THE
‘ABSOLUTE UNIT‘
GUIDE
(“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation: we not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence,
but rather have these because we have acted rightly; these virtues are formed in man by doing his actions;
we are what we repeatedly do.)
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
- Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy (1926) -
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INTRODUCTION
About me
My name is Deák Benjámin. I’ve been into fitness and exercise (of all kind) for
more than 5+ years. During these years I’ve went through a handful of routines,
methods, so called ‘tips’ and ‘hacks’, developing a sense for them. Thanks to my
experience, I am able to conclude a guide which displays all (or most) of the
practices that not only work, but work in the most efficient and practical way.
My perspective is that the most efficient way is the best one.
If you share the same views, this guide is for you.
Why?
The reason of this Guide is to help others. To give something back. To lift and to
inspire others to be their best version possible. To give people all of the
knowledge necessary not only to build a Physique worthy being proud of, but to
also make them able to maintain it permanently.
To whom?
This guide is for everyone and anyone who is willing to ‘work for it’. For
anyone who is keen to put to practice all of the knowledge that is shared
withing the upcoming paragraphs. I firmly believe that not only beginners, but
experienced men and women are able to benefit from this E-Book and that the
information contained in it will prove most useful.
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CONTENT
1. The Purpose of being an ‘Absolute Unit’ /
Why should you be one? ____________________________ 6
2. General info on Training and Nutrition _________________ 8
3. The ‘Ideal’ Proportions _____________________________ 14
4. The ‘Absolute Unit’ Training _______________________ 17
5. The ‘Absolute Unit’ Nutrition _______________________ 24
6. The ‘Absolute Unit’ Mentality _______________________ 29
7. For Women _____________________________________ 35
8. Afterword _______________________________________ 36
9. Miscellaneous ___________________________________ 37
10. Fun Facts _______________________________________ 39
11. Recommendations ________________________________ 40
12. Support _________________________________________ 41
13. Contact _________________________________________ 42
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THE PURPOSE OF BEING AN ‘ABSOLUTE UNIT’;
WHY SHOULD YOU BE ONE?
“A person or object, who is large in the sense nothing can get in their way.”
- Urban Dictionary
I won’t be able to answer this question directly, since it’s something personal and
requires input from someone. It’s not something that I can give a definite answer to, but
I will try my best to share my perspective.
What is an ‘Absolute Unit’?
For me, an ‘Absolute Unit’ is something that is, well, absolute. It is a term that affirms
stability, affirms will, affirms choice and affirms permanency. When I think of the words
‘Absolute Unit’, Batman comes into my mind; Kratos comes into my mind; Doom
Slayer comes into my mind; James Bond comes into my mind; You see, when talking
about ‘Absolute Unit’ not only physical characteristics are taken into consideration, but
mental too. The mentality of absolute will and determination. The mentality of
unrelenting force and permanent stability.
The Female equivalent for these characters would be (in my opinion): Wonder Woman,
Yennefer of Vengerberg, Mulan, Ellen Ripley, Lara Croft, Sarah Connor and many
more. If you resonate with any of these characters, you know what I’m talking about.
These are some of the most iconic and notorious characters that display qualities of being
an ‘Absolute Unit’. I am sure you are capable of naming more characters which could
fit into these categories.
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So why be one?
The afore mentioned Characters are fictional; And that’s exactly why they are such a
good example. They represent extreme qualities of virtue; They represent absolute
qualities which are impossible to obtain to such degree in the real life. Yet, there is a
saying that will fully emphasize my point: “Shoot for the Moon, and even if you miss,
you will still land among the Stars.” By aiming to achieve these extreme qualities, the
process of achieving the ‘mortal’ qualities will feel and will be much easier and pleasant.
I believe (and many other philosophers did too) that a Man (or a Woman) should strive
to be the absolute best version of themselves especially in the realm of Mental and
Physical.
To quote Socrates: “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical
training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of
which his body is capable.”
So, you see, to be an ‘Absolute Unit’ is to fulfill your duty as a human, by trying and
being your absolute best version every day, and improving this version day by day.
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GENERAL INFO ON TRAINING AND NUTRITION
Why is it called ‘Training’ and not a ‘Workout’?
By definition, a workout is something finite, while training refers to something
continuous and evolving (in our case forever and permanent).
You should look at the big picture and not for temporary solution. I’ve wasted a lot of
time ‘shredding’ down, when I knew an event was coming up. This only made me take
one step forward and two steps back. Try not to look at training as something that you
will do for a finite amount of time. Don’t say: “I will work out until I have 50 cm thick
biceps” or “I will do my best until I have the best bubble butt.”, because what will happen
after?
Don’t you want to look good in your 40’s/50’s/60’s?
If the answer is “Yes, I want to look good, when I’m older”, then why are you setting a
finite goal to something that should be forever on-going?
I want you to take on a different perspective when it comes to training. Take a good look
at your routine (if you have one) and ask yourself this: Will I be able to maintain this
type of routine forever? Will I enjoy doing this forever? Will I benefit from doing this
forever?
If the answer is ‘No’ to any of the questions, then your routine is inefficient and you are
wasting your time with it, since you know definitely, that you won’t be able to continue
it long-term, and eventually it will come to a bitter and sad end. You are chasing the
Temporary Solution to a Made-Up problem. The real problem is the aging and
weakening of the human body as time passes, which is absolute that it will happen, since
none of us are able to control aging and/or time.
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Why am I being so harsh and direct, you may ask?
Well, mostly because I’m fed up with the lies, that sponsored influencers and companies
push down the throats of everybody, that wants to take the first steps to have a better
future. Just to demonstrate how bad the situation is, consider this:
During your whole life-time, the only thing that you forever “possess” and nobody is
able to take in from you, is your Body (physically speaking); Your so-called permanent
vehicle. Considering this, I’ve never ever was taught about the things, that I’m going to
talk about in the upcoming sections, in schools nor from influencers, which, in my
opinion, is unacceptable, since taking care of your body should be one of the first things
that men and women are taught.
This knowledge should be available for FREE for EVERYBODY for FOREVER.
Yet we are glorifying obesity and celebrating an unhealthy and ignorant lifestyle. Way
to go Humanity.
So how do I know if this will work or not? Why should I trust you?
I don’t want you to blindly trust each and every word that is written in this E-Book. I
want you to fact-check them. I want you to experiment with these routines, tips and
methods. I want YOU to be able to create the best Training (and Nutrition) plan for you
PERSONALLY. This is only possible if you are familiar with the base knowledge.
I won’t bore you with long and demonstrative essays to support my points; If something
doesn’t make sense, or if you are sceptic about something, feel free to Google it (it’s
free) and to experiment as you have nothing to lose, especially not time, since one of my
goals is to be as efficient as possible.
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For a base knowledge consider this:
Muscle is a by-product of Strength. Getting stronger workout-to-workout is the most
important factor.
If you eat under your maintenance calories, you will lose weight (muscle, fat or water).
If you eat over your maintenance calories, you will gain weight (muscle, fat or water).
Sleeping (rest) is very important for muscle gain/fat loss.
Proper Nutrition (Hydration included) is very important for muscle gain/fat loss.
Training is very important for muscle gain/fat loss.
You can find this information almost everywhere on the internet.
Knowing all this, you are able to create your Ideal Training plan for long-term that you
are able to do indefinitely while still making progress (let it be big or small).
So how come there are so many “Ultimate, Best, Get 20 more cm to your Biceps
Workouts”?
The answer is money. Influencers/Companies are selling the people a dream that there
is a “best” workout plan. That there is a “best” diet. That there is a “best” supplement.
But in reality, there is none. The actual best, is the one that is designed in way, that it
can get you to your goal and you are able to maintain it indefinitely. For example, what
good is having abs and 40 cm arms if you are unable to maintain it for more than a week?
Wouldn’t you want to have abs and good-looking arms for, basically, forever?
If your answer is yes, then you made a good choice not deleting my E-book from your
device.
Let me break down some of the points in short and impactful phrases that you can easily
remember and apply later on.
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Focus on getting stronger (and not on chasing the pump).
Consider this: Are you able to lift more than you did last time? If yes, you are going into
the right direction and you are gaining muscle.
It is that simple; Progressive overload is the base to all of it.
If you are training until muscular (and not central nervous system) failure, furthermore
if you fuel yourself correctly, muscle gain will occur. It’s the way the body is designed.
The exercises are completely up to you and this is one of the cases where your input
matters the most. You need to take a good look into the mirror and ask yourself:
What am I lacking? What is missing? How do I want to look like?
If you, by any chance, seek aesthetics, you will need to know that for that ‘V’ shape, the
most important muscle groups are Back, Shoulders and Upper-Chest while trying to
keep your waist to a minimal. I would recommend focusing on these parts the most.
Having nice arms is good, but a V shaped body can be clearly read by the silhouette
from far away; Arms cannot.
As for legs, having muscular legs is important, but I wouldn’t go as far as having ProCycler legs/thighs.
Everybody is able to create an aesthetic body (withing the limitations of their genetics
of course) with the right approach and training.
If you have a big chest but small shoulders, focus on training shoulders.
If you have huge arms but no back, focus on training your back.
Always keep yourself in check and always improve your worst muscle group. Try to
bring your weakest muscle group up to the standard set by the other ones. (especially
the ones that compromise your silhouette the most).
Remember, you are only as strong as your weakest muscle.
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As for general Nutrition
Fat loss:
Calculate your maintenance Calories using an online Calorie-Calculator.
Subtract 500 from it and eat that many calories Daily while maintaining a protein intake
of 1.2-1.6g per bodyweight in kilogram. This will result in losing 0.5kg weekly / losing
2 kg monthly / losing 24 kg yearly.
For example:
Maintenance calories: 2500
For Fat loss: 2000.
If you want to double the results (i.e. speed up the process) subtract 1000 calories and
not 500.
Muscle gain:
Calculate your maintenance Calories using an online Calorie-Calculator.
Add 300-500 calories to it while maintaining a protein intake of 1.2-1.6g per bodyweight
in kilogram.
For example:
Maintenance calories: 2500
For Muscle gain: 2800-3000
If you want to gain more muscle faster, take steroids, because in no way you will be able
to gain more than 10kg in lean muscle per year. Considering you will absolutely do
perfect and will manage to put on 10kg in a single year, that means you will gain 28g of
muscle each day.
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28 g a day is: 196 g a week / 840 g a month / 5040 g in 6 months
This means that no greater addition of calories is needed, but for the sake of it, please
add 500 to your maintenance. Some of the gain will be fat and not muscle in any case.
Just take into consideration how absurd is to have a surplus of daily 1000 /2000 / 3000
calories when you know that you are physically unable to put on more than around 200
g of lean muscle a week (or just around 30 g of muscle per day), IN THE BEST
ABSOLUTE CASE, which is highly unrealistic.
Feel free to fact check. Many bodybuilders would sacrifice their wife to gain 10kg of
muscle in a year after training for 5-10 years constantly, that’s how ‘hard’ it is to gain
muscle.
Yet people are misled, that drinking protein shakes and consuming 5 million calories
will make them able to ‘gain muscle faster’. It won’t. The only thing you are gaining is
fat.
But what If I’m a hard-gainer? An ectomorph?
Well, I have the best news for you. You are human. The law of thermodynamics applies
to you, the same way it applies to everyone else. Eat over your maintenance, you gain,
eat under your maintenance, you lose. Eat TOO over your maintenance you gain a LOT
of fat. Eat TOO under your maintenance you lose a LOT of hard-earned muscle (in the
context that you only want to gain muscle and only want to lose fat).
Feel free to absolutely fact-check these, but please also consider playing with the idea
of gaining 10kg of pure muscle in a year and actually how much of a calorie surplus
would that take.
Just as every good thing in life, this book also requires input from the reader. From you.
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THE ‘IDEAL’ PROPORTIONS
What are the ideal proportions?
That question is something personal once again. One would say the ideal is having as
broad shoulders and as narrow waist as possible, while someone would consider Hugh
Jackman’s physique the ideal.
In my opinion (and many others would agree too), that having a ‘V’ shaped physique is
the most ideal in terms of attractiveness and status. Refer to Characters once again as
Kratos, Batman, Superman, Reacher, etc.
So, what creates a ‘V’ shape?
The silhouette of your physique is most influenced by your back, chest and shoulders.
Essentially, you want these to be as ‘big as possible’ while keeping your waist as narrow
as possible. This can be achieved by putting on the right amount of muscle to the right
places while remaining at a low bodyfat percentage. Having 50 cm thick biceps worth
nothing if you have a gut like Jabba the Hutt, but that’s my two pennies on this.
Having huge arms and no shoulders or back makes you look like a caricature, while
having a good shoulder to waist ratio with skinnier arms will still make you more
aesthetic and better-looking.
Having a thick neck is also crucial, as it is almost always visible and having a thicker
neck refers to being more masculine and muscular.
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What proportion should I aim for?
According to numbers:
Waist should be 44-48% of height
Shoulders should be 1.6-1.7x waist
Arms should be identical size of neck circumference
Chest should be 25-30 cm greater than waist
If you are 180 cm tall, the ratio is (give or take %5):
Waist: 79-86cm
Shoulders: 126-136cm
Arm = Neck
Chest: 110-115cm
All of it can be calculated with your height and the thickness of your neck.
Measure yourself and see what needs improving.
You may even use an online calculator which only requires the circumference of your
wrists.
After calculating your own ‘Ideal’ Proportions you have a clear goal to achieve, when
once achieved you can fine-tune it and maintain in permanently, all year-round.
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Work on those muscle groups and see your physique and silhouette transform in front
of your eyes.
Furthermore, you can conduct researches and calculation on physiques that you like and
try to achieve their ratio. The only downside is that some physiques are unattainable
without steroids.
One thing I would like to mention regarding genetics. It is clear that everybody has
different genetics and everybody has week and strong points. Do not compare yourself
to someone else. There will always be someone stronger than you. There will always be
someone more aesthetic than you. There will always be someone more muscular or
leaner than you.
The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself from the past. If you
are better in any kind of way than your yesterday-self, then you are succeeding. If you
are worse or the same then you are wasting time.
Keep in mind that comparing yourself to others (especially regarding the genetics) will
cause you only suffering, unreal expectations and impossible deadlines. Keep trying to
be your best version possible and only look at others, to compliment them and to lift
them up.
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THE ‘ABSOLUTE UNIT’ TRAINING
Please take this with a grain of salt, since everyone’s goals are different; I just wanted
you to take on a different perspective and ask yourself if your current plan really is
future-proof or time-efficient.
Just as foreshadowed in the Introduction part of this E-book, my goal is to be as
efficient as possible and to waste as little time as possible.
I want to work out to live (better), and not live to work out.
Training is important but it’s not the be-all end-all of things. In my opinion there are
things that are / that can be more important than spending all of your time living in the
gym.
Let me break down my perspective to you:
If you have a job, you are spending time working. You also want to spend time
socializing and you also want to spend time training / bettering yourself. Why give up
on one of these things for the sake of saying: “I go to the gym 6 times a day and I spend
15-20 hours a week working out”? And I say for the sake of saying it, since that is not
the most efficient way to do it.
Not the most efficient? What is the most efficient?
According to Mentzer, working out 3 times a week, with only 6 exercises, and only 1
working set is the most efficient way.
Just as requested earlier, don’t take it for granted. Fact-check it for yourself.
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I challenge you to follow the upcoming Training plan for one month and if you are not
seeing results at all then all you can do is do more. More exercises, more sets, more
hours in the gym. But if you do see results (even in the same way as your current plan)
that means that now you are training in the most efficient way possible and that you are
not wasting time.
If you get the same results from working out 20 hours a week vs 3 hours a week that
means that working out 3 hours a week is almost 700% more efficient.
You would have more time to socialize. To learn something new. To better yourself in
some other realm. To spend time with your family. To help someone. To start a business.
Don’t use your inefficient workout routine as an excuse to flee from bettering yourself
in the many other aspects of your life.
For reference, the picture you can see on the cover of the book was taken when I was
working 12-14 hour daily while maintaining a social life (and sanity too).
Even if you are a Model or a Personal Trainer (whose job is to look good / know how
the body works), you can use the newly-gotten free time on your hand to learn new
marketing methods, to learn how to edit pictures, to learn how to maximalize your
content and many more.
There is absolutely no reason to NOT train in the most efficient way possible, besides
the safe-net that it provides: That you are able to say that working and going to the gym
takes up all of your day.
Try telling that to your newborn kid, or booming business that requires significantly
more input from you, than school or university ever did. See the connection? I’m talking
about long-term goals.
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You may be able to go to the gym 20 hours/week now, but will you be able to go in the
same degree when you have a business or a family to take care of?
And even if you would be able to, why would you want to?
Further referencing the Characters from the Introduction: Can you imagine Batman
living in the gym? Or James Bond, finding nearby gyms to train while travelling around
to world during missions? Of course not. They want their body to be able to perform in
the most efficient way possible. They need the spare-time to work, to spy, to learn
something new. They can’t be in the Gym 24/7.
I find myself enjoying different activities, such as horse-riding, painting and reading
esoteric books. All of these things are possible (without sacrificing work, sleep or
socializing) by training in the most efficient way possible.
You yourself may find out that you deeply enjoy a hobby which, naturally, requires time
out of your day. From now on, you do not need to sacrifice sleep or your social life for
that hobby, but you may make your training more efficient.
I would wholeheartedly recommend trying out and following the ‘Absolute Unit’
Training plan for one month, and if you are not happy with the results you can always
go back to a different method or back to “doing more”.
With all that being said, here’s the Training Plan. (Next Page)
3 Lifting Days.
2 Cardio Days.
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1st Day / Push:
- Lying Dumbbell Chest Flies / Cable Flies (choose 1 of the 2)
Supersetted with
- Incline Dumbbell Presses / Incline Barbell Presses (choose 1 of the 2)
- Shoulder Lateral Raises
- Bent Over Shoulder Raises / Standing Overhead Presses (choose 1 of the 2)
- Lying Dumbbell French Presses
- Dips / Bent Over One-arm Triceps Extensions (choose 1 of the 2)
2nd Day: 20-30 minutes of Cardio
3rd Day / Pull:
- Machine Lat Pulldowns
Supersetted with
- Pullups (Weighted if you are able to do 10 reps)
- Bent Over Barbell Rows
- Hyperextensions / Deadlifts (choose 1 of the 2)
- Bicep Curls (Any variation, try to include variety)
- Shrugs / Cable Face Pulls (choose 1 of the 2)
4th Day: 20-30 minutes of Cardio
5th Day / Legs:
- Leg Extensions / Bulgarian Split Squats (choose 1 of the 2)
Supersetted with
- Leg Presses / Squats (choose 1 of the 2)
- Seated Hip Abductions
- Seated Hip Adductions
- Calf Raises
- Sit-ups / Or any kind of ab exercise
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- Perform 1 warm-up set for each exercise.
(Or as many as you need to feel warmed-up)
- Perform 1 set for each exercise.
- Perform each set until failure.
- Perform each set with perfect form, in a slow and controlled manner.
- The failure should be around the 6-10 rep range.
- If you are plateauing, perform negative reps until failure.
- If you are able to perform more than 10 reps, increase the weight.
Failure means that you are physically unable to perform another rep. Usually it
involves trembling, shaking.
One good way to know if you’ve actually reached failure is to imagine someone holding
a gun to your head and saying that you will be shot if you do not perform one more rep.
If you are unable to, even then, then you’ve reached failure and you can consider the
exercise done.
One thing to note is that this Training Plan is to use as a GUIDE and not something
‘Absolute’ which is ironic.
Use the previous scheme to personalize it to your liking. If you are lacking shoulders,
include more shoulder exercises. If you are lacking chest, include more chest exercises.
Please use your brain and raw honesty to create the ideal workout plan for YOURSELF.
Even if you are skeptical about having only 1 working set, as stated previously, there is
nothing to lose, especially not time. If you are not seeing constant strength gains, you
can always go back to doing more and more sets, but I can personally testify that this
system works.
Feel free to experiment.
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Cardio.
Which is the best cardio?
To quote from Game of Thrones:
“Walking’s Good
Fighting’s Better
Fucking’s Best”
As a general rule I’d advise you to take 10k steps daily. The benefits of walking are
underrated and the fact that it does not compromise your rest between workouts is the
cherry on the top. If you are planning to lose a couple of kilograms, try to include
walking in each day. Furthermore, walking, especially in the nature, has the ability to
clear your mind and refocus your intentions. It can really come in clutch in many
situations.
Now let’s talk about fighting. I own a sandbag at home and on some rest days I hit that
bag instead of just walking. If you want to maximize your abilities you cannot let
fighting remain just a myth to you. I can only recommend getting a pair of gloves and a
sandbag or some kind of thing that you can hit without getting your hands broken or
getting arrested. One thing to watch out for is that fighting/sparring can mess up your
recovery, I’d recommend doing it right before a leg day to maximize your gains.
Try to find ‘cardio’ activities that you deeply enjoy and thus making cardio the most fun
thing possible. For example, I deeply enjoy horseback riding, so in 3 hours I burn a ton
of calories while absolutely loving every minute of it. Try to experiment. See what works
for your and for your body.
As for using sex as a means to burn calories, it has many more benefits than that, so I
can only recommend it, only after marriage, of course.
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One more thing I would like to mention is Stretching and Warming-up.
Being young, you can get away with a lot of things, such as not warming-up before you
start working with those heavy weight or not stretching after working with those heavy
weights.
But as time passes and you age, the body becomes more and more unforgiving.
Stretching your body becomes more and more important, even for everyday activities.
I would highly recommend stretching your muscles after every workout and warming
them up before getting at it. It would be unwise to rob your body of being able to bend
down just because you didn’t want to warm up before hitting a 120kg deadlift.
Think and act smartly. Furthermore, research proved that stretching can actually increase
your strength, so why not spend an extra 5-10 minutes to maximize your gains even
further?
One more point is that, why would you want muscles if you are unable to use them? I
know they can look good, but if you are unable to function correctly, or if you are only
able to insert force in just a limited frame, then you are missing out on a lot. Many
situations in life require great twists and uncomfortable positions from you. There is no
guarantee that you will always be able to perform a movement in a strict and controlled
manner. Stretching helps you to minimalize the chances of injury during those cases
where ‘correct form’ is impossible.
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THE ‘ABSOLUTE UNIT’ NUTRITION
Just with the Training, it is called Nutrition and not Diet. Dieting is stupid and a waste
of time in my opinion. Having optimal Nutrition, on the other hand, is one of the best
things you can develop from an early age.
Optimal Nutrition helps you to grow, helps you to recover, helps you to perform. It helps
you to feel better.
So, what’s the ‘Absolute’ way of doing it (nutrition)?
Let’s go over some of the main points that I would recommend each and every one to
focus on.
Number one is drinking enough water. Too many people do not drink enough water,
making the body hold on to it. Water is the base of the whole body. It’s the base of the
muscles you are trying so hardly to achieve. If you want to even have a chance at being
optimal for the days to come, you have to start drinking water. Don’t try drinking 24
liters in one sitting, but drink some during the whole day. Don’t overdo it. Do it smart.
Your body will signal it to you, you just have to listen to it.
While water is important but food, supplements and other drinks cannot get overlooked
neither. Knowing in what ratio to consume macronutrients and in what way those macros
help you is general information.
As stated earlier, this is not a textbook, it is a portal for you to see a different view.
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Protein is important. Carbohydrates and Fats are important. Vegetables and Fruit are
important. Occasional fast-food is important. Alcohol on an important event is important
and no need to find yourself guilty if you enjoy a couple of beers sometimes.
You see, following a strict diet is noble. Not drinking alcohol is noble. Not consuming
fast-food is noble. If, you, genuinely do not want to drink alcohol or to consume fastfood time to time, then please, ignore all my words during this section of the book.
Refusing to consume those things is respectable in my eyes and always will be.
With that being said, you don’t need to say no to every little vice you love and enjoy. It
only makes having an optimal Nutrition harder. If you really enjoy a Big Mac once a
month, sticking to a very strict diet will only make it a ticking bomb which I guarantee,
that it will explode sooner or later. If you really enjoy a Guiness after a long week with
a couple of friends, not drinking it will cause more frustration and back-steps than
drinking it will ever do. The secret is moderation.
I’d advise you to make a mental (or real) list of things that are considered unhealthy but
you deeply enjoy consuming them. After making that list, try to decide which ones you
enjoy the most and use them to reward your efforts. Your efforts in the work-space, your
efforts in the gym, your efforts in life.
Don’t use these vices to escape, but to help you integrate the right mindset into the things
that you do.
Once again, ask yourself this:
Am I able to keep up my current ‘diet’ forever?
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If the answer is no, then you already know that it is not optimal.
Trial and error are the name of the game, but the goal remains the same. Trying to
build your personal nutrition plan that is the most optimal to YOU.
No reason to occupy yourself with Keto diet, Low-fat diet, High-Protein diet if you can
only keep it up for 3 months, and after those 3 months you start binge-eating.
As for macronutrients and calories.
Count everything. If you want it to be optimized, count them. Even drinks and even
‘Reward’ meals.
Doing so, you will know a rough estimate of how many calories are in your most usual
meals and foods you consume.
What works for me is that I try to hit my protein goal in the first couple of meals that I
have and If I have spare calories left, I enjoy it with whatever I want. Once I’ve hit my
protein goal, the remaining calories are either carbohydrates or fats, and I’m going to
consume whatever my body craves. If it craves a chocolate, I’ll eat that. If it craves a
juicy pear, I’ll eat that. All while hitting my macros and calories. You basically get the
best of both worlds. You are either losing fat or gaining muscle (depending on goals) all
while enjoying the foods that you would, just in a smaller moderation.
I also incorporate Intermittent-fasting, which was taught to me by Kinobody, Greg O’
Gallagher. He has way more information about this than I can share with you here.
A couple of things I can mention though is:
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Drinking coffee (black) can be a cheat code as it dampens appetite and helps you to
focus, especially if you drink it on an empty stomach.
Smoking also suppresses appetite, and also boosts Testosterone (I do not recommend
smoking, I just want you to know it).
Intermittent-fasting can make acne and other scars disappear more quickly, ergo it can
make your skin clearer, since your body is not occupied with digestion first-thing in the
morning.
One of the supplements that I would recommend to everyone is Creatine. It has no
proven side or negative effects on the body. I would even recommend creatine over
protein supplements, since you can hit your protein goal more easily from organic stuff,
but getting in your creatine without supplements is notably more difficult.
Try to hit your macros each and every day. If your calculations are correct, it is
impossible to not get results, since the laws of thermodynamics apply to every single
person on this planet. If you are ‘eating below maintenance’ but ‘still not losing weight’
that means that your calculations were incorrect (unless you know for a fact that your
body and system works different from everyone else on this planet).
One more thought about consuming 1000-2000 even 3000 calories over your
maintenance in the hope of gaining more, faster. If you know for a fact that only with
about a 500-calorie surplus you maximize your lean muscle gain and the rest will be fat
either way, why do it? And not from an enjoyment stand-point, but from a cost-effective
standpoint.
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Are you really going to spend all that money on food that will ultimately only going to
make you gain fat? Are you really going to count all of those calories, only to gain 200
grams of muscle and 1kg of fat in a week possibly?
Look, I’m not trying to critique. I only want for you to ask yourself if you are happy
with getting fat only to ‘look bigger’, all while knowing that only a portion of that size
is actual muscle?
If you ask yourself this question, then my rambling served its purpose. In the end, it’s
not by body, not my choice and ultimately not my job to tell you what and how to do
things.
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THE ‘ABSOLUTE UNIT’ MENTALITY
Now here comes the juicy part of the book. The mentality of an ‘Absolute Unit’. Bear
with me, I will quote a lot.
If you ask me, what is the ‘Absolute Unit’ Mentality is, then my answer would be this
quote from Andrew Tate.
“Everybody always says: ‘If you tried your best, that’s all that matters. The best is all
you can do. If you tried your best, it doesn’t matter what happens. It doesn’t matter if
you lose if you tried your best.’ Most people have heard that before. But there is a secret
to the Universe that most don’t know. If you actually try your best, you can’t lose.”
So why is this the cornerstone of the mentality? Well, since it’s based on the simple fact
that it doesn’t matter how many times one falls, as long as he keeps on getting back up.
“Fall 7 times, get back up 8 times.”
It is even mentioned in the Bible.
Proverbs 24:16
For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of
calamity.
If you know you will rise, each and every time you are knocked down, if you know you
will face failures and hardships, but you will continue your journey either way, then it
is simply impossible for you to lose. It is simply just a matter of time; To push this
mentality even more, if you take out the time factor, then you already succeeded, since
you already know that you will get back into the game no matter what. Ultimately, this
mentality is the true and ‘Absolute’ path to success.
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A deeper understanding of this mentality is rooted in Stoicism. I would highly
recommend to each and everybody to read stoic literature and try their best to adapt their
way of thinking, their Philosophy.
One of the greatest Stoic, Marcus Aurelius said:
“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find
strength.”
The ultimate weapon you yield is your mentality, your attitude, your mind. Without it,
you are unable to function. Without strong mental game you would crumble from the
smallest inconvenience, but with work and effort you are able to fine-tune it to make it
serve your being the best way possible.
The gym, or working out, taking care of your body is the real-time reflection of your
mental game. Your body is only influenced by the choices you make (the exception is
genetics to a degree and accidents that can happen), but generally, your body is a direct
reflection of the choices you make and the person you are.
For your body to look good, you have to constantly work for it. For years. It cannot
happen by accident and never will. Your input is reflected by your body in the most
tangible way possible. If you think you can short-cut your way out to have a good
physique then you are looking at it from the wrong perspective. Your body is proof of
your mental strength. Your body is proof of your will and determination. Your body is
the essence of the human ability to conquer hardships. It is a shame for someone to not
live up to these noble things. And on the other hand, it is great pride to achieve these,
since nobody on this world is able to do it for you. Your input is exactly identical to the
output you get.
But results are not fast enough? It’s hard to stay motivated.
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Guess what, time will pass either way. Look at it from this perspective: In 5 years you
will either pride yourself in a great body, or you will wish that you would’ve started 5
years ago. Time will pass either way.
There is a Chinese saying:
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”
Keep this in mind and try to remember it when you are feeling like it’s not worth leaving
your current comfort-zone.
Transforming your body is one of the most unique experiences one can have (even with
the body-dysmorphia that it brings). Looking in the mirror and knowing fully that it was
YOU who worked for it. That it was YOU who have suffered and endured the pain
of discipline to not endure the pain of regret.
Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not easy. If it would be, everybody would have modellike bodies. But it being hard makes you appreciate it more. It makes you to be able to
feel thankful for it. Suffering is a humbling experience that everyone needs in their life,
especially in the context of training.
As Alexis Carrel said:
“Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the
sculptor.”
I couldn’t recommend enough reading stoic literatures, reading the bible and even
general books about wellbeing and positive-attitude.
Do whatever is needed for you to be better and for you to be able to help others.
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You know, having a top-notch physique is great. It’s an amazing feeling to get
compliments, to get noticed and to fell all-round better. But you know what’s better?
Helping other to achieve this too. Helping others, beginners or experienced people to
take the first steps to a better future. To be able to call others your friends. To be able to
look around you and see that you’ve helped a lot of people and that they are doing better
now.
Of course, not everyone is open to feedback or help in general, but the ones that do need
it or even request it, never turn them down for it is you, who once was in their place.
I’m going to inlay some of my favorite quotes in hope that some of them will catch your
attention and you will feel connected to it, thus making you motivated to seek out more
about the author of it. May them serve you well.
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to
your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
“Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following
question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care
more about their opinion than our own.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
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“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
- Seneca
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
- Seneca
“Withdraw into yourself, as far as you can. Associate with those who will make a
better man of you. Welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is
mutual; for men learn while they teach.”
- Seneca
“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”
- Plato, The Republic
“If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same
things.”
- Plato, The Republic
“People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or
they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.”
- Plato
"The measure of a man is what he does with power."
- Plato
“Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to
think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training
weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose
that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.”
- Epictetus, The Art of Living
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“It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.”
- Aristotle
“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere
effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”
- Aristotle
“Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and
to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way
— that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.”
- Aristotle
“You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.”
- Carl Gustav Jung
“Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to
communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views
which others find inadmissible.”
- Carl Gustav Jung
“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.”
- Carl Gustav Jung
“Finding someone who's willing to drown with you creates a situation where you no
longer want to drown.”
- Marilyn Manson
"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part
rejoices with it."
1 Corinthians 12:26
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FOR WOMEN
Since I’m a man, I can’t really speak a lot from the perspective of a woman nor to give
out knowledge on training. While the general mentality can be adapted to them, we must
admit that men and women differ in many aspects. Still, the majority of my previous
points apply the same way to men and to women (calorie deficit/surplus, working sets,
nutrition, etc.)
With that being said, during these years I’ve noticed a couple of points regarding women
which can prove useful. These points are directed to them.
Drink more water. Many times, your headaches are caused by not drinking a drop of
water since yesterday’s lunch.
Lifting weights won’t make you bulky, and on the contrary, it can help you tone your
muscles to go from flabby to chiseled. Don’t do only cardio.
Since I’m not a woman, I can’t tell you the general ideal proportion for females, but I
can tell you what the men like the most. It’s the hourglass shape (duh). Or generally a
well-built booty.
Since women menstruate, there is an optimized way for them to consume calories due to
their hormones. It is recommended for you to consume more calories 1 week leading up
to your period and 1 week during your period, and to consume less calories on the other
2 weeks. (For example, if you cycle is expected from 7th to 12-14th, eat more calories on
1-14 and less calories on 15-29).
Besides these points, I will leave a recommended program in the Miscellaneous section,
which dives deeper into training for women.
One more thing I’d like to mention is, that in many cases we look at the two genders as
two opposites, or rivals, not realizing the fact that we are this way to complete (each
other) and not to compete.
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AFTERWORD
We’ve went through many things in this E-book. I can only hope that the information
within it was tangible and actually enjoyable.
In any case, I would like to conclude some of the most important points that I’ve
mentioned earlier.
Being an ‘Absolute Unit’ has only benefits.
I believe (and many other philosophers did too) that a Man (or a Woman) should strive
to be the absolute best version of themselves especially in the realm of Mental and
Physical.
You should aim for long-term goals and think about training and nutrition as something
permanent and not temporary.
Personalize everything to your goals and liking, take nothing as it is.
Work out to live (better), not live to work out.
Don’t use your inefficient workout routine as an excuse to flee from bettering yourself
in the many other aspects of your life.
Remember, you are only as strong as your weakest muscle.
For your body to look good, you have to constantly work for it. For years. It cannot
happen by accident and never will.
That it was YOU who have suffered and endured the pain of discipline to not endure the
pain of regret.
With all that being said I would like to conclude this section with a quote from Marcus
Aurelius:
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not
the truth.”
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MISCELLANEOUS
In this section I would like to mention most of my learning materials and references. I
can only recommend for you to check these materials and people out, knowing that you
can only benefit from doing so.
Elliot Hulse - https://linktr.ee/yoelliott
I would highly recommend reading his book, King: The 4 Layer Approach to Becoming
the Strongest Version of Yourself
Mike Mentzer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Mentzer
I would highly recommend reading his book(s), The Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty
Training Program, and The Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty Nutrition
Kinobody (Greg O’Gallagher) - https://kinobody.com
I would highly recommend taking a look at his YouTube channel, Instagram page and
possibly buying one of his courses.
The plan that is recommended for woman is:
KinoBaddie – https://moviestarbody.com/kino-baddie/
Andre and Tristan Tate - https://rumble.com/c/TateSpeech
You know who these people are.
Igor Voitenko - https://igorvoitenko.com
One of the best Body-Weight Influencer with a lot of FREE Workout Plans.
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Superhero Jacked - https://superherojacked.com
Workouts (and Nutrition) based on various fictional characters.
DAREBEE - https://darebee.com
Free workout, plans, tips and many more.
OpenBible - https://www.openbible.info
This Bible is a mashup of the Yahoo! and ESV Bible web services. It searches the Internet
for the topics that interest people, many of which you’d never find in a traditional topical
Bible. Then it shows relevant verses.
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/quotes
My source of quotes from varying topics and authors.
Research regarding the protein intake – Jeff Nippard
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T0ySHTwFGzc
Research regarding building lean muscle
“Keep in mind that it's physiologically impossible to gain more than one pound (roughly
450 g) of lean muscle per week. (Any more gain than that is fat)
For most weight-gainers, half a pound (roughly 225 g) per week would be an even more
realistic goal, because they reach their genetic limit.”
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain.html
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FUN FACTS
Here are some fun facts that I found interesting and thought I would include them for
you to enjoy.
• 37% of Bodybuilders skip leg day
• 78% Steroid users won’t admit using them
• Muscles Can Only Pull, Not Push
• Your body contains more than 600 muscles
• The inventor of Bench press is George Hackenschmidt
• The National Leg Day is on 2nd of October
• An estimated 6.75 million people on earth can bench over 225 (100 kg). That
amounts to 0.1% of earth's population, or one in a thousand people. (source:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodybuilding/comments/203b2d/if_you_can_bench_ov
er_225_youre_a_big_bad_man/)
• Jumping rope can burn up to 15 - 20 calories per minute. One fifteen-minute
session clocks in at about 250 - 300 calories
• The inventor of modern-day bodybuilding is Eugen Sandow
• Abbye “Pudgy” Stockton is often considered the first female bodybuilder
• Andreas Munzer, an Austrian bodybuilder was thought to have the lowest body
fat percentage ever. His autopsy reported a body fat percentage of zero. It’s
speculated that he died from multiple organ failure
• Jon Brower Minnoch had a body fat percentage of about 80%
• The shoulder joint is the body's most flexible joint, as well as its most complex
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RECOMMENDATION
My recommendation is to start with Elliot Hulse and Mike Mentzer as these two offer
great insights and a deeper base knowledge about our Anatomy and Mentality.
Please note that these were chosen by me personally and they are included since my
experience confirms that these methods/programs/tips work. It would be unwise for
you to take everything as granted (as it is) or to follow everything in these materials
1/1.
Work with them intelligently
AAA
Absorb Adapt Apply
Absorb (the information), adapt (the techniques) and then apply them (to match your goals).
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SUPPORT
The best way to support my work is to help others. By sharing not only the knowledge
provided within this E-Book, but by also sharing your personal knowledge and
experiences. You never know how much one can benefit from you giving them a
couple of tips that you would consider unworthy of mentioning.
With that being said, feel free to buy me a coffee.
(I’m addicted to caffeine)
REVOLUT
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CONTACT
Have any questions? Recommendations? Tips or any Positive Additions?
Feel free to contact me (Mail or Instagram):
Also, drop a follow!
✉ deak.benji62@gmail.com
@deakbenjamin
Hoping that we can train together soon,
Benjámin
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