according to the method I’ll share, I’m close to 5
percent body fat, but in reality, I’m around 9 percent.
ere are di erent protocols for skinfold testing, but all involve using a
device called a caliper to pinch and measure the thickness of the skin and fat
underneath in several places. e procedure that’s most popular among
bodybuilders is known as the Jackson/Pollock 3-Site method, and as the name
implies, it calls for measuring in three locations—the right pec (chest muscle),
abdomen, and right thigh. en, you use mathematical formulas for translating
those measurements into an estimated body fat percentage.
Although such a technique sounds far more precise than comparing yourself
to pictures, if the skinfold measurements aren’t taken properly, it can produce
wildly incorrect results. And remember that even when it’s done perfectly,
skinfold testing only allows you to more precisely pinpoint your body fat
percentage from, say, “13-to-16 percent” (looking at pictures) to “14-to-15
percent” (using skinfold testing).
Fortunately, however, skinfold testing is an easy skill to grasp. Let’s discuss
the key points, starting with the fundamentals.

Take all measurements on the right side of your body, standing, and
with your muscles relaxed (don’t tense or ex your muscles because this
skews measurements).
Pinch your skin by placing the thumb and fore nger about two inches
apart, rmly pushing them into your skin and then together, and then
gently pulling the fold of tissue from your body.
Measure a pinched fold by placing the tips of the caliper in the middle
of it between your ngertips (perpendicular to it), close the caliper
until it clicks (and no further), and note the measurement. (Some
 calipers don’t click when optimal pressure is applied, but the company
Accu-Measure makes a “click” type that I like.)
Take each round of measurements three times and calculate the average
for each location. is means you’d take the rst measurements of your
right pec, abdomen, and thigh, then a second set of measurements
followed by a third, and then you’d gure out the average number for
each spot. So, if your rst pec measurement is 15 mm, your second is 12
mm, and your third is 13 mm, you’d use the average of ~13 mm to
gure out your body fat percentage. As you become more skilled at
skinfold measurements (and aware of their limitations), you can take
single measurements and dispense with the averaging.

As for how to take each of those measurements:

For the pec measurement, pinch a diagonal skinfold halfway between

your nipple and the nearest edge of your armpit.
For the abdomen measurement, pinch a vertical fold of skin one inch
to the right of your belly button.
To take a thigh measurement, pinch a vertical fold of skin in the center
of the front of your thigh halfway between your kneecap and the point
where the top of your thigh meets your hip.

Once you have your pec, abdomen, and thigh averages, plug them into the
following formula to calculate your body fat percentage:

Body density = 1.10938 – (0.0008267 x sum of skinfolds) +

(0.0000016 x square of the sum of skinfolds) – (0.0002574 x age)

Body fat percentage (%) = (495 / body density) – 450

 If you’d rather skip the math, you can nd a simple calculator I created at
www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bodyfat.
With respect to maintenance phases, most people use them primarily to
maintain ideal body fat levels for extended periods of time (summer, for
example). As you neither lose fat nor enhance muscle building when maintaining,
it’s usually not a suitable way to start the Bigger Leaner Stronger program.

How Long Should You Cut, Lean Gain, and Maintain?

e duration of a cut depends on how much fat you want to lose and how quickly
you lose it, and when lean gaining, on how lean you are when you start and how
quickly you gain fat. Here are general directions to follow:

Unless you have a good reason to stop sooner (personal preference, for
instance), your cutting phases should end when you’re around 10-to-12
percent body fat. Don’t bother getting leaner unless you have a special
reason because it’s a brute to sustain (for most people, it requires a high
level of activity and dietary discipline, including meticulous calorie
tracking). us, when cutting, you can go for as long as it takes to reach
your body fat target—eight-to-twelve weeks in most cases, but your
rst cut can take signi cantly longer if you have a lot of fat to lose.

Also, some people claim you shouldn’t restrict calories for more than a few
weeks or months at a time before taking a break because it can harm your
metabolism, but such claims aren’t supported by scienti c research. at
said, if you need to cut for longer than eight weeks to reach your goal, you
don’t need to restrict your calories every day from the beginning until the
end. In fact, you probably shouldn’t. If you have a lot of fat to lose, it may
take several months, and while you could just gut it out, it’s better to split up
the cut into alternating periods of restricting and raising your calories.
An e ective and evidence-based method of doing this is to restrict calories
for six-to-eight weeks and then increase food to a maintenance level for ve-
to-seven days. ese calorie increases give you a break from the stresses
caused by dieting, which is why they’re referred to as diet breaks. Here’s how
to do a diet break correctly:

1. Calculate your daily maintenance calories by multiplying your body

weight by the appropriate number (as discussed earlier in this
chapter). Fourteen calories per pound of body weight works well for
most people who are working out at least a few times per week.
2. Determine how much you should increase your calories by
subtracting your current daily calorie intake from your maintenance
calorie target.
3. Add food to your meal plan until you reach your new calorie target,
and to amplify the bene ts of the break, get at least half of these
extra calories from carbs.
4. Follow your new meal plan for ve-to-seven days.
5. Return to your cutting plan for the next six-to-eight weeks.

Let’s see how this would work for a 200-pound man cutting on 2,200
calories per day. A er seven weeks of dieting, he notices his energy levels
have fallen dramatically and he’s wrangling with high levels of hunger and
cravings. Time for a diet break. To do this, he rst gures out his
maintenance calories (200 x 14 = 2,800 calories), and then how much more
he needs to eat every day (2,800 – 2,200 = 600 calories). He loves carbs, so
he decides to use all of the calories toward carbohydrate, which allows for
150 grams to be added to his meal plan (600 / 4 calories per gram of
carbohydrate). He likes oatmeal and fruit at breakfast, so he plugs that in
 along with a couple of slices of bread with his normal lunch and a cup of rice
with dinner. A er seven days of enjoying the extra food, he cuts it out of his
plan to resume his cut at 2,200 calories per day.

Unless you have a good reason to stop sooner, your lean gain phases
should end when you’re around 15-to-17 percent body fat. is gives
you plenty of time to gain muscle and strength—at least twelve-to-
sixteen weeks, usually—and ensures you don’t get too fat, which you’ll
likely regret when you have to cut.

With each cycle of lean gaining and cutting, you’ll move a little closer to
your ideal physique. When you’ve nished a cut, you can follow it with
maintenance if you’re happy with your physique or want to enjoy your muscle
de nition before lean gaining; or you can move directly into a lean gaining phase
if you want to be bigger and stronger and are ready to get a er it.
is is also why maintenance is best suited to people who have gained a
considerable amount of muscle and now want to stay lean for a while (or even
inde nitely). Remember when you’re in a maintenance phase, not much changes
with your body composition, which is great if you have the body you want, but
not if you still have work to do.

It may not seem like it yet, but you’ve just taken a major stride toward a bigger,
leaner, and stronger you and cleared one of the largest hurdles—the science of
using food you like to lose fat, gain muscle, and optimize health and wellbeing.
You now understand how to gure out how many calories to eat every day
and to translate them into protein, carbs, and fat. You also know which types of
food to indulge in and which to limit; when to cut, lean gain, and maintain; and
how to execute each of these dietary modes skillfully. We still have a gap to
bridge, though, and that’s how to use everything you’ve learned to create a
concrete meal plan that provides the right amount of calories, macros, and
nutrition for your goals while also accommodating your palate, schedule, and
eating patterns.
All that and more in the next chapter!
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

If you want to get leaner, you need to consistently eat fewer calories than
you burn. is is a “cutting phase.”
If you want to maximize muscle and strength gain, you need to
consistently eat slightly more calories than you’re burning. is is a “lean
gaining” phase.
If you’re happy with your body composition, and you want to slowly (and
for more experienced weightli ers, very slowly) add muscle and strength
without gaining fat, you need to consistently eat about the same number
of calories you’re burning. is is a “maintenance phase.”
For cutting phases, use an aggressive-but-not-reckless calorie de cit of 20-
to-25 percent. For most people, this means eating 8-to-12 calories per
pound of body weight per day.
For lean gaining phases, maintain a calorie surplus of about 10 percent.
For most people, this comes out to 16-to-18 calories per pound of body
weight per day.
Twelve-to-sixteen calories per pound of body weight per day is the sweet
spot for most people when maintaining.
1-to-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day when cutting
is adequate, and if someone’s very overweight, 0.6-to-0.8 grams per pound
of body weight per day is su cient.
When lean gaining and maintaining, 0.8-to-1 gram of protein per pound
of body weight per day is tting.
Start with 30-to-50 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrate
when cutting, lean gaining, or maintaining. is comes out to about
0.75-to-2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day for most
people.
Get 20-to-30 percent of daily calories from fat, which is 0.2-to-0.4 grams
of fat per pound of body weight per day for most people.
You need to eat several portions of fruit and vegetables every day to get
adequate nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, and ber. And if your
macros allow it, a daily portion of whole grains and legumes is also
advisable.
e best protein sources are animal foods like meat, sh, eggs, dairy,
whey, and casein.
Use up to 20 percent of your daily calories for treats when cutting, lean
gaining, or maintaining, and these calories can come from whatever
mixture of protein, carbs, and fat you’d like.
If you feel your body fat percentage (the portion of your body weight
that’s fat) is too high and above all you want to get leaner, you want to cut
rst.
If you’re thin or lean and want to focus on getting bigger and stronger,
you want to lean gain.
If your body fat is in a normal range, I recommend you decide to cut or
lean gain based on your body fat percentage. If you’re 15 percent body fat
or higher, start with a cutting phase to get down to 10-to-12 percent, and
if your body fat percentage is between 10-to-15 percent, you can cut or
lean gain based on what’s most exciting to you.
Unless you have a good reason to stop sooner (personal preference, for
instance), your cutting phases should end when you’re around 10-to-12
percent body fat.
Unless you have a good reason to stop sooner, your lean gain phases
should end when you’re around 15-to-17 percent body fat.
 e Big Ideas

1. Calcu ate your calories and macros.

2. Create your meal p an in ayers.
3. Enjoy “cheat meals” the right way.
 10

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Meal

Plan

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should
have accomplished with your ability.
—JOHN WOODEN

H
ow did you learn to ride a bike? You probably started with training
wheels, right? en, once you felt sturdy, you ditched the stabilizers
and rode freely. is gradual approach works well with diet and
exercise as well. You start with a set of simple and clear instructions, and a er
logging enough meals and workouts, you’ll be ready to add more moving parts.
is chapter gives you one of those training wheels in the form of an
e ective method of meal planning as well as done-for-you examples that you can
use to guide your e orts and get you started right away. en, in the next section
of this book, we’ll install the second wheel by learning the elements of e ective
strength training and reviewing precise training plans that’ll show you how to get
to making gains.
Now, there are many ways to create a meal plan, but the best ful ll ve
criteria. e ideal meal plan:

1. Controls your calories.

 2. Controls your macros.
3. Includes foods you like.
4. Provides adequate nutrition.
5. Follows a schedule you like.

e more a meal plan meets these standards, the more likely it is to work,
and when it accomplishes them all, results are virtually guaranteed. e Bigger
Leaner Stronger method does just that.
With my system, you’ll create a single-day eating plan that hits your calorie
and macro targets with mostly nutritional foods and then you’ll follow the plan
every day. at doesn’t mean you’ll have to eat the same foods every day, though
—you can include as much or as little variety in your plan as you’d like. For
instance, you may want to create several options for one or more meals (breakfast
or dinner A, B, or C) and choose whichever is most appetizing when you wake up
or get home from work. If you’re like most people I’ve worked with over the
years, though, you’ll discover you don’t need much or any diversity in your daily
routine when you get to eat stu you like. What’s more, you’ll also probably come
to appreciate the ease and convenience of a “samey” style of eating. In any event,
you’ll get to choose the approach that works best for you.
You can also create two (or more) meal plans if that better meets your needs.
For instance, some people like to eat fewer and di erent meals on the weekends
(skipping breakfast, usually), and this can easily be addressed with weekday and
weekend plans.

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Method of Meal Planning

e Bigger Leaner Stronger method of meal planning is simple. ere are just four
steps:

1. Calculate your calories and macros.

 2. Choose how many meals to eat.
3. Choose what to eat and drink.
4. Choose when and how much to eat and drink.

And voilà, you have a rst-class meal plan to get your teeth into. Let’s unravel
each of these points.

1. Calculate your calories and macros.

As you learned in the previous chapter, this only requires two steps: First
guring out your daily calorie target based on your body composition goal and
activity level and then turning that target into the proper proportions of macros.
e following charts sum up both calculations.

Cutting Lean Gaining Maintaining

8 calories per 12 calories per

Sedentary (little or no exercise or You shouldn’t be
pound of body pound of body
vigorous physical activity) lean gaining.
weight per day weight per day

Lightly active (one-to-four hours of 10 calories per 16 calories per 14 calories per
exercise or vigorous physical activity pound of body pound of body pound of body
per week) weight per day weight per day weight per day

Moderately active ( ve-to-eight hours 12 calories per 18 calories per 16 calories per
of exercise or vigorous physical pound of body pound of body pound of body
activity per week) weight per day weight per day weight per day

Highly active (Nine or more hours of 14+ calories per 20+ calories per 18+ calories per
exercise or vigorous physical activity pound of body pound of body pound of body
per week) weight per day weight per day weight per day

Protein Carbohydrate Fat

15-to-60 percent of daily

1-to-1.2 gram per pound of 20-to-55 percent of
calories. The sweet spot
body weight per day. When daily calories. 20-to-30
for most people is 30-to-
very overweight, 0.6-to-0.8 percent works well for
40 percent, which
Cutting grams per pound of body most people, which is
typically comes out to
weight per day. In both cases, it typically 0.2-to-0.4
0.75-to-2 grams per
typically comes out to 30-to- grams per pound of
pound of body weight per
40 percent of daily calories. body weight per day.
day.
 Lean 0.8-to-1 gram per pound of 15-to-60 percent of daily 20-to-55 percent of
gaining body weight per day calories. The sweet spot daily calories. 20-to-30
for most people is 30-to- percent works well for
40 percent, which most people, which is
typically comes out to typically 0.2-to-0.4
0.75-to-2 grams per grams per pound of
pound of body weight per body weight per day.
day.

15-to-60 percent of daily

20-to-55 percent of
calories. The sweet spot
daily calories. 20-to-30
for most people is 30-to-
percent works well for
0.8-to-1 gram per pound of 40 percent, which
Maintaining most people, which is
body weight per day typically comes out to
typically 0.2-to-0.4
0.75-to-2 grams per
grams per pound of
pound of body weight per
body weight per day.
day.

Remember these guidelines are meant to be useful jumping-o points, not

dietary diktats. You may need to modify my directions based on your actual
circumstances and how your body responds (which we’ll talk about later).
Before you keep reading, let’s take a moment to work out your calories and
macros now based on how much time you plan to give to your Bigger Leaner
Stronger workouts every week (three- to-six hours is what most people commit
to), and write them down. Refer back to the previous chapter as needed to refresh
your memory on the procedure. Also, if you’re not sure what ratio of carbs and fat
will work best for you, start with 30-to-40 percent of daily calories from each.

2. Choose how many meals to eat.

You learned in chapter 7 that eating more or fewer meals has no appreciable e ect
on metabolism or fat loss. You also learned that e ects on appetite and
satisfaction vary. at means you should set up your meal schedule according to
your inclinations and lifestyle. What matters most is eating the right amount of
calories and macros every day, not eating per a speci c pattern.
Most people settle on four-to-six meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and
dinner, with a snack before and a er lunch), but some like eating just two (lunch
and dinner) or three (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). at said, try to eat at least
two meals per day (and three or more is probably better) because research shows
that eating just one meal per day can make it harder to gain muscle.
To help you choose the right meal frequency for you, consider the following
points:

Your appetite. When scheduling your meals, account for when you’re
hungriest, and you’ll nd it much easier to stick to your meal plan and
get results. For instance, if you wake up famished, don’t force yourself
to eat a light breakfast or skip it. By extension, if you’re like me and
your appetite doesn’t rev up until lunchtime and you prefer large
dinners, feel free to plan your meals in line with this. (I train in the
morning, and I have a cappuccino and banana thirty minutes before
and a scoop of protein a er, and I don’t eat again until around noon).
One meal I don’t recommend skipping, however, is dinner because it
can result in nighttime hunger that disrupts sleep. But it can be sparse
if that works best for you—a serving of protein and vegetables is ne.
Your timing preferences. Appetite aside, what are your favorite meals
of the day? Do you love breakfast food the most? Or is a delicious
dinner more your style? Bear this in mind when creating your meal
plan. For instance, my favorite meal of the day is dinner because I like
to eat light throughout the day and then enjoy a large portion of my
calories at the end of the day, when I’m done working.
Your schedule. How many sit-down meals do you have time for? Is it
easy for you to get in your few squares or are you too busy once your
day begins? Consider the meal structure that’ll best t your routine,
and don’t be afraid to eat irregularly, go for several hours without
eating, or supplement one or two proper meals with several smaller
snack-sized ones throughout the day.
 Next, come up with a meal schedule that makes sense to you, and write it
down.

3. Choose what to eat and drink.

Once you know how many calories and macros to eat and when you’d like to eat
every day, you’re ready to gure out what foods to eat. e rst step is listing your
favorite types of …

Protein: Foods that are mostly protein, like red meat, poultry and
seafood; high-protein dairy like Greek yogurt, skyr, cottage cheese, etc.;
egg white; high-protein plant foods like seitan, tofu, tempeh, etc.; and
protein powder and bars.
Nutritious carbs: Relatively unprocessed foods that are mostly
carbohydrate, like fruits, veggies, legumes, tubers, and whole grains.
Healthy fat: Relatively unprocessed foods that are mostly fat, like olive
oil, avocado, nuts and nut butters; seeds; whole egg; and full-fat dairy,
like regular yogurt, cheese, butter, and milk.
Treats: More highly processed and less nutritious foods and caloric
beverages, o en with added sugar, like white bread and pasta, soda,
energy drink, fruit juice, candy, breakfast cereal and bars, and pastry.

For example, my lists would look like this:

Protein: pork chops, chicken breasts, New York strip steaks, 80/20 and
90/10 ground beef, skyr, low-fat cottage cheese, egg whites, and whey
and vegan protein powder
Nutritious carbs: onions, garlic, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers,
carrots, cauli ower, green beans, peas, Brussels sprouts, strawberries,
 bananas, blueberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, oatmeal,
and black beans
Healthy fat: avocados, olive oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, walnuts, whole
milk, whole egg, and sh oil (supplement)
Treats: ice cream, white pasta, dark chocolate, pastry, and pancakes

If a food you want to include in your meal plan isn’t listed above, you can
still eat it—just classify it correctly. And what about recipes, restaurants, alcohol,
and other drinks (co ee, tea, juices, etc.)? ey too can be incorporated in your
meal plan. Let’s talk about how.

Recipes
You can include recipes in your meal plans, but you need to know the calories and
macros in each serving (“one serving of Beef Strogano for dinner with 350
calories, 20 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of fat”). erefore,
it’s best to choose recipes that provide macros or that are simple enough for you
to work out the macros yourself (using an online database like
www.cronometer.com).
“Fitness-friendly” recipes also contain common ingredients that are easy to
measure and enhance with low- or zero-calorie spices and additions, and they
produce food that’s easy to portion out and that keeps well if le overs are in the
plan.
Less suitable recipes don’t list macros and include ingredients or steps that
make the macros di cult to grasp or separate into distinct servings, like gourmet
dishes with sauces or loaded nachos, for example. You can still make those types
of meals, but they’re not worth the hassle right now if you’re new to all of this.
Save them for later, when you’re a more experienced meal planner.
Fortunately, there’s essentially an endless supply of recipes online and in
cookbooks that t the bill for every meal and macro. e free bonus material that
comes with this book (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus) includes twenty of
my favorite recipes from my exible dieting cookbook e Shredded Chef (which
contains 125 in all) and there are hundreds more at my blog
(www.biggerleanerstronger.com/recipes). Gina Homolka’s website
www.skinnytaste.com as well as her Skinnytaste cookbooks are also terri c
resources.
Here are examples of recipes that work well with the Bigger Leaner Stronger
style of meal planning:
Cheesy Baked Egg Toast

Serves 1

Per serving:

330 calories
27 grams of protein
24 grams of carbs
14 grams of fat

Ingredients:

2 slices whole-wheat bread

2 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Instructions:

1. Place a baking sheet in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to
250°F (175°C).
2. Place the bread on a cutting board. Press the back of a teaspoon into
the bread to form a rectangle-shaped depression in each slice. Take care
not to rip the bread.
3. Season the bread with salt and pepper.
4. Crack an egg into the depressed rectangle shape in each slice of bread
 and season the top of each egg.
5. Spread butter around the edges of the bread.
6. Sprinkle the cheese around the buttered edges of the bread.
7. Bake the bread for 10 minutes or until the cheese is beginning to brown
and the egg is cooked.
8. Remove from the oven and serve.
Spiced Caribbean Oatmeal
Serves 4

Per serving:

292 calories
17 grams of protein
31 grams of carbs
12 grams of fat

Ingredients:

3 cups 2% milk
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon unpacked brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 cup ground pistachios
Pinch of salt
1 (6-ounce) container 2% Greek yogurt

Instructions:

1. Combine the milk, oats, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pistachios, and salt
in a medium pot and warm over medium-high heat.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the oatmeal is
cooked, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, swirl in the yogurt, and serve.
High-Protein Salad
Serves 4

Per serving:

228 calories
14 grams of protein
30 grams of carbs
7 grams of fat

Ingredients:
Salad:

1 can (15-ounce) kidney beans

1 can (15-ounce) lentils
3 cups arugula
4 tablespoons capers

Dressing:

1 tablespoon caper brine

2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons hot sauce

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until they’re

 combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the arugula, beans, lentils, and capers.
3. Top the salad mix with the dressing and serve.
Vanilla Protein Crepes
Serves 4

Per serving:

214 calories
17 grams of protein
5 grams of carbs
4 grams of fat

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2/3 cup vanilla protein powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 egg whites
1 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the old-fashioned oats, protein powder, baking

powder, and cinnamon.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth.
3. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-low
heat.
4. Pour the batter into the skillet a 1/2 cup at a time until the crepe
 reaches desired size and thickness.
5. When bubbles begin to form on top, ip the crepe.
6. Once fully cooked, remove the crepe and repeat the process until all the
batter is used.
7. Serve the crepes rolled up with fresh fruit, yogurt, or plain.
Chunky Chicken Quesadilla
Serves 2

Per serving:

315 calories
30 grams of protein
28 grams of carbs
9 grams of fat

Ingredients:

1 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon low fat sour cream
2 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
1/3 cup salsa
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/3 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and warm over
medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-to-5 minutes per side.
Once fully cooked, transfer the chicken to a cutting board.
2. Spread the sour cream onto 1 tortilla. Slice the chicken breast and layer
it over the sour cream, topping with salsa and lettuce. Sprinkle with
cheese and top with the other tortilla.
3. Recoat the skillet with cooking spray and warm over low heat. Cook
the quesadilla until golden, about 3 minutes per side, using a large
 spatula to carefully ip it.
4. Remove from the skillet, slice, and serve.
Zesty Italian Meatball Wrap
Serves 6

Per serving:

329 calories
37 grams of protein
31 grams of carbs
7 grams of fat

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground chicken

1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
1/2 onion, nely diced
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 large egg, whisked
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
6 Italian herb atbreads (or whole-wheat tortillas)
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup banana peppers, sliced
Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Coat a baking sheet with nonstick
cooking spray.
2. Place the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, onion, parmesan cheese, egg,
garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl;
mix with your hands to combine.
3. Using a spoon, form the mixture into 24 equally-sized meatballs
4. Place the meatballs evenly apart on the baking sheet and top each with
1 teaspoon of marinara sauce.
5. Bake the meatballs in the oven for 15-to-18 minutes or until fully
cooked.
6. Spread 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce on each atbread.
7. Place 4 meatballs in each wrap and top with bell pepper, tomatoes, and
banana pepper, roll up and serve.
Beef Strogano
Serves 4

Per serving:

301 calories
29 grams of protein
6 grams of carbs
16 grams of fat

Ingredients:

8 ounces egg noodles

1 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat and sliced
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced
4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed beef broth, divided
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons white wine
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese

Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook
the noodles to package instructions. Drain and reserve.
2. Meanwhile, season the meat with salt and pepper. Warm the oil in a
large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef; brown on all sides and
then push to one side of the pan.
3. Add the onion and mushrooms, cooking until tender, about 3-to-5
minutes. Push to the side with the beef.
4. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the cold
beef broth. Add to the skillet and mix with the juices in the pan to
deglaze.
5. Pour in the remaining beef broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the mustard, garlic, wine, and
Worcestershire sauce. Cover with a tight- tting lid and simmer for 10
minutes.
6. Two minutes before the beef is done, stir in the sour cream and cream
cheese. Stir well and allow the beef to nish cooking in the sauce.
7. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
Serves 4

Per serving:

256 calories
42 grams of protein
6 grams of carbs
6 grams of fat

Ingredients:

1/4 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 (6-ounce) boneless pork chops, 1/2-inch thick and trimmed of fat

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Coat a baking sheet with nonstick
cooking spray.
2. Place the milk into a shallow dish. Into another shallow dish, add the
cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and mix to
combine.
3. Dip each pork chop into the milk and then coat it in the breadcrumb
mixture.
4. Place the breaded chops onto the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake the chops in the oven until fully cooked, about 9-to-11 minutes
on each side, then serve.
Classic Tiramisu
Serves 8

Per serving:

227 calories
5 grams of protein
21 grams of carbs
13 grams of fat

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) container reduced-fat cream cheese, so ened

1/2 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup Truvia
1 tablespoon brewed espresso or Kahlùa (optional)
24 lady ngers
1 cup espresso, brewed and cooled
1 tablespoon Kahlùa
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, grated

Instructions:

1. To make the lling, add the cream cheese and mascarpone in a large
bowl, using a handheld mixer to beat at medium speed until smooth.
Add the Truvia and 1 tablespoon of brewed espresso or Kahlùa, if
desired, beating at medium speed until blended.
2. Cut the lady ngers in half lengthways. Arrange 24 lady nger halves,
cut-side up, in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cup of espresso, tablespoon of Kahlùa, and
brown sugar. Pour half the mixture over the lady ngers to soak them;
then spread a layer of half the cream cheese lling on top.
4. Repeat the procedure with the remaining 24 lady nger halves, soaking
with the remaining espresso mixture and then topping with the
remaining cream cheese lling.
5. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and grated chocolate; sprinkle
evenly over the top of the lling.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight. Cut and
serve.
Maple-Raisin Bread Pudding
Serves 4

Per serving:

277 calories
10 grams of protein
50 grams of carbs
3 grams of fat

Ingredients:

2 cups 1/2-inch cubes French bread

1 cup skim milk
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, divided
1/3 cup raisins

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread the bread pieces onto a
baking sheet, ensuring they don’t touch. Toast in the oven, stirring a er
a couple of minutes. Bake until golden, about 5 minutes, and then let
cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, and 3
tablespoons of maple syrup. Use a spatula to stir in the raisins and
gently fold in the toasted bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30
minutes or up to 4 hours.
 3. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Coat 4 small ramekins with
cooking spray and divide the mixture between them. Evenly space the
ramekins in an 8” x 8” baking pan lled with 1 inch of hot water.
4. Bake the bread pudding until set, about 45-to-50 minutes. Drizzle the
remaining 1 tablespoon of maple syrup over the top and serve.

Restaurants
e byword of sustainable dieting is exibility, so we shouldn’t have to omit
eating out from a meal plan, even when cutting. We should acknowledge the
drawback, though—eating restaurant meals makes it harder to control your
calories and macros.
For example, a steak o en has at least an additional 120-to-150 more
calories from oil and butter that’s sopped up during cooking. e calories in plain
pasta and potato can easily be equaled or surpassed by a hearty sauce. Many
desserts have 25-to-50 calories per tablespoon, and even vegetable dishes can pack
a punch because of high-fat extras like butter, oil, and cheese. None of that means
you should quit going to your favorite restaurants, though. You just need to be
smart about it. Let’s learn how to do that.

1. Try not to eat out more than once per week when cutting.
Even when you make prudent choices, restaurant meals are a bit of a black box
when it comes to calories and macros, making it easy to overeat. You can
minimize the chances of this happening by con ning yourself to one restaurant
meal per week.
An exception to this rule, however, is in the case of a restaurant where you
can accurately estimate the calories and macros of what you’re eating (usually
because the meals are standardized with numbers provided or are very simple). In
this case, you can eat out whenever you’d like without issue.
 For example, I had no problems eating a salad with chicken and a side of rice
prepared by a local restaurant (the ingredients were exactly what I’d use if I were
making the meal myself ). So long as you can nd the calories and macros of each
component online and the portions are fairly regular, healthier fast-food chains
that allow you to layer your meals ( rst rice, then beans, then protein, then
veggies, etc.) can also work well.
However, be careful with traditional restaurants that give calories or macros
on their menus or websites (as well as online food databases that include regular
restaurant food). Unfortunately, many establishments underreport these
numbers, so you should add 20 percent to the purported total calories to be
“safe.”

2. Try not to eat out more than twice per week when lean
gaining or maintaining.
Many people pay close attention to their calories and macros when cutting and
then loosen the reins when lean gaining or maintaining, because losing fat feels
more urgent than slowing fat gain or steadying body composition.
However, this hurts your long-term progress. Overeating too o en when
lean gaining causes you to gain fat too quickly, forcing you to start a cutting phase
earlier than you’d like, before you were able to gain much muscle or strength. is
mistake particularly impedes more experienced weightli ers who can’t gain size
or strength when cutting and need to spend at least six-to-nine months of the
year lean gaining to make signi cant improvements in their body—an impossible
task if they don’t control their eating.
Overeating during a maintenance phase is less of a dilemma. You’re usually
not concerned with further developing your physique because you understand
that progress is mostly paused. e point of maintenance, however, is to stabilize
your body composition, so if you eat too much too o en, a yo-yo pattern will
likely result—body fat levels visibly rise, followed by calorie restriction to return
to the desired look, followed by a new period of fat gain, etc. is isn’t harmful
per se, but it can be irksome and defeats the purpose of maintaining.
You need to eat prudently when lean gaining and maintaining, and limiting
yourself to a couple of restaurant meals per week can help with this. at said, the
exception noted earlier applies here as well: if you can correctly account for the
calories and macros in the meals, you can eat out as much as you’d like. And how
do you know if you’re correctly adding the calories and macros up in these meals?
Assuming you’re accurate in your estimations of other (non-restaurant) meals, if
your weight isn’t moving in the right direction, those restaurant meals are the
prime suspect.

3. Try to stick to meals that can be measured.

e most meal-plan-friendly meals are simple and easily quanti ed, like grilled
pork chop with Brussels sprouts and sweet potato wedges, chicken kale salad with
croutons and dressing on the side, and grilled salmon llet with baked potato and
grilled asparagus.
If you have a restaurant or three that you like to frequent, you can rotate
between a few of your favorite meals that you’ve appraised. is way, you don’t
have to bother with trying to gure out calories on the y, or worse, refusing to
eat out because you have to “stick to your meal plan.”
By the same token, try to avoid fancier dishes that are di cult to estimate
calorically, like stu ed meats and pastas, casseroles, and sauce-heavy eats like
goulash, panang chicken curry, salads drenched in dressing, and so on. is means
that some restaurants should be avoided if possible. Take Olive Garden, for
instance, where just about everything on the menu is some kind of heavy casserole
or pasta or meat swimming in cheese, butter, and sauce. If you must eat in such a
restaurant, don’t fret (it’s just one meal a er all), but do try to keep your calories
within reason (don’t eat a pile of bread, a mountain of creamy pasta, and a platter
of desserts).

Alcohol
According to many tness folk, drinking even lightly or sporadically inexorably
leads to weight gain. us, if you want to be in shape, they say, you have to give
up booze. Happily, research shows otherwise. For starters, studies show that
moderate drinking is associated with lower body weights, not higher, and can
result in more weight loss when dieting, not less. What’s more, research shows
that calories from alcohol itself don’t a ect body fat levels in the same way other
calories do. A er analyzing the diets of almost 2,000 adults, scientists at the
University of São Paulo found that an increase in calories from alcohol alone
didn’t result in the weight gain that would’ve occured if those calories had been
from food. In fact, when compared to nondrinkers, drinkers took in an average of
50-to-130 more calories per day (from alcohol) and yet weren’t any fatter than
their alcohol-free counterparts. It’s almost like the extra calories simply “didn’t
count.”
ere are two likely reasons for these observations. First, alcohol can
decrease appetite, which helps with weight loss, and improves insulin sensitivity,
which can help with fat burning. Second, the body can’t directly convert alcohol
into body fat like it can with food because it’s processed di erently. e chemistry
is complex, but you can think of it like this: Wood contains about 4 calories per
gram, but no amount of wood shavings on our salads or sawdust in our shakes can
make us fatter because our bodies don’t produce chemicals for digesting and
absorbing them. My point? e calories that matter are those that our bodies can
process and use, and calories in alcohol don’t matter in the same way as those in
food.
at said, alcohol can contribute to fat gain in a unique way: By blunting fat
burning and enhancing the conversion of carbs and fat into body fat. In other
words, while alcohol doesn’t provide usable calories for the creation of body fat, it
constipates our body’s fat-burning mechanisms and augments its fat-making ones.
is can’t signi cantly impact your body fat levels without a regular calorie
surplus (lean gaining, for instance), but it should be noted. erefore, you can
drink alcohol without scuttling your tness goals, but you should follow three
tips:

1. Limit yourself to no more than two servings per day while cutting and
maintaining (because of satiety and health) and one serving of alcohol
per day while lean gaining (because of the calorie surplus).
2. Choose lower-calorie wines, beers, and spirits over higher-calorie
drinks like heavy beer, cider, and fruity cocktails.
3. Consider alcohol a treat (part of the 20 percent of daily calories you
can use indiscriminately) and include the calories in your meal plan.

Other Beverages
You’ve probably guessed this by now, but if a beverage contains calories (like a
soda, juice, latte, or sweetened tea), it must be included in your meal plan like a
food. e same goes for stu we like to splash into our drinks like creamer, milk,
sugar, syrup, and so on—a jot here and tittle there may seem negligible, but
together, they can add up.
is fact highlights a problem with many beverages: Despite containing
calories, they’re not nearly as satisfying or nutritious as many foods. us,
generally speaking, the fewer calories you drink every day, the better you’ll do
cutting, lean gaining, and maintaining. I don’t want to leave you high and dry,
though, so how about this: Try not to drink more than 10 percent of your daily
calories. at way, you’ll have calories for your morning ca eine ritual (the best
way to start the day) with some le over liquid calories to spare.
All right, you now have all of the information you need to complete this
third step of the Bigger Leaner Stronger method of meal planning—choosing
what to eat and drink. Let’s do that now! Write a few of your top choices for each
food group.

Proteins
Relatively unprocessed foods (except in a few cases) that are mostly protein, like red
meat, pork, poultry and seafood; high-protein dairy like Greek yogurt, skyr, cottage
cheese, etc.; egg white; high-protein plant foods like seitan, tofu, tempeh, etc.; and
protein powder and bars.

Nutritious Carbs
Relatively unprocessed foods that are mostly carbohydrate, like uits, veggies,
legumes, tubers, and whole grains.

Healthy Fat
Relatively unprocessed foods that are mostly fat, like olive oil, avocado, nuts and nut
butters; seeds; whole egg; and full-fat dairy like regular yogurt, cheese, butter, and
milk.

Treats
More highly processed and less nutritious foods and caloric beverages, o en with
added sugar, like white bread and pasta, soda, energy drink, uit juice, candy,
breakfast cereal and bars, and pastry.

Recipes
It’s best to choose recipes that pro ide macros or that are simple enough for you to
work out the macros yourself
Restaurant Meals
e most meal-plan- iendly meals are simple and easily quanti ed, like grilled pork
chop with Brussels sprouts and sweet potato wedges, chicken kale salad with croutons
and dressing on the side, and grilled salmon llet with baked potato and grilled
asparagus.

4. Decide how much to eat.

Now that we’ve identi ed your favorite foods, it’s time to turn them into
delicious meals that meet all of your nutritional needs.
Before we get started, however, take a moment to download the free bonus
material that comes with this book (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus)
because it contains meal plan templates as well as ready-made meal plans that’ll
help you follow along and apply what you learn here.

Overview
e most e cient way to build a meal plan is in layers. First, you add your
primary sources of protein; then, your nutritious carbs, starting with three-to- ve
portions of vegetables; then, your primary sources of healthy fat; and nally, your
treats. To keep the math manageable, you subtract the calories and macros added
from your daily targets as you move through each step in the sequence (to see
how much more food you can eat), and then, if needed, you massage portions
and possibly foods to hone your numbers.
e calories and macros in your meal plan don’t have to match your targets
perfectly, either. ey just have to be close enough, and your calories and protein
matter far more than your carbs and fat. I recommend tweaking your plan until
you’re within 5 percent or so of your calorie target and 10 percent of your protein
target, allowing your carbs and fat to shi up or down to make meals that you
want to eat.
 ere are two ways to achieve this level of precision in meal planning:

1. You can look up the foods you want to eat in an online database like
www.cronometer.com (my favorite) and then use a food scale and
utensils to learn the proper portions of non-prepackaged foods and
beverages. Once learned, you can put the tools away if you trust your
eye enough or continue using them for assurance until you do. For
example, say your meal plan calls for 100 grams of dry oatmeal (that
you cook) with 50 grams of blueberries and 4 ounces of whole milk.
Odds are you don’t instinctively know how much food that is, so in the
beginning, you’d use your food scale and measuring cup to learn, and
then go by sight once you’ve got it.
2. You can use an informal method of eyeballing foods that doesn’t
require any so ware or hardware, like comparing portions to your
palm, st, and thumb. For instance, the meal above may be expressed as
a “ st” of dry oatmeal, a “half- st” of blueberries, and a half-cup (which
you can easily visualize) of whole milk.

Both approaches can work, but as the rst style is the most accurate, that’s
what I’ll teach you in this book. It’s also more involved, of course, which may
make it seem more daunting, but as you’ll see, it’s more like learning to paint by
numbers.
Also, to help you fully understand each step of creating a Bigger Leaner
Stronger meal plan, we’ll build one as we go for a ctitious meathead named Joe
Bro, who weighs 220 pounds and wants to lose fat, and who plans on eating the
following number of calories and macros every day:

2,200 calories
 200 grams of protein
200 grams of carbs
65 grams of fat

Let’s start with step one—working out your (and Joe’s) sources of protein.

1. Add your protein.

In this step, you want to add primary sources of protein until you meet most (80
percent or so) of your daily protein needs. Why not 100 percent? Because your
carbs and fats will add some protein as well, and this should bring you close to
100 percent (and if it doesn’t, you can easily adjust meals as necessary).
As for how to distribute your protein throughout your meal plan, I have a
couple of recommendations:

1. Try to eat 30-to-40 grams of protein at a time. While it’s untrue that
our bodies can only absorb small amounts of protein (many people
claim 20-to-30 grams), there is an upper limit to how much muscle
growth can occur from a single serving of protein. Similarly, there’s also
a minimum amount of protein required to reach that ceiling. e goal,
then, is to eat enough protein to maximize muscle growth but not so
much that some of it is essentially “unusable” and thus eliminated. In
most people, this serving-size sweet spot is around 30-to-40 grams of
protein. Don’t feel beholden to this range, though. If, for example, a
meal you want to eat contains 60 grams of protein or even more, help
yourself, but try not to make this a habit.
2. Eat at least three servings of protein every day. Research shows that this
is better for controlling appetite and likely better for muscle building.

Once you’ve added the primary sources of protein to your meal plan, it’s
time for a bit of calorie and macro housekeeping. Speci cally, subtract the total
calories and grams of protein, fat, and carbs in the foods that you added from
your daily targets to see how much of each you have le . You’ve done this step
correctly when you’ve reached about 80 percent of your protein needs and le
yourself with plenty of carbs and fat to keep working with (if you add too much
high-fat protein, for instance, you may not have enough fat le for the other
foods you want to eat).
Let’s see how all this would look for Joe, whom we met earlier. Recall that he
weighs 220 pounds and wants to lose fat, and his daily calorie and macro targets
are:

2,200 calories
200 grams of protein
200 grams of carbs
65 grams of fat

Here’s how his meal plan could begin:

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Breakfast (9
Skyr, 2% fat, plain 300 g 223 34 g 10 g 5g
a.m.)

Lunch (12 Chicken, breast, skinless,

150 g 248 47 g 0g 5g
p.m.) boneless, grilled

Cottage cheese, 2% fat,

220 g 178 24 g 10 g 5g
Snack plain
(3 p.m.) 0
Whey protein 30 g 105 23 g 2g
g

Dinner (6 Beef, sirloin,

150 g 275 45 g 0g 9g
p.m.) trimmed of fat

Total 1,029 173 g 22 g 24

g
 41
Remaining 1,171 27 g 178 g
g

As you can see, Joe has added four servings of protein, totaling 1,029
calories, 173 grams of protein, 22 grams of carbs, and 24 grams of fat.
Let’s continue to the next meal planning step and start adding carbs.

2. Add your nutritious carbs.

A healthy diet requires eating several servings of nutritious carbs (vegetables in
particular) every day, so this step has two parts:

1. Adding vegetables to your meal plan.

2. Adding other nutritious carbs, like fruits, whole grains, legumes, and
tubers.

You have many popular foods to choose from too:

Whole Grains, Legumes,

Vegetables Fruits
and Tubers

Artichokes Apples Amaranth

Arugula Apricots Barley

Asparagus Bananas Beets

Beet
Blackberries Black beans
greens

Bell Black-eyed peas

Blueberries
peppers (cowpeas)

Bok choy Cantaloupe Black rice

Broccoli Cherries Buckwheat

Brussels
Cranberries Brown rice
sprouts
Cabbage Dates Bulgur

Carrots Figs Cannellini beans

Cassava (aka yuca,

Cauli ower Grapes
arrowroot)

Chickpeas (garbanzo
Celery Grapefruit
beans)

Chives Honeydew Corn

Collard
Kiwifruit Cranberry beans
greens

Mandarin oranges (clementines,

Cucumber Einkorn
satsumas, tangerines)

Eggplant Mangoes Farro

Endive Nectarines Fava beans

Fennel Oranges Great northern beans

Green Japanese sweet

Papayas
beans potatoes

Garlic Peaches Kidney beans

Jicamas Pears Lentils

Kale Pineapple Lima beans

Kimchi Plums Millet

Kohlrabi Raspberries Mung beans

Leeks Strawberries Navy beans

Lettuce Watermelon Oatmeal

Mushrooms Parsnips

Mustard
Peas
greens
 Okra Pinto beans

Onions Popcorn

Pickles Quinoa

Pumpkin Red beans

Radishes Red potatoes

Rhubarb Spelt

Sauerkraut Sweet potatoes

Shallots Taro

Seaweed Te

Spinach Vitelotte potatoes

Squash,
White potatoes
butternut

Squash,
Wild rice
spaghetti

Squash,
yellow

Swiss chard

Tomatillos

Tomatoes

Water
chestnut

Watercress

Zucchini

As you did with protein, in this step, add carbs until you’ve reached about 80
percent of your daily target. is way, you should have enough room when it
comes time to add treats.
 When adding vegetables, aim for at least three st-sized portions per day and
try to get to six. Also, for bonus points, include at least one serving of dark leafy
greens like spinach, lettuce, kale, or collard greens because of their abundance of
nitrates as well as other bene cial compounds, including isothiocyanates and
potassium. Most people like to work greens into lunches and dinners (salads and
side dishes are popular), but do it however you prefer. A veggie omelet can be a
great breakfast, for instance, and a fruit-and-spinach smoothie can make for a
perfect snack. Additionally, you can eat more than one serving of vegetables in a
single meal, up to all of them, if you’d like. Splitting up your vegetables across
di erent meals has no advantages or disadvantages.
Once you’ve put your vegetables on paper, other nutritious carbs are next,
with another round of tallying the calories and macros added and subtracting
them from what you have le for the rest of your meal plan. At this point, you
should have little (if any) of your protein unused, a bit of your carbs, and much of
your fat.
Let’s see how this step could work for Joe (new additions are italicized).

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Skyr, 2% fat, plain 300 g 223 34 g 10 g 5g

Breakfast (9
a.m.) 0
Banana 152 g 135 1g 35 g
g
Chicken, breast, skinless,
150 g 248 47 g 0g 5g
boneless, grilled
0
Bok choy 150 g 20 3g 3g
Lunch g
(12 p.m.) 0
Bell pepper 100 g 18 1g 5g
g
0
Onion 70 g 28 1g 6g
g

Snack Cottage cheese, 2% fat,

220 g 178 24 g 10 g 5g
(3 p.m.) plain
 Whey protein 30 g 105 23 g 2g 0
g
Whole wheat bread
86 g 218 10 g 37 g 3g
(2 slices)
Beef, sirloin,
150 g 275 45 g 0g 9g
trimmed of fat
Sweet potato 300 g 228 4g 53 g 1g
Dinner (6
p.m.) 0
Tomato 100 g 18 1g 4g
g
0
Asparagus 100 g 20 2g 4g
g
28
Total 1,714 196 g 169 g
g
37
Remaining 486 4g 31 g
g

Now we’re ready to work healthy fats into the meal plan.

3. Add your healthy fat.

Now it’s time to allot most (about 80 percent) of the fat you have remaining to
nutritious fatty foods that you like, with an emphasis on unsaturated fat. e
most popular choices are:

Oils (and olive oil in particular) and butter

Nut butters
Nuts and seeds
Cheese
Milk
Egg
Avocado

When you’re done adding healthy fat to your meal plan, subtract their
calories and macros from your remaining totals.
 Let’s do this now for Joe (new additions are italicized).

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Skyr, 2% fat, plain 300 g 223 34 g 10 g 5g

0
Breakfast (9 Banana 152 g 135 1g 35 g
g
a.m.)
11
Almonds 20 g 121 4g 4g
g
Chicken, breast, skinless,
150 g 248 47 g 0g 5g
boneless, grilled
0
Bok choy 150 g 20 3g 3g
g
Lunch 0
Bell pepper 100 g 18 1g 5g
(12 p.m.) g
0
Onion 70 g 28 1g 6g
g
14
Sesame oil dressing 14 g 124 0g 0g
g
Cottage cheese, 2% fat,
220 g 178 24 g 10 g 5g
plain
Snack 0
Whey protein 30 g 105 23 g 2g
(3 p.m.) g
Whole wheat bread
86 g 218 10 g 37 g 3g
(2 slices)
Beef, sirloin,
150 g 275 45 g 0g 9g
trimmed of fat
Sweet potato 300 g 228 4g 53 g 1g
Dinner (6
p.m.) 0
Tomato 100 g 18 1g 4g
g
0
Asparagus 100 g 20 2g 4g
g
53
Total 1,959 200 g 173 g
g
12
Remaining 241 0g 27 g
g
4. Add your treats.
As you learned in chapter 9, up to 20 percent of your daily calories can come
from less-than-nutritious foods and beverages, including alcohol, desserts, and
highly processed carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta, bagels, pastries,
etc. Here’s how to include these foods in your meal plan:

1. Establish how many “junk calories” you can add to your meal plan.
2. Decide what you’d like to eat and drink.
3. Add treats to your meal plan.
4. Adjust other meals as needed to round out your numbers.

Let’s go over each step.

1. Establish how many “junk calories” you can add to your meal plan.
First, calculate 20 percent of your daily calories by multiplying your daily calorie
target by 0.2. is is the maximum amount of lower-quality calories that you can
eat every day. (You don’t have to eat this many if you don’t want to, but you
shouldn’t be afraid to either.)
Next, compare this to how many calories you have remaining in your meal
plan. If you have between 10 and 20 percent of your calories le , you can move
ahead with adding treats. If you have less than 10 percent le , though, you’ll
probably want to make some more room for treats before continuing (a square or
two of chocolate or tablespoon or two of ice cream isn’t much of a dessert). To
free up calories for indulgences, simply shave your carbs or fats (but not protein,
unless you’re over your target). Because each gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories
and each gram of fat has 9 calories, it won’t take major changes. Small
adjustments add up quickly.
For instance, if Joe only had 100 calories le for treats (about 5 percent of
his total calories), he could eat one fewer slice of bread to gain 109 calories and
ditch the banana at breakfast to get back another 135 calories, giving him 344
calories to play with in this step.

2. Decide what you’d like to eat and drink.

Once you have enough calories to add treats, choose a few options from your list
that you’d most enjoy, and research online how many calories they contain per
serving. Decide how to proceed based on what you nd. Would you like to
commit all of your calories in this step to just one? Or maybe split them between
two or all three?
If you nd that your choices contain too many calories, however, you can
make further adjustments to your other meals to reclaim more calories for this
step (so long as you don’t go above 20 percent of your daily total), or you can go
back to your list of favorite foods to look for something else that’ll work.
For example, suppose that Joe has his full 20 percent allowance remaining
for this step (440 calories). He loves apple fritters, but learns that each one
contains about 500 calories. So rather than eating ¾ of a fritter for dessert, he
considers alternatives and settles on an ice cream sundae instead because he’ll nd
it more satisfying.

3. Add treats to your meal plan.

Work this over until you’re happy with all of your meals, and if, a er adding your
treats, you still have calories le over, t them into other meals as desired. For
instance, if Joe were le with 200 calories, he could add a few squares of dark
chocolate, two-to-three cups of low-calorie ice cream (such as Halo Top), or one
slice of peach cobbler (about 100 grams).
Speaking of Joe, let’s nish his meal plan ( nal additions are italicized).

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Breakfast (9 Skyr, 2% fat, plain 300 g 223 34 g 10 g 5g

 a.m.) Banana 152 g 135 1g 35 g 0
g
11
Almonds 20 g 121 4g 4g
g
Chicken, breast, skinless,
150 g 248 47 g 0g 5g
boneless, grilled
0
Bok choy 150 g 20 3g 3g
Lunch g
(12 p.m.) 0
Bell pepper 100 g 18 1g 5g
g
0
Onion 70 g 28 1g 6g
g
14
Sesame oil dressing 14 g 124 0g 0g
g
Cottage cheese, 2% fat,
220 g 178 24 g 10 g 5g
plain
Snack 0
Whey protein 30 g 105 23 g 2g
(3 p.m.) g
Whole wheat bread
86 g 218 10 g 37 g 3g
(2 slices)
Beef, sirloin,
150 g 275 45 g 0g 9g
trimmed of fat
Sweet potato 300 g 228 4g 53 g 1g
0
Dinner (6 Tomato 100 g 18 1g 4g
g
p.m.)
0
Asparagus 100 g 20 2g 4g
g
11
Dark chocolate 30 g 175 2g 15 g
g
64
Total 2,134 202 g 188 g
g

Remaining 66 -2 g 12 g 1g

Let’s see how he did. He ended with 2,134 calories—3 percent from his
target (great)—hit just about 100 percent of his protein needs (perfect), and
wound up with slightly fewer carbs and fat (no problem). In other words, by
following the system you just learned, Joe made a meal plan that’ll work like
gangbusters, and you can too!
Also, just to ensure that you understand what e ective and well-designed
meal plans look like, I’ve included in the bonus material that came with this book
several examples of various sizes who want to cut and lean gain. You can refer to
these meal plans as models when you’re building your own, or if you see one that
you like, you can simply follow it—an easy workaround if you’re not inclined to
take the time to create a custom meal plan yet.
If you want to follow one of the premade plans, there are a few things you
need to know, though:

1. When cutting and lean gaining, start with the plan closest to your
current body weight, rounding down. If you’re 241 pounds and want to
cut, for instance, go with the 230-pound plan and not the 250-pound
one; and if you’re 178 pounds and want to lean gain, use the 170-
pound plan.
2. When cutting, once you’re within 5 pounds of the next-lowest plan,
switch to it if you want to keep cutting. If you’ve used the 230-pound
plan to cut down to 215 pounds, switch to the 210-pound plan to keep
losing fat.
3. When lean gaining, once you’re within 5 pounds of the next-highest
plan, switch to it if you want to keep lean gaining. If you’ve lean gained
up to 185 pounds, switch to the 190-pound plan.

Making Your Meal Plans More Appetizing

If the prospect of eating several servings of meat and seafood every day is already
getting you down, don’t worry—with some simple seasoning tips, you can take
your chow from “weak” to “wow.” e three best tools are:
 1. Salt
2. Acids
3. Spices and seasonings

Let’s review each.

Salt
For decades, we’ve been told to heavily restrict salt and sodium (a mineral vital to
our health) to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Recent research indicates
this may not be necessary, however. An extensive review published in the
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded that “there is little evidence
for long-term bene t from reducing salt intake,” and a subsequent analysis by
scientists at the University of Exeter involving the review of more than 6,000
subjects found that in people with normal or high blood pressure, there’s no
evidence that cutting salt intake is an e ective means of reducing the risk of heart
attack, stroke, or death. Furthermore, research published in the journal JAMA
Internal Medicine found that a lower consumption of sodium may actually be
associated with a greater risk of dying from heart disease.
One reason for these ndings is that scientists have learned that you don’t
get the whole story by looking only at sodium intake. You must also take
potassium intake into account, as well as the relationship between sodium and
potassium consumption. A study conducted by researchers at the Centers for
Disease Control and Harvard University found that people with the highest ratio
of sodium to potassium were twice as likely to die of a heart attack and had a 50
percent higher risk of death from any cause than people with the lowest ratio.
is is a major public health problem because while the National Academy
of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) recommends 4.7 grams of
potassium per day, a study published by the Centers for Disease Control found
that the average potassium intake among American adults was between 2.3 and 3
grams per day. at makes insu cient potassium intake one of the most common
nutrient de ciencies in Western diets, which is why the 2015–2020 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans labels potassium as a “nutrient of public health
concern.” (And unsurprisingly, many of the best sources of potassium are the
types of foods most people avoid—fruits and vegetables like bananas, lentils,
avocados, spinach, beans, squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and
peas.)
While some people are more sensitive to sodium than others because of
genetic factors and can bene t from sodium restriction, nobody should nearly or
wholly eliminate this elemental compound from their diet. As long as you’re not
eating a large amount of prepackaged or highly processed foods or egregiously
oversalting your meals, and so long as there’s enough potassium in your diet (and
there will be if you follow my plan), you’re unlikely to run into any sodium-
related problems.
With that understanding, let’s sing some of salt’s culinary praises because it’s
the superstar of zero-calorie food enhancers—just a dash enhances the avor of
meat and sh and elevates any other seasonings it’s paired with. To salt e ectively,
however, think “small and slow.” When you’re salting nished food, sprinkle a
little evenly throughout and taste before adding more; and when you’re cooking,
keep a salt shaker on the counter and add some at every stage of the process,
tasting regularly. If you’re making a soup, for example, add a little salt every time
you add something new to the pot that isn’t already salty, and sample the broth
o en. You should also experiment with di erent types of salts. Or, simply add salt
toward the end of the process, when all of the other ingredients are added.
Kosher salt, sea salt, and table salt all have slightly di erent avor pro les
and can be applied in a number of di erent ways, including brining, rubbing, and
seasoning.

Acids
If you remember some of your high-school chemistry, you know that acids and
bases sit on opposite ends of the pH scale. In cooking, acidic foods have a sour,
tangy, bright, or sharp taste, and they can be used to enhance the avor of savory
or sweet foods. A beef stew, for instance, may bene t from a splash of red wine
vinegar, while a bit of lemon juice added to a fruit salad will make its sweetness
pop.
Marinades also bene t greatly from acids. Instead of slapping some
seasonings onto a tough cut of meat, turn them into a marinade by incorporating
an acid like vinegar, tomato juice, or citrus juice, which will help the meat absorb
the avoring more deeply.

Spices and Seasonings

ere are as many spice and seasoning options available to you as there are
cuisines in the world, and di erent pairings take dishes in di erent directions.
For example, with various spice combinations, you can turn a stir-fry into an
Asian, jerk, or even Italian variation. ere are many avor pro les to experiment
with, and my favorite categories include:

“Warm” avors: cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, curry, and turmeric

“Hot” avors: black pepper, red pepper akes, cayenne pepper, sriracha,
and Tabasco
“Green” avors: basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, tarragon, mint, and
thyme
“Pungent” avors: garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, scallion,
mustard, and horseradish
“Zesty” avors: ginger, orange zest, and lemon zest
 “Smoky” avors: chipotle, chili powder, smoked salt, and diced bacon
“Nutty” avors: walnuts, sesame, soy, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios
“Sweet” avors: sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and honey

Watch out for “dead” herbs and spices, too, by checking your use-by dates
regularly and replacing those that have expired. You can also know if a spice or
herb is still good by giving it a quick smell. No scent equals no avor.

What About “Cheat Meals”?

It feels great to just let go from time to time. To stop stressing and striving and
just live for the moment. To just “be human.” With meal planning, that means
“cheating” (or “free” or “normal” eating as some call it)—no calorie or macro
counting and no caring about nutrition. ere are many opinions on this. Some
people say that even slight departures from the plan can be problematic. Others
are of a mind that straying is okay so long as you stay away from certain foods.
Still others say it’s ne—even valuable—to routinely splurge like a competitive
eater.
My take is di erent. You can enjoy “o -plan” eating without harm, with
meals including just about anything you want to eat, but you can’t indulge in
regular binges without paying the piper. Here’s how many t people approach the
matter: ey follow their meal plans “perfectly” (good enough) for a week or so,
then have something special—usually, but not always, in a “cheat meal” instead of
in multiple meals throughout a day—and then return to their meal plan. ey
also usually stick to this practice for the same reason that foresters burn away
fallen branches and undergrowth to prevent a wild re. By regularly immolating
your dietary demons when they’re just kindling, you can prevent them from
becoming fuel for a raging inferno. ere’s scienti c support for this habit too.
Studies have shown that people who take these regular “diet breaks” tend to lose
more fat over time, because by and large, this leads to better compliance and
fewer blunders.
So, to those who forbid cheat meals, I say pshaw.
e proverbial devil is in the details, though, so here’s how to “cheat”
without ruining your diet:

1. Do it just once or twice per week.

2. Try not to surpass your maintenance calories.
3. Drink alcohol sensibly.

We’ll review each of these points, but rst, let’s dump the term “cheating”
because it’s too explicitly and implicitly negative for the benign, even bene cial,
activity of untypical eating. Let’s talk about treating instead, which better
captures the essence of the deed.
What constitutes “treating”? ere are two varieties: Eating more calories (of
any kind, nutritious or not) in a day than planned, and replacing most of your
nutritious calories with nonnutritious ones. e drawbacks of over-treating are
obvious. Overeat too o en when cutting, and you’ll stop losing fat, and when
lean gaining, you’ll start gaining fat too quickly. Eat too much junk food, and
you’ll develop nutritional insu ciencies, and possibly de ciencies, that’ll erode
your health. ere’s a balance you must nd, then, that allows you to productively
wander from your meal plan. Let’s learn how to do that.

1. Do it just once or twice per week.

Treating doesn’t have to spike your calorie intake for the day, but it o en will. If
you do that several times per week, you can easily erase your calorie de cit when
cutting and halt fat loss, or swell your calorie surplus when lean gaining and gain
too much fat.
Limit yourself to just one or two “treatings” per week, however, whether as
single larger meals or multiple smaller ones throughout the day, and you’ll nd
the right balance.

2. Try not to surpass your maintenance calories.

Many people don’t know just how calorie-laden their favorite treat meals are,
especially restaurant meals soused in butter, oil, and sugar to maximize
satisfaction. For example, between 2011 and 2014, scientists at Tu s University
analyzed 360 dinner entrees at 123 restaurants in San Francisco, Boston, and
Little Rock. ey found that the dishes had, on average, about 1,200- to-1,500
calories depending on the cuisine (American, Italian, and Chinese food were the
highest). ink that’s bad? In another study, scientists at the Center for Science in
the Public Interest found that the Cheesecake Factory o ered a 2,780-calorie
bruléed French toast with a side of bacon that packed 93 grams of saturated fat
(yipes!) and 24 teaspoons of sugar, as well as a creamy farfalle pasta with chicken
and roasted garlic that weighed in at 2,410 calories and 63 grams of saturated fat.
Remember too that those numbers are just for entrees, and when you add in some
bread and an appetizer and dessert (as many people do), the calories shoot into
the stratosphere. It should surprise no one, then, that a study published in the
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that there’s little caloric
di erence between full-service and fast-food dining.
e moral here is simply to exercise good judgment when treating because if
you overdo it, you can set yourself back further than you realize. For example,
here are approximate calorie counts for the most popular treat foods:

Bacon cheeseburger: 595 calories per burger

Creamy pasta: 593 calories per cup
French fries: 498 calories per large serving
Deep-dish pizza: 480 calories per slice
 Loaded nachos: 1,590 calories per plate
Traditional cheesecake: 400 calories per slice
Ice cream: 270 calories per half cup
Pecan pie: 541 calories per slice
Chocolate chip cookies: 220 calories per large cookie

As you can see, when you start combining items like these, the calories add
up remarkably fast. A bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries followed by a cup or
two of ice cream, for instance, stretches toward 2,000 calories or more, depending
on circumstances (serving sizes, home-cooked or fast food, etc.).
For all these reasons, we should set reasonable boundaries for treating, and I
recommend trying to end treat days around maintenance calories (your total
daily energy expenditure), which is generally 14-to-15 calories per pound of body
weight. You can surpass this ceiling by a small margin—5-to-10 percent—
without issue, but if you eat much more than that, you may not like the result
(especially if you do it repeatedly).
Another strategy to keep your calories reined in when treating is to eat
mostly protein leading up to (and a er) your treat meal—a tactic referred to as
“calorie borrowing.” Suppose you have a treat meal planned at your favorite
restaurant and you’d like to eat about 1,500 calories, which is about triple the
calories in the dinner on your meal plan. You can create the room needed for this
meal by stripping carbs and fat from other ones (leaving just the protein), thereby
freeing up hundreds of calories to spend in your treat meal. For example, if you
normally eat oatmeal with protein powder and walnuts for breakfast (around 500
calories), you could do a double-sized protein shake instead (around 200
calories). en at lunch you could turn your homemade cheeseburger into a
hamburger lettuce wrap, leave the butter o your broccoli, and skip the potato
wedges, saving a couple hundred more calories. Finally, instead of high-protein
yogurt with muesli and fruit in the a ernoon, you could eat just the yogurt (
maybe with some protein powder mixed in, if desired). With these simple
changes, you’ve created a large “calorie bu er” that you can enjoy in your treat
meal without blowing by your maintenance calories.
Calorie borrowing can also help you enjoy your vacations and holidays more,
when you want (or are expected) to eat a lot of calori c food. By prioritizing
high-protein snacks and reserving most of your daily calories for your larger, sit-
down meals (ideally just one or two), you can skillfully navigate these periods.
Make this dietary strategy the exception, not the rule, however, because if you
overuse it, you can develop a perverse preoccupation with meal manipulation,
not a healthy and sustainable relationship with food. So vacations and holidays
apart, only borrow calories when you treat yourself.

3. Drink alcohol sensibly.

As you learned earlier, the “diet-friendly” way to drink alcohol is to:

1. Limit yourself to no more than two servings per day while cutting and
maintaining, and one serving of alcohol per day while lean gaining.
2. Choose lower-calorie wines, beers, and spirits over higher-calorie
drinks like heavy beer, cider, and fruity cocktails.
3. Consider alcohol a treat (part of the 20 percent of daily calories you
can use indiscriminately) and include the calories in your meal plan.
4. Remain mindful of the calories in the alcoholic beverages, especially
when drinking more than usual as part of a treat meal.

One nal note about treat meals: ey aren’t necessary as a matter of course.
If you assign up to 20 percent of your daily calories to indulgences, you may not
feel the need for regular treat meals. Instead, you may want to reserve your o -
plan meals for traveling, special social occasions, etc.
 What About Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition?
Years ago, my pre- and post-workout meals were sacred, inviolable rituals. A
protein shake before and a er every workout was crucial, I believed, and
especially a er training, when your body’s “anabolic window” was rapidly closing
and with it your opportunity for muscle and strength gain.
Chances are you’ve heard something similar. Bodybuilders and gym bros
alike have been saying as much for decades. How important are these meals,
though? Does eating before or a er workouts actually matter? e long story
short is this: eating before and a er workouts isn’t vital, but it’s not entirely
without merit, either.
Let’s start with pre-workout nutrition.

Should You Eat Protein Before You Work Out?

If you haven’t eaten protein in the three-or-four hours preceding a strength
training workout, then it’s a good idea to eat 30-to-40 grams before you train. If
you have eaten protein in the last few hours, though, then you don’t need to eat
more. You can just eat a er your workout.
As far as muscle building goes, eating protein does two vital things:

1. It stimulates the creation of muscle proteins (muscle protein synthesis)

and suppresses the breakdown of muscle tissue (muscle protein
breakdown).
2. It provides your body with the raw materials (amino acids) needed to
build muscle tissue.

at’s why you need to make sure that you eat enough protein every day if
you want to maximize muscle growth.
While there’s evidence that eating protein before a resistance training
workout can magnify its e ects on muscle protein synthesis rates, the e ects don’t
appear to be strong enough to establish that eating protein before a workout is
clearly superior to not doing so. Instead, pre-workout protein should be viewed in
the context of your entire diet. If you haven’t eaten protein three-to-four hours
before your workout, your body’s muscle protein synthesis rates are going to be
low. is means that your body’s muscle-building machinery will be idle, waiting
for the next feeding of protein to kickstart it into action.
ink of any time where this apparatus lies dormant as lost production time.
Your body could have been building muscle if only it were given the right
stimulus and supplies. Ideally, then, you’d eat another serving of protein more or
less immediately a er muscle protein synthesis rates bottom out (every few hours,
generally). By doing this, you’d e ectively keep muscle protein synthesis
humming all day (and if you eat some protein before bed, you can keep the
process going while you sleep.)
If you go into a workout several hours a er eating, you’re letting muscle
building remain paused that much longer, and you’re possibly experiencing a
weaker anabolic response to the training. Moreover, if you then wait too long to
eat a er the workout, muscle protein breakdown rates will shoot up and exceed
synthesis rates, which can result in muscle loss.

Should You Eat Carbs Before You Work Out?

Your body is highly e cient at tapping into glycogen stores during exercise to
meet the heightened demands for glucose, so if you’re eating at least a moderate-
carb diet (20-to-30 percent or more of your calories from carbs), eating carbs
before you train won’t make much of a di erence in your performance. An
exception, however, is when you’re going to work out at the end of an extended
(8+ hour) fast. In this case, you’ll likely have more energy and strength if you eat
30-to-40 grams of carbs 30-to-60 minutes before training.
As for what type of carbohydrate you should eat before training, anything
will do: Fruit, starch, simple sugars, etc. Choose whatever you enjoy most and is
easiest on your stomach. My favorite pre-workout carbs are nutritious whole
foods like oatmeal, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, white potatoes, sweet
potatoes, and rice.

Should You Eat Fat Before You Work Out?

You can, but you don’t need to. ere are several theories about how eating fat
before a workout can improve performance, but the scienti c literature disagrees.
A good summary of the research on the matter can be found in a study conducted
by scientists at Deakin University. Here’s their conclusion:

us, it would appear that while such a strategy can have a marked
e ect on exercise metabolism (i.e., reduced carbohydrate utilization),
there is no bene cial e ect on exercise performance.

Chalk up yet another strike against high-fat, low-carb dieting.

Should You Eat Protein after You Work Out?

It’s a good idea to eat 30-to-40 grams of protein within an hour or so of nishing
a workout. Remember that a er we nish training, muscle protein breakdown
rates rise, quickly surpassing synthesis rates. Muscle gain can’t occur until this
reverses (synthesis rates outstrip breakdown rates), and eating protein causes
exactly that by:

1. Providing the amino acid leucine, which directly stimulates muscle

protein synthesis.
2. Stimulating the production of insulin, which suppresses muscle protein
breakdown rates.

ese observations explain why many people talk about the post-workout
“anabolic window.” e idea here is that once you’ve nished a workout, you need
to eat within a certain amount of time (30-to-60 minutes, generally) to maximize
muscle gain. If you don’t, the story goes, you’ll gain less (or no) muscle from the
workout.
is theory is inaccurate because the size of this window depends on when
you last ate protein. If you haven’t eaten protein in three or more hours before
you work out, then it’s more important to eat protein soon a er you nish (your
body can’t start building muscle until you eat). If you have eaten protein within a
couple of hours of starting your workout, however, then the timing of your post-
workout meal is less important. Your body will still be processing the food you ate
earlier, so in this case, you could eat immediately a er your workout, but better
would be waiting a couple of hours.

Should You Eat Carbs After You Work Out?

Maybe, but not for the reason we’re o en told, which is to spike insulin levels and
thus enhance muscle growth in various ways. Unfortunately, studies suggest that
this doesn’t work. Adding carbs to post-workout meals doesn’t appear to
accelerate muscle gain because protein alone provides enough insulin to curb
muscle breakdown rates, which is the primary way insulin can directly a ect
muscle growth.
at said, adding carbs to your post-workout meal will keep insulin levels
elevated for longer, which is desirable from a muscle-building standpoint because
of insulin’s e ects on processes related to muscle loss. is is one of the reasons
why high-carb diets are better for gaining muscle than low-carb ones—research
shows that high-carb diets result in generally higher insulin levels, leading to
lower muscle protein breakdown rates and therefore more muscle growth.
It’s also worth noting that the body won’t store carbs as fat until glycogen
stores have been re lled, which is why people o en recommend eating your most
carb-rich meals immediately a er you work out. How much this can actually
bene t your body composition over time is debatable, but it certainly won’t hurt.

Should You Eat Fat After You Work Out?

Sure, if you want to. Some people claim that you shouldn’t, though, because it
slows down the digestion and absorption of the protein and carbs that your body
so desperately needs. While it’s true that adding fat to a protein- or carb-rich meal
slows down the rate at which food is cleared from the stomach, it’s not true that
this makes for less e ective post-workout nutrition. For example, several studies
have shown that the fat content of a meal has no e ect on glycogen
replenishment rates, and that whole milk may be more anabolic than nonfat
milk.

Holy shsticks—that was a bona de bison bludgeoner of a chapter, so here’s a hat

tip for hanging in there. I hope I’ve done my job well too, because if I have, you
now know exactly how to use all kinds of food you like to build muscle, lose fat,
and optimize your health and well-being. You should also be ready to put all your
newly acquired knowledge into action by creating your rst Bigger Leaner
Stronger meal plan (and remember that you can nd a digital template for this in
the bonus material that comes with this book).
Why not do that right now? And then, once you’re happy with your meal
plan, why not start using it right away? at’s right—it’s time to o cially start the
program and set your course for a bigger, leaner, and stronger you!
en we’ll carry on and learn how to use the elements of e ective strength
and cardiovascular training to design relatively short but highly e ective
workouts that will transform your body faster than you thought possible.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Try not to eat out more than once per week when cutting, or more than
twice per week when lean gaining or maintaining, and when ordering in a
restaurant, stick to meals that can be measured.
Limit yourself to no more than two servings of alcohol per day while
cutting and maintaining (because of satiety and health) and one serving
per day while lean gaining (because of the calorie surplus).
Consider alcohol a treat (part of the 20 percent of daily calories you can
use indiscriminately) and include the calories in your meal plan.
If a beverage contains calories (like a soda, juice, latte, or sweetened tea),
it must be included in your meal plan like a food.
e most e cient way to build a meal plan is in layers. First, you add your
primary sources of protein; then, your nutritious carbs, starting with
three-to- ve portions of vegetables; then, your primary sources of healthy
fat; and nally, your treats.
If you want to treat yourself without ruining your diet, limit yourself to
one or two treat meals per week, try not to surpass your maintenance
calories on treat days, and drink alcohol sensibly.
If you haven’t eaten protein in the three-or-four hours preceding a
strength training workout, then it’s a good idea to eat 30-to-40 grams
before you train. If you have eaten protein in the last few hours, then you
don’t need to eat more.
If you’re eating at least a moderate-carb diet (20-to-30 percent or more of
your calories from carbs), eating carbs before you train won’t make much
of a di erence in your performance. An exception, however, is when
you’re going to work out at the end of an extended (8+ hour) fast. In this
case, you’ll likely have more energy and strength if you eat 30-to-40 grams
of carbs 30-to-60 minutes before training.
Eating fat before you work out has no bene cial e ect on exercise
performance, but you can if you want to.
If you haven’t eaten protein in three or more hours before you work out,
then it’s more important to eat protein soon a er you nish (30-to-40
grams within an hour of nishing is a good target), but if you have eaten
protein within a couple of hours of starting your workout, then the
timing of your post-workout meal is less important.
Adding carbs to your post-workout meal will keep insulin levels elevated
for longer, which is desirable from a muscle-building standpoint because
of insulin’s e ects on processes related to muscle loss.
 PART 4

The Last Exercise Advice

You’ll Ever Need
 e Big Ideas

1. Your genetics can’t stop you from getting

fit.
2. Many people can build muscle and lose fat
at the same time.
3. Cardio is optional when dieting.
 11

The 10 Absolute Worst Exercise

Myths and Mistakes

I am building a re, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right
moment, I light the match.
—MIA HAMM

N
ine of ten people you see in the gym don’t train correctly. I could
write an entire book cataloguing the most common mistakes, but
here’s a small sampling:

ey spend too much time on the wrong exercises.

ey undertrain and overtrain muscle groups.
ey use poor form, especially on the more technical exercises.
ey use too little or too much weight.
ey rest too little or too much in between sets.

In fact, what most people do in the gym doesn’t even qualify as training but
merely exercise. What’s the di erence? Exercise is physical activity done for its
own sake—to burn calories or improve energy levels or mood—whereas training
is a systematic method of exercising done to achieve a speci c, longer-term goal,
like increased strength, muscle de nition, or athleticism.
 ere’s nothing inherently wrong with exercise (it beats sitting on your
keister), but only training can give you the body you really want. While exercise
can make you healthier, it guarantees nothing in the way of fat loss or muscle
gain, the two biggest physiological levers you need to know how to work to build
your best body. Unfortunately, most gym-goers don’t understand this, and that’s
why weeks, months, and years can go by with them doing the same old exercises,
li ing the same old weights, and sporting the same old bodies.
ere are many training myths and mistakes that contribute to this plight,
but in this chapter, we’ll confront the ten that make building muscle far more
di cult than it should be.

1. “Some guys just don’t have the genetics to get big and strong.”
2. “Strength training makes you stronger but not bigger.”
3. “You can’t build muscle and lose fat at the same time.”
4. “You should change exercises frequently.”
5. “Strength training is dangerous.”
6. “You must use bands, machines, and other contraptions.”
7. “Exercise doesn’t help you lose fat.”
8. “Strength training isn’t e ective for losing weight.”
9. “You have to do a lot of cardio to get and stay lean.”
10. “You don’t need to do isolation exercises.”

Let’s knock the starch out of these fallacies, starting with number one.

Myth #1:

“Some Guys Just Don’t Have the Genetics to Get Big and Strong”

For many, “genetics” is an unpalatable word, associated with things we want to

change but can’t, like height, beauty, and athleticism. I won’t blow smoke—
muscle building is heavily in uenced by genetics, and there are hard limits to how
much muscle we can gain.
ere are many physiological reasons for this, but you can get a fairly
accurate estimate of your muscle-building potential by analyzing your bone
structure. Research shows that people with larger bones tend to be more
muscular than people with smaller frames. Bigger-boned people also tend to have
higher testosterone levels and gain muscle faster when they start li ing weights.
e point: burly people have more genetic potential for size and strength than
bony ones.
Now you’re probably wondering how you measure up. Two good indicators
of your overall bone structure are the circumferences of your wrists and ankles.
Height being equal, people who have wider wrists and ankles tend to be naturally
more muscular and have a higher potential for muscle growth than those with
narrower ones. Now, if you’re like me and don’t need to pull out the measuring
tape to know that you have slender bones, I have good news: even people with
shoddy bodybuilding genetics can gain more than enough muscle and strength to
look and feel fantastic.
Most guys only need to gain 20-to-25 pounds of muscle and reach
intermediate-level strength to look and perform like scorchers—something
literally any guy can do with the right plan, no matter how skinny and weak he is
when he rst touches a barbell. It doesn’t have to take a lifetime, either. It’ll
happen faster in some people than others, but for most guys, it requires no more
than three years of consistent training.

Myth #2:

“Strength Training Makes You Stronger but Not Bigger”

If there’s one mainstream misconception that causes more harm to men’s
physiques than any other, it’s this one—the idea that heavy weightli ing is mostly
for gaining strength and not muscle. If you primarily want to get bigger, we’re
told, you should always use lighter weights and do more reps (8-to-12 reps per set
is o en promoted as the promised land).
is is incorrect. Backward, actually, because the most reliable way to get big
is to get strong, and the best way to do that is to li heavy weights. ere are
several reasons for this that we’ll discuss in more detail in the next chapter, but
they can be summarized like this: Heavy weightli ing produces large amounts of
tension in your muscle, causing a great activation of muscle bers (collections of
long, threadlike strands called myo brils that contract). And as you’ll soon learn,
generating higher levels of tension in your muscles over time is the single most
e ective way to stimulate muscle growth. is explains why your number one
goal as a natural weightli er should be to increase your whole-body strength.
And the most e ective way to do that is to li heavy weights with exercises that
involve multiple joints and muscle groups (compound exercises).
at doesn’t mean that you should never li lighter weights or that you can’t
gain muscle with them, though—only that your bias should be toward higher-
and not lower-intensity training. For this reason, in the Bigger Leaner Stronger
program, you’ll train in just two rep ranges: 4-to-6 reps for compound exercises,
and 6-to-8 reps for isolation exercises (exercises that involve a single joint and
focus on one muscle group).
“Wait a minute,” you may be thinking. “If that’s true, then how can some
people be way stronger than they look?” You may answer steroids, superior
genetics, or awless technique, and while these things can be factors (especially
with strength athletes), the most important one is something less understood:
anatomy.
 While we all have the same muscles, all located in the same general regions,
they’re attached to our skeletons in di erent ways. ese discrepancies are usually
small—only a centimeter or two—but they can translate into huge di erences in
natural strength. e mechanisms are highly technical, but they add up to greater
mechanical advantage. Because muscles function as levers, where they attach to
your bones greatly impacts how much force they can produce and thus how much
weight they can move. Studies show that, thanks to anatomical di erences,
strength can vary by as much as 25 percent among people with identical amounts
of lean mass.
Some people’s muscles and bones are also arranged in a way that allows them
to li far more than you’d expect based on their size. Short upper arms give an
advantage on the bench press (the bar doesn’t have to move as far), long arms and
short legs are ideal for the deadli (for the same reason), and short femurs
improve your squat strength.
Fortunately, as in the case of genetics and muscle building, whether we were
born to move mountains of weight bears little on our ability to get into great
shape (only on our prospects as a strength athlete). If you’re reading this book to
build a strong, muscular, lean, and healthy body, take comfort because none of
that requires an anatomical leg up.

Myth #3:

“You Can’t Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time”

Yes, you absolutely can. Well, most people can at least, and you’re probably one of
them. Here’s why:

1. If you’re new to weightli ing (less than one year of proper training or
15 pounds of muscle gain) or are getting started again, you shouldn’t
 have any trouble building muscle and losing fat at the same time.
2. If you have at least six-to-eight months of e ective training under your
belt and have gained at least 10 pounds of muscle and aren’t coming o
a long break, you probably can’t do both and will have to optimize your
regimen for one or the other (muscle gain or fat loss).

Why are those the rules? Why can’t everyone gain muscle and lose fat at the
same time, regardless of their circumstances? Physiologically speaking, fat loss
and muscle growth have “irreconcilable di erences” that stem from their
relationship to the body’s energy balance. When you maintain a calorie de cit,
your body fat levels drop, but so does your body’s ability to create muscle
proteins. Testosterone levels also decline and cortisol levels rise when calories are
restricted for extended periods of time. is consequence makes it easier to lose
muscle while dieting and partly unravels why most people can’t gain muscle and
lose fat at the same time—by restricting our calories to lose fat, we also restrict
muscle growth.
is isn’t so with people new to resistance training, though. ey can get
bigger and leaner at the same time. When you rst start weightli ing, you can
gain muscle at a very fast rate because your body is hyperresponsive to it, so many
guys can gain up to 20 pounds of muscle in their rst year of strength training,
whereas the best someone like me could hope for is a pound or so of muscle gain
over the next year.
is newbie gains phase generally lasts six-to-eight months for most people,
and it can easily overpower the muscle-related disadvantages of a calorie de cit.
In other words, cutting can still slow down muscle growth when you’re new, but it
can’t halt it altogether. Eventually this blessing fades, however, and with it goes
your ability to “recomp” (recomposition) your body. From that point on, you’ll
need to cut when you want to lose fat and preserve muscle, and lean gain when
you want to gain a substantial amount of muscle. (Maintenance is the medium
state—no fat loss or gain and minimal or no muscle growth.)

Myth #4:

“You Should Change Exercises Frequently”

How many times have you heard that you need to constantly change your
workout routine to continue making progress? at you have to “confuse” and
“shock” your muscles into growth by regularly subjecting them to new exercises
and workouts?
is sounds sensible. If we want to improve something, whether it be a skill
or some aspect of our tness, we have to continually push boundaries and tackle
new challenges. Wouldn’t that imply, then, that we’d have to regularly subject our
muscles to new types of physical demands? at doing the same workouts every
week would result in stagnation? While it’s true that doing the exact same
workouts again and again will lead to a slump, the “muscle confusion” theory
misses the forest for the trees. Your muscles have no cognitive abilities. ey’re
not trying to guess what workout you’ll do today and can’t be “confused” by fancy
workout programming. Muscle tissue is purely mechanical. It can contract and
relax. Nothing more.
at said, there’s validity to the basic premise that muscles won’t keep
getting bigger and stronger unless they’re forced to. Where muscle confusion goes
astray, however, is with the type of stimulus it emphasizes. You can change up your
workout routine every week—heck, every day—and still hit a plateau because
“change” doesn’t cause muscle growth. Progressive tension overload does, and more
so than any other single training factor.
is term refers to increasing the amount of tension your muscles produce
over time, and while there are several ways to accomplish this, the most e ective
one (and the one that forms the nucleus of Bigger Leaner Stronger training) is to
progressively increase the amount of resistance your muscles have to work against.
In other words, the key to gaining muscle and strength isn’t merely changing
movement patterns, rep ranges, or rest intervals—it’s making your muscles work
harder. And that’s exactly what you’re doing by gradually increasing resistance
levels (loads) in your training.
Bigger Leaner Stronger will also involve less exercise variety than many
mainstream bodybuilding programs. Unless you have to change exercises sooner
because of injury, equipment availability (hotel gym, for instance), or other
obstacles, you’ll do the same exercises every week for eight weeks at a time. And
some exercises—the most important ones—will never get benched.
Some people think that a rigorous procedure like this sounds less enjoyable
than a more diverse one, but that’s only until they learn how e ective it is. By not
making frequent changes to exercises, you have enough time to get attuned to
your routine + hone your exercise technique + accurately track your progress =
an equation for remarkable results (fun!).

Myth #5:

“Strength Training Is Dangerous”

Many people think strength training (heavy weightli ing) is dangerous, and I
understand why. When you compare deadli ing, squatting, and bench pressing
large amounts of weight to other forms of exercise, like jogging, cycling, or
calisthenics, strength training looks daunting.
Poke around on the Internet, and you’ll nd plenty of material to feed this
perception. Personal stories range from the tame—mild joint and muscle aches
and the like—to the downright horri c, with some long-time powerli ers and
bodybuilders so incapacitated that they can’t even tie their shoes until the
ibuprofen kicks in.
And so strength training has been saddled with a bum rap for decades now.
ankfully, the tide is turning and strength training is gaining currency, but many
people still think that its risks far exceed its rewards. Ironically, however, research
shows that when done properly, strength training is remarkably safe. In one
review of twenty studies, Bond University scientists found that bodybuilding
produced an average of just one injury for every 1,000 hours of training—nearly
four years of training ve days per week. Researchers also noted that most of the
injuries tended to be minor aches and pains that didn’t require any type of special
treatment or recovery protocols. In most cases, a bit of extra R & R won the day.
As you’d expect, more intense and technical types of weightli ing, like
CrossFit, Olympic weightli ing, and powerli ing, result in more injuries, but
fewer than you might think. ese activities produced just 2-to-4 injuries per
1,000 hours of training, whereas studies show that sports like ice hockey, football,
soccer, and rugby have injury rates ranging from 6-to-260 per 1,000 hours, and
even long-distance runners can expect about 10 injuries per 1,000 hours of
pavement pounding. erefore, you’re about 6-to-10 times more likely to get hurt
playing beer league sports than by following a strength training program like
Bigger Leaner Stronger.
You’ll get a bigger payo with strength training, too, because it delivers a
number of health and tness bene ts that you can’t get from other types of
exercise. Here’s a short list of what a well-designed strength training routine can
do for you:

Stronger and healthier joints

More muscle mass
 Better heart health
Improved brain health
Greater longevity and quality of life
More bone density
Faster metabolism
Improved exibility

And those perks are just the highlight reel. When you compare the upside of
strength training to the long odds of getting hurt and the mildness of most of the
injuries that do occur, the choice is clear: to strength train is far smarter than not
to.
Whether we realize it, we make these types of judgment calls every day.
Every time we step into a car, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or play with a
pet, we’re accepting a certain amount of risk. e only sure re way to avoid this
element of living would be to never leave our beds—but even then, we’d have to
contend with fallout associated with lack of physical activity like muscle loss,
impaired sleep, and an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
All we can do, then, is assess outcomes and probabilities of situations we face and
try to tilt the scales in our favor as much as we can. And as to strength training,
it’s easily disarmed with proper programming, technique, and recovery, which
you’ll learn about in this book.

Myth #6:

“You Should Always/Never Do This Type of Workout Split”

A workout split refers to how your workouts are organized in terms of which
exercises you do and which muscle groups you train in each session, and everyone
seems to have a di erent opinion on what works best. Some people claim that the
traditional bodybuilding method of training one major muscle group in each
workout is optimal. Others decry the body-part split, however, and beat the drum
for something else, like the full-body split or upper/lower split. Still others disagree
with all of that and are convinced that you should organize your training around
“movement patterns” or some other feature or factor. Separating the sheep from
the goats can be di cult, too, because you can nd “sciencey” explanations for
many of these assertions. e main problem, however, is that all of these opinions
focus on brushstrokes instead of the big picture.
Ultimately, it isn’t a workout split that drives muscle growth—your biceps
don’t care if they get trained in an “arms,” “pull,” or “upper-body” workout. Your
muscles will grow when you do the right amount of the right exercises with the
right amount of weight and post-workout rest and recovery. Your workout split is
just a tool that helps you accomplish those ends, not a target unto itself, and
therefore, no single workout split is “best” for everyone, under all circumstances,
at all points in time. For example, if your goal is to maximize the development of
your upper body muscles while still growing your lower body, the best workout
split for you will look very di erent than if your goal is to compete in a
powerli ing competition (which requires tremendous lower-body strength).
ere are other factors to consider when choosing a workout split, too, such as
other demands and obligations in your life, training experience, and personal
preferences, etc.
Now, if you’re like most guys reading this book, your goal is probably similar
to the one I just outlined—a lot more upper-body muscle and strength, with
enough lower-body development to maintain good proportions—and you
probably also care about staying injury free and highly engaged in your home and
work life. And to do all of that, you don’t have to follow one particular workout
split (many can do the trick), but you must follow a few non-negotiable training
tenets that I’ll share in the next chapter.
And as for which type of workout split is used in Bigger Leaner Stronger, it’s
a mash-up of the push/pull/legs and upper/lower splits—essentially a
push/pull/legs routine with extra chest, arms, and shoulders work to grow those
muscle groups as fast as we can. is scheme works extremely well for people new
to proper strength training, but you should know that it may not always be the
best way for you to train, especially if you want to get as big and strong as your
genetics will allow. Eventually, you’ll likely need to modify this program or use
another workout split altogether to reach your ultimate goals, (which is why I
wrote a follow-up book to this one called Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger).

Myth #7:

“Exercise Doesn’t Help You Lose Fat”

When most people want to start losing weight, they start doing
cardiovascular exercise, and although they may wind up wearing out their
running shoes and giving their spin bikes countless sweat showers, they rarely see
meaningful changes in the mirror or on the scale. Researchers have long noted
the same thing in studies. When people exercise for a few weeks or months—
even vigorous exercise like high-intensity interval training—they lose less weight
than you’d expect, and sometimes none.
A study published in the journal Obesity Reviews found that people who
followed a cardio program (either moderate- or high-intensity) only lost about 2
pounds of fat a er 12 weeks on average. at’s 0.2 pounds per week, an amount
so small it’s hard to even measure. Even more eye-opening are the results of a
review study published by ueen’s University. A er analyzing thirty-one studies,
they found that weight loss outcomes got worse as the duration of exercise
increased—people who followed an exercise plan for several months lost just 7
pounds on average, and people who followed an exercise plan for six months or
more lost almost nothing.
As a result, many journalists, doctors, and tness authorities have declared
that exercising for weight loss is like trying to bail out a boat with a sieve—a
fruitless endeavor. Or at least the ordinary way of exercising is futile, some say, but
if you give them $49.99 in 78 easy hourly installments, they’ll give you access to
their proprietary patent perpetually pending breakthrough training techniques
guaranteed to melt belly fat faster than a roided hornet—ahem … I digress.
All of this anti-exercise rhetoric has a so underbelly, however, because none
of the research used to support it controlled people’s calorie intake properly. And
what do you think happens when you put a bunch of overweight people on an
exercise program without addressing anything related to nutrition and lifestyle?
ey burn more calories—whoop whoop—but then get hungrier and eat more—
womp womp.
is “compensatory eating response” associated with exercise is cause for
constant hand-wringing (“You just eat more a er you work out! Oh the
humanity!”), but it’s merely a natural, healthy, and necessary response to
increased energy expenditure. A er all, if we didn’t get hungrier a er strenuous
exercise, humans would’ve starved to death long ago.
Luckily, while this reaction to exercise isn’t under our control (appetite will
increase), how we act on it is. Moreover, if you follow the nutrition plan I gave
you in the last section of this book, you’ll signi cantly dampen the unwanted
appetitive e ects of frequent exercise. So, while exercise alone doesn’t guarantee
anything in the way of weight loss, what happens when you do a few hours of the
right kind of exercise per week and eat properly (as you’ll learn how to do in this
book)? You lose fat, you lose it quickly, and you enjoy the process.
 Myth #8:

“Strength Training Isn’t E ective for Losing Weight”

is misbelief has a kernel of truth in it because while literally correct, it’s also
misleading. Strength training is indeed a bad way to lose weight, but when
combined with proper dieting, research shows that it’s a fantastic way to lose fat
faster while preserving (or gaining!) muscle.
A Duke University study illustrates this point perfectly. Researchers
recruited 196 obese or overweight men and women ranging from 18-to-70 years
old and split them into three groups:

1. Group one did three one-hour resistance training workouts per week.
2. Group two jogged three days per week at a moderate intensity for
about 45 minutes per session.
3. Group three did both the resistance training and cardio workouts.

A er eight months, guess which group lost the most weight? No, it wasn’t
group one or three. It was number two, the cardio-only group. e kicker? at
was also the only group that lost muscle as well. And guess who lost the most fat
while also gaining muscle? at’s right, group number three—the resistance
training and cardio group. In other words, adding resistance training to the cardio
workouts resulted in less weight loss due to muscle gain but more fat loss.
ere’s another myth related to this one that’s worth addressing here:
Higher-rep (and lower-weight) training is better for fat loss than lower-rep (and
higher-weight) training, mostly because doing more reps burns more calories
than doing fewer reps. is can seem intuitively true because higher-rep training
typically feels harder than lower-rep work, but research shows otherwise—the
di erences in energy expenditure between, say, doing 20-rep and 10-rep sets are
negligible. What’s more, although strength training doesn’t burn that many
calories (300 to 400 calories per hour, usually), it can boost the number of
calories you burn a er your workouts and raise your basal metabolic rate over
time. Studies show that heavier weights and fewer reps (7 reps or fewer more per
set) produces better metabolic e ects than lighter weights and more reps, too.
We also have to remember that the primary reason to include strength
training in a fat loss regimen isn’t calorie or fat burning but preserving (or
gaining) muscle mass while you lose fat. is improves body composition, of
course, but it also helps you lose fat faster because the less muscle your body
breaks down for energy, the more body fat it must burn instead. And again, the
best way to do this is to li heavy weights.

Myth #9:

“You Have to Do a Lot of Cardio to Get and Stay Lean”

You’ve probably heard that you must sacri ce excessive amounts of time to the
treadmill or StairMaster to look good. Allow me to disabuse you of such
nonsense. When it comes to improving your body composition, cardio is a mixed
blessing. It contributes to your fat loss e orts by burning energy, but not as much
as you may think. For instance, guess how much energy 30 minutes of vigorous
running burns? About 300-to-500 calories depending on how much you weigh.
And guess how easy it is to eat that right back? A handful of nuts, a cup of yogurt,
and an apple does the trick. Or if you’re the more indulgent type, a modest-sized
chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk.
My point isn’t that you shouldn’t eat these foods when you want to lose
weight or that the energy you burn during cardio doesn’t matter—only that
cardio just doesn’t burn as much energy as we wish it did (just like strength
training).
Another reason to limit cardio when you want to build a lean and powerful
physique is it can interfere with muscle and strength gain in two ways:

1. In the short term, by making you more generally fatigued, which makes
it harder to progress in your training.
2. In the long term, by disrupting cell signaling related to muscle growth.

at doesn’t mean you should completely shun cardio, though. It does have
health bene ts, including some that you don’t get from strength training, and it
can help you maintain a higher total daily energy expenditure, which means
faster fat loss and easier weight maintenance. And once you learn how to do
cardio correctly, you can enjoy these bene ts without su ering any of the
downsides. More on that soon.

Myth #10:

“You Don’t Need to Do Isolation Exercises”

As you learned a moment ago, compound exercises are fantastic for gaining
muscle and strength. However, some people put them on a pedestal as all you
need to fully develop every major muscle group (a group of muscles highly
involved in pushing, pulling, and squatting) in your body. Isolation exercises,
they say, may be fun, but they’re super uous if you do enough squatting, bench
pressing, deadli ing, and overhead pressing.
You can nd research to support this idea. Studies conducted by scientists at
the Federal University of Goiás, the University of the Amazon, Santa Cecília
University, and elsewhere have found that adding isolation exercises to
compound exercises didn’t signi cantly increase muscle growth or strength in
untrained and trained men and women.
As researcher and writer Greg Nuckols has noted in an unpublished meta-
analysis, though, most of these studies were conducted in such a way that made it
almost impossible for isolation exercises to show bene ts. When Nuckols
analyzed the results of seven studies on this topic, he found that isolation plus
compound exercises increased muscle size by about 3.8 percent versus 3 percent
with just compound exercises. at wasn’t statistically signi cant (large enough to
indicate a cause-e ect relationship), but it would be practically signi cant when
considered in the context of months and years of continued training. ink of it
this way: If I told you that you could increase muscle growth by 27 percent by
spending an extra 20 to 30 minutes in the gym each week doing a few relatively
easy exercises, would you do it? Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?
Another reason to include isolation exercises in a strength training routine is
working your muscles in several di erent ways—in di erent directions and at
di erent angles—produces better results than just one or two ways. In a study
conducted at the University of São Paulo, for instance, researchers found that
despite doing the same amount of weekly volume, people who did a combination
of lower-body exercises that included the Smith machine squat, deadli , leg press,
and lunge gained more strength and experienced more balanced and
proportionate muscle growth than people who only did the Smith machine squat.
e same e ect has been noted in several other studies as well:

Researchers at Londrina State University found that training with

three di erent exercises produced more symmetrical and complete
growth of the thighs, biceps, and triceps than training with one
exercise.
Scientists at the Federal Institute of Sudeste of Minas Gerais found that
six months of bench pressing produced consistent growth of the chest
 muscles, but not the triceps, which plateaued a er about eight weeks.
is suggests that adding triceps exercises would’ve produced more
triceps growth.
A research team at the University of Tokyo found that squats produced
very little growth of the rectus femoris (a muscle in the middle of your
thigh), which also suggests that including an isolation exercise that
targets this muscle, like the leg extension or Bulgarian split squat,
would be bene cial.

To summarize my case for doing isolation exercises:

1. Isolation exercises allow you to continue training speci c muscle

groups when it’s no longer practical to do so with a compound exercise.
For instance, your chest and shoulders will probably be bushed a er
several sets of bench and dumbbell pressing, but your triceps may be up
to a few sets of an isolation exercise. Or, while your low-back and
forearms are typically shagged a er just a few sets of deadli s, your lats
and hamstrings aren’t.
2. Isolation exercises allow you to train a muscle group in di erent
positions and through di erent ranges of motions, which likely
improves muscle growth. For example, bench pressing and overhead
pressing (compound exercises) train your triceps in a very di erent
position than triceps extensions or dumbbell pullovers (isolation
exercises).
3. Doing the same three or four exercises every week for months on end
gets boring, and boring workouts tend to be less productive than
engaging ones.
4. Repeating the same exercises in the same way for long periods of time
 probably increases the risk of repetitive stress injuries (a gradual buildup
of damage to tissues from repetitive motions), especially when you start
using heavier weights.

While the lion’s share of your gains will come from compound exercises, by
supplementing them with the right isolation exercises (like you will in Bigger
Leaner Stronger), you’ll get even more muscle and strength out of your training.

You’ve just learned some of the most fundamental lessons in the muscle-building
racket: li heavy weights, progressively overload your muscles, use free weights,
constrain cardio, and do a combination of compound and isolation exercises.
You’ve also learned the biggest reasons why so many people ounder in the
gym: they li light weights, change exercises too o en, prioritize the wrong
exercises, and do too much cardio.
We’ll carry this discussion further in the next chapter, where you’ll get the
Bigger Leaner Stronger playbook for building workouts that build muscle and
strength.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Exercise is physical activity done for its own sake—to burn calories or
improve energy levels or mood—whereas training is a systematic method
of exercising done to achieve a speci c, longer-term goal, like increased
strength, muscle de nition, or athleticism.
e most e ective way to increase your whole-body strength is to li
heavy weights with exercises that involve multiple joints and muscle
groups (compound exercises).
If you’re new to weightli ing (less than one year of proper training or 15
pounds of muscle gain) or are getting started again, you shouldn’t have
any trouble building muscle and losing fat at the same time.
If you have at least six-to-eight months of e ective training under your
belt and have gained at least 10 pounds of muscle and aren’t coming o a
long break, you probably can’t do both and will have to optimize your
regimen for muscle gain or fat loss.
e key to gaining muscle and strength is making your muscles work
harder by gradually increasing resistance levels (loads) in your training.
Your workout split is just a tool that helps you do the right amount of the
right exercises with the right amount of weight and post-workout
recovery, not a target unto itself, and therefore, no single workout split is
“best” for everyone, under all circumstances, at all points in time.
e primary reason to include strength training in a fat loss regimen isn’t
calorie or fat burning but preserving (or gaining) muscle mass while you
lose fat, which improves your body composition and helps you lose fat
faster because the less muscle your body breaks down for energy, the more
body fat it must burn instead.
Doing cardio has health bene ts, including some that you don’t get from
strength training, and it can help you maintain a higher total daily energy
expenditure, but it doesn’t contribute to fat loss as much as you may
think.
It makes sense to include isolation exercises in your strength training
routine because they allow you to continue training speci c muscle
groups when it’s no longer practical to do so with a compound exercise,
they allow you to train a muscle group in di erent positions and through
di erent ranges of motion, which likely improves muscle growth, they
keep workouts fresh and engaging, and they help you avoid repetitive
stress injuries.
 e Big Ideas

1. Use an effective mix of intensity, volume,

and frequency.
2. Achieve progressive overload.
3. Use proper form.
 12

The Ultimate Strength Training

Plan for Men

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.
—PROVERBS 22:29

B
y the end of the Second World War, military hospitals were overrun
with soldiers who had sustained serious orthopedic injuries like bone
fractures, breaks, and muscle, tendon, and ligament tears. e
situation was grim. ere simply weren’t enough physicians to treat everyone in a
timely manner, and their moldy rehabilitation protocol of rest, heat, and gentle
exercise put patients on a long road to recovery—up to six-to-nine months was
common.
In 1945, however, an Army doctor named omas DeLorme began
experimenting with a new rehab technique to help servicemen heal faster—one
that had transformed his own health. As a child, DeLorme was stricken with
rheumatic fever, a serious disease that o en killed children and caused permanent
heart damage in those who survived. A er four months of enforced bed rest,
doctors told DeLorme that his heart was now too weak for him to ever do any
strenuous activity again. “I was determined to prove the medicos wrong,”
DeLorme later said, “and immediately upon leaving my sick bed I started a
comeback campaign.”
at campaign was strength training, and it not only helped DeLorme turn
the corner and conquer the a ermath of his illness, but it also won him modest
recognition as a strength athlete. His competition highlights included a 250-
pound clean and jerk, 240-pound bent press, 160-pound curl, and 503-pound
deadli .
Although World War Two dashed DeLorme’s Olympian ambitions, he
continued with his strength training routine while serving his country—unusual
in medical circles at the time because most physicians agreed that extreme e ort
of any kind was unhealthy, particularly for the heart. DeLorme, however, knew
otherwise, and when he wanted to gure out how to help injured servicemen heal
faster, he hypothesized that strength training could bear fruit.
A er an inaugural success with a patient recovering from knee surgery,
DeLorme knew he was on the right track. He designed a new rehab regimen that
consisted of multiple sets of strength training exercises with weights that the
patient could li for 10 reps. Once they could complete several 10-rep sets (for a
time, it was seven) with a given weight, they’d increase the load and repeat the
process. DeLorme called his system “Heavy Resistance Exercise,” and it worked
wonders, consistently restoring strength and function to men who had completed
traditional physical therapy and resigned themselves to permanent disability. e
good news spread quickly, and DeLorme’s breakthrough became the standard of
care for both military and civilian physical therapy.
DeLorme continued his research into the curative e ects of strength
training, re ned his training programs, and published multiple academic texts on
the science of resistance training, including the seminal book Progressive
Resistance Exercise: Technic and Medical Application—works widely read by other
medical professionals that legitimized strength training as a healthy and e ective
form of exercise.
is tale illustrates one of the laws of muscle and strength gain: To get bigger
and stronger muscles, you must gradually increase the amount of tension they can
produce. Technically, this refers to one of the three primary “triggers” or
“pathways” for muscle growth:

1. Mechanical tension—Force produced in muscle bers by stretching

and contracting. ere are two types of mechanical tension: “passive”
and “active” tension. Passive tension occurs when your muscles are
stretching during a resistance exercise, and active tension occurs when
they’re contracting.
2. Microscopic damage to muscle bers caused by high levels of tension.
Whether muscle damage directly causes muscle growth or is just a
byproduct of mechanical tension is unclear, but at this time, it belongs
on the list.
3. Cellular fatigue—A number of chemical changes that occur in and
around muscle bers as they contract repeatedly. When you take a set
to muscular failure—the point where you can no longer move the
weight despite giving maximal e ort—or close to it, this causes high
amounts of cellular fatigue.

Out of these three drivers of muscle growth, studies show that mechanical
tension is the most important, meaning that it produces a stronger muscle-
building stimulus than muscle damage and cellular fatigue. us, for strength
training to be maximally productive, it must underline mechanical tension more
than muscle damage and cellular fatigue. Consequently, then, what do you think
is more e ective for gaining muscle and strength: Training with heavier or lighter
loads? at’s right—heavier loads, which produce more mechanical tension than
lighter ones and thus activate more muscle growth (which leads to more
strength).
Merely li ing heavy weights isn’t enough to keep driving muscle growth,
though. To do that, we must steadily increase mechanical tension levels in the
muscles over time (progressive overload). is explains why DeLorme’s methods
were so e ective. Week by week, month by month, and year by year, his patients
handled heavier and heavier loads that generated more and more mechanical
tension in their muscles.
In Bigger Leaner Stronger, I’ll have you do the same, and as you learned in
the last chapter, we’ll concentrate on three types of movements that have been
strength training staples for over a century now:

1. Pushing
2. Pulling
3. Squatting

Let’s learn about each and why they’re so vital for building an exceptional
body.
Pushing against resistance—like you do with the push-up, dumbbell bench
press, and barbell bench press—is a fantastic way to gain muscle and strength in
your upper body, because it engages some of the largest muscle groups above the
waist, including your pectorals (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps (arms).
Pulling against resistance is another one of the best ways to develop upper-body
strength and muscularity. Pulling something toward your body—like with the
pull-up, dumbbell row, and barbell row—recruits the largest muscle group in
your torso, the back muscles, as well as your biceps (arms).
Squatting against resistance is the absolute best way to develop a strong and
powerful lower body. When you squat, you activate the largest muscle group in
your entire body, the quadriceps, along with every other muscle below the waist,
including the hip muscles (hip exors), butt muscles (glutes), hamstrings, and
calves.
In fact, the squat is nearly a whole-body exercise because it also trains your
core muscles (abs and obliques) as well as your back muscles (especially your
erector spinae)—everything except your chest, arms, and shoulders, basically.
 is push-pull-squat paradigm embodies an important part of the Bigger Leaner
Stronger philosophy: We don’t want to just “do things that work” in the gym—
we want to do what works best. In other words, we want to spend our time and
e ort on the exercises and training techniques that produce the most results and
avoid those that o er less.
If this strategy sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve heard of it
before: e Pareto Principle. Named a er the economist Vilfredo Pareto, this
principle states that in many realms, roughly 20 percent of the causes generate
roughly 80 percent of the e ects. We can observe this axiom in operation all
around us—about 20 percent of criminals commit 80 percent of crime, around
20 percent of patients are responsible for 80 percent of healthcare spending, and
15 percent of baseball players deliver 85 percent of the wins.
e Pareto Principle also applies to training. Out of the thousands of tness
maxims and methods you can follow, just a few of them produce a bucketful of
gains, and the rest are either unproductive or unnecessary unless you’re nudging
your genetic ceiling for muscularity and strength. Bigger Leaner Stronger
epitomizes these paramount principles, and its system can be expressed as a
simple formula:
3–5 | 9–12 | 9–12 | 75–85 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 8
No, that isn’t a secret code you have to break. It’s the “secret” to building the
body you’ve always wanted. Here’s what it means:

Do 3-to-5 strength training workouts per week.

Do 9-to-12 hard sets per major muscle group per week.
Do 9-to-12 hard sets per workout.
Use 75-to-85 percent of one-rep max.
End most hard sets 1-to-3 reps shy of muscular failure.
Rest 2-to-4 minutes in between hard sets.
Take it easy every 8 weeks.

Let’s review those directions one at a time and learn how to combine them
into a strength training workout routine that really works.

3–5

Do Three-to-Five Strength Training Workouts Per Week

e next time you’re chasing the wind on (delete your) Instagram, search the
hashtag #nodayso , and you’ll meet countless t people preening themselves on
their dogged determination. eir e ort is o en commendable, but not prudent.
Intense training six or seven days per week is a high road to injury and burnout
(especially when cutting, when people tend to be most gung-ho).
Strength training is hard. It batters your joints, tendons, and muscles. It
redlines your nervous system. It hammers your bones. ese e ects are healthy
and necessary for forcing the body to get tter, but they also heap up fatigue that
reduces strength, power, and focus—a phenomenon known as overreaching.
Research suggests that this response to training may partly be a mental or
emotional state rather than a purely physical one, but it’s real, and you need to
know how to manage it. If you ignore your body’s warnings and press on,
overreaching can spiral toward overtraining, and you can develop symptoms like
…

Persistent soreness, fatigue, and weakness

Trouble sleeping
Loss of appetite
Unintended weight loss (and not in the good way)
Irritability, anxiety, and restlessness
Abnormal heart rate
Inability to focus
Depression

To avoid this abyss, I recommend three-to- ve strength training workouts

per week, which is enough to achieve even the lo iest tness ambitions without
aming out. is is why I’ll give you three Bigger Leaner Stronger routines to
choose from: a three-day-per-week, four-day, and ve-day routine.
A caution: Once you’re on the program and seeing results, you’ll probably
start to feel that your “rest days” are missed opportunities to gain a little more
muscle and strength. Remember, however, that rest and relaxation are vital
components of the program because muscle isn’t built in the gym—that’s where
you give it the signal to grow. It’s only during downtime that your body can
recover from your training and become tter and stronger than before.
 9–12

Do 9-to-12 Hard Sets Per Major Muscle Group Per Week

Many people think that training frequency (how o en you train a major muscle
group) is a major factor in muscle building—more important than olume (the
total amount of time your muscles spend contracting, as measured in di erent
ways for di erent reasons, including total reps, hard sets, and weight x reps) and
intensity (the degree of tension your muscles produce in each rep). To them, it’s
black and white: more frequency is always better, and if you’re not training each
major muscle group at least two-to-three (or more) times per week, you’re not
going to get very far.
is makes for good social media snippets, but it’s too broad of a brush.
How frequently you can and should train muscle groups depends on several
things:

Your tness goals

Your workout schedule
Your workout intensity
Your workout volume

For instance, if you can li weights three days per week and are more
interested in developing your upper body than your lower body, it doesn’t make
sense to do three whole-body workouts per week. Instead, you’ll want to focus on
your upper-body muscles.
e relationship between intensity, volume, and frequency is fairly
complicated, and there are many viable ways to calibrate these variables. However,
there’s also a universal rule that governs the results: As volume and intensity go
up in individual workouts, the frequency of those workouts must go down. In
other words, while you can squat or bench press three times per week, you can’t
do 10 hard sets (sets taken close to muscular failure) per workout.
What’s more, research shows that training frequency isn’t nearly as
important for gaining muscle and strength as intensity and volume. In fact,
frequency can be viewed simply as a tool for providing our muscles with enough
weekly volume to stimulate growth—a target that varies widely based on training
experience, tness level, and genetics. According to a recent study published in
the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, optimal volume
for gaining muscle appears to be in the range of 10-to-20 hard sets per major
muscle group per week with moderately heavy weights (60 percent of one-rep
max or higher) and adequate rest in between sets, with the lower number of sets
being suitable for beginners and the higher end for advanced weightli ers.
Practically, that means that someone new to strength training doesn’t need
to do more than 9-to-12 hard sets per major muscle group per week to make
signi cant gains, whereas intermediate and advanced weightli ers may need to
do upward of 15-to-20 hard sets for a major muscle group per week to continue
making progress. Curiously, studies also show that when novices increase their
volume from the lower end of the 10-to-20-set range to the higher end, they
don’t gain muscle and strength any faster because their bodies simply can’t build
muscle any faster. Additional volume, then, results in heavily diminished returns
or even backsliding.
us, as the Bigger Leaner Stronger program is intended for men who have
yet to gain their rst 20-to-30 pounds of muscle, it entails 9-to-12 hard sets per
major muscle group per week—the appropriate amount of volume for that goal.
Eventually, however, that’s not enough volume to keep progressing, which is why
in the sequel to this book, Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger, intended for
intermediate and advanced weightli ers, the volume increases to around 15 hard
sets per major muscle group per week.

9–12

Do 9-to-12 Hard Sets Per Workout

Just as there’s a point of diminishing returns for weekly volume per muscle group,
there’s also one for volume in an individual workout. Research shows that this
threshold is likely between 8-and-10 hard sets per muscle group, depending on
how heavy the resistance is and how t you are. is limitation helps us
understand why frequency becomes more important as you get bigger and
stronger. If you have to do, say, 15 hard sets for your chest per week to add muscle
and strength without doing more than 10 hard sets in an individual workout, you
have to split that volume up into at least two workouts.
In Bigger Leaner Stronger, though, you’ll warm up and do 9-to-12 hard sets
per workout, which may sound suspicious to you. at’s all? How can that work
when many other bodybuilding programs call for 15-to-20 or more sets per
workout? A couple of reasons.
First, many bodybuilding routines use “special” techniques like supersets,
drop sets, giant sets, and whatnot that greatly increase volume. While such
devices can be e ectively incorporated into a training routine, they’re not
necessary (especially for beginners) nor as generally e ective for gaining muscle
and strength as straight sets (traditional weightli ing sets). As Bigger Leaner
Stronger workouts only use straight sets, they have less volume than programs
with di erent types of sets.
Second, unless you’re a seasoned weightli er, you only need to do 9-to-12
hard sets per major muscle group per week to maximize muscle growth, and when
programmed correctly, 9-to-12 hard sets per workout is enough to accomplish
this.
ird, and most importantly, most bodybuilding programs use lighter
weights and higher rep ranges. is approach allows for large amounts of volume,
but as you learned in the previous chapter, it’s not optimal for naturally gaining
muscle and strength. With steroids, however, the rules change, and a lot more
than the average drug user would care to admit.

75–85

Use 75-to-85 Percent of One-Rep Max

In Bigger Leaner Stronger, you’ll use two di erent loads in your workouts: on
primary exercises, which you’ll learn about in the next chapter, around 80-to-85
percent of one-rep max (4-to-6 reps per set), and on accessory exercises, around 75-
to-80 percent of one-rep max (6-to-8 reps per set).
Why these particular loads and rep ranges? Why not the more common
prescription of lighter weights and more reps? Or the coming trend of heavier
weights and just a few reps? Contrary to what you might expect, it’s not because
the Bigger Leaner Stronger way is fundamentally superior for gaining muscle than
those other styles. In fact, research shows that a breadth of rep ranges can produce
signi cant amounts of muscle growth.
For example, in a study conducted at Lehman College and Victoria
University, scientists reviewed 21 studies that compared training with heavier
weights (60-plus percent of one-rep max) and lower reps versus lighter weights
(less than 60 percent of one-rep max) and higher reps. ey found that men and
women gained about the same amount of muscle regardless of what rep range and
weights they used, so long as they took each set close to muscular failure (the
point at which they could no longer li the weight despite exerting maximum
e ort). Other studies have also found no di erence in muscle growth when using
10 versus 30 reps per set, 8-to-12 versus 20-to-25 reps, 8-to-12 versus 2-to-6 reps,
or 3 versus 7 reps.
And so, while there are a few exceptions to this rule—sets of 1 rep with very
heavy weights and sets of 30+ reps with very light weights aren’t e ective for
building muscle—anything between 4-to-20 reps per set can produce about the
same amount of muscle growth.
Notice, however, that I’ve been speaking hypothetically about the utility of
di erent rep ranges—technically a variety of rep ranges can work equally well for
building muscle so long as they’re taken close to muscular failure. But in practice,
some rep ranges are more equal than others. For instance, go do a 15-or-20-rep
set of barbell squats that ends a rep or two shy of muscular failure. And then
imagine having to do a couple more sets like that plus a few 15-to-20-rep sets for
a few more exercises, like the leg press and dumbbell lunge. I do not like this
workout, Sam-I-Am.
e a iction of higher-rep training isn’t just physical, either, because such
workouts also require a lot of time. Sets of more reps take longer to complete, of
course, but they also cause high levels of fatigue, forcing you to rest longer
between sets to catch your breath. is approach to training, then, is like trying
to dig a well with a spoon. Why make our job more di cult than it needs to be?
Another reason I want you to do between 4 and 8 reps per set is research
shows that using heavier weights for fewer reps is better for gaining strength than
using lighter weights for more reps, and, well, this is Bigger Leaner Stronger, a er
all. Moreover, as you move from a novice to an intermediate trainee and beyond,
the most reliable way to get bigger is to get stronger, so attuning yourself
(physically and psychologically) to this style of training will pay big dividends
now and even more later.
 “But wait,” you might be thinking, “if strength eventually drives growth, why
not train with even heavier weights, like a powerli er?” A good question with a
simple answer: Because that style of training o en doesn’t provide su cient
volume to maximize muscle gain. A dramatic example of this is a study conducted
by scientists at the e University of Mississippi, which found that squatting as
much weight as possible for ve sets of a single rep twice per week caused zero leg
muscle growth a er 10 weeks. And even when there’s enough volume for
hypertrophy (growth), training with near-maximal weights batters your joints
and amasses fatigue. For instance, a study published in the Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research found that 7 sets of 3 reps per workout and 3 sets of 10
reps (with each set taken close to failure) were equally e ective for muscle
building, but a er eight weeks, the participants in the former group were
experiencing symptoms of overtraining, joint pain, and fatigue, whereas those in
the latter group reported no such problems and were eager to continue training.
us, when choosing rep ranges, we must consider both the theoretical validity
and the practicality and sustainability of di erent approaches.
Oh and in case you’re wondering why I’m calling for 4-to-6 reps with some
exercises and 6-to-8 reps with others, it’s mostly because many exercises lend
themselves better to lower or higher rep ranges. For example, a set of 10 reps of
the barbell deadli that ends close to muscular failure is murderous, but a set of 6
reps isn’t. And similarly, a tough set of 6 reps of, say, the dumbbell side raise can
be all sorts of awkward, but a set of 10 reps isn’t.
Also, if you’re nding all this talk about one-rep maxes and rep ranges
daunting, fear not. No math will be required for guring out your training
weights. Instead, I’ll show you how to easily and quickly determine your starting
weights for the program and then how to increase them as you get stronger.
 1–3

End Most Hard Sets 1-to-3 Reps Shy of Muscular Failure

According to many hardbody hardos, if you’re not “training insane” by regularly

pushing to muscular failure, you’ll “remain the same.” is is dippy. Taking sets to
muscular failure is better for gaining muscle and strength than breezing through
your workouts, but it also places a lot of strain on the body (especially with
primary exercises) and invites injury.
What about training close to muscular failure, though? How does that
compare to going all the way? Research shows that it appears to be just as
e ective. In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research, thirty-two untrained men were split into two groups:

1. Group one was to take each set to muscular failure.

2. Group two was to take each set to olitional fatigue (the point where a
set becomes uncomfortable, usually a few reps short of muscular
failure).

Both groups performed three sets of leg extensions at 80 percent of one-rep

max twice a week for twelve weeks. By the end of the study, the data showed that
while group one experienced higher levels of muscle activation, both groups
gained almost exactly the same amount of strength and muscle.
A similar outcome was also seen in another study with untrained women
and biceps curls, but why? Why didn’t the additional muscle activation result in
more muscle or strength? One plausible explanation is that all of the subjects
were new to resistance training. anks to the newbie gains phenomenon that
you learned about in chapter 11, it’s possible that volitional fatigue was enough to
whip muscle-building into overdrive and that the extra muscle activation was
super uous, like watering your grass a er a rainstorm.
What happens with more experienced li ers, though? Can they bene t from
training to muscular failure? Scientists at East Tennessee State University
investigated this. When a group of experienced weightli ers did three workouts
of 12 sets per week, taking all sets to muscular failure, they performed worse in
every way versus a similar group of weightli ers who ended each set a couple of
reps short of muscular failure.
ere are two reasons for this:

1. Taking a set to muscular failure isn’t any more anabolic (promoting

tissue building) than ending close to muscular failure. When you push
a muscle cell close to its limits, it triggers a cascade of signals that lead
to more muscle endurance, strength, and (o en) size. us, the last few
reps of a set in uence muscle growth more than the rst few, when the
weight moves quickly, but there’s little di erence between the stimulus
produced by the very last and second- or third-last reps.
2. Training to muscular failure causes disproportionately more fatigue,
soreness, and wear and tear than to near-muscular failure. e more
o en you train to muscular failure, the less likely you are to fully
recover from your training, especially with a program like Bigger
Leaner Stronger, which involves heavy weights and a moderate amount
of volume.

So, while it’s ne to push to muscular failure periodically if you’re feeling

lusty, especially on isolation exercises, virtually all of your training should only
verge on it. Most sets of primary exercises should end with 1-to-2 good reps still
in the tank, and most sets of accessory exercises with 0-to-1 good reps remaining.
Surprisingly, knowing how to manage the di culty of hard sets is one of the
greatest unsung “secrets” of successful strength training. Many people don’t even
get close to muscular failure in their workouts and wonder why nothing changes,
and many others meet failure far too o en and wonder why everything always
hurts. You now understand how to thread this needle.

2–4

Rest 2-to-4 Minutes in Between Hard Sets

People o en keep rest periods in between sets short or even skip them because
they’re in the gym to move and sweat, not dilly-dally. is works if you’re there to
burn calories, but if you want to gain muscle and strength, it’s a mistake.
In strength training, you push your body to the limit and then back o , and
if you don’t rest enough in between sets, you won’t be able to give maximum
e ort in your workouts. Several studies make this clear. In a review of 35 strength
training studies, scientists at the State University of Rio de Janeiro found that 3-
to-5 minutes of rest between sets allowed for more reps over multiple sets and
produced more strength gain. In another study published in the Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research, the researchers concluded the following:

e ndings of the present study indicate that large squat strength gains
can be achieved with a minimum of 2 minutes’ rest between sets, and
little additional gains are derived from resting 4 minutes between sets.

Here’s what I’d like you to do: rest around 2 minutes (slightly more is okay if
your heart’s still beating quickly or you don’t feel ready for your next set yet) in
between hard sets for smaller muscle groups like the shoulders, triceps, and biceps
(isolation exercises, usually) and around 3 minutes (again, a little more is ne if
necessary) between hard sets for larger muscle groups like your back and legs
(generally compound exercises).
If you haven’t trained like this before, it’ll likely feel weird or even wrong at
rst—like you’re sitting around more than you’re working out. Remind yourself
that the lulls are part of the process, though, and rest easy (literally) knowing that
it’s helping you get more out of your training, not less.
Also, make sure that you actually rest in between sets so your muscles are
ready for another go. at means loitering—not doing plyometrics, isometrics, or
even light cardio. You should also watch your time (the timer or stopwatch on
your phone works well for this) so you don’t accidentally rest too little or too
much. Otherwise, suit yourself while you rest, but you’ll probably enjoy your
training more if you stay o the Internet, social media, and e-mail, and instead
focus on how your workout is going, how you’re feeling, and how you’d like your
next set to turn out (studies show that picturing a successful set can enhance
performance!).

Take It Easy Every 8 Weeks

In many ways, building a strong and t body is just like building anything else
worthwhile—the more you put into it, the more you get out of it … to a point.
You have to train hard to get the body you want, but piss and vinegar alone won’t
bring it o . Train too intensely too o en with too few breaks, and your wages will
include plateaus, overuse injuries, and soggy workouts.
is makes plain why top level athletes of all stripes—from hockey players to
cyclists to powerli ers—include planned periods of extra rest and recovery in
their training schedules. In fact, they place great importance on recuperation
because the consequences of neglecting it are too severe (chronic
underperformance, nagging injuries, career-ending catastrophes, etc.).
e weight given to recovery is based on research on how the body deals
with physical stress. Here’s the basic outline:

1. You provide a stimulus.

2. You remove the stimulus.
3. Your body adapts.

In strength training, the muscle is in the rst step (training), but the magic is
in the third step (adaptation, also known as “gains” in gym-goer argot). It’s the
adaptation response to the training stimulus that makes us bigger and stronger,
not the stimulus itself. Hence the bodybuilding adage that muscles don’t grow in
the gym. ey grow a er the workouts, when your body heals and improves, if
you give it the chance (with enough of number two—removing the stimulus).
Here’s how this pattern looks visually:

With strength training, just as it’s necessary to only do so much in each workout
and each week, it’s also smart to ease up every four-to-ten weeks depending on
various factors including your age, training experience, training intensity, overall
stress levels, sleep hygiene, and more. By doing this, you avoid constipating or
even canceling adaptation by demanding more of your body than it can deal with.
In Bigger Leaner Stronger, you’ll do this by deloading every eight weeks—a
technical term for a periodic reduction in workout intensity or volume (or both).

Now that we’ve gone through the Bigger Leaner Stronger formula for
e ective strength training, let’s discuss other aspects of the program that are vital
to making it work.

How to Achieve Progressive Overload

A couple of chapters ago, you learned that progressive tension overload is the
primary mechanical driver of muscle growth. No matter what exercises you do,
how o en you train, how heavy the weights are, or any other factor related to
workout programming, you must achieve progressive tension overload to make
gains.
ere are a few workable ways to implement progressive tension overload in
a strength training routine, and one of the best methods is known as double
progression. With double progression, you work in a certain rep range (4-to-6, for
example), and once you hit the top of that rep range for a certain number of sets
in the same workout (one, two, or three, usually), you increase the weight
(normally by 5 or 10 pounds). en, if you can at least hit the bottom of your rep
range with the new, heavier weight, you work with it until you reach the
progression target (number of top-rep sets) again, increase the weight again, and
so forth. As you may have gathered, it’s called double progression because you
strive to rst increase reps (volume) and then “cash in” that progress to increase
weight (intensity).
To see how this works in action, let’s say you’re doing a Bigger Leaner
Stronger workout that calls for 3 sets of barbell bench pressing in the 4-to-6-rep
range. On your rst set, you get 6 reps with 135 pounds, which is the progression
target for the program (1 top-rep set), so it’s time to increase the weight. You add
10 pounds to the bar (145 pounds), rest a few minutes, and get 4 reps on your
next 2 sets of the exercise in that workout. Because you’re still within your target
rep range (4-to-6 reps) with 145 pounds, you’d keep working with it until you get
6 reps for 1 set, and then you’d increase the weight to 155 pounds.
Here’s how this could look over the course of four weeks.

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

Week 1 135 x 4 135 x 4 135 x 5

Week 2 135 x 6 (target) 145 x 4 (increase) 145 x 4

Week 3 145 x 4 145 x 5 145 x 5

Week 4 145 x 6 (target) 155 x 4 (increase) 155 x 4

And what if you can’t reach the bottom of your rep range with the new,
heavier weight? For example, what if you moved up to 145 pounds on the barbell
bench press and only got 2 or 3 reps? You’ll nd out in the next chapter, along
with directions for dealing with other eventualities.

How to Use a Proper Range of Motion

Range of motion refers to how much you ex (bend) and extend (straighten) your
joints when you do an exercise. For example, when you curl a dumbbell, exion
occurs when you raise the dumbbells (bending your elbows), and then extension
occurs when you lower them (straightening your elbows). With strength training
exercises, there’s a limit to how much you can safely and comfortably ex and
extend your joints, like your knees and hips in the squat and deadli , and your
elbows in the bench press. A proper range of motion in a strength training
exercise, then, is one that moves the a ected joints through their full and normal
range of exion and extension (beyond which, you can cause injury).
For example, with the barbell bench press, a full range of motion requires
that you lower the bar until it touches your chest (full elbow exion), and then
press it upward until your arms are straight (full elbow extension). And with the
chin-up, you should li yourself until your chin is above the bar (full elbow
exion), and then lower yourself until your arms are straight (full elbow
extension).
When strength training, using a full range of motion is important because
it’s more e ective for gaining muscle and strength than a shorter range of motion
(because it makes your muscles work harder), and it also can reduce the risk of
joint pain and injury by distributing the stress produced by the exercise over the
entirety of your joints. For instance, the rst several inches of a squat places a
large amount of stress on the tendons below your knees, but as you keep moving
downward, the load shi s to other tissues.
In the next chapter, I’ll introduce you to all of the exercises you’ll be doing in
your Bigger Leaner Stronger workouts and show and explain a full range of
motion for each of them.

How to Use Proper Form

Exercise form refers to how well you execute the movement, and while using a full
range of motion is an important component of proper form, you also need to do
it in a speci c and controlled manner. With any type of deadli and squat, for
example, you want the bar (or dumbbell) to move straight up and down (you
don’t want it to sway toward or away from you), and with a standing biceps curl,
it’s important that your back remains more or less motionless (as opposed to
swinging forward or backward). You should also always feel that your muscles are
actively working to produce motion, not just using gravity or momentum. When
squatting, instead of relaxing your quadriceps and allowing your torso to drop
toward the oor, you want to keep your lower-body muscles tight as you lower
yourself. Similarly, with the pull-up, instead of swinging your knees and torso to
help on the way up and then free-falling down (as many Cross tters do), you
want to keep your legs still as you smoothly pull yourself up and lower yourself
down.
An important prerequisite to using proper form is using the proper amount
of weight—enough to e ectively challenge your muscles but not so much that it
forces you to sacri ce your form. I’ll explain how to establish your training
weights later in this section of the book.
At bottom, proper form consists of moving the right amount of weight
through the right range of motion with the right technique. And again, I’ll spell
it all out for every exercise in the program in the next chapter.

How Hard Your “Hard Sets” Should Be

You learned earlier in this chapter that you should end most hard sets 1-to-3 reps
shy of muscular failure. Here’s exactly what to do:

End all hard sets of bodyweight exercises 1 rep shy of muscular failure
(0 good reps le in the tank).
End all hard sets of primary exercises 2-to-3 reps shy of muscle failure
(1-to-2 good reps le ). In Bigger Leaner Stronger, the primary exercises
are those that train the most muscle mass and allow you to use the most
weight. As you’d expect, they’re mostly compound exercises.
End all hard sets of accessory exercises 1-to-2 reps shy of muscular failure
(0-to-1 reps le in the tank). Accessory exercises are those used to
further train muscle groups, bring up stubborn muscles, and help
prevent and correct muscle imbalances or weaknesses that may limit
 your progress on your primary exercises. ey’re usually isolation
exercises.

With bodyweight and accessory exercises, you can work close to muscular
failure because it’s less taxing and risky than with primary exercises. If your
workout calls for dumbbell side raises, you’d end each hard set at the point where
you feel you can’t complete another rep without compromising your form
(swinging your hips forward, raising the dumbbells only halfway, etc.). And with,
let’s say, the military press, you’d work in each hard set until you feel you could do
1 or 2 more good reps before your technique skids.
And how do you know how close you are to muscular failure in a set? It’s
mostly a matter of cut-and-try, but it doesn’t take long to learn. As an easy way to
get attuned faster, try this: As a set starts to feel hard, ask yourself, “If I absolutely
had to, how many more reps could I get with good form?” Your intuitive answer
will usually be accurate, especially as you gain experience.

How to Use a Proper Rep Tempo

ere are two schools of thought about how fast you should perform strength
training exercises—fairly slowly and fairly quickly. People in the slow-training
camp o en say their style is superior because it increases the amount of time
muscles remain under tension. However, while time under tension does contribute
to muscle growth, you still need to create high levels of tension by using heavy
weights, and this is where slow-tempo training miscarries—to slow down your
rep tempo and remain in the right rep range, you have to use less weight. is is
why studies consistently show that using a faster rep tempo produces better
results than using a slow rep tempo. So that’s what I’ll recommend.
Speci cally, a “1-0-1” rep tempo works well, which has you complete the rst
part of a rep in about one second (“one, one thousand”), pause momentarily, and
then go back to the starting position in about one second. In a biceps curl, for
example, you’d curl the weight up in one second, pause brie y, and then lower the
weight down in one second.
Don’t fret about following this tempo perfectly. So long as you’re moving
through each rep in a swi but controlled manner, you’re doing it right.

How to Avoid Injury

Many people believe that most strength training injuries are caused by overdoing
it in a single set or workout, but this isn’t true. e most common cause of injury
is more insidious: It’s failing to fully recover from previous workouts. An
everyday scenario might be that your elbow feels sti the day a er an upper-body
workout, but you brush it aside and keep training. A few weeks later, your elbow
is hurting during and a er bench pressing. “No pain, no gain,” you think, and
keep plugging away. A few more weeks and … well, now your elbow always hurts.
ese repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) are the scourge of athletes everywhere
because they’re not severe enough to sideline you but can signi cantly sour your
performance. Fortunately, resolving RSIs generally requires nothing more than a
bit of rest. Indeed, that’s the only way to heal an RSI once it has taken root—you
must stop doing whatever caused it (and will continue to irritate it) as well as
anything else that bothers the a ected area. is normally means staying away
from an exercise or type of movement pattern for a week or two, but sometimes
you have to stop training a muscle group entirely until the pain is gone.
Strength training isn’t dangerous, but it’s a demanding physical activity, and
if you do enough of it, you’re bound to develop an RSI here and there (especially
as you get stronger and the weights get heavier). You can take simple precautions
to prevent them, however, and (touch wood) completely ward o more serious
problems.
 If It Feels Bad, Don’t Do It
If you feel sharp pain when you’re doing an exercise, end the set immediately. I’m
not referring to residual muscle soreness from your last workout or the burn you
feel as you approach failure, but something that makes you wince at least a little.
is is a warning that something is wrong. Don’t ignore it.
e same goes for “strange” feelings during an exercise. e initial stage of an
RSI doesn’t always involve pain. Instead, your knee feels “weird” on the last
couple of reps of squatting or your elbow feels “funny” or your shoulder “tight”
when pressing. Sensations like these aren’t always danger signals, but it’s better to
be careful with them than cavalier. So consider pain or strange feelings as
warnings and pay attention.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether the discomfort you feel is normal or not,
though. Asking yourself the following two questions can help.

1. Is the pain or strange sensation on one or both sides of my body? When

you’re doing a bilateral exercise (one that trains both sides of the body
simultaneously) properly, one side shouldn’t hurt more than the other.
If that’s the case, it’s more likely a sign to stop rather than muscle
fatigue.
2. Is the pain in a joint or other speci c spot in my body? ese are the
pain or strange feeling issues you’re most likely to experience, not
muscle aches or sti ness. Localized pain will suddenly strike in a joint
or tendon.

When a feeling of pain or something strange strikes, stop training, rest for a
couple of minutes, and try the exercise again. If there’s no improvement, do
another exercise that feels okay, and come back to the original one in your next
workout. If it’s still problematic, stay away from it until you’re in the clear.
 Progress Gradually
Soldiers have a slogan that goes like this: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. is
mindset is essential for succeeding in strength training as well. One of the easiest
ways to get hurt is through overwork. You feel particularly strong one day or want
to turn heads in the gym or set a PR, so you ignore the plan and load the bar with
more weight than ever before. is is almost always a mistake because it can lead
to compromised form, place an inordinate amount of strain on your joints,
tendons, and ligaments, and impair recovery.
Slower progress, however, is smooth, and smooth progress is fast. For
instance, if you’re new to strength training, you’ll probably be able to add weight
to most exercises every week or two for the rst few months. A er you’ve been at
it for a year or so, however, adding weight to the most di cult exercises once or
twice per month is commendable.
A winning benchmark for strength training is “progress is progress.”
Sometimes you’ll race ahead and sometimes you’ll crawl, but if you’re moving
forward, you’re doing well.

Maintain Good Form

“Everyone knows” they should use proper form, but it can be tempting to cut
corners when you want to get that extra rep or two. e occasional infraction on
an isolation exercise is acceptable (a sloppy nal rep on a biceps curl or shoulder
raise, for example), but regular violations aren’t. e substance of strength
training is methodically moving heavy loads through full ranges of motion with
proper technique, not haphazardly heaving as much weight as possible.
Don’t rob Peter to pay Paul by cheating on your form. Learn proper
technique and always strive to maintain it.
You can study strength training and muscle building for hundreds of hours and
barely scrape the surface. e mechanics are complex and involve hundreds of
factors and functions, but fortunately, you don’t need an advanced degree to
understand what to do in the gym to get strong and t.
In fact, you now possess a powerful plan for long-term tness success: a
moderate dose of moderately di cult strength training workouts that are tough
enough to produce results but not so rough that you feel agonized, exhausted, or
burned out.
e strength training strategy I’ve just shared with you has enough
horsepower to radically transform your body and health, and enough versatility
to satisfy just about any circumstances and preferences. So, if you’ve had a falling-
out (or ve) with tness, I hope to help you fall in love with it again. And if this is
your rst foray, you’re going to have a lot of fun.
To get started, however, you’ll need to know the grammar of strength
training exercise selection contained in the next chapter.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

e three primary “triggers” or “pathways” for muscle growth are

mechanical tension, muscle damage, and cellular fatigue.
Mechanical tension is the most important driver of muscle growth and
thus, for strength training to be maximally productive, it must underline
mechanical tension more than muscle damage and cellular fatigue.
Training with heavier loads produces more mechanical tension than
lighter ones and thus activates more muscle growth (which leads to more
strength).
To keep driving muscle growth, we must steadily increase mechanical
tension levels in the muscles over time (progressive overload).
ree-to- ve strength training workouts per week is enough to achieve
even the lo iest tness ambitions without aming out.
Unless you’re a seasoned weightli er, you only need to do 9-to-12 hard
sets per major muscle group per week to maximize muscle growth.
Rest around 2 minutes in between hard sets for smaller muscle groups like
the shoulders, triceps, and biceps and around 3 minutes between hard sets
for larger muscle groups like your back and legs.
Take a deload—a technical term for a periodic reduction in workout
intensity or volume (or both)—every eight weeks.
With double progression, you work in a certain rep range, and once you
hit the top of that rep range for a certain number of sets in the same
workout, you increase the weight. en, if you can at least hit the bottom
of your rep range with the new, heavier weight, you work with it until you
reach the progression target again, increase the weight again, and so forth.
When strength training, using a full range of motion is important
because it’s more e ective for gaining muscle and strength than a shorter
range of motion, and it also can reduce the risk of joint pain and injury by
distributing the stress produced by the exercise over the entirety of your
joints.
Proper form consists of moving the right amount of weight through the
right range of motion with the right technique.
End all hard sets of bodyweight exercises 1 rep shy of muscular failure (0
good reps le in the tank), end all hard sets of primary exercises 2-to-3
reps shy of muscle failure (1-to-2 good reps le ), and end all hard sets of
accessory exercises 1-to-2 reps shy of muscular failure (0-to-1 reps le in
the tank).
A faster rep tempo of “1-0-1” produces better results than using a slow rep
tempo.
To resolve a repetitive stress injury, stop doing whatever caused it (and
will continue to irritate it) as well as anything else that bothers the
a ected area until the pain is gone.
If you feel sharp pain when you’re doing an exercise, end the set
immediately. is is a warning that something is wrong. Don’t ignore it.
A winning benchmark for strength training is “progress is progress.”
Sometimes you’ll race ahead and sometimes you’ll crawl, but if you’re
moving forward, you’re doing well.
 e Big Ideas

1. Concentrate on mastering a re atively short

list of effective exercises.
2. Use primary exercises to maximize muscle
and strength gain.
3. Use accessory exercises to boost muscle
and strength gain and prevent muscle
imba ances.
 13

The Best Exercises for Building

Your Best Body Ever

ere is no reason to be alive if you can’t do the deadli !

—JÓN PÀLL SIGMARSSON

O
ut of the many strength training exercises you can do, a few dozen
are the real breadwinners, and out of those, a few stand head and
shoulders above the rest (remember the Pareto Principle?). is
streamlines our training because it allows us to ignore most of what we see people
doing in the gym (and elsewhere) and concentrate on mastering a relatively short
list of exercises.
In this chapter, I’ll share those blue-ribbon exercises with you, separated into
two categories:

1. Primary exercises
2. Accessory exercises

In the last chapter, you learned that primary exercises are mostly compound
exercises and will produce the bulk of your results on the program because they
train the most muscle mass and allow you to use the most weight.
As great as the primary exercises are, however, they don’t adequately train all
of the major muscle groups that we want to develop, especially the more stubborn
ones like the shoulders, biceps, and lats. Accessory exercises will further stimulate
these muscle groups, which will enhance their growth, boost performance on
primary exercises, and help prevent muscle imbalances that can slow your
progress. We’ll also organize the Bigger Leaner Stronger exercises according to
whether they train push, pull, or squat muscles (and note which ones), which
encompasses every major muscle group in our bodies.
So, here’s the full list of the Bigger Leaner Stronger exercises:

Pushing Muscles Pulling Muscles Squatting Muscles

Barbell Bench
Barbell Deadlift Barbell Squat
Press

Incline Barbell Barbell Romanian Barbell Front

Bench Press Deadlift Squat

Dumbbell Bench
Barbell Row Leg Press
Press

Incline Dumbbell One-Arm Dumbbell

Bench Press Row

Dip Chin-Up
Primary
Exercises Close-Grip Bench
Pull-Up
Press

Standing Barbell
Overhead Press

Seated Barbell
Overhead Press

Seated Dumbbell
Press

Arnold Dumbbell
Press

Accessory Triceps Pushdown Lat Pulldown Dumbbell Lunge

 Exercises (Walking or In-
Place)

Dumbbell
Seated Triceps Seated Cable Row
Bulgarian Split
Press (Wide- and Close-Grip)
Squat

Lying Triceps
Leg Curl (Seated
Extension Barbell Curl
or Lying)
(“Skullcrusher”)

Dumbbell Side Alternating Dumbbell

Lateral Raise Curl

Dumbbell Hammer Curl

E-Z Bar Curl

Barbell Rear Delt Row

Dumbbell Rear Lateral

Raise (Standing or
Seated)

Machine Reverse Fly

e lingo can seem formidable if you’re new to all of this, but don’t worry—
all of these exercises are easy to learn and eventually master, regardless of your
athletic talent. Some of the exercises may seem miscategorized, too. Why is the
dumbbell rear lateral raise a “pull” exercise when it’s not a pulling motion, and
why are calf raises “squat” exercises? Because we’re bracketing exercises based on
the primary muscle groups involved in pushing, pulling, and squatting—not
merely the movements themselves—and there are di erent ways of training these
muscles. Although the shoulders are generally considered “push” muscles, the rear
delts are more engaged when pulling than pushing (and the opposite is true of the
anterior delts), for instance.
You’ll notice that several of the exercises train one side of your body at a
time, such as the one-arm dumbbell row, alternating dumbbell curl, and lunges.
 ese are known as unilateral exercises, and though the pictures only show me
training one side of my body, one full rep is one rep for both sides (le and right).
For instance, you’ve completed one set of 10 reps of the one-arm dumbbell row
when you’ve done 10 reps for each arm.
You may also wonder why there aren’t any “core” or “ab” exercises in the
lineup. ere are! ey’re called the squat, deadli , bench press, chin-up, pull-up,
one-arm dumbbell row, and others. My point is while there are no direct ab
exercises in the program, like crunches, planks, and situps, many of the
compound exercises in it heavily train your abdominals, obliques, and other core
muscles.
For instance, a study conducted by scientists at Nord University measured
the core muscle activity of twelve powerli ers and national level sprinters during
barbell back squats and weighted planks. e researchers found that on average,
the barbell back squat activated the rectus abdominis (“ab muscles”) and external
oblique muscles just as e ectively as the weighted plank and the erector spinae
muscles signi cantly more. Rectus abdominis activation also increased with each
rep of the squat, but not the weighted plank. us, the researchers concluded, “ …
we recommend targeting core muscles by integrated high-intensity exercises
[such] as the squat instead of an isolated and isometric core exercise, especially for
athletes.”
at said, if you’d like to include some ab exercises in your workouts to speed
up your core development (or if you just like doing them), you can. Simply add 2
or 3 sets of an ab/core exercise of your choice to the end of your legs and pull
days, a er you’ve nished all of your prescribed exercises. Here are my favorite
exercises for this:

Sit-ups (especially weighted)

Cable Crunch
 Lying Leg Raise or Boat Pose
Captain’s Chair Leg Raise
Plank
Hanging Leg Raise
Abdominal Rollout

e same is true of the calves—while there are no direct calf exercises on this
program, many lower body exercises also train the calves indirectly. If you want
your calves to develop faster, though, add 3 sets of calf exercises to the end of your
pull and lower body workouts (6 sets per week). I also recommend splitting the
volume between straight-knee (such as the leg press or standing calf raise) and
bent-knee calf (such as the seated calf raise) exercises because they train your
calves in slightly di erent ways.
Let’s now review how each of the Bigger Leaner Stronger exercises look and
work. Also, to help you further, I’ve included links to video demonstrations of all
of the exercises you’ll learn about in this chapter in the free bonus material that
comes with this book (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus).

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Primary Pushing Exercises

Barbell Bench Press

Lie on a bench so your eyes are directly under the bar, tuck your shoulder blades
back and grab the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Wrap your ngers and thumbs around the bar and bend your wrists backward just
enough to allow the bar to settle into the base of your palm, but not so much that
they’re folded back at right angles. Place your feet on the oor about shoulder-
width apart and directly under your knees. Gently arch your back by pushing
your chest toward the bar (while keeping your shoulders and butt on the bench),
pull your shoulder blades together and toward your butt (imagine you’re “putting
your shoulder blades into your back pockets”), and move the bar from the hooks
to directly over your chest.
Squeeze the bar as hard as you can, and lower it until it touches your chest,
keeping your elbows about 6-to-10 inches from your ribs. en, push the bar up
and return to the starting position, keeping your shoulder blades and elbows
tucked. When you’re on the last rep of a set of the barbell bench press, nish it
fully (arms straight), and then slam the bar back into the upright metal bars, and
lower it onto the hooks. Don’t try to press the bar directly back into the hooks
because if you miss, it can fall on your face.
We could leave the bench press instructions at that and you’d be primed for
success, but let’s go a little further and answer some common questions I get
about proper technique.

“How wide should I grip the barbell?”

Use a medium grip that’s just a little wider than your shoulders, about 18-to-24
inches, depending on your build. If you go too narrow, you’ll shi the emphasis to
the triceps instead of the pecs, and if you go too wide, you’ll reduce the range of
motion and e ectiveness of the exercise as well as increase the risk of irritating
your shoulders.
A good way to check your grip width is to have a friend look at your
forearms at the bottom of a rep. Your grip is correct when your forearms are
straight up-and-down (perpendicular with the oor), not angled inward to or
outward from your torso.

“How much should I arch my back?”

Enough to t a hand in the gap between your back and the bench, but not so
much that you experience discomfort or can’t keep your butt and shoulders on
the bench. You’ll occasionally see powerli ers using an exaggerated arch to reduce
the range of motion of the exercise and li heavier weights, but this reduces the
e ectiveness of the exercise for muscle building.

“Is the bench press bad for my shoulders, elbows, and wrists?”
Not if you use proper technique. A study published in the Strength and
Conditioning Journal supports this. Researchers found that the chances of injury
on the bench press are low so long as you:

1. Use a medium grip that’s a little wider than shoulder-width apart.

2. Keep your arms at about a 30-to-60-degree angle relative to your torso.

e main reason the bench press has copped a bad rap is simply due to its
popularity, especially among men who don’t know what they’re doing (typically
using too much weight and bad form). ese circumstances naturally produce
more injuries than those exercises performed less frequently with lighter loads. If
you avoid these mistakes, however, and progress prudently, your joints have
nothing to fear from the bench press.

“Can I bench press with a shoulder injury?”

Probably, but it depends on the nature and severity of the injury. If you
experience shoulder pain (or any pain, really) during the exercise, you should stop
bench pressing until you can do it without pain. If a week or two of resting your
shoulder doesn’t x the problem, it’s a good idea to see a sports medicine doctor
so you can better understand what’s wrong and what to do about it.
If you had an injury in the past that limits your shoulder, elbow, or wrist
mobility or causes discomfort while bench pressing, you may be able to
successfully ease into the exercise by starting with lighter-than-usual weights and
gently working toward a full range of motion. You’d be surprised how a few weeks
of low-intensity strength training can get “stuck” joints moving. at said, if your
restriction doesn’t allow you to lower the bar all the way to your chest, that’s ne.
Don’t try to force it—lower the bar as far as you comfortably can, and otherwise
perform the exercise as described.

“How do I keep my shoulder blades in the proper position?”

If your shoulder blades tend to “untuck” or shi out of place while bench
pressing, here are a few helpful cues for maintaining upper-back tightness:

Pulling your shoulder blades into your back pockets

Pushing your back into the bench, rather than pushing the bar toward
the ceiling
Squeezing the bar as hard as possible
“Can I use a thumbless (suicide) grip?”
You can, but I don’t recommend it. e “thumbless” or “suicide” grip involves
positioning your thumbs next to your index ngers instead of wrapping them
around the bar. With this grip, the bar can slip out of your hands and crash down
on your chest, or worse, your neck.

“Can I put my feet on the bench instead of the oor?”

You can, but I don’t recommend it unless you have good reason to do so (an
injury that makes arching your back painful, for instance). Some bodybuilders
like to bench press with their feet on the bench because they think it helps isolate
their chest muscles, but all it really does is make your upper body less stable,
limiting how much weight you can press and making it harder to maintain proper
form.
Instead of elevating your feet while you bench press, nd a position on the
oor that’s comfortable for you by moving them closer or farther away from your
torso until it feels right.

“How long should I pause when the bar touches my chest?”

About a half second or so—any longer will just reduce your performance on the
exercise. Don’t make the opposite mistake, either, and let the bar bounce o of
your chest. is will allow you to get an extra rep or two, but it’ll also make the
exercise less e ective and increase the risk of injury.
If you tend to lower the bar too quickly, imagine there’s an egg resting
between your pecs and try to tap it with the bar without breaking it. Don’t
overcorrect here, however, and start lowering the bar too slowly (two seconds or
more to reach your chest) because it’ll make the exercise less e ective.

“Why do my shoulders hurt when bench pressing?”

is can happen for various reasons, but a common one is aring the elbows out
to the sides of the body, which puts the shoulders in a compromised position. e
solution is simple—keep your elbows at a 30-to-60-degree angle relative to your
torso throughout the entire movement, or about 6-to-10 inches or so from your
sides. Don’t bring your elbows in closer than this, however, because it’ll slash your
stability and strength and possibly irritate your elbows.

“Is it okay that the bar doesn’t move straight up-and-down?”

Yes! e bar should start directly above your shoulders, follow a slightly curved
path toward your nipples, touch your chest near them, and then move back to the
starting position. As you get stronger, this “J-curve” will become more
pronounced, and the bar will start to move toward your shoulders immediately
a er you start pushing it o of your chest.

Incline Barbell Bench Press

Perform the incline barbell bench press the same way you do the barbell bench
press, except rst adjust the bench to roughly a 45-degree angle.
“Do I need to incline bench press?”
No, but it’s a good idea if you want to build powerful and proportionate shoulder
and chest muscles. e reason for this has to do with the anatomy of your
primary chest muscle—the pectoralis major, or pecs. Its main function is to bring
the upper arm across the body, and unlike most other muscles, its bers aren’t all
aligned in the same direction. ere’s a sternocostal head, which attaches the
sternum (breastbone) and ribcage to your upper arm, and a clavicular head, which
attaches your collarbone to your upper arm.
is subtle anatomical anomaly changes how the two portions of your pecs
respond to exercises. For instance, certain exercises, like the at and decline bench
press, emphasize the larger sternocostal head of the pecs, while others, like the
incline and close-grip bench press, emphasize the smaller clavicular head. Notice
that I said emphasize, not isolate, because all movements that involve one head do,
to some degree, involve the other as well. at said, you want to dedicate some of
your chest training to focusing on the clavicular head for two reasons:

1. It’s a small, stubborn part of the pec that takes its sweet time to grow.
2. e exercises that are best for developing it also happen to be great for
developing the sternocostal head.

For many years, I did nothing but at and decline pressing, and this gave my
pecs an unbalanced, “bottom-heavy” look. A er a year or so of focusing almost
exclusively on incline pressing, however, the imbalance was corrected, and my
chest had a much more even, aesthetic look. is is why all of the Bigger Leaner
Stronger workout routines include some incline pressing.

Close-Grip Bench Press

Perform the close-grip bench press the same way as the barbell bench press, except
use a slightly narrower grip, which emphasizes the triceps muscles. Speci cally,
you position your hands directly over your shoulders or just inside shoulder-
width apart. is will put your hands about 10-to-16 inches apart for most men.
If your shoulders or wrists feel uncomfortable at the bottom of the movement
(when the bar is touching your chest), simply widen your grip by about the width
of a nger on each side and try again. Repeat until it’s comfortable.

“Will putting my hands even closer together train my triceps even more?”
Probably not. Using a super narrow grip (usually less than 10 inches or so) isn’t
better than a shoulder-width grip, and it o en causes wrist and shoulder pain.

“Why does the bar curve more when I close-grip bench press?”
Bench pressing with your hands closer together changes the biomechanics of the
exercise, so the bar naturally wants to touch your chest at or even slightly below
your nipples. is is ne.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Sit on the edge of the bench with the dumbbells resting vertically on your thighs.
en lean back and gently push your thighs (and the dumbbells) toward your
chest. Continue to roll back onto the bench until you’re lying at and holding the
dumbbells at either side of your chest. en, keeping your shoulder blades and
elbows tucked, push the dumbbells straight up until your arms are straight. Lower
the dumbbells by reversing the motion and return to the starting position.
When you’re nished with a set of the dumbbell bench press, you can either
lower the dumbbells to your chest and then drop them to the oor, or bring your
legs up and toward you into a sitting position, push the dumbbells onto your
thighs, and then swing your legs and dumbbells downward and your torso
upward to rise into a sitting position. I prefer the latter method—it’s more
di cult but ensures I don’t damage the equipment or make a ruckus in the gym.

“Do I need to touch the dumbbells at the top of each rep?”

No, but you can if you want to. Some people like to do this to ensure they use a
full range of motion, but you can achieve the same thing with the dumbbells
apart by ensuring your elbows are straight at the end of each rep.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Perform the incline dumbbell bench press the same way you do the dumbbell
bench press, except rst adjust the bench to roughly a 45-degree angle.

Dip
Hold a dip bar with your hands underneath your shoulders and thumbs wrapped
around the bars. Flex your glutes and hamstrings to keep your legs from swinging,
lower your body until your upper arms form a 90-degree angle, and then push
upward and return to the starting position.

Standing Barbell Overhead Press

Adjust the hooks in a power rack or squat rack so the bar is at the height of your
midchest. Face the bar and grip it with your palms facing forward and thumbs
wrapped around the bar, slightly wider than shoulder-width. Hold the bar low in
your hands, closer to your wrists than your ngers. Your wrists should be bent just
enough to allow the bar to settle into the base of your palms, but not folded back
at a 90-degree angle.
With the bar in your hands, bend your knees slightly and lean forward,
positioning the bar on top of your shoulders and upper chest. en, stand up,
li ing the bar o the rack, and take one step back with each foot. Take a deep
breath into your stomach, arch your upper back enough so the bar is directly over
your midfoot and your head is slightly behind the bar, squeeze your glutes and
the bar as hard as you can, and push it straight up.
As soon as the bar passes your eyes, push your head and chest forward and
under the bar. Keep pushing the bar toward the ceiling until your arms are
straight, and then lower it and return to the starting position.
Seated Barbell Overhead Press

Perform the seated barbell overhead press the same way as the standing barbell
overhead press, except do it seated on a utility or vertical bench (or an adjustable
one set to the upright position) in the middle of a squat rack instead of standing.
Most people also prefer to spread their feet farther apart and push themselves
back into the bench throughout each rep to increase stability.
Many people also wonder which exercise is better—the standing or seated
overhead press. While the standing press engages more total muscle mass in your
body, the seated press has several advantages over the standing variation:

1. It emphasizes the shoulder muscles more.

2. It allows for slightly heavier weights.
3. It’s easier to perform correctly.

us, I recommend alternating between standing and seated pressing, which

is what you’ll nd in the year’s worth of workouts in the bonus material that
comes with this book (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus).
Seated Dumbbell Press

Adjust a bench to an upright position (most people prefer a slight incline of

about 75-degrees or so), and push the dumbbells up with your knees, one at a
time. Tuck your shoulder blades back and down, push the dumbbells up until
your arms are straight (but not locked), and lower them to the starting position.

Arnold Dumbbell Press

Perform the Arnold dumbbell press the same way you do the seated dumbbell
press, except begin and end each rep with the dumbbells below your chin and in
front of your chest with your palms facing you. e handles of the dumbbells
should be at about the height of your collarbone. As you push the dumbbells
upward, rotate your wrists outward so that you nish the rep in the same position
as the dumbbell shoulder press, and then reverse the motion and lower the
dumbbells back to the starting position.

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Accessory Pushing Exercises

Triceps Pushdown
You can use several di erent handles for this exercise, but I recommend the rope
handle because it tends to be the most comfortable. at said, you can also use a
straight metal handle, EZ bar, or V bar.
Move the cable pulley to its highest position, attach the handle, and stand in
front of it with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Grab the handle with both
hands, take a step back so that your hands are supporting the weight, and lean
slightly forward while pulling your elbows back toward your torso, so that your
shoulders are over your hands. You can also put one foot behind the other if that’s
more comfortable for you. Push the handle straight down until your arms are
straight, keeping your elbows at your sides, and then raise your hands and return
to the starting position.

Seated Triceps Press

Sit on an upright bench and hold one end of the dumbbell with your palms.
Look at a spot on the oor 6-to-10 feet in front of you, press your back into the
bench, and lower the dumbbell behind your head as far as your exibility allows,
ideally so your wrists are just below your elbows. Once you’ve reached the proper
depth, push the dumbbell toward the ceiling and return to the starting position.
Try to minimize upper-arm movement during the exercise (keep your elbows on
either side of your forehead), as shi ing your arms increases the chances of
knocking your noggin with the dumbbell and transfers the weight from your
triceps to your shoulders.

Lying Triceps Extension (“Skullcrusher”)

Load an EZ bar with weights and place it in front of a bench. Sit on the edge of
the bench, lean forward, and grab the EZ bar with both hands about 6-to-10
inches apart and your palms facing away from you. Hoist the EZ bar onto your
thighs and then simultaneously lean backward and use your thighs to push the
EZ bar over your chest, just like you would when preparing for the dumbbell
bench press.
Plant your feet rmly on the oor about shoulder-width apart, pull your
shoulder blades down and back, and arch your back. en, extend your arms to
push the EZ bar straight up in the air over your chest. Take a breath of air, and
lower your hands toward your face until the bar is directly over your forehead
(hence the name, “skullcrusher”). en return to the starting position.
If this exercise irritates your elbows, modify it by lowering the bar over the
top of your head until it almost touches the bench at the bottom of each rep. is
takes some of the stress o of your elbows and increases the range of motion of
the exercise (which is generally good for muscle growth).

Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise

Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet about shoulder-width
apart. Take a breath of air, li your chest slightly, and then extend your arms out
in an arc toward the ceiling with your palms facing the ground. Keep raising the
dumbbells until your arms are roughly parallel to the oor, then lower them to
return to the starting position.

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Primary Pulling Exercises

Barbell Deadlift
Load the bar with plates. If you aren’t strong enough (yet!) to use at least one 45-
pound plate on either side of the bar, create a platform to ensure that the bar is
about 8-to-10 inches o the oor. To do this, create two stacks of plates
underneath the loaded ends of the barbell. Or, if your gym has lighter-weight
plates that are the same diameter as 45-pound plates, use those. Position your feet
so they’re slightly narrower than shoulder width apart with your toes pointed
slightly out, and move the bar over the middle of your feet so that it’s under or
slightly behind your shoulders when you bend over and grab it. If you’re taller or
skinnier, this will probably place the bar against your shins. If you’re shorter or
thicker, it’ll place it somewhere around the middle of your feet.
To get into the starting position, push your hips backward and bend at the
waist and knees until you can touch the bar. Grip the bar just outside your shins
with both palms facing down and press your upper arms into your sides as if you
were trying to crush oranges in your armpits. Your arms should be straight and
locked, with enough room on the sides for your thumbs to clear your thighs as
you ascend and descend. Make sure your head is in a neutral position. Don’t look
up at the ceiling or down at the ground. Take a deep breath into your stomach,
brace your abs, squeeze the bar as hard as you can, and straighten your back by
pushing your hips slightly upward. e bar shouldn’t rise o the oor at this
point, but you should feel tension in your lower back, hips, and hamstrings. Some
weightli ers refer to this as “taking out the slack” because it minimizes
unnecessary movement a er you begin the pull.
To initiate the pull, squeeze the bar as hard as you can (try to crush it),
explode upward by pushing through your heels to “break” the bar o the oor
(don’t start slowly—“attack” the bar), keeping your spine straight, lower back
slightly arched, and core tight. If you set up correctly, your hips and shoulders
should rise at the same rate. e bar should move up your shins, and once the bar
passes your knees, push your hips into it as you continue to stand up. Try to keep
the bar on as vertically straight of a path as possible because any deviations are
just going to slow you down and make it harder to maintain good form. e bar
shouldn’t move noticeably toward or away from you. When you’re fully upright,
your chest should be out and shoulders down, and you shouldn’t lean back,
hyperextend your lower back, or shrug the weight up, as shown in the second
picture above.
To lower the bar to the oor, push your hips backward and, keeping your
lower back slightly arched and your core tight, let the bar slide straight down your
thighs until it clears your knees. en, maintaining your grip on the bar, allow it
to drop to the oor, and adjust your body as needed to get into the proper
starting position for the next rep. Don’t try to lower the bar slowly or quietly. e
entire descent should take one-to-two seconds or less.

“Is the deadlift bad for my back?”

Few people argue that the deadli isn’t an e ective strength and muscle builder,
but some claim it’s bad for your joints, especially your lower back. is seems
plausible at rst glance because it places a lot of stress on the lower-back, but is
that actually bad? Let’s see what the scienti c literature has to say.
Scientists at the University of Valencia investigated e ective ways to train the
spinal erector muscles (aka the erector spinae), which run down both sides of your
spine and play a major role in preventing back injuries. Researchers split 25
people into two exercise groups:

1. Group one performed bodyweight exercises like lumbar extensions,

forward exions, single-leg deadli s, and bridges.
2. Group two performed two weighted exercises, barbell deadli s and
lunges, using 70 percent of their one-rep max.

Muscle activity was measured using electromyography—a technique of

measuring and analyzing electrical activity that occurs in the muscles when they
contract. e deadli most activated the spinal erector muscles, winning by a long
shot. e researchers concluded, then, that the deadli is an e ective way to
strengthen these muscles, which can reduce the risk of lower back injury.
Another insightful study on the matter was conducted by scientists at the
University of Waterloo to determine how much strain the deadli puts on the
entire back and how likely it was to produce injury. e researchers recruited four
competitive powerli ers and had them do two exercises:

1. Lean as far forward as possible, bending over from the waist and then
returning to an upright posture (fully exing and extending their
backs). is allowed the researchers to measure the limits of the
powerli ers’ natural range of motion.
 2. Deadli a weight close to their one-rep max (400-to-460 pounds).

e researchers used real-time X-ray imaging (called video uoroscopy) to

watch the li ers’ spines while they completed both tasks. Many deadli ing
injuries occur because of too much lower-back bending, which can pull vertebrae
out of position, pinch and compress intervertebral cartilage discs, and strain
lower-back ligaments. So the scientists measured each of those things—how
much the participants’ vertebrae moved, how much their spinal discs pinched
and compressed, and how much their lower-back ligaments stretched.
e examination found that the deadli was completed within the
weightli ers’ natural range of motion, and that there were no signs of excessive
shi ing or pinching of the intervertebral discs or stretching of the lower-back
ligaments. us, the researchers concluded that the deadli is a fantastic exercise
for strengthening your entire back, including your lower-back, and doesn’t force
an unnatural range of motion or put excess strain on your spine or ligaments.
So, why does the deadli have a reputation as a one-way trip to Snap City?
ree reasons:

1. Bad form. For instance, how many people have you seen who pulled
with a rounded lower back? is is a major no-no, as it shi s much of
the stress away from the powerful spinal erector muscles to the
vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and ligaments.
2. Using too much weight. Like the bench press, the deadli is an “ego
exercise” for many people, so instead of gradually advancing on it over
weeks, months, and years, they try to force the issue and add weight too
quickly. is makes it harder to maintain proper form and can put too
much stress on your tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues
(also true of all exercises).
 3. Physical therapists, chiropractors, and sports medicine doctors have
conditioned many people to believe that the back is inherently brittle
and that popping a spinal disc is as easy as cracking a knuckle. us,
when people experience even mild discomfort when deadli ing, they
assume the worst. While this philosophy has been a boon to back
surgeons, research shows that the spine and its supporting structures
are remarkably resilient, that debilitating back injuries are rare, and that
many cases of back pain may be rooted in a psychological rather than a
physical condition. For instance, many people with back pain have no
evidence of spinal injury in an MRI scan, and others with detectable
damage have no pain. at said, if you experience pain while
deadli ing (in your lower back or elsewhere), you should avoid the
exercise until you can do it without pain.

“Can I deadlift with a back injury?”

It depends on the nature and severity of your situation. As a general rule, if
deadli ing doesn’t aggravate the injury, then it’s okay (and maybe even bene cial)
to do. If it does, however, then you should avoid deadli ing until you can pull
without pain. at said, if you’re recovering from a serious trauma like a back
surgery, a torn ligament, or a broken vertebrae, talk to your doctor before
deadli ing to know if it’s safe.

“Should I deadlift if I’ve hurt my back doing it in the past?”

If I had a nickel for every time someone has told me they can’t deadli because
they’ve “tweaked their back” before, I’d be making money in a very odd way. Just
about everyone who has taken strength training seriously has o ended their lower
back deadli ing at least once or twice, but fortunately, this doesn’t mean they
“aren’t made for the exercise” or need to swear it o . While traumatic injuries can
preclude deadli ing (at least temporarily), most people haven’t su ered such
misfortunes. So, as long as the exercise isn’t currently causing you pain, past
troubles will likely have little impact on future performance.

“Should I breathe in and out throughout each rep?”

Absolutely not. Many personal trainers will tell you to breathe in while
descending and out while ascending to ensure you get enough oxygen. is isn’t
only physiologically wrong, it’s basically impossible to do as you get stronger.
Instead, use the Valsal a maneuver to control your breathing, which involves
forcefully breathing out against a closed windpipe. is traps air in your lungs
and creates pressure inside your abdomen, known as intra-abdominal pressure,
which stabilizes your torso, allowing you to li more weight and probably reduce
the risk of injury as well. Here’s how to do it:

1. Before you start your rst rep in a set, take a deep breath into your
stomach of about 80 percent of your maximum lung capacity. Your
belly should feel “full” but not so much that you have trouble keeping
your mouth closed when the rep gets hard.
2. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, and without letting
any air escape, try to breathe out through your mouth. You should feel
your abdomen, back, and jaw tighten.
3. Pull to a standing position.
4. Start lowering the bar, and once it passes your knees, breathe out as you
let it fall to the oor.
5. Repeat for each rep.

An important caveat: e Valsalva maneuver increases your blood pressure

more than continuous breathing. Studies show that this isn’t inherently
dangerous, and holding your breath is instinctive when li ing heavy weights, but
if you’re hypertensive or have a preexisting heart condition, talk with your doctor
before using the Valsalva maneuver. Furthermore, if you use the technique and
experience chest pain, dizziness, or other side e ects, stop using it and talk with
your doctor.

“What type of grip should I use?”

When you’re new to deadli ing, a double overhand grip (both palms facing
down) works well, but as the weights get heavier, the bar begins to slip out of your
hands in the middle of your sets. A common workaround is the “mixed grip,”
which involves alternating one of your hands so it’s palm-up. is allows you to
maintain a strong grip on the bar with heavy weights, but it also has downsides:

1. It causes you to turn toward your palm-down hand, and this makes it
harder to keep the bar close to your body.
2. It places additional strain on the biceps of your palm-up arm.

I don’t know of any scienti c data on how the mixed grip a ects the safety of
the exercise, but I’ll say this: While biceps tears are rare, when they do happen, it’s
o en the palm-up biceps during a heavy mixed-grip deadli . You can make the
mixed grip safer by alternating your palm-up hand every workout or even set, but
I’d rather you just use a double-overhand grip with li ing straps instead.
Now, I know, many people snub straps as a form of “cheating,” but this is
silly. When used properly, straps allow you to safely pull maximum weight
without the limitations of the mixed grip. Plus, you don’t need to use straps on
every set of deadli s—only the ones that you can’t complete without them. For
most people, that’s their second or third hard set and beyond. Straps can help
with barbell and dumbbell rows and lat pulldowns, too, if they’re needed (the less
you use straps, the faster your grip strength will improve).
e nal type of deadli grip you can use is the hook grip, which is a
variation of the double-overhand grip where you wrap your ngers over your
thumbs instead of vice versa. is grip is virtually as secure as straps and also
avoids the mixed grip’s snags, but it’s very uncomfortable at rst. If you stick with
it, however, the pain subsides, and it’s likely better for training your grip than
using straps.

“Can I bounce the weight o the oor with each rep?”

e “tap-and-go transition” of maintaining tension as you tap the weights to
the oor and immediately begin the next rep is ne for warming up, but I
recommend the “stop-and-go” method for your hard sets. With this technique,
you fully release the weight to the ground and reset your bottom position—
including your breath—before starting the next rep. is is tougher than tap-and-
go, but that’s good, and it’s safer as well.

Barbell Romanian Deadlift

Adjust the pins or hooks in a squat rack so the bar is at your mid-thigh, and load
it with plates. If you don’t have access to a squat rack, load the bar on the oor
instead. Grip the bar just like you would during the conventional deadli , li it
o the rack (or oor), take one step back with each foot, and turn your toes out
and bend your knees slightly.
Stand up tall with your chest out, take a deep breath into your stomach, and
brace your abs. Squeeze the bar as hard as you can, press your upper arms into
your sides and, with a at back, lower the bar toward the oor in a straight line,
allowing your butt to move backward as the bar descends. Keep lowering the bar
until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings and your lower back starts to round—
just below the knees for most people, and about mid-shin for those who are
particularly exible. Bring the bar upward by driving your hips toward it and
return to the starting position.

Barbell Row

Set up the same way you would for the barbell deadli , with a few di erences:
You’ll probably want to position your feet slightly wider than you would for
the deadli —6-to-12 inches apart works well for most people.
You’ll want to grip the bar slightly wider, too, with your hands about 3-to-6
inches wider than you would have them in the deadli .
You start with your hips high and legs straight enough to allow your back to
be more or less parallel to the oor.
Once you’re in the starting position, start the pull by extending your legs
(raising your hips) to “pop” the weight o the oor, and then start pulling your
elbows toward the ceiling to keep it moving upward. Ensure your shoulders rise
with your hips and your back maintains its at, neutral position as you li the bar
(no “whipping” your torso backward to li more weight or get more reps).
Once you’ve got the weight moving, keep pulling until the barbell makes
contact with the bottom of your rib cage. e bar should move up your shins, and
once it reaches knee height, your legs should be straight enough that the bar can
easily pass over your knees. Try to move the bar on as vertically straight of a path
as possible because any deviations are just going to slow you down and make it
harder to maintain good form. Reverse the motion to return to the starting
position, then begin your next rep.

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Hold a dumbbell in your right hand. Plant your le knee and arm rmly on a
bench, your right foot on the oor a foot or two from the bench, and let your
right arm (the one holding the dumbbell) hang straight down toward the oor.
Keeping your back straight, pull the dumbbell upward until it touches your torso,
and then return the dumbbell to the starting position. Once you’ve completed
the desired number of reps, repeat the process with your le arm.

Pull-Up

Grab a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you and your hands just
outside of shoulder-width apart. Li up your feet so that you’re hanging with
your arms straight. Flex your glutes and hamstrings to keep your lower body from
swinging (a good cue to remember is “tighter is lighter”), pull your body upward
until your chin rises above your hands, and then lower yourself to the starting
position. To add weight to the pull-up, use a dip belt or pinch a dumbbell
between your thighs.

Chin-Up
Perform the chin-up just like the pull-up, except begin with your hands facing
toward you and about shoulder-width apart.

Lat Pulldown

Adjust the thigh pad so that it locks your legs in place and prevents your butt
from rising o the seat when pulling the bar down. Stand in front of the seat, grab
the bar with your palms facing away from you and a few inches wider than
shoulder-width apart, and sit down, wedging your legs underneath the thigh pad.
Relax your arms and shoulders, letting the weight pull them straight. Pull the bar
down until it’s a few inches from your collarbone (usually an inch or two below
your chin), and then return to the starting position.
is is referred to as the pronated, medium-grip lat pulldown, because it
involves gripping the bar with your palms facing away from you (a pronated grip)
and a little wider than shoulder-width apart (a medium grip). You’ll o en see
people doing wide-grip (hands about twice as wide as shoulders) and supinated
(palms facing you) lat pulldowns, but I generally don’t recommend these
variations for a few reasons.
First, recent research shows that a medium grip better activates both the lats
and the biceps, whereas a wide grip primarily activates the lats while reducing
biceps activation. Basically, the medium-grip lat pulldown o ers a bit more return
on investment with no downsides and tends to be more comfortable for most
people. Research also shows that a pronated grip is more e ective for training the
lats than a supinated grip. Although you could argue that a supinated grip
activates the biceps a bit more, you’ll be doing plenty of biceps training on this
program, making this a moot point.
ere is one variation of the lat pulldown worth doing, though: e close-
grip lat pulldown, which uses a close-grip handle (which has your palms facing
each other). It’s not better than the regular (pronated-grip) lat pulldown, but it
does train your back muscles in a slightly di erent way. To do this variation,
simply attach the close-grip handle to the cable and then follow the same steps
you would with the regular lat pulldown.

Seated Cable Row (Wide- and Close-Grip)

Most gyms have two handles for this exercise: A narrow-grip and a wide-grip.
Both are useful, and I like to alternate between them every couple of months.
Attach the handle to the cable row machine, sit on the pad, and place your
feet against the footrests. Lean forward, grab the handle, and lean backward
slightly so that your back is perpendicular to the oor and your arms are straight
out in front of you. Keeping your back straight, pull the handle to your abdomen,
allowing your torso to move backward just enough to help you nish the rep, but
no more. Once the handle touches your torso, straighten your arms, and return to
the starting position.

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Accessory Pulling Exercises

Barbell Curl
Place a barbell on the oor or in the hooks of a bench (or even in a squat rack!),
and load it with plates. Grab the bar with your palms facing away from you a little
wider than shoulder-width apart. Stand up straight, take a deep breath of air, and
brace your core. en, without leaning backward, curl the bar up toward your
chest until your forearms are roughly perpendicular to the oor. Allow your
elbows to move forward slightly as the bar rises, so that the bar is right in front of
your mouth at the end of the rep. en, lower the bar to the starting position.

Alternating Dumbbell Curl

Hold one dumbbell in each hand and stand up straight with your feet about
shoulder-width apart. Curl one hand toward your shoulder with your palm facing
upward until your forearm is roughly perpendicular to the oor. Allow your
elbow to move forward slightly as the dumbbell rises. en, lower the dumbbell,
return to the starting position, and repeat the exercise with your other hand.

Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Follow the same steps as the alternating dumbbell curl, but instead of holding the
dumbbell so your palm faces upward, turn the dumbbell vertically (so it looks like
a hammer from the side). You’ll probably notice that you can’t quite get your
forearm perpendicular to the oor with this exercise, which is ne.

EZ-Bar Preacher Curl

Perform the EZ-bar preacher curl the same way as the barbell curl, except use an
EZ bar (the squiggly looking one) and rest your upper arms against an angled pad
known as a preacher curl bench.

Barbell Rear Delt Row

Load a barbell on the oor in front of you, bend over at the waist, and grab the
bar with an overhand (palms facing you) grip a little wider than shoulder-width
apart. Position your feet about shoulder-width apart, atten your back so that it’s
parallel to the oor, and let your arms hang straight down. Pull the bar straight
up until it touches your torso, keeping your spine straight and back parallel to the
oor. en, lower the bar to the starting position.

Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise (Standing or Seated)

Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet about shoulder-width
apart. Keeping your back straight, lean forward, hinging at your hips and
allowing your knees to bend slightly, just as you would when doing a deadli .
Take a breath, then extend your arms out in an arc toward the ceiling with your
palms facing the ground. Keep raising the dumbbells until your arms are roughly
parallel to the oor, then lower them and return to the starting position.
is is what’s known as the standing dumbbell rear lateral raise, but there’s
also a seated version. In this case, you sit on the edge of a bench with your feet
and knees together. en, you lean forward, grab a dumbbell in each hand, and
follow the same steps as the standing dumbbell rear lateral raise. Which version
you use comes down to personal preference, but I like to alternate between the
two roughly every eight weeks or so. You can do the same or just stick with
whichever is more comfortable.

Machine Reverse Fly

Adjust the handles and seat so the handles are in line with your shoulders and
your hands are as close together as possible. Grip the handles, push your torso
into the chest pad, and push your hands away from each other. Once your arms
are roughly parallel with your torso, reverse the motion and return to the starting
position.

Leg Curl (Seated or Lying)

Sit on the machine with the back of your knees a couple of inches o the pad
supporting your thighs and adjust the heel pad so it’s across your Achilles
tendons. Press your heels toward your butt until your shins are roughly
perpendicular to your thighs (or closer), and then raise your heels and return to
the starting position.
is is the seated leg curl, but there’s also a lying version. In this case, you
perform the exercise the same way, except lying on your stomach instead of sitting
on your keister. Both exercises are acceptable, but some research shows that seated
leg curls are more e ective for building your hamstring muscles than lying leg
curls. us, if you have a choice, I recommend you opt for the seated version.
at said, it’s ne to use the lying version if your gym doesn’t have a seated leg curl
machine or if you’ve been doing the seated version for a while and want to mix up
your training.
 The Bigger Leaner Stronger Primary Squatting Exercises

Barbell Squat

Adjust the hooks in a power rack or squat rack so the bar is at the height of your
midchest. is might feel a bit low, but it’s better to be on the low side than
having to tippy-toe the weight o the rack. If your squat rack has safety arms or
bars, set them to about the height of your midthigh. Load the bar with your
desired amount of weight (or not, if the bar alone is enough).
Face the bar so you can walk it out backward. Don’t ever walk the bar out
forward, as trying to rerack it by walking backward is dangerous. Grip the bar
with your palms facing forward, thumbs on top of the bar, and your hands about
4-to-8 inches wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your palms on the bar,
place your feet underneath it a little wider than shoulder-width apart. en, push
your torso under and up against the bottom of the bar, sliding your back up until
the bar rests against the back of your shoulders. Pull your shoulder blades
together and down to create a little “shelf ” out of the bony protrusions of your
shoulder blades, and then maneuver your torso so the bar nestles into this shelf.
You may need to narrow or widen your grip to nd the correct position. e
weight of the bar should be resting almost entirely on your back muscles, not in
your hands or on your spine.
Unrack the bar by standing up and taking one step back with each foot (one
at a time). Adjust your feet so they’re a little wider than shoulder-width apart and
point your toes out about 20-to-25 degrees (around one and eleven o’clock). e
weight should feel evenly balanced over the middle of your feet, not primarily
over your toes or your heels.
Take a deep breath into your stomach, push your chest out, brace your abs,
and sit down by pushing your hips backward and bending your knees at the same
time. Keep sitting down until your thighs are parallel to the oor or slightly
lower, then stand up. Start the ascent by driving your feet into the oor, ensuring
your shoulders move upward at the same rate as your hips—a mirror image of
what you did during the descent. About halfway up, push your hips forward and
underneath the bar to return to the starting position.
When you’re on the last rep of a set, nish the rep (legs straight and bar
motionless) and then move the bar back to the hooks. Don’t try to squat the bar
directly back into the hooks because if you miss, the bar might fall o your back.

“Is the barbell squat bad for my knees?”

In some circles, the barbell squat has a reputation for ravaging the knees. e
more you barbell squat, so it goes, the more you’ll damage the tendons, ligaments,
and cartilage in your knees until nally your knees just won’t “knee” anymore.
While some people’s anatomies don’t play well with the barbell squat, studies
show that when performed correctly, it’s safe for most people and may even
prevent joint pain. In a study published in the Journal of Biomechanics, scientists
analyzed the forces placed on the knee joints of twelve experienced male
powerli ers who squatted between 375 and 650 pounds. e researchers found
that during heavy squatting—up to 2.5 times body weight—knee tendons and
ligaments were only pushed to about 50 percent of their maximum strength and
never came close to their breaking points.
Some people do experience knee pain from barbell squatting, however, and
this is almost always for the same reason their shoulders hurt when they bench
press or their lower back hurts when they deadli —they’re not squatting
correctly. Maybe they round their upper or lower back, maybe they let their knees
collapse inward, maybe they use too much weight and compensate by doing half-
reps, and so forth. Another way to nettle your knees with squatting is to just do
too much of it too o en. at’s why the Bigger Leaner Stronger program doesn’t
rely solely on the barbell squat to train the lower body and instead uses a
combination of squats and other e ective exercises.

“Is it bad if my knees move over my toes?”

No. You’ve probably heard this is bad for your knees, but research shows
otherwise—the forces placed on the knees when they extend to and even beyond
the toes in a squat are well within safe limits. is is what you’d expect, too,
because most people nd that their knees naturally move over their toes at the
bottom of the squat, and sometimes slightly farther if they have long femurs.

“Should I use the high-bar or low-bar position?”

ere are two ways to perform the barbell squat:

1. High-bar
2. Low-bar

e high-bar squat has the bar resting directly on your upper traps, whereas
the low-bar squat has the bar resting between the upper traps and rear deltoids
(about 2-to-3 inches lower down your back).
Your torso remains more upright in the high-bar squat, and some people
claim that this is better for training your quads versus the low-bar squat, which is
better for training your glutes and lower-back. Research published in the Journal
of Human Kinetics shows otherwise, though—both exercises activate the same
lower-body muscles in almost identical ways.
erefore, if you’re new to the barbell squat, start with the low-bar position
because you’ll probably nd that you’re stronger in it, but if it causes signi cant
shoulder and wrist discomfort, switch to the high-bar position. If the low-bar
position feels ne, you can also switch to the high-bar squat from time to time if
you’d like.

“Should I breathe in and out throughout each rep?”

No. Use the Valsalva maneuver just as you would during the deadli (unless it’s
contraindicated for the reasons given earlier).

“How do I keep my knees from collapsing inward?”

ink about spreading the oor with your feet as you descend and ascend, and
make sure you take a deep breath of air into your stomach before every rep (many
technique errors stem from a lack of torso stability).

“What should I do if I can’t get my thighs parallel to the ground?”

is is o en from inadequate mobility or coordination (or a bit of both), and it
typically resolves itself with a few weeks of practice. So, try to get a little lower
each time you squat, and you should get there fairly quickly. If this doesn’t x the
issue, though, do the following mobility exercise several times per day until you
can squat correctly: With no equipment, squat down to the bottom position, and
place your elbows against your knees and touch the palms of your hands together.
Use your elbows to press your knees out and into the proper position (in line
with your toes), and hold this position for 20-to-30 seconds.

“Can I use a Smith machine instead of a barbell?”

I wouldn’t forbid this, but I also wouldn’t advise it. e Smith machine forces an
unnatural and o en uncomfortable movement pattern for the squat, and research
shows it’s less e ective than the free weight barbell squat for gaining muscle and
strength.

Barbell Front Squat

Position the bar at the same height you’d use for the back squat. Grip the bar with
your palms facing the oor about shoulder-width apart. en, keeping your grip
on the bar, squat down and press the top of your shoulders against the bottom of
the bar and push your elbows up and out in front of the bar. For most people, this
will put the bar right at the base of the throat (it should feel slightly
uncomfortable—like a tight- tting button-up shirt).
Stand up, take one step back with both feet, and position your feet about
shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed outward at about 45-degrees (most
people prefer to front squat with a slightly narrower stance and their toes pointed
more outward than they do with the back squat). Take a deep breath into your
stomach, push your elbows up, brace your abs, and sit down by pushing your hips
backward and bending your knees at the same time. Keep sitting down until your
thighs are parallel to the oor or slightly lower, then stand up to return to the
starting position.
When you’re on the last rep of a set, nish the rep (legs straight and bar
motionless) and then move the bar back to the hooks. Don’t try to squat the bar
directly back into the hooks because if you miss, the bar might fall o your
shoulders.

“What kind of grip should I use?”

e two most common methods for gripping the bar in the front squat are
wrapping all four ngers of each hand around the bar (full grip) or wrapping one,
two, or three ngers around the bar (partial grip). Use whichever you prefer. If
you have the wrist mobility to make the full grip work, go for it, but the partial
grip works just as well. Personally, I like a two- nger grip because it’s enough to
keep the bar in place and is more comfortable than a full-grip.

“How do I keep the bar from slipping o my shoulders?”

Make sure the bar is resting against (but not crushing) your throat, and keep your
elbows as high as possible during the entirety of each rep.

“What should I do if the front squat hurts my wrists or shoulders?”

Rub some dirt on it? Jokes aside, everyone nds their rst date with the front
squat at least a little unpleasant, but this tends to disappear within a few
workouts.

Leg Press

Load a leg press with plates and adjust the seat to its lowest position (with the
backrest closest to the oor, at about a 30-degree angle). en wedge your butt
down into the base of the seat and plant your feet on the footplate just outside of
shoulder-width apart.
Bend your knees slightly, use the safety handles to release the weight, and
lower the footplate toward your chest until your thighs are 12-to-16 inches from
your torso. Make sure your butt remains rmly in place and your lower back
doesn’t round at the bottom of the rep. Finally, push the footplate upward until
your legs are almost but not completely straight (knees slightly bent at the top of
the rep).

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Accessory Squatting Exercises

Dumbbell Lunge (Walking or In-Place)

Stand up straight with both feet about shoulder-width apart. Take a long step
forward with your right foot—about two-to-three feet—and, with most of your
weight on your front foot, lower your body until your le knee touches the oor.
en reverse the motion by pushing o the oor with your front foot and leaning
slightly backward, allowing your legs to straighten. Once you’re standing, bring
your right foot back to the starting position, and then repeat the exercise with
your other foot.
is is known as the in-place lunge, and it’s ideal for when you have limited
space. ere’s also the walking lunge, which works much the same way except
instead of pushing o of your right foot and leaning back to return to the starting
position, you lean forward, pushing o the oor with your le foot and bringing
it forward to rest next to your right foot. en, you repeat the process with your
le foot, continuing to walk forward in a series of steps. Make sure you have
plenty of space, as you’ll be moving two-to-three feet forward with every stride.
Both exercises are equally e ective, so choose whichever version you prefer.
Try to stick with one version for at least a whole phase of training before
switching to the other, though.

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and stand two-to-three feet in front of a bench or
other surface that’s about knee height o the ground. Lean slightly forward,
putting most of your weight on your right foot, and extend your le foot out
behind you, resting the top of your foot on the bench. Keeping your right foot
rmly planted on the oor, lower your butt toward the oor by bending both
knees at the same time. Keep descending until your le knee touches the oor or
your right thigh is parallel with the oor (whichever occurs rst), and then stand
up, returning to the starting position.
You now have all the know-how needed to do your rst Bigger Leaner Stronger
workouts! We’ve discussed the truth about some of the most common exercise
lies and blunders, the anatomy of e ective strength training, and the best
exercises for building a powerful physique. All that’s required now is a plan for
integrating and mobilizing all of the components, and that’s exactly what I’ll give
you in the next chapter.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

As great as primary exercises are, they don’t adequately train all of the
major muscle groups that we want to develop, especially the more
stubborn ones like the shoulders, biceps, and lats.
Accessory exercises will further stimulate these muscle groups, which will
enhance their growth, boost performance on primary exercises, and help
prevent muscle imbalances that can slow your progress.
While there are no direct ab exercises in the program, like crunches,
planks, and situps, many of the compound exercises in it heavily train
your abdominals, obliques, and other core muscles.
If you’d like to include some ab exercises in your workouts to speed up
your core development (or if you just like doing them), simply add 2 or 3
sets of an ab/core exercise of your choice to the end of your legs and pull
days.
Many lower body exercises in the Bigger Leaner Stronger program train
the calves indirectly, but if you want your calves to develop faster, add 3
sets of calf exercises to the end of your pull and lower body workouts (6
sets per week).
 e Big Ideas

1. Choose the right workout routine for you.

2. Use double progression to get bigger and
stronger.
3. Do some cardio to optimize your health
and fitness.
 14

The Bigger Leaner Stronger

Workout Program

We who cut mere stones must always be en isioning cathedrals.

— UARRY WORKER’S CREED

I
n chapter 12, you learned the Bigger Leaner Stronger strength training
formula:

Do 3-to-5 strength training workouts per week.

Do 9-to-12 hard sets per major muscle group per week.
Do 9-to-12 hard sets per workout.
Use 75-to-85 percent of one-rep max.
End most hard sets 1-to-3 reps shy of muscular failure.
Rest 2-to-4 minutes in between hard sets.
Take it easy every 8 weeks.

In this chapter, we’ll turn that blueprint into three-day, four-day, and ve-day
(per week) strength training programs for gaining muscle, losing fat, and getting
strong. en we’ll discuss cardiovascular exercise, which isn’t an essential part of
the Bigger Leaner Stronger program, but it’s certainly valuable enough to include
in your regimen.
 You don’t have to do the workouts I’ll share with you here if you’d rather
create your own routine, but if you’ve never trained this way before, follow mine
for at least a few months before going it alone. Workout programming can be
tricky. ere are several aspects that must come together—phases, routines,
workouts, progressions, deloads—and many factors to weigh, including goals,
schedule, frequency, intensity, volume, and recovery, among others. Also, if you
follow my directions for at least one phase of training, you’ll better understand
what is and isn’t likely to work in actual practice and be able to create better plans
going forward.
To make it easy for you to get started with my workouts, you’ll nd
spreadsheets and printable templates in the free bonus material available at
www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus along with an entire year of programming
if you want to continue with my recommendations. You can also pick up a copy
of e Year One Challenge for Men (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/challenge) if
you’d prefer the workouts in the form of a digital or hardcopy book.
So, let’s explore exactly how to do Bigger Leaner Stronger training, starting
with the rst of the three layers I just mentioned: the training phase.

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Training Phase

A training phase is a period that lasts anywhere from several weeks to months,
designed to achieve a speci c goal, like more strength, muscle, endurance, or
recovery. In Bigger Leaner Stronger, each training phase will last nine weeks, will
focus on increasing strength and muscularity, and will consist of two parts:

1. Hard training. Each training phase begins with eight weeks of

challenging workouts to gain muscle and strength.
2. Deloading. Each training phase ends with one week of deloading to
facilitate recovery from the hard training.
 Each year on the program, then, can be divided roughly into six training
phases (54 weeks).

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Routines

A workout routine outlines what you’ll do in each training phase to achieve its
goals— speci cally, how o en you’ll work out and what type of workouts you’ll
do every week. In Bigger Leaner Stronger, you can choose from a three-, four-, or
ve-day workout routine. Each are weekly (seven-day) routines, so the most
strength training you can do is ve workouts per week. Cardio is optional, and
how much you do (if any) will depend on how much time you have to give to it
and whether you’re cutting, lean bulking, or maintaining.
As far as results go, the ve-day routine is better than the four- and three-day
routines, and the four-day routine is better than the three-day. at doesn’t mean
you can’t do well with the four- or three-day routines, though, because you
absolutely can. Pick whatever routine you know you can consistently do every
week. For example, if you can sometimes train ve days per week but usually only
four, pick the four-day routine. Ideally, you’d choose one routine and stick with it
for the entire phase, but if your schedule changes mid-phase, feel free to
“upgrade” or “downgrade” as needed.
Depending on your goals, progress, and other factors, your workout routines
can change or not as you move from one training phase to another. For instance,
bodybuilders tend to change their routines more o en and more signi cantly
than strength athletes. If you plan on following my workouts in the bonus
material, though, you’ll see that the workout routines change slightly from phase
to phase to expose your muscles to new and di erent types of movement patterns
to more fully develop them. For example, horizontal and vertical pulling
movements train your back muscles slightly di erently, and you can alternate
between emphasizing one or the other in di erent training phases to good e ect.
 Every one of my workout routines will also include at least three sets of
heavy squatting, deadli ing, and bench pressing per week, and these exercises will
always come rst in your workouts. No exercises will help you build a lean,
muscular, and powerful body more than these, so you want to make sure you’re
doing them every week, and you want to do them rst in your workouts because
they require the most physical and mental energy.

The 5-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3 Workout 4 Workout 5

Push Pull Upper Body A Legs Upper Body B

If you have the time and inclination, make this your rst workout routine
because it’ll produce the fastest results. If you don’t like it for whatever reason (or
just want to spend less time in the gym), you can always try the other routines in
later phases.
Most people on this routine train Monday through Friday and take the
weekends o , but you can incorporate your rest days however you’d like. e
important thing is that you do each of the workouts every seven days and in the
order given.
One caveat, however. Include at least one day of rest between the Upper
Body B and Push workouts because doing them back-to-back won’t give your
body enough time to recuperate. Your larger upper-body muscles need more time
to recover than smaller muscle groups that can survive daily beatings, like the abs
or calves.
So, if you need to train on the weekends due to your schedule or lifestyle,
you might train Monday (push), Tuesday (pull and calves), Wednesday (upper
body), and rest ursday, then train Friday (legs), Saturday (upper body), and rest
Sunday.
The 4-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3 Workout 4

Push Pull Upper Body Legs

e main di erence between this and the ve-day routine is two upper-body
workouts are combined into one. Again, you can do these workouts on any days
of the week that you like so long as you do each once per seven days and in the
order given.

The 3-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3

Push Pull Legs

is is your time-proven “push-pull-legs” routine that allows you to squeeze

a lot of gains from a minimalist setup. Do the workouts on whatever days suit you
and put at least one day of rest in between your Pull and Leg workouts.

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Workouts

A workout is an individual training session geared toward a speci c goal. In
Bigger Leaner Stronger, each workout is designed to train a particular movement
pattern or muscle group, such as your “push” or “upper body” muscles.
You’ll notice the following workouts are for “Phase One” of the program. As
there are six phases of training per year and each phase comprises eight weeks of
hard training and one week of deloading, the workouts below are for your rst
eight weeks of hard training (and I’ll explain how to deload later in this chapter).
When you’ve completed Phase One, you can repeat it, modify it based on
what you’re learning in this book, or follow my “Phase Two” (and ree and
beyond) workouts available in the bonus material that comes with this book
(www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus).

The 5-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3 Workout 4 Workout 5

Push Pull Upper Body A Legs Upper Body B

Barbell Barbell Seated Dumbbell Barbell Close-Grip

Bench Press Deadlift Press Squat Bench Press
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Incline One-Arm
Dumbbell Side
Barbell Dumbbell Leg Curl Chin-up
Lateral Raise
Bench Press Row 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 6–8 reps 4–6 reps
6–8 reps
4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Dumbbell Rear Seated Cable

Dumbbell Lat
Lateral Raise Leg Press Row (Close
Bench Press Pulldown
(Seated) 3 hard sets Grip)
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 6–8 reps 3 hard sets
6–8 reps 6–8 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Alternating Dumbbell
Triceps Seated Triceps
Dumbbell Lunge (In- Barbell Curl
Pushdown Press
Curl Place) 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 6–8 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps

The 4-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3 Workout 4

Push Pull Upper Body Lower Body

Barbell Bench Seated Dumbbell

Barbell Deadlift Barbell Squat
Press Press
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps
4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Incline Barbell One-Arm Seated Cable Row Leg Curl

Bench Press Dumbbell Row (Close Grip) 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 6–8 reps
 4–6 reps 4–6 reps 6–8 reps

Dumbbell Close-Grip Bench

Lat Pulldown Leg Press
Bench Press Press
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps 6–8 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Dumbbell
Triceps Alternating Dumbbell Rear Lateral
Lunge (In-
Pushdown Dumbbell Curl Raise (Seated)
Place)
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets
6–8 reps 6–8 reps 6–8 reps
6–8 reps

The 3-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3

Push Pull Lower Body

Barbell Bench Press Barbell Deadlift Barbell Squat

3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Incline Barbell Bench One-Arm Dumbbell

Leg Curl
Press Row
3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps
4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Dumbbell Bench Press Lat Pulldown Leg Press

3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps 6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Alternating Dumbbell Dumbbell Lunge (In-

Triceps Pushdown
Curl Place)
3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Do the exercises in a workout one at a time and complete all the hard sets for
one exercise before moving on to another, like this:
 How to Make Exercise Substitutions
Most people can do all of the Bigger Leaner Stronger exercises without issue, but
your mileage may vary. For example, some elbows are tormented by triceps
pushdowns, some shoulders sni at dips, and some lower-backs don’t like
Romanian deadli s. If an exercise gives you grief in any way, swap it out for one
that doesn’t—just make sure it’s an exercise of the same type (a primary exercise
for a primary exercise, an accessory for an accessory) and for the same muscle
group. is will make your workouts safer, more enjoyable, and more fruitful
because you can progress much faster when you aren’t in pain.
Here’s a chart to help you make the right replacements:

Instead of the . .
Do the . . .
.

Barbell Bench
Dumbbell Bench Press, Machine Chest Press
Press

Incline Barbell
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Incline Machine Chest Press
Bench Press

Close-Grip
Dip, JM Press
Bench Press

Dumbbell
Barbell Bench Press, Machine Chest Press
Bench Press

Incline
Dumbbell Incline Barbell Bench Press, Incline Machine Chest Press
Bench Press

Dip Close-Grip Bench Press, Bench Dip

Standing
Barbell Seated Dumbbell Press, Arnold Dumbbell Press
Overhead Press

Seated Barbell
Seated Dumbbell Press, Arnold Dumbbell Press
Overhead Press
 Seated Arnold Press, Standing or Seated Barbell Overhead Press
Dumbbell Press

Arnold Seated Dumbbell Press, Standing or Seated Barbell

Dumbbell Press Overhead Press

Triceps Seated Triceps Press, Lying Triceps Extension, Triceps

Pushdown Kickback, Dumbbell Skullcrusher

Seated Triceps Triceps Pushdown, Lying Triceps Extension, Triceps

Press Kickback, Dumbbell Skullcrusher

Lying Triceps
Dumbbell Skullcrusher, Triceps Pushdown, Triceps Kickback,
Extension
Seated Triceps Press
(“Skullcrusher”)

Dumbbell Side
Cable Side Lateral Raise, Machine Side Lateral Raise
Lateral Raise

Barbell Deadlift Dumbbell Deadlift, Trap-Bar Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift

Barbell
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Barbell Good Morning, Rack
Romanian
Pulls
Deadlift

Seated Cable Row, Helms Row, Seal Row, Two- or One-Arm

Barbell Row
Dumbbell Row, Yates Row

One-Arm Barbell Row, Helms Row, Seal Row, Seated Cable Row, Two-
Dumbbell Row Arm Dumbbell Row, Yates Row

Pull-up Chin-up, Lat Pulldown

Chin-up Pull-up, Lat Pulldown

Lat Pulldown Chin-up, Pull-up, Lat Pushdown

Seated Cable
Row Barbell Row, Helms Row, Seal Row, One- or Two-Arm
(Wide- and Dumbbell Row, Yates Row
Close-Grip)

Alternating Dumbbell Curl, Dumbbell Hammer Curl, EZ-Bar

Barbell Curl
Preacher Curl, Dumbbell Preacher Curl, Cable Curl

Alternating Barbell Curl, Dumbbell Hammer Curl, EZ-Bar Preacher Curl,

Dumbbell Curl Dumbbell Preacher Curl, Cable Curl
 Dumbbell Barbell Curl, Alternating Dumbbell Curl, EZ-Bar Preacher
Hammer Curl Curl, Dumbbell Preacher Curl, Cable Curl

Barbell Curl, Alternating Dumbbell Curl, Dumbbell Hammer

EZ-Bar
Curl, EZ-Bar Preacher Curl, Dumbbell Preacher Curl, Cable
Preacher Curl
Curl

Barbell Rear
Dumbbell Rear Delt Row, Cable Facepull
Delt Row

Dumbbell Rear Machine Reverse Fly, Cable Facepull, Barbell Rear Delt Row,
Lateral Raise Dumbbell Rear Delt Row

Machine Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise, Cable Facepull, Barbell Rear

Reverse Fly Delt Row, Dumbbell Rear Delt Row

Leg Curl
Barbell Romanian Deadlift, Barbell Good Morning, Nordic
(Seated or
Curl, Single-Leg Dumbbell Deadlift
Lying)

Barbell Front Squat, Safety Bar Squat, Leg Press, Single-Leg

Barbell Squat Split Squat (Barbell or Dumbbell), Pit Shark, Hack Squat,
Zercher Squat, Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Barbell Back Squat, Barbell Front Squat, Single-Leg Split

Leg Press Squat (Barbell or Dumbbell), Safety Bar Squat, Pit Shark,
Hack Squat, Zercher Squat, Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Dumbbell
Lunge Barbell Lunge (In-Place), Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat,
(Walking or In- Single-Leg Split Squat (Barbell or Dumbbell)
Place)

Dumbbell
Dumbbell Lunge (Walking or In-Place), Barbell Lunge (In-
Bulgarian Split
Place), Single-Leg Split Squat (Barbell or Dumbbell)
Squat

Another reason for exercise substitutions is lacking access to the right

equipment, and again, just nd a similar exercise that ts the bill. For example, if
your gym doesn’t have EZ bars, you can use a straight bar or dumbbells instead,
and if you only have access to dumbbells, you can still do the program with the
following changes:
 Instead of the . . . Do the . . .

Barbell Bench Press Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Fly

Incline Barbell Bench Press Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Close-Grip Bench Press Close-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press

Dip Bench Dip

Standing or Seated Barbell Seated Dumbbell Press, Arnold Dumbbell

Overhead Press Press

Triceps Pushdown Seated Triceps Press

Lying Triceps Extension

Dumbbell Skull Crusher
(“Skullcrusher”)

Barbell Deadlift Dumbbell Deadlift

Barbell Romanian Deadlift Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Barbell Row Two-Arm Dumbbell Row

Chin-up, Negative Chip-up,

Lat Pulldown
Band-Assisted Chin-up

Seated Cable Row

Two-Arm Dumbbell Row
(Wide- and Close-Grip)

Barbell Curl Alternating Dumbbell Curl

EZ-Bar Preacher Curl Dumbbell Preacher Curl

Barbell Rear Delt Row Dumbbell Rear Delt Row

Machine Reverse Fly Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise

Leg Curl Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Dumbbell Goblet Squat, Dumbbell Front

Barbell Squat
Squat

Dumbbell Goblet Squat, Dumbbell Front

Leg Press
Squat, Dumbbell Lunge
 And here are a few dumbbell workout routines to get you started:

The 5-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Dumbbell Workout

Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3 Workout 4 Workout 5

Push Pull Upper Body A Legs Upper Body B

Close-Grip
Dumbbell Bench Dumbbell Seated Dumbbell Dumbbell Goblet
Dumbbell Bench
Press Deadlift Press Squat
Press
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps
4–6 reps

Incline Dumbbell One-Arm Dumbbell Side Lateral Single Leg Split

Chin-up
Bench Press Dumbbell Row Raise Squat (Dumbbell)
3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 6–8 reps 4–6 reps

Dumbbell Rear Lateral Dumbbell Two-Arm Dumbbell

Dip Chin-up
Raise (Seated) Romanian Deadlift Row
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps 4–6 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Seated Triceps Alternating Dumbbell Lunge Alternating

Seated Triceps Press
Press Dumbbell Curl (In-Place) Dumbbell Curl
3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps 6–8 reps 6–8 reps

The 4-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Dumbbell Workout

Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3 Workout 4

Push Pull Upper Body Lower Body

Dumbbell Bench Dumbbell Seated Dumbbell Dumbbell Goblet

Press Deadlift Press Squat
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Incline Dumbbell One-Arm Two-Arm Dumbbell Single Leg Split Squat

Bench Press Dumbbell Row Row (Dumbbell)
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 6–8 reps 4–6 reps
 Close-Grip Dumbbell Dumbbell Romanian
Dip Chin-up
Bench Press Deadlift
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps 4–6 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Dumbbell Rear
Seated Triceps Alternating Dumbbell Lunge
Lateral Raise
Press Dumbbell Curl (Walking or In-Place)
(Seated)
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
3 hard sets
6–8 reps 6–8 reps 6–8 reps
6–8 reps

The 3-Day Bigger Leaner Stronger Dumbbell Workout

Routine

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3

Push Pull Lower Body

Dumbbell Bench Press Dumbbell Deadlift Dumbbell Goblet Squat

3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Incline Dumbbell Bench One-Arm Dumbbell Single Leg Split Squat

Press Row (Dumbbell)
3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
4–6 reps 4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Dip Chin-up Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

3 hard sets 3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps 6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Alternating Dumbbell Dumbbell Lunge (Walking or

Seated Triceps Press
Curl In-Place)
3 hard sets
3 hard sets 3 hard sets
6–8 reps
6–8 reps 6–8 reps

If you still can’t nd a suitable substitute for whatever reason (lack of

equipment, su ciently heavy dumbbells, mobility, etc.), simply do 3 more sets of
an exercise already in your workout. And nally, if all you have is your body
weight and maybe some bands, you can do plenty of di erent resistance training
workouts, but you can’t follow most of the training modalities you’ve learned
because they require weights.

How to Progress in Bigger Leaner Stronger Workouts

In chapter 12, you learned about double progression—the system of working
with a weight until you can do a number of sets at the top of a rep range, then
increasing the weight. Here’s how it works in Bigger Leaner Stronger:

When you can do one top-rep set of a primary exercise with at least 1-
to-2 good reps le or one top-rep set of an accessory exercise with at
least 0-to-1 good reps le , immediately add 10 pounds (total) to your
working weight (the amount of weight used in hard sets).
If you can at least hit the bottom of your rep range with the new,
heavier weight with at least 0-to-2 good reps le (depending on the
type of exercise), work with it until you reach the progression target
(one top-rep set) again, increase the weight again, and so forth.
If you can’t reach the bottom of your rep range with su cient reps in
reserve (at least 0- to-2 reps le depending on the exercise) with the
new, heavier weight, you have three options:

1. Decrease the weight by 5 pounds so you’ve only added 5

pounds instead of 10.
2. If number one doesn’t work—you still can’t stay in your rep
range—or you can’t do it because your gym doesn’t have 2.5-
pound plates or its dumbbells move up in 5-pound increments,
reduce the weight to the original, lighter load and work there
until you can do 2 top-rep sets in a single workout. en,
increase by 10 pounds, and if that doesn’t work, by 5.
3. If you do that, and you still can’t stay in your rep range, go back
to the lighter weight and work with it until you can do 3 top-
 rep sets in a single workout. At this point, your progress should
stick (either at 10 or 5 pounds), and if it doesn’t, the culprit is
usually diet (calories, macros, nutrition) or lifestyle (especially
stress management and sleep habits) or both.

If you hit your progression target on the last set of an exercise, increase
the weight on the rst set of that exercise the next time you do that
workout. In Bigger Leaner Stronger, you’ll bench press on Monday, so if
you get 6 reps on your third (and nal) set, you’d increase the weight
on the rst set of the bench press on the following Monday.
If you’re doing the same exercise several times per week, progress on
each exercise in each workout independently. at is, if you bench press
on Mondays and Fridays, and you get 155 x 6 on Friday, you shouldn’t
increase the weight in your Monday pressing—just your next Friday
session. is procedure helps because you’ll experience varying levels of
fatigue in each workout, depending on your workout programming,
lifestyle, and physiology. For instance, if you train Monday through
Friday and take the weekend o , you’ll feel fresher on Monday (a er
two days of rest) than on Friday (a er four days of training). us, you
may nd that you can progress faster in workouts earlier rather than
later in the week. On the other hand, if you do an exercise later in a
workout earlier in the week and then earlier in a session later in the
week, you may nd that your performance is better in the second
workout because the “ rst-workout advantage” isn’t enough to o set
the “later-in-the-workout” drawback. So, since it’s hard to account for
these variables in your programming, it’s best to progress on each
exercise in each workout individually.
 To better understand how this works, let’s go through some examples. Let’s
say you’re bench pressing in the 4-to-6-rep range for 3 sets, and on your rst set,
you get 6 reps with 135 pounds with 1 good rep le . e Bigger Leaner Stronger
program calls for just one top-rep set to progress, so it’s time to increase the
weight. You add 10 pounds to the bar (145 pounds), rest a few minutes, and get 4
reps on your next two sets of the exercise in that workout. Because you’re still
within your target rep range (4-to-6 reps) with 145 pounds, you’d keep working
with it until you get 6 reps for one set, and then you’d increase the weight to 155
pounds. Here’s how this could look over the course of four weeks of training:

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

Week 1 135 x 4 135 x 4 135 x 5

Week 2 135 x 6 (top-rep set) 145 x 4 (increase) 145 x 4

Week 3 145 x 4 145 x 5 145 x 5

Week 4 145 x 6 (top-rep set) 155 x 4 (increase) 155 x 4

Now let’s say that a er a few months of training, you’re moving up from 185
to 195 pounds, but you only manage to get 2 or 3 reps with the new, heavier
weight before your technique breaks down—something that’ll happen at times as
you get stronger. What should you do next? Reduce the weight by 5 pounds to
190 pounds, so you’ve only added 5 pounds instead of 10, because this is usually
enough to get you back in your target rep range. If, however, you still can’t stay in
your target rep range (you only get 3 or fewer reps with 190 pounds), or your
gym doesn’t have 2.5-pound plates or dumbbells that move up in 5-pound
increments, then you’d reduce the weight to 185 pounds and work with that until
you can do 2 sets of 6 reps before adding the 10 pounds back to the bar.
Two other scenarios to address involve insu cient reps in reserve to
progress. Say in the above bench press example, you get 6 reps with 185 pounds
but have 0 reps in reserve (0 good reps le ). In this case, you’re not ready to add
weight yet—you need to keep bench pressing 185 pounds until you get 6 reps
and have at least 1 good rep le . en, when you achieve that and bump up to
195 pounds, you don’t just need to get 4 reps—you also need to have at least 1
good rep le , and if you don’t, you should drop the weight to 190 pounds and
continue from there.
Also, know that missing a rep range a er adding weight to an exercise isn’t a
cause for concern. Although people new to strength training with double
progression can typically progress in 10-pound increases with just one top-rep set
for their rst year or so, at some point, this approach falls at, and they have to
use the techniques I outlined above to keep advancing.

How to Warm Up for Your Workouts

For many people, warming up for a strength training workout is like a little
workout unto itself—ten minutes on the treadmill, ten minutes of stretching, ten
minutes of foam rolling, and so on. is type of routine is mostly a waste of time.
Although raising your core temperature and the temperature of your muscles can
improve performance, it doesn’t necessarily decrease the risk of injury (as
proponents of drawn-out warm-ups o en claim). Ironically, “loosening” your
muscles up with stretching before a workout can actually reduce your strength and
athletic performance.
A much better way to warm up for your workouts involves doing warm-up
sets of the exercises in those workouts. is method increases body and muscle
temperature and enhances blood ow to the muscles you’re about to train (which
can also boost performance). It also helps you “groove in” proper technique so
your form doesn’t crumble as you approach failure in your hard sets. is latter
point is particularly important as you get stronger, when the weights get heavy
and poor form becomes more dangerous.
 To warm up for your Bigger Leaner Stronger workouts, you’ll do several
warm-up sets with the rst exercises for each of the major muscle groups you’ll be
training:

Set 1: 6 reps with about 50 percent of your hard-set weight, and rest for a
minute.
Set 2: 4 reps with about 70 percent of your hard-set weight, and rest for a
minute.

And that’s it—you’re ready to do your hard sets.

Now, that doesn’t mean you’ll need to do warm-up sets for all of the exercises
in a workout because if you’re doing an exercise for a muscle group that’s already
primed, no warm-up is needed.
For example, let’s say you’re doing a lower-body workout of squatting, leg
curling, and leg pressing, in that order. You’d warm up on the squat and then do
your hard sets. Next is the leg curl, but you won’t need to warm up rst because
your hamstrings are plenty warm a er squatting. e same goes for the leg press
—the major muscle groups involved are the same as in the squat. erefore, your
warm-up on the squat serves as your warm-up for the entire workout.
One more example for the sake of clarity. Say you’re starting a pull workout
that calls for deadli ing, dumbbell rowing, and biceps curling, in that order.
Based on what you now know, how would you do this workout? You’ve got it—
warm up on the deadli rst, followed by your hard sets, followed by the rest of
the workout without any further warm-up sets because the next exercises train
the same muscles as the deadli .

How to Find Your Starting Weights

You now know which rep ranges you’ll be working in, but how do you gure out
how much weight to use on all of the exercises you’ll be doing? It’s mostly a
matter of experimentation. You start light on a new exercise and increase the
weight a er each set until you’ve found the right amount. As a rule, you’ll lose 2
reps for every 10 pounds you add to an exercise.
If you’re completely unsure of where to start, the following chart will help
you nd your starting weights faster:

Exercise Starting Weight (lb.)

Barbell Bench Press 95

Incline Barbell Bench Press 65

Dumbbell Bench Press 30 (per dumbbell)

Triceps Pushdown 30

Barbell Deadlift 135

One-Arm Dumbbell Row 30 (per dumbbell)

Lat Pulldown 80

Alternating Dumbbell Curl 15 (per dumbbell)

Seated Dumbbell Press 20 (per dumbbell)

Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises 10 (per dumbbell)

Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise 10 (per dumbbell)

Seated Triceps Press 30

Barbell Squat 135

Leg Curl 50

Leg Press 185

Dumbbell Lunge 20 (per dumbbell)

How to Deload
As you learned a couple of chapters ago, deloading entails reducing your workout
intensity or volume for a period, usually a week. By doing this, you can reduce
joint, tendon, and ligament strain; lower the risk of injury; and alleviate
psychological stress.
Some people say deloading by reducing workout volume is better than
reducing intensity and vice versa. I lean toward deloading volume because studies
show that reducing volume instead of intensity is more e ective for decreasing
fatigue, which is the main goal, as well as for maintaining performance (making it
easier to pick up where you le o when you get back to your hard training).
As for frequency, there’s no pat answer for how o en you should deload—
some people’s bodies can endure more strain than others’ before needing a break
—but in Bigger Leaner Stronger, here’s how it’ll work:
Every ninth week, do the following:

1. Do the previous week’s workout.

2. Do 2 hard sets for each exercise instead of 3.
3. Warm up and use your normal working weights, but do 2 reps per set
for primary exercises and 4 reps per set for accessory exercises.

at’s all there is to it.

“Can I do cardio on my deload week?”

Sure. at said, remember the goal is to signi cantly reduce the amount of stress
on your body. So walking or light physical activity is okay, but skip the high-
intensity and high-impact cardio (sprinting, for example).

“What should I do with my diet when deloading?”

If you’re cutting, you can maintain your current calorie intake while deloading,
unless you feel the need for a diet break, in which case you can increase your
intake to your approximate total daily energy expenditure.
If you’re lean bulking, you can maintain your current calorie intake or reduce
it to your approximate TDEE if you’d like a break from all the food.

“Can I just take a week o instead?”

Yes, but deloading is preferable because it’ll produce better results. at said, if
you’re traveling, sick (or on the brink), or ragged, take the week o instead. It’s
also helpful to plan your deloads or rest weeks to coincide with trips, holidays,
vacations, or any other forthcoming disruptions to your routine. is way, you
don’t have to interrupt your hard training.

How to Include Cardio in Your Regimen

Strength training is more important than cardio for improving and maintaining
body composition, health, and vitality, but there are several good reasons to doing
some cardio as well, including improved heart and circulatory health (which
reduces the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, cognitive decline, and other
undesirable conditions), anti-aging e ects, additional energy expenditure, and
more.
It also doesn’t take much cardio to make a major di erence—just a couple of
hours per week is plenty—and if you combine it correctly with your strength
training, it won’t hurt (and may even enhance) your results in the gym. erefore,
if you want to maximize your health and tness, I recommend making cardio a
part of your routine. Here’s a winning formula:

1. Do one-to-three hours of cardio per week.

2. Mostly do low- and moderate-intensity cardio.
3. Do cardio that you enjoy.

If you follow those simple instructions, you’ll reap many of the bene ts I just
mentioned without any of the potential handicaps. Let’s review each of these
points.

1. Do one to three hours of cardio per week.

One hour of cardio per week is a sensible “minimum e ective dose” for
improving cardiovascular and metabolic health, and three hours per week is a
reasonable cuto for preventing several problems that occur when you do too
much cardio:

1. e more cardio you do, the more it can wear you out, making it harder
to give your strength training everything it needs. You won’t always
notice the systemic fatigue that can slowly set in when you do too
much cardio, either.
2. Depending on what you’re doing, cardio can cause enough muscle
damage and soreness to hinder your performance in the gym and
recovery from your strength training.
3. Research shows that some of the cellular adaptations to cardio can
interfere with those of strength training. In substance, by doing too
much cardio in addition to strength training, we’re sending “mixed
messages” to our body (and muscles in particular), and they can’t
optimally respond and adapt to either.

By limiting your cardio to a couple of hours per week, however, you can
minimize these disadvantages (and eliminate them altogether if you follow the
other two guidelines). If you like cardio and want to do more than I’m
recommending here, you can, but just know that it’ll likely slow your progress in
your strength training.

2. Mostly do low- and moderate-intensity cardio.

Broadly, cardio comes in three varieties: Low-intensity, moderate-intensity, and
high-intensity. Low-intensity cardio allows you to talk in full sentences
throughout the workout. When you can only talk in a few short sentences before
catching your breath, you’re doing moderate-intensity cardio. And when you’re
breathing too heavily to even get out full sentences, that’s high-intensity cardio.
You’ve probably heard that high-intensity cardio is far better for losing fat
than less demanding workouts, but this isn’t always true. High-intensity cardio
can help you lose more fat than low-intensity cardio, but only because it burns
more calories per unit of time (a 30-minute high-intensity cardio session will
burn about 2-to-3 times more calories than a leisurely 30-minute walk, for
instance). at said, when you compare high-intensity cardio to moderate-
intensity cardio, the di erence largely disappears. For example, a study conducted
by scientists at Arizona State University found that a 30-minute moderate
intensity cardio workout burned just as many calories as a 30-minute high-
intensity interval workout (about 300 calories).
What’s more, high-intensity cardio also causes more muscle damage,
soreness, and general fatigue than less intense types, and this can cut into your
ability to gain muscle and strength. It requires more moxie than lower-intensity
cardio, too, which can be in short supply a er a long day of work, strength
training, chores, arguing with strangers on the internet, and so forth.
us, I recommend you mostly do low- and moderate-intensity cardio while
on the Bigger Leaner Stronger program, and if you want to include high-intensity
training in your regime to further improve your cardiovascular endurance, keep it
to one 20-to-45-minute high-intensity cardio workout per week. ese don’t
have to be “workouts” in the formal sense, either—you could play a competitive
tennis match instead of hopping on the elliptical, for example.

3. Do cardio that you enjoy.

Exactly what you do for cardio isn’t nearly as important as how consistently you
do it, so make sure to choose something that you like. is can include fun
physical activities as well—going for a hike, walking a golf course, playing tag
with your kids, whatever! at said, it’s best to prioritize low-impact types of
cardio, such as swimming, cycling, walking, rowing, hiking, cross-country skiing,
elliptical, and so on. ese kinds of exercise cause little muscle damage or
soreness, which means they don’t directly interfere with strength training like
high-impact cardio does.
Higher-impact activities, like running, tennis, or basketball, aren’t verboten
in Bigger Leaner Stronger, however—they just shouldn’t make up more than half
of your total cardio. If you do two hours of cardio per week, then, no more than
one hour should be high-impact activities.
Finally, if you aren’t sure what kind of cardio to do, try my favorite: Cycling.
It’s basically all pros and no cons:

It burns a lot of calories.

It’s easy on your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints.
Research shows it can help you gain lower-body muscle and strength
faster.
It’s something you can do inside when the weather’s bad and outside
when it’s nice.
When indoors, you can pair it with something else that you enjoy or
need to do, such as listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks, making
work or personal calls, reading, or watching TV.

With everything I’ve given you in this chapter, it’s not a matter of if you can get
bigger, leaner, and stronger but how quickly. I’ll also bet you a shiny shekel that
soon, you’ll have a lot more than a new body—you’ll have a new lease on life.
You’ll feel more con dent and competent as you gain muscle and strength. Your
motivation will soar as you relish the changes you see in the mirror and on the
scale. Friends and family will start noticing and asking how the heck you’re doing
it. You may hardly believe the results yourself. All of that and more is inevitable if
you just follow the way I’m lighting for you.
To ensure you get there, we need to add a couple more strings to your bow,
however, so let’s continue thrusting ahead.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

A training phase is a period that lasts anywhere from several weeks to

months, designed to achieve a speci c goal, like more strength, muscle,
endurance, or recovery. In Bigger Leaner Stronger, each training phase will
last nine weeks, will focus on increasing strength and muscularity, and
will consist of two parts: hard training and deloading.
In Bigger Leaner Stronger, you can choose from a three-, four-, or ve-day
workout routine. Pick whatever routine you know you can consistently do
every week.
If an exercise gives you grief in any way, swap it out for one that doesn’t—
just make sure it’s an exercise of the same type (a primary exercise for a
primary exercise, an accessory for an accessory) and for the same muscle
group.
To warm up for your Bigger Leaner Stronger workouts, do two warm-up
sets with the rst exercises for each of the major muscle groups you’ll be
training: 1 set of 6 reps with about 50 percent of your hard-set weight,
and rest for a minute, then 1 set of 4 reps with about 70 percent of your
hard-set weight, and rest for a minute.
Every ninth week of training, take a deload.
Instead of deloading you can take a week o instead, but deloading is
preferable because it’ll produce better results. at said, if you’re traveling,
sick (or on the brink), or ragged, take the week o instead.
One hour of cardio per week is a sensible “minimum e ective dose” for
improving cardiovascular and metabolic health, and three hours per week
is a reasonable cuto for preventing several problems that occur when you
do too much cardio.
Mostly do low- and moderate-intensity cardio, and if you want to include
high-intensity training in your regime to further improve your
cardiovascular endurance, keep it to one 20-to-45-minute high-intensity
cardio workout per week.
Exactly what you do for cardio isn’t nearly as important as how
consistently you do it, so make sure to choose something that you like.
If you aren’t sure what kind of cardio to do, try cycling. It’s basically all
pros and no cons.
 e Big Ideas

1. Track your body composition with weight,

pictures, and body measurements.
2. Don’t obsess over fluctuations in your
weight.
3. Track your strength training with a journal
or app.
 15

The Right and Wrong Ways to

Track Your Progress

Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.

—OSCAR WILDE

S
ir William omson (also known as Lord Kelvin) was a nineteenth-
century physicist who famously said that “when you can measure what
you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know
something about it.” is insight applies to diet and exercise just as much as the
scienti c method: unless you can measure your progress (or lack thereof ) and
express it in numbers, you likely won’t know whether you’re headed in the right
direction.
As it happens, one of the least appreciated reasons why so many people fail
to achieve their tness goals is because people fail to consistently track and
evaluate how their bodies are responding to their eating and training. When
you’re new to exible dieting, for instance, it’s important to closely monitor your
calories and macros because it’s easy to accidentally over- and undereat, but as you
become familiar with the routine, your estimations and intuitions become more
accurate and reliable. e same is true of training, but in the reverse. As time goes
on, tracking workouts becomes more important, not less, because without precise
records of past workouts to refer to, you’ll lose sight of the trajectory of your
training and with it your ability to adjust (or not) accordingly—a vital skill for
long-term tness success.
You can also be misled by watching the wrong things, or the right ones
incorrectly. For example, many people use smartphone apps or electronic gizmos
to gauge calorie burning and body composition, but research shows that the data
provided by such so ware and gadgets can be wildly erroneous. And while it’s
useful to watch body weight, daily uctuations aren’t meaningful, so cheering or
cursing them is pointless.
So what should you track, exactly, and how do you do it? e answer to the
rst question is twofold:

1. Your body composition

2. Your training

And to answer the second question, let’s address each of these elements
separately.

How to Track Your Body Composition

Tracking your body composition properly is crucial because even when you do
everything right, transformation takes time. And when your eshy bits aren’t
rming up as quickly as you’d like, it’s easy to feel de ated. By observing your
body composition correctly, however, you’ll always know whether you’re
advancing (and whether you should keep plugging away) or stuck, and change
your diet or training or both. is process has three steps:

1. Weigh yourself every three days and calculate the average every two
weeks.
2. Take progress pictures every two weeks.
 3. Take body measurements every two weeks.

at may sound like a lot of hassle, but don’t worry—it’ll only require ve
minutes per week. Plus, as you get bigger, leaner, and stronger, you’ll look forward
to the next round of measurements for the same reason it’s fun to keep score
when you’re playing a game (especially when you’re winning!).

1. Weigh yourself every three days and calculate the average

every two weeks.
One of the easiest ways to drive yourself to distraction in your tness journey is to
obsess over daily shi s in your weight, which o en have nothing to do with
gaining or losing fat or muscle. For instance, even slight swings in uid retention,
glycogen levels, and bowel movements can produce noticeable ups and downs.
A much better way to use body weight is to look at longer-range averages,
which are less erratic and better register the stu that we actually care about (fat
and muscle). If, over the course of weeks and months, these averages are moving
down, you’re clearly losing weight, and if they’re moving up, you’re clearly gaining
weight. Here’s the procedure:

1. Weigh yourself every one-to-three days rst thing in the morning,

naked, a er the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything.
Record the numbers somewhere accessible like an Excel le or Google
Sheets or the notepad app in your phone. If you want to take your
weight-tracking game a step further, you can graph the numbers in a
spreadsheet.
2. Every two weeks, add your weigh-ins together and divide the sum by
the number of weigh-ins to get your average daily weight for the
period. Record this as well.
 Simple and clean. Here’s an example of how this could look for someone
cutting:

Monday: 193 pounds

ursday: 194 pounds
Sunday: 192 pounds
Wednesday: 191 pounds
Saturday: 191 pounds
Tuesday: 190 pounds

Average daily weight: 1,151 (pounds) / 6 (weigh-ins) = 192 pounds

With this method of tracking your weight, you can focus on the broader
picture instead of stewing over minor and meaningless variances.

2. Take progress pictures every two weeks.

In theory, taking progress pictures is better than taking body measurements
because ultimately, we don’t care about numbers nearly as much as what we see in
the mirror. Such pictures can cause guilt and frustration when they’re brute
reminders of how far we are from where we want to be, however, so many people
avoid them. I understand this reaction—it’s perfectly normal—but I also think it
can be framed more positively. Don’t look at these pictures as re ections of who
you are but merely as another set of data to help you with who you’re becoming.
e following from David Schwartz’s classic self-help book e Magic of inking
Big comes to mind:

“If I looked at myself strictly as I am—old car, low income, cheap

apartment, and hamburger diet—I couldn’t help but be discouraged. I’d
see a nobody and I’d be a nobody for the rest of my life. I’ve made up
 my mind to look at myself as the person I’m going to be in a few short
years. I see myself not as a rate clerk but as an executive. I don’t see a
crummy apartment, I see a ne new suburban home. And when I look
at myself that way, I feel bigger and think bigger. And I’ve got plenty of
personal experiences to prove it’s paying o .”

Remember too that nobody else needs to see these pictures, but don’t be
surprised if, a er some time, you’re sharing your “before” and “a er” pictures with
at least a few people (and I hope I’m one of them!).
So, even if you’re feeling sheepish, how about we take your “before” pictures
now? en, take another set of pictures every two weeks to document your
transformation, and mark my words: before long, you’ll be shocked by how much
your physique is changing.
Here’s how to take progress pictures properly:

Take front, side, and back shots rst thing in the morning, a er using
the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything.
e more skin you show, the better (most people do them in their
underwear).
Keep the lighting and setting the same, if possible.
If you have someone to take pictures of you and you want to better see
how your muscles are developing, take both exed and un exed
pictures.

I also recommend saving all your progress photos in an individual album on

your phone or computer so you can easily scroll through them, like a ipbook,
and see how your physique is changing.

3. Take body measurements every two weeks.

If you only watch your weight, you won’t have a handle on how your body
composition is changing because gaining or losing weight can mean gaining or
losing fat or muscle or water or glycogen or excreta or some combination thereof.
Furthermore, when you’re new to strength training, you can expect to gain
muscle and lose fat at the same time, rendering weight measurements less
important. In fact, your weight may not change as much as you’d expect while
you’re on the program, especially in the beginning. I’ve seen some radical physical
overhauls where weight only changed by 15-to-20 pounds!
To help you understand how your body is responding to your eating and
training, there’s one body measurement worth noting every two weeks: Your
waist circumference. is is useful because the size of your waist is a reliable
indicator of body fatness regardless of what’s happening with your weight.
Eventually, you won’t feel it necessary to measure your waist, even when cutting
(the scale and mirror will be enough), but until then, you’ll probably nd it
bene cial.
To measure your waist properly, do the following in the morning, naked,
a er using the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything. Wrap a tape
measure around your bare stomach, right at your navel, and make sure the tape is
straight (parallel to the oor) and snug, but not so tight that it compresses your
skin. Breathe in, exhale until your lungs are mostly empty, and with your stomach
relaxed (no sucking it in), record the number somewhere handy (workout
journal, notepad app, cloud document, etc.).
If you’d like to collect even more data on how your body is developing, here
are several more measurements to take every two weeks:

Your chest circumference. Wrap a measuring tape around your chest at

the fullest part (usually across your nipples) by rst pulling it across
your back, under your armpits, and then around your chest. Adjust the
 measuring tape so that it’s parallel to the oor, stand tall, relax your
upper body, don’t are your elbows or ex your lats, and note the
number.
Your exed arms. Flex one arm and with your other hand, wrap a tape
measure around the largest part of the exed arm (the peak of the
biceps and middle of the triceps), and note the number. en do your
other arm.
Your shoulder circumference. Wrap a measuring tape straight around
your torso (over your shoulders and chest) right around the top of your
armpits, and make sure the measuring tape is parallel to the oor. Hold
the measuring tape with one hand, stand tall, and relax your upper
body (again don’t are your elbows or ex your lats), and note the
number.
Your upper-leg circumference. While standing, wrap a tape measure
around the widest part of one thigh, straighten and ex your leg, and
note the number. en do the same with your le leg.
Your exed calves. While standing, ex one calf by raising your heel o
the ground, wrap a measuring tape around the largest part of it, and
note the number. en do your other calf.

How to Track Your Strength Training Workouts

As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, tracking your strength training is
important because it’s the only way to know if you’re getting tter and stronger
(and therefore progressively overloading your muscles). At rst, progress is
obvious because your strength climbs by leaps and bounds, but once it begins to
crawl, the scene gets hazy if you don’t have a training journal. You’ll forget exactly
what you did in previous workouts and thus have no reliable reference points for
future workouts—a sure re recipe for stagnation when a successful workout is
one that’s just a little better than the last, like getting another rep or two on just
one exercise, for instance. Strength and muscle grow one rep at a time, so you
always want a clear goal in mind for every set of every exercise. is is impossible
if you don’t know what you did the last time. For example, if you’re about to
squat, and you know that in your previous workout, you did 3 sets of 4 reps with
185 pounds, in this workout, your overarching objective is always to get 6 reps in
one set (likely your rst) with at least 1-to-2 good reps le , but failing that, it’s to
get at least one more rep across all sets than last time—13 reps or more in this
case.
is level of focus and intentionality requires a training journal, not
grunting and groaning with death metal blaring in your headphones. It’s the
gateway to great workouts—ones where you’re full of energy and concentration,
where the weights feel lighter than usual, and where you leave the gym feeling
invigorated, not wiped out.
To track your strength training workouts, the three easiest options are a pen
and paper, the notepad app in your smartphone, or a workout tracking app. If you
prefer pen and paper, you can use a blank notepad or workout journal, or you
may like the pre-formatted workout journal I created speci cally for Bigger
Leaner Stronger called e Year One Challenge for Men (www.). ere are just as
many workout apps to choose from as journals, and I have a free one called
Stacked, which you can get at . Some people (like me) also like using Excel or
Google Sheets (my preference). To make this easy for you, I’ve included an entire
year’s worth of Bigger Leaner Stronger training workouts in the free bonus
material that comes with this book ().
Regardless of which method of tracking you choose, it needs to show the
workouts you’ll be doing (and the number of hard sets and rep ranges for each),
and it needs to allow you to record how it goes (weight and reps for each set). It’s
also helpful if you can include relevant notes like feeling strong or weak on a set
or exercise, experiencing an ache or pain, not having slept well the night before,
etc. ese comments give context to your numbers when you come back to them
later (“I wonder why my bench press was down 10 pounds that workout?”).
Here’s a simple way to lay all of this out in an analogue or digital notepad or
journal:

Phase 1

Week 1

Workout 1

Monday 8/23/2021

Push

Barbell Bench Press Incline Barbell Bench Press

4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Set 1: Set 1:

Set 2: Set 2:

Set 3: Set 3:

Notes: Notes:

Dumbbell Bench Press Triceps Pushdown

6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Set 1: Set 1:

Set 2: Set 2:
Set 3: Set 3:

Notes: Notes:
en, when you do this workout, you can ll it out like this:

Phase 1

Week 1

Workout 1

Monday 8/23/2021

Push

Barbell Bench Incline Barbell Bench Press

Press

4–6 reps 4–6 reps

Set 1: 125 x 5 Set 1: 100 x 6

Set 2: 125 x 5 Set 2: 110 x 4

Set 3: 125 x 4 Set 3: 110 x 4

Notes: Notes: Felt strong despite adding weight on bench press

before this.

Dumbbell Bench Press Triceps Pushdown

6–8 reps 6–8 reps

Set 1: 40 x 6 Set 1: 40 x 8

Set 2: 40 x 6 Set 2: 40 x 7
 Set 3: 40 x 7 Set 3: 40 x 6

Notes: Notes: Triceps were toast at the end.

is is a major moment for us. You’ve learned all of the salient diet and exercise
principles and strategies, and you’re o cially ready to stop reading about the
Bigger Leaner Stronger style of strength training and start doing it! To make your
rst phase of training as smooth as possible, in the next chapter I’ll share with you
a quickstart guide that’ll quickly get you up to speed.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

By observing your body composition correctly, you’ll always know

whether you’re advancing (and whether you should keep plugging away)
or stuck, and change your diet or training or both.
Weigh yourself every one-to-three days rst thing in the morning, naked,
a er the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything. Record the
numbers somewhere accessible like an Excel le or Google Sheets or the
notepad app in your phone. Every two weeks, add your weigh-ins
together and divide the sum by the number of weigh-ins to get your
average daily weight for the period. Record this as well.
Take progress pictures every two weeks to document your
transformation. Take front, side, and back shots rst thing in the
morning, a er using the bathroom and before eating or drinking
anything; show as much skin as possible (most people do them in their
underwear); keep the lighting and setting the same, if possible; and if you
have someone to take pictures of you and you want to better see how your
muscles are developing, take both exed and un exed pictures.
Tracking your waist circumference is useful because the size of your waist
is a reliable indicator of body fatness regardless of what’s happening with
your weight. To measure your waist properly, do the following in the
morning, naked, a er using the bathroom and before eating or drinking
anything: wrap a tape measure around your bare stomach, right at your
navel, and make sure the tape is straight (parallel to the oor) and snug,
but not so tight that it compresses your skin. Breathe in, exhale until your
lungs are mostly empty, and with your stomach relaxed (no sucking it in),
record the number somewhere handy (workout journal, notepad app,
cloud document, etc.).
If you’d like to collect even more data on how your body is developing,
here are several more measurements to take every two weeks: chest
circumference, exed arms, shoulder circumference, upper-leg
circumference, and exed calves.
To track your strength training workouts, the three easiest options are a
pen and paper, the notepad app in your smartphone, or a workout
tracking app. Regardless of which method of tracking you choose, it
needs to show the workouts you’ll be doing and the number of hard sets
and rep ranges for each), and it needs to allow you to record how it goes
(weight and reps for each set). It’s also helpful if you can include relevant
notes like feeling strong or weak on a set or exercise, experiencing an ache
or pain, not having slept well the night before, etc.
 e Big Ideas

1. Buy the right gear.

2. Join the right gym or set up the right home
gym.
3. Create a training schedule that works for
you.
 16

The Bigger Leaner Stronger

Quickstart Guide

Any airplane is o track much of the time but just keeps coming back to the ight
plan.
—STEPHEN R. COVEY

T
he nutritional component of the Bigger Leaner Stronger program is
easy enough to enact—make a meal plan, go grocery shopping, and
start following the meal plan—but the training portion is harder to
embark on because you have to consider gear, gyms, logistical and technical
agendas, and more. erefore, to help grease the skids, I’ve prepared a ve-step
checklist that walks you through the whole process:

1. Buy your supplies.

2. Join or set up a gym.
3. Create your workout schedule.
4. Prepare for your rst week.
5. Do your rst week.

Let’s go over each.

1. Buy Your Supplies

You don’t need much in the way of gewgaws to do your Bigger Leaner Stronger
workouts. e only must-haves are a measuring tape and a bathroom scale for
tracking your body composition and a notepad or workout journal if you want to
record your workouts manually. ere are other items that can be useful,
however:

1. A pair of weightli ing shoes for stabler squatting and deadli ing.
2. A pair of li ing straps for heavy pulling.
3. A pair of neoprene knee sleeves, shin guards, or a couple pairs of knee-
high socks for protecting your shins while deadli ing.
4. A weightli ing belt to boost your squat and deadli strength. I
recommend a powerli ing belt made of rigid leather, 9-to-13
millimeters thick, and 3-to-4 inches wide.
5. A comfortable pair of running shoes if you’re going to run or walk for
your cardio. Ignore most of the marketing pu ery used to sell these
products and just pick whatever feels the best on your feet when you’re
walking or jogging.
6. Equipment for your home gym (more details to follow).

Also, if you want my speci c product recommendations, you can nd them

in the free bonus material that comes with this book
(www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus).

2. Join or Set Up a Gym

Some people are put o by gyms, and I can’t blame them. What with the violent
outbursts of groaning and grunting, the gaggles of would-be Instagram celebrities
snapping sel es, and the occasional stony-faced bodybuilder laying claim to entire
rows of equipment, getting in a workout can seem about as appealing as skinny
dipping in the Ganges River. Fortunately, strength training is more popular than
ever before (and its star is still rising), so it’s also easier than ever to nd a clean
and comfortable gym that more resembles a classy community center than a
dingy dungeon.
To nd the right gym for you, there are a few things to take into account:

1. Does it have all of the equipment you’ll need? I explicitly designed the
Bigger Leaner Stronger workouts to work with the standard gym
complement of free weights and machines, so all you need is a spot
with at least one bench press and squat rack (but a few is better so you
don’t end up waiting), a full set of dumbbells, and some basic machines
(and the gym has to allow deadli ing).
2. Is it relatively nearby? I’ve noticed that when a gym commute is more
than about thirty minutes of driving (total), the chances of missing or
skipping workouts rises markedly. So, if possible, pick a gym that’s fairly
close to your home or o ce.
3. Is it a ordable? Many entry-level gyms cost $10-to-$50 per month,
depending on where you live, and are clean, well-equipped, and have
other perks you may want to use, such as showers, towels, a pool, etc.
My favorite entry-level franchises are Gold’s Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, LA
Fitness, and Anytime Fitness. If you have the budget or inclination to
spend more, for $100-to-$300 per month, you can get nicer and newer
facilities and equipment and more perks like tness classes, saunas and
steam rooms, spa services, and more. My favorite premium gym
franchises are Equinox and Life Time Fitness.
4. Do you like it? It may sound silly, but the more you like training at your
gym, the more you’ll like working out in general and the better you’ll
do on the program. So if you’re fortunate enough to have several gyms
to choose from, go with the one that you like best, even if it’s not the
 fanciest of the lot (I currently train at an awesome Gold’s Gym in
Ocala, Florida that I wouldn’t trade for any of the higher-end gyms I’ve
been to). By the same token, if the gym you really like costs a bit more
than something you don’t like and you can a ord the upgrade, do it—
you’ll get many times your additional investment back in the more
valuable coin of muscle, strength, and health and vitality.

You can also train in a home gym, which has its pros and cons. On the one
hand, you can’t beat the convenience—you don’t have to get in the car and you
can train whenever you want and don’t need to worry about holiday hours or
other restrictions. You also never have to wait for equipment and can ensure
everything stays clean and functional, and decorating the space with whatever
takes your fancy and blaring your favorite music can make your training more
fun. ere’s quite a bit of time and money to be saved too when you don’t have to
get to and from the gym and pay monthly dues.
A home gym comes with tradeo s, however. If you want new equipment,
you’ll need at least $1,000-to-$1,500 in hardware for your Bigger Leaner Stronger
workouts. If you want to look for deals on used equipment, Facebook
Marketplace, Craigslist, and eBay are good resources for this. You’ll also need at
least 100-to-200 square feet for a barebones barbell-and-dumbbells setup and
double or triple that if you want to include some additional equipment to expand
your exercise options (and for reference, the average two-car garage is about 650
square feet). You’ll also want a room with a concrete oor that’s on the ground
oor of your home or in the basement because carpet, tile, and wood will get
damaged, and working out on an upper level can scare others or damage the oor
or even the framework. Although most people like being able to walk to their
gym instead of driving, working out at home usually means working out alone,
and you may nd that less enjoyable than at a gym with a friendly training
partner. Home workouts are also notoriously susceptible to interruptions by
visitors, kids, pets, your spouse or partner, etc. You have to be willing to take the
time to clean, maintain, repair, and replace your equipment, too, or it’ll slowly go
to seed.
All things considered, I’d recommend a commercial gym if you have to
compromise too much to train at home. For example, if I had to choose between
a meager home gym and a plain but well-appointed local gym, I’d take the latter
because it’ll mean better workouts and results, and I’d only think about changing
to a home gym if it had all of the equipment that I share below.
If you’ll be doing Bigger Leaner Stronger at home, however, you’ll want the
following equipment:

A barbell. Get an 87-inch long, 45-pound (20-kilogram) bar with a

28.5-mm wide sha (the part you grip).
A set of weight plates. Start with two 2.5-, 5-, 10-, and 25-pound plates,
as well as four-to-six 45-pound plates, depending on how strong you
are, and then add plates as you get stronger (more 10- and 45-pound
plates should su ce). Also, get round plates and not polygonal ones,
which move around when you deadli and row.
A set of dumbbells. You have two options here: Regular dumbbells
(each is a xed amount of weight) and adjustable dumbbells (each
dumbbell’s weight can be adjusted). Regular dumbbells are the easiest
to handle, but they also take up a lot of space. If you have the room,
however, I recommend regular dumbbells. Start with a set that ranges
from 10-to-80 pounds per dumbbell in 5-pound increments. You can
add more dumbbells later, as you get stronger, and if you need to, you
can switch to 10-pound increases with fractional plates (small plates
ranging from 0.25-to-1.25 pounds that can be attached to dumbbells)
for lling in the gaps. In contrast to regular dumbbells, adjustable ones
have a small footprint but are more awkward to use. at said, they can
get the job done, so if you need to go this route, get ones that go up to
at least 50 pounds per dumbbell, and if they don’t allow you to add
further weight later (Bow ex, for instance), consider a model that goes
up to 90-to-100 pounds or choose a product that can be gradually
augmented as you get stronger (PowerBlock, for example). is way,
you won’t have to buy a whole new set of dumbbells a er your rst six
months or so.
A set of barbell collars. ese are clasps that prevent plates from
slipping o the barbell.
An adjustable bench. is is a padded bench with wheels that can be
put at or upright, allowing you to do many seated and lying exercises
among others that require a stable surface.
A set of rubber ooring tiles. ese are rubber interlocking tiles for
deadli ing and rowing without damaging your oor or plates or
making a racket.
A power rack (also called a squat rack). is is a tall metal frame with
movable hooks for holding a barbell and safety pins for extra safety
when training alone. With a power rack, you can do various types of
squats, bench presses, deadli s, and other barbell exercises. Many
power racks also come with a built-in pull-up bar.
A dip stand (also called a dip bar and dip station). is is a metal frame
for bodyweight dips and rows. Most power rack manufacturers also
make dip stations that can be hooked onto their racks, which is
convenient.
 A dip belt. is is a synthetic or leather belt with a hook for holding
weight plates when doing dips, pull-ups, or chin-ups.
(Optional) A pull-up bar. is is a bar you install in a doorway for
doing pull-ups and chin-ups. If your power rack comes with a pull-up
bar, you don’t need this.
(Optional) Power tower. is is a metal frame for pull-ups, chin-ups,
dips, and leg raises (abs). If you get this, you don’t need a dip stand or
pull-up bar, and if your power rack can be t with a dip station and
comes with a pull-up bar, you don’t need this.
(Optional) A trap-bar (also called a hex bar). is is a special type of
barbell for the trap-bar deadli .

With this setup, you won’t be able to do all of the exercises in the workouts
in chapter 14 and in the bonus material, but you’ll be able to do most of them.
For the exercises you don’t have the equipment for, you can swap them for ones
you do as described in chapter 13.
Now, if you have funds and room to buy more equipment for your home
gym, here’s what else I’d recommend:

A set of kettlebells. ese are spherical weights with a handle similar to

dumbbells that can be used for a variety of exercises. A good starter set
goes from 10-to-50 pounds in 5-pound increments.
A deadli bar jack. is is a lever that allows you to li the barbell a
few inches o the ground for loading and unloading plates.
A set of bumper plates. ese are thick, rubberized weight plates that
create less noise and vibration when dropped on the oor.
A hamstring curl machine (ideally, a seated one). Aside from a few
deadli variations, there aren’t many hamstring exercises you can do
 with just a barbell and dumbbells. A hamstring curl machine allows you
to e ectively target these muscles.
A cable machine. is machine allows you to do triceps pushdowns,
cable curls, cable side raises, and myriad other isolation exercises that
train your muscles in slightly di erent ways than with free weights.
A leg press. is allows you to keep training your quads a er your back
is beat from squats.
A lat pulldown machine. Aside from chin-ups, pull-ups, and a few
other exercises, it’s di cult to focus on the lats like you can with a lat
pulldown machine.
A horizontal row machine. Unlike most barbell and dumbbell row
exercises, a horizontal row machine allows you to train your upper back
and lats without taxing your lower back.

ere are countless other tools and toys you can buy, but with the lists I’ve
just given you, you’ll have a rst-rate home gym with everything you need to
build the body of your dreams.

3. Create Your Workout Schedule

Life is hectic and it always feels like there’s never enough time in the 24 hours we
get each day. As I say in my book e Little Black Book of Workout Motivation:

“Who has the time for half of all the stu we want to do? I’m sorry that
life isn’t gi wrapping a chunk of your days so you can train in Zen-like
comfort and solitude. Join the club. Face the fact that you’re going to
die with a long to-do list. Make damn sure ‘start training’ isn’t on that
list.”

What we’re really talking about here is priorities. We have to make our tness
a priority and only then will we be able to “ nd the time” to get our workouts in.
ankfully, we don’t need to nd that much time to make it all work. As you’ll
recall from chapter 14, you have three Bigger Leaner Stronger workout routines to
choose from—a ve-day, a four-day, and a three-day. And as stated before, the
ve-day routine beats the four- and three-day routines, and the four-day routine
beats the three-day. But you can get great results with all of them, so don’t feel
that the four- or ve-day routine is required.
So to create your workout routine, let’s rst decide when you’ll do your
strength training. For the most part, you can set this up however you’d like, but
do try to space your strength training workouts evenly throughout the week
(Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, instead of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
for instance). Also, many people enjoy strength training during the week and
taking the weekends o so they’re free to do cardio or other activities.
If you plan on doing cardio, here are some tips for scheduling it properly:
Try to do cardio on days with no strength training, but when that’s not
possible, try to do your strength training rst, and try to wait at least 3-to-6 hours
before doing your cardio workout (the longer, the better). is decreases the
chances of your cardio workouts interfering with your strength training.
When combining strength training and cardio on the same days, try to do
cardio on upper-body days. is also helps minimize the impact of your cardio on
your strength training by not exposing the same muscle groups to both on the
same days.
Make sure you have at least one rest day per week where you don’t do any
vigorous physical activities (low-intensity cardio is ne).
Here are some examples of workout routines that meet our criteria:

Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.

Morning Push Pull Upper Body Legs Upper Body Cardio

 A B

Afternoon/
Cardio Cardio
Evening

Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.

Morning Push Pull Cardio Upper Body Legs Cardio

Afternoon/ Evening Cardio

Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.

Morning Push Cardio Pull Cardio Legs Cardio

Afternoon/ Evening

Next, think about your schedule and what else has to happen for you to
follow it. If you want to train rst thing in the morning before work, what time
will you need to wake up? And what time will you need to be in bed the night
before to ensure you’re well rested? Or if your plan is to hit the gym a er work,
what time will you need to leave the o ce to have an hour or so for your
workouts? Create what–when–where statements (from chapter 6) for any
important preconditions you can think of and write them down.
Now re ect on your what–when–where statements and search for ways they
can go astray. What if you have to miss a workout? What will you do? Do it on
another day or skip it? (Either is ne.) What about when you’re running late to
the gym? Can you stay longer or do you need to shorten the workout? What will
you do when you travel? Will you nd a gym and train as usual or do something
else like a dumbbell-only or bodyweight routine or something else? Formulate if–
then statements (also from chapter 6) for the hurdles you’re likely to face now and
again, and write them down.

4. Prepare for Your First Week

You now know what you need to start training and where and when to do it, so
all that remains now is, well, doing it! So when will you o cially start the
program? Next week? Hogwash! How about today? Or tomorrow? at’s more
like it!
A nal bit of groundwork before you do your inaugural Bigger Leaner
Stronger workout: Make certain that you know how to do all of the exercises in it
by reviewing the videos linked in the bonus material that comes with this book
(www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus). Remember too that it also contains
neatly organized Excel and Google spreadsheets with a year’s worth of workouts
that you can simply read and do.

5. Do Your First Week

e main goals of week one are to start getting comfortable with the exercises
(remember, the primary compound movements will be at least a little awk for the
rst month or two) and to learn your working weights, so don’t be ashamed if you
feel like you’re easing into the program. In fact, that’s exactly what I want you to
do, and to that end, in your rst week, you can stop adding weight once you’re
able to do a top-rep set with 5 or so reps in reserve (easy), instead of 0-to-2 reps in
reserve (strenuous).
Why do this? If you’re new to strength training and try to tear right into it,
you’ll likely experience so much muscle soreness that it’ll interfere with your daily
living and even the following week’s workouts. Research shows that you prevent
this by starting with a week of lighter training, however.
So, if you’re guring out your starting weights for the barbell bench press,
your sets might look like this:

95 x 6 (easy, 3 out of 10)

105 x 6 (a little harder, 4 out of 10)
 115 x 6 (harder, 5 out of 10)

en you’d do two more sets with 115 x 6, and move on to your next
exercise.
Also, don’t be dismayed if your rst month is a bit of a brute. I remember
month one clearly: I felt weak, clumsy, and uneasy, but I knew that even the
ttest people in the gym had to run this gauntlet many times to win their spurs.
e initial struggle isn’t a sign that it’s not worth it or you’re not worthy—it’s the
other way around. e strain at the start signals worth and to prevail is to prove
you’re worthy.
Transforming your body is much more than merely adding and removing
tight and squishy tissues, too—you’re sacri cing who you are for who you want to
be. You’re wielding iron and steel to forge a new form—a mystical act of heat and
re, hammer and anvil, thunder and lightning. It’s not picking your nose or
popping a pimple. It’s hard, just as it’s supposed to be. But it’s not that hard. I’m
not asking you to slap a honey badger or eat a fried tarantula. I’m only asking you
to pick stu up and put it down until your muscles burn and your body aches.
And then do it again. And again. I’m not asking you to always like it, either,
because you won’t—you’re not going to enjoy every workout. You’ll always enjoy
having worked out, though. Remember that.
At any rate, here’s a quick refresher on some of the more important points to
remember when you’re doing your workouts:

Do exercises one at a time and nish all of the hard sets for each before
doing the next.
You need to do warm-up sets for some machine and free-weight
exercises. When this is the case, do two warm-up sets before your hard
sets. On the rst set, do 6 reps with about 50 percent of your hard-set
 weight, and rest for a minute. On the second, do 4 reps with about 70
percent of your hard-set weight, and rest for a minute.
For primary exercises, rest three-to-four minutes between hard sets,
and for accessory exercises, two-to-three minutes.
For all exercises, use double progression to rst increase the reps and
then the weight. To do this, increase the weight on a primary exercise
when you do one top-rep set with at least 1-to-2 good reps le , and on
an accessory exercise when you do one top-rep set with at least 0-to-1
good reps le .
Generally, you’ll lose about 2 reps for every 10 pounds (total) you add
to an exercise, and gain 2 reps for every 10 pounds you remove.
End all hard sets of primary exercises with 1-to-2 good reps le (2-to-3
reps from failure) and all hard sets of accessory exercises with 0-to-1
good reps le (1-to-2 reps from failure).
Use a “1-0-1” rep tempo for all exercises—about one second for the
rst part of the exercise, a brief pause, and about one second for the
second part.
To inspect or troubleshoot your form, take a video of yourself and
compare your technique to what you see in the videos from the bonus
material.
If an exercise feels bad (you experience a strange or painful sensation in
your joints, especially on one side of your body), stop immediately, rest
for a couple of minutes, and try the exercise again. If it continues giving
you trouble, substitute it with another similar exercise that doesn’t.
Limit your cardio to a couple of hours of mostly low- and moderate-
intensity exercise per week

You should also expect a fair amount of muscle soreness for the rst month
or so, even if you’re not new to resistance training. Bigger Leaner Stronger will put
your body on its mettle, and if you want to boost its ability to adapt, get thirty
minutes of extra sleep each night for the rst month. (And keep doing this if it
makes a big di erence inside and outside of the gym!)

Early on in this book, I said it isn’t one you just read. It’s one that you do. And
now it’s time to get o the mark and into the gym. You should keep reading as
well because I have more to teach you about getting and staying t and healthy,
but everything that follows is meant to supplement (literally, in the case of the
next section of this book) your work in the kitchen and gym. e sooner you’re
following your meal and training plans, the sooner you can implement the rest of
the program.
Are you all set? Maybe feeling a little gun-shy? Great! at’s precisely how
you should feel—the “pre-event nerves” that everyone regularly experiences, even
professional athletes. Such feelings aren’t a warning that something is wrong or a
sign that you need to “settle down” or “stop worrying.” Rather than suppressing
these sensations, research shows that you can harness them for better
performance by simply saying to yourself “I’m excited!” is reframe shi s your
attitude from what scientists call a threat mindset (anxious and reluctant) to an
opportunity mindset (con dent and positive). So lean into this state. Do you feel
your heart beating a little faster? Is your blood pumping a little harder? Are you
breathing a little faster? Perfect! Let’s go! Show me what you’re made of !
 PART 5

The Last Supplement

Advice You’ll Ever Need
 e Big Ideas

1. Supplements are supplementary by

definition, not vital.
2. You don’t need supplements to get the
body you want.
3. There are four supplements you should
consider taking to improve your results on
the program.
 17

The Smart Supplement Buyer’s

Guide

In this age, which believes that there is a shortcut to everything, the greatest lesson
to be learned is that the most di cult way is, in the long run, the easiest.
—HENRY MILLER

“What type of supplements do you sell?” I once asked an acquaintance.

He shrugged. “Pills in a bottle, brother.”
I frowned. Was he serious?
“It’s pretty slick, right?” Anthony said with a sideways grin.
is character had a simple business. He spent about $2 million per month
on pay-per-click advertising to make close to double that in sales. What kind of
“pills in a bottle” was he selling, exactly? Anthony didn’t know. He couldn’t tell
me a single ingredient. What he did know, however, is a bottle cost him $3 to
make and sold for $39.99. He also knew that, on average, he got close to $100 out
of customers before they nally gured out how to stop him from charging their
credit cards every month. Oh, and he also knew that his million-dollar
renovation of his multimillion-dollar mansion was coming along splendidly.
When I rst entered the tness industry, I thought Anthony was an
anomaly. A bad apple in the bushel. Sadly, I was wrong. People like him are the
norm. In fact, the supplement industry is best described by Ben Kenobi’s famous
words: “a wretched hive of scum and villainy.” Seriously. Fake news, fake science,
fake products—you can nd it all in the supplement racket. It’s almost funny … in
the not-so-funny kind of way.
Don’t believe me? In 2015, the New York State Attorney General’s o ce
accused four national retailers of selling dietary supplements that were fraudulent
and in many cases contaminated with unlisted ingredients. e authorities said
they had run tests on popular store brands of herbal supplements at the retailers
—Walmart, Walgreens, Target, and GNC—which showed that roughly four out
of ve of the products contained none of the herbs listed on their labels. In many
cases, the supplements contained little more than cheap llers like rice and house
plants, or substances that could be hazardous to people with food allergies.
According to lab tests obtained by the Michigan law rm Barbat, Mansour
and Suciu in 2015, a number of sports supplement brands including Giant
Sports, MusclePharm, CVS Health, 4 Dimension Nutrition, NBTY, and Inner
Armour were mixing cheap llers into their protein powders to bring down costs
and were falsifying their supplement fact panels to cover their tracks.
Even worse is the supplement company Driven Sports, which was busted in
2013 for putting a methamphetamine-like drug in their popular pre-workout
supplement “Craze.” Apparently, meth makes for some pretty intense workouts.
Oh, and their CEO was also previously busted for selling anabolic steroids and
illegal weight loss drugs. Yet another supplement company, USPlabs, was slapped
by the FDA in the same year for selling a now-notorious pre-workout supplement
(“Jack3d”) spiked with a dangerously powerful stimulant called DMAA, and then
again in 2015 for selling a popular fat loss product (“OxyELITE Pro”) laced with
uoxetine (Prozac) and drugs that caused liver damage and failure. A genius plan
—if you love jail.
 e sad lesson I’ve learned is most supplement companies, especially sports
supplement companies, are rst and foremost marketing companies. ey’re in
the game of telling people what they want to hear to sell them what they don’t
need—a game that’s easy to play if you have the capital and sales chops. Anybody
can reach out to a contract manufacturer, ask for some o -the-shelf formulations
full of useless ingredients, create some sleek “science-based” branding, recruit a
mob of Instagram shills, and move a lot of product.
Why all the skulduggery and shenanigans? Filthy lucre, of course. When
someone’s presented with an unethical opportunity to coin money fast, they
learn who they really are. Professed principles can become surprisingly supple
when plied with cash, and many pill and powder pushers are an object lesson in
moral relativism. is is why many workout supplements can’t deliver a fraction
of the results they promise. ey are, for lack of a better term, worthless crap.
And some are even dangerous.
Sports supplements don’t have to suck, though. ere are safe, natural
ingredients that can help you gain muscle, lose fat, and get healthy faster. ey’re
not silver bullets or heal-alls; however, high-quality, unbiased research shows they
can give you an edge. e trick, then, is knowing which supplements are actually
worth buying and which aren’t, and that’s exactly what you’re going to learn in
this chapter.
Let’s start with a universal law of supplementation: Supplements are
supplementary by de nition, not vital. You don’t need supplements to succeed
with Bigger Leaner Stronger or any other tness program. at said, there are
supplements that can bene t your body and mind in many ways—supporting
faster muscle growth and fat loss, more strength and energy, better heart, brain
and gut health, and less in ammation and risk of disease. Such minor
improvements accumulate and compound over time and can add up to signi cant
upswings.
It would take an entire book to cover everything you see on the shelves of
your local supplement store, so instead, let’s just focus on the four supplements
that’ll be most helpful for you:

1. Protein powder
2. Multivitamin
3. Fish oil
4. Creatine

at’s also their ranking. Protein powder is at the top of the pile because it
makes it easy to eat enough protein. A high-quality multivitamin is next because
it plugs nutritional “holes” in your diet and boosts your intake of micronutrients.
en there’s sh oil because maintaining adequate omega-3 intake is tricky with
food alone. And last is creatine because it’s a safe and e ective supplement for
boosting muscle growth, strength, and post-workout recovery.
So let’s learn about each of these supplements and how to choose and use
them properly. Before we begin, however, full disclosure: the speci c products I’ll
recommend aren’t only the ones that I use personally—they’re also produced by
my sports nutrition company, Legion.
Now, before your eyes roll back so hard that your neck snaps, let me explain.
Years ago, I was struggling to nd the type of all-natural high-quality sports
supplements that I really wanted, so I wondered: Should I “scratch my own itch”
and create the products that I wish someone else was making? is wasn’t an easy
decision. I’ve made my bones as an author and educator. I’ve sold nearly two
million books and published nearly two million words of free content on my blog
and nearly a thousand episodes of my podcast. And most people think that’s
awesome. Go me. What would happen if I were to sell supplements, though?
 I feared that no matter how good my products might be, or how honestly or
fairly I might try to o er them, many of my readers and followers would assume
the worst, grab their pitchforks and torches, and run me o the Internet. So I was
on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, I saw an opportunity to do things
better and create 100 percent natural, science-based, safe supplements that really
work. On the other, doing so would mean entering the shady supplement
industry and trying to convince people that I wasn’t a shyster like everyone else.
A er much deliberation and many sacri cial o erings to the gods of commerce
and capitalism, I went with my gut, threw my hat into the ring, and started
Legion. at was 2014, and I’m glad I made that leap of faith. Legion is now the
number-one bestselling brand of all-natural sports supplements in the world, with
over 300,000 customers who have le us over 25,000 5-star reviews. My team’s
mission is to change the supplement industry for the better, and we’re proud to
be making signi cant inroads in this direction.
With that out of the way, let’s learn how to get the most out of each of the
four supplements I recommend.

1. Protein Powder
Whey and casein and soy, oh my! ere are scores of popular brands and types of
protein powder to choose from. Which is right for you? An animal-based protein
powder like whey, casein, or collagen? Or maybe a plant-based product like soy,
hemp, or rice? Or something else, like beef or egg protein powder? To help you
decide, a top- ight protein powder meets several criteria:

1. It tastes good and mixes well. You’ll be eating it every day, so it has to go
down easily.
2. It has a lot of protein and little carbohydrate and fat. is keeps liquid
calories to a minimum so we can eat more food.
 3. It’s packed with essential amino acids and is absorbed well by the body.
is makes it e ective for enhancing body composition.

Ideally, the product you select should also have a reasonable cost per serving
(good value), and it’s also wise to choose a protein powder that doesn’t have
arti cial sweeteners or food dyes. While these chemicals may not be as dangerous
as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of them could be
harmful to our health.
e protein powders that best meet our requirements are whey, casein, rice,
and pea protein, so let’s learn a bit about each, and then talk about a couple of
popular powders that don’t make the cut.

The Scoop on Whey Protein

Whey protein is the poo-bah of protein powder because it’s mostly protein by
weight, is a ordable (for now, at least—the price is surging these days), is rich in
essential amino acids, is digested and absorbed well, and is easy to avor. What is
it, though? Whey is a liquid le over of cheesemaking that was once considered
waste, but in the late 1800s, scientists discovered it contained a large amount of
protein. Businesspeople realized it could have commercial value and began
investing in the development of technology to turn it into a food product. ey
succeeded, and an industry was born. Later, scientists discovered that whey is
easily digested and absorbed, and brimming with the essential amino acid leucine,
which, we recall, stimulates protein synthesis. ese qualities made whey
particularly attractive to athletes and bodybuilders, and grabbed the attention of
mainstream food companies as well, who were looking for cost-e ective ways to
add protein to various foodstu s like breads, baby formula, ice cream, etc. Now,
with the bene ts of high-protein eating known to many, whey is more popular
than ever.
 ere are three types of whey protein powder to choose from:

1. Whey concentrate. is form of whey protein contains dietary fat and

lactose, and depending on the quality, ranges from 25 (bad)-to-80
(good) percent protein by weight.
2. Whey isolate. is form is specially processed to increase its protein
content and remove the fat and lactose. It’s at least 90 percent protein
by weight.
3. Whey hydrolysate. is form is whey concentrate or isolate that has
undergone additional processing to improve digestion and absorption.

Supplement marketers will o en claim that whey isolate and hydrolysate

powders are better for muscle building than whey concentrate, but this isn’t
always true. Whey isolate has more protein by weight than concentrate and is
easier to mix and digest, while whey hydrolysate may be absorbed faster (the
scienti c evidence is mixed), but your bottom-line results will be about the same
with each for—so long as you use a high-quality whey concentrate that’s mostly
protein by weight. erein lies the rub, however—how do you know if a whey
concentrate is a corker or clinker? Unfortunately, there’s no way to be sure, but
checking the ingredients and protein per serving can help.
Ingredients are listed according to predominance by weight (there’s more of
the rst one than the second, more of the second than the third, and so forth), so
if a “whey isolate” protein powder lists whey concentrate as its rst ingredient
followed by whey isolate, it contains more concentrate than isolate (and it could
be mostly or even almost entirely concentrate). You can also nd cheap “whey
concentrate” products that are predominantly milk protein (the cheapest dairy-
based protein powder on the market).
You should also look at how the amount of protein per serving compares to
the weight of each serving. e two numbers will never match perfectly because
unless the powder is un avored, it’ll have sweetener and avoring and small
amounts of other necessary ingredients, but a large di erence suggests that
something is amiss. For example, if a protein powder has 20 grams of protein and
40 grams of powder per serving, make sure those 20 extra grams are stu that you
want.
Comparing prices per serving can also be illuminating because as with most
things in life, when picking a protein powder, you get what you pay for. If a
protein powder (any type) is substantially less than other similar products, there’s
a good chance it contains inferior ingredients. My sports nutrition company,
Legion, gets o ers every week from Chinese suppliers of shoddy whey
concentrate costing less than half of what I pay to source rst-class whey isolate
from small Irish dairy farms. If I were more mercenary, I could add a handsome
sum to my bottom line merely by switching vendors. However, just because low
prices generally mean low-grade protein doesn’t necessarily mean that high prices
always indicate a premium product. For instance, some supplement companies
start with a base of second-rate whey concentrate and then sprinkle in some whey
isolate or hydrolysate to create a “whey protein blend” that they promote as
mostly (or even wholly) isolate or hydrolysate.
“Amino spiking” is another way that supplement sellers shortchange
consumers. Essentially, this involves a testing and labeling loophole that allows
manufacturers to falsely claim a protein powder has more protein per serving
than it really does by “spiking” it with inexpensive and nitrogen-rich amino acids
such as glycine, taurine, and glutamine—molecules that are not protein and
mostly useless for muscle building to boot.
In summary, here’s how to spot a promising whey protein:

1. e rst ingredient is whey concentrate, isolate, or hydrolysate. I prefer

 whey isolate (and sell a 100-percent whey isolate powder called
Whey+) because it’s highest in protein and lowest in calories per
serving and has no lactose (easier on the stomach).
2. e protein per serving is similar to the overall weight of each serving.
3. It doesn’t claim to contain added amino acids.

The Scoop on Casein Protein

Casein protein also comes from milk, and like whey, it’s also fantastic for
enhancing body composition. Where it di ers, however, is in mouthfeel (it’s
thicker and creamier than whey), taste (milder and less sweet), and digestion rate
(whereas whey digests quickly, casein is a “slow-burning” protein that results in a
more stable, continuous release of amino acids into the blood). eoretically, this
nal point could make casein slightly superior for muscle building, but research
suggests any such bene t is probably too small to matter.
ere are two types of casein protein to choose from:

1. Sodium, calcium, or potassium caseinate. ese less-expensive forms of

casein protein are processed to improve mixability but are digested
faster than micellar casein.
2. Micellar casein. is form of casein protein is specially processed to
preserve the natural structure of small bundles of protein (micelles),
which require more time to digest than the protein in caseinate
powders.

Both forms are roughly comparable for general supplementation, although

research shows that less processed forms of casein (such as micellar casein) may be
slightly superior for muscle growth. us, I recommend you choose a micellar
casein (mine is called Casein+ if you want to have a look). Also, inspect the
ingredients, protein, protein and powder per serving, and added amino acids like
you would with a whey protein.

The Scoop on Soy Protein

Studies show that soy is a great plant-based source of protein for gaining muscle
and strength, but it’s also a controversial one, especially among men. Soybeans
contain estrogen-like molecules called iso avones, and according to some
research, these molecules can produce feminizing e ects in men. Other studies
contradict this, however, and demonstrate that eating normal amounts of soy and
iso avones has no e ect on male fertility or hormones. What’s the deal?
Scientists aren’t sure yet. Such e ects may depend on the presence or absence of
certain intestinal bacteria that turn iso avones into a stronger estrogenic
chemical called equol, for instance. What’s clear, however, is that men have no
reason to fear small amounts of soy protein or other soy-derived substances (soy
lecithin, for example) found in various foods and supplements.
As for a protein supplement, however, I recommend choosing something
other than soy (rice, pea, or a blend of the two if you want to stick with plant-
based powder) in case you’re one of the people whose hormones will be negatively
impacted by it.

The Scoop on Collagen Protein

Collagen is the primary protein that comprises the connective tissues in animals,
and thanks to wily supplement marketers and prominent health and nutrition
gurus, collagen protein supplements are having their day. Unfortunately, they
don’t even deserve a spot in the wings, let alone centerstage.
As you know, the amount of essential amino acids provided by a source of
protein is a major factor in its utility for improving body composition. e more
essential amino acids a protein contains, the better it can nourish our muscles and
support growth and repair. Collagen protein is rotten in this regard because it’s
short of the three essential amino acids most related to muscle building: leucine,
isoleucine, and valine (also known as branched-chain amino acids).
Collagen protein does have one thing going for it, however: It’s rich in the
amino acid glycine, and some people believe supplementing with this may
improve the look of your hair, skin, and nails. Whereas collagen protein is o en
priced like a premium product, glycine is cheap as chips and easy to drink in
water (it’s naturally sweet), so if you want to see if it can make you look prettier,
buy a pound or two as a bulk powder and take 2 to 3 grams per day.

The Scoop on Rice Protein

Rice isn’t known for its protein, but it makes for quite the protein powder
because its amino acid pro le is similar to soy’s, it’s about as good for building
muscle as whey, and it has a naturally mild taste and pleasant texture that doesn’t
need much tinkering to make it appetizing.
Rice protein isolate is the best form of rice protein to buy because it contains
the most protein by weight.

The Scoop on Pea Protein

You’ve probably never heard a meathead brag about all of the peas he’s eating to
bulk up, but this wouldn’t be as silly as you might think because, like rice protein,
pea protein is well digested and absorbed, and thick with essential amino acids,
especially leucine. Pea protein can also be mixed with rice protein to yield an
amino acid pro le that looks a lot like whey’s, which is why this blend is o en
referred to as the “vegan’s whey” (and why I used a rice-and-pea blend in my
plant-based protein powder Plant+).
ere are two forms of pea protein on the market—concentrate and isolate.
I prefer isolate because most high-quality products are about 80-to-90 percent
protein by weight (more protein as well as fewer carbs and fats per serving).

How to Take Protein Powder

Normally, people will have a scoop or two of protein powder before or a er
workouts and another scoop or two in between other meals because it makes a
good snack. is works well.
You may want to rely more on powder than food to get enough protein
every day, but I don’t recommend this because it’ll likely cause gastrointestinal
issues like gassiness, bloating, and stomachaches. Tolerance varies from person to
person, but for me, if I eat more than 70-to-80 grams of powdered protein per
day, my stomach starts to feel o . Food-derived protein is also more nutritious
than protein powder and thus contributes more to the overall quality of your
diet. It also tends to be more satiating than powdered protein, which helps you
better stick to your meal plan (especially when cutting).
Eating too much powdered protein in one sitting is easy to do and can upset
your stomach. Without thinking, you can gulp down a large amount of protein
powder that’s digested much quicker than whole food, placing an instant and
intense demand on your digestive system. In just a few seconds, you can drink the
amount of protein in a pile of chicken, for instance, and our bodies weren’t
designed to deal well with that scenario.
Here’s a practical (and more comfortable) protocol for protein powder
supplementation:

1. Don’t get more than half of your daily protein from powders.
2. Don’t eat more than 40-to-50 grams of powdered protein at a time.

Or, put di erently, a scoop or two before or a er your strength training

workouts and another scoop or two between meals (mida ernoon and before
bed are popular times).
 2. Multivitamin
It’s no secret that the average American diet is abysmal. In 2005, research
conducted by Colorado State University scientists found at least 50 percent of
Americans weren’t eating enough vitamin B6, vitamin A, magnesium, calcium,
and zinc, and that 33 percent weren’t getting enough folate. In 2017, a study
conducted by scientists at Tu s University found that over 30 percent of
Americans weren’t getting enough calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D,
and E. Other research shows that people likely aren’t getting enough vitamin K
and D as well, which is especially concerning as we get older because of the role
these substances play in preventing disease, preserving blood vessel and immune
function, boosting bone growth and repair, and protecting joint health.
If you eat according to the advice in this book, your blood work will look a
lot better than most, but you can still have nutritional insu ciencies and even
de ciencies depending on the exact foods you eat and how o en you eat them.
For example, avoid red meat, and you may not get enough zinc or B12. What’s
more, some nutrients (like vitamin K and D) are di cult to get enough of
through food alone, even if you try.
eoretically, then, a high-quality multivitamin can act as a nutritional
“insurance policy,” if you will, and help you in a few ways:

1. It can plug nutritional “holes” in your diet that are common even
among people who eat well.
2. It can give you larger (and bene cial) doses of certain nutrients than
you can practically get from food, like B vitamins, zinc, and chromium.
3. It can contain ingredients that you wouldn’t or can’t eat as food, like
grape-seed extract, ashwagandha, and alpha-lipoic acid.

How do you know if a multivitamin is a winner, though? Many aren’t. Your

average multivitamin is a mess—a lot of stu most of us don’t need to
supplement like molybdenum, B vitamins (apart from niacin), and manganese;
potentially dangerous megadoses of vitamins like vitamin E and retinol (vitamin
A); inexpensive and less e ective forms of certain ingredients like B12 (the
synthetic form cyanocobalamin vs. a natural form like methylcobalamin) and
folate (the synthetic form folic acid vs. the natural form 5-methyltetrahydrofolate,
aka 5-MTHF); and occasionally, needlessly expensive forms of ingredients that
only make for better marketing. For example, most people believe that natural
vitamins and minerals are best, and while I just mentioned a couple of natural
forms of vitamins that outdo synthetic ones, that isn’t always true—not all
natural forms of vitamins are better than arti cial ones, and not all man-made
forms are bad. Some natural substances are uniquely desirable, like with vitamins
A and E, while some synthetic substances are more useful (folic acid vs. folate).
And sometimes, it doesn’t matter either way (natural vitamin C vs. ascorbic acid).
Superior multivitamins do exist, however, and here’s how to nd them:

1. Don’t buy one-a-day multivitamins. It takes at least two-to-three pills

per serving to produce a decent formulation, and upward of six-to-
eight to produce a top-quality one.
2. Don’t buy tablets. ey’re not absorbed as well as capsules.
3. Don’t buy a product that includes exactly 100 percent of the Reference
Daily Intake (the amount needed by most people daily to maintain
health) of many nutrients. is may seem positive, but it’s actually a
sign that it’s a lousy, o -the-shelf formulation that doesn’t account for
actual eating habits and nutritional needs. It’s counterintuitive, but in a
well-formulated multivitamin, some substances will be at a fraction of
RDI and others a multiple of it.
4. Don’t buy a product that contains retinol. is is a form of vitamin A
 that shouldn’t be taken orally because it can damage the liver at higher
doses. Instead, pigments found in plants called carotenoids should be
used because the body converts them into retinol as necessary and
eliminates or uses the rest as antioxidants.
5. Buy a product that has a proper dose of vitamin D, 1,500-to-2,000 IU
per day. Not long ago, experts believed that vitamin D was essential
only for bone health, but more recent research shows otherwise.
Vitamin D receptors are present in nearly every type of tissue and cell,
including the brain, heart, and even fat cells, and vitamin D in uences
many major physiological functions, such as immune responses,
metabolic activities, and cell development. Getting enough vitamin D
is tricky, though, because our bodies make it when exposed to the sun,
but most of us aren’t in the sun enough to meet our vitamin D needs.
Food isn’t a good source, either, considering how little is in nutritious,
relatively unprocessed foods compared to how much is needed to
maintain health. Vitamin D supplementation shines, however, and
research shows that 1,500-to- 2,000 IU per day is adequate for ages 19
and up.
6. If a product contains 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), that’s a
good sign. I mentioned 5-MTHF earlier as a “natural form” of vitamin
B9 (folic acid), but it’s more than that—it’s the substance produced by
our body when we eat vitamin B9 that it then uses for various
physiological processes. Studies show that many people have a genetic
mutation that impedes this conversion of B9 into 5-MTHF, however,
and that this defect can cause a nutritional de ciency even when folate
or folic acid intake is high through food and supplementation. is
problem can be avoided by supplementing with 5-MTHF directly,
 however, which is equally bene cial to those with and without the
genetic mutation. Many supplement creators don’t know this, though,
or don’t want to use 5-MTHF because it’s expensive, so when you nd
a multivitamin with it, the formulator may have had a deeper
understanding of human biology than others or a larger budget or
both. (And yes, I have a multivitamin as well called Triumph, and it has
5-MTHF.)

How to Take a Multivitamin

Multivitamins are best taken with food, ideally meals with a bit of dietary fat
because this helps with absorption.

3. Fish Oil
Fish oil is oil from fatty sh like anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, and
sardines, and it’s an excellent source of two important omega-3 fatty acids:
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Studies show that
here in the West, people on average get one-tenth of the EPA and DHA needed
to preserve health—an insu ciency that signi cantly increases the risk of heart
disease, dementia, depression, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and other diseases. Correcting
this shortage has other bene ts, too, including:

Faster fat loss

Less muscle and joint soreness
Less fat gain
Less anxiety and stress
Better memory, attention, and reaction times
Increased immunity
Possibly faster muscle gain
 e best way to increase your intake of EPA and DHA with food is fatty sh
(ensuring to avoid those highest in pollutants), but grass-fed meat, free-range
eggs, and vegetable oils can also help. Meat and eggs have much lower levels of
omega-3 fatty acids than sh, however, and vegetable oils don’t have EPA and
DHA but alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is converted into EPA and DHA
rather ine ciently.
If you don’t want to eat a few servings of “cleaner” fatty sh (herring,
mackerel, or salmon, for instance) per week, a sh oil supplement is the ideal
alternative. ere are three types on the market today, though:

1. Triglyceride. is form of sh oil is in its natural state.

2. Ethyl ester. is form of sh oil is created by replacing the glycerol
molecules in natural triglycerides with ethanol (alcohol). is method
of processing removes contaminants and raises EPA and DHA levels.
3. Re-esteri ed triglyceride. is form of sh oil is created by using special
enzymes to convert ethyl ester oil back into triglyceride oil.

All three are workable, but the gold standard isn’t the natural triglyceride oil,
as you might expect. Instead, re-esteri ed triglyceride oil is the champ because it
contains very low levels of toxins and is better absorbed than natural triglyceride
and ethyl ester oil. at’s why I chose re-esteri ed triglyceride oil for my sh oil
supplement, Triton.

How to Take Fish Oil

Research shows that you can reap most sh oil’s bene ts by taking 500 milligrams
to 1.8 grams of EPA and DHA per day (combined). It’s also possible that taking
2-to-3 grams of combined EPA and DHA per day may deliver additional bene ts
related to physical performance and recovery.
Take your sh oil with food to help with absorption. If you bought a high-
quality supplement, you shouldn’t experience noxious sh-oil burps, but if you do
(it can happen even with good products), store the bottle in the freezer.

4. Creatine
Most of the supplements that claim to boost muscle growth and recovery are a
letdown, but not creatine—the most-researched molecule in all of sports
nutrition. Creatine is composed of several amino acids (L-arginine, glycine, and
methionine), exists in most cells, and acts as an energy reserve. Our body
produces small amounts of creatine, and foods like meat, eggs, and sh also
contain it.
Hundreds of studies have shown that creatine enhances muscle and strength
gain, anaerobic endurance, and post-workout recovery, and it does these things
safely, too. Research shows that creatine isn’t harmful to the kidneys, as is
sometimes claimed, even if you have impaired kidney function. As a precaution,
however, if you have any kidney issues, speak with your doctor before taking
creatine.
Creatine comes in many forms, including creatine monohydrate, bu ered
creatine, creatine hydrochloride, and others, and while we could spend a few
pages discussing them all, let’s make the long story short: powdered creatine
monohydrate is the most-researched and time-proven form, and if you nd the
texture of regular creatine monohydrate too grainy, choose a micronized
monohydrate powder (which is what you’ll nd in my post-workout supplement
Recharge).

How to Take Creatine

Studies show that 0.02 grams per pound of body weight (3-to-5 grams for most
men) of creatine monohydrate once per day is e ective. While some people
recommend taking upward of 20 grams per day for the rst week or so (“loading
phase”), this only helps you bene t from creatine faster (but not more) and it can
upset your stomach, so I generally don’t recommend it.
You can take creatine whenever to good e ect. You don’t need to take it with
carbs or protein or a er your workout, as some people recommend.

The Bigger Leaner Stronger Supplementation Plan

Here’s a quick overview of how to use supplements you’ve just learned about
to get better results on the program:

What Why When How

Whenever (before or 20-to-40 grams

Helps you eat after workouts; at once, not
Protein
enough high- between lunch and more than half of
powder
quality protein dinner; and before bed daily protein
are typical times) from powder

Helps you get

enough nutrients
Follow
Multivitamin that enhance With food
instructions
health and well-
being

Helps you get 0.5-to-3 grams

enough essential of EPA and DHA
Fish oil With food
omega-3 fatty (combined) per
acids day

Helps you gain

muscle and
Creatine strength and 3-to-5 grams per
Whenever
monohydrate recover from day
your workouts
faster

Sports nutrition is a $44 billion market, and if you trust even half of the
marketing hype, your shelves can quickly ll with ashy bottles and bags that do
little or nothing to help you achieve your health and tness goals faster.
Remember, then, you don’t need a single supplement to get the body you want,
including those highlighted in this chapter. Vitamin D and sh oil are as close to
necessary as they come, but if you’re in the sun enough and eat a fair amount of
fatty sh, even those may not be needed. Otherwise, eating a superb diet (like I’ve
taught you) will keep your body well nourished.
If your diet is mediocre or worse, however, or if you just want to enjoy the
additional advantages of a smart supplementation plan, then the basic regime
shared here will serve you well. If you’ll be taking supplements on the program,
order them now, and then keep reading because I have more insights and tactics
to help you get the most from Bigger Leaner Stronger.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

You don’t need supplements to succeed with any tness program, but
there are supplements that can bene t your body and mind in many ways.
Top- ight protein powder mixes well, contains a lot of protein and little
carbohydrate and fat, is packed with essential amino acids, and is
absorbed well by the body.
Whey protein is the poo-bah of protein powder because it’s mostly
protein by weight, is a ordable, is rich in essential amino acids, is digested
and absorbed well, and is easy to avor.
A high-quality whey protein is easy to spot: the rst ingredient is whey
concentrate, isolate, or hydrolysate; the protein per serving is similar to
the overall weight of each serving; and it doesn’t claim to contain added
amino acids.
e best form of casein protein powder is micellar casein because it’s
specially processed to preserve the natural structure of small bundles of
protein (micelles), which require more time to digest than the protein in
caseinate powders.
Soybeans contain estrogen-like molecules called iso avones, which can
produce feminizing e ects in some men, which is why I recommend
choosing something other than soy.
Collagen protein is short of the three essential amino acids most related
to muscle building: leucine, isoleucine, and valine (also known as
branched-chain amino acids).
Rice makes for quite the protein powder because its amino acid pro le is
similar to soy’s, it’s about as good for building muscle as whey, and it has a
naturally mild taste and pleasant texture that doesn’t need much tinkering
to make it appetizing.
Pea protein can also be mixed with rice protein to yield an amino acid
pro le that looks a lot like whey’s, which is why this blend is o en
referred to as the “vegan’s whey.”
Don’t get more than half of your daily protein from powders, and don’t
eat more than 40-to-50 grams of powdered protein at a time.
Here’s how to nd a superior multivitamin:
Don’t buy one-a-day multivitamins.
Don’t buy tablets. ey’re not absorbed as well as capsules.
Don’t buy a product that includes exactly 100 percent of the
Reference Daily Intake (the amount needed by most people daily
to maintain health) of many nutrients.
Don’t buy a product that contains retinol.
Buy a product that has a proper dose of vitamin D, 1,500-to-
2,000 IU per day.
If a product contains 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), that’s
a good sign.
Fish oil is oil from fatty sh like anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon,
and sardines, and it’s an excellent source of two important omega-3 fatty
acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Re-esteri ed triglyceride sh oil is the gold standard because it contains
very low levels of toxins and is better absorbed than natural triglyceride
and ethyl ester oil.
You can reap most sh oil’s bene ts by taking 500 milligrams to 1.8 grams
of EPA and DHA per day (combined).
Creatine enhances muscle and strength gain, anaerobic endurance, and
post-workout recovery, and it does these things safely, too.
Taking 0.02 grams per pound of body weight (3-to-5 grams for most
men) of creatine monohydrate once per day is e ective.
 PART 6

The Beginning
 18

Frequently Asked Questions

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet oice at the end of
the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
—MARY ANNE RADMACHER

A
t this stage, we’ve covered all of the most important aspects of the
Bigger Leaner Stronger program, but you may have lingering
questions or uncertainties. Let’s see if we can put them to rest.

“I’m in my 30s/40s/50s+. Can I do this program?”

Absolutely. Every week, at least a few people ask me if it’s too late to build muscle
and get t, and most are pleasantly surprised when I explain that it’s de nitely not
too late. How should people in their 40s and beyond go about it, though?
Certainly they can’t eat and train like the 20-year-olds, right? Maybe not, but
there aren’t nearly as many changes to make as you might think.
First, let’s look at muscle building. In a study conducted by scientists at the
University of Oklahoma, college and middle-aged men followed the same
weightli ing routine for eight weeks, and both gained about the same amount of
muscle and strength. People in their 60s and beyond aren’t le in the cold, either.
Studies show that they too can gain signi cant amounts of muscle and strength,
and more importantly, that strength training helps ght the “dwindling health
spiral” normally associated with aging.
en, there’s fat loss. Many middle-aged folk believe that their metabolism
craters as they get older, but this is mostly a myth. Research shows that the
average adult’s metabolism slows by just one to three percent per decade—
primarily from muscle loss, not biological programming. erefore, if you
maintain your muscle as you age, you maintain your metabolism; similarly, if you
add muscle to your frame, you can improve it.
Why do so many people gain weight as they get older, then? For most, it’s
mainly a matter of lifestyle. ey were far more active when they were younger,
which allowed them to eat far more food without gaining weight, but now
they’re mostly sedentary, which makes it very easy to overeat. Unless you’ve lost
signi cant amounts of muscle through practices like extreme starvation dieting or
excessive cardio, your metabolism should be just ne. And even if you have made
those mistakes, you can correct them now with proper diet and training.
e same goes for your hormones. It was once believed that the sometimes
severe hormonal disturbances associated with aging were inevitable, but we now
know this isn’t true. Studies show that lifestyle factors are as equally responsible
for hormonal changes as aging itself, if not more so. For example, here’s a short
list of the biggest lifestyle factors that can depress your testosterone levels:

Gaining weight
Stopping exercise
Su ering chronic illness
Using certain medications
Sleeping too little
Consuming large amounts of alcohol

All of these factors are under your control. More to the point, however, is
that you don’t need stellar hormone levels to get t. It can speed up the process,
but so long as you’re willing to work at it, you can have an above-average physique
with below-average hormones.
at said, there are several key di erences between younger and older bodies
that make tness harder as you get older. Research shows that tendons and
ligaments become sti er and recover slower as we age, for example, and that a er
about age 50, muscles also recover slower from exercise. erefore, if you’re
middle-aged, I recommend taking a few precautionary measures.

1. Be a stickler for form.

e older you get, the fewer shenanigans you can get away with in your strength
training. Lumbar rounding in your deadli s … knees bowing in your squats …
elbows aring in your bench pressing … it all increases the risk of injury at any
age, but it becomes more dangerous as the years go by. is is why I put a lot of
emphasis on learning and using proper form from day one, regardless of age or
tness level. It’s also why I’m not willing to sacri ce form to hit PRs and chest
bump with my buddies. I’m not a competitive powerli er or strength athlete. I
like li ing heavy things and being strong, but I like staying healthy and injury-free
more. I suspect you’re in the same boat.

2. Make sure you take at least one day o strength training

each week. Two is better.
Don’t underestimate how taxing strength training is on your body. Even the
young’uns can’t do it every day, week a er week, without eventually running
themselves into the ground. Train hard six or seven days per week, and physical
fatigue will start accumulating. Your sleep will deteriorate. Your workouts will
su er. You’ll continue to feel worse and worse until you rein it in and give your
body more time to rest. Proper recovery requires taking time o the weights every
week and resisting the urge to replace strength training with some other form of
intense physical exercise or activity.
Also, don’t fall into the trap of using exercise (particularly cardio) as a way to
eat more food. at’s a one-way street to exhaustion, not to mention life and
psychological imbalances. Forcing yourself to do excessive amounts of exercise
just so you can gorge on food is a terrible use of time as well as a great way to
develop anxiety or dysfunctional eating habits.

3. Rest or deload more frequently.

Even when you’re properly managing your workout volume and intensity and
taking a couple of days o each week, your body eventually needs a bigger break.
And the older you are, the sooner that time comes. While guys and gals in their
20s can go anywhere from twelve-to- een weeks or longer before needing
additional recovery time, people in their 40s and 50s need it more frequently,
sometimes as o en as every four-to-six weeks.
ere are many factors that determine how long you’ll be able to go before
needing additional rest—age, training programming and history, genetics, sleep
hygiene, diet, etc.—but it’s pretty easy to discover for yourself. As you exceed
your body’s ability to fully recover from your training, you’ll start noticing
symptoms like more di cult workouts, worse sleep, lower energy levels, joint
aches and pains, and less interest in training. Many people mistake these signs as
mental obstacles to push through. It doesn’t go well. Deloading does. Listen to
your body, play the long game, and play it intelligently.

“I travel a lot. Can I follow this program?”

Yes, but you’ll have to think ahead. Staying in hotels close to good gyms helps a
lot (hotel gyms are usually sparse), as does guring out beforehand when you can
train. If your regular workouts aren’t going to happen when you’re out of town,
that’s okay. Anything is better than nothing, so do what you can, even if it’s just
bodyweight training or cardio. You can use the training principles you’ve learned
in this book to make those workouts plenty productive.
As for your diet, you have three options when traveling:

1. Make a meal plan with foods you can get at a local grocery store (or get
delivered to you with a service like Instacart, Walmart+, Amazon Fresh,
or Whole Foods Delivery) and then keep, prepare, and eat your meals
in your hotel room. Keep it simple, like cold cuts, rotisserie chicken,
high-protein dairy, protein powder, protein bars, precut
vegetables/crudités, fruit, nuts, etc.
2. Track your calories and macros with an app like MyFitnessPal, try to
ensure you eat enough protein, and keep your calories in a reasonable
range. is can work well if you have to mostly eat out or on the go.
3. Eat according to your appetite, try to eat enough protein, and keep
your calories in check. is is ne for the occasional trip, but if you
travel frequently, you’ll get better results with the other two
approaches.

“What should I do if I miss or have to skip a workout?”

If you miss a strength training workout or two in a week, you can either do them
on other days of the week, or skip them and carry on as if you’d done them,
depending on your circumstances and preferences. For example, let’s say your
normal schedule looks like this:

Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.

Push Pull Upper Body Lower Body

You miss your Pull workout for one reason or another on Tuesday. You could
do it the following day (Wednesday); or, if you don’t like doing three workouts in
a row, you could do it Wednesday, rest on ursday, and do your Upper Body
workout on Friday and Lower Body workout on Saturday. If you can’t shu e
your workout schedule to make up for a missed workout, that’s all right. Keep
your hair on and continue as you normally would.
If you miss an entire week or two of training, you should be able to pick up
where you le o because it takes several weeks without working out to lose a
noticeable amount of muscle or strength. If you’ve been o your routine for
several weeks or longer, however, you’ll need to use lighter weights when you
begin again. ere is a bright spot, however: anks to “muscle memory,” you’ll
quickly gain back whatever muscle and strength you’ve lost. Scientists are still
studying this phenomenon, but research shows that strength training alters
muscle cells in a way that allows for rapid regrowth.
When you’re coming back to the program a er an extended break, plan on
reducing your training weights by the following:

20 percent if it has been one to two months

30 percent if it has been three to four months
50 percent if it has been ve to six months or longer

“What if I have to cut a workout short?”

If you don’t have time for a full workout, do what you can with the time that you
have, even if that’s just the rst two exercises. Something is always better than
nothing. Remember too that the most important exercises come rst in Bigger
Leaner Stronger workouts, so an abbreviated session can do more than you might
think.
Also, like with missing a workout, shortening them isn’t an issue if it happens
infrequently, but if it’s a regular occurrence, you need to revisit your workout
schedule, priorities, or both. Also, if you cut a workout short, don’t tack on what
you skipped to your next workout—just carry on as normal.

“What can I do to be less hungry while cutting?”

Here are three easy ways to reduce hunger and cravings while cutting:

1. Drink enough water. is isn’t just one of the easiest ways to improve
general health and performance—research shows that drinking plenty
of water (especially with meals) also increases feelings of fullness and
reduces hunger levels.
2. Get enough sleep. Most people wouldn’t think of this as a weight loss
tip, but inadequate sleep can markedly increase hunger levels. Scientists
at the European Center for Taste Sciences found that when people
slept four hours per night, they ate almost 600 calories more the next
day and were more hungry before meals than people who got eight
hours of sleep.
3. Eat slowly and thoughtfully. Instead of scar ng your meals while
scrolling on social media, take smaller bites, deliberately chew and
enjoy each mouthful, turn o the screens, and focus on your food and
company instead. You’ll probably nd that you get fuller on fewer
calories and feel satis ed for longer a erward.

“I’m not getting very sore. Is that a problem?”

No. Muscle soreness is a byproduct of muscle damage, and while this may
contribute to muscle growth, it’s not essential. While you can expect at least some
soreness a er workouts (if you never experience any soreness whatsoever, you’re
probably not training hard enough), it doesn’t need to be (and shouldn’t be)
exaggerated.
 “Can I train muscles that are still sore from a previous
workout?”
Yes. If a muscle is still sore, that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t recovered and
ready for more training. In fact, some research suggests that much of the soreness
we feel a er training isn’t from the muscle bers themselves but the connective
tissues holding them together. A much better measure of muscle recovery is
performance. Say you can normally do 6 reps of dumbbell curls with 35 pounds,
and your biceps are sore from yesterday’s workout. Today, if you can only get 4
reps with 35 pounds, your biceps probably haven’t fully recovered yet. If you can
get 6 reps or more, though, they probably have, regardless of how they feel.

“How do I switch from cutting to maintaining or lean

gaining?”
To go from cutting to maintaining, simply increase your calories to 100 percent
of your newly calculated maintenance calories (there’s no need for a gradual
increase of calories, sometimes referred to as “reverse dieting”). When you do
this, you can expect to gain weight for the rst week or two mostly from the jump
in carbs (which increases water retention), but a er that, your weight should
stabilize.
To go from cutting to lean gaining, rst increase your calories to 100 percent
of your newly calculated maintenance calories, and stay there for two or three
weeks. en, increase your calories again by 10 percent (110 percent of
maintenance calories).

“I’m having trouble eating enough to gain weight. What

should I do?”
You could double- st cheeseburgers and pizza every day, but instead, I’d
recommend guring out how to eat more of “healthier” high-calorie foods. is
is the opposite of how you approach meal planning when cutting. Instead of
lling your diet with lower-calorie foods with a lot of ber and water (fruit and
vegetables, for instance), you load up on foods that pack a lot of calories into
every square inch. Here are some of my favorites:

White rice, bread, and pasta

Dried fruit
Whole eggs
Fatty meat and seafood (ground beef, steak, sh, etc.)
Oats
“Healthier” breakfast cereal (minimal ingredients and added sugar,
such as granola or muesli)
Full-fat dairy or dairy substitutes (cheese, yogurt, milk, etc.)
Seeds, nuts, and nut butters
High-calorie protein smoothies (protein powder plus milk or a
substitute, nuts, oats, etc.)
No-sugar-added fruit juice
Sauces like pesto, mole, aioli, chimichurri, teriyaki, and gravy
Higher calorie/carb veggies and beans (lima beans, corn, chickpeas,
etc.)

“How often should I change my workout routine?”

If you follow the training phases in the bonus material that comes with this book
(www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus), changes are baked into the cake—you’ll
switch up exercises every phase. If you plan on creating your own workouts and
routines, however, keep these points in mind:

1. Don’t change your workouts (exercises, rep ranges, rest times, etc.)
 more than once every six to eight weeks. If you change your workouts
too o en, it’ll get in the way of your progress because you’ll waste time
and energy adjusting to new exercises and rep ranges, nding new
working weights, etc.
2. Do your hardest exercises rst. You always start a workout with more
energy than you nish with, so it makes sense to do the most
demanding training rst, followed by easier exercise. For example, if
you’re going to do an upper-body workout that includes the barbell
bench press, barbell row, barbell biceps curl, and dumbbell side lateral
raise, do it in that order.
3. Change primary exercises less frequently than accessory exercises. As a
general rule, you should try to stick with a primary exercise for at least
three to four months, as they take longer to master and produce
steadier and greater whole-body gains than accessory exercises. Also,
when you do swap a primary exercise out, replace it with a similar
variation. For example, a er several months of the barbell bench press,
the incline bench press would be a better alternative than push-ups or
machine yes.

“Should I exercise when I’m sick?”

No. At least not seriously. As much as you may want to shrug illness o and stick
with your routine (a desire I completely sympathize with), force yourself to rest
because training will only depress immune function and make things worse. at
said, research shows that twenty minutes or so of light activity, like walking or
jogging, can boost immunity and recovery, so that’s an option if you feel up to it.
Personally, I take one or two 15-to-20-minute walks and one 30-to-45-minute
nap per day when sick, and I notice immediate bene ts from each.
 “What do people who achieve their tness goals all have in
common?”
I’ve seen tens of thousands of transformations over the years, and invariably, the
people who lose the most fat, gain the most muscle, and then stay t (or even
continue getting tter) aren’t abnormally disciplined, determined, or durable—
they’re just the most consistent. ey make the fewest nutritional mistakes and
miss the fewest workouts. ey’re far from perfect, too. ey’re just good enough
most of the time.
I’m con dent you’re capable of the same. Why? Because you’ve made it to
the end of this book, which tells me you have the will and wherewithal to win
with tness. I’ve given you the way. Follow it, and I’ll be waiting for you on the
other side.
 19

From Here, Your Body Will

Change

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is

the greatest accomplishment.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON

S
o … I guess this is it, right? We’ve reached the end. No way. You’re in a
process now—and yes, it has already begun—of transforming your
body faster than you ever thought possible. From here, all you have to
do is walk the path I’ve traced for you, and soon, you’ll be able to look in the
mirror and think, “I’m glad I did,” not “I wish I had.”
You won’t just be bigger, leaner, and stronger, either—you’ll also be more
con dent, capable, and cheerful. is newfound positivity and pride will shine
into other areas of your life as well, inspiring you to reach for other goals and
improve yourself in other ways. As I say in my book e Little Black Book of
Workout Motivation: if you have the power to change your body, you have the
power to change your life.
My goal is to help you reach your goals, and if we can work together as a
team, I know that we can and will succeed. at’s why I’d love to connect with
you, follow your progress, and address any questions or concerns you may have.
Also, once you’re thrilled with your transformation, I’d love to feature your story
on my website! e best way to reach me is e-mail:
[email protected]. I get a lot of messages every day, so it may take
a week or two to get to yours, but you will get a reply.
I’d also like to invite you to join my Facebook group, which is a community
of thousands of like-minded people who can answer questions, celebrate victories,
and soothe setbacks. You can nd it at www.muscleforlife.group. All you have to
do is click the “+ Join Group” button, and one of my administrators will let you
in.
Also, speaking of social media, here’s where to nd me on the big ones:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/muscleforlife tness

Facebook: www.facebook.com/muscleforlife tness
YouTube: www.youtube.com/muscleforlife tness
Twitter: www.twitter.com/muscleforlife

If you want to publicly announce that you’re starting the program or share
progress updates, de nitely tag me and add the hashtag #BiggerLeanerStronger so
other people can nd you and follow your journey.
Also, if you’ve enjoyed this book, please pass it on to someone you care
about. Lend them your copy, or, better yet, get them their own as a gi and say,
“ is book has helped me in my tness journey, and I think it’ll do the same for
you, so I got you a copy. Read it.” My mission is to get the information in this
book into as many hands as possible, and nothing helps me do that more than
plain word of mouth. So please spread the word however you can.
ank you again for reading my book, and I hope to hear from you soon.
 20

Would You Do Me a Favor?

e only easy day was yesterday.

—U.S. NAVY SEALS MOTTO

I have a small favor to ask.

Would you mind taking a minute to write a blurb on Kobo about this book?
I check all my reviews and love to get honest feedback because that’s the real pay
for my work—knowing that I’m helping people.
To leave me a review, you can:

1. Go to www.biggerleanerstronger.com/kobo, scroll down and click the

“Write your review” button, and leave your rating and review.
2. Or go to Kobo in your web browser (or open the app), search for
“bigger leaner stronger,” click on the book, scroll down and click the
“Write your review” button, and leave your rating and review.

anks again, and I look forward to reading your review!

 21

Free Bonus Material (Workouts,

Meal Plans, and More!)

My dear fellow, who will let you? at’s not the point. e point is, who will stop
me?
—AYN RAND

T
hank you again for reading this book. I hope you’ve found it insightful,
inspiring, and practical, and I hope it helps you build the t, strong,
and healthy body you really desire.
I want to make sure that you get as much value from this book as possible, so
I’ve put together a number of additional free resources to help you, including:

A savable, shareable, printable reference guide with all of this book’s

key takeaways, checklists, and action items.
Links to form demonstration videos for all Bigger Leaner Stronger
exercises.
An entire year’s worth of Bigger Leaner Stronger workouts neatly laid
out and provided in several formats, including PDF, Excel, and Google
Sheets. If you’d prefer the workouts in a digital or hard-copy book,
check out e Year One Challenge for Men (www.).
 Twenty Bigger Leaner Stronger meal plans that make losing fat and
gaining lean muscle as simple as possible.
My favorite tools for getting and staying motivated and on track inside
and outside of the gym.
My all-time favorite tness books.
And more.

To get instant access to all of those free bonuses (plus a few additional
surprise gi s), go here now:

www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus

Remember too that if you have any questions or run into any di culties, you
can shoot me an email at [email protected], and I’ll do my best to
help!
 22

Do You Want One-on-One

Coaching?

H
ave you ever wished you could hop into a DeLorean, go back in time,
and shake some sense into your younger self ? I know, right?
I mean, I spent a good seven years spinning my hamster wheel in
the gym without really knowing what I was doing. So many unproductive
“pump” workouts, so many hours on the cardio machines, so many stinky plastic
containers of chicken, broccoli, and rice … and so little progress to show for it.
Oh, the wine of youth …
And here’s a wild thought: With what I know now, I could’ve reached the
pinnacle of my personal tness in three-to- ve years instead of ten+. And I
could’ve done it spending a fraction of the time in the gym, doing workouts I
enjoyed, and eating foods I liked. at’s what a “clinically e ective dose” of the
right kind of knowledge (wisdom) can do for you.
ink of it this way: Imagine a plane taking o from Los Angeles en route to
New York. If, during takeo , the pilot decided to adjust course 3.5 degrees to the
south, the plane’s nose would move just a few feet. Outside of the cockpit, no one
on board would notice the small movement. But over the course of a journey
across the country, the impact of the change would be considerable, causing the
confused passengers to alight from their plane in Washington, DC, not New
York—a small change, but a major result.
 For instance, if I had to start over, here are a few things I wouldn’t do again:

I’d stop paying to be lied to by the muscle mags.

I’d stop trying to copy the workouts of the biggest Joe-bros online.
I’d stop wasting hundreds of dollars per month on sham pills, powders,
and potions.

And there are, oh, a couple dozen or so things I’d do di erently in round
two, like …

Li heavier weights
Focus on progressive overload
Do the right exercises
Learn how to make e ective meal plans
Break up with the treadmill (“I’m so miserable without you, it’s almost
as if you’re here!”)

But if I could choose just ONE thing to force my younger self to do, it’d be
this: I’d hire a coach.
Why?
A good coach would’ve saved me Cthulu-knows-how-much time, energy,
and frustration lost trying to gure everything out through study and trial and
error. In fact, even if I had the game taped like I do now, I’d still hire a coach if I
were starting over. e upside is just too great to ignore. A coach would save me
time by building my training and eating plans, and might even do a better job
than I would as an objective expert. A coach would help keep me accountable,
track my progress, and bring to light “blind spots” that we all have. And frankly, a
coach would scowl me straight on those days when I just don’t feel like picking up
the heavy things and putting them down (Yes, I have those too—I blame in ation
and climate change).
All this is why even the greatest athletes of all time, like Tiger Woods,
Michael Phelps, and Tom Brady, still have a coach—and why you should too if
you feel like you’ve been putting in the e ort but not getting the results.
If that’s the case, then I’d like to invite you to start fresh with my VIP
coaching program, which you can learn more about at
www.biggerleanerstronger.com/coaching.
We’ve worked with thousands of men and women of all ages and
circumstances and helped them lose tens of thousands of pounds of fat and gain
thousands of pounds of muscle. And you know what? ey’re o en missing just
one crucial piece of the puzzle. Maybe it’s their calories or macros … maybe it’s
their exercise selection … maybe it’s their food choices … or maybe they’re not
progressively overloading their muscles.
And it’s probably the same with you. You’re likely doing a lot of things right,
but sure as a goose goes barefoot, there’s something you’re not doing correctly
that’s giving you most of the grief.
Whatever it is, here’s what’s important: Once you identify what that one
thing you’re missing is—once you “ gure it out”—that’s when everything nally
clicks. at’s when you start making serious progress.
is is exactly what we did for Andrew (40 years old), who dropped 10
pounds of fat while also adding 100 pounds to his key li s:
 It’s also how we helped Ron (63 years old), who lost 17 pounds, 10% body
fat, and 5.5 inches o his waist:
 And we did the same for Nick (23 years old), who lost 18 pounds and 7%
body fat and went from t to absolutely ripped:

And get this:

Andrew, Ron, and Nick all made these radical transformations in as little as
90 days.
So, if you want someone to take you by the hand and help you build the
body you really want …
Someone with a proven track record working with people just like you …
And someone who can make it paint-by-numbers simple and more or less
guarantee your success …
en head over to www. now, schedule your free consultation call, and let’s
see if my coaching service is right for you.
is is NOT a high-pressure sales call, by the way. It’s a friendly chat that lets
us learn about you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and then determine whether the
program is right for you. (And yes, sometimes we do speak with people who
aren’t a good t, but we almost always have other experts and resources to refer
them to.)
If you feel even slightly interested, you should act now and schedule your
free call. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain because in a
few months, YOU could be one of our next success stories!
In fact, if you qualify for the program, show up every day, and do the work, I
guarantee it or you’ll get your money back. So don’t put this o for later and
forget. Take the rst step: schedule your call now at www..
 23

Going Beyond Bigger Leaner

Stronger

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.
—KATHARINE HEPBURN

I
f your goal is to gain much of the muscle and strength genetically available to
you (at least 20-to-35 pounds of muscle and solid intermediate-level
strength for most guys), Bigger Leaner Stronger is the last tness program
you’ll need. Follow it diligently, and your success is as good as guaranteed. If you
want to realize your full tness potential, however, this book likely won’t be able
to get you there. For that, you’ll probably need to make some changes to how you
eat and train at some point in the future.
For example, a er one-to-two years of Bigger Leaner Stronger, many people
stop gaining muscle and strength mostly because the program no longer provides
enough volume for an intermediate weightli er to continue making progress.
at said, some nd they can follow Bigger Leaner Stronger for three, four, or
even ve years with consistent muscle and strength gains. If you’re one of them,
you don’t have to change anything so long as you’re still making steady progress.
But if you aren’t, you might get even better results with my book (and program)
for intermediate and advanced weightli ers, Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger.
 Another way of determining when to transition from Bigger to Beyond
Bigger Leaner Stronger is strength levels. If you haven’t hit at least two of the
following targets, chances are you can still pro t from Bigger Leaner Stronger and
don’t need to switch just yet.

Squat one-rep max: 1.5 x body weight

Bench press one-rep max: 1.2 x body weight
Deadli one-rep max: 2 x body weight
Overhead press one-rep max: 0.8 x body weight
Chin-up or Pull-up: 8 reps with bodyweight or at least 1 rep with
bodyweight plus 20 percent

Why two out of ve targets for moving to Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger?
Because it’s normal for people to be above average in a couple of key li s and
below average in the others. For instance, I have long legs and arms, so I’ve always
struggled with the bench press, overhead press, and squat, but less so on the
deadli , because the advantage provided by my arms negates the disadvantage of
my legs.
To get a gist of the Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger program, download the
free bonus material that comes with this book, and in it, you’ll nd a crucial
chapter from Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger called “ e ‘More for Less’ Method
of Maximum Muscle Gain.” If you like it, go ahead and read the entire book even
if you’re not ready for the program because you’ll immediately bene t from the
new diet tools and tips as well as the deeper understanding of the mechanics and
methods of e ective muscle building.
 PART 7

Appendix
 The Hidden Barrier to E ective
Eating & Exercising

e beginning of wisdom is the de nition of terms.

—SOCRATES

T
here once was a Harvard graduate named Johnson O’Connor who
spent his early years studying astronomical mathematics under the
famous astronomer Percival Lowell. In the 1920s, General Electric
hired O’Connor to observe and analyze its successful employees and discover
which traits they had in common that made them good at their jobs. e
company then wanted to be able to test new hires and, based on the results, assign
them to jobs that best t their personalities and skill sets. is project was the
beginning of what would become O’Connor’s life’s work: the study of human
talents and learning.
To expand his e orts, in 1930, he created the Human Engineering
Laboratory at Stevens Institute of Technology and worked diligently to gather
data on skills speci c to various professions as well as data regarding learning and
ability in general. He then launched a research project to determine which traits
or talents were more important than others in becoming successful and
advancing in one’s career.
In this investigation, he made an unexpected discovery. O’Connor found a
person’s vocabulary level was the best single predictor of long-term success in all
disciplines and endeavors that he analyzed. In other words, an understanding of
not only general language but of the words speci c to the activity was the most
important factor that separated the unsuccessful from the successful. is
discovery sparked in O’Connor a fascination with language and its connection
with skill and success. In his later writings, he concluded the understanding of
words was a major key to unlocking human potential.
Why is this so? His hypothesis was that since words are the tools with which
we think and interpret ideas and reality, the more words we understand, the more
perceptive, subtle, and versatile our minds are; and the more robust our minds,
the better we can reason and make constructive decisions that result in ever
higher levels of achievement.
Interestingly, O’Connor also ercely opposed educators who believed only
the usage of words mattered and that standard, precise de nitions, such as those
found in a dictionary, were irrelevant. “We can’t let the ignorant de ne our words
for us,” he argued.
For my part, I wholeheartedly agree with O’Connor’s conclusions, and one
of the primary reasons I read every day is to expand my vocabulary. I’ve found
that the more words I learn, the better I can command and connect ideas in my
mind and understand the people and world around me. Accordingly, I spend a
fair amount of time in the dictionary when I read, checking and clarifying the
meaning of words. In fact, I’d estimate that about 30 percent of the time I spend
reading is invested in the dictionary, learning de nitions, making sample
sentences, and reviewing etymologies. And yes, I do this regardless of what I’m
reading, whether an article, book, or tweet, or what I’m watching or listening to,
including movies, TV shows, podcasts, etc. e frequent interruptions to consult
the dictionary can be annoying at times—I’d prefer to just blaze through the
material and move on to something else—but I believe enough in the dividends
of the more studied approach to continue with it.
Paying close attention to your understanding of words has another practical
bene t: It forces you to slow down and absorb and analyze what you’re reading or
hearing word by word, as opposed to sailing through sentences and paragraphs
believing you’re understanding and retaining more than you actually are.
Incidentally, research shows that this is probably one of the reasons that people
tend to remember more of what they read in print than on a screen (most read
digital content faster). If you want to upgrade not just your ability to
comprehend and remember information but the foundation of your entire
intellectual “operating system,” so to speak, get a dictionary and start using it
liberally.
Now, what does any of this have to do with getting t? Well, have you ever
wondered why so many people nd diet and exercise so confusing? Why are these
topics so rife with unworkable, con icting, and illogical advice and ideas? You
know, nonsense like:

“Counting calories doesn’t work.”

“Exercise doesn’t help you lose weight.”
“Broccoli has more protein than chicken.”
“Weightli ing is a waste of time.”
“Foods that spike insulin levels make you fat.”
“Hormones drive fat loss.”
“Eating a lot of ‘healthy’ dietary fat keeps you lean.”

ese examples are but a few of the many false tness mantras that continue
to maintain currency, despite decades of scienti c and anecdotal evidence to the
contrary. Why are so many people so susceptible to howlers like these? Would
you believe that at least a large part of it can be chalked up to nothing more than
misunderstood words?
You can experience this rsthand. e next time you hear someone declare
that “calories in versus calories out is obsolete,” ask them this simple question:
What is a calorie? Dollars to doughnuts your question will be met with silence or
gabble because they don’t have a clue what the word means, let alone what
“calories in versus calories out” means or how the related metabolic processes
work. Chances are your experience with such a misinformed individual will be
something like when Jimmy Kimmel asked random people in Los Angeles to
de ne gluten. e best response any of them could muster was, “It’s like a grain,
right?” and my personal favorite, “It’s a our derivative of wheat . . .” (In case
you’re wondering, gluten is a mixture of two proteins present in many grains,
which is responsible for the elastic texture of dough.)
“Calorie” and “gluten” are only the very top of the tip of the proverbial
iceberg, however. What is protein? What is carbohydrate, sugar, body fat, muscle,
metabolism, insulin? What is a hormone? Very few people can answer these
questions simply and accurately, so of course they spin around in circles, believing
nearly anything they’re told. How can they possibly gain a proper understanding
of how to get healthy and t when they don’t even understand the words used to
discuss many of the most important concepts?
When you’re learning something new, the rst major hurdle to clear must be
to learn the precise meanings of key words if you’re to have any hope of gaining a
deep and practical understanding of it. For example, if I were to tell you, “ e
children have to leave in the gloaming,” you might wonder what I mean because
you don’t understand the word gloaming. e sentence doesn’t give you any hints,
as it could mean early, midday, late, or something else altogether. In school, most
of us were taught to guess at word meanings by looking at the surrounding
context or by comparing them to other words in our vocabulary. at doesn’t
help much in my example, though, because the context only reveals that gloaming
may be a time of day. You can then analyze the word itself, but that doesn’t o er
any clues either. “Well, gloaming sounds like glowing,” you may surmise, “and the
sun glows, so I guess it could mean ‘in the morning’?” is is a hinky way to
communicate and learn. Without a precise, standard, and universal lexicon, we
can never really know if we’re understanding others correctly or vice versa. It’s like
trying to play a game without rst agreeing on the rules.
So, what is gloaming? It means the time of day when the sun is just below the
horizon, especially the period between sunset and dark. In other words, twilight.
e sentence I shared earlier is now crystal clear, isn’t it?
is is why the humble dictionary is an unsung hero of culture and
civilization. It provides the intellectual bedrock upon which all ideas are formed
and disseminated. (It’s also why, in Orwell’s 1984, the authoritarian government
made every e ort to control the meaning of words—to “make thoughtcrime
literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it”— but
that’s another discussion.)
In this chapter, we’ll review the dictionary de nitions of a number of the
most important words related to diet, nutrition, and exercise. We’ll also atten
the learning curve by starting with the most elementary terms and progressing
gradually to the more complex, in the same way we’d learn to play notes before
attempting chords, let alone songs. Also, in case you’re wondering, every
de nition in this chapter comes directly from, or is a combination of de nitions
from, one of the following dictionaries:

New Oxford American Dictionary, ird Edition (my personal

favorite dictionary)
Webster’s ird New International Dictionary, Unabridged
Random House Unabridged Dictionary
 I highly recommend that you purchase one of these dictionaries, or all three
(great for cross-checking de nitions), and start using them to clarify the
meanings of words you don’t understand.
At any rate, don’t underestimate the destructive power of misunderstanding
the jargon of something you’re trying to learn and apply. It alone can be the
di erence between success and failure. All it takes is a few major misconceptions
to make entire categories of knowledge seemingly incomprehensible.
All right, let’s get to the key words, starting with those related to diet and
nutrition.

Diet Keywords

Acid
An acid is a chemical substance that can react with and sometimes dissolve other
materials.

Amino Acid
An amino acid is a naturally occurring compound found in proteins.

Blood Sugar

1. Blood sugar is glucose in your blood.

2. Blood sugar refers to the concentration of glucose in your blood,
measured in milligrams of glucose per 100 milliliters of blood.

Calorie
When referring to food, a calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of
1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius. is is also called a kilocalorie or large
calorie.
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is a molecule composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen that can
be broken down in the body to create energy.

Celsius
Celsius is a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at
100 degrees. In the Fahrenheit scale used in the United States, water freezes at 32
degrees and boils at 212 degrees.

Chemical

1. Chemical (adj) means having to do with chemistry or the interactions

of substances as studied in chemistry.
2. A chemical (n) is any substance that can undergo a chemical process or
change. When people refer to chemicals, they’re usually talking about
manmade substances, but the de nition isn’t limited to just this
meaning.

Chemistry
Chemistry is the branch of science concerned with the substances of which
matter is composed, the investigation of their properties and reactions, and the
use of such reactions to form new substances.

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a so , waxy substance found in most body tissues that’s an
important part of the structure of cells and used to create di erent hormones.

Complex Carbohydrate
A complex carbohydrate is a form of carbohydrate consisting of a chain of simple
carbohydrates linked together. Because of this structure, a complex carbohydrate
takes longer to break down into glucose in the body.
e sugars found in whole grains, beans, and vegetables are complex
carbohydrates.

Compound
A compound is a substance made up of two or more di erent elements.

Diet

1. A diet is the food and drink that a person usually consumes.

2. A diet is a special course of controlled or restricted intake of food or
drink for a particular purpose, such as weight loss, exercise support, or
maintenance therapy (a treatment designed to help another primary
treatment succeed).

Element
An element (also called a chemical element) is a substance that can’t be broken
down into smaller parts by a chemical reaction. ere are more than 100
elements, and they are the primary building blocks of matter.

Energy

1. Energy is the power received from electricity, fuel, food, and other
sources to do work or produce motion.
2. Energy is the physical or mental strength of a person that can be
directed toward some activity.

Essential Amino Acid

An essential amino acid is an amino acid needed by the body to maintain growth
and health that must be obtained from food.
Essential Fatty Acid
An essential fatty acid is a fatty acid vital for proper bodily function that must be
obtained from food.

Fat

1. Fat is an oily or greasy substance found in animals, deposited as a layer

under the skin or around certain organs.
2. Fat is an oily or greasy substance derived from animals and plants that’s
solid or liquid in form and o en used in cooking.

Fatty Acid
A fatty acid is an acid found in the fats and oils of animals and plants.

Fiber
Fiber is a mostly indigestible type of carbohydrate found in many types of foods,
including fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains.

Fructose
Fructose is a sweet sugar found in many fruits and honey as well as sucrose and
high-fructose corn syrup, both of which are about 50 percent fructose and 50
percent glucose. Fructose is converted into glucose by the liver and then released
into the blood for use.

Galactose
Galactose is a type of sugar found in dairy products that’s processed similarly to
fructose.

Glucose
Glucose is a sugar that occurs widely in nature as a component of many
carbohydrates and is an important energy source in organisms.

Glycemic Index
e glycemic index (GI) is a numeric system that ranks how quickly a food is
converted by the body into glucose. Foods are ranked on a scale of 0-to-100
depending on how they a ect blood sugar levels once eaten. A GI rating of 55
and under is considered low on the index, while a rating of 56-to-69 is medium,
and a rating of 70 or above is high.
Simple carbohydrates are converted into glucose quickly and thus have high
GI ratings. For example, sucrose’s rating is 65, white bread’s is 71, white rice’s is
89, and white potato’s is 82. Complex carbohydrates are converted into glucose
more slowly and thus have lower GI ratings. For example, apples’ rating is 39,
black beans’ is 30, peanuts’ is 7, and whole-grain pasta’s is 42.

Glycogen
Glycogen is a form of carbohydrate found primarily in the liver and muscle tissue
that’s readily converted to glucose to satisfy the body’s energy needs, especially
during exercise.

Gram
A gram is a unit of weight in the metric system. One pound is about 454 grams.

Healthy

1. If a body is healthy, it has good strength, high energy levels, and is free
from pain, illness, damage, and dysfunction.
2. If something is healthy, it’s bene cial to one’s physical, mental, or
emotional state.

Hormone
A hormone is a chemical transported by the blood or other bodily uids to cells
and organs, where it causes some action or has some speci c e ect.

Insulin
Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas and released into the blood when you
eat food. Insulin causes muscles, organs, and fat tissue to absorb and use or store
nutrients in food.

Kilogram
A kilogram is a unit of weight in the metric system equal to 1,000 grams or 2.2
pounds.

Lactose
Lactose is a type of sugar present in milk that contains glucose and galactose.

Macronutrient
A macronutrient is any of the nutritional components of the diet required in
relatively large amounts. Speci cally, these are protein, carbohydrate, fat, and
certain minerals, such as calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Metabolism
Metabolism is the series of physical and chemical processes that occur in an
organism in order to maintain life. Metabolism involves the production of energy
as well as the creation, maintenance, and destruction of cells and tissues.

Milligram
A milligram is a unit of weight in the metric system equal to one-thousandth of a
gram.

Milliliter
A milliliter is a unit of capacity in the metric system equal to one-thousandth of a
liter, which is equal to about 4.2 cups in the United States system.

Mineral
A mineral is a carbonless substance that forms naturally in the earth. Humans
need various minerals, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and zinc, for many
di erent physiological functions, including building bones, making hormones,
and regulating the heartbeat.

Molecule
A molecule is the smallest particle of any compound that still exists as that
substance. If you were to break a molecule down any further, it would separate
into the elements that make it up (and so would no longer exist as that original
substance).

Nourish
To nourish is to provide with the food or other substances needed for growth,
health, and good condition.

Nutrient
A nutrient is a substance an organism needs to live and grow.

Nutrition
Nutrition is the process of getting nourishment, especially the process of getting
food and nutrients and using them to grow bigger, build and replace tissues, and
stay healthy.

Protein
A protein is a naturally occurring compound that’s composed of one or more long
chains of amino acids. Proteins are an essential part of all organisms and are used
to create body tissues such as muscle, hair, and skin, as well as various chemicals
vital to life.

Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is a type of fat that’s solid at room temperature and found in many
animal and some plant sources, including meat, cream, cheese, butter, lard,
coconut oil, cottonseed oil, and palm kernel oil.

Simple Carbohydrate
A simple carbohydrate is a form of carbohydrate that breaks down quickly into
glucose in the body. Curose, fructose, galactose, and lactose are simple
carbohydrates.

Sucrose
Sucrose (commonly known as table sugar) is a sugar that occurs naturally in most
plants and is obtained commercially from sugarcane or sugar beets. It’s composed
of equal parts fructose and glucose.

Sugar
Sugar is a class of sweet-tasting carbohydrate that comes from various plants,
fruits, grains, and other sources.

Tissue
Tissue is a group of cells in animals and plants that forms a de nite kind of
structural material with a speci c function.

Trans Fatty Acid

A trans fatty acid is a type of unsaturated fatty acid that’s uncommon in nature
and usually created arti cially. “Trans fats” are o en found in highly processed
foods like cereals, baked goods, fast food, ice cream, and frozen dinners as
“partially hydrogenated oil.”

Unsaturated Fat
Unsaturated fat is a type of fat that’s liquid at room temperature and found in
many plant and some animal sources, including avocado, nuts, vegetable oils, and
sh.

Vitamin
A vitamin is a substance that an organism needs for cells to function, grow, and
develop correctly.

And that’s it for the diet and nutrition keywords. When I rst learned what many
of these words meant, I was surprised to discover how many I had wrong and how
clarifying them began to demystify the details of e ective dieting. I hope you’ve
experienced something similar. Let’s continue by looking at the lexical elements
of exercise.

Exercise Keywords

Anabolism
Anabolism is a metabolic process in an organism by which more complex
substances (such as tissue) are made from simpler ones (such as proteins).

Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is an estimate of the percentage of a person’s body weight
that’s fat. For example, a 200-pound man with 15% body fat has 30 pounds of
body fat.

Catabolism
Catabolism is the metabolic process by which more complex substances (such as
proteins) are broken down into simpler ones (such as amino acids).

Compound Exercise
A compound exercise is an exercise that emphasizes the use of two or more joints
and muscle groups, typically larger ones. For example, the squat emphasizes the
hips, knees, ankles, and hip exors, spinal erectors, quadriceps, and glutes
(although like all compound exercises, it also trains a variety of other smaller
muscle groups like the calves, abs, and traps).

Failure
Failure is the point during a strength training set when you can no longer move
the weight despite giving your maximal e ort.

Fitness

1. e condition of being physically t and healthy.

2. e quality of being suitable to ful ll a particular role or task. In sports,
this refers to your ability to perform the physical demands of a
particular sport. For example, “ tness” for powerli ing looks very
di erent from “ tness” for triathlon or golf.

Force
Force is strength or energy expressed as physical action or movement.
Form
Form refers to how well you perform an exercise. Proper form involves using the
correct technique for an exercise through a full range of motion.

Frequency
In strength training, frequency refers to how o en you train a particular muscle
group or exercise (typically per week).

Hypertrophy
Hypertrophy is the enlargement of an organ or tissue from the increase in size of
its cells. Muscle hypertrophy refers to an increase in the size of muscle cells.

Intensity
Intensity refers to how much energy is used during exercise, and it can be
expressed in two ways:

1. Absolute intensity, which is the absolute amount of e ort being

exerted.
2. Relative intensity, which is the amount of e ort being exerted relative
to your maximum capabilities.

In strength training, both absolute and relative intensity is generally measured in

terms of how much weight you’re li ing. For example, although bench pressing
200 pounds may seem like a high absolute intensity, it might be a low relative
intensity if the person can bench press 350 pounds. Likewise, bench pressing 95
pounds may seem like a low absolute intensity, but it could be a high relative
intensity for someone who can only bench press 115 pounds.

Isolation Exercise
An isolation exercise is an exercise that emphasizes the use of one joint and
muscle group, typically a smaller one. For example, the barbell curl emphasizes
the elbows and biceps (although like all isolation exercises, it also slightly trains
surrounding muscle groups such as the forearms and shoulders).

Lean Mass
Lean mass is all of the mass in the body that isn’t fat, including water, protein,
minerals, and other substances. Changes in lean mass are o en used as an index of
changes in muscle mass.

Muscle
Muscle is a tissue in the body, o en attached to bones, that can tighten and relax
to produce motion.

Muscle Fiber
A muscle ber, also called a muscle cell or myocyte, is a collection of long,
threadlike strands called myo brils that contract.

One-Repetition Max
A one-repetition max, also known as a one-rep max or 1RM, is the maximum
amount of weight you can li for a single repetition of a given exercise through a
full range of motion with proper technique.

Overreaching
Overreaching is a temporary decrease in performance caused by an imbalance
between training and recovery (it’s also sometimes referred to as
“underrecovery”). Symptoms of overreaching include fatigue, lack of motivation
to train, joint and muscle soreness, and irritability. Overreaching resolves a er
one-to-three weeks of less and lighter training and more rest.

Overtraining
Overtraining is a long-term decrease in performance caused by an imbalance
between training and recovery that doesn’t resolve a er one-to-three weeks of
easier training and more rest. Symptoms of overtraining are the same as those of
overreaching but can also include insomnia, loss of libido and appetite, weight
loss (not in the good way), and depression. True overtraining is extremely rare
and only occurs in athletes doing an exceptionally high volume of high-intensity
training for long periods of time (usually months or years). It basically doesn’t
happen to regular folks in the gym (and de nitely won’t happen to someone
following the Bigger Leaner Stronger program).

Power
In sports, power refers to how quickly you can generate force.

Range of Motion
Range of motion refers to the full movement potential of a joint.

Repetition
A repetition, also known as a “rep,” is a single raising and lowering of a weight.
For example, if you’re doing dumbbell biceps curls and curl the weights up from
your sides and then lower them back to their starting positions, you’ve done one
rep.

Repetition Range
A repetition range represents the minimum and maximum number of reps you
should do in a set for an exercise. For example, if your workout calls for a rep
range of 4–6 reps for squats, you should use a weight that allows you to do at least
four reps but not more than six.

Reps In Reserve
Reps in reserve (RIR) refers to how many more reps can be done before reaching
failure. For example, if you nish a set of squats with two reps in reserve, that
means you could have done two more reps before reaching failure.

Resistance Training
Resistance training refers to contracting your muscles against an external
resistance with the goal of increasing strength, power, and muscle mass.

Rest Period
A rest period is the amount of time you rest between sets of an exercise.

Set
A set is a xed number of repetitions of a particular exercise. For instance, if you
do six reps of biceps curls and stop, you’ve done one set (of six reps).

Skeletal Muscle
Skeletal muscle is muscle tissue connected to the skeleton to form part of the
system that moves the limbs and other parts of the body.

Strength
Strength is the ability to overcome resistance. In strength training, it’s typically
expressed as a person’s one-rep max.

Strength Training
Strength training refers to resistance training with the goal of becoming as strong
as possible on a particular exercise or exercises.

Tempo
Tempo refers to how quickly (in seconds) you raise and lower a weight during a
strength training exercise. For example, a 1-0-1 tempo for biceps curls would
mean raising the weight in one second, not pausing at all at the top of the rep,
and lowering the weight in one second before raising the weight again.

Volume
Volume refers to how much total work is done in an exercise or other athletic
activity over a period of time. In strength training, volume is typically expressed
in one of three ways: as the total number of reps (reps x weight x sets), also called
olume load, or the total number of hard sets for a muscle group or exercise
(usually per workout or week).

Believe it or not, you’ve just learned at least a few things that most weightli ers—
even experienced ones—don’t fully understand. And you may be surprised just
how much trouble these “minor” misconceptions can cause. ey can block the
ability to observe, comprehend, and apply, give rise to dotty (and tenacious) ideas
and theories, and lay us open to lies and misinformation.
So, I hope I’ve convinced you to get a dictionary and start using it. is habit
is one of the easiest ways to upgrade not just your ability to comprehend and
retain information but your entire intellectual cosmos.
 Meal Plans for Cutting
Cutting Meal Plan for a 170-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

155 g (5 0
Egg whites 86 18 g 1g
large whites) g

100 g (2 10
Whole eggs 143 13 g 1g
large) g

Breakfast
0
(9 a.m.) Grapes 180 g 124 1g 33 g
g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

0
Hot sauce, dry seasonings (if desired) 4 0g 1g
g

Chum, pink, or sockeye salmon (farm-

190 g 241 39 g 0g 8g
raised may be higher in fat/calories)

0
White rice (measured dry) 45 g 164 3g 36 g
g

0
Broccoli 125 g 40 3g 8g
g

Lunch (12
0
p.m.) Bell pepper 125 g 33 1g 8g
g

0
Carrots 125 g 51 1g 12 g
g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired 15 0g 0g 2g

0
Soy sauce 32 g 16 3g 2g
g

Snack (3 Whey protein isolate (recommend Legion 2 scoops (60 4

p.m.) 240 44 g 8g
Whey+) grams) g
 2% milk 120 mL (½ 65 4g 6g 3g
cup)

Rice cakes 18 g 70 2g 15 g 1g

PB® t Original 16 g 70 8g 5g 2g

Chicken breast, trimmed of fat 220 g 238 45 g 0g 7g

0
White potato 170 g 131 4g 30 g
g

Dinner (6
Brussels sprouts 200 g 86 7g 18 g 1g
p.m.)

0
BBQ sauce 17 g 29 0g 7g
g

Dark chocolate (70–85% cocoa solids) 15 g 90 1g 7g 6g

46
Total 1951 196 g 196 g
g

45
Target 1950 195 g 195 g
g
 Cutting Meal Plan for a 190-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Skyr or Greek yogurt, 2% fat, plain 250 g 176 25 g 7g 5g

Whey protein isolate (recommend 1 scoop (30

120 22 g 4g 2g
Legion Whey+) grams)

Mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries,

85 g 120 2g 301 g 1g
blueberries, blackberries, etc.)
Breakfast
(9 a.m.)
Granola 60 g 273 6g 44 g 9g

Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract,

(if desired) 12 0g 2g 1g
stevia

2 tablespoons 4
Half and half (in co ee) 39 1g 1g
(30 mL) g

4
Whole grain bread 2 slices 217 11 g 36 g
g

Oven roasted chicken breast or turkey 0

220 g 240 48 g 4g
breast g

Low-fat cheddar cheese 15 g 47 4g 0g 3g

Lunch (12
p.m.) 0
Tomato, lettuce 100 g 18 1g 4g
g

15 g (1
Light mayonnaise 36 0g 1g 3g
tablespoon)

15 g (1
1 tablespoon mustard, salt, pepper 9 1g 1g 1g
tablespoon)

Whey protein isolate (recommend 1 scoop (30

120 22 g 4g 2g
Legion Whey+) grams)

240 mL (1
Snack (3 Almond milk 37 1g 3g 2g
cup)
p.m.)

Rice cakes 36 g 140 3g 29 g 1g

Peanut butter 15 g 88 4g 3g 8g

Dinner (6 99% fat free ground turkey 220 g 235 51 g 0g 3g

p.m.)
Pasta (measured dry) 60 g 223 8g 45 g 1g

120 mL (½
Tomato pasta sauce 66 2g 10 g 2g
cup)

0
Mushrooms 100 g 26 1g 6g
g

Zucchini 150 g 26 2g 5g 1g

0
Hot sauce, dry seasonings (if desired) 6 0g 2g
g

49
Total 2156 211 g 214 g
g

45
Target 2150 210 g 210 g
g
 Cutting Meal Plan for a 210-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Skyr or Greek yogurt, 2% fat, plain 250 g 176 25 g 7g 5g

Whey protein isolate (recommend 1 scoop (30

120 22 g 4g 2g
Legion Whey+) grams)

Mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries,

85 g 120 2g 31 g 1g
blueberries, blackberries)

Breakfast Granola 60 g 273 6g 44 g 9g

(9 a.m.)
Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract,
(if desired) 12 0g 2g 1g
stevia

2 tablespoons 4
Half and half (in co ee) 39 1g 1g
(30 mL) g

10 g (2 0
Sugar (in co ee) 38 0g 10 g
teaspoons) g

Shrimp 260 g 222 52 g 0g 1g

0
White rice (measured dry) 35 g 128 3g 28 g
g

Sweet yellow corn (kernels cut o cob) 100 g 86 3g 19 g 1g

Lunch (12
p.m.)
Bell pepper 150 g 39 2g 9g 1g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

0
Teriyaki sauce 18 g 32 2g 6g
g

Whey protein isolate (recommend 2 scoops (60 4

240 44 g 8g
Legion Whey+) grams) g

0
Snack (3 Skim milk 240 mL (1 cup) 83 8g 12 g
g
p.m.)

Rice cakes 36 g 140 3g 29 g 1g

PB® t Original 18 g 80 9g 6g 2g

Dinner (6 Wonder® Jumbo Seeded Hamburger 74 g (1 bun) 200 6g 39 g 3g

p.m.) Bun (or similar)

10
95% lean ground beef 200 g 274 43 g 0g
g

Low fat cheddar cheese 15 g 47 4g 0g 3g

0
Tomato, lettuce 100 g 18 1g 4g
g

34 g (2 0
Ketchup 34 0g 9g
tablespoons) g

0
Hot sauce, lemon juice, dry seasonings (if desired) 6 0g 2g
g

Milk chocolate 25 g 134 2g 15 g 7g

52
Total 2304 233 g 236 g
g

50
Target 2300 230 g 230 g
g
 Cutting Meal Plan for a 230-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

184 g (6 large 0
Egg whites 103 22 g 2g
whites) g

10
Whole eggs 100 g (2 large) 143 13 g 1g
g

Canadian bacon 114 g 126 23 g 2g 3g

Breakfast (9
a.m.)
4
Whole grain bread 2 slices 217 11 g 36 g
g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

0
Hot sauce, dry seasonings (if desired) 4 0g 1g
g

Flour tortilla 71 g (1 large) 217 6g 35 g 6g

4
Turkey breast, trimmed of fat 230 g 262 54 g 0g
g

0
Cucumber 50 g 8 0g 2g
g

0
Romaine lettuce 50 g 9 1g 2g
g
Lunch (12
p.m.) 0
Tomato 50 g 9 1g 2g
g

4
Avocado 30 g 48 1g 3g
g

Bolthouse Farms® organic dressing 30 g (2 4

45 1g 1g
(or similar) tablespoons) g

Hot sauce, lemon juice, dry 0

(if desired) 6 0g 2g
seasonings g

Snack (3 Whey protein isolate (recommend 2 scoops (60 4

p.m.) 240 44 g 8g
Legion Whey+) grams) g

Unsweetened almond milk 240 mL (1 cup) 37 1g 3g 2g

 Apple 165 g (1 small) 86 0g 23 g 0
g

PB® t Original 16 g 70 8g 5g 2g

11
Sirloin, trimmed of all fat 240 g 324 53 g 0g
g

0
Sweet potato 420 g 361 7g 85 g
g

0
Green beans 150 g 46 3g 11 g
Dinner (6 g
p.m.)
0
Carrots 150 g 62 1g 14 g
g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

34 g (2 0
BBQ sauce 58 0g 14 g
tablespoons) g

58
Total 2511 249 g 249 g
g

55
Target 2500 250 g 250 g
g
 Cutting Meal Plan for a 250-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Whey protein isolate (recommend

1½ scoops
Legion Whey+) mixed with water or in 180 33 g 6g 3g
(45 grams)
oatmeal

Old-fashioned oats (measured dry) 75 g 284 10 g 51 g 5g

240 mL (1 0
Skim milk 83 8g 12 g
cup) g

0
Blueberries 50 g 28 0g 7g
g
Breakfast (9
a.m.)
Chia seeds 5g 27 1g 1g 2g

Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract,

(if desired) 12 0g 2g 1g
stevia

2
4
Half and half (in co ee) tablespoons 39 1g 1g
g
(30 mL)

10 g (2 0
Sugar (in co ee) 38 0g 10 g
teaspoons) g

Lunch Chicken breast, trimmed of fat 270 g 292 55 g 0g 8g

(12 p.m.)

0
Dried (sweetened) cranberries 15 g 45 0g 12 g
g

Sweet yellow corn (kernels cut o cob) 150 g 129 5g 28 g 2g

0
Spinach 75 g 17 2g 3g
g

0
Cucumber 50 g 8 0g 2g
g

0
Carrots 30 g 12 0g 3g
g

Bolthouse Farms® organic dressing (or 30 g (2 4

45 1g 1g
similar) tablespoons) g

Hot sauce, lemon juice, dry seasonings (if desired) 6 0g 2g 0

 g

2% cottage cheese 280 g 227 28 g 13 g 7g

Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract,

(if desired) 12 0g 2g 1g
stevia
Snack (3
p.m.) 225 g (1 extra
Peach 88 2g 22 g 1g
large)

11
Cashews 25 g 138 5g 8g
g

Mahi-mahi (or similar, like tilapia) 310 g 273 58 g 0g 3g

Quinoa (measured dry) 55 g 203 8g 35 g 3g

0
Green beans 100 g 31 2g 7g
g

0
Dinner (6 Cauli ower 150 g 38 3g 8g
g
p.m.)

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

18 g (1 0
Teriyaki sauce 32 2g 6g
tablespoon) g

23 g (2
Oreo cookie (or similar) 110 1g 17 g 5g
cookies)

Casein protein (recommend Legion 1½ scoops

210 39 g 8g 3g
Pre Bed Casein+) mixed with water (45 grams)
Shake (9
p.m.) 150 g (1 0
Pear 85 1g 23 g
small) g

65
Total 2707 265 g 288 g
g

60
Target 2700 265 g 265 g
g
 Meal Plans for Lean Gaining
Lean Gaining Meal Plan for a 130-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Kodiak Power Cakes Buttermilk 2 servings (106 4

380 28 g 60 g
Flapjack & Wa e Mix (or similar) g) g

0
Skim milk 120 mL (½ cup) 42 4g 6g
g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

Breakfast
(9 a.m.) 0
Maple syrup 25 g 65 0g 17 g
g

2 tablespoons 4
Half and half (in co ee) 39 1g 1g
(30 mL) g

10 g (2 0
Sugar (in co ee) 38 0g 10 g
teaspoons) g

4
Whole grain bread 2 slices 217 11 g 36 g
g

Oven roasted chicken breast or turkey 0

130 g 142 28 g 2g
breast g

Lunch (12 0
Tomato, lettuce 100 g 18 1g 4g
p.m.) g

15 g (1
Light mayonnaise 36 0g 1g 3g
tablespoon)

15 grams (1 0
Mustard, salt, pepper 9 0g 2g
tablespoon) g

Snack (3 12
p.m.) Legion Protein Bar (or similar) 1 bar 250 20 g 24 g
g

150 g (1 extra
Banana 133 2g 34 g 1g
large)
 Peanut butter 15 g 88 4g 3g 8g

Chicken breast, trimmed of fat 110 g 119 22 g 0g 3g

Flour tortilla 71 g (1 large) 217 6g 35 g 6g

Traditional refried beans (canned) 150 g 135 8g 20 g 3g

Sweet yellow corn (kernels cut o cob) 100 g 86 3g 19 g 1g

0
Onion 50 g 20 1g 5g
g
Dinner (6
p.m.) 0
Tomato 150 g 27 1g 6g
g

4
Sour cream 20 g 40 1g 1g
g

0
Salsa, salt pepper 45 g 17 1g 3g
g

0
Gummy bears 50 g 168 3g 23 g
g

54
Total 2302 145 g 312 g
g

50
Target 2300 145 g 315 g
g
 Lean Gaining Meal Plan for a 150-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Skyr or Greek yogurt, 2% fat, plain 250 g 176 25 g 7g 5g

Mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries,

220 g 120 2g 31 g 1g
blueberries, blackberries)

Granola 60 g 273 6g 44 g 9g

Breakfast
(9 a.m.) Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract,
(if desired) 12 0g 2g 1g
stevia

2 tablespoons 4
Half and half (in co ee) 39 1g 1g
(30 mL) g

10 g (2 0
Sugar (in co ee) 38 0g 10 g
teaspoons) g

Pork Tenderloin, trimmed of all fat 150 g 164 32 g 0g 3g

Quinoa 75 g 276 11 g 48 g 5g

0
Carrots 100 g 41 1g 10 g
g
Lunch (12
p.m.) 0
Cauli ower 125 g 31 2g 10 g
g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

18 g (1 0
Teriyaki sauce 32 2g 6g
tablespoon) g

Whey protein isolate (recommend

1 scoop (30 g) 120 22 g 4g 2g
Legion Whey+)

Snack (3 Rice Milk 240 mL (1 cup) 114 1g 22 g 2g

p.m.)
Rice cakes 140 3g 29 g 1g

Peanut butter 88 4g 3g

Dinner (6 95% lean ground beef 120 g 164 26 g 0g 6g

p.m.)

Pasta (measured dry) 90 g 334 12 g 67 g 1g

 Tomato pasta sauce 180 mL (¾ 99 3g 15 g 3g
cup)

10 g (1
Grated parmesan cheese 42 3g 1g 3g
tablespoon)

0
Bell pepper 100 g 26 1g 6g
g

Broccoli 150 g 48 4g 10 g 1g

0
Hot sauce, dry seasonings (if desired) 6 0g 2g
g

34 g (3
Oreo cookie (or similar) 160 1g 25 g 7g
cookies)

63
Total 2558 159 g 349 g
g

60
Target 2550 160 g 350 g
g
 Lean Gaining Meal Plan for a 170-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

62 g (2 large 0
Egg white 34 7g 1g
whites) g

100 g (2 10
Whole egg 143 13 g 1g
large) g

Whole grain bread 3 slices 327 17 g 53 g 5g

Breakfast
(9 a.m.)
30 g (2 0
Jam 83 0g 21 g
tablespoons) g

0-calorie cooking spray (if desired) 15 0g 0g 2g

0
Hot sauce, dry seasonings (if desired) 4 0g 1g
g

Sirloin, trimmed of all fat 150 g 203 33 g 0g 7g

0
Sweet potato 410 g 352 6g 83 g
g

0
Green beans 150 g 46 3g 11 g
g
Lunch (12
p.m.) 0
Carrots 150 g 62 1g 14 g
g

4
Butter 5g 36 0g 0g
g

34 g (2 0
BBQ sauce 60 0g 14 g
tablespoons) g

Snack (3 Whey protein isolate (recommend

p.m.) 1 scoop (30 g) 120 22 g 4g 2g
Legion Whey+)

240 mL (1
Rice Milk 114 1g 22 g 2g
cup)

150 g (1 extra
Banana 133 2g 34 g 1g
large)

Mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, 180 g 103 1g 22 g 1g

blueberries, blackberries)
 4
Chicken breast, trimmed of fat 140 g 168 32 g 0g
g

0
Dried (sweetened) cranberries 30 g 92 0g 25 g
g

Sweet yellow corn (kernels cut o cob) 200 g 172 7g 37 g 3g

0
Romaine lettuce 100 g 17 2g 3g
g

0
Dinner (6 Cucumber 50 g 8 0g 2g
g
p.m.)

0
Carrots 30 g 12 0g 3g
g

Bolthouse® Farms Organic dressing (or 45 g (3

68 2g 2g 6g
similar) tablespoons)

0
Hot sauce, lemon juice, dry seasonings (if desired) 6 0g 2g
g

15
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream 140 g 302 5g 40 g
g

65
Total 2800 175 g 397 g
g

390 65
Target 2800 175 g
g g
 Lean Gaining Meal Plan for a 190-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Whey protein isolate (recommend 1½ scoops (45

180 33 g 6g 3g
Legion Whey+) g)

Rice Milk 240 mL (1 cup) 114 1g 22 g 2g

10
Old-fashioned oats (measured dry) 588 21 g 105 g
Breakfast (9 g
a.m.)
Blueberries 28 0g 7g 0g

Chia seeds 155 g 27 1g 1g 2g

Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract,

50 g 12 0g 2g 1g
stevia

Turkey breast, trimmed of fat 5g 182 38 g 0g 2g

Brown rice (measured dry) (if desired) 367 8g 76 g 3g

A1 steak sauce 160 g 15 0g 3g 0g

Spinach 100 g 17 2g 3g 0g

Lunch (12 17 g (1
p.m.) Cucumber 8 0g 2g 0g
tablespoon)

Carrots 75 g 12 0g 3g 0g

Bolthouse Farms® Organic dressing

50 g 45 1g 1g 4g
(or similar)

Hot sauce, lemon juice, dry

30 g 6 0g 2g 0g
seasonings

Snack (3 Skyr or Greek yogurt, 2% fat, plain 250 g 176 25 g 7g 5g

p.m.)

30 g (2 0
Honey 91 0g 25 g
tablespoons) g

Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract,

(if desired) 12 0g 2g 1g
stevia

Apple 242 g (1 large) 126 1g 33 g 0

 g

13
Almonds 25 g 145 5g 5g
g

Shrimp 180 g 153 36 g 0g 1g

Pasta (measured dry) 90 g 334 12 g 67 g 1g

Tomato pasta sauce 180 mL (¾ cup) 99 3g 15 g 3g

Broccoli 150 g 48 4g 10 g 1g
Dinner (6
p.m.) 0
Mushrooms 100 g 26 1g 6g
g

0
Hot sauce, dry seasonings (if desired) 6 0g 2g
g

Dark chocolate (70–85% cocoa 21

50 g 300 4g 23 g
solids) g

76
Total 3112 196 g 429 g
g

70
Target 3100 195 g 425 g
g
 Lean Gaining Meal Plan for a 210-lb. Man

Food Amount Calories Protein Carbs Fat

Smoked salmon (lox) 110 g 129 20 g 0g 5g

131 g (1 large, ~5-

Bagel 346 14 g 69 g 2g
inch diameter)

30 g (2
Low-fat cream cheese 62 2g 2g 5g
tablespoons)

0
Tomato 100 g 18 1g 4g
g
Breakfast
(9 a.m.)
Hot sauce, lemon juice, dry 0
(if desired) 6 0g 2g
seasonings g

Orange juice 240 mL (1 cup) 112 2g 26 g 1g

2 tablespoons (30 4
Half and half (in co ee) 39 1g 1g
mL) g

0
Sugar (in co ee) 10 g (2 teaspoons) 38 0g 10 g
g

Chicken breast, trimmed of fat 110 g 119 22 g 0g 3g

Lentils (measured dry) 120 g 422 30 g 76 g 1g

0
Onion 150 g 60 2g 14 g
g
Lunch (12
p.m.) 0
Tomato 200 g 36 2g 8g
g

Chicken broth or stock 480 mL (2 cups) 20 2g 2g 1g

Dry seasonings (garlic powder, 0

(if desired) 4 0g 1g
cumin, paprika, oregano, salt) g

Snack (3 Whey protein isolate (recommend

p.m.) 1½ scoops (45 g) 180 33 g 6g 3g
Legion Whey+)

Rice Milk 240 mL (1 cup) 114 1g 22 g 2g

Banana 252 g (2 medium) 224 3g 58 g 1g

 Almond butter 25 g 153 5g 5g 14
g

Wonder® Jumbo Seeded

74 g (1 bun) 200 6g 39 g 3g
Hamburger Buns (or similar)

95% lean ground beef 100 g 137 21 g 0g 5g

Low-fat cheddar cheese 30 g 95 8g 1g 6g

0
Tomato, lettuce 100 g 18 1g 4g
Dinner (6 g
p.m.)
68 g (4 0
Ketchup 68 1g 19 g
tablespoons) g

Hot sauce, lemon juice, dry 0

(if desired) 6 0g 2g
seasonings g

17
Ice cream (chocolate or vanilla) 150 g 324 6g 42 g
g

2% cottage cheese 280 g 227 28 g 13 g 7g

Pre Bed
Pineapple 385 g 193 2g 51 g 1g
Snack
(9 p.m.)
0
Salt, pepper, stevia (if desired) (if desired) 0 0g 0g
g

80
Total 3350 213 g 475 g
g

460 75
Target 3550 210 g
g g
Also by Michael Matthews

e Year One Challenge for Men

e Shredded Chef
Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger
Muscle for Life
inner Leaner Stronger
e Year One Challenge for Women
e Little Black Book of Workout Motivation
Fitness Science Explained
 References

Chapter 4
Have You Found Your Real Fitness Whys?

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Chapter 5
The Art and Science of Upgrading Your Willpower

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54. impro e fat loss, muscle growth, immunity, longevity, cognition, and even physical attractiveness:
Nedeltcheva AV, Kilkus JM, Imperial J, et al. Insu cient sleep undermines dietary e orts to
reduce adiposity. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(7):435-441.; Dattilo M, Antunes HK, Medeiros A,
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M, Hamer M, Carvalho LA, et al. Short sleep duration is associated with shorter telomere length
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57. other breakdowns of willpower: Mandel N, Smeesters D. e Sweet Escape: E ects of Mortality
Salience on Consumption uantities for High- and Low-Self-Esteem Consumers. J Consum Res.
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E ect: Studying the E ect of Hard and So News Exposure on Mental Well-Being Over Time. J.
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60. it suppresses melatonin levels: McIntyre IM, Norman TR, Burrows GD, Armstrong SM. Human
melatonin suppression by light is intensity dependent. J Pineal Res. 1989;6(2):149-156.
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62. the more stressed they generally feel: omée S, Härenstam A, Hagberg M. Mobile phone use and
stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults - a prospective cohort
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between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and Satisfaction with Life in college
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63. symptoms of poor mental health: omée S, Härenstam A, Hagberg M. Mobile phone use and
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64. impro es mood, happiness, and resilience: Kashdan TB, Adams LM, Farmer AS, et al. Sexual
Healing: Daily Diary Investigation of the Bene ts of Intimate and Pleasurable Sexual Activity in
Socially Anxious Adults. Arch Sex Behav. 2014;43(7):1417-1429.; Meltzer AL, Makhanova A,
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Relationship uality, Sexual Desire, and Sexual Activity in Couples. Arch Sex Behav.
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66. smallest for people in unhappy or uncommited relationships: Meltzer AL, Makhanova A, Hicks LL,
et al. uantifying the Sexual A erglow: e Lingering Bene ts of Sex and eir Implications for
Pair-Bonded Relationships. Psychol Sci. 2017;28(5):587-598.; Burleson MH, Trevathan WR,
Todd M. In the Mood for Love or Vice Versa? Exploring the Relations Among Sexual Activity,
Physical A ection, A ect, and Stress in the Daily Lives of Mid-Aged Women. Arch Sex Behav.
2007;36(3):357-368.; Brody S. Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently
had penile–vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity. Biol Psychol.
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Aromatherapy bene ts autonomic nervous system regulation for elementary school faculty in
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Evaluating the E ect of Massage erapy on Stress, Anxiety and Aggression in a Young Adult
Psychiatric Inpatient Unit. Aust New Zeal J Psychiatry. 2008;42(5):414-422.; Jensen AM,
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of 2 Types of Massage and Usual Care on Chronic Low Back Pain. Ann Intern Med.
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tool for metabolic diseases? Temperature. 2017;4(3):292-304.

Chapter 6
The Easy Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones

1. don’t stem om conscious decisions, but unconscious con entions: Neal D, Wood W, uinn J. Habits
—A Repeat Performance. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2006;15(4):198-202.
2. didn’t originally intend to eat as much as they do: Fast Food Facts: Evaluating Fast Food Nutrition
and Marketing to Youth. United States: Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity,
2010.
3. ranging om breast self-examination to dietary adherence and more: Gollwitzer P, Sheeran P.
Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of E ects and Processes.
Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. 2006;38(6):69-119.
4. overcome obstacles and achieve your goals: Kappes A, Singmann H, Oettingen G. Mental
contrasting instigates goal pursuit by linking obstacles of reality with instrumental behavior. J.
Exp. Soc. Psychol. 2012;48(4):811-818.
5. 4 percent wanted to drink less alcohol: Ballard J. Exercising and sticking to a healthy diet are the
most common 2021 New Year’s resolutions. YouGovAmerica website. Published December 23,
2020. Accessed October 12, 2021. https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-
reports/2020/12/23/2021-new-years-resolutions-poll
6. the median was 66 days: Lally P, Jaarsveld C, Potts H.How are habits formed: Modeling habit
formation in the real world. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol. 2010;40(6):998-1009.
7. feel good a er we perform an action: Weyland S, Finne E, Krell-Roesch J, Jekauc D. (How) Does
A ect In uence the Formation of Habits in Exercise?. Front Psychol. 2020;11:578108.

Chapter 7
The 10 Absolute Worst Diet Myths and Mistakes

1. eating Hostess cupcakes, Doritos, Oreos, and whey protein shakes: Park M. Twinkie diet helps
nutrition professor lose 27 pounds. CNN Website. Published November 8, 2010. Accessed
October 12, 2021.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
2. lost 56 pounds in six months eating nothing but McDonald’s: Peterson H. A teacher who lost 56
pounds eating only McDonald’s is starring in a documentary to show kids about ‘healthy’ eating.
Business Insider Website. Published October 13, 2015. Accessed October 12, 2021.
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lose-weight-eating-only-mcdonalds-2015-10
3. eating McDonald’s every day for a month: Innes E. Fitness fanatic claims to be in the best shape of
his life despite only eating MCDONALD’S for a month. Daily Mail Website. Published May 30,
2014. Accessed October 12, 2021. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2643936/Fitness-
fanatic-claims-best-shape-life-despite-ONLY-eating-McDonalds.html
4. using this knowledge to control their body composition as desired: Lean MEJ, Astrup A, Roberts SB.
Making progress on the global crisis of obesity and weight management. BMJ. 2018;361:k2538.;
Romieu I, Dossus L, Barquera S, et al. Energy balance and obesity: what are the main drivers?.
Cancer Causes Control. 2017;28(3):247-258.
5. Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, Weight Watchers, Slimming World, South Beach, Best Life,
Atkins, DASH, and others: Johnston CS, Tjonn SL, Swan PD, et al. Ketogenic low-carbohydrate
diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. Am J Clin Nutr.
2006;83(5):1055-1061.; Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, et al. Weight loss with a low-
carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet [published correction appears in N Engl J Med.
2009 Dec 31;361(27):2681]. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(3):229-241.; Jolly K, Lewis AL, Beach J, et
al. Comparison of range of commercial or primary care led weight reduction programmes with
minimal intervention control for weight loss in obesity: Lighten Up randomised controlled trial.
BMJ. 2011;343:d7243.; Tobias DK, Chen M, Manson JE, et al. E ect of low-fat diet
interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic
review and meta-analysis. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2015;3(12):968-979.; Astrup A, Grunwald
GK, Melanson EL,et al. e role of low-fat diets in body weight control: a meta-analysis of ad
libitum dietary intervention studies. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000;24(12):1545-1552.;
Calton JB. Prevalence of micronutrient de ciency in popular diet plans. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.
2010;7:24.; Lindeberg S, Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, et al. A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose
tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease.
Diabetologia. 2007;50(9):1795-1807.
6. it’s actually 1,200, 1,500, or more: Lichtman SW, Pisarska K, Berman ER, et al. Discrepancy
between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. N Engl J Med.
1992;327(27):1893-1898.; Shahar DR, Yu B, Houston DK, et al. Misreporting of energy intake
in the elderly using doubly labeled water to measure total energy expenditure and weight change. J
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7. burned during vigorous exercise by 72 percent on average: Brown RE, Canning KL, Fung M, et al.
Calorie Estimation in Adults Di ering in Body Weight Class and Weight Loss Status. Med Sci
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8. the lean and obese, the healthy and diseased, the old and the young: Helms ER, Aragon AA,
Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation:
nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11:20.; Forbes GB. Body fat content
in uences the body composition response to nutrition and exercise. Ann N Y Acad Sci.
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exercise, alone or combined, on weight and body composition in overweight-to-obese
 postmenopausal women. Obesity (Sil er Spring). 2012;20(8):1628-1638.; Steven S,
Hollingsworth KG, Al-Mrabeh A, et al. Very Low-Calorie Diet and 6 Months of Weight Stability
in Type 2 Diabetes: Pathophysiological Changes in Responders and Nonresponders [published
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MC, Beavers DP, Henderson RM, Kelleher JL, Kiel JR, Beavers KM. E ects of a Hypocaloric,
Nutritionally Complete, Higher Protein Meal Plan on Regional Body Fat and Cardiometabolic
Biomarkers in Older Adults with Obesity. Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(2):149-155.
9. published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Martins C, Gower BA, Hill JO, et al.
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11. reduce energy expenditure and increase energy intake: Maclean PS, Bergouignan A, Cornier MA, et
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metabolism a er 2 y of energy restriction: the biosphere 2 experiment. Am J Clin Nutr.
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energy balance of the male bodybuilders during the preparation for the competition. J Strength
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J Obes (Lond). 2010;34 Suppl 1(0 1):S47-S55.
13. calories om carbohydrate for ten weeks: Johnston CS, Tjonn SL, Swan PD, et al. Ketogenic low-
carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. Am J
Clin Nutr. 2006;83(5):1055-1061.
14. calories om carbohydrate for six weeks: Phillips SA, Jurva JW, Syed AQ, et al. Bene t of Low-Fat
Over Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Endothelial Health in Obesity. Hypertension. 2008;51(2):376-
382.
15. calories om carbohydrate for two years: Sacks FM, Bray GA, Carey VJ, et al. Comparison of
Weight-Loss Diets with Di erent Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates. N Engl J
Med. 2009;360(9):859-873.
16. calories om carbohydrate for one year: Gardner CD, Trepanowski JF, Del Gobbo LC, et al. E ect
of Low-Fat vs Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults and the
Association With Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion. JAMA. 2018;319(7):667.
17. calories om sugar for six weeks: Surwit RS, Feinglos MN, McCaskill CC, et al. Metabolic and
behavioral e ects of a high-sucrose diet during weight loss. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;65(4):908-915.
18. calories om sugar for eight weeks: West J, de Looy A. Weight loss in overweight subjects following
low-sucrose or sucrose-containing diets. Int J Obes. 2001;25(8):1122-1128.
19. those who don’t eat enough of them: Wang X, Ouyang Y, Liu J, et al. Fruit and vegetable
consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: systematic review
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20. which list only vital-to-life nutrients: Cipolla BG, Mandron E, Lefort JM, et al. E ect of
Sulforaphane in Men with Biochemical Recurrence a er Radical Prostatectomy. Cancer Prev Res
(Phila). 2015;8(8):712-719.; Sedlak TW, Nucifora LG, Koga M, et al. Sulforaphane Augments
Glutathione and In uences Brain Metabolites in Human Subjects: A Clinical Pilot Study. Mol
Neuropsychiatry. 2018;3(4):214-222.; Alvarez-Suarez JM, Giampieri F, Tulipani S, et al. One-
month strawberry-rich anthocyanin supplementation ameliorates cardiovascular risk, oxidative
stress markers and platelet activation in humans. J Nutr Biochem. 2014;25(3):289-294.
21. your chances of living a long and healthy life: Park Y, Subar AF, Hollenbeck A, et al. Dietary ber
intake and mortality in the NIH-AARP diet and health study. Arch Intern Med.
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22. more muscle than vegetarians and vegans: Aubertin-Leheudre M, Adlercreutz H. Relationship
between animal protein intake and muscle mass index in healthy women. Br J Nutr.
2009;102(12):1803-1810.
23. including vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, calcium, and others: Herrmann W, Schorr H,
Obeid R, et al. Vitamin B-12 status, particularly holotranscobalamin II and methylmalonic acid
concentrations, and hyperhomocysteinemia in vegetarians. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78(1):131-136.;
Rosell MS, Lloyd-Wright Z, Appleby PN, Sanders TA, Allen NE, Key TJ. Long-chain n-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma in British meat-eating, vegetarian, and vegan men. Am J Clin
Nutr. 2005;82(2):327-334.; Hunt JR. Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from
vegetarian diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78(3 Suppl):633S-639S.; Craig WJ. Nutrition concerns
and health e ects of vegetarian diets. Nutr Clin Pract. 2010;25(6):613-620.
24. awash with highly processed foods: Pan A, Sun Q, Bernstein AM, et al. Red meat consumption and
mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(7):555-563.;
Sinha R, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, et al. Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half
a million people. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):562-571.
25. reducing red meat consumption has no signi cant bene t: Johnston BC, Zeraatkar D, Han MA, et
al. Unprocessed Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption: Dietary Guideline
Recommendations From the Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) Consortium. Ann
Intern Med. 2019;171(10):756-764.
26. doesn’t cause weight gain or cancer, doesn’t degenerate your bones, and doesn’t contain unhealthy
amounts of hormones, pus, or blood: Schwingshackl L, Ho mann G, Schwedhelm C, et al.
Consumption of Dairy Products in Relation to Changes in Anthropometric Variables in Adult
Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies. PLoS One.
2016;11(6):e0157461.; Zang J, Shen M, Du S, et al. e Association between Dairy Intake and
Breast Cancer in Western and Asian Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J
Breast Cancer. 2015;18(4):313-322.; Huth PJ, DiRienzo DB, Miller GD. Major scienti c
advances with dairy foods in nutrition and health. J Dairy Sci. 2006;89(4):1207-1221.; Collier RJ,
Bauman DE. Update on human health concerns of recombinant bovine somatotropin use in dairy
cows. J Anim Sci. 2014;92(4):1800-1807.
27. don’t raise cholesterol levels or increase the risk of heart disease: Flynn MA, Nolph GB, Flynn TC,et
al. E ect of dietary egg on human serum cholesterol and triglycerides. Am J Clin Nutr.
1979;32(5):1051-1057.; Katz DL, Evans MA, Nawaz H, et al. Egg consumption and endothelial
function: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Int J Cardiol. 2005;99(1):65-70.
28. you’ll struggle to get bigger and stronger: Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, et al. Nutrition
Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the O -Season: A Narrative Review. Sports (Basel).
2019;7(7):154.
29. workout performance su ers: Ibid.
30. cause you to gain more fat, not muscle: Ibid.;Slater GJ, Dieter BP, Marsh DJ, et al. Is an Energy
Surplus Required to Maximize Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy Associated With Resistance
Training. Front Nutr. 2019;6:131.
31. overeating alone stimulates muscle growth: Forbes GB, Brown MR, Welle SL, et al. Deliberate
overfeeding in women and men: energy cost and composition of the weight gain. Br J Nutr.
1986;56(1):1-9.; Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, et al. Nutrition Recommendations for Bodybuilders
in the O -Season: A Narrative Review. Sports (Basel). 2019;7(7):154.
32. ranging om one to seventeen meals per day: Bellisle F, McDevitt R, Prentice AM. Meal frequency
and energy balance. Br J Nutr. 1997;77 Suppl 1:S57-70.
33. eating three meals and three meals plus three snacks per day: Cameron JD, Cyr M-J, Doucet É.
Increased meal frequency does not promote greater weight loss in subjects who were prescribed an
8-week equi-energetic energy-restricted diet. Br J Nutr. 2009;103(8):1.
34. meal equency (three versus six meals per day) had no e ect: Leidy HJ, Tang M, Armstrong CLH, et
al. e E ects of Consuming Frequent, Higher Protein Meals on Appetite and Satiety During
Weight Loss in Overweight/Obese Men. Obesity. 2011;19(4):818-824.
35. perceived appetite, satiety ( fullness), and hormones: Leidy HJ, Armstrong CLH, Tang M, et al. e
In uence of Higher Protein Intake and Greater Eating Frequency on Appetite Control in
Overweight and Obese Men. Obesity. 2010;18(9):1725-1732.
36. make it easier for people to stick to their diets: Leidy HJ, Campbell WW. e E ect of Eating
Frequency on Appetite Control and Food Intake: Brief Synopsis of Controlled Feeding Studies. J
Nutr. 2011;141(1):154-157.
37. 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death om heart disease: Cahill LE, Chiuve SE, Mekary RA,
et al. Prospective study of breakfast eating and incident coronary heart disease in a cohort of male
US health professionals. Circulation. 2013;128(4):337-343.
38. associated with a higher risk of weight gain: van der Heijden AA, Hu FB, Rimm EB,et al.. A
prospective study of breakfast consumption and weight gain among U.S. men. Obesity (Sil er
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39. missing breakfast has either little or no e ect on weight gain: Mekary RA, Giovannucci E. Belief
beyond the evidence: using the proposed e ect of breakfast on obesity to show 2 practices that
distort scienti c evidence. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(1):212-213.
40. lead to overeating and an increase in total overall energy intake: Schlundt DG, Sbrocco T, Bell C.
Identi cation of high-risk situations in a behavioral weight loss program: application of the relapse
prevention model. Int J Obes. 1989;13(2):223-234.
41. skipping breakfast had no signi cant e ect on weight loss: Schlundt DG, Hill JO, Sbrocco T, et al.
e role of breakfast in the treatment of obesity: a randomized clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr.
1992;55(3):645-651.
42. impro ing health and body composition as eating more equently: Stratton MT, Tinsley GM, Alesi
MG, et al. Four Weeks of Time-Restricted Feeding Combined with Resistance Training Does Not
Di erentially In uence Measures of Body Composition, Muscle Performance, Resting Energy
Expenditure, and Blood Biomarkers. Nutrients. 2020;12(4):1126.; Tinsley GM, Moore ML,
Graybeal AJ, et al. Time-restricted feeding plus resistance training in active females: a randomized
trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(3):628-640.
43. metabolic rate can actually increase slightly while you sleep: Seale JL, Conway JM. Relationship
between overnight energy expenditure and BMR measured in a room-sized calorimeter. Eur J Clin
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to body mass index and body composition. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002;26(3):376-383.
44. lead to less hunger and cravings: Morris CJ, Garcia JI, Myers S, et al. e Human Circadian System
Has a Dominating Role in Causing the Morning/Evening Di erence in Diet-Induced
ermogenesis. Obesity (Sil er Spring). 2015;23(10):2053-2058.
45. maller meals during the day and a large dinner: Kinsey AW, Ormsbee MJ. e health impact of
nighttime eating: old and new perspectives. Nutrients. 2015;7(4):2648-2662.
 Chapter 8
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Flexible Dieting

1. Faster fat loss: Evans EM, Mojtahedi MC, orpe MP, et al. E ects of protein intake and gender
on body composition changes: a randomized clinical weight loss trial. Nutr Metab (Lond).
2012;9(1):55.
2. More muscle gain: Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for
natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.
2014;11(1):20.
3. Faster metabolism: Westerterp KR. Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2004;1(1):5.
4. Less hunger: Paddon-Jones D, Westman E, Mattes RD, et al. Protein, weight management, and
satiety. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87(5):1558S-1561S.
5. Stronger bones: Campbell WW, Tang M. Protein intake, weight loss, and bone mineral density in
postmenopausal women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010;65(10):1115-1122.
6. Better moods: Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural
bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.
2014;11(1):20.
7. preserving lean mass while dieting to lose fat: Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ. Dietary protein for
athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci. 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-S38.;
Krieger JW, Sitren HS, Daniels MJ, et al. E ects of variation in protein and carbohydrate intake
on body mass and composition during energy restriction: a meta-regression 1. Am J Clin Nutr.
2006;83(2):260-274.
8. burning 527 more calories per day than before: Maxwell C, Volpe SL. E ect of zinc
supplementation on thyroid hormone function. A case study of two college females. Ann Nutr
Metab. 2007;51(2):188-194.
9. living a longer, healthier life: Park Y, Subar AF, Hollenbeck A, et al. Dietary Fiber Intake and
Mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Arch Intern Med. 2011;171(12):1061-
1068.; McRae MP. Dietary Fiber Intake and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Umbrella Review of
Meta-analyses. J Chiropr Med. 2018;17(1):44-53.
10. eat slightly less than 20 grams per day, on average: Ma W, Nguyen LH, Song M, et al. Intake of
Dietary Fiber, Fruits, and Vegetables and Risk of Diverticulitis. Am J Gastroenterol.
2019;114(9):1531-1538.
11. calories in white bread with highly processed American cheese: Barr SB, Wright JC. Postprandial
energy expenditure in whole-food and processed-food meals: implications for daily energy
expenditure. Food Nutr Res. 2010;54:10.3402/fnr.v54i0.5144.
12. one of the greatest grains for human health: Shi Z, Zhang T, Byles J, et al. Food Habits, Lifestyle
Factors and Mortality among Oldest Old Chinese: e Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity
Survey (CLHLS). Nutrients. 2015;7(9):7562-7579.; Rasane P, Jha A, Sabikhi L, et al. Nutritional
 advantages of oats and opportunities for its processing as value added foods - a review. J Food Sci
Technol. 2015;52(2):662-675.
13. like sucrose and uctose, and obesity, metabolic and health conditions, and nutritional de ciencies:
Johnson RK, Appel LJ, Brands M, et al. Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health: A
Scienti c Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2009;120(11):1011-
1020.; Brownell KD, Farley T, Willett WC, et al. e Public Health and Economic Bene ts of
Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages. N Engl J Med. 2009;361(16):1599-1605.
14. hurts workout performance and processes related to muscle repair and growth: Knuiman P, Hopman
MT, Mensink M. Glycogen availability and skeletal muscle adaptations with endurance and
resistance exercise. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2015;12:59.; Burke LM, Hawley JA, Wong SHS, et al.
Carbohydrates for training and competition. J Sports Sci. 2011;29(sup1):S17-S27.; Creer A,
Gallagher P, Slivka D, et al. In uence of muscle glycogen availability on ERK1/2 and Akt
signaling a er resistance exercise in human skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol. 2005;99(3):950-956.
15. hinders performance and reco ery: Lane AR, Duke JW, Hackney AC. In uence of dietary
carbohydrate intake on the free testosterone: cortisol ratio responses to short-term intensive
exercise training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010;108(6):1125-1131.
16. gain less muscle and strength than those eating more carbs: Benjamin L, Blanpied P, Lamont L.
Dietary carbohydrate and protein manipulation and exercise recovery in novice weight-li ers.
Journal of Exercise Physiology. 2009;12(6):33-39; Howarth KR, Phillips SM, MacDonald MJ, et
al. E ect of glycogen availability on human skeletal muscle protein turnover during exercise and
recovery. J Appl Physiol. 2010;109(2):431-438.
17. low-to-moderate intake appears to pose no risk to our tickers: Nettleton JA, Brouwer IA, Geleijnse
JM, Hornstra G. Saturated Fat Consumption and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Ischemic
Stroke: A Science Update. Ann Nutr Metab. 2017;70(1):26-33.; Houston M. e relationship of
saturated fats and coronary heart disease: fa(c)t or ction? A commentary. er Adv Cardio asc
Dis. 2018;12(2):33-37.
18. relationship between high saturated fat intake and heart disease: Nettleton JA, Brouwer IA,
Geleijnse JM, et al. Saturated Fat Consumption and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Ischemic
Stroke: A Science Update. Ann Nutr Metab. 2017;70(1):26-33.
19. in ol es eating a lot of olive oil: Schwingshackl L, Ho mann G. Monounsaturated fatty acids, olive
oil and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Lipids Health Dis.
2014;13(1):154.; So F, Abbate R, Gensini GF, et al. Accruing evidence on bene ts of adherence
to the Mediterranean diet on health: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin
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20. is more important than restricting omega-6 intake: Zhuang P, Wang W, Wang J, et al.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids intake, omega-6/omega-3 ratio and mortality: Findings from two
independent nationwide cohorts. Clin Nutr. 2019;38(2):848-855.
21. maintains a ratio of omega-6-to-omega-3 in the range of 15-to-17:1: Papanikolaou Y, Brooks J,
Reider C, et al. U.S. adults are not meeting recommended levels for sh and omega-3 fatty acid
 intake: results of an analysis using observational data from NHANES 2003-2008 [published
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aspects of diet, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio and genetic variation: nutritional implications for
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22. which is why people generally refer to it as the “bad” type of cholesterol: Ference BA, Ginsberg HN,
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from genetic, epidemiologic, and clinical studies. A consensus statement from the European
Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Panel. Eur Heart J. 2017;38(32):2459-2472.
23. keep your LDL levels relatively low and your HDL levels higher: Harvard Health Publishing. HDL:
e good, but complex, cholesterol. Harvard Health Publishing website. Published August 6,
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good-but-complex-cholesterol
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cholesterol levels with a weight li ing program. South Med J. 1987;80(3):328-331.; Dansinger
ML, Gleason JA, Gri th JL, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and
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2005;293(1):43-53.; Williams PT, Stefanick ML, Vranizan KM, et al. e e ects of weight loss by
exercise or by dieting on plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in men with low,
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26. Good sleep hygiene: Kaneita Y, Uchiyama M, Yoshiike N, et al. Associations of usual sleep duration
with serum lipid and lipoprotein levels. Sleep. 2008;31(5):645-652.; Mosca M, Aggarwal B. Sleep
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J Cardio asc Nurs. 2012;27(3):263-269.
27. Not smoking: Chelland Campbell S, Mo att RJ, Stamford BA. Smoking and smoking cessation --
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28. some of the downsides of other unhealthy habits, including a poor diet: Fontana L, Meyer TE, Klein
S, et al. Long-term low-calorie low-protein vegan diet and endurance exercise are associated with
low cardiometabolic risk. Rejuvenation Res. 2007;10(2):225-234.
 Chapter 9
The Easiest Way to Calculate Your Calories and Macros

1. when you’re new to strength training and your body is hyper-responsive to it: Garthe I, Raastad T,
Refsnes PE, et al. E ect of two di erent weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and
power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011;21(2):97-104.;
Demling RH, DeSanti L. E ect of a hypocaloric diet, increased protein intake and resistance
training on lean mass gains and fat mass loss in overweight police o cers. Ann Nutr Metab.
2000;44(1):21-29.
2. even in lean athletes who are more susceptible to losing muscle while cutting: Huovinen HT, Hulmi
JJ, Isolehto J, et al. Body Composition and Power Performance Improved A er Weight Reduction
in Male Athletes Without Hampering Hormonal Balance. J Strength Cond Res. 2015;29(1):29-
36.; Donnelly JE, Sharp T, Houmard J, et al. Muscle hypertrophy with large-scale weight loss and
resistance training. Am J Clin Nutr. 1993;58(4):561-565.; Forbes GB. Body fat content in uences
the body composition response to nutrition and exercise. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;904:359-365.
3. around 110 percent of your total daily energy expenditure: Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, et al.
Nutrition Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the O -Season: A Narrative Review. Sports
(Basel). 2019;7(7):154.; Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, et al. E ect of nutritional intervention
on body composition and performance in elite athletes. Eur J Sport Sci. 2013;13(3):295-303.
4. the protein needs of physically active people: Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based
recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J
Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11(1):20.
5. works well: Bird S. Strength Nutrition: Maximizing Your Anabolic Potential. Strength Cond J.
2010;32(4):80-86.
6. de ciencies related to their amino acid pro les, bioavailability, or both: van Vliet S, Burd NA, van
Loon LJ. e Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Response to Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein
Consumption. J Nutr. 2015;145(9):1981-1991.; Berrazaga I, Micard V, Gueugneau M, et al. e
Role of the Anabolic Properties of Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein Sources in Supporting
Muscle Mass Maintenance: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1825.
7. making them a generally poor source of calories: Mattes RD, Campbell WW. E ects of Food Form
and Timing of Ingestion on Appetite and Energy Intake in Lean Young Adults and in Young
Adults with Obesity. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(3):430-437.
8. increased risk of obesity: Vartanian LR, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. E ects of so drink
consumption on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health.
2007;97(4):667-675.; Qi Q, Chu AY, Kang JH, et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages and genetic risk
of obesity. New England Journal of Medicine. 2012 Oct 11;367(15):1387-96.
9. increase the risk of heart disease: Adan A. Cognitive performance and dehydration. J Am Coll Nutr.
2012;31(2):71-78.; Von Duvillard SP, Braun WA, Markofski M, et al. Fluids and hydration in
prolonged endurance performance. Nutrition. 2004;20(7-8):651-656.; Murakami K, Sasaki S,
 Okubo H, et al. Association between dietary ber, water and magnesium intake and functional
constipation among young Japanese women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007;61(5):616-622.; Chan J,
Knutsen SF, Blix GG, et al. Water, other uids, and fatal coronary heart disease: the Adventist
Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2002;155(9):827-833.
10. even when you’re exercising in hot, humid conditions: Valtin H. “Drink at least eight glasses of water
a day.” Really? Is there scienti c evidence for “8 × 8”?. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol.
2002;283(5):993-1004.; Goulet EDB, Ho man MD. Impact of Ad Libitum Versus Programmed
Drinking on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Sports Med.
2019;49(2):221-232.
11. you’re a heavy sweater or exercising in hot, humid conditions: Furst H, Hallows KR, Post J, et al. e
urine/plasma electrolyte ratio: a predictive guide to water restriction. Am J Med Sci.
2000;319(4):240-244.
12. doesn’t signi cantly impact hydration status: Zhang Y, Coca A, Casa DJ, et al. Ca eine and diuresis
during rest and exercise: A meta-analysis. J Sci Med Sport. 2015;18(5):569-574.
13. for the rst couple of months of lean gaining, you’ll gain very little fat: Rozenek R, Ward P, Long S, et
al. E ects of high-calorie supplements on body composition and muscular strength following
resistance training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002;42(3):340-347.
14. such claims aren’t supported by scienti c research: Martins C, Gower GA, Hill JO, et al. Metabolic
adaptation is not a major barrier to weight-loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(3):558-
565.; Leibel RL, Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J. Changes in energy expenditure resulting from altered
body weight [published correction appears in N Engl J Med 1995 Aug 10;333(6):399]. N Engl J
Med. 1995;332(10):621-628.; Camps SG, Verhoef SP, Westerterp KR. Weight loss, weight
maintenance, and adaptive thermogenesis [published correction appears in Am J Clin Nutr. 2014
Nov;100(5):1405]. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;97(5):990-994.
15. get at least half of these extra calories om carbs: Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Norton LE.Metabolic
adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11(1):7.

Chapter 10
The Bigger Leaner Stronger Meal Plan

1. make it harder to gain muscle: Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in
a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.
2018;15:10.
2. add 20 percent to the purported total calories to be “safe.”: Urban LE, Weber JL, Heyman MB, et al.
Energy Contents of Frequently Ordered Restaurant Meals and Comparison with Human Energy
Requirements and U.S. Department of Agriculture Database Information: A Multisite
Randomized Study. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(4):590-8.e6.
3. result in more weight loss when dieting, not less: Yeomans MR. Alcohol, appetite and energy
balance: Is alcohol intake a risk factor for obesity? Physiol Behav. 2010;100(1):82-89.; Flechtner-
 Mors M, Biesalski HK, Jenkinson CP, et al. E ects of moderate consumption of white wine on
weight loss in overweight and obese subjects. Int J Obes. 2004;28(11):1420-1426.
4. occured if those calories had been om food: Gruchow HW, Sobocinski KA, Barboriak JJ, et al.
Alcohol consumption, nutrient intake and relative body weight among US adults. Am J Clin Nutr.
1985;42(2):289-295.
5. impro es insulin sensitivity, which can help with fat burning: Kokavec A. Is decreased appetite for
food a physiological consequence of alcohol consumption? Appetite. 2008;51(2):233-243.;
McCarty MF. Does regular ethanol consumption promote insulin sensitivity and leanness by
stimulating AMP-activated protein kinase? Med Hypotheses. 2001;57(3):405-407.; Ukropcova B,
McNeil M, Sereda O, et al. Dynamic changes in fat oxidation in human primary myocytes mirror
metabolic characteristics of the donor. J Clin In est. 2005;115(7):1934-1941.
6. it’s processed di erently: Siler SQ, Neese RA, Hellerstein MK. De novo lipogenesis, lipid kinetics,
and whole-body lipid balances in humans a er acute alcohol consumption. Am J Clin Nutr.
1999;70(5):928-936.
7. enhancing the con ersion of carbs and fat into body fat: Schutz Y. Role of substrate utilization and
thermogenesis on body-weight control with particular reference to alcohol [published correction
appears in Proc Nutr Soc 2002 May;61(2):319]. Proc Nutr Soc. 2000;59(4):511-517.
8. om a single serving of protein: Bilsborough S, Mann N. A review of issues of dietary protein intake
in humans. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006;16(2):129-152.; Atherton PJ, Etheridge T, Watt
PW, et al. Muscle full e ect a er oral protein: time-dependent concordance and discordance
between human muscle protein synthesis and mTORC1 signaling. Am J Clin Nutr.
2010;92(5):1080-1088.
9. required to reach that ceiling: Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, et al. Ingested protein dose
response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis a er resistance exercise in young men. Am J
Clin Nutr. 2009;89(1):161-168.; Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, et al. Ingested protein dose
response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis a er resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin
Nutr. 2009;89(1):161-168.; Witard OC, Jackman SR, Breen L, et al. Myo brillar muscle protein
synthesis rates subsequent to a meal in response to increasing doses of whey protein at rest and
a er resistance exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(1):86-95.
10. it is essentially “unusable” and thus eliminated: Atherton PJ, Etheridge T, Watt PW, et al. Muscle
full e ect a er oral protein: time-dependent concordance and discordance between human
muscle protein synthesis and mTORC1 signaling. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;92(5):1080-1088.
11. better for controlling appetite and likely better for muscle building: Areta JL, Burke LM, Ross ML, et
al. Timing and distribution of protein ingestion during prolonged recovery from resistance
exercise alters myo brillar protein synthesis. J Physiol. 2013;591(9):2319-2331.; Halton TL, Hu
FB. e e ects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: a critical review. J
Am Coll Nutr. 2004;23(5):373-385.
12. reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death: Jürgens G, Graudal NA. E ects of low sodium diet
versus high sodium diet on blood pressure, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, cholesterols, and
 triglyceride. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;(1):CD004022.; Taylor RS, Ashton KE, Moxham
T, et al. Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of
randomized controlled trials (Cochrane review). Am J Hypertens. 2011;24(8):843-853.
13. greater risk of dying om heart disease: Kalogeropoulos AP, Georgiopoulou VV, Murphy RA, et al.
Dietary sodium content, mortality, and risk for cardiovascular events in older adults: the Health,
Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(3):410-419.
14. people with the lowest ratio: Yang Q, Liu T, Kuklina EV, et al. Sodium and potassium intake and
mortality among US adults: prospective data from the ird National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med. 2011;171(13):1183-1191.
15. a “nutrient of public health concern.”: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S.
Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Eighth Edition.
Published December 2015. Accessed October 13, 2021.
https://health.gov/sites/default/ les/2019-09/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf
16. eliminate this elemental compound om their diet: Sanada H, Jones JE, Jose PA. Genetics of salt-
sensitive hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2011;13(1):55-66.
17. this leads to better compliance and fewer blunders: Vale R, Pieters R, Zeelenberg M. e Bene ts of
Behaving Badly on Occasion: Successful Regulation by Planned Hedonic Deviations. J. Consum.
Psychol. 2015;26(1).; Byrne NM, Sainsbury A, King NA, et al. Intermittent energy restriction
improves weight loss e ciency in obese men: the MATADOR study. Int J Obes (Lond).
2018;42(2):129-138.
18. analyzed 360 dinner entrees at 123 restaurants in San Francisco, Boston, and Little Rock: Urban LE,
Weber JL, Heyman MB, et al. Energy Contents of Frequently Ordered Restaurant Meals and
Comparison with Human Energy Requirements and US Department of Agriculture Database
Information: A Multisite Randomized Study. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(4):590-598.e6.
19. weighed in at 2,410 calories and 63 grams of saturated fat: Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Xtreme Eating 2014. Center for Science in the Public Interest Website. Accessed October 13,
2021. https://www.cspinet.org/eating-healthy/foods-avoid/xtreme2014
20. di erence between full-service and fast-food dining: An R. Fast-food and full-service restaurant
consumption and daily energy and nutrient intakes in US adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016;70(1):97-
103.
21. clearly superior to not doing so: Biolo G, Tipton KD, Klein S, et al. An abundant supply of amino
acids enhances the metabolic e ect of exercise on muscle protein. Am J Physiol Metab.
1997;273(1):E122-E129.; Cribb PJ, Hayes A. E ects of Supplement Timing and Resistance
Exercise on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 2006;38(11):1918-1925.;
Wycherley TP, Noakes M, Cli on PM, et al. Timing of protein ingestion relative to resistance
exercise training does not in uence body composition, energy expenditure, glycaemic control or
cardiometabolic risk factors in a hypocaloric, high protein diet in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes, Obes Metab. 2010;12(12):1097-1105.
22. which can result in muscle loss: Kumar V, Atherton P, Smith K, et al. Human muscle protein
synthesis and breakdown during and a er exercise. J Appl Physiol. 2009;106(6):2026-2039.
23. won’t make much of a di erence in your performance: Naharudin MN, Adams J, Richardson H, et
al. Viscous placebo and carbohydrate breakfasts similarly decrease appetite and increase resistance
exercise performance compared with a control breakfast in trained males [published online ahead
of print, 2020 Mar 16]. Br J Nutr. 2020;1-9.; Wilburn DT, Machek SB, Cardaci TD, et al. Acute
Maltodextrin Supplementation During Resistance Exercise. J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(2):282-288.
24. eat 30-to-40 grams of carbs 30-to-60 minutes before training: Bin Naharudin MN, Yusof A, Shaw
H, et al. Breakfast Omission Reduces Subsequent Resistance Exercise Performance. J Strength
Cond Res. 2019;33(7):1766-1772.
25. a study conducted by scientists at Deakin University: Hargreaves M, Hawley JA, Jeukendrup A. Pre-
exercise carbohydrate and fat ingestion: e ects on metabolism and performance. J Sports Sci.
2004;22(1):31-38.
26. stimulates muscle protein synthesis: Breen L, Churchward-Venne TA. Leucine: a nutrient “trigger”
for muscle anabolism, but what more? J Physiol. 2012;590(9):2065-2066.
27. suppresses muscle protein breakdown rates: Gelfand RA, Barrett EJ. E ect of physiologic
hyperinsulinemia on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown in man. J Clin In est.
1987;80(1):1-6.
28. studies suggest that this doesn’t work: Hamer HM, Wall BT, Kiskini A, et al. Carbohydrate co-
ingestion with protein does not further augment post-prandial muscle protein accretion in older
men. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2013;10(1):15.; Staples AW, Burd NA, West DWD, et al. Carbohydrate
Does Not Augment Exercise-Induced Protein Accretion versus Protein Alone. Med Sci Sport
Exerc. 2011;43(7):1154-1161.
29. insulin can directly a ect muscle growth: Greenha PL, Karagounis LG, Peirce N, et al.
Disassociation between the e ects of amino acids and insulin on signaling, ubiquitin ligases, and
protein turnover in human muscle. Am J Physiol Metab. 2008;295(3):E595-E604.; Van Loon LJ,
Saris WH, Verhagen H, et al. Plasma insulin responses a er ingestion of di erent amino acid or
protein mixtures with carbohydrate. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72(1):96-105.
30. lower muscle protein breakdown rates and therefore more muscle growth: Kersten S. Mechanisms of
nutritional and hormonal regulation of lipogenesis. EMBO Rep. 2001;2(4):282-286.; Denne SC,
Liechty EA, Liu YM, et al. Proteolysis in skeletal muscle and whole body in response to
euglycemic hyperinsulinemia in normal adults. Am J Physiol Metab. 1991;261(6):E809-E814.
31. carb-rich meals immediately a er you work out: Ivy J. Glycogen Resynthesis A er Exercise: E ect of
Carbohydrate Intake. Int J Sports Med. 1998;19(S 2):S142-S145.
32. it’s not true that this makes for less e ective post-workout nutrition: Moghaddam E, Vogt JA, Wolever
TMS. e E ects of Fat and Protein on Glycemic Responses in Nondiabetic Humans Vary with
Waist Circumference, Fasting Plasma Insulin, and Dietary Fiber Intake. J Nutr.
2006;136(10):2506-2511.
33. whole milk may be more anabolic than nonfat milk: Burke LM, Collier GR, Beasley SK, et al. E ect
of coingestion of fat and protein with carbohydrate feedings on muscle glycogen storage. J Appl
Physiol. 1995;78(6):2187-2192.; Roy BD, Tarnopolsky MA. In uence of di ering macronutrient
intakes on muscle glycogen resynthesis a er resistance exercise. J Appl Physiol. 1998;84(3):890-
896.; Elliot TA, Cree MG, Sanford AP, et al. Milk Ingestion Stimulates Net Muscle Protein
Synthesis following Resistance Exercise. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 2006;38(4):667-674.; Elliot TA,
Cree MG, Sanford AP, et al. Milk ingestion stimulates net muscle protein synthesis following
resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006;38(4):667-674.

Chapter 11
The 10 Absolute Worst Exercise Myths and Mistakes

1. people with larger bones tend to be more muscular than people with smaller ames: Chumlea WC,
Wisemandle W, Guo SS. Relations between frame size and body composition and bone mineral
status. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;75(6):1012-1016.
2. gain muscle faster when they start li ing weights: Jeevanandam S, Muthu PK. 2D:4D Ratio and its
Implications in Medicine. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(12):CM01-CM03.; Van Etten LM,
Verstappen FT, Westerterp KR. E ect of body build on weight-training-induced adaptations in
body composition and muscular strength. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1994;26(4):515-521.
3. people with identical amounts of lean mass: Trezise J, Collier N, Blazevich AJ. Anatomical and
neuromuscular variables strongly predict maximum knee extension torque in healthy men. Eur J
Appl Physiol. 2016;116(6):1159-1177.; Delp SL, Maloney W. E ects of hip center location on the
moment-generating capacity of the muscles. J Biomech. 26(4-5):485-499.
4. your body’s ability to create muscle proteins: Zito CI, Qin H, Blenis J, et al. SHP-2 Regulates Cell
Growth by Controlling the mTOR/S6 Kinase 1 Pathway. J Biol Chem. 2007;282(10):6946-6953.
5. when calories are restricted for extended periods of time: Mäestu J, Eliakim A, Jürimäe J, et al.
Anabolic and Catabolic Hormones and Energy Balance of the Male Bodybuilders During the
Preparation for the Competition. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(4):1074-1081.; Rossow LM,
Fukuda DH, Fahs CA, et al. Natural bodybuilding competition preparation and recovery: a 12-
month case study. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2013;8(5):582-592.
6. is a pound or so of muscle gain over the next year: Demling RH, DeSanti L. E ect of a Hypocaloric
Diet, Increased Protein Intake and Resistance Training on Lean Mass Gains and Fat Mass Loss in
Overweight Police O cers. Ann Nutr Metab. 2000;44(1):21-29.; Nindl BC, Harman EA, Marx
JO, et al. Regional body composition changes in women a er 6 months of periodized physical
training. J Appl Physiol. 2000;88(6):2251-2259.
7. more so than any other single training factor: Goldberg AL, Etlinger JD, Goldspink DF, et al.
Mechanism of work-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. Med Sci Sports. 1975;7(3):185-198.
8. nearly four years of training ve days per week: Keogh JWL, Winwood PW. e Epidemiology of
Injuries Across the Weight-Training Sports. Sport Med. 2017;47(3):479-501.
 9. expect about 10 injuries per 1,000 hours of pavement pounding: Spinks AB, McClure RJ.
uantifying the risk of sports injury: a systematic review of activity-speci c rates for children
under 16 years of age. Br J Sports Med. 2007;41(9):548-57.; Moore IS, Ranson C, Mathema P.
Injury Risk in International Rugby Union: ree-Year Injury Surveillance of the Welsh National
Team. Orthop J Sport Med. 2015;3(7):2325967115596194.; Videbæk S, Bueno AM, Nielsen RO,
et al. Incidence of Running-Related Injuries Per 1000 h of running in Di erent Types of Runners:
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2015;45(7):1017-1026.
10. Stronger and healthier joints: Kjaer M. Role of Extracellular Matrix in Adaptation of Tendon and
Skeletal Muscle to Mechanical Loading. Physiol Rev. 2004;84(2):649-698.
11. More muscle mass: Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, et al. E ects of aerobic and/or resistance
training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults. J Appl Physiol.
2012;113(12):1831-1837.
12. Better heart health: Umpierre D, Stein R. Hemodynamic and vascular e ects of resistance
training: implications for cardiovascular disease. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2007;89(4):256-262.
13. Impro ed brain health: Church DD, Ho man JR, Mangine GT, et al. Comparison of high-
intensity vs. high-volume resistance training on the BDNF response to exercise. J Appl Physiol.
2016;121(1):123-128.
14. Greater longevity and quality of life: Westcott WL. Resistance Training is Medicine. Curr Sports
Med Rep. 2012;11(4):209-216.
15. More bone density: Guadalupe-Grau A, Fuentes T, Guerra B, et al. Exercise and bone mass in
adults. Sports Med. 2009;39(6):439-468.
16. Faster metabolism: Pratley R, Nicklas B, Rubin M, et al. Strength training increases resting
metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-yr-old men. J Appl Physiol.
1994;76(1):133-137.
17. Impro ed exibility: Simão R, Lemos A, Salles B, et al. e In uence of Strength, Flexibility, and
Simultaneous Training on Flexibility and Strength Gains. J Strength Cond Res. 2011;25(5):1333-
1338.
18. lost about 2 pounds of fat a er 12 weeks on average: Keating SE, Johnson NA, Mielke GI, et al. A
systematic review and meta-analysis of interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous
training on body adiposity. Obes Rev. 2017;18(8):943-964.
19. a review study published by Queen’s University: Ross R, Janssen I. Physical activity, total and
regional obesity: dose-response considerations. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;33(6 Suppl):S521-
S529.
20. A Duke University study illustrates this point perfectly: Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, et al.
E ects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese
adults. J Appl Physiol. 2012;113(12):1831-1837.
21. doing 20-rep and 10-rep sets are negligible: Morgan B, Woodru SJ, Tiidus PM. Aerobic energy
expenditure during recreational weight training in females and males. J Sports Sci Med.
 2003;2(3):117-122.
22. raise your basal metabolic rate over time: LaForgia J, Withers RT, Gore CJ. E ects of exercise
intensity and duration on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. J Sports Sci.
2006;24(12):1247-1264.; Bryner RW, Ullrich IH, Sauers J, et al. E ects of resistance vs. aerobic
training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate. J
Am Coll Nutr. 1999;18(2):115-121.
23. produces better metabolic e ects than lighter weights and more reps, too: Fatouros IG,
Chatzinikolaou A, Tournis S, et al. Intensity of resistance exercise determines adipokine and
resting energy expenditure responses in overweight elderly individuals. Diabetes Care.
2009;32(12):2161-2167.
24. makes it harder to progress in your training: Murach KA, Bagley JR. Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy
with Concurrent Exercise Training: Contrary Evidence for an Interference E ect. Sport Med.
2016;46(8):1029-1039.
25. by disrupting cell signaling related to muscle growth: Jones TW, Howatson G, Russell M, et al.
Performance and Neuromuscular Adaptations Following Di ering Ratios of Concurrent Strength
and Endurance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27(12):3342-3351.
26. muscle growth or strength in untrained and trained men and women: Barbalho M, Coswig V, Raiol
R, et al. Single joint exercises do not provide bene ts in performance and anthropometric changes
in recreational bodybuilders. Eur J Sport Sci. 2020;20(1):72-79.; Barbalho M, Gentil P, Raiol R, et
al. In uence of Adding Single-Joint Exercise to a Multijoint Resistance Training Program in
Untrained Young Women. J Strength Cond Res. 2020;34(8):2214-2219.; Barbalho M, Coswig VS,
Raiol R, et al. Does the addition of single joint exercises to a resistance training program improve
changes in performance and anthropometric measures in untrained men?. Eur J Transl Myol.
2018;28(4):7827.; Barbalho M, Coswig VS, Raiol R, et al. E ects of Adding Single Joint Exercises
to a Resistance Training Programme in Trained Women. Sports (Basel). 2018;6(4):160.; de França
HS, Branco PA, Guedes Junior DP, et al. e e ects of adding single-joint exercises to a multi-
joint exercise resistance training program on upper body muscle strength and size in trained men.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2015;40(8):822-826.
27. almost impossible for isolation exercises to show bene ts: Nuckols G. More Evidence at Single-
Joint Training Doesn’t Increase Gains?. Mass Research Review website. Accessed October 13,
2021. https://www.massmember.com/products/mass-
subscription/categories/1458811/posts/4929914
28. produces better results than just one or two ways: Barakat C, Barroso R, Alvarez M, et al. e E ects
of Varying Glenohumeral Joint Angle on Acute Volume Load, Muscle Activation, Swelling, and
Echo-Intensity on the Biceps Brachii in Resistance-Trained Individuals. Sports (Basel).
2019;7(9):204.
29. did the Smith machine squat: Fonseca RM, Roschel H, Tricoli V, et al. Changes in exercises are
more e ective than in loading schemes to improve muscle strength. J Strength Cond Res.
2014;28(11):3085-3092.
30. more symmetrical and complete growth of the thighs, biceps, and triceps than training with one
exercise: Costa BDV, Kassiano W, Nunes JP, et al. Does Performing Di erent Resistance Exercises
for the Same Muscle Group Induce Non-homogeneous Hypertrophy?. Int J Sports Med.
2021;42(9):803-811.
31. the triceps, which plateaued a er about eight weeks: Ogasawara R, iebaud RS, Loenneke JP, et al.
Time course for arm and chest muscle thickness changes following bench press training. Interv
Med Appl Sci. 2012;4(4):217-220.
32. would be bene cial: Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H. E ects of squat training with di erent depths
on lower limb muscle volumes. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019;119(9):1933-1942.

Chapter 12
The Ultimate Strength Training Plan for Men

1. immediately upon leaving my sick bed I started a comeback campaign: Finkelstein J. Bama’s Hercules
displays weightli ing abilities. Crimson White Undated Clipping: omas DeLorme Collection,
H. J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, e University of Texas at Austin.;
Todd JS, Shurley JP, Todd TC. omas L. DeLorme and the science of progressive resistance
exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(11):2913-2923.
2. it belongs on the list: Damas F, Libardi CA, Ugrinowitsch C. e development of skeletal muscle
hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis.
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018;118(3):485-500.
3. a stronger muscle-building stimulus than muscle damage and cellular fatigue: Hornberger TA,
Chien S. Mechanical stimuli and nutrients regulate rapamycin-sensitive signaling through distinct
mechanisms in skeletal muscle. J Cell Biochem. 2006;97(6):1207-1216.; Vandenburgh HH.
Motion into mass: how does tension stimulate muscle growth?. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1987;19(5
Suppl):S142-S149.; Schoenfeld B. e Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and eir
Application to Resistance Training. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2010;24(10):2857-2872.; Hoppeler H,
Klossner S, Flück M. Gene expression in working skeletal muscle. Adv Exp Med Biol.
2007;618:245-254.
4. 15 percent of baseball players deliver 85 percent of the wins: Caspi A, Houts RM, Belsky DW, et al.
Childhood forecasting of a small segment of the population with large economic burden. Nat
Hum Behav. 2016;1:0005.; Sawyer B, Claxton G. How do health expenditures vary across the
population? Health System Tracker website. Published January 16, 2019. Accessed October 13,
2021. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-expenditures-vary-across-
population/#item-while-health-spending-increases-throughout-adulthood-for-both-men-and-
women-spending-varies-by-age_2016.; Zimmerman J. Applying the Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule)
to Baseball. Beyond the Box Score website. Published June 4, 2010. Accessed October 13, 2021.
https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2010/6/4/1501048/applying-the-parento-principle-80
 5. you need to know how to manage it: Halson SL, Jeukendrup AE. Does overtraining exist? An
analysis of overreaching and overtraining research. Sports Med. 2004;34(14):967-981.
6. you can develop symptoms like …: Kreher JB. Diagnosis and prevention of overtraining syndrome:
an opinion on education strategies. Open access J Sport Med. 2016;7:115-122.
7. the equency of those workouts must go down: Robbins DW, Marshall PW, McEwen M. e E ect
of Training Volume on Lower-Body Strength. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(1):34-39.
8. equency isn’t nearly as important for gaining muscle and strength as intensity and olume: Gomes
GK, Franco CM, Nunes PRP, et al. High-frequency resistance training is not more e ective than
low-frequency resistance training in increasing muscle mass and strength in well-trained men. J
Strength Cond Res. February 2018:1.; Colquhoun RJ, Gai CM, Aguilar D, et al. Training Volume,
Not Frequency, Indicative of Maximal Strength Adaptations to Resistance Training. J Strength
Cond Res. 2018;32(5):1207-1213.
9. the higher end for advanced weightli ers: Barbalho M, Coswig VS, Steele J, et al. Evidence of a
ceiling e ect for training volume in muscle hypertrophy and strength in trained men-less is more.
Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2020;15(2):268-277.
10. can’t build muscle any faster: Wernbom M, Augustsson J, omeé R. e in uence of frequency,
intensity, volume and mode of strength training on whole muscle cross-sectional area in humans.
Sports Med. 2007;37(3):225-264.
11. how t you are: Helms ER, Fitschen PJ, Aragon AA, et al. Recommendations for natural
bodybuilding contest preparation: resistance and cardiovascular training. J Sports Med Phys
Fitness. 2015;55(3):164-178.
12. lower reps versus lighter weights (less than 60 percent of one-rep max) and higher reps: Schoenfeld BJ,
Grgic J, Ogborn D, et al. Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load
Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
13. Other studies have also found no di erence in muscle growth when using 10 versus 30 reps:
Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, et al. E ects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training
on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res.
2015;29(10):2954-2963.; Morton RW, Oikawa SY, Wavell CG, et al. Neither load nor systemic
hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-
trained young men. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2016;121(1):129-138.; Lopes CR, Aoki MS, Crisp
AH, et al. e E ect of Di erent Resistance Training Load Schemes on Strength and Body
Composition in Trained Men. J Hum Kinet. 2017;58:177-186.; Klemp A, Dolan C, uiles JM, et
al. Volume-equated high- and low-repetition daily undulating programming strategies produce
similar hypertrophy and strength adaptations. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016;41(7):699-705.;
Schoenfeld BJ, Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, et al. E ects of di erent volume-equated resistance
training loading strategies on muscular adaptations in well-trained men. J Strength Cond Res.
2014;28(10):2909-2918.
14. forcing you to rest longer between sets to catch your breath: Morán-Navarro R, Pérez CE, Mora-
Rodríguez R, et al. Time course of recovery following resistance training leading or not to failure.
 Eur J Appl Physiol. 2017;117(12):2387-2399.
15. research shows that using heavier weights for fewer reps is better for gaining strength than using lighter
weights: Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, et al. Loading Recommendations for Muscle
Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum.
Sports (Basel). 2021;9(2):32.
16. caused zero leg muscle growth a er 10 weeks: Mattocks KT, Buckner SL, Jessee MB, et al.
Practicing the Test Produces Strength Equivalent to Higher Volume Training. Med Sci Sports
Exerc. 2017;49(9):1945-1954.
17. the latter group reported no such problems and were eager to continue training: Schoenfeld BJ,
Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, et al. E ects of di erent volume-equated resistance training loading
strategies on muscular adaptations in well-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(10):2909-
2918.
18. thirty-two untrained men were split into two groups: Nóbrega SR, Ugrinowitsch C, Pintanel L, et
al.. E ect of Resistance Training to Muscle Failure vs. Volitional Interruption at High- and Low-
Intensities on Muscle Mass and Strength. J Strength Cond Res. 2018;32(1):162-169.
19. another study with untrained women and biceps curls, but why?: Martorelli S, Cadore EL, Izquierdo
M, et al. Strength Training with Repetitions to Failure does not Provide Additional Strength and
Muscle Hypertrophy Gains in Young Women. Eur J Transl Myol. 2017;27(2):6339.
20. who ended each set a couple of reps short of muscular failure: Carroll KM, Bazyler CD, Bernards JR,
et al. Skeletal Muscle Fiber Adaptations Following Resistance Training Using Repetition
Maximums or Relative Intensity. Sports (Basel). 2019;7(7):169.
21. lead to more muscle endurance, strength, and (o en) size: Schoenfeld BJ. e mechanisms of muscle
hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(10):2857-
2872.
22. wear and tear than to near-muscular failure: Morán-Navarro R, Pérez CE, Mora-Rodríguez R, et
al. Time course of recovery following resistance training leading or not to failure. Eur J Appl
Physiol. 2017;117(12):2387-2399.
23. allowed for more reps over multiple sets and produced more strength gain: De Salles BF, Simão R,
Miranda F, et al. Rest Interval between Sets in Strength Training. Sport Med. 2009;39(9):765-777.
24. the researchers concluded the following: Willardson JM, Burkett LN. e E ect of Di erent Rest
Intervals Between Sets on Volume Components and Strength Gains. J Strength Cond Res.
2008;22(1):146-152.
25. studies show that picturing a successful set can enhance performance!: Lebon F, Collet C, Guillot A.
Bene ts of motor imagery training on muscle strength. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(6):1680-
1687.
26. over the entirety of your joints: Pinto RS, Gomes N, Radaelli R, et al. E ect of range of motion on
muscle strength and thickness. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(8):2140-2145.
27. better results than using a slow rep tempo: Hat eld DL, Kraemer WJ, Spiering BA, et al. e impact
of velocity of movement on performance factors in resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res.
2006;20(4):760-766.; Munn J, Herbert RD, Hancock MJ, Gandevia SC. Resistance training for
strength: e ect of number of sets and contraction speed. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005;37(9):1622-
1626.; Neils CM, Udermann BE, Brice GA, et al. In uence of contraction velocity in untrained
individuals over the initial early phase of resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19(4):883-
887.

Chapter 13
The Best Exercises for Building Your Best Body Ever

1. during barbell back squats and weighted planks: Van Den Tillaar R, Saeterbakken AH. Comparison
of Core Muscle Activation between a Prone Bridge and 6-RM Back Squats. J Hum Kinet.
2018;62(1):43-53.
2. A study published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal supports this: Green CM, Comfort P.
e A ect of Grip Width on Bench Press Performance and Risk of Injury. Strength Cond J.
2007;29(5):10-14.
3. emphasize the smaller clavicular head: Trebs AA, Brandenburg JP, Pitney WA. An
Electromyography Analysis of 3 Muscles Surrounding the Shoulder Joint During the Performance
of a Chest Press Exercise at Several Angles. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(7):1925-1930.
4. play a major role in preventing back injuries: Colado JC, Pablos C, Chulvi-Medrano I, et al. e
Progression of Paraspinal Muscle Recruitment Intensity in Localized and Global Strength
Training Exercises Is Not Based on Instability Alone. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2011;92(11):1875-
1883.
5. how likely it was to produce injury: Cholewicki J, McGill SM. Lumbar posterior ligament
involvement during extremely heavy li s estimated from uoroscopic measurements. J Biomech.
1992;25(1):17-28.
6. a psychological rather than a physical condition: Moseley GL. Teaching people about pain: why do
we keep beating around the bush?. Pain Manag. 2012;2(1):1-3.
7. others with detectable damage have no pain: Brinjikji W, Luetmer PH, Comstock B, et al.
Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic
populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015;36(4):811-816.; Deyo RA, Weinstein JN. Low back
pain. N Engl J Med. 2001;344(5):363-370.; Moseley GL. Teaching people about pain: why do we
keep beating around the bush?. Pain Manag. 2012;2(1):1-3.; Ong A, Anderson J, Roche J. A pilot
study of the prevalence of lumbar disc degeneration in elite athletes with lower back pain at the
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Br J Sports Med. 2003;37(3):263-266.
8. reduce the risk of injury as well: Blanchard TW, Smith C, Grenier SG. In a dynamic li ing task, the
relationship between cross-sectional abdominal muscle thickness and the corresponding muscle
 activity is a ected by the combined use of a weightli ing belt and the Valsalva maneuver. J
Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2016;28:99-103.
9. talk with your doctor before using the Valsal a maneuver: Hackett DA, Chow C-M. e Valsalva
Maneuver. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27(8):2338-2345.; Fleck SJ, Dean LS. Resistance-training
experience and the pressor response during resistance exercise. J Appl Physiol. 1987;63(1):116-120.
10. It places additional strain on the biceps of your palm-up arm: Beggs LA. Comparison of muscle
activation and kinematics during the deadli using a double-pronated and overhand/underhand
grip. University of Kentucky Master’s eses. 2011.
11. activates the lats while reducing biceps activation: Andersen V, Fimland MS, Wiik E, et al. E ects of
grip width on muscle strength and activation in the lat pull-down. J Strength Cond Res.
2014;28(4):1135-1142.
12. more e ective for training the lats than a supinated grip: Lusk SJ, Hale BD, Russell DM. Grip width
and forearm orientation e ects on muscle activity during the lat pull-down. J Strength Cond Res.
2010;24(7):1895-1900.
13. seated leg curls are more e ective for building your hamstring muscles than lying leg curls: Maeo S,
Huang M, Wu Y, et al. Greater Hamstrings Muscle Hypertrophy but Similar Damage Protection
a er Training at Long versus Short Muscle Lengths. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021;53(4):825-837.
14. may even prevent joint pain: Chandler TJ, Wilson GD, Stone MH. e e ect of the squat exercise
on knee stability. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1989;21(3):299-303; Magni NE, McNair PJ, Rice DA.
e e ects of resistance training on muscle strength, joint pain, and hand function in individuals
with hand osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arthritis Res er.
2017;19(1):131.; Susko AM, Fitzgerald GK. e pain-relieving qualities of exercise in knee
osteoarthritis. Open access Rheumatol Res Rev. 2013;5:81-91.
15. twel e experienced male powerli ers who squatted between 375 and 650 pounds: Ariel BG.
Biomechanical analysis of the knee joint during deep knee bends with heavy load. In: Biomechanics
IV. London: Macmillan Education UK; 1974:44-52.
16. beyond the toes in a squat are well within safe limits: Schoenfeld BJ. Squatting kinematics and
kinetics and their application to exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(12):3497-
3506.
17. the same lower-body muscles in almost identical ways: van den Tillaar R, Helms E. Comparison of
Muscle Activation and Kinematics in 6-RM Squatting with Low and High Barbell Placement. J
Hum Kinet. 2020;74:131-142.
18. it’s less e ective than the ee weight barbell squat for gaining muscle and strength: Schwanbeck S,
Chilibeck PD, Binsted G. A Comparison of Free Weight Squat to Smith Machine Squat Using
Electromyography. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(9):2588-2591.

Chapter 14
The Bigger Leaner Stronger Workout Program
1. it doesn’t necessarily decrease the risk of injury (as proponents of drawn-out warm-ups o en claim):
Fradkin AJ, Gabbe BJ, Cameron PA. Does warming up prevent injury in sport? e evidence from
randomised controlled trials?. J Sci Med Sport. 2006;9(3):214-220.
2. can actually reduce your strength and athletic performance: Young W, Behm D. Should Static
Stretching Be Used During a Warm-Up for Strength and Power Activities? Strength Cond J.
2002;24(6):33-37.
3. doing warm-up sets of the exercises in those workouts: Neves PP, Alves AR, Marinho DA. Warming-
Up for Resistance Training and Muscular Performance: A Narrative Review. Taiar R ed. In:
Contemporary Advances in Sports Science [Working Title]. 1st ed. Open Access Books; 2021.
4. (making it easier to pick up where you le o when you get back to your hard training): Bickel CS,
Cross JM, Bamman MM. Exercise Dosing to Retain Resistance Training Adaptations in Young
and Older Adults. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 2011;43(7):1177-1187.; Izquierdo M, Ibañez J, González-
Badillo JJ, et al. Detraining and Tapering E ects on Hormonal Responses and Strength
Performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2007;21(3):768.; Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, E ects of
Tapering on Performance. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 2007;39(8):1358-1365.; Pritchard HJ, Tod DA,
Barnes MJ, et al. Tapering Practices of New Zealandʼs Elite Raw Powerli ers. J Strength Cond Res.
2016;30(7):1796-1804.; Mujika I. e In uence of Training Characteristics and Tapering on the
Adaptation in Highly Trained Individuals: A Review. Int J Sports Med. 1998;19(07):439-446.;
Bickel CS, Cross JM, Bamman MM. Exercise Dosing to Retain Resistance Training Adaptations
in Young and Older Adults. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 2011;43(7):1177-1187.
5. burned just as many calories as a 30-minute high-intensity interval workout (about 300 calories):
Tucker WJ, Angadi SS, Gaesser GA. Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption A er High-
Intensity and Sprint Interval Exercise, and Continuous Steady-State Exercise. J Strength Cond Res.
2016;30(11):3090-3097.
6. Research shows it can help you gain lower-body muscle and strength faster: Mikkola J, Rusko H,
Izquierdo M, et al. Neuromuscular and cardiovascular adaptations during concurrent strength and
endurance training in untrained men. Int J Sports Med. 2012;33(9):702-710.

Chapter 15
The Right and Wrong Ways to Track Your Progress

1. the data pro ided by such so ware and gadgets can be wildly erroneous: Konharn K,
Eungpinichpong W, Promdee K, et al. Validity and Reliability of Smartphone Applications for the
Assessment of Walking and Running in Normal-weight and Overweight/Obese Young Adults. J
Phys Act Health. 2016;13(12):1333-1340.; Evenson KR, Goto MM, Furberg RD. Systematic
review of the validity and reliability of consumer-wearable activity trackers. Int J Behav Nutr Phys
Act. 2015;12:159.; Bosy-Westphal A, Later W, Hitze B, et al. Accuracy of bioelectrical impedance
consumer devices for measurement of body composition in comparison to whole body magnetic
resonance imaging and dual X-ray absorptiometry. Obes Facts. 2008;1(6):319-324.; Lukaski HC,
 Bolonchuk WW, Hall CB, et al. Validation of tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance method to assess
human body composition. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1986;60(4):1327-1332.

Chapter 16
The Bigger Leaner Stronger Quickstart Guide

1. you prevent this by starting with a week of lighter training, however: Huang MJ, Nosaka K, Wang
HS, et al. Damage protective e ects conferred by low-intensity eccentric contractions on arm, leg
and trunk muscles. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019;119(5):1055-1064.

Chapter 17
The Smart Supplement Buyer’s Guide

1. in many cases contaminated with unlisted ingredients: O’Connor A. New York Attorney General
Targets Supplements at Major Retailers. New York Times Website. Published February 3, 2015.
Accessed October 14, 2021. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/new-york-attorney-
general-targets-supplements-at-major-retailers/
2. falsifying their supplement fact panels to co er their tracks: Morrell A. Lawsuits Say Protein Powders
Lack Protein, Ripping O Athletes. Forbes Website. Published March 12, 2015. Accessed
October 14, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexmorrell/2015/03/12/lawsuits-say-protein-
powders-lack-protein-ripping-o -athletes/#14 d4467729
3. putting a methamphetamine-like drug in their popular pre-workout supplement “Craze.”: Young A.
Popular sports supplements contain meth-like compound. USA Today Website. Published
October 14, 2013. Accessed October 14, 2021.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/14/tests-of-supplements-craze-and-
detonate- nd-methamphetamine-like-compound/2968041/
4. selling anabolic steroids and illegal weight loss drugs: Young A. Sports supplement designer has
history of risky products. USA Today Website. Published July 25, 2014. Accessed October 2021.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/25/bodybuilding-supplement-designer-
matt-cahill-usa-today-investigation/2568815/
5. caused liver damage and failure: Young A. Firm in outbreak probe has history of run-ins with
FDA. USA Today Website. Published October 24, 2013. Accessed October 14, 2021.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/24/usplabs-has-history-of-fda-run-ins-
ceo-with-criminal-history/3179113/; U.S. Food & Drug Administration. DMAA in Products
Marketed as Dietary Supplements. U.S. Food & Drug Administration Website. Published August,
2018. Accessed October 14, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplement-products-
ingredients/dmaa-products-marketed-dietary-supplements; U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Public Noti cation: Oxy ELITE Pro Super ermogenic contains hidden drug ingredient. U.S.
Food & Drug Administration Website. Published February 28, 2015. Accessed October 14, 2021.
 https://www.fda.gov/drugs/medication-health-fraud/public-noti cation-oxy-elite-pro-super-
thermogenic-contains-hidden-drug-ingredient; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases. OxyELITE Pro. Updated September 8, 2021. Accessed October 14, 2021.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548935/.
6. could be harmful to our health: Abou-Donia MB, El-Masry EM, Abdel-Rahman AA, et al. Splenda
alters gut micro ora and increases intestinal p-glycoprotein and cytochrome p-450 in male rats. J
Toxicol En iron Health A. 2008;71(21):1415-1429.; Qin X. What made Canada become a
country with the highest incidence of in ammatory bowel disease: could sucralose be the culprit?.
Can J Gastroenterol. 2011;25(9):511.; Schernhammer ES, Bertrand KA, Birmann BM, et al.
Consumption of arti cial sweetener- and sugar-containing soda and risk of lymphoma and
leukemia in men and women [published correction appears in Am J Clin Nutr. 2013
Aug;98(2):512]. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(6):1419-1428.
7. use a high-quality whey concentrate that’s mostly protein by weight: Manninen AH. Protein
hydrolysates in sports nutrition. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009;6:38.; Young S. Whey Products in Ice
Cream and Frozen Dairy Desserts. U.S. Dairy Export Council; 2007.
8. a more stable, continuous release of amino acids into the blood): Boirie Y, Dangin M, Gachon P, et al.
Slow and fast dietary proteins di erently modulate postprandial protein accretion. Proc Natl Acad
Sci U S A. 1997;94(26):14930-14935.
9. any such bene t is probably too small to matter: Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, et al. Nutrition
Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the O -Season: A Narrative Review. Sports (Basel).
2019;7(7):154.
10. may be slightly superior for muscle growth: Deglaire A, Fromentin C, Fouillet H, et al. Hydrolyzed
dietary casein as compared with the intact protein reduces postprandial peripheral, but not whole-
body, uptake of nitrogen in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(4):1011-1022.
11. these molecules can produce feminizing e ects in men: Chavarro JE, Toth TL, Sadio SM, et al. Soy
food and iso avone intake in relation to semen quality parameters among men from an infertility
clinic. Hum Reprod. 2008;23(11):2584-2590.
12. no e ect on male fertility or hormones: Messina M. Soybean iso avone exposure does not have
feminizing e ects on men: a critical examination of the clinical evidence. Fertil Steril.
2010;93(7):2095-2104.; Hamilton-Reeves JM, Vazquez G, Duval SJ, et al. Clinical studies show
no e ects of soy protein or iso avones on reproductive hormones in men: results of a meta-
analysis. Fertil Steril. 2010;94(3):997-1007.
13. turn iso avones into a stronger estrogenic chemical called equol, for instance: Liu B, Qin L, Liu A, et
al. [Equol-producing phenotype and in relation to serum sex hormones among healthy adults in
Beijing]. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2011;40(6):727-31.; Frankenfeld CL, Atkinson C, omas WK, et
al. High concordance of daidzein-metabolizing phenotypes in individuals measured 1 to 3 years
apart. Br J Nutr. 2005;94(6):873-876.
14. doesn’t need much tinkering to make it appetizing: Kalman DS. Amino Acid Composition of an
Organic Brown Rice Protein Concentrate and Isolate Compared to Soy and Whey Concentrates
 and Isolates. Foods. 2014;3(3):394-402.; Joy JM, Lowery RP, Wilson JM, et al. e e ects of 8
weeks of whey or rice protein supplementation on body composition and exercise performance.
Nutrition Journal. 2013;12(1):86.
15. it contains the most protein by weight: e U.S. Food and Drug Administration. GRAS
Noti cation for Rice Protein Concentrate. e U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.
Published November 11, 2015. Accessed October 14, 2021.
https://www.fda.gov/media/98081/download.
16. (more protein as well as fewer carbs and fats per serving): Hertzler SR, Lieblein-Bo JC, Weiler M,
et al. Plant Proteins: Assessing eir Nutritional uality and E ects on Health and Physical
Function. Nutrients. 2020;12(12):3704.
17. helps you better stick to your meal plan (especially when cutting): Martens MJ, Lemmens SG, Born
JM, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. A solid high-protein meal evokes stronger hunger suppression
than a lique ed high-protein meal. Obesity (Sil er Spring). 2011;19(3):522-527.
18. 33 percent weren’t getting enough folate: Cordain L, Eaton SB, Sebastian A, et al. Origins and
evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century. Am J Clin Nutr.
2005;81(2):341-354.
19. getting enough calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E: Blumberg JB, Frei BB, Fulgoni
VL, et al. Impact of Frequency of Multi-Vitamin/Multi-Mineral Supplement Intake on
Nutritional Adequacy and Nutrient De ciencies in U.S. Adults. Nutrients. 2017;9(8):849.
20. preventing disease, preserving blood vessel and immune function, boosting bone growth and repair,
and protecting joint health: Erkkilä AT, Booth SL. Vitamin K intake and atherosclerosis. Curr Opin
Lipidol. 2008;19(1):39-42.; Dawson-Hughes B, Mithal A, Bonjour JP, et al. IOF position
statement: vitamin D recommendations for older adults. Osteoporos Int. 2010;21(7):1151-1154.
21. immune responses, metabolic activities, and cell development: Holick MF. Vitamin D: evolutionary,
physiological and health perspectives. Curr Drug Targets. 2011;12(1):4-18.; Wacker M, Holick
MF. Vitamin D - e ects on skeletal and extraskeletal health and the need for supplementation.
Nutrients. 2013;5(1):111-148.
22. aren’t in the sun enough to meet our vitamin D needs: Holick MF. Vitamin D: importance in the
prevention of cancers, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis [published correction
appears in Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May;79(5):890]. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(3):362-371.
23. compared to how much is needed to maintain health: Ross AC, Taylor CL, Yaktine AL, et al.,
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee to Review Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and
Calcium. National Academies Press (US); 2011.
24. 1,500-to- 2,000 IU per day is adequate for ages 19 and up: Holick MF, Binkley NC, Bischo -
Ferrari HA, et al. Evaluation, treatment, and prevention of vitamin D de ciency: an Endocrine
Society clinical practice guideline [published correction appears in J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2011 Dec;96(12):3908]. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(7):1911-1930.
25. even when folate or folic acid intake is high through food and supplementation: Bezold G, Lange M,
Peter RU. Homozygous methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T mutation and male
infertility. N Engl J Med. 2001;344(15):1172-1173.
26. ene cial to those with and without the genetic mutation: Venn BJ, Green TJ, Moser R, et al.
Comparison of the e ect of low-dose supplementation with L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate or folic
acid on plasma homocysteine: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Am J Clin Nutr.
2003;77(3):658-662.; Prinz-Langenohl R, Brämswig S, Tobolski O, et al. [6S]-5-
methyltetrahydrofolate increases plasma folate more e ectively than folic acid in women with the
homozygous or wild-type 677C-->T polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. Br J
Pharmacol. 2009;158(8):2014-2021.
27. increases the risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and other diseases: Kris-
Etherton PM, Harris WS, Appel LJ; American Heart Association. Nutrition Committee. Fish
consumption, sh oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease [published correction
appears in Circulation. 2003 Jan 28;107(3):512.]. Circulation. 2002;106(21):2747-2757.; Dyall
SC. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and the brain: a review of the independent and shared e ects
of EPA, DPA and DHA. Front Aging Neurosci. 2015;7:52.; Grosso G, Galvano F, Marventano S,
et al. Omega-3 fatty acids and depression: scienti c evidence and biological mechanisms. Oxid
Med Cell Longev. 2014;2014:313570.; Canhada S, Castro K, Perry IS, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids’
supplementation in Alzheimer’s disease: A systematic review. Nutr Neurosci. 2018;21(8):529-538.;
Simopoulos AP. e importance of the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio in cardiovascular disease
and other chronic diseases. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2008;233(6):674-688.
28. Faster fat loss: Du S, Jin J, Fang W, et al. Does Fish Oil Have an Anti-Obesity E ect in
Overweight/Obese Adults? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. PLoS One.
2015;10(11):e0142652.
29. Less muscle and joint soreness: Jouris KB, McDaniel JL, Weiss EP. e E ect of Omega-3 Fatty
Acid Supplementation on the In ammatory Response to eccentric strength exercise. J Sports Sci
Med. 2011;10(3):432-438.; Goldberg RJ, Katz J. A meta-analysis of the analgesic e ects of omega-
3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for in ammatory joint pain. Pain. 2007;129(1-
2):210-223.
30. Less fat gain: Buckley JD, Howe PR. Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may be
bene cial for reducing obesity-a review. Nutrients. 2010;2(12):1212-1230.
31. Less anxiety and stress: Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Belury MA, Andridge R, et al. Omega-3
supplementation lowers in ammation and anxiety in medical students: a randomized controlled
trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2011;25(8):1725-1734.; Bourre JM. Dietary omega-3 Fatty acids and
psychiatry: mood, behaviour, stress, depression, dementia and aging. J Nutr Health Aging.
2005;9(1):31-38.
32. Better memory, attention, and reaction times: Nurk E, Drevon CA, Refsum H, et al. Cognitive
performance among the elderly and dietary sh intake: the Hordaland Health Study. Am J Clin
Nutr. 2007;86(5):1470-1478.
33. Increased immunity: Gutiérrez S, Svahn SL, Johansson ME. E ects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on
Immune Cells. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(20):5028.
34. Possibly faster muscle gain: Smith GI, Atherton P, Reeds DN, et al. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty
acids augment the muscle protein anabolic response to hyperinsulinaemia-hyperaminoacidaemia
in healthy young and middle-aged men and women. Clin Sci (Lond). 2011;121(6):267-278.
35. which is con erted into EPA and DHA rather ine ciently: Burns-Whitmore B, Froyen E, Heskey
C, Parker T, San Pablo G. Alpha-Linolenic and Linoleic Fatty Acids in the Vegan Diet: Do ey
Require Dietary Reference Intake/Adequate Intake Special Consideration?. Nutrients.
2019;11(10):2365.
36. is better absorbed than natural triglyceride and ethyl ester oil: Dyerberg J, Madsen P, Møller JM, et
al. Bioavailability of marine n-3 fatty acid formulations. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids.
2010;83(3):137-141.; Song JH, Inoue Y, Miyazawa T. Oxidative stability of docosahexaenoic
acid-containing oils in the form of phospholipids, triacylglycerols, and ethyl esters. Biosci
Biotechnol Biochem. 1997;61(12):2085-2088.
37. additional bene ts related to physical performance and reco ery: Kris-Etherton PM, Harris WS,
Appel LJ; American Heart Association. Nutrition Committee. Fish consumption, sh oil, omega-
3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease [published correction appears in Circulation. 2003 Jan
28;107(3):512.]. Circulation. 2002;106(21):2747-2757.; Dyerberg J, Madsen P, Møller JM, et al.
Bioavailability of marine n-3 fatty acid formulations. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids.
2010;83(3):137-141.
38. it does these things safely, too: Branch JD. E ect of creatine supplementation on body composition
and performance: a meta-analysis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003;13(2):198-226.; Volek JS,
Ratamess NA, Rubin MR, et al. e e ects of creatine supplementation on muscular performance
and body composition responses to short-term resistance training overreaching. Eur J Appl
Physiol. 2004;91(5-6):628-637.; Eckerson JM, Stout JR, Moore GA, et al. E ect of creatine
phosphate supplementation on anaerobic working capacity and body weight a er two and six days
of loading in men and women. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19(4):756-763.
39. even if you have impaired kidney function: Bizzarini E, De Angelis L. Is the use of oral creatine
supplementation safe?. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2004;44(4):411-416.; Groeneveld GJ, Beijer C,
Veldink JH, et al. Few adverse e ects of long-term creatine supplementation in a placebo-
controlled trial. Int J Sports Med. 2005;26(4):307-313.
40. creatine monohydrate once per day is e ective: Bemben MG, Lamont HS. Creatine supplementation
and exercise performance: recent ndings. Sports Med. 2005;35(2):107-125.; Kreider RB, Kalman
DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and e cacy
of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18.;
Helms E, Valdez A, Morgan A. e Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Nutrition. 2nd ed. Eric Helms;
2018.
 Chapter 18
Frequently Asked Questions

1. about the same amount of muscle and strength: Kerksick CM, Wilborn CD, Campbell BI, et al.
Early-Phase Adaptations to a Split-Body, Linear Periodization Resistance Training Program in
College-Aged and Middle-Aged Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(3):962-971.
2. the “dwindling health spiral” normally associated with aging: Hunter GR, McCarthy JP, Bamman
MM. E ects of resistance training on older adults. Sports Med. 2004;34(5):329-348; American
College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Med Sci
Sports Exerc. 1998;30(6):992-1008.
3. primarily om muscle loss, not biological programming: Roberts SB, Dallal GE. Energy
requirements and aging. Public Health Nutr. 2005;8(7A):1028-1036; Piers LS, Soares MJ,
McCormack LM, et al. Is there evidence for an age-related reduction in metabolic rate? J Appl
Physiol. 1998;85(6):2196-2204.
4. if you add muscle to your ame, you can impro e it: Bosy-Westphal A, Eichhorn C, Kutzner D, et
al. e Age-Related Decline in Resting Energy Expenditure in Humans Is Due to the Loss of Fat-
Free Mass and to Alterations in Its Metabolically Active Components. J Nutr. 2003;133(7):2356-
2362.
5. Gaining weight: Kumagai H, Zempo-Miyaki A, Yoshikawa T, et al. Lifestyle modi cation
increases serum testosterone level and decrease central blood pressure in overweight and obese
men. Endocr J. 2015;62(5):423-430.
6. Stopping exercise: Kumagai H, Zempo-Miyaki A, Yoshikawa T, et al. Increased physical activity has
a greater e ect than reduced energy intake on lifestyle modi cation-induced increases in
testosterone. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2016;58(1):84-89.
7. Su ering chronic illness: Peterson MD, Belakovskiy A, McGrath R, et al. Testosterone De ciency,
Weakness, and Multimorbidity in Men. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):5897.
8. Using certain medications: Cepeda MS, Zhu V, Vorsanger G, et al. E ect of Opioids on
Testosterone Levels: Cross-Sectional Study using NHANES. Pain Med. 2015;16(12):2235-2242.
9. Sleeping too little: Leproult R, Van Cauter E. E ect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone
levels in young healthy men. JAMA. 2011;305(21):2173-2174.
10. Consuming large amounts of alcohol: Van iel DH, Lester R. e e ect of chronic alcohol abuse
on sexual function. Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1979;8(3):499-510.
11. muscles also reco er slower om exercise: Sherratt MJ. Tissue elasticity and the ageing elastic bre.
Age (Dordr). 2009;31(4):305-325.; Fell J, Williams D. e e ect of aging on skeletal-muscle
recovery from exercise: possible implications for aging athletes. J Aging Phys Act. 2008;16(1):97-
115; Faulkner JA, Davis CS, Mendias CL, et al. e aging of elite male athletes: age-related
changes in performance and skeletal muscle structure and function. Clin J Sport Med.
2008;18(6):501-507.
12. allows for rapid regrowth: Bruusgaard JC, Johansen IB, Egner IM, et al. Myonuclei acquired by
overload exercise precede hypertrophy and are not lost on detraining. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2010;107(34):15111-15116.
13. increases feelings of fullness and reduces hunger levels: Dennis EA, Dengo AL, Comber DL, et al.
Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged
and older adults. Obesity (Sil er Spring). 2010;18(2):300-307.
14. people who got eight hours of sleep: Brondel L, Romer MA, Nougues PM, et al. Acute partial sleep
deprivation increases food intake in healthy men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(6):1550-1559.
15. the connective tissues holding them together: Crameri RM, Aagaard P, Qvortrup K, et al. Myo bre
damage in human skeletal muscle: e ects of electrical stimulation versus voluntary contraction. J
Physiol. 2007;583(1):365-380.