Hey all,

As promised, here’s my own progress update.  This video was shot the night I got back after a week in Thailand, where I ate and drank more than I should have.  I maintained my training according to the same principles this program is based on, but exclusively with bodyweight exercises, which may be a good topic for another program.  Your body is your gym, and wherever you are you’re equipped to train!  No excuses.

I’m not sure I’ve lost body fat in the last three weeks (for those of you who have trained with me know well, I have no use for BMI or body fat measurements.  I have two tools that never fail to determine progress…power increase, as measured by work done per unit of time, and how I look naked, or half naked, or whatever.  As we discussed in the previous post on Calorie Shifting, you are an adaptive animal, and nature doesn’t respect vanity or how many inches of chubby you can pinch off your gut, it respects power.  Measure your power output, increase your personal records, and you’ll find consistent progress.

Despite the fact that I haven’t cut back on my carbohydrate intake enough (one night over the last week for example, I had 3 large snickers bars after eating 2 full dinners and having a large beer…this isn’t good genetics on my part, this program will supercharge your metabolism in extreme ways), and for that matter cut back on booze enough, I’ve clearly made progress in muscle gain and tone, and I’m feeling strong and fresh day to day.  If you are following the post workout meal rules from the first nutrition post, and the carb cycling rules from the second nutrition post, than you’d be losing fat at a much faster rate than myself. 

I know the power of these tools well enough to know that if I’d implemented them fully from the second week, I’d have a six pack already.  This isn’t a problem with the program, but in my execution.  That being said, you can use this as an example for how forgiving this program can be, with this little training and with the application of only the post workout meal (my two staples), that significant progress can be made in a short time.  And I’m not too concerned yet, as the extra fuel I’ve been eating has to a large extent been converted to greater strength and endurance, and this will result in a heighted capacity for rapid fat loss in the coming weeks.

Going forward I’ll be more strict on my non training days, reducing simple carbohydrate intake, and focusing on veggies and low fat protein sources in order to reduce belly fat and lean up a bit.

Watch more videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archive.

Well into our third week of the program now, you should already be seeing notable results in tone and fat loss (if you aren’t, contact me).  If you’ve implemented the principles from the first two videos, you’re already implementing our new topic, calorie shifting.  Most simple carbohydrate sources are calorically dense, and the cutback of them will generally result in an overal calorie reduction.  Independently of carb reduction however, one can reduce body weight through an overal cut in calories, as everyone knows.  This is necessary for fat loss, but if the wrong calories are cut (protein and healthy fats), lean muscle mass will also diminish, which is not our objective.

And as most of you know, if you eat too much, muscle will indeed be built, along with a whole bunch of fat.  If we shift our caloric intake however, eating more (nutritional) food on days that we train, when our body can actually make use of the surplus calories, and reduce our caloric intake on non training days, when our bodies have lower energy demands, we’ll be able to feed muscle, and burn fat consistently without losing muscle or getting fatter.  This is the key to losing weight while maintaining a high metabolism.  It is also the key to building muscle without getting fat. 

A note on your body:  Your body has natural intelligence.  Trust it.  Most of us are insensitive to natural needs and cravings because we’re domesticated in the same way pigs and cows are.  We feed constantly, and generally on calorically dense, processed foods.  But most animals in the wild have an acute sensitivity of the nutrition their bodies require, at the times they require it.  In order to reactivate your body’s natural intelligence, it’s important that you sometimes…. go hungry.  Don’t be afraid of hunger.  And don’t be afraid of eating excessively (on occasion). 

I know this is counter to current Hollywood nutrition, but there is an important biological function of hunger.  When you are hungry, your body is able to detox more fully, allowing you to take full advantage of your next meal through more efficient nutrient absorbtion and utilization.  Your body also releases powerful anabolic hormones in order to prevent tissue breakdown and maintain homeostasis.  On the other hand, occasional overeating (built on a foundation of well balanced nutrition) will satisfy your body’s nutrient needs, raise your metabolic rate, build lean muscle, and allow for faster body fat utilization on days where your calorie intake is below your caloric burn. 

This is the yin yang of nutrition.  A balanced body must find balance amidst extremes, not in consistency.  If you seek to balance all meals and caloric intake with some standard calculation of caloric expenditure, your adaptive capability will dimish, and the rate of transformation will decline.  You are an animal.  You adapt.  Your body is hardwired for muscle growth and fat loss.  Adaptation (lean muscle growth or fat loss) is a natural biological survival mechanism which allows you to deal with more extreme environmental forces.  Embrace inconsistency and you will find consistent progress.

Ok, that’s enough philosophy.  So what does this mean practically?  More or less does not need to be quantified or calculated.  It’s also relative from individual to individual.  Here is a simple equation.  If you’ve maintained your current weight for more than a few weeks, then your caloric intake is relatively equivalent to your caloric needs.  On training days, eat more than you are used to…particularly in the hours on either side of your training.  Refer to the first nutrition video if you’re looking to build more muscle.  If you’re looking to lose more weight, still eat more, but focus on veggies and lean meats (nutrionally dense, but calorically light foods).  On lower calorie days reduce simple carbohydrate intake, and eat relatively smaller portions than you are used to.  It’s that simple.

Watch more videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archives.

We’re well into our second week now, and this is your second nutritional component of the program.  This provides the flip side of the our first nutrition video on Insulin maximization in your post workout meal.  Insulin is perhaps the strongest anabolic growth hormone in the body, the impact of which can rival steroids when properly utilized.  But if insulin isn’t curbed at other times, your body will store excess body fat and you’ll become increasingly resistant to the positive benefits of this superhormone.

The balancing hormone (contrary hormone to insulin) in the body is called glucagon, and when this hormone system dominates, you’ll be predominantly fueling all activity with body fat, instead of ingested carbs.  This is the key to rapid and sutainable fat loss.  So while we want to elevate insulin and consume sufficient carbs to replenish glycogen and sufficient protein to replenish muscle broken down in training and subsequent adaptive growth, we want to reduce this hormone from causing energy storage when our body cannot utilize it for muscle growth (post workout, our muscles are extremely hungry for glycogen and protein uptake, but after the growth window closes, elevated insulin levels will cause an increase in body fat).

So…how do we maximize lean mass gain and maintenance and at the same time maximize fat loss?  We reduce simple carboyhydrate intake for the most part.  Stop snacking during the day.  Save your pastas and breads for one meal of the day.  Our bodies all have an insulin threshhold, and this is different for everyone.  By the end of this program you should be quite aware of what your is.  Until then, save your carbs for post training and…dinner time.  Dinner is optional however if you’re looking for maximum fat loss. 

Carbs that you can consume most times without negative consequences are veggies, moderate and low glycemic fruits, oats and whole grains, and nuts, and beans.  The fresher the better, the less cooked the better.  The degree to which you can remove all carbs with the exception of veggies and your occasional fruit, will determine your rate of fat loss.  In the next video post we’ll talk about a way of applying this that will not turn you into a extremist.  But starting this week, on non training days try to reduce your carbohydrate intake while the sun is shining, and eat them moderately, and only after you’ve had your veggies and protein for the meal (at dinner time, or if absolutely starving, first thing in the morning after your easily digestable protein source (eggs, whey protein, or all natural yogurt)).

Watch more videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archives.

Weeks 2 and 3:

Monday:

• Deadlift:  3 sets of 3 reps using 60 or 70 % of 5 rep max
• Chest Press:  3 sets of 3 reps using 60 or 70 % of 5 rep max
• Shoulder Press:  3 sets of 3 reps using 80 to 90 percent of 3 rep max
• Biceps Curl:  3 sets of 3 reps using 80 to 90 percent of 3 rep max
• Crunches:  to failure
• Mountain Climers:  2 minutes

Wednesday and Friday:

Same as week 1 with the addition of the Shoulder Press and Biceps Curl.  You can add weight to the deadlift and chess press if you like, and you can reduce the number of reps to 4 if necessary.  If you’re able to complete 10 or more sets of your initial weight, you may want to raise it 5 lbs (2 kgs) on each side to keep your total workout time below 45 minutes.  If that weight is too heavy to last 4 or 5 sets, than reduce the rep range to 4.  We’ll be using this method for 2 weeks, so you can figure out your adjustments on the first Wednesday, and you’ll know thereafter.

• Deadlift: Add 5 lbs to each hand X 4 or 5 repetitions. Rest 1 minute, and repeat to your ability.
• Chest Add 5 lbs to each hand X 4 or 5 repetitions. Rest 1 minute, and repeat to your ability.
• Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 3 reps, using 80 or 90 percent of your 3 rep max
• Biceps Curl: 3 sets of 3 reps, using 80 or 90 percent of your 3 rep max
• Crunches: 1 slow set to failure
• Mountain Climers: 2 minutes

Today we introduce the topic of periodization.  Most fitness programs vary exercises too frequently.  Many others periodize body parts to all for greater stress and recovery of isolated parts.  Your body doesn’t require exercise variety from workout to workout, as long as you’re not training multiple sets to failure.  From month to month, yes, but not workout to workout.  The more you vary your exercises, the more you reduce your ability to quantify progress.  Varying exercises will indeed stimulate your body in a different way, often times allowing for continued growth, but the results are unpredictable.  We want to guarantee progress.

The other, more practical approach is simply to increase the volume or intensity (weight lifted per unit of time) of a set, if you’re using a primary compound exercise that recruits multiple muscle groups.  Your body cannot get used to ‘more weight’.  More weight, and greater volume require a stronger machine, period.  And a stronger machine is one with more lean muscle and the capacity for greater fat burning.  The key to this, is to methodically push your limits, set new personal records, and back off slightly to realize the gains made.  This is the reason for the lighter Monday.  Friday is our heavy push day.

 Watch more videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archive.

Hey all,

The first dietary change I’m going to have you make is to EAT MORE…but for our purposes, we’ll focus on when to eat more of what.

 Hopefully by this time you’re 1 or 2 workouts into the program.  I generally have my clients jump in and wait a session or two before they begin to play with their nutrition, as the workout itself can be quite a change, and eating outside of your comfort zone may leave you feeling less than yourself.  Nevertheless, the change we’re going to make this week is extremely powerful, and extremely simple to implement.  I don’t want you to cut anything out yet, and I don’t want you to throw all the sugar in your house out…yet.

The science of rapid body transformation requires the right kind of fuel AT THE RIGHT TIME.  Most people focus on eating healthy.  This is a great long term policy, but it won’t shred your body in record time.  When your car is running on empty, its not a good time to fill it with vegetables.  In high intensity resistance training, glycogen, the energy produced from carbohydrates and stored in muscles is depleted.  Muscles are furthermore broken down and subject to catabolism, an overall breaking down of the body.  Most people don’t see fitness training as what it really is…breaking down the body. 

It’s a gift of nature that when our bodies are broken down (in a structured way), they are rebuilt when we’re at rest in a way that overcompensates for the stress.  With proper fuel we can supercharge this adaptation with results on par with injecting anabolic steroids.  With improper fuel the damage done during training can endure and result in a loss of lean muscle mass, a lower metabolic rate, and a diminished ability to utilize stored body fat.  So what is the fuel that does all this most efficiently?  CARBS

Carbohydrates are the single best fuel for your body.  Carbs come in the form of pasta, bread, oatmeal, and its important to acknowledge this, vegetables and fruit.  Some of these foods effect your blood sugar (and therefore insulin) level considerably, and some don’t.  Most diets would have you stick to low glycemic carbs (those that don’t raise blood sugar or insulin levels).  And in general, this is a good policy.  After you finish training however, your body is most optimally fed with simple carbohydrates, and ideally high glycemic ones.  An apple is comprised of simple carbohydrates, but is still low glycemic.  Pasta, white bread, pineapple, cakes and cookies all constitute high glycemic carbohydrates.  They will all raise insulin levels, and usher in the most powerful anabolic growth and fat burning effect your body is capable of. 

To maximize this super hormone post training you need to eat high glycemic carbs within an hour of training (along with a bit of protein), and the sooner the better.  It doesn’t matter if you’re hungry or not.  You need to do it.  If you’re looking to build muscle, do it until you physically cannot put another bite in your mouth…and then keep going.  If you’re looking to tone up and burn fat, eat until you’re content, don’t stuff yourself.  Follow this post workout meal with another meal about 2 hours later comprised mostly of protein and veggies.  These two meals together will quicken recovery and aid growth, and will be primarily responsible for the rapid adaptations to come.

To recap the benefits of elevating insulin levels post workout:

• increases protein synthesis
• increases amino acid (protein) transport into the muscle cells
• reduces protein break down (which is what occurs during training)

If you incorporate this primary change, you’ll notice rapid gains in strength as well as a stronger metabolism in general.  You should be noticing ‘the hunger’ within a few days, which is the first indication of effective training, eating, and a heightened metabolic rate.  In the next nutrition video we’ll discuss how to eliminate the negative effects of this hormone through carbohydrate cycling, in order to maximize adaptation, and reduce body fat.  Feel free to leave comments or questions below, I’m sure they’ll be of help to others.

Watch other videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archive.

Hey Guys,

Here we go.  Week 1 focuses on conditioning the two fundamentals, the deadlift and the chest press.  We’re working the same series 3 days this week, so don’t kill it on day 1, it may hit you hard as it did me.  For the two primary exercises, we’re not going to push to failure, and we’re not going to preset the number of sets per exercise.  We’re going to select a repetition range from 4 to 6 reps, rest 1 minute, and continue until you become uncertain as to whether you can complete another set.  You stop 1 set short of that effort.

For example, my deadlift for the week looked like this (the weight was constant all week):

• Day 1: 5 sets of 5 reps
• Day 2: 7 sets of 5 reps
• Day 3: 10 sets of 5 reps (with a reduced rest time of 40 seconds).

Your body is a machine, and like any machine a stronger/more efficient engine is required for more work or power. Volume and/or intensity will both stimulate adaptation. Volume is simply the weight lifted multiplied by the number of repetitions. Intensity can be measured by dividing volume by the time it takes to complete the set. I complete day 2 and day 3 in the same amount of time, due to the reduced rest time. This means that both volume and intensity were up for that exercise, which simply means I’m stronger than I was 2 days prior, and that I’ve done enough work to stimulate further adaptation, as long as I fuel up properly afterwards.

In short, here’s the workout for the week:

Select a rep range from 4 to 6.  If you’re not sure what is good for you individually, just do 5 reps per set this week.  Find a weight that you can lift 5 times with each exercise, but not 6 times.  Multiply that weight by .8 and you have the working weight for all sets for the week.  Example; If I can lift 100 lbs 5 times, but not 6, then I take 80 percent of that weight, which is 80 lbs, and that is the weight I will use.  (sorry if I’m beating a dead horse, but not many people have a habit of quantifying the intensity of their workouts, and this is important for those who don’t).

• Deadlift:  80 percent of 5 rep max X 5 repetitions. Rest 1 minute, and repeat to your ability.
• Chest Press:  80 percent of 5 rep max X 5 repetitions.  Rest 1 minute, and repeat to your ability.
• Crunches:  1 slow and control set to failure
• Mountain Climers:  2 minutes

Watch more videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archive.

Hey guys,

The program is based on two primary exercises; the deadlift and the chest press.  They should both be performed with controlled , high tension movements, without throwing or heaving the weight.  Hi tension meaning the strain of the exercise isn’t localized, but it recruits all surrounding muscles and your core to stabilize and control the weight.  This is not a bodybuilding method perse, but a strength training method.  Feel free to ask questions or comment below.

Watch more videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archive.

Michael’s primary objective:  To maximize strength, size, and stamina gains with as little time spent training as possible.  In other words, to build high performance muscle, and reshape his physique as quickly as possible, with as little work as possible.  As discussed in the videos below, he put on 11 to 15 pounds of lean muscle, lost several pounds of fat, and saw his limit strength and strength endurance numbers increase over 100 % on all exercises, and in some cases 300 to 500 %.

Michael: “I am fascinated with the writings of Tim Ferriss in his “4-Hour Body” book. Realistically speaking however most of us do not lead a lifestyle that allows us to maintain the same strictness or discipline on a daily basis – in particular when it comes to diet. To me this is the “2-hour workout” that allows for an easy diet whilst attaining all the objectives I set out – which in short meant not only a very strong body but also a fantastic condition (which I have been delighted to see come automatically with this kind of training). I have asked Tom to “bottle” this and send it in to the market – I guess he is still considering how to do that. And yes I forced Tom to put this bit into the writeup as he is too modest himself to put it in.”

One note – Michael has a very high tolerance for pain, and this program will need to be modified according to individual differences in strength, endurance, and… pain tolerance.  And the video’s below are all unique, but the first bit of each is identical so they can be viewed independently, so please bare with the similar intros…

Michael’s Training Regime – Discussion and Exercises

Michael’s Dietary Changes

Michael’s Results

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