How to get Ripped...Your Experience

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

There is so many conflicting information out there about how a person can get to extremely low bodyfat,while maintaining, or increasing their strength.

Id like this thread to be where people, who have managed to get to extremely low bodyfat several times naturally, post the best ways that have worked for them. This is NOT a thread where people get to post what they have read in numerous sites and what they think will work; only post if you have tried a specific method and it worked for you.

If you have nothing valuable to contribute to the thread dont post,ull take up space and look like an idiot.

Ok…so Ill go first.Here is what i find worked best for me:

1)To kick start the weight loss, I have 4 days of Very,very low calories-1800 calories-250g of protein, 100g of carbs,40g of fat spread over 4 meals.I only count protein and carbs.No sugar, no dairy, just protein and starches like rice. The reason i do that is to get rid of water retention, and get my body used to a negative energy balance.

2)i multiply my bodyweight in pounds by 14…this is the amount of calories ill comsume in the first week.take that number, and divide it by 4, you have the number of calories per meal.

3)The calories are carb cycled.I do a 3 day rotation. High carb/low carb/no carb. On high carb day ill get 50% of my calories from brown rice/pasta/oatmeal/veggies and fruits.so if im consuming 2400 calories, 1200 will come from carbohydrtes.On low carb day,ill consume 1g/lb of bw, and on no carb 0g of carbs.All while keeping 1g/lb bw of protein.The calories are compensated in no carb and low carb using healthy fats, like olive oil,flaxseed oil,peanut butter, beef.

4)I decrease my calories by 200 every week,until i get to 2000 calories.i do not go lower than that.

5)On training: I do a 4 day split. 15 min of HIIT after each session,jogging with intervals of sprints.In order to maintain my strength, i train to increase it; on squats,bench presses,and deadlifts, I do 5 sets of 3-5 reps, with sub-maximal weights.I do the rest of my movements in the 10-12-15 rep range.I could tell you now that I NEVER lost strength when i kept low reps in my compound movements, that is the key.

6)Supplements: Fish oil,12g per day, flax seed oil, 6 tablespoons on no carb day, whey protein pwo, 4g of green tea per day.

Results: 2lbs per week.I have used this method twice.In the first time, which was a trial i got to 185 pounds with 7% bodyfat from 205 pounds with 13% bf in 12 weeks. In the second time i used it to go from 225 pound with 14% bodyfat to 200 pounds with 8% bodyfat in 8 weeks, still in progress.
All these where tested using calipers, and skinfold measurements.

Feel free to share your experience

2

lowering my carbs and replacing them with protien always did the trick

3

The most ripped I’ve ever been was in high school.

I feel that changing up exercise programs through out the year, while maintaining high intensity, is the way to do it because of this.

I played various sports through the year and attended the athletic summer program as well.

Football required lots of sprints and heavy weight lifting.

Wrestling required everything and then some.

Track was a lot of running and jumping. During track season, I lifted weights on my own in the morning.

Summer was essentially football training.

I ate huge breakfasts of whatever was available, tray lunches, a protein shake in the afternoon and before which ever practice and usually mom and dad had large, well balanced dinners. We ate as a traditional family.

I have no idea what my caloric intake was, but it was high as was my protein content. I ate when I was hungry until I was full and kept a mind for protein when I did. Diet didn’t seem to matter with 3-4 hours of activity per day and a decent sleep schedule all year.

Edit:

I guess I should mention my bf%. I really only kept up with it during wrestling to maintain my weight class. I bounced between 6-8% roughly. Sometimes lower, sometimes higher. It seemed the lower it got the more difficult it was to maintain a tight parameter. I would usually have to cut about 2 lbs for a match but it was all water.

I usually came in to the season around 10-12% following football. Scratch weights were a month in to the UIL approved beginning of practice and I’d cut pretty hard for the month. A stricter diet along with hell week and wrestling in general did the trick every year.

4

I’m not sure what you mean by ripped. It is of course not an exact term, with different people meaning different things by it.

So I don’t know if I qualify as what you’d call ripped or not.

I’m not what I call ripped myself, and so ordinarily wouldn’t have considered myself in the category of person you’re asking to reply.

E.g. at the moment, due to Thanksgiving and, worse, post-Thanksgiving meals of the many plates of food I was given to take home, have fattened me up to a current (I just did it now) 5.8% by the 4 point Jackson-Pollock skinfold method. Which incidentally I don’t believe to be so meaningful: my guess is DEXA would read about 2 points higher.

But at the end it sounds as if you are calling 7% or 8% ripped.

In which case then I’m almost all the time leaner than your cutoff point and thus would be qualified.

Anyhow, whether in the category of leanness you intend or not, this is how I eat when dieting down, even if only a few pounds:

  1. I eat every 2 hours or if being very restrictive, every 2.5 hours or rarely 3 but I don’t do too much of that.

  2. A lot of “meals” are Metabolic-Drive based shakes. Mostly the Low-Carb Metabolic Drive. Often one scoop of Low-Carb Metabolic Drive with three raw eggs. Or two raw eggs, one scoop Metabolic Drive Complete, and 2/3 scoop Low-Carb Metabolic Drive. In some cases 3 scoops Metabolic Drive Complete.

Often there is 1/2 tbsp coconut oil with that.

  1. Food meals are generally conservative for calories. A favorite is the BK Grilled Chicken Garden Salad, no croutons, no cheese, no dressing. Or a low-carb wrap with spinach and lowfat meat. I sometimes have 3-4 ounces of 75% fat reduced sharp cheddar cheese. Or Shelton’s Turkey Chili.

1 hour after the postworkout Surge, I sometimes have CiCi’s pizza, which is pretty nutritious. If feeling at the edge of central nervous system overtraining, pizza is a must as well as somewhat higher calories and carbs for the rest of that day.

  1. Surge Recovery pre and post workout, or if a long workout, also midworkout. Actually these days now it is Surge Workout Fuel pre and mid, or that plus Surge Recovery depending on perceived need.

  2. HRX if cutting rapidly. I don’t need it all the time.

  3. Ditto for Carbolin 19. (I am a low-responder to forskolin carbonate and so combining the above two is useful for me, but not appropriate for most.)

  4. Sometimes I start the day with just a FINiBAR and then 2 hours after that, just Power Drive (also always used preworkout) and BCAA’s to cover me for the next 2 hours after that. Gets the day off to a very low calorie start. Not appropriate for training days. However a training day can start with a FINiBAR on awakening, 2 hours before I’m going to be ready for the actual pre-workout nutrition.

5

do lots of cardio, do not eat or drink a whole lot, and do lots of bodyweight excersizes. there you go

6

[quote]Pluto wrote:
do lots of cardio, do not eat or drink a whole lot, and do lots of bodyweight excersizes. there you go[/quote]

If you’ve never been ripped or do not know what your talking about which you clearly do not, don’t post. “there you go?” You accomlished nothing in your post but letting people who read it know not to go to you for advice.

1 Like
7

i think he was being sarcastic

8

The parameters should always be determined by your starting point.

A guy at 24% can set a much more aggressive deficit and lose more weight weekly (and maintain muscle) than a person around 12%.

I think the best way to lose fat at low bodyfat percentages (while maintaining muscle) is multiple sessions of lactate workouts on low carb diets combined with weekly high carb/low fat refeeds.

9

A very low calorie diet like the V-Diet with lots of protein and very strong will power. Lift weights the same as you do when bulking. If you feel like you absolutely have to eat more food, burn that amount of calories with cardio exercise. If you have to eat an extra 500 calories, make sure you burn off 500 calories somewhere that day.

Count calories on paper. Measure progress on the scale and with a BF caliper (don’t flame it’s useful). Don’t cheat. I have achieved sub 5 with the Jackson caliper method. It pretty simple, just a pain in the ass when hunger settles in. Good luck.

10

Being ripped is gay.

1 Like
11

I like Dave Palumbo’s diet the most.

12

This topic may have come up before. Maybe somewhere there is an article or 2. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

13

OP are you an ectomorph?

I guess its different for every body type?

Oh and Ive never been ripped, but Im planning to be by next summer :wink:

14

[quote]Hagar wrote:
I like Dave Palumbo’s diet the most. [/quote]

Point me to this information, Viking, or else…

15

[quote]Blacksnake wrote:
Hagar wrote:
I like Dave Palumbo’s diet the most.

Point me to this information, Viking, or else…[/quote]

Slim chance you’ll find it here, it dominates a rival site. Google it mate, its pretty readily available.

16

[quote]Hagar wrote:
I like Dave Palumbo’s diet the most. [/quote]

x2. Its by far the easiet to adhere to (at least for me). I’ve used it twice with great results. One time with the once a week cheat meal, and another time with a once a week carb up day.

17

-Eat enough protein to support your lbm.
-Train with enough intensity that your body won’t scavenge your muscle.
-Expend more cals than your BMR requires each day.

Repeats steps 1-3 as needed -lol

S

18

I don’t want to catch Dave’s disease so I won’t follow his diet plan stated on this link. http://sicktracks.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=51098

1 Like
19

[quote]BUSHMASTER wrote:
I don’t want to catch Dave’s disease so I won’t follow his diet plan stated on this link. http://sicktracks.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=51098

[/quote]

This has nothing to do with the way he eats. At all.

20

I was going to ask for his diet to be posted as well. I read through google, this appears to be it.

"The premise of the diet is high protein (about 1- 1 1/2 gram per pound), moderate fat (about 1/2 g per lb) and low low carbs (no direct sources of carbs). During this diet, the brain goes into ketosis (it uses ketone bodies for energy-- fats) and thus the energy requirements by the body can almost all be supplied by fats (which you’ll be taking in plenty of). The only activity that uses carbs will be the weight workout which may use 40grams per workout. You will get these 40g indirectly through the foods you’ll be eating. As a backup, the cheat meal you’ll be having once per week will provide a storehouse of glycogen (glucose) in case of emergency. So, you see, very little gluconeogenesis in the liver will be occurring. If we keep cortisol low (by
restricting STIMULANTS) we’ll ensure that muscle is spared!

HAVE YOUR CHEAT MEAL ON THE SAME DAY EVERY WEEK, last meal of the
day so you dont cheat again.

Fiber helps burn fat! Everyone should take fiber 2x per day. Fiber actually helps increase the absorption of calcium.
When following my diet plan (which includes getting your brain into ketosis), there can be NO starchy carbs eaten!

For a 200lb man:

MEAL #1
5 whole eggs (make sure to buy OMEGA-3 EGGS from the supermarket. They contain virtually NO saturated fat and tons of good OMEGA-3 fats); add another 4 egg whites to this (they don?t need to be the Omega-3 ones; you can use liquid egg whites)

MEAL #2
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoon of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar)

MEAL #3
“Lean Protein Meal”: 8oz chicken with 1/2-cup cashew nuts (almonds, or walnuts)

MEAL #4
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoons of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar added)

MEAL #5
“Fatty Protein Meal”: 8oz Salmon, Swordfish, or RED MEAT with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots, or red peppers) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil and vinegar

MEAL #6
SHAKE: 50g Whey with 1 ? tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 4 whole (Omega-3) eggs and 4 extra whites

For a 250lb+ man:
Meal 1 6 whole Omega-3 eggs
Meal 2 8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds
Meal 3 50g whey with 2 tablespoons all natural peanutbutter
Meal 4 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
Meal 5 50 g whey with 2 tablespoon PB
Meal 6 6 whole eggs

Remember, it takes 3-4 days to get into a strong ketosis where your brain is using ketone bodies (fats), instead of carbs, for energy. Be patient.

Many times I’ll switch to an alternatiing diet where one day it will be protein/fat…then another protein/vegetables (very little fat). The great thing about the body and fat is that ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS can be stored in the muscle for several days, up to 2 weeks…therefore, once an adequate storehouse of Essential Fats are built up, the body can be “tortured” a little and it still won’t give up muscle (that’s assuming you’re still taking in adequate protein. Protein can’t be stored).

1oz almonds equals 6g carbs (2 of those grams are fiber) and 2oz equals 12g of carbs.

With the beef meal (any fatty protein meal), you should have the green salad with 1 tablespoon of Olive or Mac oil INSTEAD of the nuts. Only eat the nuts with the LEAN PROTEIN MEAL (chicken, turkey, lean fish)

The best fat sources come from the essential fatty acids-- Omega-6 and Omega-3’s. Most of us get plenty of Omega-6s from cooking oils, ect…however the Omega-3’s are harder to get. I recommend WHOLE OMEGA-3 EGGS, FaTTY FISHS like SALMON and SWORDFISH and TUNA and MACKEREL, ALMONDS and WALNUTS have some OMEGA-3’s (as well as OMEGA-6s). ANother great fat source is MONOUNSATURATES such as EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL and MACADAMIA NUT OIL…they aren’t essential but they are great for the metabolism (great source of energy) and they are extremely good for your heart.

You’re not getting any indirect sources of carbs (just from the 1 spoonful of PB… you may want to have at least one 1/3cup nuts meal. Remember, Olive or Macadamia nut oil is predominantly a MONOUNSATURATED FAT (good for the heart, but not essential)… the nuts, and fish oil have the essential fats in them. Also, with regard to FLAX SEED OIL, the OMEGA-3 Fatty Acids found in them (alpha-linolenic acid) has a very poor conversion to DHA and EPA (Essential Omega-3 intermediates) in the HUMAN…therefore, you’re much better off taking in FISH OILS (that already contain DHA/EPA) than FLAX SEED OIL.

Once fat loss slows, I always increase cardio first, then I increase the amount of fat burners (Clenbuterol, cytomel, lipolyze)…After those other methods are exhausted, only then, do I play with the diet.

Always eat BEFORE lifting…never BETWEEN lifting and cardio.
Artificial Sweetners:
The artificial sweetener itself (eg. aspartame, sucralose) wont cause a problem. It’s what some companies complex it with. For example, EQUAL and SPLENDA combine their aspartame and sucrolose with 1g of maltodextrin…whereas, in diet drinks, they don’t do that. So, diet drinks are okay, SPLENDA and EQUAL must be used in moderation (STEVIA BALANCE is fine though since they use inulin fiber instead of maltodextrin

Forget using:
-MCT’s are a waste when you’re dieting. If you’re gonna use FATS for an energy source, they might as well serve a function in the body. MCTs are useless. They can only serve as a source of energy!
-Arginine is not going to do anything. It will DO something; just not dramatic.

Cardio:
CARDIO should be performed at a low intensity (under 120bpm heartrate). This will ensure that you use FAT as a fuelsource since as your heartrate increase, carbohydrates begin to become the preferred fuel of choice for the body. When on a low carb diet, you’re body will break down muscle and turn that into carbs. Remember, Fat CANNOT be changed into carbs. Therefore, for bodybuilding, the rule of cardio should be LONG DURATION, LOW INTENSITY

never do less than 20 min per session

The BOTTOM LINE is that low intensity cardio (while you might need more of it) ensures that fat is utilized and muscle is spared (especially while on my high protein/moderate fat/low carb diety).

Do you feel the treadmill is better for cardio, or is the bike(stationary or rebent) just as good? As long as the intensity is LOW, it doesn’t matter which piece of equipment you use

Q&A:
Q: Is gluconeogenesis inevitable in your diet?
Dave Palumbo: NO

Q: If so do I need to consume more than 1.5 grams of protein per lb of LBM so as not to lose muscle?
Dave Palumbo: The fat spares the protein…when the brain is in ketosis, the carbohydrate requirements are very very low.

Q: How much (percentage) of my protein intake would be turned into glucose (gluconeogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: Very little (maybe 10%)

Q: What do you think of submersion in cold water as a means of burning bodyfat (thermogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: HOCUS POKUS!

Q: How about drinking lots of cold water (I think this was even suggested by Elligton Darden) to help lose bodyfat?
Dave Palumbo: RIDICULOUS

Q: Do you think drinking lots of Green Tea is beneficial to fat loss?
Dave Palumbo: Somewhat helpful.

Q: How much is the ideal dosage of Omega 3 for a 220 lb. individual ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to take in about 9g per day

Q: How many Tbs of peanut butter could I have instead of 1/2 cup of cashewnuts?
Dave Palumbo: 2 tablespoons, two tablespoons of Peanut Butter contains 190 calories and 16 grams of fat (so 1.5 tablespoon equals about 12 grams fat) …whereas… 2oz (1/3 cup) almonds (about 40 almonds) = 12g fat

Q: I want to add that if I cant find the omega eggs here locally. Can I use international egg whites and just take an omega supplement?
Dave Palumbo: You can get away with 5 whole eggs (regular ones) once a day…not a big deal. You’ll be burning up all that fat anyway.

Q: Whats the max cups # of coffee ( no sugar ) can consume on Dave’s diet ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to limit to 2 cups per day…I realize that towards the end of the diet you may need more to help you get through the day.

Q: If you cook tilapia in macadamon nut oil?do you coun’t the oil as your fat for that meal! Depends how much you use.
Dave Palumbo: If you just grease the pan with it, no!

Q: what is the protein,carb and fat ratio for offseason
Dave Palumbo: 50% Protein, 25% fat, 25% carbs

Q: and the ratio for contest prep.
Dave Palumbo:60% protein, 30% fat, 10% carbs"