The Four Horsemen

In a recent podcast, Lyle announced a collaborative book project with me, Alan Aragon and Borge Fagerli. This book will precede the book I'm working with, but will include a little something on intermittent fasting and bodyrecomposition by yours truly.

For those not familiar with Alan Aragon, he's a nutritional consultant, contributing editor to Men's Health magazine and also maintains the excellent Research Review. I highly encourage anyone with an interest in this field to subscribe to RR, and I do so myself.

Borge Fagerli is a personal trainer and the founder of MyRevolution, a norwegian company which provides their own line of supplements and online based training. An alround smart guy, and creator of "Myo-Reps", a rest-pause style of weight training (google it, there are thorough explanations/guides available).

I'm excited about this project, and it shouldn't be too long before it's out. At least not compared to the book I've been "working on" for two years or so. In reality, I spend more time thinking about writing than doing any actual writing. I've been getting some momentum recently, so I think my book will follow shortly after the collabo. But don't ask me for a specific date.

---

I also urge you to check out the podcast with Lyle, as he brings a lot of good stuff to the table, and even touches on some topics pertaining to the intermittent fasting style of feeding. It's quite long, but it'll be well worth your time.

Highlights

* HIIT and overtraining.

* Cortisol and water retention: why some people "can't lose weight" on 1200 calories and 2 hrs of cardio every day.

* Protein: requirements, digestion and other issues.

Check out my reviews of Lyle's books if you haven't already.

What's My Genetic Muscular Potential?

Lyle wrote an article based on conversations with me, Alan Aragon and Casey Butt, with regards to the maximum muscular potential of natural lifters and realistic rates of muscle gain.

Here's my take on the issue.

"Martin Berkhan of Leangains.com has a somewhat simpler model than Casey’s, also based on his observation of top level natural bodybuilding competitors who are contest lean (e.g. 4-5% body fat).

His equation is:

Height in centimeters - 100 = upper limit of weight in kilograms in contest shape.

So take your height in inches and multiply by 2.54, that’s your height in centimeters. Subtract 100 and that’s your predicted maximum weight in contest shape (which is 5% body fat or less for males) in kilograms. Multiply that value by 2.2 to get pounds. So let’s look at body weight at 10% body fat using the same heights I used for Casey’s calculator. I’ve also calculated out lean body mass at 10% body fat.


Height Weight at 5% Body Fat Weight at 10% Body Fat Lean Body Mass
5′8″ 160 lbs. 170 lbs. 153 lbs.
5′10″ 171 lbs. 180 lbs. 162 lbs.
6′ 182 lbs. 192 lbs. 173 lbs.

While not identical, these values are certainly right in line with Casey’s calculator. I would note that contest lean bodybuilders are often highly dehydrated and may be glycogen depleted and this will tend to lower the measurement of lean body mass. We might realistically add 5-10 pounds of lean body mass to the above values to account for dehydration/etc. With that adjustment, they are more or less identical to Casey’s values "

Full article here

In addition to the above statement, I should add that while natural trainees tend to lose some lean body mass while venturing into the lowest bf% achieveable, this is more of typical scenario as it has pertained to the natural bodybuilders I have either spoken to or worked with.

I have also had clients hitting 5-6% body fat with 100% strength maintenance, indicating that no lean mass was lost. The main variable here is the time line, and a slower approach is superior to a faster approach, with regards to lean body mass maintenance when dieting in the single digits. Bodybuilders working against time may not be able to afford the luxury of a slow approach, which in turn may compromise lean body mass in the final weeks. According to my experience, going from lean to shredded, without sacrificing muscle mass or strength, is certainly possible with enough patience, and the right diet and training regimen.

Client Update

Time for another client update.

May 9th: Added three additional clients - Jorgen, Chris and Mathilda. Added testimonials.

May 20th: Added new pic of Mikael R. Added three testimonials; Craig, Michael and Dave.

May 28th: Added a client - Andreas S. Added a testimonial - Joseph. Alright, these will be the last of the additions to this post before the next client update. I will hopefully have time for a blogpost next week, so check in for that.

See all client updates and testimonials on this site by clicking here and here.


Andreaz

Andreaz placed 2nd in the -70 kg weight class at Sweden Grand Prix. I used an unconventional contest prep, keeping water and sodium high until the very end. He came in great, but didn't have to suffer through the catatonic state and malaise of a conventional contest prep.


12 weeks out at 172 lbs

6 weeks out at 165 lbs



Competition day at 152 lbs





"There are many people who supported me on this trip in the form of love and friendship. However, one supported me with something that no one else could give; knowledge. Martin Berkhan is without doubt the best I have ever worked with.

What I am talking about when I say knowledge is scientific evidence and experience from x number of clients. He knows what will happen in the body before it happens.
I want to the give Martin a special thanks for the help with getting me in the shape of my life. I strongly recommend Martin to anyone who wants to stand on a stage."

- Andreaz


Mary

Mary placed 2nd in The 69th Annual NPC Cincinnati Open Bodybuilding, Figure, Fitness & Bikini Championships. I think Mary's effort is particularily impressive, considering she is juggling a hectic job as a firewoman, along with a very energetic 4-year old.


Before at 149 lbs, late December

After at 137 lbs, early April (3 week diet break in between pics)




"My main goal when starting IF was to have a lifestyle change, not just try a new diet. I stumbled upon Martin’s website one day, and was really impressed.

Of course, seeing that he was from overseas, I Googled him and looked up everything I could on him and IF. I actually found quite a bit of information through interviews he did with other fitness experts. Seeing that he was taking clients, I gave it a shot and emailed him. He was very responsive and helpful. When I told him my goals of dropping BF, he came up with a plan that worked for me, and my crazy work/lifestyle. It actually made my life easier.

He helped me lean down from 20%BF to 9.5%BF and I gained quite a bit of muscle mass (over 10 lbs of lean muscle mass from where I was a year ago), but Martin still kept me lean. I had taken a year off from competing, hoping to do well at my next show. As my show date got closer, Martin gave me some great training strategies that really kicked it into high gear for me. Although I got sick the week of the show, I was able to pull it together to get second place in my class! Even after the show, (and taking a week off to eat) I am still very lean.

One important point I want to stress, I have learned that Martin’s diet/training regimen is not just for people wanting to compete. It’s for anyone and everyone who wants to have a lifestyle where you are not constantly stressing about the foods you eat and the times you have to eat. I have talked with him quite a bit about living this lifestyle. It is so brilliant, in that, once you get the principles, you can work it around in such a way that it will fit any lifestyle. I set my diet up to eat three meals, which allows me to feel full after each meal. For me, eating five or six small meals a day made me hungrier, and I would actually break down and binge!

As cheesy as it sounds, IF and Martin have changed my life. I will never go back to my old ways of eating. Martin has given me a lot of information on IF that has the research behind it to back it up. He cites all his references so you can look it up for yourself. I would have to be an idiot to not do this for the rest of my life!"

- Mary


Bonnie

I had the pleasure of working with Bonnie LeFrak (www.bonnielefrak.com) from First Response Fitness Inc, and this is what she has to say about me.



"As an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer and Professional Bodybuilder, I thought I knew EXACTLY how to eat and workout to achieve a lean physique I could be comfortable in year round.

Seemingly, I did everything right....I ate "clean" and did what I considered to be an intense 5 day bodybuilding split. Additionally, I was logging up to 10 hours of cardio a week. Not sure how, but it happened... I became THAT person who keeps repeating the same thing over and over and getting zero results.

Luckily, that all changed when I discovered Martin Berkhan while perusing some of the blogs and web sites devoted to alternate day fasting and similar protocols. I studied his blog and was intrigued. I knew that I needed help and after a few email exchanges with Martin, I trusted in his expertise and signed on with him.

Without giving out all the details, let me say my program has made a complete u-turn. I am no longer slaving away for hours in the gym with nothing to show for it. Martin designed a workout program (for me) that has given me noticeable strength gains seemingly overnight. Stronger AND leaner.

Along with a total workout overhaul, Martin gave me a detailed nutrition "prescription" that has given me lots of flexibility within specific guidelines. Needless to say, you get MORE than you would imagine when signing on with Martin Berkhan. He OVER delivers, and in this day and age, very few people rarely do.

Everybody has noticed that I "leaned right out" and I could not be more genuinely thrilled with my program and the very tangible results. I whole heartedly encourage anybody who is looking for a lean body and improved strength to read everything Martin Berkhan shares, and certainly make the investment in the best program you will ever use. What I have learned (quickly) is priceless. You will be equally delighted, I promise you that!"

- Bonnie


Julian

Julian made some spectacular gains and revamped his bodycomposition in a short amount of time. Notice the back area in particular, how the V-taper is coming through very nicely now (being almost non-existant at 222 lbs).

It's only 14 lbs between the pics, but Julian looks like a completely different person now. Though I've cropped out his face, trust me when I say it looks as if he sliced ten years off his age. Julian is currently working on his goal towards 10% bf, and I'm eagerly following his developement.

222 lbs, back

208 lbs, back



222 lbs, front



208 lbs, front



"When I was a student, I use to follow the “eat six meals a day every 2-3 hours if you ever want to see your abs” rule religiously. After all, this is what the experts suggest so it must be the only way, right? Even as a student the meal planning was quite difficult and some of my meals had to be meal replacements/nutrition shakes while others consisted of the usual suspects such as tuna, egg white, oats etc. Although I was in good shape (7% body fat) when I was a student it was really hard work (and I am not talking about the gym!). Meal preparation took over my life and I became obsessed with the amount of meals and meal timing, but hey, as long as it worked why should I change it?

The problem came when I started working as a professional, got married and my time became a lot more restricted. Meal preparation and timing became a full time job with a lot of planning and effort. I couldn’t keep up with the meal planning, professional and personal life and I got in the worst shape of my life. I new I needed a change.

I have always been interested in training, nutrition and supplementation and it has become a bit of a hobby for me but it also caused a lot of confusion. So many ‘experts’ touted their way as the only way – high carb, low card, GI diet, cardio, no cardio and so on. I got lost in the maze of information and I didn’t know what to follow anymore or who to listen to. What I did know and notice was that I was getting really overweight and getting more and more confused and I was also looking for a quick fix. I would start one diet and training programme and then stop after a couple of weeks because I read something else which conflicts with what I was doing – it was chaos.

One night while reading some articles Tom Venuto wrote I came upon an exchange of emails between Tom Venuto and Martin Berkhan (the same one featured on the Leangains website). Tom Venuto basically agreed with Martin view that meal frequency has nothing to do with speeding up the metabolism. I devoured the content on the Leangains website and I have to admit I was sceptical. I had followed or tried to follow the 6 meals a day approach for 14 years so how come I didn’t know about this 2-4 meal approach combined with fasting. Surely everyone would be using it as it seemed very straight forward and easy to follow. I needed to know more and that’s when I contacted Martin.

Martin was quick to respond and I found him very professional friendly and to the point. He is definitely a very knowledgeable, grounded individual with a no nonsense approach when it comes to training and nutrition. Martin constructed a training programme and a nutrition programme that best suited my busy lifestyle. He took me back to basics and it was as though the fog lifted when I went back to basics with a new twist – Intermittent Fasting.

Eating satiating foods, rich in nutrients based on my total daily energy expenditure and doing basic compound exercises was great. The best, without a doubt, is eating only three meals a day. What a pleasure waking up in the morning, pouring a cup of black coffee, eating a big lunch and two more meals in the evening. I thought I would be hungry on this diet and this was only the case for the first day or so but after that the hunger subsided and I haven’t been hungry since. In fact, I was hungry all the time eating six meals a day. The Leangains approach works for me and I would recommend it to anyone with a busy lifestyle (which is pretty much everyone these days!) who leads a busy life. Why on earth would you want to prepare 6 meals if 2 or 3 will do?

Although I would be the first to agree that there is still a lot of room for improvement in my physique I am definitely heading in the right direction. Not only have I lost 14lbs, but I have definitely gained some lean muscle mass and my strength has increased quite a bit. For example:

Deadlift (4 reps): Increased from 308lbs to 429lbs (increase of 120lbs)

Bench Press (4 reps): Increased from 220lbs to 297lbs (increase of 77lbs)

Chins with added weight (4 reps): Increased from 11lbs (excluding full body weight) to 44lbs (increase of 33lbs)

Seated Dumbbell Press (7 reps): Increased from 48lbs to 83lbs (increase of 35lbs)

I will be sending Martin another update in 12 weeks from now at which point I aim to be below 10% body fat using the Leangains approach (so watch this space). If you are reading this and you are still sceptical, just look at all the other success stories on Martin’s website. In fact just look at Martin – he obviously practices what he preaches and that is a life lesson for anyone who takes advice from someone else on a particular subject. Would you ask a poor man how to get rich? No you would ask a rich man. The same principal applies to nutrition and training.

If you are looking for some good, solid, well grounded scientifically up to date advice on training and nutrition which doesn’t take over your life then I recommend Martin’s approach. I love it!"

- Julian


Robin

Robin is a work in progress, but so far this is the definition of a magnificent body recomposition; from 154 (left) to 163 (right) but, quite clearly, less fat and more muscle.

8 weeks between pics (154 lbs left hand side, currently at 163 lbs right hand side)

Back

Front



Side



Robin has made some very substantial strength gains since we started.

Squat: 155 lbs x 7 to 240 lbs x 7 (+85 lbs)

Deadlift: 200 lbs x 5 to 255 x 5 (+55 lbs)

Bench Press: 120 x 7 to 155 x 7 (+35 lbs)

"In January 2009 my physical condition was a mess. During a time period of six months I had lost about 25-30 lbs due to a stressful environment and dire daily habits. I suffered from great difficulties falling asleep, required at least 8 hours of rest and had even greater difficulties getting out of bed.

I’ve never been particularly interested in neither working out nor following a diet even though I knew this path would lead to detrimental effects. Considering my condition, I no longer had any choice but getting my health back on track.

The last couple of years, I’ve been a frequent visitor on leangains.com and taken great interest in following the clients’ progress. Turning to Martin to getting my life back on track, adding quality weight and regaining a healthy physical condition was an easy choice.

Eight weeks down the road, I’m closing in on my objectives and my sleeping difficulties have been totally resolved. What completely blows me away, not being a morning-person, is to (on a daily permanent basis!) get up at 6 am with just 5-6 hours sleep and stay focused and alert throughout the day."

- Robin


Adrian

Before at 196 lbs, back



After at 180 lbs, back



Before at 196 lbs, front



After at 180 lbs, front




Mikael R

Mikael R is a work in progress and I'm expecting great things when he's done dieting in 4-5 weeks. Despite a fairly rapid drop in body fat% and weight, he's kept his strength intact, resulting in a dramatic increase in relative strength (now squatting close to 2x body weight for reps).

Before at 203 lbs, back



Now at 180 lbs, back



Before at 203 lbs, front



Now at 180 lbs, front



180 lbs, side




"Working with Martin I have lost 23 lbs and about 6" off my waist during the past 12 weeks. While I believe this can be done on any reasonable diet, using the Leangains approach and intermittent fasting I have done this without much effort whilst keeping most of my strength. Hunger has been a non-issue and the fact that you get to eat big and satisfying meals even while loosing weight makes me believe Leangains is superior to any other regime out there.

When choosing strategy for improving your physique, choose one that you can easily stick to and thrive on. I choose Leangains, and its flexibility along with its easiness combined with the awesome results it delivers, makes me highly recommend it."

- Mikael R


Mikael S

Another work in progress.

Before at 172 lbs, front

Now at 152 lbs, front



My results have exceeded my expectations by far, as I've lost fat without any muscle loss at all. Not only have I leaned down significantly, but I've also experienced an improvement in mood and have much better energy throughout the day, I'm giving this approach 10/10!"

- Mikael S



Rickard

Another succesful body recomposition. Weight remained the same, but Rickard found himself leaner and stronger after only 4 weeks.

Before at 178 lbs, front



After at 178 lbs, front



"When I got in touch with Martin I was a mess. My fat loss had stalled,
I had crazy cravings for different sweets all the time and I was on
the edge developing some kind of eating disorder.

Maybe I had already developed an eating disorder I was obsessed about
eating clean foods with as few calories as possible, so that I could
binge as much as possible in my crazy setup caloric intake. I also
could not stop thinking about food. I went around all day just
thinking of food, looking at pictures of food, in such a degree that
my friends started to think I was going mad.

So at this point I consulted Martin to help me with my diet and
training. The first thing I noticed after just a few days on the
schedule Martin gave me was that I was feeling stronger by the day and
my cravings for sweets were blown away. But I was still some what
obsessed with eating clean and avoided cituations where I could end up
with not absolute control of what I should eat. I brought up this
subject with Martin and after some well spoken words from Martin I got
something to think about and his words did sink in pretty quickly.

After a while I also had got my head together so much that I, we call
it dared, dared to add more energy dense foods to my meals. In the
same time I also got my mind of food all the time.

My new schedule also did help me get of the plateau in my efforts to
loose fat. But not only did it bust the plateau I was also doing
noticeable gains in mucle mass at the same time.

So with the help of Martin I got my head together, got a more relaxed
attitude to food, lost fat and gained muscles. All this in just four
weeks."

- Rickard

Jorgen

I know, not the best pics, but this client had some nice strength gains (~+10% across the board) while losing enough fat to make his abs finally come through. Some muscle growth occured in the process, which explains why the mere 4 lbs difference between the pics show a relatively substantial visual improvement. 8 weeks between pics.

Jorgen, before at 185 lbs

Jorgen, after at 181 lbs




Chris

I've been working with Chris on and off for a year or so, and this time he contacted me for a photo shoot prep, wanting to look as shredded as possible.

Today, it's almost one year between the pic below, and the later ones in black and white - the weight is more or less the same, but the improvements are very noticeable. Chris has undergone an impressive body recomposition to say the least.

Pic taken last summer, with a body weight of 176-177 lbs and a waistline circumference measuring 32 1/2:



Pic taken a few months ago, 178 lbs, waistline circumference of 32".



Latest pics, 175 lbs, waistline circumference of 31". 6,5% body fat, as measured by calipers.





"I’ve known Martin now for a couple of years, and have utilized his services off and on during this timeframe. His advice has been consistently helpful, and I’ve always appreciated his candor.

In the final stages of my latest fat-loss phase, I contacted him about helping me prep for an upcoming photo shoot. He was quick to offer a template outlining exactly what I needed to do. The attention to detail was quite impressive, including highly atypical guidelines for sodium and water manipulation. The results were more than satisfactory (as shown in the photos themselves), and I cannot recommend more highly the expertise of anyone than Martin Berkhan."

- Chris


Mathilda

My sister had been getting too complacent with her weight and eating habits, and decided to do something about it three months ago. I helped her on the right path and here are the results so far.

Measurements on Jan 20th (diet start)

Weight - 160 lbs/72 kg
Waist - 79 cm
Hips - 110 cm



March 20th

Weight - 155 lbs/70 kg
Waist - 76,5 cm
Hips - 105 cm



Measurements on April 25th, changes from 3 months diet noted in ( ).

Weight - 147 lbs/66,5 kg (- 13 lbs/-5,5 kg)
Waist - 72 cm (- 7 cm)
Hips - 101 cm (- 9 cm)



Well done, sis, I'm proud.

Andreas S

Andreas S is a work in progress, but has so far lost 23 lbs in 12 weeks, while having maintained his strength very well.

Andreas, before at 185 lbs, front

Andreas, now at 162 lbs, front

Testimonials (no pics available yet)

Andreas

No before-afters for this client, who gained a good amount of muscle and lost fat, but since he's diabetic, I thought it would be worthwhile to let him recount how well intermittent fasting worked for him.

"I decided to consult Martin for my diet and weightlifting program to get my motivation back. Since I am diabetic I never would of thought that I could get my insulindependence down so low, just from having a solid diet.
Ive learned from my dietician over the years that I need a high intake of pasta and potatoes, carbs in general, to have solid bloodsugar.

Martin quickly changed my mind. I was able to lower my insulindependency by 50% and my HbA1c was 6,0 before my diet and with Martins help I was able to lower it to 5,7 in 1 month. Its also a plus that my abs got visible and I increased my strength after every workout ;) Thank you for all help and your fast feedback!"

- Andreas


Lorentz

"While Martin remains humble about the advantages of his Leangains system compared to an otherwise clean, but extraneous, high meal frequency diet, I am personally convinced that his approach is vastly superior. How do I know this? I have been tracking my diet meticulously since 2003, experimenting and being highly aware of my reaction to many different calorie intakes and macronutrient ratios. Yet it wasn't until last year, around fall, that I considered altering my meal frequency, having read and become inspired by Martin's writings and results. I didn't hesitate to contact him, eager to see what he could do for me; very eager, as my results - I train for strength and muscle, not vanity - had become stagnant for some time.

The results exceeded my expectations and I am now a firm believer that men were not made to eat every other hour; the fast and feed cycle were a natural part of our lifestyle for thousands of years, and resorting back to these habits will result in greater strength, better energy and a more focused frame of mind. That is my belief, and here are my results after following the Leangains approach for four months.

October 22th, 2008

Body weight: 248 lbs

Squat: 350 lbs x 21
Deadlift: 450 x 8
Bench Press: 350 x 5
Strict Military Press: 235 x 3

February 21th, 2009

Body weight: 255 lbs

Squat: 405 lbs x 18
Deadlift: 515 x 6
Bench Press: 375 x 4
Strict Military Press: 250 x 3

I am very, very pleased with the expert advice provided by Martin, and I am eternally thankful to him for opening up my eyes to intermittent fasting and Leangains"

- Lorentz

Frank

"Life as a corporate manager in one of the largest companies in the US leaves little time for health and fitness, especially if you're a family man like myself. But if you've been working out all your life, you'll do your darndest to make it work somehow. Well, being at the gym five times a week, on an old Bill Philips routine, and trying to get those six meals a day didn't cut it for me anymore.

Got word of Martin from one of my business associates one day and thought I'd see what he could do for me. Thank God I did. Besides dropping my body fat and scoring new personal bests, he's made my life so much easier - by doing less, but doing it smarter. High yield for low investment is the golden egg in my world, and while it's hard to come by in the business world, it's easily accessible through Martin and his Leangains approach."

- Frank

Michael

"I started working with Martin because I was looking for a new approach to dieting. Back in 2005, I started going to the gym and saw good results, dropping from 250 pounds to around 180. I did this without following any specific diet recommendations. But then I learned, as many people do, a "better way": eat six meals a day and you'll see better results. I started following that recommendation while continuing to go to the gym. However, I wasn't able to finish the job and drop the final excess pounds I was carrying.

I worked with other online coaches, who got me stronger, but I wasn't satisfied with my body composition. Not to mention, maintaining the insanity of eating six meals a day, every three hours for the past couple of years was exhausting. I was tired of it.

I first came across Martin in an interview and then read the many testimonials on his site. I decided to give his intermittent fasting approach a try - I had nothing to lose - and I enjoyed it. There was a freedom to it and I was seeing good results. But after having progress stall in the past, I decided that working with Martin would help ensure I complete my goal.

The past four months have been incredibly productive. I've nearly finished dropping the body fat I want to, and I haven't felt the need to have "cheat meals" or worry about not eating constantly. Martin has been a first-class coach, with a fun approach to weight training and a results-producing approach to dieting. If you've stopped seeing results in your dieting, I recommend working with Martin."

- Michael C

Craig

"For the past 15 years, when it came to exercise programs, you name it and I tried it--from the popular ("zero carbs") to the obscure ("hunter-gatherer" diet anyone?), from the simple ("all pasta, all the time") to the insane ("the twinkie diet"). I lost weight alright, but in every case, I lose muscle mass too. I just didn't think it was every possible to maintain or increase strength while losing fat at the same time.

On a "google" search of the topic, I came across Martin's website and I was hooked immediately. The before-and-after photos and testimonials of his clients seemed too good to be true, but I thought, after trying everything out there, what have I got to lose?

Now, after losing almost 25 lbs of fat, while increasing muscle strength, I can honestly say that Martin's program for fat loss and muscle strength is unquestionably the best I have ever tried. I have also worked out with many personal trainers over the years, but Martin's knowledge of how to lose fat and increase strength far surpases that of any trainer I have ever used.

After years of being fed false, and in some cases, dangerous information by trainers and authors and dieticians, I needed to be "reprogrammed" to approach my goals the right way--and Martin has done exactly that, and more. I have changed my body in a way I never thought possible, and I urge everyone out there who feels like they have "tried it all" to contact Martin and start changing your body today."

- Craig Appelbaum

Dave

"Hi all. First post, and I felt it is appropriate to be on the BB.com thread that has made a huge difference in my life.

I wanted to offer a first hand report on the Leangains program. After stumbling across this thread a few months ago, I figured I would give it a shot. I contacted Martin Berkhan in early March to become a client. Martin responded quickly and had me fill out a brief questionnaire. I officially started Leangains on March 9th weighing in at 230.8 and with an estimated bodyfat of 25%. My goal weight was 200 lbs by June 30th, about 2 lbs a week. I was a fairly experienced lifter, but with a crappy diet and I was carrying too much fat. As a baseline, the first week, I was benching 245 by 5, squatting 315 by 6-7 reps (to or slightly below parallel not ATG), and I was not a regular deadlifter. I started deadlifting at 315/335 by 5.

Since then, I have followed the Leangains diet and workout routine pretty religiously. I drank a few times (3-4 drinks, one night with a lot more.) but otherwise have complied very well. I had never before counted my macros, but started counting on Fitday.com and spent $7 on a food scale. That was a well-spent $7.

Here are my results to date: Current weight as of May 13th: 207.4 lbs. That is a drop of 23.4 pounds in 65 days, or 2.52 pounds a week on average. The goal was to lose about 2 pounds a week, but I'm not complaining. My bodyfat is probably down to about 17-18% as an estimate and dropping. My bench has stayed about the same with a one rep improvement to 245 by 6, but my squats have gone up to 370 by 7 last week (works out to a 444 max and a personal record), and deadlifts are up to 380 by 5. My workouts feel fantastic on this protocol. I could not be more pleased with how things are going.

Diet adherence has been very easy for me. I workout from 8:45-9:45 am (approx) pretty much fasted, taking 1.5 servings of Xtend as I begin (and during) my workout. I also drink a Sugar-Free Amp before workouts for energy. I start eating around 10:00-10:30 am and finish by 6:00-6:30 pm every day, keeping my feeding period right around 8 hours. I don't worry if it is exactly 8 hours, but keep it close.

One of the great things about IF and Leangains is that I can eat enough food to get full and satiated each and every day, each and every meal, too, which really makes this not even seem like a reduced-calorie lifestyle. I was having a little issue at the start getting enough protein, but now take in 75 grams mixed in a shaker bottle mixed with milk or water and that gets me there. I am sometimes shocked at how little hunger I have outside of the feeding window. I feel like I am "cheating", because it shouldn't be this easy. Doing a diet like Atkins was brutal, and I lost strength, too, while this is very sustainable for me. This is not a diet for me, it is an easily maintainable lifestyle choice. Once I get down into the 10-12% bodyfat range (probably about 190 or so), I will post some pics. The great thing about this is that I have not the slightest doubt I will get there.

I just wanted to say thanks to many of you that are following the IF lifestyle with success. Your early testimonials in this thread, your progress pics and proof of success coupled with the before-after shots on Martin's web site led me to try this. Thanks to Martin for the great training, and I will continue on with him for the foreseeable future. "

- Dave Gerczak, Appleton, WI

Joseph

"Ok, where to start. Months before contacting Martin I was on the Zone diet. Everyone in the CrossFit community seemed to be doing it and getting good results. But I was completely famished on the 17 blocks a day a so called “expert” recommended to me. I wanted to lose fat, so I stuck with it…strictly. Well at least for 3 weeks, or so. And then the carb binges started, basically causing me to regain whatever fat I lost during the strict weeks! On top of the guilt and just feeling miserable in general, my performance suffered as well.

I kept thinking there was something wrong with me, since everyone except me seemed to be doing fantastic on the Zone approach. Even bumping up to 20 blocks didn’t do much for me. I still binged on sugary junk about twice a week. So, someone at the CrossFit forum recommended Martin’s services and I got in touch with him.

After a week on the diet, I discovered that I had been severely undereating on Zone. I couldn’t believe how much food I was allowed to eat on the Leangains diet and STILL lose fat! The sugar cravings dissappeared completely. My performance started improving again, and now I’ve beaten all my previous times on the benchmark sessions. So far I’m in week 6, and lost a total of 8 lbs, feel great and perform great. Love the fasting and the big meals, it really clicked with me from the start. I couldn’t be happier with the diet and the training I’m doing now, and I would highly recommend Martin and his Leangains program to anyone that is going through the same stuff I was."

- Joseph

Questions & Answers

Threw together some forum posts/replies to intermittent fasting related questions made in recent weeks, just to let you know that I'm still alive. Had two clients competing this weekend, and they both placed very well, so keep your eyes peeled for the client update I'm going to put up later this week or next.


Questions & Answers

Breakfast

Question: "Do you think it is possible that breakfast is actually unhealthy for humans and we're not wired for it?

When I was in elementary and middle school I never had breakfast, I didn't have any instinct to eat at waking time. My siblings and parents ate their breakfast looking like zombies and after their breakfast they were even more lightheaded.

On the way to school I actually would begin to feel extremely good and concentrated. At school I never had problems following the lessons, taking notes, memorizing. I would skip recession eating as well. I have always noticed my classmates being less productive and more confused after their recession. I had high grades and school was easy for me.

Beginning high school I was pressured into having breakfast and eating something at recession. As I introduced breakfast in my nutrition I started to lose concentration in classroom, I was ravenously hungry at recession and my grades started to suffer. I was lightheaded the whole morning and couldn't memorize things well.

After almost one year I was feeling worse the whole day (failing to make a connection with the addition of breakfast) I was so sick at the idea of eating one day that I skipped breakfast, and that morning I felt again good and concentrated in classroom. I finally decided to remove breakfast realizing that my instinct knew better than my doctor. I found out a lot of students who skip breakfast (consciously) feel a lot better and are a lot more productive and concentrated.

I have talked with people who keep telling me that if they have breakfast, a ravenous hunger is triggered the whole day and they would never stop eating. Yet if they follow their body lack of hunger in the morning, they never develop that hunger. Except for people who adapted by making an habit out of it, I don't know anyone who naturally feel the need to eat at waking time. Most people, expecially middle school students, I talk to gets sick at the idea of eating in the morning."

...I have always been told that at waking time our blood sugar are low and we need to eat. " (original post shortened)

Answer: While I don't necessarily think eating breakfast is 'unhealthy', it is certainly not a meal pattern we would be wired for from an evolutionary perspective. But then again, humans are highly adaptable and I'm not arguing that we should be clinging to what our ancestors did.

I can relate to some of the other things you've written, namely less alertness from consuming breakfast (and getting hungrier during classes). Some of my clients report better grades and motivation upon omitting breakfast as well.

Blood sugar is maintained within a very narrow range even during fasting. It never falls low enough to cause problems with attributes related to mental alertness unless you have a metabolic disorder (i.e diabetes) or raise insulin through exogenous means.

This was recently demonstrated in a study* using a wide variety of tests during a 48 hr time period, showing no detrimental effect of fasting (vs maintenance level calorie intake).

The authors of that study closes with the following

"It should be noted that preservation of cognitive function during
periods of restricted availability of food is a highly adaptive
mechanism. If adult human brain function rapidly deteriorated as
a consequence of underfeeding, the ability to obtain food would
be significantly degraded, which from a survival or evolutionary
perspective would not be desirable."

So, there is certainly no need to consume food upon waking in order to function properly from a cognitive perspective. And for some, like me, breakfast consumption may even impair concentration and focus for the remainder of the day.

*Lieberman et al. A double-blind, placebo-controlled test of 2 d of calorie deprivation: effects on cognition, activity, sleep, and interstitial glucose concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Sep;88(3):667-76

*More on this at the end of this post*

Feeding window

Question: "What are your thoughts about changing your window daily or weekly depending, Martin?

For example. I had my eating window from 13 to 22 yesterday, so I started my new window at 14 today. Now I'm thinking to eat my cals to 18:00 and then eat tomorrow @ 10:00 again. Seems logical?"

Answer: I would not recommend switching it up just for the sake of randomness. There are benefits in keeping the feeding window fairly constant, such as adaptations concerning the hunger hormone ghrelin (which tend to rise at times you're normally accustomed to eating). Vary it for practicality's sake, if anything.

Cortisol and fasting

Question: "Does fasting raise cortisol?"

Answer: No. Cortisol is regulated in a diurnal fashion and studies show that various meal frequencies and short term fasting has very little influence over it. Recent studies found no significant change in the rhythm of cortisol secretion, regardless of meal patterns, nor after 22 hrs of fasting.

Periods of environmental light are more important than meal times/frequency in regulating this hormone. Cortisol secretion is always highest in the early morning and lowest between 2000 and 2400 h.

Ramadan fasting alters diurnal rhytm, but leads to a decrease in mean cortisol.

Prolonged fasting and/or starvation is another deal.

Hunger and adaptation

Question: "13 hours in to my first day of IF and OMG I am hungry."

Answer: The hunger hormone ghrelin adapts to your habitual meal pattern, meaning you tend to get hungry on the times you normally eat.

A few days of adaptation may be required. And this varies between individuals, as some people find fasting easy from the get go, while others require a few days for the transition to the new meal pattern to be complete (meaning the fasting will become more or less effortless).

Fasted workouts

Question:"I have done workouts on an empty stomach for over a half a year now and I think it's better on empty than eating a regular meal a few hours before it. Biologically we humans are programmed very well to train this way."

Answer: Yes, training on an empty stomach is not a big deal, had some fantastic fasted workouts myself, but like I've said countless times before pre-workout nutrition is almost as important as post-workout nutrition. This is verified by research.

Now, pre-workout nutrition doesn't necessarily mean a full meal, but based on everything we know having some whey or BCAA shortly prior to, or during, the workout would be a much wiser choice than going through it completely fasted.

"Clean" eating

Question: "Ive been reading through the forums. I thought you have to get the clean foods like egg whites,chicken, fish, vegtables oats, sweet potatoe in order to get to 6 or 7% body fat. Some you you say you eat mcdonalds and cookies and still get the leanest you ever got. How is this possible when you see bodybuilders and most nutritionist on the websites saying you have to eat clean for you to get results? "

Answer: I've gotten ripped eating ice cream and cereal 3x/week. Clean foods are beneficial in terms of providing satiety and not providing as much temptation as 'unclean' foods or whatever you wanna call them.

I do agree that the majority of foods eaten on a diet should be clean*, but it's not an all-or-nothing deal (even though a lot of bodybuilders make it out to be). Regularily including some unclean stuff, may help with diet adherance and protect against unplanned binges - and may ultimately help with diet maintenance in the long term.

* not interested in semantic analysis, everyone knows what I mean.

Breakfast again

(in reply to another question pertaining to the need of eating breakfast and studies on the topic)

There's been heaps of studies "showing" that breakfast is good and healthy. How? Well, they're correlational.

Example

Breakfast eaters weigh less, as seen in a studiy looking at the eating habits and BMI of 10k+ US adults*

Conclusion

Breakfast must be good for you

* = eating breakfast implies fairly regulated eating habits.

That is, people who don't eat breakfast are more likely to show dysregulated eating patters; average joe skipping breakfast sure as shit isn't thinking "I'm doing IF now". He's the type to grab a donut on the way to work, eat junk food for lunch and finish the day off with a big dinner and snack in front of the TV.

Now, I'm not against children and teens eating breakfast, or anyone else for that matter, but given what I just demonstrated above, it might give you a hint on what the claim that breakfast = good for studying/tests is based on.

For example, breakfast skipping children probably usually come from different socioeconomic backgrounds/households vs breakfast eating children.

It may very well be that breakfast eaters ---> perform better than breakfast skippers ---> because they come from a familiy where breakfast eating is enforced ---> this implies a supportive or "stable" family---> children from supportive/stable families perform better on school tests etc.

Just an example. I'm not familiar with the particular study your teacher refers to.

In adults however, it has been demonstrated that fasting does not impact negatively on various cognitive tests (as recently evidenced by a study that had participants fasting for 48 hrs).

Low carb again

Given that my post Low Carb Talibans caused such a stir, I thought it would be appropriate to link Lyle's latest article about low carb diets and the "metabolic advantage" Enjoy, folks.

If you consider buying any of Lyle's books, which you should, make sure you read my reviews.

Interviewed by Adam Steer

Here's an interview I did with Adam Steer from Better is Better. Includes a book excerpt.

Other interviews, discussions and articles:

Interviewed by Leigh Peele

Intermittent Fasting Roundtable

Sure-Fire Fat Loss

Excerpt from Knowledge and Nonsense

---

There are only a handful of big names in the Intermittent Fasting game. As many of you will know, I'm a big fan of Brad Pilon and his Eat Stop Eat approach. But another name that continues to attract my attention is Martin Berkhan of Leangains. His approach is quite different to that of Brad, so I contacted him to see about getting an interview with him. To my great pleasure he agreed.

As you'll see, Martin's focus, like Brad's, is mainly on physique. However, the evidence supporting the health benefits of Intermittent Fasting just keeps piling up and I think that no matter what approach you take you'll reap the rewards of vitality and wellness.

Enjoy!


Adam: When asked to tell us a bit about his background and how he became interested in Intermittent Fasting, Martin was gracious enough to offer this excerpt from his upcoming book.

Martin:

"When I got into weight training and healthy eating, my goals were no different than most people’s; I wanted to get stronger and look better. I started out overweight and quite out of shape, the consequences of years of bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. Because I put in work at the gym and eagerly learned everything there was to know about nutrition (or so I believed at the time), I made decent improvements over the years to come. Most noticeably, I lost a lot of weight.

I did it all according to the rules of the game, or at least how I had read and been told I should be doing it. And I was a slave to many rules. These rules dictated that I had to eat small meals throughout the day, that I needed “fast” carbs and whey protein after workouts, and that I should cut out carbs in the evening. Everyone that has spent some time reading fitness magazines, or browsed around on some of the countless fitness/bodybuilding forums on the net, should know what I’m talking about. There are many rules to follow if you want to optimize your results. Or so we are told.

This escalated to a point where I would get obsessed with my diet and everything pertaining to it; when to eat, meeting the right amount of protein and carbs in my meal plan, and so on. Whenever something happened that would interfere with my meal plan, I would get anxious and my mood would take a turn for the worse. Social interactions became crippled and my diet would basically dictate my daily routine. Simply put, I was obsessed with food and meal timing.

It was draining on me, mentally and socially, but I persisted because I feared breaking the rules in any way would have detrimental effects; muscle loss, a slowed down metabolism, or something else born out of irrational thinking.

I dabbled in many different approaches; low fat, low carb, cyclical ketogenic diets, the Paleolithic diet and others, always looking for that magic diet that would be easy to integrate into my lifestyle and one that wouldn’t feel like a neverending diet. I was always envious of guys that managed to look muscular and ripped without much effort.

At one point, I reached a point of diminishing returns. I didn’t think the amount of effort I put in was remotely proportional to the results I got. I had basically been spinning my wheels for years. I didn’t like how my life had become so centered around my diet, and I was starting to get fed up with my own behavior. I couldn’t justify it any longer.

Enter intermittent fasting

The high meal frequency diet I followed for years, called for eating around the clock. I always got too fat, too fast, when trying to gain muscle. The frequent eating also made cutting a chore and very challenging; contrary to popular belief, frequent feedings seemed to trigger my appetite, rather than keeping it at bay. Yet I never questioned the method - I questioned my discipline for my poor results.

It wasn’t until after some experiments with a lower meal frequency that I began to question the methods I had used in the past. This lead me to explore the research surrounding the topic of meal frequency - reading the studies myself and not letting so-called gurus, magazine and supplement companies give me their skewed and biased interpretation. My findings will soon be presented, but suffice to say, I discovered that the diet I had been following for so many years was based on one big hoax, with no scientific foundation.

Gradually, I started to lean into a more relaxed approach, which also felt more natural to me; fasting throughout the morning and not eating my first meal until 1-2 pm. I would eat more later in the day, often enjoying my largest meal around 9-10 pm in the evenings after workouts. I was never fond of breakfast, but always hungry in the evening, so this approach fit me perfectly. At a later point, I would move the first meal to 4 pm and then feed until midnight.

Suddenly, everything started to come easier for me. I got into great shape (177 lbs at 6% body fat), with relative ease. I played around with the approach some more, and gained a good amount of muscle mass with little fat gain (202 lbs at 9% body fat). And finally, I achieved my peak condition (195 lbs at 6% body fat) by combining periods of fat loss with periods of muscle gain; what some people would refer to as body recomposition. I revamped my body completely in 18 months.

After embarking on the intermittent fasting regimen, I also became more productive, focused and had lots of energy during the day. Contrary to my initial concerns, hunger was almost never an issue during the fast. I felt great. My head was clear and I didn’t spend much time thinking, or obsessing, about when, or in what form, my next meal was going to arrive. Worrying about such things had been my default behavior for a good amount of time and it was a relief not having to spend any more mental energy on it.

I wanted to look better and get stronger, and do it in a manner that appealed to me. Intermittent fasting turned out to be the approach I had been looking for all these years."

So, now you know how it all started. As for my education, I have a bachelor’s degree in Medical Sciences and Education and my major is in Public Health Sciences. But most of the things I've learned about nutrition and weight training is purely self-taught.


Adam: You've developed your own unique approach to fasting. Can you tell us about the guidelines of your methods?

Martin: 8 hrs feeding, 16 hrs fasting. Fasting means abstaining from food, not from fluids. You may drink coffee, tea, diet coke, whatever you like, as long as no calories are ingested. Trace amounts are acceptable - such as a tiny splash of milk in your coffe or the 1-2 calories found in a diet coke.

So, you might be eating between 1-9 pm, for example. On workout days, you train in between those hours and eat the absolute majority of your daily calorie intake post-workout. I usually set it up with three meals, as that is what I have found most practical. Some of my clients prefer two or four meals, but most do three meals.

Calories and macronutrient intake is always cycled, being higher on training days and lower on rest days.

That's the gist of it.


Adam: From what I understand, you have a very unique and effective approach to nutrition timing around workouts. Can you share with us how you approach workout nutrition (pre / peri / post) and what principles lead you to your approach?

Martin: I like to keep pre-workout nutrition to a bare minimum. Enough to satisfy a psychological need, enough to support and enhance the training session. No more. The greatest amount of calories should be ingested post-workout. By providing calories when they are needed the most, and are more likely to be used for muscle anabolism and recovery, you will get an edge. The insulin sensitizing effects of intermittent fasting on muscle cells further enhances the effect. There's more to it, but I'll save that for now.

That's the kind of theory and thinking that I'm basing my method on. I should note that there isn't a lot of research that can be applied in this context. So, unlike gurus that claim to have found The Truth or a magic pill, I'll put in a disclaimer saying that I might be crazy.

For me, writing the book has been about finding theoretical/scientific support for a practical approach that has turned out to work very well and not the other way around. For me, my clients and for many others that tried it.


Adam: There has been great anticipation for your book and I'm very much looking forward to reading it. Can you tell us a little bit about it? Do you have a release date?

Martin: No, and I need to keep my mouth shut, because I keep failing the deadlines I set up for myself. When I said I was going to have it out during the first quarter of 09, I was really in the flow of things and it seemed realistic at the time being. Then I got distracted. Work kept piling up. Moved to another city. Etc. Anyway, it's done when it's done.


Adam: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?

Martin: Be careful who you listen to. There's a lot of clowns and conmen in this industry. Also, egg whites and peanut butter. Don't frown until you try it.


Adam: Where can people go to find out more about you and your methods?

Martin: My site www.leangains.com. Yes, I'm lousy at updating. I'll get better when the book release draws closer. Right now I'm just busy as all hell.

Client Update

Haven't done client updates in a while, so here goes. See all client updates and testimonials on this site by clicking here and here.

John

John lost significant amounts of body fat and gained strength in 12 weeks.

John, before at 202 lbs

John, after 12 weeks at 184 lbs



"Its wierd, it almost looks like I have gotten bigger since doing this diet with you. Also, in the last few weeks, my arms and shoulders are veinier. I started the diet at 202 and I was benching 225 for sets of 6. At 182, I am doing 245 for sets of 5."

- John

Mary

Mary is a work in progress, as I'm prepping her for a competition in April. Here's a few teaser pics.

Mary before, at 149 lbs

Mary after three weeks, at 147 lbs



Mary after 4 weeks, at 146 lbs



Mary's doing a back specialization program, to better balance out her upper body with her lower body. She reports noticeable lat growth, which is awesome considering she's also lost fat.

Robert

Robert is another work in progress. So far, he's been doing great, showing rapid fat loss of 36 lbs in 10 week, while simultaneously gaining strength (no newbie gains).

Robert, before at 274 lbs

Robert, after 10 weeks at 238 lbs

Brad

56-year old Brad Reid, world record holder in the strict curl (242 lb class, 55-59) and the son of strongman legend Jack Reid, is a fan of Leangains and has been using my approach with great success. Brad is, without a doubt, my strongest client ever. He's currently training for a one arm chin.

Brad playing around with 225 lbs military presses.



On the one arm chin, I can't recall what I sent you but you may recall that my father, Jack Reid, was a cable pulling specialist and he held some records in one arm chinning. Robert L. Jones, in an article in 1939 Strength & Health, mentions him chinning with one arm while holding 50 lbs. in his non-chinning hand. He was about 190 to 200 lbs then at age 20.

- Brad, about his father.

I worked with Brad a while ago and recently touched base with him to hear how he's been doing since then.

"Well, I had become an avid reader of your blog and consulted with you for the "particulars" of a diet regimen to help me along. To me, this was money well-spent.

What I have found is that after coming a bit back off my low bodyweight mark and settling in at around mid 230s, that I was able to drop to 228 to 229 lbs. using the IF techniques you recommended over a matter of a few months. The secret for me to dieting is finding a routine where I eliminate the condition of getting "hungry" or famished between meals, and enter a sort of state of being where I just become "empty." Your IF regimen fits this criterion perfectly. Too, it meets the body's apparent requirement to go from states of being fully sated to slightly and temporarily deprived, but managing it in a manner where full satisfaction can be achieved in the eating window.

I enjoy your IF routine and more important, I can live with it permanently. Of what possible value can any strict diet discipline be to anyone if it can't be maintained, or if its side-effect is a feeling of starvation? These sorts of diets lead to failure and I don't want to waste my time on diet or training ideas I can't sustain."

- Brad

Heidi

Heidi made very good progress in just 4 weeks - check out the radical improvements in the lower back/glute area. Heidi also increased her strength slightly.

Heidi, back, before at 124 lbs

Heidi, back, after 4 weeks at 120 lbs




Heidi, side, before at 124 lbs



Heidi, side, after 4 weeks at 120 lbs




"I think the waist and backside is remarkable better. I like! I think the diet is great. I'm loosing fat almost without being any hungry, and I've got time to do other things then preparing five meals each day. In the beginning I thought it was a bit much food in each meal, but now it's fine! And I'm always looking forward to the dinner on training days. Mm, potatoes..... :) I have also learned to use vegetables as an own carb-source, according to pasta or rice that I always used before. This is something I will keep on doing, also when I'm done dieting. So that's a new and good experience for me! The training is also fine. I like that it's fairly quick training sessions, according to the West-side template I used before which took much more time. I think your services are good. You are giving good and quick feedbacks! :) "

- Heidi

Randy

50-year old Randy came to me with Chrons disease, which warranted a special diet setup with a minimum of starchy carb and a low carb intake in general. I put him on a high-fat diet, which turned out to work great, despite glycogen taxing Muay Thai sessions, and strength training on top of that. After 8 weeks with me, he was leaner, stronger and looked a helluva lot younger to boot.

Randy, before at 179 lbs

Randy, after 8 weeks at 167-169 lbs



I touched base with Randy to hear how he's been doing since (we worked together back in October-December).

"As far as diet, I am continuing the Leangains approach. This is actually very simple for me – I almost never have any cravings for food in the morning and I feel much better sleeping on an empty stomach than eating beforehand. I continue to work out hard with both strength training and muay thai and have lots of energy and feel strong."

- Randy

Chris

Got word from one of my old clients about his progress recently.



"The last pics I sent you were taken May 10th of last year. In those pics my waistline circumference measured 32 1/2"" (I think Chris was about 176-177 lbs in the above pic).

"In these new pics my waistline circumference is 32" even at a bodyweight of 178 lbs."



So he reduced his waist size while gaining weight, which indicates lean mass gains and fat loss. I was pleased to hear it. I should note Chris goals are more conditioning related, and not muscle gain per se.

"I began the IF "fat loss" protocol on January 1st, following a great deal of holiday gluttony... my waistline on the morning of that day was 33 1/4" (bodyweight 184 lbs). So I lost 6 pounds, an inch and 1/4 off my waistline in 30 days, and significant bodyfat in just 30 days. My LBM was monitored as per constant progression in my training (consistent strength gains in several lifts), training total body 3 days per week. Two of those sessions would be followed up with about 10 minutes of interval training (i.e., jump rope, sprints, etc.)

I'm very happy with the results. I'm taking a bit of a break from diet (as little as possible) since I will be traveling for a couple of days. But I plan to get back at it and continue another 4 week jaunt, hoping for another significant drop in bodyfat and increased conditioning before my 40th birthday hits this spring."

- Chris

Tom

While most people want to lose fat primarily, Tom came to me wanting to put on quality muscle, first and foremost. That turned out to be a great plan, and he actually lost body fat in the process.

While his body weight remained unchanged at 148 lbs, he made the following strength gains in only 4 weeks (no newbie gains).

Deadlift: 3 x 245 3 x 260
Incline Bench: 5 x 120 5 x 145
Chin-Ups: 12 x BW + 25 lbs. 8 x BW + 50 lbs.
Squats: 5 x 165 5 x 210
Dips: 12 x BW + 45 lbs. 10 x BW + 55 lbs.
Pendlay Row: 5 x 95 5 x 135
Incline Press: 5 x 80 5 x 105

Tom, before



Tom, after 4 weeks



"The first thing that I noticed about LeanGains was a dramatic increase in strength. I am not a huge guy and I am not necessarily really strong, but after starting the program, adding weight to the bar seemed a lot easier. My strength took off after about a week, and as long as I stayed on the program, I continued. For example, in 4 weeks, I doubled the weight that I was hanging around my waist for chin-ups and pull-ups, and my arms and lats started to grow as a result. I began to notice that my stamina improved, my muscles grew, and my body began leaning out very noticeably. I loved going from a 6 meal a day program to just 3 meals. I thought I would be starving because I ate 6 meals a day for years, but I felt satiated after meals. Meal preparation was simple and I actually enjoyed what I was eating, especially after workouts. During the fasting period, my mind was more focused and I couldn't wait to get into the gym, which kicked my motivation into overdrive. After just 4 weeks of LeanGains, I had someone comment on my physique and said I looked bigger and more ripped. I tried every program under the sun, and never heard that from anyone. I struggled in the gym for the past few years to get into shape and be healthy. After 4 weeks, Martin taught me more about how to feed my body and lift, than all the reading and researching I have done in the past few years. If you are hesitant to try using a nutritionist or another "bodybuilding program", I can assure you that LeanGains is anything but a risk or another "program". Martin has a wealth of knowledge and the program is tailored to each individual, unlike many other programs I tried. No matter what your goals are, LeanGains will get you there. I can not see ever using any other system again. I would recommend LeanGains to anyone who is ready to see results. After 4 weeks, I am sold for life. Thanks Martin!"

- Tom


(no pics available for the following)

Suleiman

"Hi Martin, I just wanted to give you an update, I am not one for poses but here are some raw numbers. Following your diet plan I was able to enter a competition at 166lb and deadlift 418 (2.5xbw). I have lifted more in the distant past but not at that weight.

I also came first equal in my category.

http://tacticalstrengthchallenge.com/results/20080913_International.html

scroll down to Men's Elite. I followed your diet to the letter but tweaked the training for the event.

Thanks again for your help."

- Suleiman

Jeff

"I've always been active and played a lot of sports, but family, work and a love for food caused me to gain 80 lbs over a four year time span. Been trying different diets throughout the years, but could never maintain them in the long run. With Martin's help I finally have some hope, having dropped 35 lbs in 8 weeks. I sleep better, look better, aint hungry and have plenty of energy. Just a better person overall, plain and simple"

- Jeff (285 to 250 lbs in 8 weeks)

Tanya

"Martin taught me that carbs aren't evil and that less sometimes can be more. I can feel my clothes getting looser and I'm improving my performance on the benchmark sessions - while training less than I ever recall doing! I love the Leangains diet, and I love not having to force myself to the gym five times a week anymore. Thanks for straightening me out, and showing me a sane way to train and eat, Martin"

- Tanya, devoted CrossFitter.