LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION…I PROMISE IT WILL BE A SIMPLE ONE.
OK…here it goes. Who would YOU rather look like? The guy on the left or the guy on the right?
No trick question here at all. Just simply, if you could have the physique of anyone in the world RIGHT NOW what would you want it to look like? The ripped, muscular but not overly done body of the guy on the left or the bulky, higher body fat percentage more massive look of the guy on the right?
I think I know the answer.
For most of you, you’ll choose the guy on the left. How do I know? Because in numerous recent surveys, guys have almost unanimously answered (88% of them in fact) that they would much rather look like our “AthLEAN” guy on the left (that’s athletic AND lean in case you are new to this site!). And really…who could blame them?
Not only is this look far more attainable for most guys (since it doesn’t require you having to spend 4 hours a day in the gym, living on 6,000 calories a day, and walking like you are always carrying your luggage…even though you’re not planning a trip any time soon!) but it’s been also proven to be the look that most women crave in the men that they choose! So even more reason to want to look this way.
BUT….there is a big misconception out there that says that in order to build lean muscle you actually have to bulk up first and then cut down and lose the fat!
DON’T BELIEVE IT FOR ONE SECOND!!
All you accomplish by building bulk is that you confuse your body as to what your primary goal is and make it more difficult to lean up later on. Building muscle and staying lean with low overall body fat ARE NOT two separate goals. They are the same. The result is a body that looks incredible and makes people take notice…for all the right reasons. Adding pounds of pure bulk (getting fat and building muscle) for the sake of just getting bigger ARE entirely separate goals metabolically. Think about it. The lazy guy who does nothing will get fat while the active guy who trains will build muscle. By adding shear mass you’re doing a little of each. Stop confusing your body.
Do what it physiologically prefers and that is….getting more muscular WHILE remaining lean!
Why don’t guys do this? Because usually it’s too difficult to do. In order to add lean muscle and burn fat /remain lean you MUST have three things in place. These are a sound workout program that trains your body the right way (athletically, quickly, and intensely), a diet or nutrition plan that allows you to eat lots of food as long as you’re eating the right kinds of it (trust me…it’s not as hard as some would make it sound) and finally…adequate amounts of recovery. As a drug free weight trainer you can’t underestimate the value of rest and recovery when you’re trying to build muscle. It’s just as critical as your workout if not more!
But with all of these in place the goal of building lean muscle is not only readily attainable but almost easy.
Every day you spend wasting trying to get rid of the lard you laid around your waist during your “bulking” phase, could be spent fine tuning your continually growing ripped physique. Which do you prefer? What makes this worse is that often times, when guys get completely frustrated because they can’t see the fat burning results they were hoping for after adding 30 pounds of fat and muscle (when they only really wanted the 1o pounds of muscle in the first place) they wind up giving in and have now turned themselves into just another overweight guy who’s lost his passion for working out and going to the gym. Not good. Looks more like a lifetime of weight problems ahead as far as I can see.
So don’t let the “big” guys lie to you. It is NOT NECESSARY to “bulk up first to cut down later”. Total garbage.
If you want to stay lean, keep your six pack (or etch it in even deeper as you build lean muscle) and look like you’re actually in shape all while you’re steadily adding pounds of lean muscle month by month…then all you need to do is stick to your guns and follow the plan you know will work to take you there.
Yours in health,
Jeff
Still not sure if what you’re doing at the gym is the right plan? Stop guessing. Start following the AthLEAN-X Training System – the only 90 day strength and conditioning system that is endorsed by professional athletes and created by former MLB Physical therapist / Strength Coach and Men’s Fitness writer Jeff Cavaliere that can fast track your way to what Jeff calls the “AthLEAN” body. No need to put on pounds of fat first just to ultimately look the way you want to all along…like the guy on the left. Lean, Ripped, Athletic, Strong and Muscular….AthLEAN! CLICK HERE to get started today.
