Saiyan shredding Program S I M P LE S T E P - B Y - S T E P FAT LOSS GUIDE MATTHEW KIDO Saiyan Shredding Program by Matthew Kido © 2018 by Matthew Kido All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, email: support@saiyanarmy.com Published in the United States by Saiyan LLC 111 Hekili St. Ste A#2305 Kailua, HI 96734 www.SaiyanArmy.com 2 c o n te n ts contents Introduction 5 Goals, Mindset and Motivation 7 Nutrition 14 Meal Planning, Frequency and Refeeds 25 Cardio 29 Supplementation 32 Diet Regime 35 Workout Program 41 Question and Answer 46 Message from Author 48 References 49 3 fo r you r safety for your safety Please read below the following questions prior to beginning this program. If you answer “Yes” to any, please consult a physician before attempting the program. • Have you ever had either high or low blood pressure and/or high cholesterol levels? • Have you ever had a stroke? • Is there a history of heart disease in your immediate family (before the age of 55)? • Have you ever had a heart attack? • Do you suffer from chest pains? • Do you often feel faint and have spells of severe dizziness? • Have you ever had a seizure (fit)? • Have you ever had asthma, chronic bronchitis or any other chest ailments? • Do you suffer from severe headaches or migraines? • Have you ever had any muscle, joint or bone illnesses or injuries (including your back)? • Do you have any muscle, joint or bone problems that affect you now? • Are you pregnant? Neither Matthew Kido nor Saiyan LLC are responsible for any injuries, illnesses, diseases or any other health problems suffered by customers who purchase any training programs. 4 i n t r odu c tio n introduction Fifteen years of training and helping hundreds of clients have given me a better understanding about what to do and how to help people based on their body types and goals. From losing weight to prepare for a contest to losing weight just to impress, I have handled all types of situations and decided to create a program which will benefit anyone whose goal is to become shredded. In this program I will share with you everything I know to help you hit your fat loss goals to get you Saiyan Shredded. This program is a step by step guide keeping everything as simple as possible. If you stay consistent and follow this program I can guarantee that you will hit your goals - it’s as simple as that. During these past fifteen years, I’ve read a ton of books regarding fitness and nutrition; however, one thing I hated most, is that they were all extremely long and boring. Over half of the content of these books have been stuffed with filler information rather than getting straight to the point, causing me to painstakingly dissect them for the information I needed. The overall goal of this program is to keep things as simple and easy as possible. I will try not to bore you with unneeded math equations and long studies, but instead give you simple insight and my own opinions on what’s studied and what I know is proven to work. 5 i n t r odu c tio n If you’ve watched any of my Saiyan Transformation videos you know I like to keep things simple. From my experience with dealing with clients, we all tend to get “analysis by paralysis”, meaning we overthink every single detail that will only make a minute change in the grand scheme of things. Fat loss is extremely simple to burn so let’s keep it that way. what you will need 1. A body weight scale that measures to the tenth of a pound or kilogram. (This is the one that I use). 2. A food scale that measures in grams. (I recommend this one). 3. A mobile phone or computer access to download MyFitnessPal or use any other calorie tracking apps. 6 goals , mi n dset and moti v atio n goals, mindset and motivation goals Everything great starts with a goal. The fact that you’ve bought this program proves that you have a goal in mind, but to make it your reality it must be specific. The more specific a goal is, the less intimidating it becomes and the easier it’ll be to achieve. First, start out broad. What is your goal physique? What is your goal weight? Then specify it. How long are you going to take to accomplish this goal? Then start breaking down your week. How much weight are you trying to lose each week? By specifying your goals, you get to reward yourself with a sense of accomplishment whenever each goal is met. Use a calendar to better plan your cut and stay committed to any goal you make for yourself. 7 goals , mi n dset to 10% body fat. By simply multiplying 200 lbs by the 10% body moti v atio n 200 lbs (90.7 kg) at 20% body fat and your goal is to drop down and To acquire your goal weight, use an estimate. Let’s say you’re fat you aim to lose, you can easily find that you’re going to have to lose 20 lbs (9 kg) of fat in order to hit this goal. Therefore, your goal weight will be 180 lbs (81.6 kg). If you’re uncertain as to what body fat percentage your goal should be, use this chart as a reference: 8 goals , focus on one thing: What are you willing to sacrifice in order to moti v atio n tackle your goals with the right mindset. Your mindset should and Before getting into the specifics of your cut, it is important to mi n dset mindset and motivation hit your goals? The harder the struggle the greater the prize. Although fat loss is simple, it will require dedication over time. There will be times when you will have to tell your family and friends that you can’t go out to eat because it doesn’t fit your macros. Understand that this is a temporary sacrifice for a permanent change. The hardest part of a fat loss program will be hitting your goals while the easiest part will be maintaining it. You will have to grind and sacrifice now, so one day, you will be in a position where you can easily maintain your weight or reverse diet into a lean bulking phase. The fear of regret is one of the greatest motivators. Understand that whether you reach your goal or not is completely up to you. Reading this program proves that you have the motivation necessary to reach your goals. However, as you move further into your cut, you’ll need to keep reminding yourself of your own motivators in order to keep your drive going. 9 goals , Seeing your motivators daily will remind yourself why you’re moti v atio n above your desk, on your desktop/cell phone home screen, etc). and them in a place you’ll see every day (example: a bathroom mirror, mi n dset An easy way to do this is to write your motivators down and post striving to reach your goals. Whether your motivation to lose weight is for health, for significant others, or for yourself, make sure you remind yourself every day why you’re doing this. This will make your cut that much easier. listening to your body Your body serves as the best indicator of its own progress and how it’s dealing with your recent change in diet. Learning to listen to your body will help you understand whether you perform better on a high carb diet, a high protein diet, or a diet high in fat. If something doesn’t feel right or if you start encountering levels of fatigue, reevaluate your meal plans and try something different to see if that’ll help alleviate the problem. An example of this is changing your diet to include more carbs before a workout after you realize your body is too fatigued after work to get in a highquality workout. Remember, dieting is not an absolute. Everyone reacts differently to changes within their diet. The important thing is understanding that you are able to make any adjustment needed in order to make your diet work for you. 10 goals , mi n dset and moti v atio n tracking progress The main way we are going to track your progress is by using a body weight scale. You will begin by weighing yourself every day, first thing in the morning and ideally at the same time every day. Be sure you’re nude and you used the bathroom prior to getting on the scale. If you don’t defecate in the morning, it’s okay, but just understand that your readings will be slightly higher than the times you do. Something that helps me is taking a small sip of water in the morning to get my body going. Weight fluctuation is completely normal, depending on your meal timing, sodium intake, menstrual cycle, etc. Your daily weigh ins don’t matter, but your weekly averages do. Every day you will record your weight and write it down (you can utilize MyFitnessPal to track your weight). Then, at the end of every week, you will take your weigh ins, add them up and divide by 7 to get your weekly average. 11 goals , mi n dset and moti v atio n You should also take weekly progress pictures to help gauge visual progress. Pictures should be taken in the same spot with the same lighting to keep it consistent. Sometimes visual progress may take weeks to see, but don’t get caught up on this. At the end of your cut, you’ll be able to compare your before and after pictures and see how much of a transformation you’ve made. If you’d like to share your story and transformation, feel free to email me at gokuflex@gmail.com. Another way to gauge progress is taking physical measurements with tape. This is fine, however I normally don’t ask my clients to do this since it can be a hassle finding someone to help measure you every week. Something I don’t recommend doing is taking any body fat measurements or tests, as they can be very expensive and as of writing this, there is no 100% method of gauging body fat. Even DXA scans – which are the most accurate – are still off by 1-2%. 12 goals , mi n dset They are in the foods you eat every day and by tracking them moti v atio n First off, macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. and tracking macros accurately and balancing them with cardio and working out, they are the keys to getting shredded. 1. Download MyFitnessPal app. (Other popular apps are also fine, I personally use MyFitnessPal) 2. Read nutrition labels and serving sizes, weigh your food and input everything into MyFitnessPal. Yes, it will be annoying to use at first but as you get used to it, it will become easier as you go. (You can also utilize the bar code scan function – this helps a lot). 3. Understand that not everything in MyFitnessPal is 100% correct and there are changes and fixes being made every day. Try to cross reference your food’s nutrition information by checking the nutrition labels and company websites. Just do your best to be as accurate as possible. 13 n ut r itio n nutrition As you’ve heard a million times before, nutrition is key. It is the key that unlocks the doorway to efficient and effective weight loss while maximizing muscle retention. Remember, you can lose weight with proper dieting alone but it’s much harder to out train a poor diet. Proper nutrition prevents the worst possible outcome when shredding - wasted time. Although the word “diet” may scare most of you, it simply comes down to following your macronutrients while doing your best to hit your recommended intake of micronutrients. In this section, I will be giving you a very brief introduction and breakdown of nutrition. This will provide you with enough understanding to set your own caloric and macronutrient goals to hit every day. 14 n ut r itio n maintenance calories To determine the number of calories needed to lose weight, you must first understand what the term “maintenance calories” means. Maintenance calories is the baseline number of calories where you neither gain nor lose weight. The importance of this number is what happens when you increase it or decrease it. Increasing your calories past maintenance will cause you to gain weight while decreasing it will cause you to lose weight. Maintenance calories are different for everyone depending on activity level and body composition. Therefore, it is recommended to first calculate your maintenance calories and then adjust it them accordingly. 15 n ut r itio n For an easy way to calculate your maintenance calories, you can use the MyFitnessPal app (or other online calculators) and enter in your info which will give you a rough estimate of your maintenance calories. For a more specific method of calculating maintenance calories, we will use this equation: Body weight × 10 (or 22 if kg) × Activity Multiplier 1. 2. Multiply your body weight by 10 (if in lb) or by 22 (if in kg). Next, you will rate yourself to find your activity multiplier: For sedentary plus 3-6 days of weight lifting: 1.3 - 1.6 For lightly active plus 3-6 days of weight lifting: 1-5 - 1.8 For active plus 3-6 days of weight lifting: 1.7 - 2.0 For very active plus 3-6 days of weight lifting: 1.9 - 2.2 EXAMPLE Yamcha is a 180 lb office worker who rates himself on the lower end of the activity scale at 1.5. Therefore, he would input these numbers into the equation: 180 × 10 × 1.5 = 2,700 calories as his estimated maintenance calories. Goku is a highly active 180 lb construction worker who rates himself on the higher end on the activity scale at 2.2. Therefore, he would input these numbers: 180 × 10 × 1.9 = 3,420 calories as his estimated maintenance calories. 16 n ut r itio n the science behind weight loss The science behind weight loss isn’t hard to understand. There are only a few numbers you have to remember to become adept at cutting weight. To properly understand how to cut weight you need to know: • 3,500 calories = 1 lb (0.5 kg) of adipose tissue [1]. • You need to burn 500 calories a day to lose 1 lb in 1 week (total 3,500 cals/week). You need to burn 250 calories a day to lose ½ lb a week; 1,000 calories a day to lose 2 lbs a week. • There are 4 calories per 1 gram of carbohydrate and protein, 9 calories per 1 gram of fat, and 7 calories per 1 gram of alcohol. • The magic number for ideal fat loss and muscle sparing is 1 to 2 lb loss per week or 1% of your total bodyweight per week [2]. An important aspect of weight cutting is to understand that the maintenance calories you calculated is a rough estimate and doesn’t account for your activity levels. Therefore, you will need to adjust this number. If you cut 500 calories from your maintenance but find yourself losing more than 1 lb a week, adjust your caloric intake by slightly increasing it until you hit that sweet spot of a consistent 1 lb weight loss a week. 17 n ut r itio n macronutrients After finding your maintenance calories and understanding some of the science behind cutting, you will need to set up your macronutrients to help optimize your diet. In this section, we will be going over my recommendations for fats, carbohydrates and protein. Within these recommendations, I will mostly be using pounds per gram. To convert kilograms to pounds, simply divide the kilograms by 2.2. fats and carbohydrates For fat and carbohydrate intake, it is important to find the right balance between the two. Being too low in fats can result in hormonal imbalances [5] while being too low in carbohydrates can take away from your training, resulting in a loss of muscle mass. Therefore, it’s very beneficial to your cut to understand the appropriate ranges to prevent being too low in one or too high in the other. 18 n ut r itio n For fats, I recommend 15-25% of your total calories while your remaining calories will consist of carbs. To determine which end of the percentage scale you’ll be on, consider that your minimum fat intake should be 0.25 grams per lb of body weight (for hormonal purposes) and the minimum carb intake should be 0.5 grams per lb of body weight. EXAMPLE If you are a 180 lb man, your minimum fat intake will be: 0.25 × 180 = 45 grams of fat. And your minimum carb intake will be: 0.5 × 180 = 90 grams of carbs. Deciding where you stand should rely on three things: 1. What will allow you to stick to your meal plans more easily? 2. What will keep your training intensities the same throughout your cut? 3. What percentage will prevent you from going below the recommended minimum amount? 19 n ut r itio n proteins High levels of protein intake while in a caloric deficit have been proven to preserve lean mass over those who intake lower levels of protein [3]. Protein also has a thermogenic effect, meaning it burns calories during digestion. To top it off, protein aids in feeling satiated or full after intaking a sufficient amount (think eating steak vs. eating fruit) [4]. With this in mind, we can start to understand the importance of protein within our diet, especially while in a caloric deficit. When it comes to setting up how much protein to eat during your cut, aim for 0.8 – 1.3 grams per lb of body weight. If you have a high level of body fat, start off with 0.8 and slowly build up. If you are fairly lean, aim more towards 1.3. EXAMPLE If you are 180 lbs with roughly 18% body fat, aim for about 1 gram of protein per lb or 180 grams of protein. For the average person who’s in the middle of being big or skinny, I suggest looking towards intaking somewhere around 1.1 grams per pound. 20 n ut r itio n I understand that these ranges may be confusing, but believe me when I say to begin by setting up a baseline for your macros based on your calories before specifying every minor detail. It’ll make for a simpler task to accomplish and will set you up for success before making any more specific changes to your diet. fiber Fiber is an important topic to discuss because it can lead to both malnutrition and inadequate digestive health [6]. Fiber deficiency can often occur when cutting, resulting in digestive problems. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to be aware of how much you’re ingesting. I recommend anywhere between 11-14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories. It is important to understand that eating too much fiber can also negatively impact your ability to absorb specific nutrients. Therefore, staying anywhere within 11-14 grams per 1,000 calories will keep your gut healthy while preventing any negative side effects. 21 n ut r itio n micronutrients Micronutrients are broken up into two different categories: inorganic minerals and organic vitamins. I will keep it simple and tell you that a Google search will teach you the function of each mineral and vitamin if you’re curious. However, the importance of these micronutrients play a major role in maintaining your body’s balance while in a caloric deficit. I recommend getting a multivitamin supplement to hit the majority of your micronutrient needs, while intaking a recommended 2 servings a day of fruit and vegetables each. fluid consumption Fluid consumption, in general, is an integral part of eliminating waste and preventing performance drops while training. As a standard recommendation, 1 gallon of fluid is recommended every day. However, taking a more specific standpoint, aim to consume 2/3 of your bodyweight (in pounds) in fluid ounces. EXAMPLE A 180 lb man should aim to consume 120 fl oz or just under 1 gallon of fluids. To keep dieting as flexible as possible, the term “fluid” will refer to any liquid excluding alcohol, which is the only fluid proven to dehydrate more than it hydrates. However, I always recommend water. 22 n ut r itio n putting it all together We will now be putting our macros into our maintenance calories to set the specifics of our diet. We will be using Yamcha, our 180 lb sedentary office worker whose estimated maintenance calories is 2,700 as our example: EXAMPLE 1. We would subtract 500 calories per day with the aim to lose 1 lb per week. 2,700 calories − 500 calories = 2,200 calories per day 2. Using his weight of 180 lb, we would then calculate his protein needs. Because he is mostly sedentary, he has moderately high body fat, leading to us using 1 gram per lb of body weight. 180 lb × 1 gram = 180 grams of protein 3. For this case, we will use 25% of his total calories as fat. 2,200 calories × 0.25 = 540 calories 4. To convert these calories to gram, we remember that 9 calories are equivalent to 1 gram of fat. 550 calories ÷ 9 calories = about 60 grams of fat. Make sure to double check that your fats are above the minimum fat intake of 0.25 grams per lb of body weight. If it is not, use the minimum. 5. For our final step, we have to convert our fats and protein into calories, add them together, then subtract them from our maintenance to find how much carbohydrates we are getting. 180 grams of protein × 4 cals/gram of protein = 720 cals of protein. 720 cals of protein + 540 cals of fat = 1,260 total cals of protein & fat. 2,200 (caloric goal) − 1,260 = 940 cals of carbs. 940 cals of carbs ÷ 4 cals/gram of carb = 235 grams of carbs. 23 n ut r itio n Using these equations, we can conclude that Yamcha will consume: 235 g of carbs, 60 g of fat, and 180 g of protein for a total of 2,200 calories. A common question asked by my clients is whether these numbers and percentages are absolute or not? The answer, absolutely not. Everyone is built differently and their metabolism can prefer one source of energy over the other. Therefore, have fun with your numbers and find the sweet spot where you feel good throughout the day and have the same level of intensity workouts as if you weren’t cutting at all. You can watch my video below for help on setting up your diet/ macros. 24 meal pla n n i n g , f r e q ue n c y and r efeeds meal planning, frequency and refeeds meal planning After figuring out your macros and caloric goal, the next step is creating your own meal plan by using these macros as your template. Hitting your macros every day will get you shredded. The easiest way to create these meal plans is to use MyFitnessPal or any other food tracking app that allows you to track everything you eat throughout the day. Remember, there’s a lot of flexibility in your diet as long as you stay committed to reaching your macronutrient and caloric goal every day. 25 meal pla n n i n g , r efeeds to help change this into a lifestyle is to consume 90% of your and that are more and less micronutrient dense. My recommendation f r e q ue n c y In summary, there are no “good” or “bad” foods, just food choices macros from whole, unprocessed foods. The remaining 10% or less can come from any food that fits your macros, whether that’s ice cream, cookies, candy bars, etc. My personal favorites are slow churned ice cream and Oreos. For more clarity in creating a meal plan, you can information search flexible dieting, also known as IIFYM (“if it fits your macros”), or use my video on meal planning located below. 26 meal pla n n i n g , focus on eating 3-6 meals per day with whatever works best r efeeds of meals you need to eat in a day. It is recommended that you and People will often put an unwarranted emphasis on the amount f r e q ue n c y meal frequency and timing with your schedule since meal frequency has been proven to not make much of a difference in body composition or metabolism [7]. The important part is that you stay within your macros and calories, regardless of how often you eat within the day. Meal timing is another factor that you shouldn’t put too much emphasis on. However, it is recommended that you have a meal high in carbs and protein before your workout. The importance of this is to once again keep your training intensity high. refeeds Refeeds are defined as a way to distribute calories (specifically macronutrients) during certain days of the week in hopes to resupply on specific energy stores, increase leptin levels and boost morale. The refeed we will be using is the 24-hour refeed where throughout a single day period, we will be bringing our calories back to maintenance and filling those calories with strictly carbs. This will usually be done after at least a month of cutting. 27 meal pla n n i n g , maintenance calories. f r e q ue n c y To do a refeed, look back to your calculations and find your and r efeeds EXAMPLE Using our example of Yamcha, the 180 lb sedentary office worker who is currently cutting on 2,200 calories with a maintenance of 2,700 calories: 1. Subtract their maintenace calories from their cutting calories. 2,700 Calories − 2,200 calories = 500 calories 2. Divide that by 4 calories per gram of carb. 500 ÷ 4 = 125 grams of carbs 3. Using Yamcha’s macros of 235 g of carbs, 60 g of fat, 180 g of proteins, we will add 125 g of carbs. 235 + 125 = 360 grams of total carbs This shows us that he will be adding 125 grams of carbohydrates to his refeed. Usually done the day before what you consider to be your biggest lift (legs, for example), he will get back to maintenance calories for this day alone and add his calculated amount of carbohydrates. During your refeed, it is important to stay committed and not binge eat during this 24-hour period. Stay controlled throughout the day and keep within your calculations to ensure that this doesn’t negatively affect your cut. 28 c a r dio cardio There are two big misconceptions regarding cardio – that you’ll have to commit hours every day to get shredded and that cardio instantly leads to muscle loss. Both are untrue. Cardio is very inefficient if you’re performing cardio without an effective diet, but when paired with a proper diet program, it can be a very effective tool to help create a caloric deficit for fat loss. Now, is cardio 100% necessary? No. However, although you can achieve fat loss through diet alone, studies show that a combination of both diet and cardio is optimal for maintaining/gaining muscle mass while cutting. Whether you love or hate cardio, understand that in order to help you lose fat and increase the caloric deficit, you will need to either lower macros or increase cardio. This really comes down to preference/adherence, so my suggestion is to do a combination of both. For my clients, I recommend incline treadmill or stair master because both machines force you to keep a consistent heart rate/ speed and you’ll burn a consistent number of calories every time (regardless on whether the machine’s calorie counter is off or not). 29 c a r dio For those of you who have knee/joint issues or if you don’t like the stair master or treadmill, feel free to use other cardio machines. If you prefer to do cardio outside, I recommend getting some type of calorie counter to monitor how many calories you’re burning in order to keep it consistent. There are two major types of cardiovascular exercises that we will focus on: low-intensity and high-intensity. low-intensity cardio Low-intensity steady state (LISS) cardio is any form of cardio where your heart rate stays within 50-60% of your maximum heart rate. This can include any light form of cardio from walking on a treadmill to cycling, just as long as you don’t exert yourself too hard and your heartrate doesn’t exceed 60% of your maximum. The benefit of doing LISS is that we don’t overload our bodies, taking away from our training. Starting your cut, I recommend doing 1-2 LISS cardio sessions a week in addition to your training program. If you’re just starting to work out and haven’t been consistent in the gym yet, do 1 LISS session a week, and if you have been consistent, do 2 a week. 30 c a r dio high-intensity interval training High-intensity interval training (HIIT), like the name implies, is a more intense form of cardio that is done in intervals. This type of training is a lot more strenuous and includes sprints, exercise bike, or any other form of cardio that’s taken to a higher level. HIIT sessions don’t last for more than 30 minutes and consist of a 30 second “sprint”, where you raise your heart rate up to 70-90% of your max heart rate, then bring your heart rate back down to 60-65% of your max for 1 minute. When implementing HIIT, I recommend starting at 10 intervals of 30 second sprints, followed by 1 minute low intensity, then repeat. HIIT training carries both pros and cons. One of the pros is that it increases your cardiovascular health while also burning more calories in a shorter amount of time. A con is that it’s very strenuous on your legs and body. Therefore, I recommend performing HIIT a max of 2 times a week and implementing them around leg days, as they can negatively impact your leg workouts. 31 suppleme n tatio n supplementation Supplementation is never required, but it can benefit you during your cut and serve as a safety net to ensure good health. Remember to only buy supplements if you can afford them. I can’t stress this enough. It is not a requirement that you take supplements, but they do prove to be useful when your body is in a caloric deficit. In this section I’m going to talk about some of the supplements I take and have been scientifically proven to aid yourself. multivitamins I’m a strong believer in hitting all of your micronutrient needs through diet alone. However, multivitamins give you some leeway and allow you to relax when it comes to meeting micronutrient requirements. As for which type to buy, as long as it hits 100% RDA on most micronutrients it should be perfectly fine. 32 suppleme n tatio n essential fatty acids (epa & dha) Essential fatty acids (EFA) will typically come from fish oil supplements and will come with two different types of acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These fatty acids benefit by reducing inflammation, enhancing mood and even aiding in joint recovery [8]. To supplement EFAs, look for pills that contain 2-3 grams and take them once a day, preferably right before a meal to prevent a fishy taste. creatine Creatine is one of the cheapest ways to increase performance while training at a low cost. It is one of the most scientifically proven supplements that work by increasing the creatine supply within your muscles [9]. Creatine is already produced by the body, but by oversaturating it with even more creatine, it allows more energy to be produced resulting in more strength and power. Start by taking 5g of creatine monohydrate a day even on rest days. 33 suppleme n tatio n pre-workout and caffeine I am combining pre-workouts with caffeine because they both serve to increase performance during training and all pre-workouts contain caffeine. Caffeine is used to suppress fatigue while enhancing performance and taking caffeine before working out will allow you to reap these benefits. Not only do pre-workouts contain caffeine, they’re also often found to contain beta-alanine and citrulline malate. Both serve the role of increasing muscle endurance and reducing fatigue. You can watch my video below for further information on supplements. For my supplement recommendations, you can check out my sponsor at www.EHPlabs.com/Gokuflex. I have an exclusive shredding stack available only to my readers and online clients for a limited time. For other EHPlabs™ products, use discount code “Goku10” to save money. 34 diet r egime diet regime initiating the shred: week 1 35 diet r egime week 2 36 diet r egime week 3 37 r egime Keep in mind that up to this point, you should not be in the “maintained/ increased” category for all 4 weeks. Your calories should not be dropping this quickly if you’ve been following all the steps properly. diet week 4 38 diet r egime week 5 39 r egime Pay attention to your lowest fat and carb macros (refer to Nutrition: Fats and Carbohydrates section). Repeat and utilize this template as you continue your fat loss marathon. Remember it is a marathon and not a sprint. These are guidelines and not rules. This is just how I would go about a fat loss phase. diet week 6 40 wo r kout p r og r am workout program warm up Before every workout, be sure to foam roll and warm up properly. Watch my videos below on how to warm up your upper body and lower body. 41 wo r kout p r og r am rest times Rest times are 3-5 minutes for heavy compounds (squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press) and 1-2 minutes for accessory lifts. acclimation period For anyone who is a beginner or hasn’t worked out consistently, I recommend subtracting 2 sets off of all accessory lifts before you begin this program. Accessory lifts are anything that isn’t a squat, bench, deadlift or overhead press. As you acclimate to the program, you can work the 2 sets back in. If you prefer to workout 6 days a week over 5 days, you can replace the Day 7 rest day with Day 1. Start light on everything and add weight as you can. If you’re unsure how to perform a certain exercise, I recommend utilizing YouTube to find a high rated video - there will be a lot that will help you perfect your form. Remember: form over weight, always. 42 wo r kout Ab work can be done on your days off or after you complete your p r og r am ab program workouts. Aim to hit abs 2-3 times a week. Perform the following ab exercise as a super set. EXERCISE SETS X REPS Hanging leg raises 3 x as many reps as possible Ball crunches 3 x as many reps as possible Bicycles 3 x as many reps as possible workout program If your gym doesn’t have a certain machine, you may use another machine that hits the same part of the muscle. Remember, everyone’s body is different so feel free to customize all exercises to fit your body and goals. All working sets use the same weight. Increase weight as your strength increases. If you fail on a weight, either decrease the weight or keep it the same and work to hit your total volume. day 1: upper power EXERCISE SETS X REPS Barbell bench press 5x5 Bent over rows 5x5 Overhead press 5x5 Weighted or band assisted pull ups 3 x 6-8 Dumbbell curls 3 x 6-8 Weighted, machine or body weight dips 3 x 6-8 43 wo r kout p r og r am day 2: lower power EXERCISE SETS X REPS Squats 5x5 Deadlifts 5x5 Hip thrusts 3 x 6-8 Leg press 3 x 8-10 Hamstring curls 3 x 8-10 Standing calves machine 4 x 8-10 day 3: rest day 4: push EXERCISE SETS X REPS Incline dumbbell bench press 4 x 8-10 Seated dumbbell shoulder press 4 x 8-10 Machine flat bench press 3 x 10-12 Rope triceps overhead extensions 3 x 10-12 each Rope triceps push downs Dumbbell lateral raises 3 x 12-15 Face pulls 3 x 12-15 super set 44 wo r kout p r og r am day 5: pull EXERCISE SETS X REPS Bent over rows 4 x 8-10 Weighted or band assisted pull ups 3 x 8-10 Standing dumbbell 1 arm rows 3 x 12-15 Close grip lat pull downs 3 x 12-15 Dumbbell hammer curls 4 x 10-12 Preacher curls 3 x 12-15 Dumbbell shrugs 4 x 10 day 6: legs EXERCISE SETS X REPS Squats 4 x 8-10 Romanian or stiff legged deadlifts 2 x 8-10 Leg press wide stance 3 x 10 each Leg press narrow stance Walking dumbbell lunges 3 x 10 each leg Leg extensions 3 x 10 each Hamstring curls Seated calves machine 4 x 12-15 super set super set day 7: rest 45 QUESTION & ANSWER QUESTION & ANSWER In summary, what are my daily goals? Your daily goals should be to hit your macros, micros, fiber, workout and cardio (if scheduled) for the day. Aim to stay within + or - 5g of all your macros. Do this on a consistent daily basis and you will see progress. Does sleep affect fat loss? Yes, I recommend getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night. You’ll still be able to cut with less sleep however, your recovery won’t be as efficient. Can I do intermittent fasting with this program? Yes, anyway of dieting is fine. Just be sure to hit your calories and macros day in and day out, whether that is in 1 meal or 10, figure out what works best for you. When should I drink my protein shake? Many believe that you should drink your protein shake within the hour after a training session. I believe that you can have your protein shake whenever you’re able to, as long as you’re getting your protein requirements. What should I do when I mess up on my macros? Fix it the next day. If you went over by 10 grams of carbs one day, then subtract 10 grams of carbs the next. It’s possible to adjust everything to still hit your goal by the end of the week. If you’re unsure how much you went over, take an estimate and subtract it from the next day or the next couple of days so your weekly macros average out. Something is coming up where I won’t be able to track, what do I do? Keep calories low during the day of the event. Eat smart. Work to stay within your calories. You may also add an additional cardio session if you feel you went completely overboard. What kind of training should I do during my cut? Resistance training has shown many benefits to those in a caloric deficit. Some of these benefits include the sparing of lean muscle mass, the loss of body fat, and in some cases even the gaining of lean muscle mass. With these types of benefits, I strongly recommend doing resistance training while cutting. I like to eat out once a week, what should I do? I recommend looking up restaurants where the macros are online. Most chain restaurants will have them. Figure out what you’d like to eat before hand and balance your macros accordingly. Can I split up my cardio sessions or combine them? You can do either, as long as you’re hitting your weekly caloric goal of cardio. 46 QUESTION & ANSWER What should I do if I’m vegan/vegetarian? The hardest part about hitting your macros will be hitting your protein. I recommend using a vegan protein such as Blessed by EHPlabs™ (chocolate coconut is my favorite) to help supplement. Also use Google to search low fat-high protein vegan food sources. From there, you can pick and choose your favorite foods that are accessible and convenient for you. Can I drink alcohol while cutting? Yes, alcohol in moderation is fine. To fit alcohol in your macros, you will take the alcohol calories (1g of alcohol = 7 calories) and subtract them from your daily carb intake. For example: 1 shot of Grey Goose is 69 calories. Because 1g of carb = 4 calories, you would calculate 69 ÷ 4 = 17. Therefore, subtract 17g of carbs per Grey Goose shot. Should I do carb cycling? Carb cycling is just another tool that can be used when dieting. It is the same as regular dieting, just with higher and lower days. The average macros and average caloric deficit for the week is the same and will yield the same results. For some, this can make dieting easier, however I believe it can be confusing for people who are new to dieting or who are having a hard time hitting their macros. I’ve already been cutting for “x” amount of weeks, how should I start this program? If you’ve been cutting for a prolonged period of time, I recommend taking a diet break first for about 1-3 weeks before starting. During your diet break, you will eat at maintenance for that period of time. You will also accumulate good data as to where your maintenance and starting point is. If you haven’t been cutting for long, then just start the program and reset your diet. I’m losing strength, what should I do? If you’re following all the guidelines then don’t worry about it. Understand that as you get deeper into your cut, it’s normal to lose strength so just do your best to maintain it (longer rest times in between sets may help). As you reverse into a lean bulking phase, your strength will increase. Other factors that can reduce strength are lack of sleep, not eating a pre-workout meal and dehydration. If all 3 are on point then just keep going. I’m only losing “x” lbs a week, how can I cut faster? Lower carbs by 100-200 calories, but understand that slow progress is better than no progress and the key to maintaining muscle mass and a healthy metabolism during is a cut is to take your time. Do I need to track sauces as well? Yes, I recommend tracking everything that has calories. Should I weigh foods cooked or raw? It’s most accurate to weigh your food in their raw states, because of moisture from cooking. However, if convenience is a factor, weighing cooked foods is fine as well. Should I measure food by volume or by weight? Weigh foods by weight as it’s more consistent. I’m on a long term diet, when should I take a diet break? I recommend every 3-4 months, you should take a 1-2 week diet break where macros will be brought back up to maintenance. 47 mahalo mahalo In conclusion, I just want to thank you for purchasing my program and I hope you will follow it to achieve your goals. Remember, as Saiyans, it doesn’t matter how many times we get knocked down, just get back up and come back stronger. I’ve failed countless times on my diet and I’ve cheated more times thn I can remember. As long as you pick yourself up and keep on going, you’ll make gains. Time and consistency is all that matters. Never quit and keep ascending. Much love, strength and honor, Aloha - Matt (Gokuflex) 48 r efe r e n c es references Hall, K. D. (2007). What is the required energy deficit per unit weight loss? International Journal of Obesity,32(3), 573-576. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803720 Schwartz, J. (2016). Nutritional Therapy. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, 43(1), 69-81. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2015.08.012 Mateo-Gallego, R., Marco-Benedí, V., Perez-Calahorra, S., Bea, A. M., Baila-Rueda, L., Lamiquiz-Moneo, I., . . . Civeira, F. (2017). Energy-restricted, high-protein diets more effectively impact cardiometabolic profile in overweight and obese women than lowerprotein diets. Clinical Nutrition,36(2), 371-379. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2016.01.018 Morell, P., & Fiszman, S. (2017). Revisiting the role of protein-induced satiation and satiety. Food Hydrocolloids,68, 199-210. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2016.08.003 Osullivan, M. G. (2017). Nutritionally Optimised Low Fat Foods. 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