Bigger Leaner Stronger
Page 53
Weight PlatesYou’ll want to get at least two 2.5-, 5-, 10-, and 25-pound plates and six 45-pound plates when you set up your home gym. You can buy more as you get stronger (most people like to add extra 10- and 45-pound plates).
Make sure you get round plates and not multi-sided ones, which shift out of position when you deadlift.
Adjustable DumbbellsAdjustable dumbbells allow you to do just about any dumbbell exercise, and are much more space efficient than normal dumbbells.
BenchYou’ll need a padded, adjustable bench with wheels that can be set completely flat or upright.
This allows you to do your seated isolation exercises, and when combined with a power rack, allows you to do both flat and incline bench and dumbbell presses.
Deadlift PlatformA deadlift platform is a metal frame that sits on the ground and holds thick tiles of rubber.
As the name suggests, a deadlift platform allows you to deadlift without damaging the floor or your equipment or making too much noise.
It’s also useful for barbell rowing for the same reasons.
You don’t need a deadlift platform, but it’ll let you descend faster while deadlifting and barbell rowing, which means you won’t have to waste energy slowly lowering the weights.
You may want to add a dip station as well, which allows you to do both dips and leg raises.
There are countless other tools, toys, and machines you can buy, but you’ll be able to do almost all the exercises in Bigger Leaner Stronger with this setup.
There are a few exercises you won’t be able to do, like the lat pulldown, cable fly, seated cable row, and leg press, but you can substitute them for other “approved” exercises you can do. Simply go back to chapter 23 to find alternative exercises.
All told, you’ll probably need $1,000 to $3,000 (depending on what type of equipment you want) and 100 to 200 square feet to put it together. For reference, the average two-car garage is 676 square feet.
In terms of where to set up your home gym, I recommend you pick a room that has a concrete floor, like a garage or unfinished basement.
I also recommend you set up your home gym on the first floor or in the basement because working out on an upper floor—and deadlifting in particular—can scare others in the house or even damage your floor.
3. Take Your First Measurements and Pictures
Remember the importance of taking measurements and pictures?
If you want a refresher, go back to chapter 31. Here’s a summary of what you should do:
Take the following body measurements first thing in the morning, nude, after using the bathroom, and before eating or drinking anything:Weight
Waist circumference
OPTIONAL: Chest circumference
OPTIONAL: Shoulder circumference
OPTIONAL: Upper-leg circumference
OPTIONAL: Flexed arms
OPTIONAL: Flexed calvesRecord your numbers in your phone, workout journal, or app, or somewhere else you prefer.
Take flexed and unflexed pictures from the front, back, and sides, and store them in an album or folder you can easily find.Remember to show as much skin as you feel comfortable with. The more the better because it’ll give you the best idea of how your body is changing.
4. Create Your First Meal Plan
If you haven’t done this already, it’s time to use your newly acquired meal-planning skills!
You can go back to chapters 17 and 19 if you want to do an in-depth review of how to calculate calories and macros and create a meal plan, but here’s a simple checklist to get you through it:
Calculate your daily calorie target based on your goals.
Calculate your daily macronutrient targets based on your goals.
Load the meal-planning template in the free bonus material that comes with this book (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus), open up Excel or Google Sheets, or get a paper or notebook and pen.
Create a list of your preferred foods and recipes.
Familiarize yourself with the nutritional facts of your food choices using CalorieKing, SELF Nutrition Data, or the USDA Food Composition Databases.
Remove from your list any foods or recipes that are too high calorie or macronutritionally imbalanced to fit your needs.
Set up your pre- and postworkout meals first.
Add your primary sources of protein to the rest of your meals.
Add your fruits and vegetables.
Add any additional carbs and caloric beverages that aren’t dessert or junk.
Tweak your protein intake as needed.
Add additional fat as needed.
Add treats if desired.
Remember that you want to be within 50 calories of your target intake when cutting and within 100 calories when lean bulking and maintaining.
5. Create Your Workout Schedule
Life is hectic and it always feels like there’s never enough time in the 24 hours we get each day.
As I say in my book The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation (www.workoutmotivationbook.com):
Who has the time for half of all the stuff we want to do? I’m sorry that life isn’t gift wrapping a chunk of your days so you can train in Zen-like comfort and solitude. Join the club. Face the fact that you’re going to die with a long to-do list. Make damn sure “start training” isn’t on that list.
What we’re really talking about here is priorities. We have to make our fitness a top priority and only then will we be able to “find the time” to get our workouts in.
Thankfully, we don’t need to find that much time to make it all work. As you’ll recall from chapter 29, you have three Bigger Leaner Stronger workout routines to choose from:
A five-day routine
A four-day routine
A three-day routine
Each are weekly (seven-day) routines, so the most weightlifting you can do on the program is five workouts per week. Cardio isn’t explicitly included in the routines because it’s optional, and how much you do depends on how much time you have to give to it and whether you’re cutting, lean bulking, or maintaining.
As far as results go, the five-day routine is better than the four- and three-day routines, and the four-day routine is better than the three-day routine. That doesn’t mean you can’t get great results with both the four- and three-day routines, though. You absolutely can.
So, decide now which routine you’re going to follow, and then choose which days you’re going to lift weights on. If you’re going to do cardio workouts as well, decide how you want to fit those into your weekly schedule.
Here’s what your week might look like if you were to do the five-day routine plus two cardio workouts:
Monday: Push
Tuesday: Pull and Calves
Wednesday: Upper Body and Core
Thursday: Legs and Cardio
Friday: Upper Body and Core
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Rest
Here’s what your week might look like if you were to do the four-day routine plus two cardio workouts:
Monday: Push and Core
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Pull and Calves
Thursday: Upper Body and Core
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Rest
And here’s what your week might look like if you were to do the three-day routine plus two cardio workouts:
Monday: Push and Core
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Pull and Calves
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest
6. Prepare for Your First Week
Decide when to start Bigger Leaner Stronger. Mondays work best for most
people as this leaves the weekend to prepare meals (if necessary).
Pick a day to prepare all your meals for your first week. If you want to learn more about effective meal prepping, go to www.biggerleanerstronger.com/mealprep.
Create a grocery list for everything you’ll need to follow your meal plan for the first week, and then add any other items you need to buy.
Go grocery shopping. Buy what’s on your list and nothing else.
OPTIONAL: Sort any snacks, treats, or calorie-dense foods you’ll be tempted to overeat (nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, etc.) into smaller containers or bags.
Clean any tools or surfaces you’ll need to prepare your meals (knives, countertops, pans, etc.).
Wash and chop all the foods you’re going to cook.
Cook all your meals and store them in containers.
Make sure you have any supplements you’re going to be taking.
Ensure you know exactly what you’re supposed to do in your first week of workouts and that you have a way to track them (Excel or Google sheet, journal, app, or notepad).
Watch the form videos for all the exercises you’re going to be doing in your first week, and practice the Big Three with a broomstick until you feel comfortable with the basic movements.Remember, links to videos showing proper form can be found in the free bonus material that comes with this book (www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bonus).
You may want to save the PDF with links to these videos on your phone so you can pull them up in the gym as needed.
OPTIONAL: Announce on social media that you’re starting Bigger Leaner Stronger, tag me (@muscleforlifefitness on Instagram and @muscleforlife on Twitter), and add the #biggerleanerstronger hashtag.
OPTIONAL: Join my Facebook group and introduce yourself to this community of positive, supportive, like-minded people who are striving to become the best they can be. You can find it at www.facebook.com/groups/muscleforlife.
7. Do Your First Week
In chapter 29, you learned that week one is for finding your starting weights on all the exercises you’ll be doing in your first training phase.
This is mostly a matter of trial and error. You start light on an exercise, try it out, and increase the weight for each successive hard set until you’ve dialed in everything.
Chances are you’ll find your starting weights quickly and easily and feel comfortable diving right into proper hard sets in your first workouts.
As far as your diet goes, follow your meal and supplementation plans as closely as possible. Don’t make on-the-fly food substitutions; try not to undereat, overeat, or eat “off-plan” foods or meals, treats, or even condiments; and take your supplements at the same time every day (so you don’t forget and establish the habit).
Also, remember to weigh yourself daily so you can calculate your average daily weight at the end of the week.
8. Get Ready for Your Next Week (and Beyond!)
With your first week in the books, it’s time to congratulate yourself for work well done and prepare for the following week (and exciting journey ahead!).
That means adjusting your meal plan as needed, repeating your grocery shopping and meal prepping, taking new measurements and pictures, calculating your average daily weight for the previous week, and ensuring you have your next week’s workouts penciled into your schedule.
Then, week after week, you simply repeat this routine, keeping a close eye on how your body is responding and modifying your diet and exercise accordingly.
•••
And just like that, you’re going to be on your way to the best shape of your life.
Keep eating, training, and supplementing according to everything you’ve learned in this book, and it won’t be a matter of if but only when.
That’s not all, either. If you’re like the thousands of men I’ve spoken and worked with over the years, Bigger Leaner Stronger is going to give you a lot more than a new body. It’s going to give you a new lease on life.
You’re going to feel strong, confident, and competent, and it’s going to shine through in everything you do, both inside and outside the gym. People are going to start noticing and asking what the heck you’re doing. You might not even believe the results yourself!
All that and more will be yours, and sooner rather than later.
Before you rush off to begin, however, make sure to read the next and final part of this book, because I have a little more to share that will help speed you on your journey!
35
From Here, Your Body Will Change
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON
So . . . I guess this is it, right? We’ve reached the end.
No way.
You’re in a process now—and yup, it has already begun—of proving to yourself that you can transform your body faster than you ever thought possible.
In just your first three months of following my Bigger Leaner Stronger program, you’re going to know with absolute certainty that you’re on the fast track to the body of your dreams. Your self-confidence and self-esteem are going to surge, and people are going to start noticing the sparkle in your eyes.
No matter how “ordinary” you might think you are, I promise that you have what it takes to create an extraordinary body. Don’t be surprised when your newfound positivity and pride start touching other areas of your life as well, inspiring you to reach for other goals and improve yourself in other ways.
As I say in my book The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation (www.workoutmotivationbook.com), if you have the power to change your body, you have the power to change your life.
From here, all you have to do is walk the path I’ve laid out for you, and soon, you’re going to look in the mirror and think, “I’m glad I did,” not “I wish I had.”
My goal is to help you reach your goals, and I know that if we work together as a team, we can and will succeed.
So, if you’re ready to begin, fire up your favorite social media networks, announce that you’re starting Bigger Leaner Stronger, tag me (my information follows), and add the #biggerleanerstronger hashtag.
Why do this? you’re wondering. Three reasons:
It’s a powerful way to “precommit” to your journey and thereby strengthen your resolve.
I’d love to e-meet you and keep tabs on your progress (and feature you on my website once you’re ready, if you’d like!).
By adding the hashtag, other men looking for Bigger Leaner Stronger inspiration will be able to find you and follow your transformation. Who knows who you might help motivate! You can also search this hashtag on any social media platform and see what others who are on the program are doing and sharing.
Here’s how we can connect:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/muscleforlifefitness
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muscleforlifefitness
YouTube: www.youtube.com/muscleforlifefitness
Twitter: www.twitter.com/muscleforlife
I also want to invite you again to join my Facebook group because it’s a community of thousands of positive, supportive, like-minded people who are striving to become the best they can be.
People who can answer your questions, push you forward, cheer your victories, and soothe your setbacks, and for whom you can do the same in return.
In short, this group is an ecosystem that exists to make personal transformation easier.
Here’s where you can find it: www.facebook.com/groups/legionathletics
All you have to do is visit that URL and click the “+ Join Group” button. One of my team members will approve your application, and then you’re ready to go.
If you want to write me, my email address is mike@muscleforlife.com. Keep in mind that I get a lot of
emails every day, so it may take a week or so for me to get back to you.
Also, if you’ve enjoyed this book and are better off in any way after reading it, please pass it on to someone you care about. Let them borrow your copy, or, better yet, get them their own as a gift and say, “I love and appreciate you and want to help you live your best life, so I got you this. Read it.”
And if there are any women in your life who could use some help getting in shape, tell them about my book Thinner Leaner Stronger and that I’d love to be part of their lives as well.
My personal mission is to get this information into as many hands as possible, and I simply can’t do that without your help. So please spread the word.
Thank you so much, and I hope to hear from you soon.
36
Frequently Asked Questions
Even if you fail at your ambitious thing, it’s very hard to fail completely. That’s the thing people don’t get.
—LARRY PAGE
I published the first edition of Bigger Leaner Stronger in 2012, and as of this writing, it has sold over 500,000 copies.
That’s incredibly humbling, and it has allowed me to speak with a lot of guys who have asked a lot of good questions about how to get in the best shape of their lives.
(In fact, my inbox currently has over 100,000 emails sent and received from men and women around the world.)
By this point in the book, we’ve covered all the most important questions, but there are still a few that might be stuck in your craw (or soon will be!) that didn’t have an obvious place in this book.
Let’s tackle them here.
Q: I can’t find time to exercise but want to get in shape. What should I do?
A: I don’t know anybody who can find time to exercise. I’ve never had anyone tell me, “Mike, I have too much free time these days. I think I’ll spend a few hours in the gym every day to get in shape. What should I do while I’m there?”