Unpopular truth: The belief that “slow and steady fat loss is best” is flawed at best, and keeping a lot of people UNHEALTHY.

There's a dated train of thinking around fat loss that goes something like this...

"If you care about your (or your clients) health or KEEPING your results, you must lose weight slowly."

But as an online nutrition coach, I’ve seen the exact opposite time and again. The overly-conservative approach to fat loss is exactly what's been keeping many people with higher body fat (and often less healthy) than they could be.

In today's blog, we're dispelling the myths around slow vs. fast fat loss, and teaching you how to crush a rapid fat loss phase to achieve the lean, strong physique you're chasing, sooner.

Fat Loss Myth #1: Rapid Fat Loss Slows Your Metabolism More Than Conservative Fat Loss

As a reader of this blog, you no doubt have a good understanding of what your metabolism consists of (if not, check out this blog). Basically, it's the total calories your body burns in a day, and is the product of how your current body size, how much you're eating, and how much you're moving.

So as you can see from the above, your metabolism will slow as you lose fat. 

Your body weighs less, and therefore takes less energy (calories) to move. The only way to avoid this would be NOT losing weight... which is a bit counterproductive for fat loss.

As your body needs less fuel (calories) to sustain this smaller version of itself, you'll also have to eat a bit less to continue losing fat, which means you're burning fewer calories during digestion. 

Again, eating less is a requirement for most to lose fat, so this is unavoidable. 

Now, we could argue that eating in a smaller deficit equals a faster metabolism, due to the increased calories burned during digestion. This is true. But a smaller deficit also means slower fat loss, and more overall time spent in a calorie deficit before you can return to eating more food long-term.

A more aggressive approach leads to you being able to increase calories to a healthy new maintenance level long-term, sooner. 

To achieve your goal body composition, your body will eventually have to get smaller, and you'll have to decrease food intake - meaning that two of the three major components of metabolic adaptation are inevitable whether you go fast or slow. 

The wild card here is your movement. It makes sense that eating in a larger deficit would lead to your body putting tighter clamps on calories burned through movement in order to preserve more calories than a smaller deficit... so regardless of your deficit size, hitting a daily movement goal is an important piece of the puzzle.

But remember, we're also creating a larger deficit here - so while some increased reduction in subconscious energy expenditure might happen, it's not going to be enough to cancel out the fact that you're in a larger deficit, and losing fat quicker (as long as you're tracking movement). 

Again, this will allow you to return to maintenance calories sooner than a less aggressive diet - meaning your calories burned through digestion and movement will be increasing again sooner.

So essentially the same amount of metabolic adaptation (the process of your metabolism down-regulating as your body changes) will happen whether you take a fast or slow approach to fat loss. 

The flawed thinking here is, people only see...

Aggressive dieting —> slower metabolism than less aggressive dieting

...but fail to consider how much your metabolism is constantly in flux, dependent on how much you're eating. They're only looking at part of the picture. The whole picture is...

Eating less —> slower metabolism but quicker fat loss —> eating more/stop dieting/faster metabolism again sooner

Fat Loss Myth #2: Rapid Fat Loss Causes Much More Muscle Loss

Most of us have worked incredibly hard for every bit of lean muscle on our bodies, so this is a completely understandable fear. 

And the reality is, as you feed your body fewer calories, it turns internally for energy. One potential "energy source" here is your muscle protein. So muscle loss is a very real possibility if you're eating fewer calories than you're burning.

That said, studies seem to show that muscle loss isn't a large concern as long as your deficit isn't too aggressive for too long.

This study split two groups of already lean track & field athletes into two groups:

1. A group in a ~12% deficit

2. A group in a ~24% deficit

Both groups were following a high-protein diet.

After 4 weeks, the larger deficit group had lost much more fat than the smaller deficit group, but had maintained a very similar amount of muscle. 

In this study, men ~ 23 years old were in a 40% calorie deficit (a.k.a. a big ass deficit), followed a high protein diet and lifted weights, and were actually able to build muscle.

So, while a more aggressive diet does put you in a situation where you could potentially lose more muscle than a less aggressive diet, the above studies show us that muscle loss if far from inevitable on an aggressive diet... but it'd be smart to eat lots of protein and lift weights.

Fat Loss Myth #3: Rapid Fat Loss Sets You Up For A Weight Rebound

Ahhh, the most common, most terrifying myth of all.

This supposedly "inevitable rebound" is often pinned on one of two culprits:

1. The false belief that aggressive dieting "breaks your metabolism". This has already been thoroughly debunked through The Minnesota Starvation Experimenting, in my own blog, and countless other times. Please, read this blog if you're still worried about damaging your metabolism.

2. The fact that rapid fat loss often comes through unsustainable methods/poor dietary practices.

There's a lot more validity to this.

Look, if you lose the weight following a keto diet, and haven't learned how to control calories outside of this (likely) unsustainable method... you're going to regain the weight.

If you're consuming mostly meal replacement shakes for the duration of the diet, and haven't learned how to control calories outside of this (likely) unsustainable method... again, you're going to regain the weight.

But the problem here isn't aggressive dieting in itself - it's the use of unsustainable dietary practices and a lack of focus education and behavior change by coaches.

You don't regain the weight because you dieted aggressively... you regain it because you never learned a few key behaviors my online clients focus on:

—> Behavior 1: Food Selection

The reality of the society we live in is, most of our foods are designed to make us want to eat more. Pair this with the fact that most highly-processed foods are also very calorie-dense and low on nutrients, and you have a combination that makes stay lean quite a challenge.

If you’re eating lots of hyper-palatable foods, it will always be a struggle to avoid overeating - you'll always be hungry, even at maintenance.

And while most of us can grind out 12 weeks of being super hungry on a diet, it’s MUCH harder to commit to a lifetime of being super hungry, just to maintain.

A huge part of what I focus on with my online clients is teaching them how to habitually choose foods that are very filling per calorie.

This essentially puts your appetite on auto-regulate, and makes it much harder to overeat.

In the simplest terms, 80-90% of your food should have either:

a.) Grown from the earth

b.) Had a face at one point

These foods are packed with nutrients that will make your body feel amazing, create more optimal hormones, and aid your training performance and recovery. They'll also keep you full much longer than their highly-processed counterparts. 

Guidelines To Consider When Selecting Your Foods: 

1. Build your meals around protein and fiber - Lean proteins and fibrous carbs especially have a lot of volume and are very satiating per calorie. Make these a big focus of your diet to keep hunger low and make fat loss easier.

So basically, make an effort to include at least 25-50g lean protein at each meal you eat. This is always your #1 focus when selecting a meal.

From there, make an effort to always include a fist-sized serving of fruit or veggies with each meal.

2. Don't drink your calories - Liquids will digest much quicker, meaning you’re hungry again sooner. If you’re using milk as a protein source, swap it for cottage cheese or greek yogurt. Go with zero calorie sodas, and energy drinks. Black coffee.

When it comes to alcohol, things like liquor & a zero calorie mixer (e.g. vodka water, vodka soda, whiskey diet, etc.) are smart if you're going to have more than a few.

3. Find lower calorie versions of oils, dressings, and condiments - Swap olive oil for calorie-free cooking spray. (It still has calories, but less.) Find a lower-calorie BBQ sauce or use steak sauce. Swap high-calorie salad dressing for a fat-free vinaigrette.

Often a few easy swaps here (that you won’t even notice) can give online clients hundreds of extra calories to work with in a day.

4. Try to avoid foods that are high in multiple macronutrients - For example: you could eat...

a.) 6oz ribeye for 493 calories (36 pro/39 fat)

-OR-

b.) 8oz sirloin (51 pro/9 fat) + 1 large avocado (10 carb/24 fat) for the same amount of calories, but more protein.

Generally avoiding foods high in multiple macros will make eating lots of food volume (think: size of food per calorie) much easier, which in turn helps you feel more full on less calories.

—> Behavior 2: Planning

The reality of having both a flexible lifestyle and a lean body you feel supremely confident in is, it just takes some planning ahead. I always encourage my online clients to look planning as the "rent" you pay for being able to enjoy your lifestyle and feel amazing in your body.

1. Meal Prep - Being prepped ahead nearly guarantees you'll be successful at sticking to this style of eating 80-90% of the time. You'll never "not have the right food available" or "run out of time". This doesn't mean the every meal you eat for the rest of your life has to be prepped, but most of us just won't ever have the time to cook food that aligns with our goals 3-5x/day.

2. Flexible Dieting Tools - When guiding online clients through the maintenance phase post-diet, I'll literally encourage clients to go out to restaurants, bars, etc., if that's something that want to be a part of their life in the future. 

We need to practice for events like this, to make sure the client has a good handle on how to manage these situations and maintain their progress. 

Now, while this could be a whole blog in itself, it essentially comes down to educating online clients how to use some flexible dieting tools like...

a.) Intermittent Fasting - On days clients know they'll be going out and/or eating a high-calorie meal later in the day, they can offset this a bit by fasting until noon-ish.

Black coffee and other zero-calorie drinks are perfectly fine. But outside of that, avoid calories.

A lot of my online nutrition clients always fast on Saturdays to allow for more flexibility in the evenings.

b.) Eat a meal of protein + high fiber carbs before drinking - The enemy here isn't alcohol itself. The enemy is drunk you who wants to eat an absurd amount of Taco Bell at 2am.

The best strategy to prevent this is to drink on a full stomach.

We already talked about how protein is the macro that keeps you full, longest. Fibrous carbs are the second most satiating these + lean protein is a solid pairing to keep you full for a long time. The carbs will also "soak up the alcohol", making your hangover less terrible.

As you drink, inhibition lowers and you'll be much more likely to eat lots of calories later, which is what we're really trying to avoid here. Think of this pre-drinking meal as damage control.

c.) Pulling or Pushing Calories - Ever eat too many calories on a Saturday and think…⠀

“Well, my diet screwed"?

I know I have.

This usually leads eating TONS of extra calories the next few days with the “F it” mindset.

In reality, what clients do with their macros on a daily basis makes very little difference. What you do on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis makes much more difference.

A single day of over eating is easily correctable.

If a client's weekly intake is on point, they have a lot more room to play with daily intake. As long as your weekly deficit is the same and you’re hitting your protein goal daily, you should get VERY similar results.

I like to call this pulling or pushing calories. 

Basically, you’re saving up calories ahead of time or eating less in following days to allow your calories on point.

This approach is amazing for online clients, because it gives them a lot more flexibility within their diets. For many clients, I simply build higher calorie intake on the weekend into their nutrition protocol for more sustainability and adherence.

c.) Macro Planning - Planning ahead is always the key to staying on track with nutrition. 

This is why I encourage all my online clients to plan their days out in MyFitnessPal the night before.

Weekday or weekend, when clients go into the day with a good idea of how to need to eat to both enjoy life and hit their goals, they'll be much more likely to succeed. 

—> Behavior 3: Movement

One of the biggest differences we see between the metabolisms of individuals who are naturally lean, and those who have lost a large amount of weight, is their NEAT (non-exercise activity a.k.a. movement outside of the gym) levels.

Post-weight loss, levels of NEAT will naturally be suppressed for most. If unaccounted for, this can (and often does) lead to weight regain.

This means that maintaining a consistent movement goal post-diet is very important for long-term maintenance. Personally, I assign my clients a daily step goal.

The point of all this is - rapid weight loss in itself doesn't cause weight regain. It's the fact that people don't take the time to learn the necessary strategies and behaviors to sustain weight loss long-term. Now, depending on the aggressiveness of the diet, things like "practicing" going out every weekend might not be feasible... which makes a post-diet phase to "practice maintenance" even more important.

Why Many Of My Online Clients Are Following Aggressive Dieting Protocols

Long, drug out timelines for dieting are the reason many people fall off the diet in the first place. 

Let's say you have 25lbs to lose in order to achieve that lean body composition you've always wanted, and I told you to lose .25-.5lbs/week (a conservative pace).

This means that you're looking at a minimum of 50 weeks of dieting. Knowing that you're not even close to the end of the process is incredibly de-motivating. 

You fall off the wagon, and NEVER get as lean as you want.

And this is the crux of the problem overly conservative dieting for many… Long, drug out timelines are the thing that cause many people fall off the diet in the first place. 

The goal behind a more aggressive dieting is, we wrap the diet up SOONER. For many clients, this approach makes it more likely it is that you will actually be able to reach your desired end goal, and will  to a long-term maintenance phase SOONER rather than later.

Now, to be clear, I'm NOT saying that everyone should diet aggressively. Like everything else within online coaching, it depends on you as a client.

—> Do you want lots of “lifestyle flexibility”, and freedom to enjoy food and drinks at frequent social events during the diet? You’re not a good candidate for an aggressive approach. (But you would take a lot of value from The Lifestyle Diet.)

—> Are you competing in sports or a performance driven style of training more than 2-3x/week (e.g. Crossfit)? Again, probably not a good fit.

—> Do you have a poor relationship with food? If so, you’re likely not in a good position to be dieting period. 

—> Do you just find the idea of eating a bit less, for longer, less daunting? A more conservative approach is probably better.

Guidelines For Aggressive Dieting

—> A larger deficit is required - generally 20-25% below maintenance levels.

—> High protein seems to be essential - both for maintaining muscle and keep you satiated throughout the diet. 1.2-1.5g protein/lb body weight is a good rule of thumb.

—> Rate of loss - I like Martin MacDonalds approach here:

1. Find an accurate measurement of your body fat.

2. Divide your %BF by 13 (more aggressive) -20 (less aggressive).

3. The product is the % of your total body weight you can lose per week while minimizing muscle loss in the process.

That said, since most don't have access to an accurate way to measure body fat...

- If you're not lean at all, most can push to lose ~1-1.5% of body weight per week.

- If you're relatively lean, but definitely not "shredded" most can push to lose ~.6-1.2% of body weight per week.

- If you're already super lean, you just don't have much weight to lose. Closer to ~.25-5% of body weight per week is realistic.

—> Lift weights 3-6x/week - This of course contributes to muscle maintenance/gain, and also increases metabolism.

—> Hit a consistent step goal daily - Because your body adapts to the reduction in calories in by decreasing N.E.A.T. calories out (subconscious movement like pacing, fidgeting, and blinking). A daily movement goal helps prevent this from stalling fat loss.

—> Most will benefit from taking a diet break every 6-12 weeks - Anecdotally, sticking to a diet (aggressive or not) longer than 6-12 weeks is very challenging for most. So while you're still dieting aggressively, occasional diet breaks are still a good idea for adherence. Check out the Diet Breaks 101 blog for more.

—> Some will adhere better with a "floating refeed" - Like we talked about before, the biggest key to fat loss is finding a plan you can successfully stick to. 

So even in the case of aggressive fat loss, this means that clients often need one day of higher calories every few weeks. This restores your sanity, allows you to work in more “flexible foods”, and get back to the diet game the next day in a much better place mentally. 

The floating refeed is a single (optional) day at maintenance. You can implement 1 of these every 2 weeks, on the day of your choosing. 

In the most ideal world, these extra calories would come from carbs to refill your glycogen stores - but the reality is, this is mostly an adherence tool. So if really, i’d let carbs and fats fall as desired within your overall calories for the day (just be sure to hit your protein goal).

That said, if you don't feel the need to take the refeed, and would rather just keep pushing along the fat loss, feel free to skip it.

—> Track your metrics & progress - As always, tracking data is a huge part of you being successful. If you’re not tracking…

- Weight at least 3x/week

- Body measurements

- Monthly progress pictures

- Biofeedback

- Macros

- Steps

…you have no system to assess you progress, and no way of knowing where the issues lies if you’re not making progress. This is exactly why I’m such a stickler about my online clients filling out their trackers crazy consistently. At the least, I would watch this video, and replicate my clients tracker for your own progress.

—> Have a plan for "the diet after the diet" - This is where you as an online client cement the progress you’ve made over the last few months, and establish this body composition as your new normal. Check out the blog on my 3P Fat Loss Method to learn more about the diet after the diet.

—> Hire a coach - If you've struggled to lose fat OR you've struggled staying lean in the past, you'll benefit tremendously from the education, structure, accountability, and expert guidance that working with a nutrition coach provides. It's an investment upfront, that sets you up for quicker progress and long-term success.

Click here now to apply for Online Coaching with me.

Most people's bodies stop changing after their first few years of training.

Once you reach the "intermediate" stage in your career as a lifter, you can easily watch an entire year of training go by, only to realize you haven't made any progress (been there). 

As you become more experienced, avoiding stagnation requires following a smarter, more well-structured training model... "just doing things that feel hard" won't cut it anymore.

Today's vlog gives you that framework for continued progress. This is a deep dive into the training model many of my intermediate and advanced online clients use to continue adding lean muscle well into their training career.

If you'd rather avoid the guesswork, and want to experience a training program hand crafted by me specifically for your goals & lifestyle, click here now to apply for online coaching with me.

If you’ve failed to achieve or maintain the lean, strong body composition you want, it’s because you’re missing a proven system.

One of the biggest things that's helped so many of my online clients get crazy results, is the fact that every online client is indoctrinated into a proven process & systems that I’ve spent years refining. 

Today's blog teaches you how to make my systems for helping clients lose fat & build lean muscle your own, and finally achieve your leanest, strongest, most confident self.

So if you’re ready to achieve better results for yourself or your clients, you’ll take tons of value from this blog.

Ready to learn my system?

Let’s dive in.

Step 1: Educate

[Most new clients have tried and failed to achieve or maintain the body composition they want over and over before starting with us. This is crazy disempowering - it makes clients feel like they have no power over their bodies, or their lives to an extent. Education is the first step in empowering clients to take back control.]

Education 100% lays the foundation for my online clients success.

My goal with online coaching is always to empower you as a client with the knowledge you need to be successful with in the future without me. 

I want to be the last coach you ever have to hire.

So, the process of helping online clients achieve life-changing results starts with educating you before we’ve ever even talked. It starts with you consuming my content.

See, everything I put out is geared to teach you as much as possible about my coaching philosophies, nutrition strategies, and training methods.

By the time you’ve consumed months worth of my educational content and applied for online coaching with me, you’re very much “groomed” to be a successful online client. You have a solid foundational understanding of effective training, nutrition, and mindset principles, and a have developed an understanding of the expectations I put on you as a client.

This process is literally happening right now. If you’re reading this, you’re very likely someone that’s considering working with me, or already is. By the end of this blog, you’ll have a more clear understanding of the "why" behind my coaching method… which brings me to the point of why education is so important:

When clients understand "why" they’re doing something (how it ties into you achieving the results you want), adherence increases dramatically. Coaches that don’t focus on education will always struggle with client adherence.

So while this is the first step of the system, realize that constant education is my primary focus throughout the entire time you're coaching with me. Constantly focusing on education is a major key to client success - it makes my job easier as a coach, and helps you achieve better results as a client.

Our constant email conversations, daily social media posts, the three podcasts that release per week, and even my emails to my list... they're all geared towards empowering you with more knowledge.

Step 2: Connection

[Nothing is more frustrating for clients than another generic plan they know they won't be able to stick to. This is how we learn about the client's unique struggles, and create a plan that's truly transformative, and different from everything else they've tried.]

Many coaches and diet programs have nutrition methods and templated training programs that should work in theory, but still fail over and overdue to one missing piece… CONNECTION WITH THE CLIENT.

See, the reality is, information on training and nutrition is abundant. In 5 minutes on Google, you could have a training program and macros.

You've probably Googled what you macros should be multiple times, right?

As a coach, I’m not in the business of “selling information”, because that’s not what people are missing.

You’re missing a coach that’s actually willing to hop on a 60 minute call with you, talk through every detail of your lifestyle, your past nutrition struggles, what is and isn’t sustainable for you long-term, and then create program tailor-made to your specific goals and needs.

Information is worthless without coaching through the process of application to your specific circumstances.

So a huge part of my coaching service & online clients success, is truly just taking the time to get to know you, your personality type, what you’ve struggled with in the past, and what really drives you - I straight up just spend much more time connecting with you.

From here, I can create a program truly tailored to you. Which is something rare in the nutrition coaching space.

This means:

—> A very thorough initial call like we talked about above.

—> A follow up initial questionnaire, that goes through everything that makes you unique and needs to be taken into consideration with a fine tooth comb, just to be sure there's nothing we missed.

—> A nutrition assessment that's actually based off of what you've been eating (I literally filter through your food diary), instead of just plugging your height, weight, and activity level into an online calculator, and giving you whatever generic number it spits out.

—> A movement screen, where I assess how you move. This allows me to recognize any muscular imbalances, mobility issues, or lagging muscle groups, and address them in your customized training program.

Sounds a bit different than the approach most coaches take, right?

Step 3: Buy-In

[Picture how it feel grabbing one of your Dad's old ass, baggy suits out of the closet and trying it on. Now, imagine going to London's finest tailor, and having them custom fit you. Think about the confidence and excitement you'd have in that suit. Step 3 is how we give clients that same excitement and confidence in their coaching prescription.]

As a reader of my blog, you understand that my clients don't get results because I have “the secret fat loss macros” or a special style of periodization that no one else has stumbled across before, right?

My online clients get great results because they’re following smart, customized plans, and are very bought in to the process.

See, a huge part of getting client adherence is getting clients excited about the process. 

Details are super important here. 

Personally, I like to shoot new online clients a screen recording, where I talk them through the thought process behind their training program, their nutrition prescription, their accountability tracker, and literally laying out the plan for the next 6 months week by week.

When clients see the amount of individualization and thought that goes into creating their plan, as well as the path over the next 6 months that will help them achieve the lean, strong bodies and confidence they’ve always wanted, they’re extremely bought in to the process.

Thus, adherence is great —> leads to great results —> leads to more buy-in —> more results. 

It becomes a positive cycle of success, if you as a coach are willing to go the extra mile to create a truly individualized training & nutrition protocol like I do for my online clients.

Step 4: Proven Methods For Results

[Do you as a coach feel terrified that your clients will realize you're just "throwing shit at the wall, and hoping something sticks" when it comes to their training and nutrition? Do you as a client fear that this is what your coach is doing with your investment? Step 4 is the proven solution that allows clients & coaches alike to feel supremely confident in the plan.]

Another mistake that coaches make all too often, is simply programming workouts/cardio that feel hard, or random nutrition strategies they read about online or on Instagram infographics.

Just like achieving success anywhere else in life, amazing body composition results are never achieved by doing things at random.

This is exactly why our clients take a very systematic approach with their training and nutrition. I’ve spent years refining my systems and methods to allow tons of room for customization and meeting the client where they’re at, while also creating a proven framework to systematically move you closer to the body and confidence you want every week.

For your nutrition, I’ve developed the 3P Fat Loss Method:

Check out the entire blog I wrote on this method HERE, or just listen to the podcast breakdown:

The beauty of this system is, it allows us to take a plethora of different approaches as far as macro composition of the diet, calorie cycling, tracking method, etc. - but still ensures you systematically ticks all the boxes you need to be successful on your own, and allows me to truly be the last coach you ever need.

Dope, right?

For both nutrition and training, we can very much apply the thinking “methods are many, principles are few” - meaning that while customization is crazy important to your success as a client, there are always a few principle boxes we need to tick to ensure your success as a client.

Similarly to nutrition, I’ve already released a huge amount of information on my systems for programming. Check it out:

—> Training Program Design 101 [Monthly, Weekly, & Daily Design]

—> The 7 Training Program Templates All Coaches Need

—> How To Program The Most Effective Cardio For Your Clients [Energy Systems 101]

Step 5: Systems For Tracking & Accountability

[You know how many times you'll invest in a program, stoked about your potential and the leaner, stronger, more confident person you're about to create... only to NOT follow through, and end up more disappointed than ever in yourself? Step 5 is how we prevent that from happening within online coaching.]

Now, after reading the above, you’re probably hyped up to go create your own training program & nutrition prescription, or refine your content to provide more education for your clients, right?

Well hold on to your pantalones my friend, because we’re not done yet. 

This next part is super important.

You (or your clients) don’t just need a training program and nutrition prescription…

You need systems to hold you accountable, and collect all the data necessary to gauge your progress.

Ever heard the saying “If you’re not assessing, you’re guessing?” 

That’s super true when it comes to coaching (and ANOTHER big mistake coaches make). One thing my online coaching service does differently, is collecting lots of data with things like:

—> Weekly check-ins

—> Constant email communication throughout the week

—> Daily training logs to gauge your performance

—> The accountability tracker

Now, I’ve already talked about this in great depth in the video below…

But again, a huge mistake many online coaches make is just hoping their online clients are getting results, without tracking the data to know for sure. 

When your clients aren't getting results, there’s no data to look at to gauge where the issue lies, nor is there a clear system in place on how to make adjustments (we’ll talk through this below). So clients are essentially left floundering, and told to "just try harder"… in my opinion, this style of coaching is why so many people are under the false impression that online coaching doesn’t work. 

The reality is, most coaches are just missing the necessary systems to truly help their clients. As you can see from my client results HERE, it ABSOLUTELY WORKS with the proper systems.

The beauty of the tracker is, it shows us exactly how much progress you’re making, and if you’re not progressing at the rate we want, it shows us where the issue lies, so we can make the exact adjustment needed.

Do you want to become the leanest, strongest, most confident version of yourself? Then you need to first have smart systems in place.

Step 6: Systems For Making Adjustments

[You know how it seems like a nutrition protocol or training program works for your clients for a bit... only to stop working, and leads them to conclude "nothing works for me"? This is how we solve that.]

So you’ve probably gathered that systems are a big part of online client's success, right?

And just like above, not only do we need systems for tracking data, we need systems and methods for making adjustments.

As you might have guessed, I’ve already created an in-depth guide to each of these systems.

—> Check out the blog on adjusting nutrition

—> Check out the blog on adjusting training

Step 7: Exit Strategy

[You know how many times you'll follow a training program or diet program and achieve great results, only to see them slip away as soon as the program is over? Coach or client, no doubt you've experienced this frustration. Step 7 is where we solve that problem, and give you complete confidence you can maintain your results long-term, on your own.]

Ready for a surprise?

My goal as a coach isn't to keep you around as a client forever. 

Weird right?

But let me tell you a story that’ll help this make more sense…

Years ago, as an in-person trainer, I saw a strong trend in my clients that really bothered me.

My clients only got results when they were working with me AND were feeling extremely motivated. 

When we stopped working together OR a client would lose motivation (motivation is a very fickle thing, so this happens to all of us), they would fall of the wagon, and end up right back where they started.

I quickly realized I wasn’t actually helping people, I was just taking their money for a few months, and leaving them no better than when they started.

This bothered the shit out of me... I felt like a con man.

So I took a deep dive into figuring out what was missing from my coaching service. Can you guess what it was?

If you guessed “lack of education”, you’re 100% right.

Since then, I’ve gone above and beyond to teach online clients everything they need to know to be successful on their own without me.

Now, do some online clients stick around for years? 

Absolutely. But others start coaching, achieve the result they want, and then are ready to go off and maintain on their own - which brings us to the exit strategy.

Here, I lay out the roadmap for what you need to do in the future to be successful without me, and make sure you feel supremely confident in your ability to do this on your own.

Giving online clients an exit strategy so they can leave sooner isn’t something that’s common in the industry. But selfishly, it’s something I have to do to know that I’ve done an amazing job as your coach, and it truly sets you up for success without me.

And that is how we help clients achieve their leanest, strongest, most confident selves through coaching.

From here, you have two choices:

#1: Click here now to apply for an online coaching strategy call with me.

—> We'll hop on a call, work through your specific goals and roadblocks, and figure out the best strategy for you.

—> Let me do all of this planning, programming, and periodization for you, in an expert manner that educates you along the way.

—> Arrive at the best version of yourself quicker.

#2: Keep going at it on your own, like you have been.

—> Work your way back through this blog. Read all the linked blogs, watch the videos, and get things set up on your own.

—> Use the information provided here & in the linked blogs to make adjustments along the way to ensure you eventually reach your body composition goal.

—> Keep absorbing my content and educating yourself. No matter which route you choose, education Is key!

After 10 years of obsession with training & nutrition, and 6+ years of the same with coaching, I'm still amazed at how much more there always is to learn. 

The last year especially has been full of some crazy revelations that have completely changed my approaches to nutrition, training, and how I coach my online clients. 

Today's blog takes you through my top 6 revelations of the last year, and teaches you how to apply them to your clients and/or yourself.

1. Trying Too Hard To "Feel" A Muscle Working Is Probably Detrimental

We know the mind-muscle connection is probably important, but a mistake I was making in the past (and have talked online clients through as well), was taking the concentric portion of my movements too slow to try to "feel" the muscle working... and as a result was never feeling like a left my training with any significant muscle disruption.

Now, I work through this checklist instead ↴

✔ Tempo: It makes sense to focus on making the concentric portions of your movements very explosive (more explosive = recruiting more fast-twitch fibers, which have more potential to grow).

It should feel like you're almost "pulling through mud" (if you're using a challenging weight, it won't usually just fly up), but you should be trying to move the weight "up" as fast as possible, and then slow the eccentric/lowering portion of the lift to increase muscle damage.

✔ Range Of Motion: Am I training the muscle through a full range of motion, with clear "start/top" with a hard contraction, and "end/bottom" point with a muscle stretch on every rep?

For example, with my barbell curls, the "bottom" point of each rep is the arms fully extended position, with a quick tricep flex to be sure I've actually fully extended my arms. The "top" point of each rep is when the barbell touches my nose.

Through every movement, I've started identifying these points, so I can ensure I'm training a full range of motion consistently.

✔ Effort: Am I hitting my Reps In Reserve targets, and taking the movement close enough to failure to stimulate lean muscle growth?

If we tick these boxes, the lean muscle growth we want will take care of itself.

2. Less Exercise Variation Is Better For Most

When you implement a new movement, it takes your body time to learn the "skill" of the movement.

And when you're "unskilled" at a movement, fatiguing the targeted muscle fibers enough to stimulate growth becomes much more unlikely, as your body & brain are simply trying to learn the skill of the new movement.

After the first few weeks of progressing a movement is when online clients really start to learn what loads and reps are needed to achieve true effective reps (the last few reps of a set that fatigue your muscle fibers enough to stimulate growth). This is where the most progress happens...

...so if we're switching up the entire program every month, clients are getting ~1-2 weeks of training that's actually effective every month.

Plus, if you're always switching movements, there's no way to track progress across months. It's like using a different scale every time you weigh yourself.

3. Training In A Broader Reps In Reserve (RIR) Range Allows For More Productive Training Time

 When I first found the concept of effective reps, it was a big lightbulb moment for me.

(*Effective reps: As you fatigue a muscle, you must continuously recruit more muscle fibers to finish the set. As you get closer to failure, reps become more effective at stimulating muscle growth, because you’re fatiguing more muscle fibers.)

For quite some time after learning this, my thought process was...

"I always just want to make sure I hit at least 1RIR"... which more often than not turned into 0RIR.

Training like this, I really struggled to string together more than two solid weeks of training - something would always be bothering me by Week 3 (e.g. knees, back), I would feel absolutely smashed, and always have to deload every 4th week.

That said, I've spent the last year, I've spent more time training at (and programming for online clients) RIR targets 2, 3, or even 3-4. And the results for both myself and my online clients have been MUCH better than the old system of "just make sure you're working hard enough".

The thing you have to realize here is, training like this leads to more productive time training across months. Since I had to take a deload every 4th week in the past, ~12 weeks of my year were spent in "unproductive" training time.

As I've talked about before, I now like to follow a model within my own training and that of my online clients that looks something like:

→ Week 1: ~3RIR on all sets.

→ Week 2: 2-3RIR on all sets.

→ Week 3: 1-2RIR on all sets.

→ Week 4: ~1RIR on all sets.

→ Week 5: ~0-1RIR on all sets.

→ Week 6: Deload.

Now, all sets in Weeks 1-5 are still in the "effective" range, but not taking it quite as close to failure allows us to add more volume to your training, without stress outweighing recovery.

Plus, the fact that we're deloading every 6th week instead of every fourth weekadds up to quite a few more weeks of productive training across a year.

In fact, we're adding a whole month of productive training time every year by following this strategy.

(*IMPORTANT NOTE: Using an RIR system is only effective if you're honest with yourself about the TRUE RIR you're hitting on your sets. If what you tell yourself is a 2RIR is actually a 4-5RIR... you'll stunt your progress. This is exactly why I have many of my online clients send me form videos during their 0-1RIR weeks - to help keep RIR estimations accurate.)

4. Diet Breaks & Refeeds Aren't Magic. BUT...

For quite some time, I was under the impression that giving online clients diet breaks and refeeds had very large physiological benefits. Things like...

Increased leptin levels, which would lead to decreased hunger levels and greater levels of energy expenditure (a.k.a easier fat loss) when the client resumed the diet, faster metabolism, increased thyroid, etc.

...that said, recent research seems to show that from a physiological perspective, there's nothing magical about taking diet breaks or refeeds.

The hormonal increases we seem to see with increased calorie intake seem to return to previous levels almost immediately upon returning to the diet. And there's really no metabolic rate boosting magic happening here.

That said, like I mentioned in the Diet Breaks 101 article, I still use diet breaks and refeeds with most of my clients because:

→ They improve adherence: Most people can stick to the diet MUCH better, if they can see a "light at the end of the tunnel" (e.g. a refeed day at the end of the week, or a week long diet break after 6 weeks of dieting). Clients that know they have 3-4 consecutive months of dieting ahead of them seem to have much worse adherence. It's just daunting to not know you'll have a break relatively soon,.

→ They replenish muscle gylcogen stores: This means that our clients taking diet breaks are getting 1-2 improved training sessions per week compared to what they would be without implementing a refeed strategy, and also better able to recover. Over the course of a diet, I believe that this makes a BIG difference in the amount of muscle clients are able to build and/or maintain.

→ They give clients time to practice maintenance: The goal of online coaching is to empower you with the knowledge & skills to be successful on your own in the future.

One of the best ways to do this is coaching clients through a maintenance - not just fat loss phases.

Periods of practicing maintenance allow you to learn new habits and behaviors around your food choices, training, daily movement, dietary flexibility, and what your entire lifestyle will need to look like to maintain this new, leaner body.

Practicing the ability to maintain is exactly what helps my online clients keep their results, and break the yo-yo diet cycle that so many others get stuck in. Truly, I believe that the most important phase for people to be coached through is the maintenance phase after the diet. 

Many people have been able to successfully lose weight. But few successfully keep it off.

Diet breaks and refeeds just give us more time to practice the skill of maintenance with clients.

So while it appears that diet breaks and refeeds aren't the end-all-be all for fat loss success, I truly believe that they're still an invaluable tool for sustainable fat loss (just not for the reasons I previously thought), and one I'll continue to implement with online clients.

5. Most Client's Maintenance Calories Are Lower Than We've Been Told, & Reverse Dieting Is Very Misunderstood

Over the last 5-10 years, the concept of reverse dieting has absolutely exploded. 

Along with this has come the idea that most everyone ~if reverse dieted properly~ should be able to maintain a lean body at very high calories. For most women, the number thrown out there is at least 2,200 calories. For most men, 3,500+. 

Now, I do implement the process of reverse dieting with online client - but it’s much different than the traditional “50-100 calorie increases as we slowly back out of a deficit”.

Typically, my online clients will bump macros to a number near their new estimated maintenance. From there, metabolism does increase some (I’ll explain this in a bit) - but the amount it increases with a reverse diet is much smaller, and has a much harder “ceiling” than most coaches realize. Check out this blog for a thorough breakdown of what the reverse dieting process typically looks like for my online clients.

See, to eat more calories than you could before and maintain your weight/body fat, you must be burning more calories than before.

The 4 ways our body can burn calories (metabolism) are...

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

2. Thermic Effect Of Food (TEF)

3. Thermic Effect Of Exercise (TEE)

4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

Being able to eat more and maintain, requires an increase in one or more of these factors.

Basal Metabolic Rate: Typically higher the larger you are. We can really only increase this by gaining weight - which means either:

a.) Adding fat

b.) Adding muscle

→ Adding fat WILL speed up your metabolism… but the goal of most reverse diets is to avoid fat gain.

→ Adding muscle mass is part of why people’s metabolisms can increase slightly over time. Muscle is metabolically active tissue - meaning that adding extra muscle increases the calories you burn at rest. But, it’s not a huge difference. (Daily, you’ll burn ~6 calories more with each additional pound of muscle you gain.) Most of the metabolism boosting benefits of adding muscle come from the fact that moving a heavier body burns more calories.

Thermic Effect Of Food: Calories burned during digestion increases as you eat more. But since a relatively small % of the total calories you eat in a meal are burned through TEF, eating more calories strictly to increase TEF doesn’t make sense - you’re now taking in more calories not burned during digestion as well.

→ Increasing the % of calories consumed from protein is a smart strategy to increase TEF, and it does seem that protein is harder for your body to store as fat. But to avoid digestion issues, eat enough fat to stay healthy, and (for most of us) eat some delicious carbs… a diet of strictly protein isn’t realistic. Most people tap out eating more than 1.2-1.5g protein/lb.

Thermic Effect Of Exercise: When you eat more, you can:

a.) Train more. Eating more calories (to an extent) means better recovery, and therefore the ability to train more frequently with overdoing it.

b.) Train more intensely. More energy (calories) in also typically increases our ability to output energy (again, to a certain extent).

Both of the factors mean that eating more usually leads to more calories burned through training. That said, the increase in calories burned here won't be massive enough to skyrocket your metabolism. (And you have to remember, you're eating MORE calories the create these effects in the first place.)

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis: People’s NEAT varies a lot with how it responds to increases and decreases in calories.

As I’ve talked about many times, we can usually split people’s metabolisms up into two categories:

a.) Adaptive Metabolisms - For these people, when you eat more, your body automatically increases NEAT to compensate. (Think: subconscious fidgeting, blinking, pacing, etc.) Their body adapts to higher calorie intake by increasing calories burned through movement - so weight stays the same, even with calorie increases.

People like this can typically maintain at a relatively high calorie intake, but the reduction in NEAT when they decrease also means they have to drop calories lower than expected to lose fat.

b.) Rigid Metabolisms - These people see very little or no increase in NEAT as a response to overeating. Thus fat gain is a bit easier.

But on the bright side, these people usually don't have to decrease calories as much to lose fat (because calories burned through NEAT doesn't decrease as much as it would for an adaptive metabolism).

So, to eat more and maintain your weight, you can:

a.) Move more

b.) Increase your body size

c.) Eat more food

It’s pretty easy to see how each of these are hard to scale. People that can maintain on super high calories and stay lean, are those that naturally ramp up NEAT as a response to eating more. 

In my experience, the average individuals maintenance is usually somewhere around body weight x13-14. 

6. Our Main Role As Coaches Is To Help Clients Make Choices That Lead To Long-term Success, Instead Of > Immediate Gratification

Too many coaches fall into the trap of feeling like their role is entertaining clients.

Now, don't get it twisted - I definitely believe that coaching is very much a collaboration between us and our clients - so I'm never an advocate of just giving a client a rigid plan, and refusing to implement any flexibility or meet the client where they're at in their life... that's just bad coaching.

But we go from effective coaches to useless entertainers when we go along with a client's weekly whims as far as changing directions with nutrition, implementing movements, different modalities of training, etc... without taking the time to question how it ties back to where the client wants to be 6-12 months from now physically and mentally.

See, most online clients start coaching because they haven't been able to achieve the result they want own their own.

In my experience as a coach that works with mostly intermediate and advanced trainees, new clients haven't been able to achieve the results they want on their own, because they're stuck in a cycle of choosing what's immediately gratifying, instead of what will lead them to the mid-to-long term outcomes they want.

It's basically shiny object syndrome (which admittedly, I suffer from as well - which is exactly why I always have a coach).

The reality is, as trainees of 2+ years, continuing to significantly change your body just takes months of focused effort in one direction.

But most people's progress is getting sabotaged by things like...

→ "I saw this new movement on Instagram, I think I'll sub this in for ___ (metric-based movement it would be smart to focus on progressing for the next few months)."

→ "I want to build muscle... but two weeks into this gaining phase, I'm feeling fluffy. Time to cut again."

→ "I want to get lean, but I'm seeing performance drop/I feel skinnier than I want to... I'm going back to building."

...you get the idea. Patterns of thought that only ever lead to a few weeks in any one direction, before shifting to a different focus.

So again, I'm not at all saying to ignore your clients wants and requests.

But it's important to discuss the trade-offs of adding different movements, changing the nutrition strategy, etc., and how that ties into the client's long-term goals before actually implementing them.

Otherwise, we're just feeding into the cycle of constantly changing directions, instead of pushing clients to the goals they hired us for.

And those are my top 6 revelations from the last year. I know these lessons will make you a better coach for yourself and your clients.

If you want to experience a fully customized training & nutrition protocol, tailor made by me to fit you, and your goals & lifestyle, click here now to apply for online coaching with me.

Are you programs failing to get your clients results... or even worse, leaving them injured?

Today's vlog will help. 

It's in-depth breakdown of the full body split - one of my favorite ways to program for online clients chasing fat loss, or who are in their first 2 years of proper training. 

You'll learn everything you need to know about properly programming a full body split to help you clients achieve a leaner, stronger, more aesthetic body composition.

Want to experience a customized training program created specifically for you and your goals?

Click here now to apply for online coaching with me.

One of the biggest client-result-killing mistakes most coaches make?

Programming random things simply because they "feel hard", just hoping it'll lead to client results.

This is especially true when it comes to cardio, as very few coaches have any understanding of the energy systems, or even think about the specific outcomes they want their clients to achieve from their cardio prescriptions. 

(Also true when it comes to resistance training, but I’ve already created a series of blogs to help you out in this regard. Check them out: 1, 2, 3)

So today, we’re taking a deep dive into the energy systems. You'll learn how to program smarter, more goal specific cardio for your clients, and help them achieve leaner, stronger, and better conditioned bodies.

Energy

Everything you do eventually comes back to your body’s ability to produce energy.

—> Want greater power output in the gym? That requires more energy.

—> Walking though the stores? Requires your body to produce energy.

—> Even the “stress response”  to a mental stressor causes energy to be mobilized (and then sometimes re-stored). This process takes energy.

You get the idea. Every action we take requires our body to first create energy for out actions.

Basically, your body uses the food you take in, and converts it to ATP, the body's "energy currency".

Without adequate levels of this energy currency, we won't be able to perform as desired. So ATP/energy currency is constantly being created by...

The Energy Systems

Basically, your body can produce energy (ATP) in two different ways:

1. Aerobically (with oxygen), using the Aerobic Energy System

2. Anaerobically (without oxygen), using the Anaerobic Energy System(s)

Each energy system has a different capacity and duration that it can continue to produce energy. As a result of this, each energy system also relies on different fuel source.

So, your energy systems essentially provide the fuel for different activities - be it an explosive round of squats, or a slow walk on an incline treadmill. 

Now, you've probably noticed that your ability to exert yourself strenuously fades rather quickly. This is (partially) because there is a trade-off between how fast your body can produce energy, and the level of power output that can be maintained.

The longer the duration of an activity, the lower the amount of power you'll be able to output will be (to an extent), because your energy systems can't keep up with the ATP production demands required to keep power high.

All three of these energy systems are always working, but the primary system at work will depend on the power output & duration of an activity.

With me so far? Dope. 

Let's dive into each specific energy system.

The Aerobic System

As you can see from the graphic above, your aerobic system provides the majority of the energy for anything longer than 60 seconds.

Really, your aerobic system is crazy important. It's responsible for creating the ATP necessary to fuel the majority of your life. The aerobic system is the most important energy system for you and your clients to develop.

Because your aerobic system plays such a key role in... well, keeping you alive... it's very adaptable, and can break down many different macros as fuel sources. Carbs, fats, and even protein can be converted to ATP by your aerobic system.

This system has a very large energy supply available, and thus is capable of producing ATP to fuel HOURS of work at a sustainable pace. But as we discussed earlier, the fact that the aerobic system can generate fuel for such long periods of time also means that it has the lowest level of power output of all of the energy systems.

Your aerobic system is also what drives recovery from anaerobic bouts... meaning that your aerobic system is what helps you recover between short, intense bouts of effort (e.g. a max effort set of squats). So having higher levels of aerobic fitness means you'll be able to recover faster between short periods of intense effort.

So while the common thinking is...

"Cardio kills your gainz"

The reality is, a strong aerobic system will allow you to recover quicker and more fully between sets in the gym, meaning you'll be able to put forth a better effort (and build more muscle) during each set.

Having a higher level of aerobic fitness also allows your autonomic nervous system to get back into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state quicker after training - translating to better recovery and more progress.

Everyone can benefit from some aerobic training. Because...

—> It develops your cardiovascular system, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in your clients. Ditto for high blood pressure.

—> Your heart is also better able to deliver oxygen to muscles during training.

—> Your body is better able to move more blood, quicker throughout the body, keeping cells and tissues healthier. Just like any muscle, the heart actually grows bigger to support improved functioning. 

—> In the context of programming cardio for muscle gain/performance, it can indirectly leads to better recovery, and more lean muscle from your resistance training.

—> In the context of programming cardio for fat loss, aerobic work generally makes the most sense. It actually improves your recovery & your body's ability to manage stress during a time when "recovery resources" are already limited - whereas programming more intense modalities of cardio can create more stress that your body must spend it's limited recovery resources on.

Aerobic System Summary:

So in a nutshell...

—> Your aerobic system is the primary energy system creating ATP for longer duration activities, done at a sustainable pace.

—> Your aerobic system uses a variety of fuels - carbs, fats, and (if needed) protein + oxygen to generate ATP. 

—> Your aerobic system is the most important energy system. Everyone can benefit from training it.

Aerobic Sytem Training:

When programming aerobic work, we can use two different styles of training: cyclical or mixed-modal.

—> Cyclical - Here, we're programming a single movement/piece of equipment - rower, airbike, sled drag, jogging, etc.

When programming aerobic work, the goal is working at a sustainable pace, and maintaining performance across sets and weeks. We usually progress this across weeks by adding time/distance to the work sets.

For example, a cyclical aerobic progression could look something like:

Rowing Machine

- Week 1: 5x1000 @ 2:00/500m pace (2 mins rest)

- Week 2: 5x1200m @ 2:00/500m pace (2 mins rest)

- Week 3: 4x1500m @ 2:00/500m pace (2 mins rest)

- Week 4: 3x2000m @ 2:00/500m pace (2 mins rest)

The total distance stays nearly the same across weeks - our primary means of progression here is increasing the distance per set, while maintaining the same pace.

—> Mixed Modal - This is generally a circuit style of training, involving multiple exercises and modalities. This is one of my favorite ways to program finishers, as we can often kill two birds with one stone - getting clients more core work, upper back work, unilateral work, etc, and improving their aerobic system at the same time.

For example, a mixed modal aerobic progression could look something like:

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

- Week 1: 5 mins of - Rowing Machine x10 Cals / Push-Up x10-20 / Farmer's Walk x50m 

- Week 2: 6 mins of - Rowing Machine x10 Cals / Push-Up x10-20 / Farmer's Walk x50m 

- Week 3: 7 mins of - Rowing Machine x10 Cals / Push-Up x10-20 / Farmer's Walk x50m 

- Week 4: 8 mins of - Rowing Machine x10 Cals / Push-Up x10-20 / Farmer's Walk x50m 

With our goal being to sustain pace as total time/distance increases, we should be adding sets weekly here.

The Anaerobic-Lactic System

The lactic system helps provide energy for activity up to about 30-40 seconds in duration.

When you're burning through ATP faster than your aerobic system can handle, your body starts using lactate as a fuel to start converting glucose into ATP.

We don't need to get into the specifics of anaerobic metabolism here. You just need to know that lactate + glucose = quicker ATP production/the ability to produce more force.

Unlike with the aerobic system, oxygen is not being used here.

Glucose is the primary fuel source for the lactic system, which is why our ability to produce power often suffers on a low carb diet. This is also why I generally prefer a higher carb nutrition approach for online clients looking to build maximal lean muscle, or optimize performance.

Not every needs (or should) do much lactic system specific conditioning. Because...

—> Anaerobic-lactic training creates a huge amount of stress on the system, and pushes the nervous system into "fight-or-flight" mode. While not always a bad thing (the formula for growth is STRESS + recovery = adaptation), implementing too much anaerobic-lactic work has the ability to smash your clients and SLOW recovery.

—> For clients who's goals are simply to look good & be healthy, this style of training often isn't needed. 

—> In the context of programming cardio for fat loss, although it does allow for less time spent for calorie burned, we have to carefully consider the huge amount of stress we're adding to our clients "recovery debt". If we're simply looking to burn more calories, less stressful modalities of cardio make sense.

—> In the context of programming cardio for muscle gain/performance, for clients that need to be able to produce high levels of force for relatively short durations (e.g. CrossFitters), this style of training is helpful.

Anaerobic-Lactic System Summary:

—> Your lactic system provides energy for shorter, unsustainable bursts of effort (usually up to 40 seconds).

—> Glucose is the primary fuel source here, oxygen is not being utilized.

Anaerobic-Lactic System Training:

Training the lactic system should feel brutal. That's why OPEX nicknamed this energy system's training method "Pain" after all. The effort/power output in a set should be high and unsustainable for more than 40-60 sec, but we do want to be able to achieve a similar level of power output across all of our sets for the day. So we don't want to completely destroy ourselves on the first few sets, and then see power output fall off by a large amount during the later half of the training session.

For example, a lactic training progression could look like:

Assault Bike

- Week 1 - 20 sec near all-out every 3.5 mins x 6.

- Week 2 - 25 seconds near all out every 4 minutes x 5.

- Week 3 - 30 seconds near all out every 5 minutes x 4.

- Week 4 - 45 seconds near all out every 6 minutes x 2.

Set duration across weeks increases, but total number of sets decreases. Again, we should see similar power output, RPM, calories burned, etc., across the course of sets. A big drop off in performance from the first set to the last set in the training day indicates that you're going too hard in the early sets, and won't acquire the adaptations we're chasing here.

The Anaerobic-Alactic System

Your alactic system is the most powerful of the three energy systems, but also has the shortest duration, typically lasting 10-20 seconds.

The alactic system is able to produce lots of power, quickly, because the pathway to convert phosphocreatine (the fuel source of the alactic system) is much simpler than the chemical process for creating ATP with the other two energy systems. (This is also why supplementing with creatine is helpful - it gives this energy system more fuel.)

The problem is, the alactic system is not as adaptable as the other two systems when it comes to fuel sources, and our supplies of phosphocreatine are drained quickly.

Similar to the lactic system, oxygen is not being utilized to create energy here. 

Clients will use this energy system often during resistance training.

Everyone can benefit from some alactic training. Because...

—> In its most commonly programmed form, alactic training is lifting weights. As a reader of this blog, I doubt I even need to tell you the many benefits of lifting weights. Things like better nutrient partitioning, a higher your metabolic rate, functional strength, healthy tendons, increases bone density, and aesthetics.

—> In the context of programming cardio for fat loss, this style of training doesn't make much sense. A smart resistance training program is a huge part of building a great physique, but cardio-specific alactic programming involves very short bouts, in a relatively low volume. 

—> More advanced clients can also benefit from explosive alactic training outside of just lifting weights (e.g. short, all-out assault bike sprints or sled pushes).

Anaerobic-Alactic System Summary:

—> This is the most powerful energy system, but it's limited to very short durations.

—> Phosphocreatine is the primary fuel source here.

Anaerobic-Alactic System Training:

Again, this most often takes the form of well programmed resistance training. 

That said, we can also program things like assault bike sprints, sled push, kettlebell swings, squat jumps, etc. here. Generally for a work period of 8-15 seconds, followed by 1-3 minutes rest.

For example, an alactic training progression could look like:

Sled Sprints

- Week 1: 8 sec all out x 12. 90 sec rest.

- Week 2: 10 sec all out x 10. 90 sec rest.

- Week 3: 12 sec all out x 8. 2 min rest.

- Week 4: 15 sec all out x6. 2.5 min rest.

And that is how we program smart, goal specific cardio for our clients, and help them achieve superior results.

If you're ready to experience a program 100% customized and goal-specific to you as an individual, and build your leanest, strongest body ever - click here now to apply for online coaching with me.

Today's vlog is a deep dive into how to program the classic Upper/Lower split for your online clients perfectly, using a unique blend of functional strength, bodybuilding, and energy system training modalities. 

If you want more confidence in the way you program for your clients and yourself, this vlog is a must watch.

If you want to experience 8 weeks of periodized programming from me firsthand, click here now to join Functional Aesthetics.

The doors are open until Sunday 6/21, UNLESS spots fill up! I’m limiting the amount of people who can join these programs - so jump on this now if you want access!

→ You have a choice between Functional Aesthetics (Upper/Lower For Building Lean Muscle) or Functional Fat Loss (Full Body Strength & Fat Loss).

→ These 8 week programs are run by me, through the TrueCoach app.

→ You’ll have access to myself & a private community for all questions, accountability, & support.

 If you've spent the last 6-12 months in the gym spinning your wheels, you need to take a different approach to your training to build the lean, strong body you've been chasing for years.

>> Click here now to hop onboard <<

If your clients aren't getting results, your systems probably suck.

Because the science of getting clients lean & strong isn't that complicated... WHEN you have a smart system for tracking nutrition adherence, biofeedback, and body composition changes.

One key piece of my online coaching clients success, is the metric tracker they filI out.

Today's vlog takes you on an in-depth tour of my online client's metric tracker, and my exact thought process behind everything my online clients track.

If you're insecure about your inability to get clients results, this'll help.

If you want to experience a truly individualized training program first-hand, and finally achieve the leanest, strongest, and most confident version of yourself, click here now to apply for online coaching with me.