the shredded summer challenge (1)

8/19/2019 The Shredded Summer Challenge (1)

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If you’re like the thousand of people I’ve helped and worked with, you’re not looking to

build freakish amounts of muscle mass.

You just want to be muscular and lean enough to take your shirt off at the beach and have

people say “wow, I wish I looked like that! "nd I created the #$hredded$ummer %hallenge

to help you get there.

&his is a '(month transformation program that is going to be )uite unlike anything you’ve

done before.

You’re not going to starve yourself or battle with overwhelming cravings.

You’re not going to have to eat nothing but boring, bland foods for months on end.

You’re not going to be told to spend a fortune on supplements.

You’re not going to have to do *+ hour grueling workouts every day.

You’re not going to bother with hours and hours of cardio every week.

Instead, you’re going to eat plenty of food that you actually enjoy, your supplementation

routine is going to be simple but effective, and you’re going to perform shorter, more

intense weightlifting and cardio sessions...and your body is going to respond better than

you would ever imagine.

&his program will not only help you get shredded this summer, but it will teach you things

most people will never know about how to build muscle, get lean, and stay healthy.

efore we get to the program, though, I’d like to introduce myself...


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My mission is to empower people to take control of their health and fitness by

following a healthy, enjoyable lifestyle that not only gives them the body they’ve

always wanted but also enables them to live a long, vital, disease-free life.

I’m -ike, and I believe that every person can achieve the body of his or her dreams. I work

hard to give everyone that chance by providing workable, proven advice grounded in

science, not a desire to sell phony magaines, workout products, or supplements.

&hrough my books and work at -uscle for /ife, I’ve been able to help tens of thousands of

people lose weight, build muscle, and get healthy. -y goal is to turn that number into

hundreds of thousands and ultimately millions.

I’ve been training for more than a decade now and have tried just about every type of

workout program, diet regimen, and supplement you can imagine. /ike most guys, I had no

clue what I was doing when I started out. I turned to magaines for help, which had me

spending a couple of hours in the gym every day and wasting hundreds of dollars on

worthless supplements each month, only to make mediocre 0at best1 gains.

&his went on for years, and I jumped from workout program to workout program. I tried all

kinds of splits and routines, e2ercises, rep ranges, and rep timing schemes, and while Imade some gains 0it’s impossible not to if you just keep at it1, I eventually hit the dreaded

plateau.

-y weight remained stuck for over a year, I wasn’t getting stronger, and I had no idea what

to do with my nutrition beyond eating clean and making sure I was getting a lot of protein. I

turned to various trainers for guidance, but they had me do more of the same. I liked

working out too much to )uit, but I wasn’t happy with my body, and I didn’t know what I

was doing wrong.

3ere’s a picture of me after almost 4 years of lifting regularly5

http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/http://www.muscleforlife.com/http://www.muscleforlife.com/http://www.muscleforlife.com/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/


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6ot very impressive. $omething had to change.

I 7nally decided that it was time to get educated8to throw the magaines away and learn

the physiology of muscle growth and fat loss and what it takes to build a big, lean, and

strong body.

$o I got serious about doing real research. I searched out the work of top strength and

competition coaches, talked to scores of natural bodybuilders, and read hundreds of

scienti7c papers, and a very clear picture emerged.


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&he real science of getting into incredible shape is very, very simple8much simpler than

the health and 7tness advice and supplement industries want us to believe. It 9ies in the

face of almost all the crap that we hear on &:, read in magaines, and see in the gym.

3ere’s a small sampling of what most people will never know about getting into the best

shape of their lives5

/ifting light weights for high reps is basically a waste of time. If your routine doesn’t

revolve around heavy lifting, you’re doing it wrong.

;etting lean, and even super lean, does 6


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"s a result of what I learned, I completely changed the way I trained and ate. "nd my body

responded in ways I couldn’t believe.

-y strength skyrocketed. -y muscles grew faster than I could ever remember. -y energy

levels went through the roof.

&hat was just over @ years ago, and here’s how my body has changed since5

Guite a difference.


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"long the way, my friends noticed the improvements in my physi)ue, and I began training

them.

I took “hardgainers! and put '= to B= lbs. on them in a year. I took people who were

absolutely baHed as to why they couldn’t lose weight and stripped '= lbs. of fat off them in

' to B months and helped them build noticeable muscle at the same time. I took people in

their B=s who believed their hormones were too bottomed out to accomplish anything with

their bodies and helped them turn back the clock *= years in terms of body fat percentage

and muscle de7nition.

"fter doing this over and over for years, my “clients! 0I never asked for money8I just had

them come train with me1 started urging me to write a book. I dismissed the idea at 7rst,

but it began to grow on me.

“Dhat if I had such a book when I had started training! I thought. I would’ve saved an

untold amount of money, time, and frustration, and I would’ve achieved my ideal physi)ue

years ago. I enjoyed helping people with what I had learned, and if I wrote books and they

became popular, what if I could help thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people&hat got me e2cited.

$o I started by publishing igger /eaner $tronger in early *=A*, unsure of what to e2pect.

$ales were slow at 7rst, but within a month or two, I began receiving e(mails from readers

with high praise. I was 9oored. I immediately started on my ne2t book and outlined several

more.

I’ve now published si2 books and sold more than *==,=== copies, and I get scores of e(mails

and social media messages every day from readers who are blown away by the results

they’re seeing. &hey’re just as shocked as I was years ago about how simple it is to build

lean, healthy muscle and lose as much fat as you want without ever feeling starved or

miserable.

It is motivating to see the impact I’m having on people’s lives, and I’m incredibly inspired by

the dedication of my readers and followers. You guys and gals rock.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/bigger-leaner-stronger/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/bigger-leaner-stronger/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/bigger-leaner-stronger/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/bigger-leaner-stronger/


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-y true love is researching and writing, so I’ll always be working on another book, my blog,

and whatever else my writing adventures bring my way.

-y big, evil master plan has three major targets5

“3elp a million people! just has a se2y ring to it, don’t you think It’s a big goal, but I think I

can do it. "nd it goes beyond just helping people look good8I want to make a dent in

alarmingly negative trends we’re seeing in disease and mortality.

Enfortunately, this industry is full of idiots, liars, and hucksters who prey on people’s fears

and insecurities, and I want to do something about it. In fact, I’d like to become known as

the go(to guy for practical, easy(to(understand advice grounded in real science and results.

&he dishonest pill and powder pushers are the people I despise the most in this industry.

&he scams are numerous5 using fancy(sounding, but worthless ingredientsJ cutting

products with junk 7llers like maltode2trin and even stuff like 9our and sawdust 0yes, I’m

not kidding1J using bogus science and ridiculous marketing claims to convince people to

buyJ underdosing the important ingredients dramatically to save money 0and using a

proprietary blend to hide it1J sponsoring steroid(fueled athletes to pretend supplements

are the secret to their gainsJ and more.

I hope you enjoy this book, and I’m positive that if you apply what you’re about to learn,

you too can dramatically transform your physi)ue without hating your “diet! or beating

yourself to death in the gym every day.

"nd just to make it even more fun, you can win KA,=== cash, too...


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If being the hottest guy or gal on the beach isn’t enough motivation to get shredded this

summer, how about the chance to win KA,=== cash

De thought that would get your attention

Fntering the contest only takes a minute and re)uires no purchase. ;et in and let’s get you

shredded

"lright, let’s now get to the meat and potatoes of the #$hredded$ummer program, starting

with how to use your diet properly to ma2imie fat loss.

http://muscleforlife.com/summer/


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&he most common advice for “getting shredded! is a combination of e2treme food and

calorie restriction, grueling high(rep weightlifting workouts, and hours and hours of cardio

each week.

"nd ironically, this is the worst way of going about it.

&his approach guarantees a downright miserable e2perience of horrible food cravings,

rapid muscle and strength loss, and an accumulative fatigue and lethargy that eventually

burns you out.

It doesn’t have to be this way, though.

Dhen you know how to use diet, e2ercise, and supplements properly, you can rapidly lose

fat while maintaining((and even gaining((strengthJ you can completely avoid daily struggles

with hunger, cravings, and energy levels.

$o, let’s dive into proper dieting for fat loss, so let’s get to it.

&his isn’t just theory, either((this is a reliable combination of strategies that I personally use

to get to 4 to LM body fat with relative ease, and that have been successfully used by

thousands of others that I’ve helped.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/


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"s you probably know, losing fat re)uires feeding your body less energy than it burns.Dhen you do this, you’re creating a negative energy balance or calorie de7cit, and the

energy difference between what you eat and what you burn every day((usually measured

in calories((more or less determines how much fat you lose over time.

I know it’s trendy right now to claim that calorie counting doesn’t work or that weight loss is

actually about the )uality, not )uantity, of calories eaten, but these are just marketing

ploys to sell books, pills, and other frauducts.

%alorie counting itself does nothing. %alorie restriction is the key.

You see, the metabolism obeys the 7rst law of thermodynamics. &here is no debating this.

Dhen viewed energetically, your body can’t tell the difference between the calories in a

donut vs. the calories in a gluten(free, soy(free, cholesterol(free, fat(free, ;-rofessor -ark 3aub could lose *L pounds in A= weeks eating &winkies, 6utty

bars, and powdered donuts every day.

&his is why study after study after study have conclusively proven that so long as a calorie

de7cit is maintained, subjects lose fat regardless of diet composition.

6ow, that doesn’t mean that macronutrient ratios don’t matter, because they do, and we’ll

talk more about that in a minute.

ut the point I want to make here is that you must know how to maintain a proper calorie

de7cit over time if you want to lose fat while preserving muscle.

$o let’s look at how to do that.

Cirst, we need to 7gure out, with a fair amount of accuracy, how much energy you’re

burning every day, also known as your &otal Naily Fnergy F2penditure 0&NFF1.

3ere’s how I like to do it5

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19246357http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19246357http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19246357http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996857http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996857http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996857http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16476868http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16476868http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16476868http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996857http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19246357http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/


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Ese the Oatch -c"rdle formula to determine how much energy your body burns every day

e2cluding physical activity, which is known as your basal metabolic rate or -P.

By .! if you e"ercise -# hours per week.

By .#$ if you e"ercise %-& hours per week.

By .$ if you e"ercise &' hours per week.

&he result will be a fairly accurate measurement of your &NFF. $ome people will burn a bit

less and some a bit more 0due to 9uctuations in -P1, but this is a good starting point.

6ow that you know how much energy you’re burning every day, it’s time to work out how

much you’re actually supposed to eat. If you simply ate your &NFF in calories, your weight

would remain the same.

I recommend a moderate calorie de7cit of *=M. &hat is, eat Q=M of your &NFF to create a

mild calorie de7cit that will allow you to lose about a pound of fat per week without feeling

starved or burning up a bunch of muscle.


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Enless you have an abnormally fast metabolism, a standard Oatch -c"rdle &NFF

calculation will come out too high and you’ll wonder why you’re losing little(to(no weight

despite being perfect with your food intake.

&he multipliers I give above are much better for the average metabolism, and can always

be adjusted based on actual results.

I occasionally run into people that lose weight a bit too slowly or )uickly on the above

multipliers, and in the latter case, also e2perience signi7cant decreases in strength and

energy. &hese issues are easily remedied by decreasing or increasing daily calorie intake by

about A== and reassesing.

6ow that you know how many calories you’re supposed to eat every day to lose fat without

frying your muscle, it’s time to turn that number into macronutrients 0protein, carbs, and

fat1.

&he common mistake I see here is too little protein and carbohydrate and too much fat.

"nd the result for many is a signi7cant amount of muscle and strength loss.

$o let’s look at each macronutrient separately.

&he goal while dieting for fat loss is to preserve muscle, and a big part of this is ensuring

you’re eating enough protein.

Cully addressing the science of protein needs would re)uire its own chapter, so I’ll keep it

simple here.


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I’ve reviewed a lot of literature on the matter and tried many different levels of protein

intake while dieting for fat loss, and what I’ve found works best is in line with research

published earlier this year and conducted by "E& Eniversity5

“Protein needs for energy-restricted resistance-trained athletes are likely 2.3-3.1g/kg of

FFM [1 - 1.4 grams per pond of fat free mass! scaled p"ards "ith se#erity of caloric

restriction and leanness.$

I’ve found this to be especially true as you get leaner. If you’re overweight or obese, you can

get away with something closer to A.4 to A.Q grams of protein per kilogram of body weight,

but if you’re trying to go from A=M to 4M, you will do better with a higher intake.

$o, if you’re around ABM body fat 0men1 or *BM 0women1 or less, I recommend you go with

A.* grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you’re higher, you can go with A gram per

pound of body weight.

"lright, you now have your daily protein target. /et’s now look at dietary fat.

3igh(fat diets are really trendy right now because they 0supposedly1 are best for

ma2imiing testosterone levels and weight loss.

&his is misleading.

Yes, switching from a low(fat to a high(fat diet can increase free testosterone levels?but

not by much. 6ot nearly enough to help you build more muscle.

&here are two studies commonly cited as de7nitive proof that high(fat dieting is superior to

high(carb dieting.

&he 7rst demonstrated that when men switched from getting AQM of their daily calories to

@AM, free testosterone levels rose by A'M. &he second, conducted a decade earlier, had

similar 7ndings.

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/257350851_A_Systematic_Review_of_Dietary_Protein_During_Caloric_Restriction_in_Resistance_Trained_Lean_Athletes_A_Case_for_Higher_Intakeshttp://www.researchgate.net/publication/257350851_A_Systematic_Review_of_Dietary_Protein_During_Caloric_Restriction_in_Resistance_Trained_Lean_Athletes_A_Case_for_Higher_Intakeshttp://www.researchgate.net/publication/257350851_A_Systematic_Review_of_Dietary_Protein_During_Caloric_Restriction_in_Resistance_Trained_Lean_Athletes_A_Case_for_Higher_Intakeshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8942407http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8942407http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8942407http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6538617http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6538617http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6538617http://www.researchgate.net/publication/257350851_A_Systematic_Review_of_Dietary_Protein_During_Caloric_Restriction_in_Resistance_Trained_Lean_Athletes_A_Case_for_Higher_Intakeshttp://www.researchgate.net/publication/257350851_A_Systematic_Review_of_Dietary_Protein_During_Caloric_Restriction_in_Resistance_Trained_Lean_Athletes_A_Case_for_Higher_Intakeshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6538617http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8942407


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6ow, that might sound nice, but here’s what high(fat hucksters don’t tell you5 small

9uctuations like this do absolutely nothing in the way of improving muscle growth.

&his has actually been demonstrated in clinical research.

" study conducted by -c-aster Eniversity was conducted with young, resistance trained

men following a B(day weightlifting program and high(protein diet. "fter A* weeks, one of

the primary 7ndings of the study was that the differences among subjects in the e2ercise(

induced spikes in anabolic hormones like testosterone, growth hormone, and I;C(A, which

all remained within physiological normal ranges, had no effect on overall muscle growth

and strength gains.

"ll subject made gains, but the differences in anabolic hormone responses to e2ercise

didn’t signi7cantly change anything.

&his study conducted by researchers at %harles P. Nrew Eniversity of -edicine and $cience

is also particularly relevant.

Pesearchers took 4A young, healthy men, and for *= weeks, administered varying levels of

anabolic steroids and a drug that inhibits testosterone production and then tested leg

strength and power.

Dhat the researchers found was that testosterone levels didn’t signi7cantly affect muscle

growth until they dropped below or rose above the normal physiological range, which is

about '== to A,=== ngRdl.

In terms of lean mass gained, subjects down around '== ngRdl weren’t that far behind

those up around S== ngRdl, and a signi7cant increase wasn’t seen until testosterone levels

reached the A,*== to A,'== ngRdl range.

$o, what does all this tell us about high(fat dieting

Dell, we can be damn sure that a tiny A= to ABM increase in testosterone just isn’t going to

do anything for us in the gym. ;oing from, let’s say, 4== ngRdl to L== ngRdl will do

absolutely nothing in the way of accelerating muscle growth.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22105707http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22105707http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12679426http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12679426http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003707.htmhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003707.htmhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003707.htmhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003707.htmhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12679426http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22105707


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$o we 0literally1 have nothing to gain with a high(fat diet.

&his is why I recommend you get about *=M of your daily calories from dietary fat when

dieting for fat loss. &o calculate how many grams this is for you, simply multiply your total

daily calorie intake by .* and divide this by S.

$o that’s fat. /et’s now talk carbohydrate.

"nd now we come to the most maligned macronutrient, the carbohydrate.

"ccording to some “e2perts! this evil little bastard is what makes us fat, and dramatically

reducing intake is the best way to lose weight. &his simply isn’t true.

Pesearch has demonstrated that so long as protein intake is high, there is no signi7cant

difference in weight loss between high( and low(carbohydrate diets. $o long as you’re

maintaining a proper calorie de7cit, you’re going to lose fat at more or less the same rate,

whether you’re low(carb or not.

In fact, keeping your carbohydrate intake as high as possible is e2tremely bene7cial when

dieting for fat loss.

&he less carbs you eat, the lower your muscle glycogen levels will be, and this means

compromised performance in the gym and tough workouts 0muscle endurance seems to

take the biggest hit1.

Curthermore, research has demonstrated that low muscle glycogen levels impairs

post(workout cell signaling related to muscle growth, which is particularly detrimental

when you’re in a calorie de7cit because your body’s ability to synthesie proteins is already

impaired.

&here’s more, though.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058203http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058203http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19246357http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18195164/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16685046http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16685046http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22138866http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22138866http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10660864http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10660864http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10660864http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10660864http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15879168http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15879168http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164371http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164371http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164371http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164371http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164371http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164371http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15879168http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10660864http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10660864http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22138866http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16685046http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18195164/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19246357http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058203


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%alorie restriction is known to reduce anabolic hormone levels, and low(carbohydrate

dieting only makes this worse. &his study found that, in athletes, a low(carbohydrate diet

combined with daily e2ercise increased cortisol and decreased testosterone levels.

$o, a calorie restriction + low(carb dieting T a particularly catabolic hormone pro7le T more

muscle loss while dieting.

&his helps e2plain why research has demonstrated that reducing carbohydrate intake

impairs strength, muscle recovery, and protein synthesis rates, and that low(carbohydrate

dieting combined with regular resistance training results in more protein breakdown and

less protein synthesis 0and thus less overall muscle growth1.

&he research is clear5 as a weightlifter, the carbohydrate is your friend. "nd this is why I

recommend you keep your carbohydrate intake as high as possible while dieting for fat

loss.

&o calculate your daily number, do the following5

-ultiply your protein target 0grams1 by @.

-ultiply by your fat target 0grams1 by S and add it to the above number.

$ubtract the sum from your total daily calorie intake.

Nivide the amount of calories you have left by @. &here’s your daily carbohydrate target in grams.

$o, for e2ample, I’m currently AQQ pounds and my &NFF is about ',=== calories.

-y daily calorie intake for fat loss T '=== 2 .Q T *@==

-y protein intake T AQQ 2 A.* T **B grams per day

-y fat intake T 0*@== 2 .*1 R S T B' grams per day

-y carb intake T 0 *@== ( 0 0**B 2 @1 + 0B' 2 S1 1 1 R @ T *BB grams per day

"nd I’ve actually been cutting on those macros for about L weeks now and have gone from

about AS@ and Q to SM to, now, AQQ at LM without losing more than a rep or two on any of

my lifts.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20096034http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20096034http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20091182http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20091182http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20489032http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20091182http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20096034


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&here are far too many myths regarding foods you “can and can’t! eat when you’re trying tolose or gain weight. Instead of trying to address them one by one, I’m going to keep it

simple for you5

Dhen it comes to gaining or losing weight, 3


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eans 0garbano, kidney, navy, pinto1

/entils, peas

"lmonds, cashews, peanuts

arley, oats, )uinoa, brown rice

$almon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, tuna

/ean beef, lamb, venison

%hicken, turkey

"s you can see, that’s a lot of yummy options. I’m not trying to suffer through B servings of

boiled chicken and steamed broccoli every day.

$o, do yourself a favor when you’re creating your meal plan and stick to healthy foods you

actually like to eat. Ese a website like %alorieOing to research their macronutrient pro7les,

and piece your meal plan together meal by meal.

"nd don’t be afraid to include little indulgencesUthey’re just calories you work in. Cor

instance, I really like chocolate, so I often include about A== U AB= calories’ worth of it as a

dinner dessert.


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&his is why very low calorie diets often result in rapid initial weight loss that eventually

stalls as the metabolism slows down to match energy burned with energy consumed 0its

goal, physiologically speaking1.

&his, in turn, often leads people to cut calories even further and e2ercise more, which in

turn only slows the metabolism down more and puts the person under more and more

mental and physical stress.


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Pepeat this pattern of A== to AB=(calorie increases, alternating between increase

carbs and fat until you reach your &otal Naily Fnergy F2penditure 0&NFF1 for your

current weight, with appro2imately '= to @=M of your daily calories coming from

protein, '= to @=M from carbohydrate, and *= to '=M from fat.

Q.

(hat’s it.

y doing this, you will gain little(to(no body fat and, chances are, you’ll look your best a few

weeks into it5 you’ll look leaner and weigh even less but the e2tra carbs will 7ll your muscles

out, giving you an even tighter look.

6ow, chances are you’d like to see how this all plays out in actual practice, so on the

following pages you’ll 7nd some sample meal plans that my team creates for people

looking to build muscle and lose fat.


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ack when I didn’t know what I was doing, here was a normal %hest Nay workout5

Clat $mith -achine >ress5 @(B sets of A=(A* reps

Clat Numbbell >ress5 @(B sets of A=(A* reps

Necline ench >ress5 @(B sets of A=(A* reps and supersetted with push(ups to failure

Numbbell Clyes5 *(' drop sets to failure

"fter years and years of that type of training, my chest did grow, but it was very slow, and I

was pretty weak 0I couldn’t rep **B on the freeweight 9at bench?after L years of lifting?yikes1.

Dhat I didn’t know is that high(rep training with an emphasis on “feeling the burn! should

never be the focus of a natural weightlifter.

Dhy

ecause that style of training does not build the strong, dense type of muscle we’re after.

Instead, it gives big pumps but little muscle growth.

Dhat should we be doing then Es natural weightlifters should focus on lifting heavy

weights with a moderate workout volume 0@= U 4= reps per muscle group every B U L days1.


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&he single rep range I’ve found most effective is the @ U 4 rep range, which has you lifting

about Q= U QBM of your one(rep ma2. &his rep range is an incredibly effective way to

stimulate both myo7brillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, resulting in big, dense, strong

muscles that don’t disappear when your pump subsides or when you get lean.

&rust me on this oneUthe big, shredded guys that do AB(*B sets per workout, A=(A*+ reps

per set, with supersets, drop sets, and other fancy rep schemes, can only look like they do

because of drugs.

You, as a natural weightlifter, will get nowhere with their routines. It took me years of

spinning my wheels to learn this.

&he other major mistake I was making was doing too many isolation e2ercises and too few

compound e2ercises. &his mistake was a natural outgrowth of the last, as the high(rep

burnout workouts almost always have you doing a bunch of isolation work.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, an isolation e2ercise is an e2ercise that mainly

involves one muscle group 0it isolates it1. Cor instance, a dumbbell front raise is an isolation

e2ercise that targets your anterior 0front1 deltoid muscle.

&he opposite of an isolation e2ercises is a compound e2ercise, which is one that involvesmultiple muscle groups. Cor e2ample, my favorite compound e2ercise for shoulders is the

-ilitary >ress 0the $tanding ress is good too1.

$o, in my old workouts, probably L=(LBM of my reps were isolation e2ercise reps. and I

almost never did compound e2ercises vital to building a big, strong physi)ue such as the

Neadlift, $)uat, and -ilitary or ress.

Isolation work has a place in a natural weightlifter’s workout routineUI don’t completely

shun it like some gurusUbut it should never constitute the majority of reps performed in

workouts.

&he bottom line is compound e2ercises should be the bulk of your workouts, even if you’re

an advanced weightlifter.

&he last vital weightlifting I lesson I had to learn was related to “progressive overload.!


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You see, I once believed that the key to stimulating muscle growth was regularly changing

up my workout routine. I thought I had to do different e2ercises every week or two or my

body would adapt and no longer grow bigger or stronger.

I was horribly wrong.

Dhat I didn’t know is the key to building bigger, stronger muscles is not doing a bajillion

different e2ercises, but is simply progressively overloading the muscles.

In case you don’t know, “progressive overload! refers to progressively increasing tension

levels in the muscle 7bers over time. &hat is, adding weight to the bar, progressively lifting

heavier and heavier weights over time.

&his mistake only made the 7rst mistake 0high(rep training1 even worse. I wasn’t really

getting stronger. Instead of moving up in weight, I was more inclined to move up in reps 0to

get an even bigger pump1.

Dell, here’s a simple rule of thumb for us natural weightlifters5 if you want to get bigger,

you have to get stronger.

Yes, muscles can get stronger without getting bigger 0thanks to neuromuscularadaptations1, but there comes a point where additional strength re)uires bigger muscle

7bers, and progressive overload is the key to making that happen.

Dhat this means in practice is that you should move up in weight once you reach the top of

the rep range you’re working in.

Cor e2ample, if you’re training in the @(4 rep range and get 4 reps on your 7rst set of an

e2ercise, you move up in weight 0B pounds if using dumbbells, A= pounds if it’s a barbell

e2ercise1.

You then work with this new weight, with which you’ll likely get @ reps on the ne2t set, until

you can lift it for 4 reps 0this may take one week or three depending on the e2ercise and

how advanced of a lifter you are1, after which point you move up, and on it goes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3215840http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3215840http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3215840http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3215840


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In this way, you will lift heavier and heavier weights over time, and will be using progressive

overload to your advantage.

$o, as you have probably 7gured out by now, the #$hredded$ummer workout program is

going to work like this5

It has you work primarily in the @ to 4 rep range 0Q= to QBM of your AP-1.A.

It focuses primarily on compound lifts.*.

It has you move up in weight once you hit the top of the rep range you’re working

in.

'.

"nd as you’ll see, the workouts are probably shorter than what you’re used to((just @B to 4=

minutes((but they’re intense.

&hese workouts are not about getting a big pump that de9ates in a day or two((they’re

about focusing on myo7brillar muscle growth in a way that only heavy weightlifting can

deliver.

efore we get to the workouts themselves, I want to touch on a couple other points5

Pest * U ' minutes in between each set. &his will give your muscles enough time to

fully recoup their strength so you can give ma2imum effort each set.

efore performing your 7rst heavy sets, warm up by doing this5

No * sets of A= reps with about half the weight you’ll be using on your heavy

sets. Pest about A minute in between the sets.

No A set of @ reps with about L=M of the weight you’ll be using on your heavy

sets. Pest A minute.

No A set of A rep with about S=M of the weight you’ll be using on your heavy

sets. Pest * minutes and then start your heavy sets.

$o, let’s now take a look at each of the individual workouts you’ll be performing while on

this program, starting with the fan favorite5 chest.


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“3elp, my chest is too small!

I receive those words, or something similar, at least A= times per week. It’s by far the most

common complaint among the guys that email and message me asking for help.

"nd I understand. uilding a big, strong chest can be )uite tough if you’re focusing on the

wrong chest e2ercises and rep ranges 0and if your nutrition is off, of course1.

In this chapter, I’m going to share with you the chest e2ercises that have not only helped

me build a full, strong chest, but have helped many of my readers and followers do the

same.

&he 7rst thing I want to address

is the goal. $imply having a “big

chest! shouldn’t be the goal,because just adding sie

willy(nilly won’t necessarily give

you the look you want.

&he most common mistake we

want to avoid is building a big

lower chest and small upper

chest. 3ere’s an e2ample of this5


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6ow, he doesn’t have a bad physi)ue, and has clearly been working hard for at least a

couple of years. ut take a closer look at his chest. "ll his mass is on the lower, outer

portions of the pecs, with little(to(none in the upper, inner portions.

%ompare that now to a picture of ;reg >litt’s chest5

Dhile the overall physi)ues aren’t remotely comparable, again look to the chest It’s actually

not &3"& much larger than the 7rst, but it’s much better developed. ut what’s the major

difference here &he upper and inner portions of the chest.

“ut wait a minute,! you might be thinking. “Isn’t the whole Vupper’ and Vlower’ chest thing amyth!

Dell, let’s take a moment to address that.

&he “upper chest! debate has been going on for a long time.


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6otice that I say emphasie, not isolate. &hat’s because all movements that emphasie one

of the two do, to some degree, involve the other. But the bottom line is proper chest

development re*uires a lot of emphasis on the clavicular pectoralis for two simple

reasons+

It’s a small, stubborn muscle that takes its sweet time to grow.A.

&he movements that are best for developing it also happen to be great for

growing the pectoralis major as well.

*.

%urious how this plays out in the real world Dell, let’s look to my own body as an e2ample.

Cirst, check out the following picture of me, taken about * years ago5


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I looked decent, but look at the upper portion of my left pec 0the right looks bigger than it is

because of how I’m holding the phone1. "s you can see, I had a very bottom(heavy chest

with not much to show for upstairs.

I started addressing this by following the chest workouts I’m going to share you with later

in this chapter, and this was the result5

$ee how much of a difference a full upper chest makes "nd yes, that transformation was

accomplished by doing e2actly what I’m going to share with you here, and nothing else.

$o, let’s get right to it then?


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&he three best chest e2ercises accomplish a very simple task5 they ma2imally recruit

muscle 7bers, and allow for heavy, progressive overload without dramatically increasing

the risk of injury. &hese e2ercises are?

arbell ench >ress 0Incline and Clat, free weight not $mith -achine1

Numbbell ench >ress 0Incline and Clat1

Nips 0%hest :ersion, weighted if possible1

(hese are the e"ercises you must master if you want to build an impressive chest.

eriod.

Corget cable work, dumbbell 9ys, push(up variations, machines, and every other type of

chest e2ercise out there. &hey are not nearly as effective as the above three core,

foundation(building lifts.

Dhy no $mith -achine, you ask $imply because research has proven it inferior to free

weight e2ercises in terms of muscle recruitment.

"nd why no decline pressing ecause the decline press not only reduces the range of

motion of the e2ercise, thus reducing the amount of work your muscles have to do, it

places ma2imum emphasis on the pectoralis major and minimum emphasis on the

clavicular pectoralis, which simply isn’t ideal 0if you want to build a really droopy,

bottom(heavy chest, do a ton of 9at and decline pressing and no incline pressing1.

6ow, many people are surprised to hear this advice of mine, and are even more surprised

when they see my pictures and hear that was accomplished by doing nothing but the

e2ercises listed above. (hat’s rightnot a single y, cable crossover, or machine rep

was done.

Is building an awesome chest really that simple Yep, it is.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dips-chest-versionhttp://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dips-chest-versionhttp://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dips-chest-versionhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20093960http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20093960http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20093960http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22027847http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22027847http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22027847http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20093960http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dips-chest-version


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0&hat said, I do think dumbbell 9ys and cable work has a place in the routine of an

advanced weightlifter that has already built a big, strong chest, but we’ll save that for

another time. In order to get to that point, it only re)uires the above.1

/emember, the key isn’t just doing the above e"ercises, however. 0t’s progressing on

them. &hat is, increasing the amount of weight you can push over time. If you don’t get

stronger, you won’t get bigger.

6ow, a few tips in performing these e2ercises5

-any people worry that the arbell ench >ress puts your shoulders at a high risk of

injury. &his is true only if your form is improper.

3ere are the two major points of form that protect your shoulders when you’re performing

the arbell ench >ress5

&he most common mistake people make is they 9are their elbows out, sometimes

approaching S= degrees relative to their torsos. &his dramatically increases the stress on

your shoulders.

In case you’re not sure what the angles look like, here’s a picture from my book

igger /eaner $tronger5

http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/bigger-leaner-stronger/http://www.muscleforlife.com/books/bigger-leaner-stronger/


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&he position where the hands are closest to the torso puts the arms at about *= degrees

relative to the torso. &he ne2t position out is about @B degrees. "nd the furthermost

position is S= degrees.

You don’t want to 9atten your chest out at the bottom of the lift, rolling your shoulders.

Instead, your shoulder blades should always remain tightly pinched, which pushes your

chest up, and you should always have enough arch in your lower back to 7t a 7st in the

pocket between it and the bench.

&he 7nal point of form that you should know is the bar must touch your chest every rep.

$topping short reduces the range of motion, which means less gains.

ress is that it allows you to increase the

range of motion beyond the barbell press. 3ere’s how I like to perform the Numbbell

ench >ress 0this is incline, of course, but you get the idea15


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&echnically my butt shouldn’t be movingUI was trying to move up in weight here and got a

little overealousUbut what I wanted to show you was how I rotate my hands at the bottom

of the rep and bring the dumbbells low. &his increases the range of motion without

increasing the risk of injury, and I’ve found this very helpful in progressing with the weight

and developing my chest.

3ere’s the chest workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer

program5

http://instagram.com/p/gA754PRUbc/


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Incline arbell ench >ress5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps

Incline Numbbell ench >ress5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps

Clat arbell ench >ress5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps


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"lthough many guys focus on building the “beach muscles! 0every day is %hest Nay1, I think

a big, thick, wide back is awesome.

It doesn’t come easily though. It takes a lot of proper training to really make it stand out.

In this chapter, I’m going to share with you my favorite back e2ercises and how I like to

program my back workouts. If you follow my advice, and eat properly, your back will grow

in both sie and strength.

$o, let’s 7rst look at the anatomy of the back so we can better understand what we’re trying

to achieve with our training.

&he four muscles that make up the bulk of the back, and that need to be well developed,

are the trapeius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, and erector spinae. 3ere’s how they look5


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0&he erector spinae aren’t shown on the above chart, but they are the lower back muscles

that occupy the gray area at the bottom.1

&here are a few smaller bundles of muscle that matter as well, such as the teres major and

minor, and the infraspinatus. You can see them here5


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6ow, here’s the goal in terms of overall back development5

1arge, but not overdeveloped, traps that establish the upper back

2ide lats that e"tend low down the torso, creating that pleasing 3-taper

Bulky rhomboids that create 4valleys5 when e"ed

6lear development and separation in the teres muscles and infraspinatus

7 thick, 46hristmas tree5 structure in the lower back

-y back is a work in progress, but here’s what I’ve been able to achieve so far5


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Enfortunately I don’t have any older “before! shots of my back 0every day was %hest Nay1,

but my back has come come very far in the last few years. (he breakthrough occurred

when 0 changed my workouts to what 0’m going to share with you in this article.

$o, let’s start with some basic principles of back training, and then we’ll get to the best back

e2ercises and a sample back workout.

&he most common mistake I see people make with their back training is focusing on the

wrong e2ercises 0usually boiling down to focusing too much on the lats1

&he result is a weak(looking back that has a :(taper but nothing elseUnothing to show for in

the middle, and small erector spinae. 3ere’s a good e2ample of this type of back5


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6ot great, but I bet he can do a lot of standing lat pushdowns.

7 proper back workout trains the lats, but blasts the other major muscles. "nd

fortunately the best back e2ercises do bothUthey build depth, thickness, and width.

/et’s now move on to the best back e2ercises for rapid muscle growth and strength gains.

(he deadlift is the core of any great back program. -y back sucked in both strength

and sie until I started really working on my deadlift, and I’ve never looked back.

-any people are afraid of the deadlift because they think it’s inherently bad for your lower

back or dangerous. &his is incorrect. 2hen performed with good form, the deadlift is

actually a fantastic way to build lower back strength and prevent injury.

&hat said, if you have sustained a lower back injury or have a disease affecting the area,

you will not want to perform deadlifts. >roper rehab can include deadlifting, but it’s done

with light weights and lower workout volumes.

3ere’s what proper form on a deadlift looks like5


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(wo 8seful 3ariations of the )eadlift+ (he 9umo )eadlift and :e" Bar )eadlift &hesumo deadlift uses a wide stance 0A.B(* times the width of your shoulders1 to shorten the

range of motion and shearing force on the lower back. It also can feel more comfortable in

the hips than a conventional deadlift, depending on your biomechanics 0if you walk with

your toes pointed out, the sumo may be better for you1.

3ere’s a good e2planation of the $umo Neadlift5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfYez7-h55c


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(he downside of the sumo deadlift is the reduced range of motion, which results in

less work done, which means less muscle development. 6evertheless, give this

variation a try if you lack the 9e2ibility to do a conventional deadlift, if it just feels very

uncomfortable 0certain people’s bodies are better suited to the sumo deadlift1, or if it’s

causing low(back pain.

&he he2 bar8or trap bar8deadlift is a great way to learn to deadlift, because it doesn’t

re)uire as much hip and ankle mobility to get to the bar, and it puts less shearing stress on

the spine. 0t also allows you to lift more weight than the conventional deadlift, which

may make it a more e;ective e"ercise for developing overall lower body power.

3ere’s how the 3e2 ar Neadlift looks5

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10912892http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10912892http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10912892http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10912892http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/TBDeadlift.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/TBDeadlift.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10912892http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10912892https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKYnXh9je7E


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"nd here’s the Yates Pow5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llmqCjrI24khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlRrIsoDpKg


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I prefer keeping my torso close to parallel to the ground because it allows you to work the

rhomboids through a fuller range of motion than the more upright, Yates position.

"nd in case you’re worried about your lower back, the reality is if you’re keeping your form

in, and deadlifting every week, you’ll never be rowing enough weight to cause an issue.

Dhile many people swear by chin(ups alone, I think they should be used as a stepping

stone to doing proper, wide(grip pullups, which are incredibly good for building upper back

thickness.

3ere’s a chin(up5

"nd here’s a wide(grip pullup5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8G0_NEJ-yA


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$omething to pay attention to is the fact that the bottom of his chin rises just above the

bars. &his is a full range of motion. Non’t stop halfway.

"s you get stronger, you will eventually be able to add weight to your pullups using a dip

belt.

" good back workout trains all the major muscles of the back, including the lower back, and

focuses on heavy weights. Wust like any other muscle group, the back can bene7t from

higher rep work, but you have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want it to grow.

3ere’s the back workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer

program5

Neadlift5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps

arbell Pow5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps

%hin(Eps or Dide(;rip >ullups5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps 0add weight if possible1


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Dhen it comes to upper body training, the shoulders are often undertrained. &hey

naturally tend to lag behind arm and chest development, and can remain very stubborn,

refusing to change at all.

I know because I used to have this problem. ut I don’t anymore, and in this chapter, I’m

going to share with you how I 7nally grew some shoulders I could be proud of.

$o, let’s 7rst take a )uick look at the anatomy of the shoulders so we understand what

we’re trying to achieve in our shoulder workouts.

Your shoulders are comprised of three major muscles known as deltoids, and here’s how

they look5


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It’s very important to develop all three heads of this muscle group, because if one is

lagging, it will be painfully obvious.

In most cases, the medial and posterior deltoids need the most work because the anterior

deltoids do get trained to some degree in a good chest workout. &he other two heads

don’t, however.

/et’s use my own physi)ue again as an e2ample.

Cirst, check out the following picture taken about

@ years ago.

I didn’t look horrible, but take a look at my left

shoulder and how small it looks compared to the

middle of my arm 0the middle of my bicep and

triceps1.

3ere’s another shot from the same time period

that shows it even more.

"s you can see, my arm and chest completely

overpowered my shoulder. Oeep in mind that I

was training shoulders at that timeUI was doing a

lot of sets as a part of a traditional bodybuilder

routine 0a lot of isolation work, A= U A*+ reps,

Nrop $ets, $uper $ets, etc.1.


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$oon after I took these pictures, I began changing the way I trained and ate, and after

about a year of this new style of eating and training, I looked like this5

Guite an improvement, of course 0I was thrilled1, but let’s focus again on that left shoulder

because it’s still lagging. &he medial head in particular lacked sieUit didn’t protrude enough

to balance the sie of my triceps.

I kept working at it, however, and here’s a shot of me taken a few months ago5


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I still think my shoulders need a bit more work, but I think you’ll agree they have greatly

improved and are fairly proportional to my arms, chest, and back.

&he progress you’re seeing in the above pictures was achieved with shoulder workouts

based on the training advice that I’m going to share with you in this chapter.

$o let’s get to how to best workout your shoulders?


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-y list of favorite shoulder e2ercises is pretty short and simple. &hese are the e2ercises I’veused to dramatically improve my own shoulders, and that will do the same for yours.

arbell pressing is the most effective way to build your shoulders because although it

focuses on the anterior head, it also involves the other two, and it allows you to push heavy

weight without risking injury.

I prefer the $eated -ilitary >ress because the standing variation re)uires )uite a bit of

balance and lower back stability to perform, and as I s)uat and deadlift heavy every week, I

don’t feel I need any more lower back training.

3ere’s how to properly do the $eated -ilitary >ress5

http://instagram.com/p/i6p7WCRUbh


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&he key point here is I’m bringing the weight down to my chest in a controlled manner.

Non’t stop at S= degrees for fear of your shouldersUso long as you keep your elbows under

the bar and resist the urge to 9are them out, you’ll be 7ne.

&he $ide /ateral Numbbell Paise is the most effective e2ercise for building the medial

0middle1 deltoid. &his head is usually underdeveloped when compared to the anterior

because people tend to focus on chest and shoulder pressing.

3ere’s how to do it5

"s your shoulders get stronger, you’ll 7nd it harder to maintain proper form when trying to

lift both dumbbells simultaneously. "n effective way to get around this without cheating is

to do a hanging variant of the e2ercise5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VcKaXpzqRo


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&he posterior 0rear1 deltoid is the smallest and weakest of the three heads, but still needs

some love if you want to have a “three(dimensional! shoulder that doesn’t fall 9at in the

back.

&he Pear Numbbell Paise is a simple and effective e2ercise for building this posterior head.

3ere’s how to do it5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1mPicAs1Hshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVqjSClHj0


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You can also do a standing variation of this e2ercise5

&he Cront Numbbell Paise is an effective e2ercise for targeting the anterior deltoid.

etween this and the presses, you don’t need anything else for this front head of the

muscle group. 3ere’s how to do it5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t7fuZ0KhDAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1uZD-I3qw8


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" good shoulder workout trains all three heads of the muscle, and focuses on heavy

weights. Wust like any other muscle group, shoulders can bene7t from higher rep work, but

you have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want them to grow.

3ere’s the shoulder workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer

program5

$eated -ilitary >ress5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps

Numbbell $ide /ateral 5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 4 U Q reps if you can’t maintain proper form

with @ U 4

Pear Numbbell Paise5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 4 U Q reps if you can’t maintain proper form

with @ U 4


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&here’s a reason why so many guys are obsessed with arm training5 along with a big chest,

big arms are one of the most prominent parts of the body. If you’re going to get a

compliment from a stranger, it’s probably going to be on your arms.

Dhile I think arms get a bit too much attention in the overall scheme of things, I de7nitely

agree that a physi)ue isn’t complete without big, developed arms. "nd in this chapter, I’m

going to show you how to get there.

/et’s start with the arm anatomy, and then we’ll talk arm training.

"s you probably know, the

largest arm muscles are the

biceps and triceps, but let’s look

at them in a little more detail, as

well as the forearms, so we

know e2actly what we’retraining.

&he biceps 0or, formally, biceps

brachii1 is a two(headed muscle

that looks like this5


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"nother important muscle is the biceps brachialis, which lies beneath the biceps brachii5

Dhile this muscle isn’t nearly as prominent as the biceps brachii when developed, it plays

an important role in the overall look of your arms. It looks like a mere “bump! in between

the biceps brachii and triceps, but its level of development impacts the amount of “peak!

your biceps appear to have 0ultimately peak is mostly determined by genetics but

increasing the sie of the brachialis can give the appearance of a better peak1.

I think the following picture of me from a recent photo shoot shows how a well(developedbiceps brachialis cleanly separates the biceps brachii from the triceps and adds to the

overall aesthetics of the arms5


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$o, when we get to the training portion of this chapter, we will be including some work to

target the brachialis.

&he ne2t muscle group to talk about is the triceps, or triceps brachii, which has three

heads5


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"s you can see, the three heads combine to form the distinctive “horseshoe! that can

become )uite pronounced, when properly developed.

Dhile the biceps are usually the focus of arms workouts, many people don’t realie that the

triceps account for a lot more of your arm’s sie. $mall triceps mean small,

disproportionate arms, regardless of the sie of the biceps.

/ast but not least is the forearms, which are comprised of several smaller muscles5


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Corearms are like the calves of the armsUthey aren’t the immediate focus, but if they’re

underdeveloped, it’s sorely obvious. &hanks to following the advice I’m going to give in this

chapter, my forearms have made )uite a bit of progress over the last few years, and I think

it shows5


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"lright, so now that we know what we’re going for, let’s talk about the general dos and

don’ts of arm training.

De’ll start with the biceps 7rst and then move to triceps and forearms.

/ike with other muscle groups, you get the most growth out of the biceps by focusing on

free weights, not machines, and by sticking to compound 0es)ue1 movements.


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&his is one of the best biceps builders, and has been a staple in my arms workouts for

several years now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC3nLlEvin4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY1V6UbRHFM


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&he 3ammer %url is particularly useful for building up the biceps brachialis 0the smaller

muscle that helps give your biceps a visual “boost!1.

/ike the arbell %url, this is a tried(and(true biceps builder.

/ike the arbell %url for the biceps, the %lose(;rip ench >ress is one of the best triceps

e2ercises. It’s a compound movement that allows you to safely push heavy weight, and it

also gives a little boost to your chest development.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruy94BZ6FmEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAq_ocpRh_I


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&he Nip is a fantastic e2ercise for building up your triceps, chest, and shoulders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbX7Wd8jQ-Qhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ybtd_qks8M


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&his is one of my favorite triceps e2ercises because, like the %lose(;rip ench >ress, you’re

able to move heavy weights without overly stressing anything. %hances are your elbows

will ache for the 7rst few weeks of performing it, but this should go away as the connective

tissues adapt.

I’ll often get asked what I do for my forearms, and people are surprised to learn that I do

no direct forearm training. "ll development has been a result of heavy back, chest, and arm

training.

I’m not a fan of directly training forearms for two reasons5

It can lead to elbow tightness and pain, which hinders your triceps training.A.

It’s just not necessary if you’re sticking to heavy, compound lifting for your back,

chest, and arms.

*.

If you really want to train them, however, you can do * U ' sets of Peverse %urls at the end

of your workout.

" good arms workout trains both the biceps and triceps and, indirectly, the forearms, and

focuses on heavy weights. Wust like any other muscle group, arms can bene7t from higher

rep work, but you have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want them to grow.

3ere’s the arms workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer

program5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np2d3BPIQz8&noredirect=1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np2d3BPIQz8&noredirect=1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np2d3BPIQz8&noredirect=1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np2d3BPIQz8&noredirect=1


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arbell %url5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps

%lose(;rip ench >ress5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps

Numbbell 3ammer %url5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps

Nips 0Deighted if possible15 ' sets of @ U 4 reps


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If you’re hitting the weights regularly but neglecting your leg workouts, I want to warn you

of what is to come5

In all seriousness, I understand the temptation to skip legs day. I used to do it all the time

and am paying the price now. -y legs are still a bit behind my upper body in overall

development, and my calves are still too small 0working on it1, but my legs are no longer a

glaring weakness5


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Ironically, now that I have a few years of proper leg training under my belt, I’ve actually

come to really enjoy my leg workouts. ut it took time to get there. It wasn’t a simple

matter of -


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efore we get to the training, let’s )uickly review the major muscles of the leg so we know

what we’re looking to develop.

&he )uadriceps is a group of four muscles that comprise the bulk of the muscle on the

front of the thigh. &he four “heads! of the )uadriceps are5

&he rectus femoris

&he vastus lateralis

&he vastus medialis

&he vastus intermedius

3ere’s how they look5


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&he back of the leg is dominated by three muscles that contract the hamstring tendon5

&he semitendinosus

&he semimembranosus

&he biceps femoris

3ere’s how they look5

"nd last but not least is the calf muscle, which is comprised of two muscles5

&he gastrocnemius

&he soleus

"nd here’s how they look5


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0"s you can see, the bulk of the calf is the gastrocnemius muscle, and the soleus lies under

it.

$o, those are the major muscle groups that we’re concerned with in terms of visual

development. &here are )uite a few smaller muscles that will greatly affect our ability to

properly train the larger muscles, but we don’t need to review each of them. y following

the advice in this article, they will develop along with the larger groups.

"lright, let’s now look at the best leg e2ercises for muscle growth.

&hese are the e2ercises I’ve used to dramatically improve my own legs, and that will do the

same for yours.


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6o surprise here, of course.

&he $)uat is hands down the most effective leg e2ercise you can do. It blasts every muscle

in your legs.

It must be performed correctly, however. Improper s)uatting is not only ineffective, it can

increase the risk of injury, so let’s )uickly review the key points5

&he 7rst point is if you’re not at least reaching parallel in your s)uats, &he main problem

with this is the shallower the s)uat, the less work your leg muscles have to do, which

results in less muscle and strength growth.

3ere’s what this parallel position looks like 0this image is from my book igger /eaner

$tronger15

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12173958http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12173958http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12173958


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6otice also how the head is neutral, chest is up, shoulders back, and the spine is in a

neutral position, and the knees are behind the toes. &hese are all key points to maintaining

proper form on the $)uat.

3ere’s what a proper parallel s)uat looks like5

&he “"ss to ;rass! or Cull $)uat is also popular and effective, and it looks like this5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx5xZJwpkCshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVKEl4Wxoqc


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Dhile there are bene7ts to the Cull $)uat 0it makes the legs, and butt in particular, do more

work1, it re)uires )uite a bit of mobility and 9e2ibility. I recommend you start with the

>arallel $)uat and build your strength up there before including the Cull $)uat in your leg

workouts.

efore we move on to the ne2t leg e2ercise, I want to talk about the biggest problem many

people run into when they try to s)uat properly5 lack of lower(body mobility and 9e2ibility.

/ack of hip 9e2ibility is probably the most common problem that prevents people from

s)uatting properly, but hamstring tightness and even calf and ankle stiffness can also

throw your form off.

Cortunately, 72ing these issues is pretty simple. "ll you have to do is follow this s)uat

mobility routine, and you’ll be s)uatting properly within no time.

&he arbell /unge is another great e2ercise for targeting the )uadriceps, as well as the

glutes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12173958http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-improve-flexibility-and-mobility-for-squatting/http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-improve-flexibility-and-mobility-for-squatting/http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-improve-flexibility-and-mobility-for-squatting/http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-improve-flexibility-and-mobility-for-squatting/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_9sJd9P8M0http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12173958


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&he Pomanian Neadlift, or PN/, is my favorite e2ercise for isolating the muscles of the

hamstring.

&his simple e2ercise is a tried(and(true calf builder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdGuHOh7vE8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCXUYuzwNrM


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" good leg workout trains both the )uadriceps and hamstrings, and focuses on heavy

weights. Wust like any other muscle group, legs can bene7t from higher rep work, but you

have to emphasie the heavy weightlifting if you want them to grow.

3ere’s the legs workout you’ll be doing every week as a part of the #$hredded$ummer

program5

arbell ack $)uat5 Darm up and ' sets of @ U 4 reps

arbell /unge5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 4 U Q reps if you can’t maintain proper form with @ U 4

Pomanian Neadlift for ' sets of @ U 4 reps or 3ip &hrust for ' sets of 4 U Q reps if you want

to target your glutes

$tanding %alf Paise5 ' sets of @ U 4 reps and then ' sets of Q U A= reps with A minute of rest

in between each set


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0 have good news for you+

Enless you just love going for long jogs, there’s absolutely no reason whatsoever to do

steady(state cardio instead of high(intensity interval training 03II&1.

You see, cardio machines often show pretty graphs indicating where your heart rate should

be for “fat burning! versus “cardiovascular training.!

You calculate this magical heart rate by subtracting your age from *== and multiplying this

number by =.4. If you keep your heart rate at this number, as the story goes, you’ll be in the

“fat burning one.!

&here’s a kernel of truth here.

You do burn both fat and carbohydrates when you e2ercise, and the proportion varies with

the intensity of e2ercise.

" very low(intensity activity like walking taps mainly into fat stores, whereas high(intensity

sprints pull much more heavily from carbohydrate stores. "t about 4=M of ma2imum

e2ertion, your body gets about half of its energy from carbohydrate stores and half from

fat stores 0which is why many “e2perts! claim that you should work in the range of 4=UL=M

of ma2imum e2ertion1. ased on the above, you might think that I’m actually arguing for

steady(state cardio, but there’s more to consider.

&he 7rst issue is total calories burned while e2ercising. If you walk off A== calories, QB of

which come from fat stores, that isn’t as effective as spending that time in a moderate run

that burns off *== calories with A== coming from fat. "nd that, in turn, isn’t as effective as

spending that time doing sprint intervals that burn off B== calories with AB= coming from

fat. %alories burned while e2ercising isn’t the whole story, though.


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$tudies such as those conducted by /aval Eniversity, Fast &ennessee $tate Eniversity,

aylor %ollege of -edicine, and the Eniversity of 6ew $outh Dales have shown that

shorter, high(intensity cardio sessions result in greater fat loss over time than longer,

low(intensity sessions.

" study conducted by &he Eniversity of Destern


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In most people’s minds, cardio and muscle growth don’t go together very well. "nd there’s

some truth in this.

Dhile I recommend that you always include some cardio in your programming regardless

of whether you’re bulking or cutting, there are right and wrong ways to do it.

Cor instance, research has shown that combining both strength and endurance training

0concurrent training1 can hinder your strength and muscle gains when compared to just

strength training alone. &his is why I recommend that people split their cardio and strength

training into two separate workouts.

ut, even if you do this, cardio can still have a negative impact on your muscle(related

gains. Pesearch has shown that the longer your cardio sessions are, the more they impair

strength and hypertrophy. &hat is, the shorter your cardio sessions are, the more muscle

you preserve.

&hus, keeping your cardio sessions short is important when we’re talking about ma2imiing

your gains in the weight room, and preserving your muscle. ad and read or watch a show or movie

while doing my cardio, it turns out that cycling itself has special bene7ts for us weightlifters.

&hese bene7ts were demonstrated in a particularly interesting study conducted by $tephen

C "ustin $tate Eniversity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19387377


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Dhat researchers found is that the &Y>F of cardio done had a profound effect on the

subjects’ ability to gain strength and sie in their weightlifting. &he subjects that did running

and walking for their cardio gained signi7cantly less strength and sie than those that

cycled.

Pesearchers concluded that this was because cycling involves the use of more of the

muscles used in hypertrophy movements 0s)uats, for instance1 than running or walking

does. &hat is, it more closely imitates the motions that result in hypertrophy, and thus

doesn’t impair hypertrophy.

&herefore, I recommend cycling for your high(intensity interval training 0the ne2t(best

choice would be sprinting, as this too involves many of the same muscles1, and I

recommend keeping your sessions relatively short 0*=('= minutes1.

If you don’t have a recumbent cycle available, the second(best option would be a rowing

machine. &he third(best would be sprints on the treadmill or outside.

In terms of an e2act protocol, here’s what you can do.

You start your workout with *(' minutes of low(intensity warmup on the lowest

resistance.

A.

You then bump the resistance up to @(B, and pedal as fast as possible for '=

seconds.

*.

You then reduce the resistance to its slowest setting and pedal at a moderate pace

for 4= seconds. If you’re new to 3II&, you may need to e2tend this rest period to

S=(A*= seconds.

'.

You repeat this cycle of all(out and recovery intervals for *=(*B minutes.@.

You do a *(' minute cool(down at a low intensity.B.

"s a part of the #$hredded$ummer %hallenge, I recommend that you do ' to @ *B(minute

3II& cardio sessions per week.


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%d#anced time release formla garanteed to feed yor lean mass for p to & hors'

(ick yor testosterone prodction into o#erdri#e and ma)imi*e yor gains'

%ssalt estrogen receptors in yor +ody and completely +lock mscle-killing hormones'

&he shelves of your local ;6% are packed with all kinds of bogus junk claiming to deliver

results that only steroids can achieve.

&his includes pre(workout supplements, intra(workout supplements, post(workout

supplements, test boosters, 3;3 boosters, nitric o2ide supplements, anti(estrogens,

aromatase inhibitors, and the list goes on and on.

If you believe half of the hype you read in supplement advertisements or on their labels,

well, it would probably take a while before you realie the simple truth of the matter, which

is?

Most everything you see in the world of workout supplements is utterly worthless.

Yup?a complete waste of money. 6ot all. ut most.

3ow can I say that so con7dently

Dell, I’ve not only tried every type of supplement you can imagine, but I follow the science

and what has been objectively proven8not 9ashy advertisements or paid endorsements.

&hat said, there are a handful of supplements that actually are worth buying and using.

-ost aren’t the se2y muscle(building crap pushed by ’roid monsters in the magaines, but

they are scienti7cally proven to help you in your journey to build muscle, get lean, and stay

healthy.


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In this section of the book, I want to guide you through what you should considering

supplementing with, and why, as well as share with you the e2act products I use and like.

If these recommendations don’t 7t your needs you can 7nd my entire list of supplements

recommendations here.

>rotein is the nutrient most responsible for muscle growth and repair. It is broken down

into amino acids during digestion, and these are the “building blocks! of all tissues in the

body.

If you don’t eat enough protein every day, you will stunt your body’s ability to build muscle,and retain muscle while dieting.

6ow, using protein supplements such as whey, egg, and casein powders isn’t necessary for

making gains, but it is convenient. &here’s also evidence that whey protein, a byproduct of

cheese making, is particularly good for post(workout nutrition.

Enless you are in the lucky position of being able to have whole food meals ready @ U 4

times per day, you’re going to want to use protein supplements.

&here are several popular types of protein powders, but I prefer A==M whey isolate protein

for my pre( and post(workout supplementation5

If you donXt do well with whey, click here to view my favorite whey alternatives.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/recommendation/supplements/http://www.muscleforlife.com/recommendation/supplements/http://www.muscleforlife.com/recommendation/supplements/http://www.muscleforlife.com/recommendation/supplements/#Proteinhttp://www.muscleforlife.com/recommendation/supplements/#Proteinhttp://legionsupplements.com/products/supplements/whey/http://www.muscleforlife.com/recommendation/supplements/http://www.muscleforlife.com/recommendation/supplements/


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&he 7rst thing you need to know about fat loss supplements is that 6< pill or powder will

cause you to magically lose fat.

/osing weight re)uires properly using diet and e2ercise to maintain a calorie de7cit over

time, without causing too much metabolic slowdown.

&hat said, there are natural, safe supplements that have been scienti7cally proven to speed

up fat loss when combined with a proper diet.

/et’s go over each here.

-any companies try to sell you their fat burners by making the process of fat loss sound

overly comple2.

&hey talk about increasing fat o2idation rates, preserving lean mass, supporting the

thyroid, inducing thermogenesis, inhibiting enymes related to fat storage, inducing

enymes that cause fat loss, manipulating hormone and neurotransmitter levels, reducing

water retention, improving nutrient partitioning, and more.

http://legionsupplements.com/products/supplements/pulse/


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;reen tea e2tract is a weight loss supplement made from green tea leaves.

It’s rich in antio2idants known as catechins, which are responsible for many of tea’s health

bene7ts, and which have been proven to help with weight loss. Pesearch has also shown

that catechins can help reduce abdominal fat, in particular.

%atechins accelerate fat loss by blocking an enyme that degrades catecholamines, which

are chemicals the body produces that trigger the use of fat for energy.

Oeep in mind that my fat burner, >3


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Dhen you take green tea e2tract doesn’t really matter. Pesearch has shown that

absorption is faster when pills are taken in a fasted state, but plasma catechin levels

remain elevated for several hours after ingestion, whether fed or fasted.

>ersonally, I train fasted when cutting, and I have '== mg '= minutes before training, and

another '== mg a couple hours before I do cardio later in the day.

You should also know that nausea is common if you take green tea e2tract on an empty

stomach. If I take more than *== U '== mg on an empty stomach, I get )uite nauseous.

Yohimbine is made from the >ausinystalia yohimbe plant, and it helps the body “tap into!

fat stores.

06ot a very technical e2planation, I knowUif you want to know e2actly how it works, check

out this article of mine on how to lose stubborn fat.1

Yohimbine only works if you’re training in a fasted state. Flevated insulin levels .

In terms of dosages, research has shown that .* mgRkg of body weight is suZcient for fat

loss purposes, and that ingesting it prior to e2ercise is particularly effective.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15958649http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10611634http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10611634http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10611634http://www.muscleforlife.com/the-truth-about-stubborn-fat-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it/http://www.muscleforlife.com/the-truth-about-stubborn-fat-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2906290http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2906290http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12323115http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12323115http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12323115http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2906290http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0075JPYBY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0075JPYBY&linkCode=as2&tag=mflweb-20http://www.muscleforlife.com/the-truth-about-stubborn-fat-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10611634http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10611634http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15958649


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$ome people get

the shredded summer challenge (1)

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