A look at building and keeping your hard earned muscle while stripping away unwanted body fat just in time for beach season!
A ripped, muscular physique is the goal of most, if not all bodybuilders and fitness buffs alike. As summer approaches we all start thinking about getting lean after a long fall and winter of bulking and packing on real muscular bodyweight. But in the process of all that bulking we seemed to have let our abs fade in the place of strength and mass gains. So it is time once gain to shred up, lean down and turn into a ripped piece of art we all envision ourselves to be – but for you, this time will be different.
Do you often find yourself at a crossroads regarding keeping your hard-earned mass that you so tirelessly worked towards only to see it dwindle away as you diet down? Are you a “hardgainer” that has to fight for every ounce of muscle scared to death of reducing calories to get a more muscular midsection? More calories in equals more mass and fewer calories in equals less body fat – and it’s one or the other – right?
The age-old question if is it possible to gain muscle and burn fat simultaneously has been debated for many years. There are so many opinions from experts to people in the trenches that it is very difficult to sift through to the facts. Most will tell you that you must choose between the two in order to reach optimum success and that attempting both at the same time is futile. So why not just give up, reduce calories and sacrifice the muscle for better abs and more muscular arms. Because you are better than that!
You will find a way and put into practice a concise plan of action to reach your ultimate potential. The guidelines and plan included here are designed to help you not only keep, but build muscle while simultaneously burn body fat. It can be done with a little planning, discipline and hard work.
The Right Amounts
One of the single, most imperative principles in this plan is to eat the right amounts of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats). By manipulating these foods and staying strict with the guidelines your goals will soon be in range. Diet is so important that without adhering to these principles you will surely never reach your physique goals.
Protein: As the main source for building muscle, protein is absolutely necessary for your muscle building strategy. Take in around 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (this equates to 180-270 grams for a 180 pound individual). This will guarantee that your muscles will be getting the correct dose of amino acids for maintaining and building muscle tissue. Some prime sources are chicken, lean steak, fish, turkey, ground meat, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and protein powders.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrate is a great muscle-sparing energy source. This particular macronutrient will be drastically manipulated as the diet plan goes along and will play a major roll in its success so be extremely mindful of your intake on a daily basis. Be sure to have an intake mainly of complex carbohydrates and fiber. Sources include brown rice, wild rice, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, wheat pasta, vegetables, some fruits and Ezekiel products.
Fats: Never count out a healthy fat. Certain fats are essential regarding maintaining hormones such as testosterone, increasing fat burning and aiding energy levels. Healthy fats will be utilized to replace carbohydrate on certain days to keep blood sugar levels steady and help with satiety. Good sources include avocado, walnuts, almonds, olive oil, natural peanut butter, some egg yolks and sunflower seeds.
Light the Furnace!
Now let’s look at how we can implement these macronutrients and manipulate them in such a way as to build more strength and mass while torching our fat stores. Protein levels will stay somewhat the same throughout the plan. You need that steady stream of amino acids to feed to the muscles for recuperation and repair to take place.
Try out one gram per pound of bodyweight and assess your progress. If you find yourself stalling, try to up it to 1.25 or 1.5 grams per pound and then reassess. That is about as high as you will want to go with protein – the rest is up to carbohydrate and fat manipulation. Give each change in protein amount about four weeks before reassessing.
Here is the tricky part. Now you will start to manipulate carbohydrate in such a way as to trick the body into delving into its fat stores for fuel. You will have high, medium and low consumption days. You will eat low carbs for two to four days followed by medium and high days. On the low days your body will burn fat for fuel and save muscle so as long as your protein intake is high enough. Before you starve your body of energy after so many days of low carbs (which if prolonged could lead to lower testosterone levels and metabolism) you will have a day of moderate carbs and another day of high carbs.
This will shuttle in fuel to the muscle, rev back up your metabolism and be burned without storing body fat. Carbohydrate intake will be approximately .5 grams per pound of bodyweight for low days (90 grams for a 180 pounder), 1.5 grams per pound on medium days (270 grams) and 2.25 grams per pound on high days (405 grams).
Fat intake should hover around .25 grams per pound of bodyweight or 20-30% of total calories. However, on low carbohydrate days it would be wise to increase your healthy fat intake slightly. This will ensure your hormone levels will stay steady and will supply you with ample energy for your grueling workouts.
On the low carb days simply increase your fat intake by 50%. Remember that one gram of fat has over twice the amount of calories of carbs, so a little goes a long way. For example, if you had half of an avocado on a salad, now on low carb days you will eat ¾ of an avocado.
The Muscle-Building Fat-Torching Sample Diet
Low Carbohydrate Days
- Meal 1 - 3 eggs and 4 egg whites, ½ cup oatmeal (dry measure), cinnamon for taste, 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter.
- Meal 2 - 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1.5 ounces of almonds.
- Meal 3 - 6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken, green salad with 3 tablespoons of olive oil dressing.
- Meal 4 (pre-workout) - ½ of an apple or banana, 1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water.
- Meal 5 (post-workout) - 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water.
- Meal 6 - 6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken, broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ½ avocado.
Medium Carbohydrate Days
- Meal 1 - 3 eggs and 4 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal (dry measure), cinnamon for taste, 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter.
- Meal 2 - 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 ounce of almonds, 1 apple.
- Meal 3 - 6-8 ounces of turkey with two slices of wheat bread and 1 tablespoon of light mayonnaise, Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing.
- Meal 4 (pre-workout) - 1 banana, 1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water.
- Meal 5 (post-workout) - 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water, 12 ounces of Gatorade.
- Meal 6 - 6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken, broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado, 1 cup of wild rice cooked.
High Carbohydrate Days
- Meal 1 - 3 eggs and 4 egg whites, 1 ½ cup oatmeal (dry measure), cinnamon for taste, ½ tablespoon of natural peanut butter.
- Meal 2 - 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 ounce of almonds, 1 apple.
- Meal 3 - 6-8 ounces of fish, Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing, 1½ cup of wild rice cooked.
- Meal 4 (pre-workout) - 1 banana, 1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water.
- Meal 5 (post-workout) - 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water, 12 ounces of Gatorade.
- Meal 6 - 6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken, broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado, 1 medium sweet potato.
278 Comments
Would love to get the vegan description of the diet as well. Kindly help...pleaseeeeeeeeeeee.......!!!!!!!!
Hey
I'm a 17 yr old male
And was jus wondering in terms of carb-protien-fat
how many grams of each should i consume on
high carb, low carb and medium carb day
my current daily calorie intake is about 2620 cals
Cheers
Hi,
i have a question, i have been doing shaun-t Insanity programs as cardio training (5 days a week), and i got really good results in fat loss, my bf% is close to 12% (lost almost 10 kg in 10 months) and my diet is very consistent and balanced, but i'm thinking if i should now focus on building muscle (which now i train like 4 times a week) which would probably go to five times, also reduce the cardio trainings to 2 times a week and use the carb cycles u talked about.
My objectives are to build muscle but also get my bf% a bit lower. (Height: 174 cm; weight: 72)
Thanks for the help
HI im a football player at mount union and we do a three day workout split with full body on monday
(mainly focused on legs) then a jumpstretch cicuit tuesday then wednesday we do another full body (mainly focused on chest) then thursday form running and friday another full body then saturdays we do another jumpstretch type workout. and i was wondering how i should break up my low carb days and high carb days should i do moderate on monday then low on tuesday then high on wednesday then low on thursday and moderate on friday and low on saturday and sunday? would love some advicxe
Hi Brad,
Thanks for your article! I'm excited to start! Just a quick question..
As I only have a possibility to workout 3-times a week (Tues, Thurs & Sat) and I'm going to do an adapted style of this training program (https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/core-strength-fat-burn-workout), will I need to adapt my dietary intake on my non-training days? I guess the pre & post-workout whey protein I won't need to take.. Any other suggestions or should I just maintain the 2/4 LOW 1 MED 1 HIGH? Tks!
Tom.
Brad,
My training program for a week is as follows. What breakdown would you suggest ie Low Med High
Mon: upper body power
Tues: Lower Body Power
Wed: day off
Thurs: Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy
Friday: Leg Hypertrophy
Sat: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy
Sun day off
I was thinking it would go
Mon: High
Tues: High
Wed: Low
Thurs: Medium
Friday: Medium/High
Sat: Medium
Sun: Low
What would you suggest
My total daily caloric intake is at 2500 calories. If I do 2.25g carbs/lb bodyweight on high carb days, that ends up being 528.75g carbs = 2115 calories, leaving me only 385 calories left for the day, but I need 920-1000 protein calories per day. Should I just eat more calories on those days or scale back carbs or what? Thanks
Brad, thanks for this article and being so helpfull
hi brad, is it ok to supplement on creatine while on this diet?? the reason am asking is because creatin makes the body retain water as you know. thank u in advance
Brad
Is it okay to structure your week as
Monday - Low carb
Tuesday - High carb
Wednesday - Low Carb
Thursday - High carb
Friday - Med carb
Saturday - Low Carb
Sunday - Low Carb
Hey Brad,
This is just what I was looking for! I planned to lift 5 days a week and do some form of cardio 5 - 6 days a week, and I was wondering if I could maintain or gain muscle/ lose fat using both the low and medium carb plan coupled with my planned regimen? Thanks in advance for your help.
Hey
I am a 16 yer old male stuck at 65 kg.I am currently following dougs workorkout routine for ectomorphs and my main aim is to gain weight.to gain weight you should eat in a calorie surplus,so can I still follow this diet and gain muscle mass.I also play soccer after each workout.
Thank you
Thanks for the great article! I've been searching for an eating plan like this!
My one question is, what am I doing with my calories? Since I'm both trying to gain AND lose...should I be at a slight deficit, maintenance level, or a slight overage?
Hi my goal is to lose body fat and gain muscle,so would this diet plan help me? I'm 17,6.2ft and weigh 226lbs
hi, i am a 30 year old female
i started gym a year ago and two months ago i started with a personal trainer.
i want to know how your diet will work out for me and how i should eat it and when, i want to lose my belly fat to get nice abbs and a flat tummy with smaller hips. my upper body i want to get build with muscles and to make it stronger aswell, and i want to get nice cut shaped leggs but also strong. i would like to send a picture of my body so you can know how you can help me to eat right. will it be possible?
-ester-
Quick question. I'm a 200lb guy, so am I really supposed to consume 200-300 grams of protein a day?? According to the calculation in the article I am, but it seems a bit much.
This is a great meal plan. However, I was wondering if there is something that I can replace the gatorade with? I don't drink that. Thanks for your help.
Would not from eating that much of eggs person had elevated cholesterol, the greater chance of clotting of blood vessels and an increased risk of heart disease?
Hello and thanks for this great post
I'm 240 pounds, 6'3, and about 18-20% body fat. Looking to come down to about 10-12% body fat.
My question is, is this sample diet good for everyone regardless of weight and what you are trying to do?
Because 3 whole eggs seems like a lot of egg yolk to me (I've heard that is bad for you)
Note: I used to be 325 pounds, went on a no carb diet + P90X and lost 50 pounds in one summer.
Hi Brad, just hoping you can offer some advice. I am 5'6", 149 lbs. I consistantly eat around 1500 cals a day. Weight has stayed around 147-150 in the last 9 months despite consistant Crossfit workouts. I want to see some gains in muscle so which system to follow.....Following the L/M/H carb cycling principle my calorie intake should be around 1238/1837/2287 respectively. But if I follow the BMR +/- 500 calories depending on my goal (lose/gain) then my calories are 1782 / 2782, BMR being 2282. Which do I follow? With Carb cycling, the max carb intake is around my BMR (which makes me wonder if it will give me any gains) and if I want to follow the second system of +500 calories then Im taking in 2782 daily, which seems excessive since I have been at 1500. I've been told I am at 30% body fat, but I have a great set of abs. Really, I am not sure what is a good bf% for females anyway as there is so many opinions online. Long story, semi-shortened....help? :)
I have a pretty intense workout plan and was wondering if this is an ok workout plan? I'm trying to increase my vertical jump, while also getting rid of chest and stomach fat. I have about 15% body and trying to get down in the single digits for summer.
Monday- Chest and triceps, play basketball or do HIIT training (Medium carb day)
Tueday- 2 hour ploymetrics (High carb day)
Wednesday- core, play basketball or do HIIT training (Low carb day)
Thursday- back and biceps (medium carb day)
Friday- legs (high carb day)
Saturday- off (low carb day)
Sunday- shoulders and core, HIIT or play basketball (medium core day)
This is a constant struggle for me, I have such a hard time putting muscle onto my 6ft tall lanky frame! Thanks for the article.
Thanks Brad,
I have actually hit a plateau after losing 60 lbs. Hoping to lose another 10. I will have to tell you how it works later
Hey Brad I have a pretty intense workout plan (looking to increase my vertical) though also looking to get shredded for summer and was wondering if I should even do the low carb days? Also, does the H, M, L carb days go like L,L,M,H,L,L,M,H....? My workout goes like this....
Monday- core series (play an hour or 2 of basketball)
Tuesday- chest and triceps (HIIT cardio)
Wednesday- 2 hour plyometrics
Thursday- back and biceps (HIIT or play basketball)
Friday- shoulders (play basketball)
Saturday- 2 hour leg day
Sunday- off
Hi Brad,
Im thinking of giving this diet a go and was wandereing are the protein, carbs and fat amounts based on total bodyweight or lean bodyweight?
Thanks.
Hi Brad,
I am currently 132 pounds and about 7% body fat. I am looking to put on nothing but lean muscle and lose some more fat along the line. My diet is completely clean and I currently take in about 175 carbs on my highest day and about 110 on my lowest day. My workout consists of the following: Sunday-Upper, Monday-Lower and legs, Wednesday-Upper, Thursday-Lower and cardio, and Saturday-Cardio. I was wondering how you would recommend carb cycling these days if at all.
Thank you for your time,
Sean
Hi Brad,
I am currently about 7% bodyfat, I weigh 132 pounds, and I am looking to do exactly what this article is about, gain lean muscle while burning fat. My workout split consists of Sunday: Upper, Monday: Lower and cardio, Wednesday: Upper, Thursday: Lower and cardio, and Saturday: Cardio. I was wondering how you would suggest cycling the carbs in accordance with this workout plan.
Thanks,
Sean
For meal 3 would 190 grams of tuna in spring water be sufficient as my either chicken meet or fish??
hi Brad very nice article.
I just want to know if that sound good for you : I do a full body workout 3 times a weeK( saturday, monday and wednesday) and cardio (sunday and tuesday).
If i put that like this:
Sat: high
Sunday:low
Mon:medium
Tuesday:low
Wed:medium
Thu:low
Fri:low
I'm 5`4 and 147 pounds 18% bodyfat.
Great Article! Just wondering if it is a good idea to shift a few things round?
Is it possible to lessen the amounts of whey protein shakes? I typically drink a protein blend that has something like 50gm of protein with skim milk after I workout. If I have just this and a casein shake before bed is it still possible to reach the right amount of protein for my daily intake? What are some good sources of fat as well? Is fish/krill oil a bad idea?
Also, how do you eat on rest days? I'm on a four day split, muscle power burn workout which i sourced from this website. I tend to do cardio on those days as well as off days. If I have 3 low carb days, 1mc and 1hc days, what do I eat on the other two?
My stats are, 5"10 160 pounds and 20 year old male. I think my BMR is about 2,800 calories at my current activity level.
I really want to lose the love handles but do not want to lose the small gains I've made so far in terms of muscle.
Thanks for the help!
i wonder, how these articles can change your miserable life to rich and healthy life, if follows honestly.
Hi I really appreciate this and am looking forward to implementing it in my diet, but I wanted to know if I can use this for my workouts... I do crossfit every morning at least one workout which we all know is almost like a cardio/weightlifting session and then I will do regular weightlifting and pretty much do this every day. So what are your suggestions on how to work this diet around my workouts? should I still go with the prescribed plan or should I use medium days as low days because I do crossfit as well? Any help would be appreciated.
Hey Brad,
I just wanted to make sure I'm doing this properly here is my workout schedule
Mon / Chest/Abs/Cardio - Medium Carb
Tues / Back/Biceps - Medium Carb
Wed / Rest - Low Carb
Thur/ Shoulders/Tris/Abs -Medium Carb
Fri /Legs -High Carbs
Sat / Cardio / Abs -Low Carbs
Sun / Rest -Low Carbs
Stats 5’11 172lbs 12% BF
How much cardio should you do under this plan, 45 minutes 5 days out of the week is to much?
Hey Brad,
I've had some good results doing this to date but I've a question, On low carb days what level of calories should I be taking? i.e. How much of a deficit? on medium days I end up around 500 calories below maintenance
Thanks!
Hi Brad,
I'm 16 years old and ive been lifting weights for about a year, but now im trying to lift more seriously so i can gain muscle and get a flat stomach. Im 5'11 180 lbs, and i already have some muscle but my main goal is to get the flat stomach, and i wouldnt mind keeping my muscle while trying to achieve this.
Right now i'm doing around 40 minutes of cardio 6 days a week and doing this 4 day muscle building workout which is on this website - (HIML-4 Maximum Muscle Building Workout System)
I don't keep track of the amount of macronutrients i eat, should i start doing that though? i do say im starting to eat pretty good, having oatmeal, whey protein, fruits and vegetables every day.
Ive done a ton of research and i think that i might try this diet.
do you have any suggestions for me? does it look like im on the right path to my goal of a six pack and some muscle?
hey,brad
ive just started a work out program and have been at it for two weeks. im 280 pounds and have lost 15 so far. im just getting into it and am completly lost with this whole carb protien fat thing. just wondering if this is an effective diet for me?? all of the example are for a 180 pound man. i work out four times a week lifting weights with some cardio. suggestions are much appreciated!
thanks!
I work out on Mon/Wed/Fri early in the morning. Around 4:30-5. I'm guessing it's okay to adjust the pre and post workout meals to when the workouts are done? What days should I go with the low/med/high carb meals with my rest days being Tues/thurs/sat/sun?
Hi Beau,
Yes, adjust the pre and post meals according to your training. I would definitely go with low carb days on rest days and rotate the high and medium days on training days.
Best,
Brad
www.WorkoutLab.net
Hey brad,
Iv looked over the article and some of the comments,
I'm currently 210, according to stats.. Protein 210-315g per 3l-1m-1hdays
Carbs low 105g, med 315g, high 472.5, fats 52.5g now with all the cals from
The food it's self and for an operating engineer like my self I'm on
My ass 12-14 hrs aday , say working out 5 days out of the week,
Just starting off how would you go about carideo , and still maintaining
That weight loss . For an example day one low carb, target mussels could be
Back and biceps.. How would 20mins of carideo pre lift and 10-15mins of core post
Effect the results?.
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for looking over the past comments. A lot can be answered for others just by browsing them. To answer your question, I would start with 15-20 minutes of HIIT cardio after your resistance training 3 times per week. See how that goes and you can adjust up or down from there.
Let me know how you do...
Brad
www.WorkoutLab.net
Brad,
Im 5 10 weigh 206 age 20 my body fat is about 30% .. I've recently started this program and it's been working very well. Just wondering if i do just body weight exercises will they help me gain muscle. I'm not trying to get ripped just wanna get toned i also play basketball on weekends and hockey on tuesdays for my cardio, plus I do my workouts at high intensity. Also I usually smoke weed after my workouts to rest my muscles do you know if this has any negative effects in terms of muscle growth and weight loss? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I have a few questions if you have the time to answer them..
How bad is it to add salt to any of the foods?
Is there any sauce, or condiment you Would reccomend for the meat?
Can the oatmeal be replaced with anything? The texture kills me, in addition to having no taste..
Can wheat pasta replace the rice?
Is using herbs and spices, such as red pepper, oregeno, garlic, onion, and others.. a bad thing? Or okay, in moderation?
Other than that, I'm loving the diet.. just have a hard time getting some of the food down.
Thanks- Rob
Salt is a good additive due to the high intensity of training. Sodium is greatly depleted during training and replacing it is all too important.
Meat can be spiced with salt, pepper, and also look for specific steak seasonings.
Oatmeal can be replaced with Ezekiel bread, but you can add natural peanut butter, splenda, and cinnamon.
Yes, wheat pasta (measured correctly) can replace rice.
Yes, all of those herbs and spices are great additions.
Please spice things up and find new ways and substitutes.
I plan on redoing my workout schedule to a 4 day split. Monday-Tuesday, then Thursday-Friday. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday being rest days. With this is mind, I am looking at splitting the diet this way:
Sun - Off Low Carb
Mon - W/O Low Carb
Tue - W/O Med Carb
Wed - Off High Carb
Thu - W/O Low Carb
Fri - W/O Med Carb
Sat - Off High Carb
I'm trying to use the high days as fuel days on rest days, except on Sunday. Should this work to my advantage on controlling/losing fat slowly, yet getting results on my workouts???
Thanks for your time and sharing.
Yes, see how it works for you. Give it at least 6 weeks to see which way you go. If you find you are not losing any fat, cut down on the carbs on an off day or two.
-Brad
www.WorkoutLab.net
Hi Brad.
I lift weights on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'm looking to cut some of my body fat after a long 3 months of eating big and gaining 20 pounds. Is it alright if I do low days on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, then medium days on Tuesday and Thursday, and lastly high days on Saturday and Sunday?
Thanks
Hi Cam,
That should work great! Just be sure to monitor your progress and adjust as necessary.
-Brad
www.WorkoutLab.net
Hi Brad,
Brilliant article! I'm starting this diet today. When carb cycling do I have to have for example 3 low days in a row and then medium and then high? or can I have for instance; a low, medium, medium, low, low, high, low?
Thanks!
Hi Kevin,
You could do that also. Many people will change it according to their training days, work, weekend plans, etc. Let me know how you do .
-Brad
www.WorkoutLab.net