Here's my current protocol: + **Exercise** - Some form of exercise every day for a minimum of 30 minutes - lifting 5 days / week (40-45 minute sessions) - push, pull, legs lifting split - switch up lifting routine every 3-6 months when strength gains start to plateau - snowboarding, mountain biking, cardio, or even just a walk for the other 2 days (30 min - 6hr sessions) - Nutrition - 2 meals per day - coffee or mate first thing in the morning - 14 meals per week prepped by a chef ($800 usd / month) - only drink alcohol socially (generally no more than 4 drinks per week) - use protein shakes to hit .8(1.25 while bulking) grams of protein per lb of body weight per day - avoid added sugars and processed foods as much as possible - **Sauna** - 15 minutes @ 176-194℉ (80-90℃) - **Supplements** - 5g creatine before every workout (when starting creatine supplementation for the first time it can be helpful to dose 10g/day to hit the saturation point faster then just do 5g/day to maintain) - im currently just trying to maintain so not cycling bulking & cutting. but if you are trying to make faster progress it can definitely help - not sure how much these actually help tbh. only one i would 100% recommend is creatine. - Bulking - Morning - 2x cod - 2x cissus - 1x alpha - 1x d3 - 1x magnesium - before workout: - creatine - after workout - creatine - l-glutamine - afternoon: - 2x cissus - 1x alpha - 1x magnesium - evening: - 2x cod - 2x cissus - 1x alpha - 1x d3 - 1x magnesium - Cutting - Morning: - 2x cod - 1x alpha - 1x d3 - 1x magnesium - 1x creatine - 1x garlic - green tea - afternoon: - 1x alpha - 1x magnesium - 1x creatine - 1x garlic - green tea - evening: - 2x cod - 1x alpha - 1x d3 - 1x magnesium - 1x garlic - 1x green tea - 1x creatine - 1x policonsanol - ex of how to read the above 'morning 2x cissus' -> 1200mg * 2 = 2400Mg Cissus Quadrangularis taken sometime in the morning | abbreviation | name | dose | link | | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | alpha | Alpha Lipoic Acid | 600mg | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CKLMWYS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details | | d3 | Vitamin D-3 | 5,000 IU | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032BH76O?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details | | cissus | Cissus Quadrangularis | 1200mg | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JTY26WK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details | | Creatine | Creatine Monohydrate | 5g | <br>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GL2HMES?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details | | garlic | Garlic Supplement With Allicin | 5000mcg | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014K2ZX6E?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details | | Policosanol | Policosanol | 25mg | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4VOQ4T?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details | | cod | Royal Butter Oil/Fermented Cod Liver Oil Blend | | https://www.amazon.com/Pasture-Blue-Ice-Royal-Fermented/dp/B00OZHWX1I/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1BFA4HBW3B7UA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EphOFLSCHYkptpbraycVU1X36nWWMuReca5xt47Af0Bosb4fugEdU9Og3iyK8_arh1hMbeDvC2oAe7OxLCZ_nVAJQz1kNyZw1OK5MlGjD5RUYgqbBauSl9VtJQnrTvs7z5WONETRwv9ODrJmZOQA4u6E6gz8LCm73TU2a0AuY10irB-hzsxNjBn1H56FRYhqpQeKyXUdF4jWy-_3hxTvj5QOv7gtc28nZHaBJoO1qjXgpRaXNMQmjKnvn65Sy_SSudcZjdsTDsO7gA_lPMT8MK6ehNsPTN6tPjRN-uhkrlg.QDLMUZ-RRyWEeRmQArNDo265obIwpjCt18i62TF_06Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=cod+liver+butter+oil&qid=1722993260&sprefix=cod+liver+butter%2Caps%2C324&sr=8-5 | Disclaimer: im obviously not a fucking doctor. do your own research before listening to anything i say. Some advice on getting the most out of your workouts (from the 4 hr body) > 1. If you complete the minimal target number of reps for all exercises (excluding abs), increase the weight the next workout at least 10 pounds for that exercise. If the additional 10 pounds feels easy after two to three reps, stop, wait five minutes, increase the weight an additional 5 to 10 pounds, then do your single set to failure. > 2. Do not just drop the weight when you hit failure. Attempt to move it, millimeter by millimeter, and then hold it at the limit for five seconds. Only after that should you slowly (take five to ten seconds) lower the weight.. “Remember that the last repetition, the point of failure, is the rep that matters. The rest of the repetitions are just a warm-up for that moment. > 3. Do not pause at the top or bottom of any movements (except the bench press, as noted), and take three minutes of rest between all exercises. Time three minutes exactly with a wall clock or a stopwatch. Keep rest periods standardized so you don’t mistake rest changes for strength changes. > 4. The weight and repetitions used will change as you progress, but all other variables need to be identical from one workout to the next: rep speed, exercise form, and rest intervals. This is a laboratory experiment. To accurately gauge progress and tweak as needed, you must ensure that you control your variables.” My tips for gym noobs 1) Consistency. If you don't already go to the gym this is the only thing that matters. You NEED to create a habit of consistently working out 4+ times per week. I first created my gym habit almost 7 years ago now using the 'Seinfeld strategy' and have been extremely consistent ever since. https://jamesclear.com/stop-procrastinating-seinfeld-strategy I also really like @levelsio's accountability method but haven't tried it personally. If you don't already have a gym habit. You should just bookmark this post and comeback to it later. Nothing else matters until you do. 2) Workouts again - if you don't already consistently go to the gym, this does not matter much just search for 'beginner gym routine' on youtube and pick one. I'm also sharing my full current routine in my newsletter tomorrow so. I'm personally a big fan of push, pull, leg splits but I don't think the exercises or routines matter much as long as you are hitting all muscle groups. IMO there are only 2 things that really matter: 1) training to failure or very close to failure consistently 2) steadily increasing reps or weight over time I generally stick to a routine for 3-6 months then switch things up once i hit a plateau in strength increase. 3) Getting over gym noob self-consciousness A lot of gym newbies feel self conscious in the gym when they first start(I definitely did). If you feel like this, try something: find someone in the gym who has already achieved your goal(looks the way you want to look, can lift how much you want to lift, whatever it is) then give them a quick complement and ask for some advice. I can almost guarantee they will be happy to help - They have likely spent hundreds if not thousands of hours in the gym and will be glad someone is recognizing their expertise. Plus, at some point they we're in the exact same position as you. This will: 1) help you realize that no one is judging you. 2) probably get you some good advice to help you reach your goal. 3) maybe find you an expert lifting buddy 3) Diet Your body fat percentage is really the only thing that matters if you want to have visible abs. It's also a lot more important to 'looking shredded' than I initially realized. The only way to impact your body fat % is via a caloric surplus or deficit. Eating more calories than you burn(Caloric Surplus) = weight gain eating less calories than you burn(Caloric Deficit) = weight loss It really doesn't matter much where the calories come from. However, eating healthier foods generally means you can eat 'more' because healthy foods are generally less calorie dense. To know if you are in a caloric surplus or deficit, you first need to know your maintenance calories. This can be easily found online(Just google Calorie Calculator) or you can use the app [@macrofactor](https://macrofactorapp.com/) which calculates it for you I currently eat 2400-2600 calories per day. right around or slightly below my maintenance calories. On a normal day i eat 2 meals - these can be whatever I want, they don't need to be 'healthy' burgers, pasta, steak, salads, ect.. it varies a lot. The only macronutrient I consider is protein. I try to consume .8 grams per lb of body weight or 1.25 grams per lb while bulking. Its really hard to hit this within my 2 meals per day so I almost always use whey protein powder with milk or water to hit this goal. I'm not particularly qualified to give advice for those who struggle to lose weight bc my only experience with weight loss was after a recent bulk & cut. I bulked from 185 up to 205lb then cut back to around 180 over the course of 6 months. I've always struggled more to add lbs than to lose them. But what worked for me during my cut was using the app macrofactor to track my calories to ensure I was in a deficit for around 2 weeks then, once I knew what it felt like to eat in a deficit I just continued to do so intuitively. having a personal chef was also a huge hack here. I generally only have the food prepared by the chef in my house which makes it impossible to overeat via snacking. For anyone like me (naturally lean and has a hard time adding muscle mass) the biggest mass gain hack is protein shakes with whole milk. If you have 2 protein shakes w/ 50-75 grams of protein and whole milk per day, it will be almost impossible not to gain weight. But again - you NEED to be lifting at least 4x per week. Otherwise you will just add fat. I should'nt need to say this, but this advice obviously isnt for bodybuilders. It's for people like me who work a lot but want to stay healthy and have a 95th percentile physique with as little work as possible. A super basic starting routine for beginners (from 4 hr body with some slight mods) Push 1. Slight decline bench press 2 sets, 7-10 reps 2. shoulder press 2 sets, 7-10 reps 3. Dips (weighted or assisted) 2 sets 7 - 10 reps 4. 4 Abdominal exercises https://gizmodo.com/4-hour-body-six-minute-abs-5709916 Pull 1. Close-grip supinated (palms facing you) pull-down × 7 reps 2. straight arm pushdown 2 sets, 7-10 reps 3. 3 Yates row 2 sets, 7-10 reps 4. 4 kettlebell swings 1 set, 60-80 reps Legs 1. Hack squat 2 sets, 7-10 reps 2. Leg extension 2 sets, 7-10 reps 3. Leg curl 2 sets, 7-10 reps 4. One-legged calf raise holding dumbell 2 sets, 7-10 reps **My current routine** - a push pull legs routine i put together using the exercises from this playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp4G6oBUcv8w-v9tpZeF8GSlGcyl_J_gx