Beginner: 0-2 years

Intermediate: 2-5 years

Advanced: 5 or more

RECOMPOSITION:
Achieved under Beginners, Detrainees, Obese, Anabolic Steroid users.
Build muscle while simultaneously losing fat
Build muscle mass while maintaining body fat mass
Lose fat while maintaining muscle mass

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https://nutritiondata.self.com/

1 kg (~2.2 pounds) of muscle = 1,800 calories / 1 kg of fat = 9,400 calories

9.1 kg of fat loss = 85,540 calories lost
2.3 kg of muscle gained = 4,140 calories gained
Net Energy Balance = Energy Gained – Energy Expended = -81,400 calories
81,400 yearly calorie deficit / 365 days = 223 calories deficit per day
NEAT: Non-Exercise Activity (included in Physical Activity Level)
In scientific laboratories, an expensive piece of technology called the metabolic cart can assess
your resting metabolic rate by measuring the exchange ratio between oxygen and carbon dioxide
when exhaling at rest. Fortunately, after assessing thousands of people, scientists have been able
to create equations so that anybody can obtain a very close estimation of their BMR.

160 pounds => BMR roughly: 160lbs x 10 = 1600 calories.

When in a caloric deficit for an extended period of time, your body senses the decline in food
intake and automatically decreases energy expenditure by downregulating NEAT. This can result
in something as simple as fidgeting less, but can also present as severe fatigue if you diet for too
hard or too long.

Low Bodyfat: 8-12% bodyfat for men, 18-22% for women

Moderate Bodyfat: 12-18% bodyfat for men, 22-28% for women
High Bodyfat: 18-20+% bodyfat for men, 28-30%+ for women

On the other hand, your training age will not directly impact how big your deficit should be since
one’s ability to lose fat is not diminished with increased training experience. For the most part,
beginners and veterans to the weight room will not differ in their ability to lose fat. For this
reason, experience level only impacts the recommended size of a caloric surplus, not a caloric
deficit.
Weight train => muscle fibers grow in size (hypertrophy) and increase the number of nuclei
(myonuclei) in the muscle.
Myonuclei: the control center of the muscle fiber.
Skip the gym for too long => muscle fiber itself loses size (atrophy), but myonuclei are never
lost. Get back to training => myonuclei start cranking out commands to ramp up the production
of new muscle much faster than if you had never trained in the past.

Deficiency in certain micronutrients could stunt or halt a recomp (deficient in zinc => lower
testosterone, impaired insulin sensitivity and depression)
There are 13 essential vitamins and 16 essential minerals

THE SIX MICRONUTRIENT COMMANDMENTS:

1. Aim for at least 3-4 servings of green vegetables per day (1 serving = 100g)
2. Aim for at least 2 servings of fruit per day.
3. Try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors and rotate food sources.
4. Consume fatty fish once or twice per week (otherwise, consider fish oil supplements).
5. If eliminating grains, dairy or meat, consider supplementation of vitamin B12, vitamin D,
omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, iron, calcium, and zinc under the guidance of a medical
professional.
6. Generally, stick to a whole food, minimally-processed, nutrient-dense diet.
High protein diet is very safe, current literature has consistently shown no negative side effects
of very high protein diets on blood lipids, liver, bone or kidney function.
Daily protein intake calculations depend on an estimation of your bodyfat percentage.
The leaner you are, the more protein you need to eat to preserve (or gain) muscle mass.
The leaner you are, the closer you will want to be to the 1.6 grams per pound figure. The more
body fat you have, the closer you will want to be to the 1.2 grams per pound figure.
Fats are essential for survival and carbohydrates are not. We must consume dietary fat, whereas
our metabolism can adapt to a complete absence of carbohydrate intake by shifting the primary
energy source to ketone bodies.

Dietary fat: stored as adipose tissue, regulating many metabolic processes, large role in hormonal
production, enabling bodies to absorb and utilize certain vitamins (A, D, E, & K).
Many metabolic pathways depend on fat availability => fat-phobia hinder body recomposition

20-35% of your total calories come from dietary fat. => reduce risk of becoming deficient in fat
soluble vitamins and experiencing negative hormonal side effects such as reduced testosterone.

Strong relationship between body fat percentage and insulin sensitivity. Those who carry more
body fat have a decreased ability to utilize carbohydrates efficiently.
The higher your body fat percentage, the lower insulin sensitivity. The higher your starting body
fat percentage is, the lower your carbohydrate intake should be.
Those with higher levels of body fat stay toward the higher end of our recommended range of
20-35 percent of total calories.

Those that are more active would benefit from a lower fat intake, as they can more easily utilize
carbohydrates for energy
Those with less active lifestyles would be better off with a higher fat and lower carb intake.
2 identical twins, 1 has an office job, 1 is a waiter (high NEAT). The high physical activity level
one => feel better (in and out of the gym) with a lower fat, higher carb approach. The office one
stays closer to the 35% fat intake and the waiter twin stay closer to the 20% for fat intake.

Those with higher body fat levels consume fewer carbs and more fats.
Those leaner and have less body fat should consume more carbs and less fat.
Synthesizing (or building) new muscle protein requires all 9 essential amino acids be present,
since skeletal muscle protein is itself made up of these 9 essential amino acids.

BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine and valine) have been identified as the key amino acids for initiating
muscle protein synthesis. Leucine is the main amino acid responsible for upregulating this
process.
There is a limit to how much you can crank MPS up. Past this limit, adding more leucine or more
protein won’t do anything extra for synthesizing new muscle proteins.
Can absorb an enormous amount of protein in a single meal, since absorption simply refers to the
passage of nutrients from the intestine into the blood. Could eat 300 grams of protein or more in
one sitting and absorb all (or almost all) of it just fine.

0.045g leucine/1kg body weight/1 meal to optimize muscle protein synthesis.

170 pounds (~77kg) => need about 3.5g leucine/meal
125 pounds (~55kg) => 2.5g leucine/meal (referred to as leucine threshold)

To maximize the anabolic response of each meal => splitting total protein intake across 4-6 high-
protein meals per day, spaced by roughly 3-5 hours between meals.
Fiber and fat content will slow digestion rate.
Dietary fat plays a crucial role in regulating natural levels of several anabolic hormones,
including testosterone. A diet low in overall fat intake has also been shown to suppress
testosterone levels and as a result may hinder the muscle building and fat loss process.
Cholesterol makes up the building blocks for steroid hormones.
Omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids are essential nutrients responsible for regulating several metabolic
processes, including inflammation (have implications for recovery from training) => consuming
1-2 servings of fatty fish per week or consider fish oil supplementation.
All fat-soluble vitamins also require dietary fat to facilitate absorption. Deficiency in these
vitamins can lead to health and recovery problems.
Limit and avoid trans-fats whenever possible because of their negative impact on heart health.
Carb-OH-hydrates, they all hold about 3g of water per gram when stored as muscle glycogen.
Simple carbs are so small => can be absorbed very quickly and without significant digestion.
Complex carbs are so large and often branched => must be broken down (digested) into their
smaller, simple components before they can be absorbed and used for energy => Complex carbs
have a higher thermic effect
Some foods that are high in complex carbohydrates also contain fiber (a type of polysaccharide).
Insoluble fibers (found in whole grains, beans, potatoes and many fruits) are transformed into
short chain fatty acids by our gut’s microbes, which confer a multitude of health benefits
Excessive fiber intake can lead to bloating, poor nutrient absorption and irregular bowel
movements. Keeping fiber intake between 25-75g per day.
The higher your total carb intake, the higher your fiber intake should be.
High body fat => more energy the body has in reserve (in adipose tissue as fat and in muscle
tissue as glycogen) => timing of nutrients around workout less urgent.
Trainees with lower energy reserves (leaner individuals) => pay closer attention to peri-workout
nutrition because they do not have an abundance of stored energy.
Powerlifter training with heavy weights for low reps (1-6 reps) => not deplete as much
carbohydrate during their training session as a traditional bodybuilder who trains with more
moderate to high reps (6-20 reps) and high volume.
High intensity, low volume training => rely more on the phosphocreatine (PCr) energy system
(using creatine phosphate for fuel).
Moderate intensity, high volume training => rely more heavily on the glycolytic system (burning
carbohydrates for fuel).

PRE-WORKOUT nutrition: MOST important meal of the day for body recomposition.
Recommend including carbohydrate sources (such as fruit) that require the use of multiple
carbohydrate transporters for absorption (glucose, fructose and galactose)
Pre-workout meal consists of starchy, low glycemic carbohydrates and a fruit source. Eating at
least 2 servings of fruit per day,1 serving coming from pre-workout meal.
Consuming adequate protein in the pre-workout => stimulates the appropriate muscle protein
synthetic machinery to crank up the anabolic dial during training. Help tip the balance in favor of
synthesis and anabolism over proteolysis and breakdown.

Assess hydration status by noting the color of urine. More clear and less yellow => proper
hydration (keep look like lemonade and less like apple juice)
Intra-workout needed if:
 Workouts are longer than 60 minutes.
 Train on an empty stomach (fasted)
 It has been 3-5 hours since the pre-workout meal.
Comes from liquid carbohydrates and optional liquid protein/amino acid supplements.
Liquid sources are used for quick consumption and digestion and to prevent a full or bloated
feeling while training.
Rates of glycogen synthesis are highest within 1-2 hours following training => consume 1-1.5 g
of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight post-workout. Include a high glycemic carb source to
optimize glycogen synthesis.
Pre- and Post-workout should not be separated by more than 4-5 hours.

Cardio: potential to interfere with resistance training adaptations => keeping cardio to an
effective minimum.
The combination of resistance training and endurance exercise has been termed concurrent
training in scientific literature. Concurrent training impact gains depend on: frequency, intensity
and modality.
More cardio => more interference with muscle building potential. Due to some mechanistic
interference at the molecular level, or something as simple as spreading your ability to recover
too thin.
Higher intensity cardio => interferes muscle building, especially when performed frequently.

HIIT:
Pros: more time-efficient and less boring.
Cons: harder to recover (can’t do as often as low intensity sessions), more likely to interfere with
resistance training and redundant if already doing intense weight training, which trains similar
systems and yields similar adaptations.
LISS:
Pros: easier to recover from and less likely to interfere with muscle building.
Cons: more boring and less time efficient.
Higher impact cardio is more likely to interfere with muscle building goals.
Running on pavement is high impact exercise compared to cycling or swimming.
Prioritize modalities that will have a lower impact on musculoskeletal and nervous systems to
reduce interference with weight training.

Against doing cardio immediately before weight training.

5-10 minute warm up is a good idea, whereas long or intense cardio sessions can zap you of
energy that will be required to lift weights with the appropriate intensity and volume.
TIER 1:
PROTEIN POWDER
CREATINE
Produced naturally by the liver and is stored in skeletal muscle as phosphocreatine.
Phosphocreatine is the fuel source for the Phosphagen Energy System - predominantly utilized
for short duration, high intensity work such as heavy weight training, sprinting, et cetera.
Looking at the cellular level, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) breaks down to form ADP
(adenosine diphosphate), a phosphate molecule and energy that can be used by muscles. By
supplementing creatine, we are able to increase phosphocreatine stores, allowing our bodies to
rapidly replenish that lost phosphate molecule, meaning more ATP and ultimately more usable
energy for quickly contracting muscles.

Supplement 5g of creatine monohydrate per day.

Loading phases such as taking 20g/day for 1 week are not necessary but will increase creatine
stores in those who have never supplemented with creatine before. Loading may help reap the
strength benefits slightly faster than someone just starting with five grams per day, over the
course of a month, progress should be just about the same.
Creatine uptake is slightly enhanced when taken post-workout with carbohydrates and protein.
However, hasn’t found a strong timing effect => time for supplement with creatine less
important than consistent with taking that 5g/day.
CAFFEINE:
Fat loss or alertness: low dose may be beneficial before doing cardio (1-2 mg/kg).
Maximize strength performance: 3-6mg/kg can be utilized up to 2 times per week.
Frequently utilize high doses of caffeine for acute resistance training enhancements => less
effective and faster build a tolerance => reserve for heaviest, demanding training sessions.
TIER 2:
MULTIVITAMINS (examine.com)

recommended daily intakes (RDIs) are values suggested to prevent disease but there is a big
difference between not being sick and being optimally healthy.
FISH OIL (essential fatty acids (EPA + DHA))
At least consume 0.3-0.5 grams of combined EPA+DHA per day. Optimized when consuming
from 4-6g/day.
Deficiency in Omega 3 fatty acids => lead to fatigue, poor cognition/memory, distributed
mood/depression, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and several other negative symptoms.
=> negatively impact muscle building and fat loss goals.
Aim for 2 grams per day of EPA/DHA combined.
TIER 3:
GREEN TEA (EGCG)
Green tea contains a high amount of catechin polyphenols, the most abundant and active of
which being EpiGalloCatechin-3-Gallate, commonly known as EGCG. EGCG has demonstrated
a multitude of positive health effects, some evidence supporting its use for fat loss.
Data shows that 125-250 milligrams of EGCG paired with only 50 milligrams of caffeine is
sufficient to improve metabolic rate and fat loss.
ASHWAGANDHA
A natural herbal adaptogen, ashwagandha is commonly utilized to reduce stress and anxiety, as
research has demonstrated its ability to decrease both objective (i.e. cortisol) and subjective
(well-being) measures of stress. Further research has suggested it may improve strength
performance, glucose uptake, and even testosterone levels.
Start with 500 milligrams per day. If not noticing any benefits at this intake => increase 1000
milligrams per day. Some studies have used 6000 milligrams daily (2000mg/3x/day) with no
negative side effects.
Ashwagandha product: look for one that uses the KSM-66 strand (most studied).
Taking post-exercise (when cortisol levels are naturally going to be elevated) and/or with final
meal before bed.
L-CITRULLINE
Many pre workout pump products also make the mistake of using L-Arginine instead of L-
Citrulline, under the faulty assumption that L-Arginine will significantly increase nitric oxide
(NO) levels in the blood, resulting in skin-tearing pumps.
Supplementing with L-Citrulline is actually more effective at increasing blood arginine levels
than supplementing with arginine itself. This is because, unlike L-Arginine, L-Citrulline is able
to bypass hepatic metabolism, meaning it doesn’t get broken down in the liver. Once in the
bloodstream, L-Citrulline is able to increase blood vessel diameter (vasodilation) via nitric oxide
production, allowing blood to flow to your tissues more effectively. This increase in blood flow
leads to more efficient oxygen delivery.
When exercising, your muscles need more oxygen to maintain performance, which is one reason
why L-Citrulline has been shown to significantly increase muscular endurance during exercise.
Also, with this increased blood flow, not only is oxygen delivery enhanced, but other nutrients
such as glucose and amino acids can be transported to the exercising muscle more efficiently.
Like us, you may have taken a pre-workout supplement and noticed a great pump the first few
times you use it, but over time the effects seem to diminish, and you feel like the product no
longer works. This can happen for a few reasons. Perhaps your product doesn’t contain a
clinically effective dose of 4-10 grams. Or perhaps your body has grown less sensitive to the
ingredients. With citrulline in particular, your body can upregulate arginase (an enzyme that
breaks down arginine) and over time, may not produce the same response. To combat this, we
recommend cycling on and off L-Citrulline periodically, such as during a deload.

TIER 4:
YOHIMBINE HCL
Derived from Yohimbe Tree Bark: enhance fat loss and decrease appetite by increasing
adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) while inhibiting processes that suppress fat loss.
To oversimplify a lot of complex biochemistry, to maximize lipolysis (fat breakdown), basically
we want epinephrine to bind to beta receptors (instead of alpha receptors) on fat cells.
Yohimbine works by binding to alpha receptors, leaving more beta receptors open for
epinephrine to bind to, ultimately increasing fat breakdown. From a fat loss perspective, alpha
receptors are “bad” and beta receptors are “good.”
Yohimbine supplementation may have utility in mobilizing and breaking down these stubborn fat
stores. This is especially the case when it is stacked with caffeine and taken on an empty stomach
before performing fasted cardio or two hours after a low glycemic meal (insulin inhibits
yohimbine’s lipolytic mechanism).
Most studies show a benefit with supplementation of 0.2 milligrams of Yohimbine per kilogram
of bodyweight. However, taking an altered form such as Yohimbine HCl may provide the same
benefit with a smaller dose due to increased bioavailability
It’s worth mentioning that although yohimbine may help with appetite suppression and fat
breakdown, it may also lead to increased anxiety, increased heart rate and mean arterial blood
pressure => Start with a low dose Yohimbine HCl (2.5mg/50lbs per day) as you assess your
tolerance. If tolerated well => can increase dose to 2.5mg/25lbs 15 minutes before training.
Sleep restriction cause more muscle loss as opposed to fat loss => owed to the catabolic
hormonal cocktail it imposes on the body: higher cortisol, lower myostatin, lower testosterone
and lower IGF-1. => reduce muscle protein synthesis and increase muscle protein breakdown.
Any one of these hormonal changes on their own would have the potential to rob you of muscle,
so combining all of these changes can be truly detrimental.

Not all volume is created equal and how much volume you need to maximize growth may also
depend on the body part you’re training. The muscles of the back require higher training volumes
than the biceps in order to maximize growth.
Most trainees should be performing somewhere in the range of 10-20 sets per body part per
week. Some advanced trainees or trainees with impressive recovery abilities may require higher
volumes for continued progress.
One set of bench press will offer more hypertrophic bang for your buck than one set of pec deck.
Likewise, performing four sets of squats will impose a higher local and systemic fatigue demand
than four sets of leg press.
Different exercises can also result in different patterns of hypertrophy across a given muscle
group, even when volume is matched.
Recommend leaving 1-2 reps in the tank on most compound exercises.
Isolation exercises can be taken more routinely to failure without the same risk of fatigue
accumulation. Recommend reserving failure for the last set of any given exercise.

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