CHOOSING YOUR PHYSIQUE GOAL
Please note that you do not have to choose a physique goal; you can simply use this book as a weight-lifting guide.
In Part 1 of this book, you first chose your lifting level (beginner / intermediate / advanced).
You then chose your lifting goal (endurance / hypertrophy / strength).
In this section, you can now choose the physique goal you want to accomplish …
» Fat Loss
» Muscle Building (Hypertrophy)
Strength training is strictly a performance goal.
While it might be tempting to choose multiple goals, let me be very clear right now … You should only choose ONE goal at a time.
Fat loss, muscle building (hypertrophy) and strength training require three very different approaches to both diet and training …
FAT LOSS
When it comes to a fat-loss plan, while I do encourage continued weight lifting in the endurance and / or hypertrophy ranges to help preserve muscle mass, it is very unlikely that you will actually gain muscle mass while in a fat-loss phase. This is because muscle needs fuel, aka calories, to grow, and if you are in a calorie deficit via food intake and / or cardio output, your muscle will be fighting to hang around, at best.
This is not to say that muscle gain in a fat-loss phase is impossible; it can happen, especially for beginners (this is often referred to as ‘newbie gains’). However, for the majority of us, it is rare. So, while I do encourage you to keep lifting, don’t be surprised if you end up looking a little less muscular and a little more slender.
My advice is to build the muscle first, shed the fat later.
MUSCLE BUILDING
(Hypertrophy)
When it comes to a muscle-building plan, you shouldn’t be concerned with fat loss. In fact, if you are actively trying to gain muscle, then you will probably gain a little fat (I always do). This is because in order to fuel your training, recover from your training, and actually grow your muscle, you need to eat very well.
My advice is to build the muscle first, shed the fat later.
STRENGTH TRAINING
When it comes to a strength plan, you shouldn’t be overly concerned with any physique changes. Visible muscle gain or visible fat loss may occur due to the training, but neither is your primary goal. Strength is a performance-based goal, not an aesthetic one, that’s what makes it so much fun! Aim to eat healthily and be very well fuelled calorically for both your training and your recovery – don’t aim to look like a health and fitness model.
Changing Goals and Long-term Training
Although I do advise you to choose a goal, stick with it and give it 100%, there may come a time when you could or even should change your goal …
For example, you shouldn’t spend more than 6 months in a fat-loss phase (in my opinion). It’s simply not good for your hormones or metabolic rate (not to mention your social life). At that 6-month mark, I encourage slowly easing into a muscle-building or strength-training phase for at least 6 months before re-entering fat loss.
While you can spend as long as you want in a muscle-building (hypertrophy) phase (the longer the better, in fact), there may come a time when you want to shed some fat and get a good look at what you’ve built underneath.
And while you can spend as long as you want in a strength-building phase, there may come a time when muscle building or fat loss takes your fancy.
DIET and your Physique Goal
The specifics of your diet will depend on your fat-loss, muscle-building or strength goal (very different diets are required for each goal), but the overall nutritional rules for those who lift weights are always the same …
Your daily diet should be composed of 3 macronutrients:
1 Proteins (dominant macro)
2 Fats (the quantity will be goal dependent)
3 Carbohydrates (the quantity will be goal dependent)
You should also be concerned with other pivotal dietary factors:
» Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals from fruit and veg)
» Fibre (from wholegrains, fruit and veg – aka all food grown from the earth)
» Hydration (daily water intake)
» Supplementation (when and where necessary, such as omega oils for those on a lower fat diet)
CARDIO and your Physique Goal
The specifics of your cardio will depend on your fat loss, muscle building or strength goal (very different approaches to cardio are required for each goal), but cardio should be a part of any and every plan regardless of goals.
» For fat loss, it should be used as a calorie burning and / or metabolic boosting tool.
» For muscle building (hypertrophy) and strength training, it should be used as a strength, fitness and recovery tool.
» Your types, times and frequency of cardio will differ but, ultimately, cardio is a necessity for everyone.
A FAT-LOSS PHYSIQUE GOAL
If fat loss is your goal, you need to be in a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit simply means that your body is burning (via general movement and / or exercise) more energy than it is consuming (via food). This forces your body to burn into its fat stores.
You can achieve a calorie deficit by:
» Increasing your movement (typically via cardio increase)
» Decreasing your calorie intake
» Doing a little bit of both
I recommend this third option as it ensures that you don’t over-train or under-eat. Instead, you will have productive exercise sessions and a diet that you can adhere to.
The Fat-loss Diet
A typical fat-loss diet includes lean proteins (egg whites, whey protein, lean beef, chicken or fish, for example), with a constant intake of vegetables (for micronutrients and fibre), a small amount of carbohydrates (oats, rice and potato, for example) timed around training sessions (pre and / or post). The rest of the time a small amount of fats (eggs, nuts and avocado, for example) should replace carbohydrates in your meals.
While this may be a ‘typical fat-loss diet’, as long as you are in a calorie deficit, you can implement it however you prefer.
Go through The Food Bible (see pages 194–209) to familiarise yourself with portion sizes and check out the recipes on pages 211–243. Make sure you choose low-carb options (look out for the 
symbol), unless you are on a refeed day.
Fat loss is the only goal in this book that comes with a time limit. I am happy for my clients to spend 4–24 weeks in a fat-loss phase, but after that 24-week (6-month) mark, I encourage them to slowly increase their food intake, decrease their cardio times and / or days, and allow their body to recover.
Tracking Calories and Macros
If you track calories and macros on an app (I recommend MyFitnessPal):
» Track your daily intake for 1–2 weeks to get an idea of your protein, fat, carbohydrate and calorie intake.
» If you are not hitting 2g protein per 1kg of lean bodyweight (for example, if 70kg was my leanest adult body weight, I should intake around 140g protein daily), make sure you start to work your way up to that and remember that, once there, this intake should always stay stable, regardless of your goals.
» In terms of carbs and fats, you should be hitting 1g of both per 1kg of lean bodyweight (so if 70kg was my leanest adult bodyweight, that would be 70g fats and 70g carbs daily).
This 2protein/1carb/1fat macro split should bring you to around about your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate – the number of calories your body needs to function, in other words your basement calorie intake).
Once you have your 2/1/1 macro split set, look at how many calories you burn in a typical training session …
If fat loss is your goal, you should make up around 75% of these burned calories via added carbohydrates.
For example, if I burned roughly 400kcals in a typical training session, I would add 300kcals’ worth of carbohydrates to my intake. I would not add all 400kcals of the burned calories because I want to be in a calorie deficit.
If after 2 or more weeks you plateau, you can either increase your cardio output by a small amount (5–10 minutes a session) OR decrease your fats or carbs by a small amount (5–10g).
You can do this every time you plateau for 2 or more weeks, but under no other circumstances should you increase your deficit – fat loss takes time AND you need room to manoeuvre as time passes.
Where is the basement?
I would never recommend dropping below 2g protein per 1kg lean body weight if you have ANY kind of performance OR physique goal.
In terms of fat loss, I would stop dropping fat at 0.5g per kg of bodyweight (for someone who is 70kg, this would be 35g fat) and stop dropping carbohydrates at 1g per kg of bodyweight (for someone who is 70kg, this would be 70g carbohydrates).
If you are not someone who can be bothered to weigh out and track your food every day (hello the vast majority of the population!) then what you need is a diet plan …
THE FAT-LOSS DIET PLAN
Monday–Friday
Low-calorie via low-carb meals and snacks
| BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | 1 protein option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 fat option | 1 fat option | 1 fat option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | 1 veg option |
| OR | OR | OR |
| 1 low-carb recipe | 1 low-carb recipe | 1 low-carb recipe |
| SNACK 1 | SNACK 2 | |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | |
| +IF YOU LIKE+ | +IF YOU LIKE+ | |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | |
POST WEIGHTLIFTING
If you have just finished a weight-lifting session, replace your next low-carb meal with:
1 protein option
+
1 carb option
+
1 veg option
OR
1 high-carb recipe
MEN
Men need to follow the above structure but:
» Replace the 2 daily snacks with 2 daily low-carb meals
» Implement a 3rd snack (low-carb 
meal)
This will ensure men hit the appropriate calorie count.
The post-training, high-carb meal swap applies to men as well.
Saturday + Sunday
Two refeed days via carbohydrate increase to aid the inevitable hormonal, metabolic and glycogenic adaptations of a fat-loss diet
| BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | 1 protein option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 carb option | 1 carb option | 1 carb option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | 1 veg option |
| OR | OR | OR |
| 1 high-carb recipe | 1 high-carb recipe | 1 high-carb recipe |
| SNACK 1 | SNACK 2 | SNACK 3 |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | 1 carb option |
| +IF YOU LIKE+ | +IF YOU LIKE+ | +IF YOU LIKE+ |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | 1 veg option |
MEN
Men need to follow the above structure but:
» Replace 2 of the daily snacks with 2 daily high-carb meals
» Implement a 4th snack (high-carb 
meal)
This will ensure men hit the appropriate refeed calorie count
The post-training, high-carb meal swap applies to men as well.
Please note: I am happy for you to spend up to 24 weeks (6 months) total in a fat-loss phase, but after that time, you should slowly increase your food intake, decrease your cardio, and allow your body to recover.
FAT-LOSS CARDIO
If fat loss is your goal, I would like you to:
» Continue lifting 4–6 days a week
In one of the following 2 ranges:
» Endurance
AND / OR
» Hypertrophy
When to do your cardio?
» Fasted in the morning (hours pre lift)
OR
» Post lift (immediately post lift or hours post lift)
How often?
» 4–6 days a week
Fat-loss cardio should be a good mix of:
» High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
» Low or Moderate Intensity Steady State (LISS or MISS)
The reason I want you to perform your cardio either fasted first thing in the morning OR post-lift is to make sure that you are doing your lifting at a time when you have optimum energy.
Lifting is harder than cardio and requires more mental and physical energy. If you get your cardio done and out of the way first thing in the morning, you can then fuel up throughout the day and give 100% to your lifting later on.
If you aren’t able to do your cardio first thing in the morning, then make sure you do it after lifting.
The lifting session should always be your primary concern when it comes to training – lifting requires no less than 100% mental and physical attention. Cardio, on the other hand, is simply another tool to burn calories and / or stay fit.
How long can I do the Fat-loss Cardio Plan?
You’ll notice that your weekly cardio plan is only 4 weeks.
This is because I usually recommend implementing a fat-loss phase for between 4 weeks (minimum) and 24 weeks (maximum).
If you choose to continue with your fat-loss plan for more than 4 weeks, I suggest you continue with the week 4 instructions for as long as possible.
However, if you find that you plateau for more than 2 weeks, you may add:
» 2 minutes of HIIT
AND
» 5 minutes of LISS / MISS
BUT there is absolutely a cap when it comes to cardio.
I personally recommend capping:
» HIIT at 45 minutes total
» LISS and MISS at 1 hour total
» 6 cardio sessions weekly MAX
Fat loss is the only goal in this book that comes with a time limit. I am happy for you to spend 4–24 weeks in a fat-loss phase, but after that 24-week (6-month) mark, I encourage you to slowly increase your food intake, decrease your cardio and allow your body to recover.
After a few months of consuming more calories and performing less cardio (ideally in a muscle-building or strength phase) I am happy for you to go back into a fat-loss phase.
This cyclical approach to fat loss is highly successful, perfectly healthy and surprisingly enjoyable.
If fat loss is your goal, understand that it is NOT easy and requires no less than 100% commitment to BOTH your diet and cardio plans.
THE FAT-LOSS CARDIO PLAN
WEEK
MONDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 20 minutes
Burpees
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 10 times
Total: 20 minutes
TUESDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 20 minutes
Outdoor power walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 20 minutes
WEDNESDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 20 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 20 minutes
THURSDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 20 minutes
Burpees
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 10 times
Total: 20 minutes
FRIDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 20 minutes
Outdoor power walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 20 minutes
SATURDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 20 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 20 minutes
SUNDAY Rest Day
WEEK
MONDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 22 minutes
Mountain Climbers
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 11 times
Total: 22 minutes
TUESDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 25 minutes
Outdoor power walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 25 minutes
WEDNESDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 25 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 25 minutes
THURSDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 22 minutes
Mountain Climbers
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 11 times
Total: 22 minutes
FRIDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 25 minutes
Outdoor power walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 25 minutes
SATURDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 25 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 25 minutes
SUNDAY Rest Day
WEEK
MONDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 24 minutes
Squat Jumps
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 12 times
Total: 24 minutes
TUESDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 30 minutes
Outdoor power walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 30 minutes
WEDNESDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 30 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 30 minutes
THURSDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 24 minutes
Squat Jumps
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 12 times
Total: 24 minutes
FRIDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 30 minutes
Outdoor power walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 30 minutes
SATURDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 30 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 30 minutes
SUNDAY Rest Day
WEEK
MONDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 26 minutes
Burpees
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 13 times
Total: 26 minutes
TUESDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 35 minutes
Outdoor walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 35 minutes
WEDNESDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 35 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 35 minutes
THURSDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 26 minutes
Burpees
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 13 times
Total: 26 minutes
FRIDAY Upper Body
LISS CARDIO – 35 minutes
Outdoor walk (include some uphill if possible)
or
Swim
or
Any cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 35 minutes
SATURDAY Back/Core
MISS CARDIO – 35 minutes
Uphill / Incline / Steep power walk
or
Hard swim
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
Total: 35 minutes
SUNDAY Rest Day
A MUSCLE-BUILDING
(HYPERTROPHY) PHYSIQUE GOAL
If muscle building (hypertrophy) is your goal, as well as the muscle-building diet and cardio plans that are detailed below, you will need to follow a hypertrophy weight-lifting plan (see pages 30–165).
The Muscle-building (Hypertrophy) Diet
With a muscle building (hypertrophy) goal, you need to be in a calorie surplus so that your body can add to itself. Think about it, how are you going to push your body to grow if you don’t feed it to do so?
As well as calories, you also need to be aware of how to structure your specific macronutrients, in order to optimise your:
» Training
» Recovery
» Gains
Essentially, protein and carbohydrates are going to be your new best friends.
Meals should be high in protein (for example, egg whites, whey protein, meat, chicken and fish) with omnipresent vegetables and carbohydrates (for example, oats, cereals, bread, rice, pasta or potato) every day, especially around training (pre and post). A small amount of fats (for example, eggs, nuts, oils or avocado) should accompany carbohydrates in your daily meals.
Go through The Food Bible (see pages 194–209) to familiarise yourself with portion sizes and check out the recipes on pages 211–243. Make sure you choose some Gains options (look out for the 
symbol).
Bearing in mind that you need to be in a calorie surplus, you might want to look into using a protein powder that is a mass gainer.
If you want to build muscle, it is pivotal that you eat a big meal before training AND after training, for energy, recovery and results.
Tracking Calories and Macros
If you track calories and macros on an app (I recommend MyFitnessPal):
» Track your daily intake for 1–2 weeks to get an idea of your protein, fat, carbohydrate and calorie intake.
» If you are not hitting 2g protein per 1kg of lean bodyweight (for example, if 70kg was my leanest adult body weight, I should intake around 140g protein daily), make sure you start to work your way up to that and remember that, once there, this intake should always stay stable, regardless of your goals.
» In terms of carbs and fats, you should be hitting 1g of both per 1kg of lean bodyweight (so if 70kg was my leanest adult bodyweight, that would be 70g carbs and 70g fats daily).
This 2protein/1carb/1fat macro split should bring you to around about your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate – the number of calories your body needs to function, in other words your basement calorie intake).
Once you have your 2/1/1 macro split set, look at how many calories you burn in a typical training session …
If muscle building (hypertrophy) is your goal, you need to make up 150% of these burned calories via added carbohydrates. For example, if I burned roughly 400kcals in a typical training session, I would add 600kcals’ worth of carbohydrates to my intake (there are 4kcals in 1g of carb, so 600kcals is 150g carbs).
If after 2 or more weeks you plateau, you can increase your carbs by 30g (120kcals) and see if your weight increases.
You can do this every time you plateau for 2 or more weeks.
» I would start to work your way up to 4–5g carbohydrates per 1kg of lean bodyweight. For example, if I weighed 70kg I should work my way up to an intake of 280–350g carbohydrates daily.
» Don’t panic if you start to gain some body fat, this is very normal when in a muscle-building phase and calorie surplus.
However, if you gain too much body fat too quickly, simply stop increasing your carbohydrates for the time being and see if your body stabilises. If it doesn’t and you want to drop a little body fat, deduct 5–10g from your daily carbohydrate or fat intake and then see how your body responds. You can repeat this process if need be, but I encourage you to accept that increased muscle does invite increased body fat.
Where is the ceiling?
If you are actively trying to gain and grow, it’s unlikely you’ll reach a point at which you have to cap your intake – gaining muscle is a hard thing to do!
If you are not someone who can be bothered to weigh out and track your food every day (hello the vast majority of the population!) then what you need is a diet plan …
THE MUSCLE-BUILDING DIET PLAN
Monday–Sunday
Protein, carbohydrate and fat balanced meals for training fuel, recovery and muscle growth
| BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | 1 protein option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 carb | 1 carb | 1 carb |
| + | + | + |
| 1 fat option | 1 fat option | 1 fat option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | 1 veg option |
| OR | OR | OR |
| 1 Gains recipe | 1 Gains recipe | 1 Gains recipe |
| SNACK 1 | SNACK 2 | |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | |
| +IF YOU LIKE+ | +IF YOU LIKE+ | |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | |
MEN
Men need to follow the above structure but:
» Replace the 2 daily snacks with 2 daily Gains meals instead
» Implement a 3rd snack ( Gains meal)
This will ensure men hit the appropriate calorie count.
If you find that you plateau at a certain weight or physique but your training is on point, you may well need to add to your daily food intake … I would advise adding:
» 1 Gains recipe to your daily intake, ideally before or after your training
MUSCLE-BUILDING
(HYPERTROPHY) CARDIO
If muscle building (hypertrophy) is your goal, I would like you to:
» Lift 4–6 days a week in the hypertrophy range
Only implementing 10-minute HIIT sessions:
» Immediately post lift
» Every other training day (2–3 times a week), ideally on lower body days
You don’t want to overdo cardio if muscle building is your goal, as you need to focus on maintaining high energy for your lifts and on your recovery afterwards. You also want your caloric intake to be going towards muscle building, both in the gym and after, and not towards cardio energy output.
The reason I want you to perform your cardio immediately post lift is to make sure you have optimum energy for your lift, which is harder and requires more mental and physical energy than cardio does.
If you get your lift done first and give it 100%, you can roll on to cardio without having to worry about lifting heavy weights afterwards.
A lot of people would not recommend doing any cardio when you’re in a muscle-building phase, but I disagree. Cardiovascular exercise is healthy and, when done in the right amounts and ranges, can assist pretty much any training or physique goal. Short, sharp, intermittent HIIT days work nicely with a muscle-building goal and a hypertrophy lifting plan.
How long can I do the Muscle-building (Hypertrophy) Plan?
There is no time limit to a muscle-building plan. However, if you find you plateau at a certain weight or physique, you will need to do one (or several) of the following:
» Increase your calories (ideally via increased carbohydrates)
» Play around with your nutrient timing (pre-and post-training protein, carbohydrate and calorie increases)
» Increase your training sets, reps and / or weight ranges (increased volume and / or intensity)
» Potentially switch your hypertrophy to strength training for a period of time, before switching back to hypertrophy
MONDAY + THURSDAY Lower Body
HIIT CARDIO – 10 minutes
Burpees
or
Any cardio machine (resistance added)
x 30 seconds 100% effort
Rest: 90 seconds
Repeat: x 5 times
Total: 10 minutes
A STRENGTH-TRAINING GOAL
If strength is your goal, as well as the strength diet and cardio plans that are detailed below, you will need to follow a strength weight-lifting plan for 4–6 days a week (see pages 30–165).
The Strength-training Diet
With a strength goal, you need to make sure you are eating either at maintenance calories or in a calorie surplus so that your body can perform and recover sufficiently.
You also need to be aware of how to structure your specific macronutrients, in order to optimise your:
» Training
» Recovery
» Gains
Essentially, protein and carbohydrates are going to be your new best friends.
Meals should be high in protein (for example, egg whites, whey protein, meat, chicken and fish) with omnipresent vegetables and carbohydrates (for example, oats, cereal, bread, rice, pasta or potato) every day, especially around training (pre and post). A small amount of fats (for example, eggs, nuts, oils and avocado) should accompany carbohydrates in your daily meals.
Go through The Food Bible (see pages 194–209) to familiarise yourself with portion sizes and check out the recipes on pages 211–243. Make sure you choose some Gains options (look out for the symbol).
Make sure you always eat a big meal before training AND after training, as it is pivotal to your session, recovery and increased strength results.
Tracking Calories and Macros
If you track calories and macros on an app (I recommend MyFitnessPal):
» Track your daily intake for 1–2 weeks to get an idea of your protein, fat, carbohydrate and calorie intake
» If you are not hitting 2g protein per 1kg of lean bodyweight (for example, if 70kg was my leanest adult body weight, I should intake around 140g protein daily), make sure you start to work your way up to that and remember that, once there, this intake should always stay stable, regardless of your goals.
» In terms of carbs and fats, you should be hitting 1g of both per 1kg of lean bodyweight (so if 70kg was my leanest adult bodyweight, that would be 70g carbs and 70g fats daily).
This 2protein/1carb/1fat macro split should bring you to around about your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate – the number of calories your body needs to function, in other words your basement calorie intake).
Once you have your 2/1/1 macro split set, look at how many calories you burn in a typical training session …
If strength is your goal, you need to make up 100% of these burned calories via added carbohydrates. For example, if I burned roughly 400kcals in a typical training session, I would add 400kcals’ worth of carbohydrates to my intake (there are 4kcals in 1g of carb, so 400kcals is 100g carbs).
If you instinctively feel that you can and / or should increase your food intake in order to increase your strength-training abilities, you can increase your carbs by 30g (120kcals) and see if your training benefits. You can do this every time you feel you need to.
» I would start to work your way up to 4–5g carbohydrates per 1kg of lean bodyweight (for example, if I weighed 70kg I should work my way up to an intake of 280–350g carbohydrates daily).
» Don’t panic if you start to gain some body fat, this is very normal when in a calorie surplus.
However, if you gain too much body fat too quickly, simply stop increasing your carbohydrates for the time being and see if your body stabilises. If it doesn’t and you want to drop a little body fat, deduct 5–10g from your daily carbohydrate or fat intake and then see how your body responds.
Where is the ceiling?
If you are actively trying to increase strength and perform better, you might not reach a point at which you cap your intake – increasing strength is a hard thing to do!
If you are not someone who can be bothered to weigh out and track your food every day (hello the vast majority of the population!) then what you need is a diet plan …
THE STRENGTH DIET PLAN
Monday–Sunday
Protein, carbohydrate and fat balanced meals for performance and recovery
| BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | 1 protein option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 carb | 1 carb | 1 carb |
| + | + | + |
| 1 fat option | 1 fat option | 1 fat option |
| + | + | + |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | 1 veg option |
| OR | OR | OR |
| 1 Gains recipe | 1 Gains recipe | 1 Gains recipe |
| SNACK 1 | SNACK 2 | |
| CHOOSE: | CHOOSE: | |
| 1 protein option | 1 protein option | |
| +IF YOU LIKE+ | +IF YOU LIKE+ | |
| 1 veg option | 1 veg option | |
MEN
Men need to follow the above structure but:
» Replace the 2 daily snacks with 2 daily Gains meals instead
» Implement a 3rd snack ( Gains meal)
This will ensure men hit the appropriate calorie count
STRENGTH CARDIO
If strength is your goal, I would like you to:
» Lift 4–6 days a week in the strength range (remember that less is more with strength training – recovery is key!)
Only implementing 20–30 minutes:
» Low-impact cardio (swimming, rowing, cross trainer etc) AND
» Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) cardio
When to do your cardio?
» 2–3 days a week
» On your rest days OR
» Immediately post lift (ideally on lower body days)
Recovery is key for strength and while a little LISS can aid recovery, too much of it can hinder recovery.
The reason I want you to perform your cardio on your rest days OR immediately post lift is to make sure you have optimum energy for your lift, which is harder and requires more mental and physical energy. If you get your lift done first and give it 100%, you can then roll on to cardio without having to worry about squatting a baby elephant afterwards.
A lot of people don’t recommend any cardio when in a strength phase, but I disagree. Cardiovascular exercise it healthy and, when done in the right amounts and ranges, can assist pretty much any training goal.
Low-impact, low-intensity cardio can work nicely alongside a strength-training plan.
How long can I do the Strength-building Cardio Plan?
There is no time limit to a strength-building plan. However, if you find you hit your limit on a certain lift and you cannot get past it, you will need to do one (or several) of the following:
» Increase your calories (ideally via increased carbohydrates)
» Play around with your nutrient timing (pre-and post-training protein, carbohydrate and calorie increases)
» Implement a deload week (deliberately decrease your training output – frequency, volume and / or intensity)
» Add in some hypertrophy accessory work (additional lifts that will assist your strength performance, such as a leg press to help improve a squat)
MONDAY + THURSDAY Lower Body
LISS CARDIO – 20–30 minutes MAX
Swim
or
Any LOW-IMPACT cardio machine (slight resistance)
Total: 20–30 minutes MAX
