Summary:

What do you do when you’ve been lifting for a couple years, you’ve bulked up, can put up an impressive amount of weight but you’re still fat?

Body:

You have a gut, your body fat percentage is in the mid to high 20’s (if you’ve even measured it at all) and you have the strength but not the body you’ve been working for?

I had this same problem myself, I learned this shit the hard way, and made the necessary changes. Here are some before and after pics from this year to prove I’m not full of shit.

March 2015: http://imgur.com/3nI2YwE

December 2015: http://imgur.com/wC22NXG

The problem I’ve found is there is too much generic dieting and training advice like “eat big to get big.” But that doesn’t really mean anything when you think about it. This type of advice also gives off the impression that all you have to do is go to the gym, put up heavy weight and stuff your face silly with food all day long. You’re going to get big alright, big and fat.

This post is for those of you who are putting up the heavy weight but are still too fat. All you really need to do is get organized. The best part is you can look great all year round. No more bulking and cutting phases. There is a middle path and I’m going to show you how to get there.

I’m a firm believer in “what doesn’t get measured doesn’t get improved.”

And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Before we get started you are going to need a few things. Chances are you already have these things lying around if you’ve been lifting for a few years:

-\tWeight scale (with body fat measurement feature) -\tMeasuring tape -\tFood scale -\tBig lunch box -\tTupperware -\tMicrosoft fucking Excel or a notebook

Set your ego aside and measure yourself.

The first step is to weigh yourself and measure your body fat percentage. We need a starting point. Go to Walmart or Target and get yourself a scale with a body fat measuring feature (I found one for $25).

Measure your body parts with measuring tape. If you don’t have one, get one (they are about $1-$2). Get a notebook or an excel spreadsheet and make note of your measurements. Measure your shoulders, chest, stomach, biceps, forearms, legs, calves etc. Google how to measure these parts properly if you need to, there’s a trick to some of them.

Now we have a starting point and we know exactly where we’re at. Don’t forget to track the date too. A good day to do this is on Sunday. Moving forward you will be measuring all of this every week and tracking it.

Set goals

Where do you want to be? How big do you want your arms to be? What body fat percentage do you want? Write down your specific goals.

Nutrition

Now we move on to nutrition. Learn to track your macronutrients (macros). If you don’t know what macros are or are hazy about them, google it now. There are some great resources out there that will explain what they are. I’ll wait. Seriously, go google it.

The first step in mastering your diet is to figure out how much food you need to be eating. And what types of food. Chances are if you are at this level you’re already eating the right types of food. However, if you’re fat or don’t look the way you would like to you are probably eating the wrong proportions or portions of food.

Here is a calculator you can use to get a starting point on the amount of protein, fat, carbohydrates and calories you should be putting into your body based on your age, height, and overall exercise regimen:

http://whataremymacros.com/

Fill it out and get your results. This will serve as a nutritional starting point. Everyone’s body is different and chances are your actual “maintenance,” “bulking” or “fat loss” metrics will be very different than what the calculator says they’re supposed to be.

Now that we have measured our current state and have a clearer picture of an appropriate food intake we can proceed to the next step: meal preparation.

This is where our excel spreadsheet will be key.

Get your food organized

We’re taking nutritional inventory next. Go through your refrigerator and pantry and make note of all your food. Go through all the nutrition facts and jot down all the macronutrient content of everything you are putting in your body: make a note of the protein, carb, fat and caloric contents of EVERY item. Some foods won’t have nutrition facts like fruits and vegetables. For this, google will be useful. Simply google the food item and you can get the nutrition fact information that way. It won’t be exact but you can get a very close estimate.

This spreadsheet is the main tool we will be using to plan your daily and weekly meals to ensure you are eating the right amount of macros every day. This part is a bit tedious but the good news is you only have to do it once.

Here is a template I use to give you an idea.

http://imgur.com/gjciO4D

What I did was set up my macros totals from the calculator recommendations across the top row and subtracted the macros from each food item. I am able to easily add and take away food items to make sure I meet my totals for the day.

Let’s recap before we go any further.

We now have a comprehensive set of measurements of our body parts, weight, and body fat percentage. We also now know how much food we should be putting into our body and what specific foods will allow us to meet our macronutrient requirements on a daily basis.

Meal Preparation System

What you need next is a reliable system to actually get all this food into your body. It comes down to three main steps:

1.\tCook 2.\tMeasure portions 3.\tEat the food

Cook

The first step is to actually cook your food. I personally like to grill my meats, steak and chicken breasts. The grill adds a lot of flavor without any additives.

Spices are also a great way to add flavor to your food without altering your macros. I like to use a lot of garlic, onions and olive oil when I cook my food. Get some Mrs. Dash powders if you have to.

I generally cook twice a week and I cook in bulk. I keep it simple. I also will make a huge batch of white rice once a week. Sweet potatoes are also great for this. Also, don’t forget to eat fruits and vegetables. They are a great source of carbohydrates and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.)

Measure portions

Here is where the food scale comes in. The food scale is what we will use to measure our meal portions down to the gram or ounce. This will ensure we are being accurate with our meal planning.

Eat the food

The last step is to find a reliable way to actually eat the food. I’ll leave this part to you. Tupperware containers and a big lunch box are usually a great way to go. Depending on whether you work in an office or go to school or have access to a microwave, etc. you might need to get creative or prepare food that does not need to be reheated yet will provide you with the nutritional content you need. The main thing now is to find a consistent way to put the food in your mouth and swallow it.

High Intensity Cardio

This part is simple. Add the following exercises to your existing routine and ditch the treadmill. Do these at least twice a week (google them if you have to):

  • Hill sprints

  • Sled pushes

  • Shuttle/Suicide drills

  • Car pushes

  • Stairs

The key here is to get your heart beating out of your chest.

Weekly Tracking System

Do all this for a week. Eat the recommended macros from the calculator and measure yourself again the following Sunday (if that was the day you started). Make a note of the changes. If you added too much weight or body fat cut back on the carbohydrates the following week. If you lost weight, add more. If you stayed the same, then you might want to cut back on the carbs anyway since you’re fat right now. There is a trial and error component to this. The goals we set earlier will determine if you're going in the right direction. Patience is your best friend here.

Conclusion:

By measuring your body and tracking your dietary intake on a weekly basis you’ll keep your body fat percentage consistently low while making sure the weight you are gaining is coming from muscle mass. If you can be consistent about this, you will never need to bulk or cut ever again. You will look the way you want to look all year round. You will understand your body moving forward. No more generic “eat big to get big” bullshit.