If you train in a big commercial gym, you’ve probably noticed Monday is National Bench Day. Everyone seems to be training their chest. Tuesday is often National Bench Day part 2 with more of the same.

But how do you train your chest efficiently for maximum growth? In this post I’ll explain you which mistakes you must avoid to build a bigger chest and the right method to increase your chest size.

Top 3 Chest Building Mistakes. Training your chest muscles 4x/week using pro bodybuilders routines is wasting your time. Especially if you’re skinny.

• Isolation Exercises. You can’t stress your chest with heavy weights using exercises like dumbbell flies. So you won’t trigger the release of Testosterone & Growth Hormone as much as with compounds.
• Eating Like a Pigeon. You’ll never get a big chest if you’re 120lbs at 6′. Training your chest 3x/week won’t get it bigger unless you eat more.
• Isolating Your Chest. Although your chest has to 2 main heads, it’s 1 muscle and contracts as a whole. You can’t isolate your upper or lower chest. You can only emphasize it.

Here’s How to Build a Bigger Chest. The key to increasing the size of your chest muscles is to eat more and get stronger. Build a foundation before you even think of adding isolation exercises.

• Eat More. Your chest will never be big if you’re underweight. Check the minimum weights for your height. To gain weight: eat every 3 hours and focus on calorie dense foods. Read the weight gain & GOMAD guides.
• Do Heavy Compounds. Free weight compound exercises like the Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press and Overhead Press are the fastest way to build overall strength & bulk. Do them often & heavy.
• Train Your Legs. Squats & Deadlifts help chest growth by increasing the release of muscle building hormones like Testosterone and Growth Hormone. Get stronger at them. Read 5 reasons to train your legs.
• Rest. Your muscles grow when they rest, not when you train them. Train your chest maximum 2x/week. Eat your calories so your chest gets the nutrients it needs to recover and grow bigger.
• Lift Fast. Lifting fast recruits more muscle fibers and lets you use more weight, which stimulates chest growth. Lift as fast as you can on the way up with good technique. Way down under control but not slow.
• Use Proper Technique. A partial bench press doesn’t work your chest through a full range of motion. Touch your shirt on the way down, lock your elbows at the top. Lower the weight if you have to.
• Set Realistic Goals. Even if you train and eat exactly like your idol, you’ll never get the same muscle shape. Developing your muscles is training and diet. But the shape of your muscles is genetics.
• Be Patient. Especially if you’re still a teen. Your body is still developing. You won’t get the chest development of a 30y old if you’re only 15. Build the foundation and be patient. Your chest will change as you get older.

Top 4 Chest Building Exercises. Don’t do things like Bench Pressing to your neck or with your elbows out. Both are potentially dangerous and will injure your shoulders. Use exercises where you can go heavy safely.

• Bench Press. Allows you to stress your body with heavy weights. Forget about getting a bigger chest if you can’t at least bench your body-weight for 5×5 (so at least 160lbs for 5×5 if you weigh 160lbs).
• Push-ups. Closed-chain exercise. Useless done for reps without added resistance. Do Push-ups against a resistance band or weighted.
• Weighted Dips. If your shoulders can take them: dips between parallel bars while wearing a belt with weight will build your chest muscles.
• Dumbbell Press. Increase chest growth by stretching your pecs on the way down. But you can’t use as much weight as with barbells.

Check StrongLifts 5×5 for a strength training that includes many of the above concepts and that which help you gain weight and increase the size of your chest. Read the success stories and start a training log.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Ramadan 2009 starts August 21st and lasts until September 20th. During this period, practicing Muslims fast from dawn till dusk. This is a complete fast: you eat nothing, but also don’t drink. Not even water.

Weight lifting can be hard during Ramadan. Especially since it falls during the warmer summer months this year and the following ones. This post will teach you how to train and what to eat for best results during Ramadan.

What Is Ramadan? The 9th month in the Islamic calender is the Ramadan. All practicing Muslims drink and eat nothing from dawn till dusk. The goal of fasting is to teach you patience, discipline, modesty & spirituality.

Ramadan stresses prayers, fasting, charity and self-accountability. You want to gain awareness and empathy for the poor. Practicing Muslims pray 5 times per day, including at dawn and dusk.

The Islamic calender is 11-12 days shorter than the solar year. This is because it’s a lunar calender, based on moon cycles. That’s why the Ramadan migrates through the seasons. Example:

• Ramadan 2009: 21st August – 20th September
• Ramadan 2010: 10th August – 9th September
• Ramadan 2011: 1st August – 30th August
• Ramadan 2012: 20th July – 19th August
• Ramadan 2013: 9th July – 8th August

Ramadan during the summer is harder: longer fasts and shorter feeds. Weight lifting gets harder too because you can’t drink during the fast. And your nights are shorter which can cause sleep deprivation.

Common Mistakes During Ramadan. Lack of planning is the biggest mistake you can do during Ramadan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Make a plan for your diet, training, job, sleep. More errors to avoid:

• Not Training. You won’t lose much muscle & strength if you stop weight lifting during Ramadan. But you’ll tend to stick to your diet less. And this can cause more muscle/strength loss and fat gains than not lifting.
• Not Eating Healthy. Lots of people gain fat during Ramadan. The main reason for this is that a lot of the Ramadan foods are high in sugars & fats. Example: harira soup, often served with bread/dates.
• Not Eating Enough. Food is energy. If you don’t eat enough you’ll lack energy at the gym and won’t recover well. You must focus on caloric dense foods to get the most out of your feeding window.
• Not Sleeping Enough. Short nights can cause sleep deprivation. This can kill your motivation to go to the gym. Consider naps.

Popular Fasting Myths. I highly recommend you get a copy of Eat Stop Eat. It has all the research regarding fasting and its benefits. Some myths:

• Metabolism Slows Down. Studies show that fasting doesn’t decrease your metabolism. And more frequent meals don’t increase it neither.
• Muscle & Strength Loss. Fasting doesn’t cause muscle loss. You’ll most likely feel stronger & more aggressive training fasted.
• Low Energy. You’ll have energy if you eat enough during your feeding window. Productivity will increase since you’re not wasting time on food.

When To Lift Weights During Ramadan. Train fasted: 2 hours before you break your fast. This way you can eat several times post workout to help recovery. You also maximize your feeding window since you don’t spend it training.

You should feel stronger and more aggressive training fasted. If you don’t: you’re not eating enough food during the feed. Or it’s psychological.

Predators in the wild only hunt when they are hungry.

- Ori Hofmekler, The Warrior Diet.

How to Lose Fat During Ramadan. Fasting improves fat loss. You can get away with more carbs than you would usually, without gaining fat. Tips:

• Get Stronger. Strength training prevents muscle loss. Keep lifting weights and work at getting stronger. Check StrongLifts 5×5.
• Eat Healthy. Eat whole, unprocessed foods 90% of the time. Ground round, chicken breast, tuna cans, oats, rice, pasta, bananas, eggs, …
• Drink Water. Avoid coffee & green tea: they’re diuretics. Drink water to avoid dehydration. Aim for 1 gallon between dawn & dusk.
• Avoid Junk Food. Lots of people gain weight during Ramadan because they gorge themselves with foods that aren’t healthy. Avoid.
• Avoid Cardio. You can’t drink water during the fast so cardio or HIIT is a bad idea. Stick with lifting only until Ramadan ends.

How to Gain Weight During Ramadan. Gorging yourself with food goes against the spirit of Ramadan. Meet your daily caloric needs but don’t be a pig. Tips:

• GOMAD. Drink 4 liters whole milk per day. Spread your intake between dawn and dusk. Read the GOMAD guide for more info.
• Eat Caloric Dense Foods. White paste is the best food you can choose: 250g contains 1000kcal. Try also: rice, mixed nuts, bananas.
• Get Stronger. The fastest way to build muscle mass is to get stronger. Squat heavy & frequently. Check the StrongLifts 5×5 routine.
• Make Liquid Meals. Digest faster than solid meals. Drink lots of whole milk. Make smoothies: banana, oats, plain fat free yogurt, milk.
• Drink Water. Milk is 87% water so you won’t need to drink that much water on top of your daily gallon of whole milk.
• Use Fitday. Track everything. Aim for +5000kcal/day. 1 gallon whole milk and 500g pasta per day equals 4500kcal.

Ramadan & StrongLifts 5×5. Training fasted works if you eat well during the feeding window. Thirst can be a problem if you’re used to drinking a lot or if it’s warm. Best is to cut down your workout time. Tips:

• Train Fasted. Train 2 hours before breaking your fast. This way you can eat several meals post workout to help your recovery.
• Switch to 3×5. Do 3×5 instead of 5×5 on all exercises (Deadlift 1×5). Keep doing the StrongLifts 5×5 routine 3x/week.
• Drop The Assistance Exercises. Do Squats, Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Bench Press, Inverted Rows only during the Ramadan period.

Example Ramadan Training & Diet Plan. The length of fast/feed changes as the days go by and depending on the season. In 2009 these are the starting and ending times of Ramadan in Brussels, Belgium:

• First day: 21st August 2009: 4:22am – 8:57pm
• Last day: 20th September 2009: 5:32am – 7:50pm

Ramadan gets easier as the days go by since the fast gets 2 hours shorter. Sleep deprivation can be problem and will kill your motivation. Consider naps. Example schedule during Ramadan:

• 7pm: lift weights. 3-4 compound exercises for 1 hour max.
• 9pm: break fast. Proteins & carbs. Pasta, tomato sauce, ground round.
• 10pm: proteins & carbs. Example: tuna, brown rice, pineapple.
• 11pm: light pre-bed meal. Cottage cheese, berries, ground flax seeds.
• 11:30pm: bedtime
• 3:30am: breakfast: eggs, veggies, meat. Back in bed after 1st prayer.
• 7am: wake up, get ready for work
• 1pm: 30mins nap
• 5pm: 1 hour nap pre-workout

While Ramadan is challenging this summer with the short feeding times, don’t let it get into your head. You can progress regardless. I won’t do Ramadan since I’m atheist. But I fast 2x/week for 24h. And training is going great.

More Reading.

• Eat Stop Eat. Contains the latest research on fasting and debunks all the myths surrounding it. Click here to read my review.
• Warrior Diet. On this diet you fast for 20h, eat for 4 hours — all year through. This is the closest you get to Ramadan.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Common Mistakes to Avoid. The number 1 mistake is doing endless biceps curls & triceps extensions to build bigger arms. This works at the advanced level, but for beginners it’s inefficient and counterproductive.

• Curls & Extensions. Beginners need compound exercises to build overall muscle mass, not isolation exercises. First big picture, then the details.
• Overtraining Your Arms. Arms are small muscles which you hit on all exercises. You can’t train them 5x/week. Muscles grow when they rest.
• Neglecting Other Muscles. This will get you out of proportion. Your arms will be too big compared to the rest of your body and you’ll look funny.
• Not Eating Enough Food. You’ll never get 18” biceps if you only weigh 120lbs at 6′. You must gain weight to build bigger arms.

How to Build Bigger Arms. You’ll never have big arms as long as you’re under-weight. No matter how many biceps curls you do. To build bigger arms, increase your overall muscle mass first by getting stronger and eating a lot.

• Eat More. Eat every 3 hours. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, post workout & 2 snacks. Eat your stomach full on each meal.
• GOMAD. Drink 1 gallon of whole milk a day. This is the fastest way to gain weight. Read the GOMAD guide for more info.
• Get Stronger. Increase your Squat to 1.5x your body-weight for at least 1 rep. Increase your Deadlift to 2x your body-weight for 1 rep.
• Rest. Muscles grow when at rest. Give your arms a break, they’re small muscles. Check StrongLifts 5×5: the routine allows for plenty of rest.
• Track Progress. Weigh yourself, track your body fat using a fat caliper and measure your flexed arms every 2 weeks. Keep a training log.
• Avoid Curls. Increasing your Squat & Deadlift will build your arms faster than biceps curls & triceps extensions. Get stronger and eat more.

StrongLifts 5×5 & Arm Growth. Popular question: can you add exercises to StrongLifts 5×5 to hit your biceps & triceps? No, you already get plenty of arm work with StrongLifts 5×5.

• Biceps. Pull-ups, Chin-ups & Inverted Rows work your biceps. Pull-ups work several muscles at the same time and force you to pull your own weight up. Compare your body-weight with how much you’d curl.
• Triceps. Bench Press, Overhead Press & Push-ups work your triceps. Especially the Overhead Press will hit your triceps hard.
• Forearms. Deadlifts work your forearms hard. Avoid straps. Squeeze the bar hard, use chalk and use a mixed grip on your max sets.

Another reason you must focus on getting stronger on Squats and Deadlifts to build bigger arms, is that these work your arms indirectly. Your arms squeeze the bar hard during heavy Squats & Deadlifts. This will make them grow.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

The average person needs a different approach. One that builds muscle fast and prevents physical & mental overtraining from doing too much, too soon. Here’s how to build muscle: the definitive guide to building muscle.

1. Get Stronger. More strength is more muscle. Get into strength training. I recommend weight lifting because it allows you to start light and add weight endlessly. Body-weight exercises work too.

• Weight Lifting. Start with an empty bar. Learn proper technique. Add weight each workout to keep pushing your body out of comfort zone.
• Calisthenics . Push-ups, Pull-ups, Dips, Pistols, Reverse Crunches, etc. Switch to harder versions or add weight when they get easy.

2. Use Free Weights. You can lift the heaviest weights using barbells. More weight is more stress, thus more muscle. Dumbbells are great for assistance exercises, but not for your main lifts. Stay away from machines.

• Safe. Machines force you into fixed, unnatural movement patterns which can cause injuries. Free weights replicate natural motions.
• Efficient. Free weights force you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines, which balance the weight for you.
• Functional. Strength built on machines doesn’t transfer to free weights or real life. No machine balances the weight for you in real life.
• Versatile. You can do hundreds of exercises with just 1 barbell. Saves a lot of money and space, especially if you want to build a home gym.

3. Do Compound Exercises. Don’t imitate Pro Bodybuilders. Isolation exercises are ok once you’ve built base strength & muscle mass. But if you’re starting to build muscle, exercises that hit several muscles at the same time are better.

• No endless Biceps Curls -> Pull-ups, Chin-ups & Barbell Rows
• Also no Triceps Kickbacks -> Bench Press, Overhead Press, Dips
• And definitely no Leg Extensions -> Squats & Deadlifts

4. Train Your Legs. Squats work your whole body, they’re the most important exercise. You’ll look totally different once you can Squat 1.5x your body-weight. That’s a free weight Squat with hips coming lower than knees.

All your muscles tense when doing Squats & Deadlifts. They work your body as 1 piece and let you lift heavy weights. Don’t lose time with Biceps Curls. When you can Squat & Deadlift heavy weights, you’ll have bigger arms.

5. Do Full Body Workouts. Don’t compare to Pro Bodybuilders. 3rd time so this gets into you. Body part splits with isolation exercises is fine once you’ve built a foundation. That’s once you can Squat 1.5x your body-weight.

You can’t Squat that much or never did Squats? Check StrongLifts 5×5. It takes 3×45mins/week and includes compound exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Barbell Rows, Overhead Press, Pull-ups, Dips, etc.

6 Get Recovery. Pro athletes workout 5-6 times per week. But they didn’t start that way. They added workouts as they got stronger & bigger. You’ll overtrain if you jump into their routines. As a beginner you need more recovery.

• Rest. Muscles grow when you rest, not when you workout. Start with 3 full body workouts per week and focus on intensity, not gym time.
• Sleep. Growth hormone releases when you sleep, building muscle. Aim for 8 hours sleep. Nap post workout if your lifestyle allows.
• Drink Water. Avoids dehydration and helps muscle recovery. Drink 2 cups water with each meal, and sip water during your workout.
• Eat. “Eat like a horse. Sleep like a baby. Grow like a weed”. Your training is useless if you don’t eat plenty of whole foods. More below.

7. Eat Whole Foods. You’ll achieve a lower body fat, so the muscles you’ve built show better. And the vitamin & mineral content helps recovery. Stop eating food coming from a box. Eat whole foods 90% of the time.

• Proteins. Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, milk, …
• Carbs. Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, quinoa, …
• Veggies. Spinach, broccoli, tomato, salad, carrot, …
• Fruits. Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, peers, …
• Fats. Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds, …

8. Eat More. You need food for energy and for muscle growth & recovery. More frequent meals also boosts your metabolism, helping fat loss.

• Eat Breakfast. Get calories from the first hour. Read how to build the habit of eating breakfast. Try these 7 breakfast recipes.
• Eat Post Workout. Get proteins & carbs post workout to help muscle recovery & replenish energy stores. Try this post workout shake.
• Eat Every 3 Hours. 6 meals/day. Gives your muscles a steady intake of protein, speeds up muscle repair & recovery, boosts your metabolism.
• Eat BW in lbs x 18kcal. Track your daily calorie intake using FitDay. You need at least your body-weight in lbs x 18kcal to maintain weight.

9. Gain Weight. You’ll never look muscular weighing 140lbs at 6″. No matter how much training you do. Check the guide on how to gain weight for skinny guys. Here’s the most important part.

• Eat Calorie Dense Foods. 100g raw spinach is 25kcals. But 100g raw rice is 380kcals. Eat pasta, oats, olive oil, mixed nuts, etc.
• Get Stronger. Increase your Squat to 1.5x your body-weight for at least 1 rep. Deadlift 2x BW for at least 1 rep. More strength is more muscle.
• Drink Whole Milk. If you don’t bother gaining some fat, drink 1 gallon whole milk daily on top of your current food intake. You can gain 25lbs in 1 month if you combine this with 3 weekly Squat sessions.

10. Get Protein. Proteins have the highest thermic effect. You need 1g protein per pound of body-weight daily to build & maintain muscle. That’s 160g of daily protein if you weigh 160lbs/72kg. Eat whole proteins with each meal.

• Red Meat. Ground round, steaks, deer, buffalo, …
• Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey, duck, …
• Fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, …
• Eggs. Eat the yolk, it’s full of vitamins.
• Dairy. Milk, cottage cheese, quark cheese, yogurt, whey, …

If you weigh 160lbs: 1 can of tuna at lunch, 300g quark as snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 160g protein. Read also how to get your daily protein when you’re a vegeterian/vegan.

Persist. Get stronger, track progress and persist until you’ve built the muscles you want. You’ll see the biggest change in physique after following this method for 2 months. For a free muscle building guide, get StrongLifts 5×5 FREE eBook.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

What do you think is Ivan Stoitsov body fat %? His abs are extremely defined.

Ivan Stoitsov. Bulgarian Olympic weight lifter. Ivan Stoitsov totaled 368kg at 76,83kg at the Weight Lifting World Champs 2007. His 158kg Snatch & 205kg Clean & Jerk got him gold. Here’s a video of his 205kg Clean & Jerk.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Weight lifters from his category cut down weight before the meet. Caloric excess helps recovery which is important when training that much. Body fat is the last thing he thinks about, it’s all about getting strong to win the medal.

Here’s a video of the training of Polish weight lifters. It gives you an idea of the amount of work these guys do. Pay attention to the different weight classes, and the amount of body fat they carry.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you want to get a body like Stoitsov, do what he does:

• Get Stronger. More strength is more muscle. Bringing your body fat down to 10% is useless if you don’t have muscles to show for.
• Move a Lot. Try to stay fat doing 3x weight lifting, playing squash with colleagues, tennis with girlfriend, some swimming, … all in 1 week.
• Eat a Lot. All these activities burn energy. You need food. Eat massive amounts of healthy nutrition without even counting calories.
• Be Patient. Stoitsov didn’t become like that over night. His body is a result of his training & mindset.

Check out G-Flux: Building the Ultimate Body by John Berardi for more on this.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Does anyone know the best way to cut a body like Brad Pitt’s in Fight Club. I’m have a pretty fit body now but i want that cut look he has in the movie.

What type of workout would you do to get the “Pitt” look. I’ve been trying to get my arms bigger for months and nothing works. My chest is huge, but my arm size doesn’t match.

According to this article Brad Pitt’s body fat was around 6% in Fight Club. I wish it went into detail about his diet. I want to get a “Fight Club” physique like he had, not necessarily be big and bulky.

I’d like to have Brad Pitt’s exact build. How much do y’all think this dude weighs?? 200 lbs? 210?? I’m 6′1″ so I’m wondering how much weight I’d have to put on

I think that would be ideal for an ectomorph like me who has it very hard to gain weight and so maybe a Brad Pitt body would be a reasonable target

I think it’s at the point were ladies notice and then above that they start to get intimidated which i dont want.

I would like to be huge but my genetics wont allow it and i accept that, or i would have to be hugely dedicated but i dont really have the time to eat every hour on the hour.

The Fight Club Physique. Brad Pitt weighs 150-160lbs at 6′ in Fight Club, which makes him a skinny guy. I’m 160lbs at 5′8 and I’m considered a light weight. At 6′ you should weigh at least 185lbs.

Brad Pitt lacks leg, traps, back & chest development. His arms & shoulders are disproportionate compared with his forearms & chest. Think away his arms & shoulders, and Pitt doesn’t even look like he workouts.

The Fight Club Workout. You have different genetics than Brad Pitt. Different muscle shapes, body type, length of bones, etc. Even if you do the same sets, reps, exercises & diet as Brad Pitt, you’d still not have his body.

Big shoulders give an impression of size: they widen your torso. Pitt focused on shoulders & arms. No Squats, no Deadlifts, no legs. Only high rep isolation exercises, building a disproportionate physique.

Self-acceptance. Brad Pitt’s personality in Fight Club is what make people want to build the same physique. Ironically Fight Club is about not trying to be what movies, television & ads sell you.

Build your own body. Make people want to be like you, rather than you wanting to be other people. If you want to impress the ladies, do it by being comfortable with who you are. People don’t like copycats. They like what’s scarce.

How to Build Muscle without Getting Bulky. Popular weight lifting myth: lifting heavy weights will make you bulky. It won’t unless you eat more too.

• Build Strength. Strength training builds muscle, lowers body fat, helps you stick to your diet, improves posture, increases self-confidence, …
• Compound Exercises. Avoid ending up with a disproportionate physique by doing full body routines like StrongLifts 5×5.
• Eat Whole Foods. Prepare your own food so you have total control over ingredients and don’t get fat. Check the 8 nutrition rules.
• Control Calories. Calculate how many calories you need per day using the cunningham equation. You won’t get bulky if you don’t overeat.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

• Budget. You need to eat more calories to gain weight. If you’re on a budget, you might not have the money to buy more food.
• Women. It’s a common myth that weight lifting makes you bulky. You will build muscle, but you can do this without gaining weight.
• Clothes. Read Doo’s story. New clothes cost money. And if you’re short, you’ll get problems finding clothes that fit.
• Sports. Reader Quagmire posted in the forum: “I have other interests such as mountaineering and rock climbing, and getting huge would be counterproductive.” Many sports work with weight categories.
• You Don’t Like It. Another one by Quagmire: “You may get pressure in this game to add weight and then add some more. Most of the guys I have come across have this obsession with getting over 200lbs and then some.“

This obsession is the opposite of anorexia: fear of being small. If you fear being small, you’ll always be. Eat more so you lose the skinny look. But you don’t have to weigh 220lbs because others do. Do it for yourself.

Below Olympic Weightlifter Le Maosheng. World record holder in the Clean & Jerk: 182,5kg in the 62kg category. He’s 1m63.

Le Maosheng. Image credit: Dehwang.

Basics. Before I explain how to build muscle without getting bulky, some basics about strength training and building muscle.

• More strength means more muscle. You can’t avoid muscle gains if you train hard. Even small guys will get muscular. Check Naim Süleymanoğlu.
• But you can control your body-weight. The trick is to minimize fat gains, maximize muscle gains and control your calorie intake.
• Muscles look more bulky than no muscles. You’ll have bigger legs, chest & shoulders. If that’s a problem for you, forget about weight lifting.

Let’s go with the how to.

1. Limit Calories. Daily caloric needs depend on how many calories you burn. You need less calories if you have a desk job than if you have a physical job. But avoid undereating (muscle loss) as much as overeating (weight gain).

Start with your body-weight in lbs x 18 kcal daily. That’s 2800kcal if you weigh 155lbs. Do that for 14 days without exception. Weigh yourself. If you lost weight, eat BWx20kcal. If you gained weight: BWx16kcal.

2. Eat Low Calorie Foods. Fights hunger by filling your stomach. Low calorie foods, like green veggies, often burn more calories than you get by consuming them. Use NutritionData to find low calorie foods.

Get 1g/lbs protein daily. Eat 1-2 low carb meals per day. Stay away from junk food. Make sure you get your total calories at the end of the day: you need calories for energy & to build muscle. Example meal plan:

• Breakfast. Eggs with veggies.
• Post Workout. Protein shake of whey & oats with raisins.
• Lunch. Tuna, rice & fruit.
• Snack. Red meat & green veggies.
• Dinner. Poultry & green veggies.
• Pre Bed Snack. Cottage cheese, berries, flax seeds, fish oil.

3. Cardio. 30mins moderate intensity cardio on the elliptical driver burns about 500kcal. Which means you can eat 3500kcal without gaining weight if you need 3000kcal daily to maintain your body-weight.

I don’t like adding cardio to build muscle without getting bulky. 3x/week cardio is time consuming. Limiting calorie intake & eating clean food is easier. But if you have the time & want to add cardio:

• 3x/Week. Post strength training so you have several days per week where you get both physical & mental rest.
• Moderate Intensity. Breathing heavier than at rest but not gasping.

4. Train Low Rep. You can influence the increase in muscle size you get from lifting weights. The process of building muscle is called hypertrophy. You have 2 kinds of muscular hypertrophy:

• Myofibrillar Hypertrophy. Gives a denser look but less muscle size. You get this by doing less than 5 reps per set.
• Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy. More muscle size but you don’t get as strong. Achieved by doing sets of 8 reps & more.

StrongLifts 5×5 builds strength & muscle. But you won’t get the same muscle size as when doing sets of 10 reps. You can further minimize hypertrophy by doing 8×3 or 12×2 instead of 5×5. This is still about 25 reps volume.

The problem with this approach: you’re training closer to your 1 repetition max. Adding weight each workout gets harder and it’s easier to overtrain.

What About You? Do you care about getting bulky? Do you have tips to build muscle without getting bulky? Click here to share your opinion & tips.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

It’s impossible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. One requires a caloric surplus, the other requires a caloric deficit.

The only time both may happen is when an overweight individual first begins working out.

This is the reason that professionals go through cycles where they alternate between bulking and cutting.

Building Muscle. You need a caloric surplus to gain weight. And if you’re skinny you’ll want that weight gain to be muscle. But you can build muscle without gaining weight too. It comes down to:

• Stress. Strength training stresses your body. Your body adapts to the stress by growing stronger & building muscle.
• Nutrition. 1g/lbs protein daily at least to build muscle. Body-weight in lbs x 18kcal daily so your body doesn’t burn muscle for energy.

Losing Fat. I wrote a full guide on how to lose fat fast in the past. Here’s the short version:

• Burn More. Weight lifting & cardio burn calories. Muscle burn calories. More muscle means more calories burned, even when at rest.
• Eat Clean. Don’t worry about calories. Quit the junk food, eat clean & avoid hunger. Track your body fat weekly using a fat caliper.

Professionals. Bodybuilders play a different game. They cut to drop below 10% body fat. The lower you want to decrease your body fat, the more you have to look at the details. And one goal at a time is always easier.

But StrongLifts.com is not about bodybuilding. StrongLifts.com is about building muscle & losing fat while getting stronger. Besides, going lower than 10% body fat (15% for women) is impractical & unnecessary.

• Impractical. Your body is not made to stay below 10% body fat for long. Body fat is emergency storage. Trying to get lower for extensive periods means lots of cardio & counting calories.
• Unnecessary. Picture below: Russian strongman Michael Sidorychev. You can see his abs although his body fat is above 10%. Why? Because he’s strong.

Michael Sidorychev. Image credit: Pete90291

You can build muscle while losing fat. Just like you can build muscle without gaining weight. Or gain weight without gaining fat. Get stronger, eat healthy. Leave the details to the bodybuilders.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I got your question H. Here’s your answer to how you can lose fat & build muscle at the same time.

Question. I’ve been following the Abs Diet and training program for the last 18 months. It worked well for me. But now I need to move it up a level. I hope the 4 sets of 12 reps have given a good base for strength training.

I started your beginners strength training program a week ago. I’m keeping a log of training & diet. My current stats:

• Age: 31
• Height: 1m82 (6″)
• Weight: 80kg (176lbs)
  
• Body fat: 18%

My goals

• Lose body fat to 10-12%
• Keep body fat at 10-12% year-round
• Build muscle mass – as much as possible

My question. Can I lose body fat & build muscle at the same time if:

1. I perform the beginner strength training program 3 times a week
2. I apply progressive loading until I achieve intermediate strength stats
3. I eat healthy clean food 90% of the time
4. I do a slow bulk: increasing calorie intake as weight increases on the bar
5. I eat real food. Only using whey in breakfast, pre & post workout shake.

My current diet:

• 06:30: 50g oats, 250ml semi-skimmed milk & 30g whey in water
• 09:30: 1 apple
• 12:00: chicken/fish/beef with salad bowl
• 15:30: handful of almonds
• Pre-workout: half of a 30g whey with 300ml water shake
• 18:00-19:00: training
• Post-workout: second half of whey shake
• 19:30: chicken/fish/beef with peas, sweet corn & cottage cheese
• 1-2 cups of strong green tea
• 1-2 cups of coffee
• 1.5 litres of water

My diet is slight relaxed at the weekend but nothing too far off this baseline.

Answer. How can you lose body fat & build muscle at the same time? This is a very popular question. I’m preparing several articles on the subject. But don’t hold your breath. It will take some time. In the meanwhile, here’s some info on losing body fat while building muscle.

The Abs Diet. I’m not familiar with the Abs Diet & training program. This is my opinion based on the info you gave me.

4 sets of 12 is good for bodybuilding & endurance. For strength, 5 reps & lower work best. You probably have a solid base of technique (I hope). But you’ll need to adapt to squatting 3 times a week. Once you have, you’ll see the difference.

Losing Body Fat & Building Muscle. You weigh 80kg & want to lose body fat from 18% to 10% while building muscle. How do you achieve this? Here are some tips. You’re already applying several of them.

• Eat every 3 hours.
• Eat eggs for breakfast.
• Eat clean food 80% of time.
• Eat proteins with every meal.
• Drink 1 liter water per 1000kcal daily.
• Eat enough calories – 18x your goal weight in lbs.
• Get 2g of protein per bodyweight in lbs a day (80kg *2,2 *2= 350g).
• Be patient & persist. Stick to the beginner strength training program & increase the weight every workout.

Strength is Key to Losing Fat & Building Muscle. Your body doesn’t like stress. The more you stress it by adding weight, the more you force it to adapt. Your body adapts to the load by building stronger & bigger muscles.

The stronger you become, the stronger you’ll look. When you have a 150kg squat, 80kg Overhead Press & 200kg Deadlift, you will be muscular. It’s just a matter of time.

You weigh 80kg at 18% body fat. Get your daily calories from clean food & train hard. Your body will “turn the fat into muscles”. You’ll stay at the same bodyweight, but with more muscles & less fat. Dropping to 10% is perfectly doable.

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