Nutrition and Cardio are the keys to getting super lean.
You can have the greatest weight training workouts in the world but if your nutrition and cardio plan is lacking you will not achieve super lean status!
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind as you structure your plan…
Cardio:
Remember to keep it short (16-20 minutes) and intense. You should be “huffing and puffing” the whole time. You need to be out of your comfort zone.
Short duration/high intensity cardio will have a greater impact on your metabolic rate and keep it elevated longer after exercise.
I recommend establishing a distance goal and then strive to beat it each session.
Nutrition:
If you are serious about changing your body you need to be just as focused on your nutrition as you are on your training. Writing all your meals down and charting your protein, carbohydrates, fats and total calories for the day will help you be accountable for everything you put in your mouth.
Keep a mindful eye on your caloric intake. Focus on nutrient dense, protein rich foods and avoid empty calories that serve no purpose.
Make sure to consume small, frequent meals and include lots of green crunchy vegetables!
(If you want to see the exact nutrition plan I used to get ultra shredded check out my “Lost Logs” eBook for every last detail!)
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Hey Jeff, love reading your blog brah, I was wondering if maybe the next one could be something about nutrition? For example what are good foods to take with you on the go throughout the day to ensure your body gets the nutrition it needs after a hard max-OT workout. Just a suggestion, thanks man!
Thanks!
Jeff, long time reader and huge fan of the Stuart McDonald DVD.
I watched it again for the umpteenth time today and caught something I missed. About 7 weeks out I think you talked about doing 2 sessions of cardio. I know that too much cardio hurts muscle building and too much exercise while limiting calories can be counter productive as well.
So my question is how long is it safe to to 2 sessions of cardio, in order to burn as much fat as possible, without getting the bad side affects I mentioned above.
Thanks
That depends on your goals and the time to reach those goals. If you are trying to get lean for a contest of photo shoot then you have to emphasize maximum fat burning. When you are doing things for maximum fat burning your plan will be less ideal for maximum muscle building as you noted. I am not sure there is one set time frame to do 2 cardio sessions. Again I think it is dependent upon your goals and the time frame in order to reach it.
Makes sense… the more cardio the hinderance it can have on muscle building. I assume because we are talking about max ot style cardio, the 2 16 minutes sessions wont be enough to cause the shutdown that can come when you exercise too much while going too low on calories.
I can attest to the detail of you lost logs. Everything is truly covered there. Im actually starting a 18 week countdown to my next show after a 4 year layoff and im using your log as a roadmap to help me achievw my best condition!
Thank you. Glad you are finding the Lost Logs helpful! All the best with your preparation.
Hello Jeff, I just want to say thank you for all your help you have provided over the years, I too, live in Michigan as well. I’ve purchase the Lost Log and I also have the “Wanna Look Like That Guy” video.
Now using most of these concepts (plus the concept of the Max OT website)
I find myself only doing 2- 3 exercises a day on one area of muscle. (including a 16 min Cardio session, which I am now changing to two sessions)
Now my question is, Doing only 2 -3 exercises is that too little to produce the results of maintaining muscle? (or maybe I will just have to keep measuring every 1 week or so, to see if it’s truly working?)
(can send pics, i’m a very solid 231, 5ft 10.5in right around 25% bodpod)
The amount of exercises is less important than the total amount of sets per body part. If you stick with the Max-OT principles for set volume you will be in great shape.
Thanks for the great feedback. I appreciate it.
Jeff, I’ve tried many different workout routines and rep ranges and have enjoyed learning and reading about the Max OT workouts and its principals. Outside of the power, strength and muscle building qualities, my main goal is fat loss, especially around the abdominal and love handle areas. Is the MAX OT method still the workout refining of choice if that is the main goal? Thanks!
Sorry, regimine of choice …not refining.
Absolutely! Max-OT is highly effective for your goal because the key to really burning fat is building muscle and changing your body composition. So even with fat loss as the major goal you still want an aggressive and smart muscle building approach to best achieve that body composition change.