Hey guys, Sean Nalewanyj here of SeanNal.com and BodyTransformationTruth.com and in today's
video I want to provide for all of the beginners out there, my 8 Step Quick Start Muscle Building
and Fat Loss Guide.
Now I receive a lot of emails and Facebook messages and YouTube questions every single
day from guys and girls all around the world looking to build muscle, lose fat and get
into their best shape.
Some questions are very specific and can be answered in just a few sentences or less,
while others are much broader and would require a full article or video for me to properly
address.
Now the most common inquiries that I receive are from those who are just starting out and
they simply need to be pointed in the right direction.
They're either looking to bulk up and gain muscle, or lean down and lose fat, and they
just need some solid, reliable steps to follow to get on the right path towards their goal.
So there's of course no way for me to cover all of this in a few sentences or less and
that's why I decided to create this 8 step quick start guide.
And this guide will outline the most basic foundational principles that you need to know
when it comes to effective natural muscle gain and fat loss.
Now I will say up front that if you are looking for a complete step-by-step guide that covers
absolutely everything you need to know in detail, along with concrete workout routines,
meal plans and supplement plans then you should definitely go ahead and check out my fully
structured "Body Transformation Blueprint" program which I will link in the description
box below.
That said, if you just want to get the major foundational principles down and put together
a good starting approach that will help you begin seeing results right away, then just
follow these 8 simple steps.
Step number 1 is to select your primary goal.
Regardless of what you may have read elsewhere, in most cases, it's just not realistic that
you're going to build a significant amount of muscle and lose a significant amount of
fat at the same time.
It can be done in some cases due to extremely good genetics or "extracurricular" supplementation,
but it is rare.
So to start off, choose your primary goal, whether it's to bulk up and build muscle or
to lean down and lose fat and once you've reached a level in either direction that you're
happy with, you can then go ahead and change goals if desired.
Step number 2 is to determine your daily calorie needs.
If your goal is to build muscle while keeping body fat levels under control, stick to a
calorie surplus of 15 to 20 percent above your maintenance level, and your maintenance
level is the number of calories that you require daily in order to maintain your current weight,
and this will provide your body with the excess energy that is needed in order to synthesize
new muscle tissue.
If your goal is to lose fat while maintaining lean muscle, then go with a calorie deficit
of 15 to 20 percent below your maintenance level, and this will force your body to burn
up its excess fat stores in order to obtain a source of energy.
Your overall daily calorie intake is the most foundational principle of your entire diet.
Without a calorie surplus, you quite simply are not going to build any significant muscle,
and without a calorie deficit you aren't going to lose any significant body fat.
You can use my free macronutrient calculator, which I'll link in the description box below,
to determine your individual daily calorie needs based on your primary goal, your age,
your height, your weight and your activity level.
Step number 3 is to determine your daily macronutrient needs.
So your daily calorie intake is going to determine whether you gain weight or lose weight, and
your macronutrient intake, which is your total daily grams of protein, carbs and fats, that's
going to influence, excuse me, what type of body weight is gained or lost, whether it
be muscle or fat.
Proteins contain 4 calories per gram, fats contain 9 calories per gram and carbohydrates
contain 4 calories per gram and my general recommendation to optimize body composition
is as follows.
Protein at 1 gram per pound of body weight daily, fats at 25 to 30 percent of total calories
for muscle growth and 15 to 20 percent of total calories for fat loss, and carbohydrates
at whatever calories are left over after your protein and your fat is calculated, and the
macronutrient calculator in the description box will also determine these numbers for
you.
Now you definitely don't need to hit these numbers with exact precision every day, but
just do your best to come reasonably close if you want to achieve the very best results
possible.
Step number 4 is to choose the proper food sources.
So in order to optimize your growth and recovery in between workouts and to ensure that your
daily fiber, vitamin, mineral and other micronutrient needs are being met, aim to base your diet
around the following foods.
The first is high quality lean sources of protein.
This includes foods like lean poultry, eggs, lean red meat, lean pork, skim milk, cottage
cheese, fish, seafood, low fat yogurt and whey protein.
These sources have the highest absorption rate in your body and the strongest amino
acid profiles.
The second food source is going to be high fiber, minimally refined carbohydrates.
So this includes oatmeal, rice, sweet potatoes, yams, Ezekiel bread, whole grain cereals,
pita, pasta, etcetera.
And in addition to these sources, also aim to consume 2 servings of vegetables per day
and 1 to 2 servings of fruit per day in order to ensure that your micronutrient needs are
being fully met.
And the third are healthy unsaturated fats.
Now you're going to receive enough saturated fat from the animal proteins and the other
tag along sources that you consume throughout the day, and you should also make sure to
get a couple of servings of food that are high in poly and monounsaturated fats as well.
So, nuts, seeds, natural nut butters, healthy oils, fatty fish, fish oil supplements and
avocado.
These are all good choices.
Use an online nutrition database like CalorieKing.com or MyFitnessPal to configure a daily diet
for yourself based on your total calorie and macronutrient needs and the food sources that
I just outlined.
And The Body Transformation Blueprint Program does include step-by-step meal plans to make
this easier for you to follow.
Now it doesn't matter if you lay all of this out in 3 large meals, 5 medium meals or 7
smaller meals, just focus on hitting your total calorie and macronutrient needs for
the day as a whole from a mix of these various food sources.
Step number 5.
Perform 3 to 5 weight training workouts per week.
Hit each muscle group directly 1 to 2 days per week and center your workouts around the
big basic compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, bench presses,
rows, chin-ups, pulldowns, overhead presses, etcetera.
Including additional isolation work is important as well but these basic compound lifts should
form the underlying foundation of your routine.
Make sure that you've learned and practiced the proper form for all of your exercises
first before applying any significant weight or intensity.
And you can find many resources online using Google or YouTube to see demonstrations for
all of these specific lifts.
Use a low to moderate rep range, anywhere from 5 to 10, take all of your sets at least
2 reps short of concentric muscular failure, and place all your focus on gradually getting
stronger over time by either adding more weight to the bar on your exercises or performing
more reps using the same weight.
Keep a workout logbook and track every session in detail as this is going to help you progress
at the very fastest rate possible.
There are many different ways you can lay out a weekly weight training schedule, but
the routine that I like best and that I outline in my program is a 3 day split of legs on
Day 1, chest/shoulders/triceps on Day 2 followed by back and biceps on Day 3, rotating through
each workout throughout the week.
Step number 6 is to perform 2 to 4 cardio sessions per week.
The amount of cardio that you perform will largely depend on your specific goal and your
body type.
If you're aiming to gain muscle while minimizing fat gains, then stick to the lower end, and
if you're aiming to maximize fat loss then perform a bit more.
Cardio should ideally be performed at least 8 hours away from your weight training sessions,
but if you really have no other option then perform it post workout.
Utilize a mix of both aerobic cardio, so low intensity sessions in the 45 to 60 minute
range, and anaerobic cardio, so high intensity interval based sessions anywhere from 8 to
20 minutes in length.
Step number 7 is to include some basic supplements in your program if desired.
Supplements can provide a small boost to your overall results and make it easier and more
convenient when it comes to hitting your daily protein and calorie needs.
Now this is an area that is filled with a ton of hype and misinformation and I'd highly
recommend downloading my complete fitness supplementation guide using the link in the
description box below for some honest, no nonsense guidelines that you can follow.
And step number 8 is to monitor your progress and adjust as you move forward.
So if you're trying to gain muscle and your weight gain has stalled for more than a 1
to 2 week period, increase your calories by 150 and then recalculate your macros.
And if you're trying to lose fat and your weight loss is stalled for more than a 1 to
2 week period, then decrease your calories by 150 and recalculate your macros, or you
can also add in an extra cardio session or two during the week.
And another option is to do a combination of both, so you could lower your calorie intake
by maybe only 100 calories and then perform 1 additional cardio workout for example.
So there you have it, the 8 simple steps you need to follow to get yourself on the proper
path towards your fitness goals.
There are, of course, many smaller details that go into each individual step that I just
outlined, but this covers the most important foundational principles that you need to know
to start getting some really good results right away.
So thanks for watching this video lesson.
I hope you found the information useful here today.
If you did enjoy the video, as always, please make sure to hit the LIKE button, leave a
comment and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future videos.
Also make sure to check out my complete step-by-step muscle building and fat loss programs over
at BodyTransformationTruth.com.
The link for that is in the description box below, and make sure to join the Facebook
page for daily tips and updates.
The link for that is also in the description box.
Talk to you again soon.