Getting your body to be as lean as possible is a complicated, multi-faceted process that only a dedicated few ever fully realize. There are training, nutrition and lifestyle factors to weigh…and that’s just for starters. But by breaking it down into a few easy-to-digest tidbits of lean-living wisdom, as our expert panel has done for you here, you can see tremendous progress very quickly. Try some or all of the tips and tactics laid out by our muscle aficionados here to help uncover your best physique ever.
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Drink A Lot of Water
M&F typically prescribes that you drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. But this may seem an arbitrary bit of advice without context. “Drinking water is essential to your health,” says Jim Ryno, CPT, (www.jimryno.me) owner of LIFT Studios, a private personal-training facility in New Jersey. “It helps boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste, and acts as an appetite suppressant. When researchers from Virginia Tech had subjects drink two glasses of water before each meal, they found that those subjects lost 30% more body fat after 12 weeks.”
3 of 16
Mind Your Carbs/Fat Timing
UK fitness model and actor Mehmet Edip knows a thing or two about lean living. “Mixing carbs and fats within the same meal can actually spike your insulin levels, leading to excess fat storage,” he says. “Try not to consume carbs within three hours of eating fat since it takes longer to be digested and still could be stored as fat.” Instead, Edip says, try to focus on carb-protein combos like chicken breast on energy-packed whole wheat.
4 of 16
Or Try Going Ketogenic
“Why not eat fat to burn fat by using a ketogenic diet,” Edip suggests. Ketogenic diets are extremely low-carb diets that force the body into relying on fat for fuel. “When there is very little carbohydrate in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. So you can feast on eggs, steaks and fish all the time — every lifters dream diet!”
5 of 16
Clean Things Up
While you should work to keep your diet clean all the time, a one-week crash course can show you drastic change. “Eliminate sweets, starchy carbs, and alcohol,” says Eric the Trainer, a Hollywood-based trainer and creator of the Get Hollywood Muscle program. “These are the primary reasons we gain, or maintain, unsightly rolls around the middle. By taking these elements out of the equation, your body can do its magic and expose all the hard work you’ve been putting in at the gym.”
6 of 16
Keep Carbs Constant
“Simply dropping out carbs, while the immediate effect may be noticeable, ultimately will become your downfall as your body will begin to store what few carbs it gets,” says David Sandler, MS, CSCS. “To stay lean year-round, leep your ratios of carbs, fats, and proteins constant and whether you cut or have a cheat day.”
7 of 16
Use Aminos and Thermogenics
“A good strategy is to up your amino acids, especially before, during and after workouts and add some thermogenics to your supplement routine,” Sandler says. “Preserving lean muscle mass while stripping is fat is the name of the game. When calories are down, anabolic agents like leucine and BCAA are a must. The thermogenics will provide a burst of energy as well help burn a little extra fat when you are working hard.”
8 of 16
Cheat With Reason
When you see “cheat day” on the calendar, do you see a license to gluttonize yourself? “Volume eating does not make for a smart cheat meal,” Sandler says. “Your body is craving fat and sugar but since you have been keeping those on the low, it cannot possibly digest and burn its way through a large pile of food. Keep it simple and manageable on chest day — a burger and fries should do the trick.”
9 of 16
Eliminate Potential Allergens
We’re starting to get a better idea about the prevalence of food allergies but less is known about the effects they can have on body composition. “Your digestive system may be making you fat,” says Justin Grinnell, CSCS, owner and head trainer at State of Fitness in East Lansing, Michigan. “It’s hard to believe for some folks that don’t understand how important of a role digestion plays, but it’s true. Gluten and dairy are two common allergens that, when eaten in excess, can wreak havoc on the digestive system. They can produce chronic inflammation, fluid retention, fatigue, joint pain and more.” If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms while trying to lean up, it may be time for an allergy test.
10 of 16
Sleep More
“Be asleep in bed by 10 pm nightly,” suggests Eric the Trainer. “All physical transformation occurs during sleep and the hours prior to midnight are key in that process.” Aim for 7-9 hours per night to allow your body ample recovery time. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that after four nights of sleep deprivation, the body’s overall ability to respond to insulin properly decreased by an average of 16%, which leads to fat storage and can lead to Type II diabetes.
11 of 16
Track It
We often say at M&F that the “calories in, calories out” mantra is tired but that doesn’t mean that calorie counts are completely unimportant. “If your fat loss goal is important to you, keep track of your calories,” says Kelechi Opara, a fitness model and creator of HumanEngine.com and the Nutritionist App for iPhone and Android. “Research that was conducted over the course of a year tracked two groups of people. The research found people who claimed to always have ‘no success’ losing weight underestimated their caloric intake when they actually tracked it. In the same vein, the group that felt they couldn’t gain weight overestimated their caloric intake when they actually tracked it. Moral of the story, track your calories for at least a week or two to ensure you are taking what you assume you are taking in. If you really want to be shredded, track your calories the entire time period of your goal so that you know which direction to adjust if the need arise.”
12 of 16
Increase The Intensity
Long, slow cardio all the time may not work as well for optimizing fat loss but some people are still not believers. Ryno says, “You don’t need to spend an hour at the gym everyday to get maximum benefits. Research from the Department of Kinesiology at Southern Illinois University showed that as little as three, 11-minute intense strength training workouts a week led to an increase in fat burn at rest, and an increase in energy expenditure throughout the day.” Torching fat at rest, you say? Uhh…yes, please.
13 of 16
Jump Rope
“Newer is not always better,” says Josh Bryant, MFS, CSCS, PES, owner of JoshStrength.com and co-author of the Amazon No. 1 best-seller Jailhouse Strong. “Pugilists have reaped the benefits of jumping rope for centuries. Jumping rope can burn up to 1000 calories per hour, depending on your tempo, style and experience level, making it one of the most efficient fat-burning workouts available. Jumping rope is also easier on connective tissues and the central nervous system. It also optimizes conditioning and maximizes athletic skills by combining agility, coordination, timing, and endurance. Jump ropes are portable and inexpensive and can be purchased for less than $10. If you go on vacation, throw your jump rope in your bag and you have no excuse to not do your conditioning work.”
14 of 16
Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) Training
PHA training calls for you to train non-related bodyparts in order to keep moving and to keep your heart rate and lactic acid clearance high. Think of it as a circuit but with specific guidelines that allow you to continue moving at a high level for 15-20 minutes (or more for advanced trainers).“The goal is to shunt blood up and down the body,” says Bryant. “This is extremely taxing on the cardiovascular system but it also improves metabolic rate and burns more bodyfat.”It’s all in the ordering, Bryant says. Upper body to lower body is a good, basic approach. “Because each sequential body part covered in each sequence is getting adequate rest between each circuit, strength will be conserved allowing close to maximal strength to be exhibited on the sequential bout. Even though your heart will likely beat at over 150 beats per minute throughout the entire workout, this does not give you a license to lower weights!”
15 of 16
Train Your Whole Body
“For training I like doing four, full-body strength training sessions, instead of the usual bodybuilding split, per week,” Grinnell says. “Working more muscle at one time increases production of growth hormone, testosterone, and IGF-1 – all huge fat-burning hormones. You also increase the frequency of training for each muscle group, causing more muscle growth in the long run. Make sure to use all compound movements for the biggest payoff. I like using them in an upper/lower combo.” And don’t succumb to the “light weight, high rep” trap. Grinnell says one way to go is to try a workout where you do four sets of eight on the squat, chin-up, dumbbell bench press and Romanian deadlift, moving from one exercise to the next without rest. “Stick to four sets or 35 total reps for each muscle group in each session to ensure proper recovery.”
16 of 16
Vary Your Cardio
“When it comes to fitness, people are notorious for being dichotomous,” says Opara. “It’s either whey or casein, machines or free weights. Cardio is no different. It’s either HIIT (high-intensity interval training) or LISS (low-intensity steady state). However, each offer an advantage the other doesn’t. One is better liberating triglycerides from fat cells (HIIT) while the other is better burning fat (LISS). Thus one of the best ways to lean out is to combine both forms of cardio concurrently. To really burn through stubborn bodyfat, try performing HIIT cardio for 15 minutes then follow it up with LISS for another 20-30 minutes.”
Getting your body to be as lean as possible is a complicated, multi-faceted process that only a dedicated few ever fully realize. There are training, nutrition and lifestyle factors to weigh…and that’s just for starters. But by breaking it down into a few easy-to-digest tidbits of lean-living wisdom, as our expert panel has done for you here, you can see tremendous progress very quickly. Try some or all of the tips and tactics laid out by our muscle aficionados here to help uncover your best physique ever.
Drink A Lot of Water
M&F typically prescribes that you drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. But this may seem an arbitrary bit of advice without context. “Drinking water is essential to your health,” says Jim Ryno, CPT, (www.jimryno.me) owner of LIFT Studios, a private personal-training facility in New Jersey. “It helps boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste, and acts as an appetite suppressant. When researchers from Virginia Tech had subjects drink two glasses of water before each meal, they found that those subjects lost 30% more body fat after 12 weeks.”
Mind Your Carbs/Fat Timing
UK fitness model and actor Mehmet Edip knows a thing or two about lean living. “Mixing carbs and fats within the same meal can actually spike your insulin levels, leading to excess fat storage,” he says. “Try not to consume carbs within three hours of eating fat since it takes longer to be digested and still could be stored as fat.” Instead, Edip says, try to focus on carb-protein combos like chicken breast on energy-packed whole wheat.
Or Try Going Ketogenic
“Why not eat fat to burn fat by using a ketogenic diet,” Edip suggests. Ketogenic diets are extremely low-carb diets that force the body into relying on fat for fuel. “When there is very little carbohydrate in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. So you can feast on eggs, steaks and fish all the time — every lifters dream diet!”
Clean Things Up
While you should work to keep your diet clean all the time, a one-week crash course can show you drastic change. “Eliminate sweets, starchy carbs, and alcohol,” says Eric the Trainer, a Hollywood-based trainer and creator of the Get Hollywood Muscle program. “These are the primary reasons we gain, or maintain, unsightly rolls around the middle. By taking these elements out of the equation, your body can do its magic and expose all the hard work you’ve been putting in at the gym.”
Keep Carbs Constant
“Simply dropping out carbs, while the immediate effect may be noticeable, ultimately will become your downfall as your body will begin to store what few carbs it gets,” says David Sandler, MS, CSCS. “To stay lean year-round, leep your ratios of carbs, fats, and proteins constant and whether you cut or have a cheat day.”
Use Aminos and Thermogenics
“A good strategy is to up your amino acids, especially before, during and after workouts and add some thermogenics to your supplement routine,” Sandler says. “Preserving lean muscle mass while stripping is fat is the name of the game. When calories are down, anabolic agents like leucine and BCAA are a must. The thermogenics will provide a burst of energy as well help burn a little extra fat when you are working hard.”
Cheat With Reason
When you see “cheat day” on the calendar, do you see a license to gluttonize yourself? “Volume eating does not make for a smart cheat meal,” Sandler says. “Your body is craving fat and sugar but since you have been keeping those on the low, it cannot possibly digest and burn its way through a large pile of food. Keep it simple and manageable on chest day — a burger and fries should do the trick.”
Eliminate Potential Allergens
We’re starting to get a better idea about the prevalence of food allergies but less is known about the effects they can have on body composition. “Your digestive system may be making you fat,” says Justin Grinnell, CSCS, owner and head trainer at State of Fitness in East Lansing, Michigan. “It’s hard to believe for some folks that don’t understand how important of a role digestion plays, but it’s true. Gluten and dairy are two common allergens that, when eaten in excess, can wreak havoc on the digestive system. They can produce chronic inflammation, fluid retention, fatigue, joint pain and more.” If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms while trying to lean up, it may be time for an allergy test.
Sleep More
“Be asleep in bed by 10 pm nightly,” suggests Eric the Trainer. “All physical transformation occurs during sleep and the hours prior to midnight are key in that process.” Aim for 7-9 hours per night to allow your body ample recovery time. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that after four nights of sleep deprivation, the body’s overall ability to respond to insulin properly decreased by an average of 16%, which leads to fat storage and can lead to Type II diabetes.
Track It
We often say at M&F that the “calories in, calories out” mantra is tired but that doesn’t mean that calorie counts are completely unimportant. “If your fat loss goal is important to you, keep track of your calories,” says Kelechi Opara, a fitness model and creator of HumanEngine.com and the Nutritionist App for iPhone and Android. “Research that was conducted over the course of a year tracked two groups of people. The research found people who claimed to always have ‘no success’ losing weight underestimated their caloric intake when they actually tracked it. In the same vein, the group that felt they couldn’t gain weight overestimated their caloric intake when they actually tracked it. Moral of the story, track your calories for at least a week or two to ensure you are taking what you assume you are taking in. If you really want to be shredded, track your calories the entire time period of your goal so that you know which direction to adjust if the need arise.”
Increase The Intensity
Long, slow cardio all the time may not work as well for optimizing fat loss but some people are still not believers. Ryno says, “You don’t need to spend an hour at the gym everyday to get maximum benefits. Research from the Department of Kinesiology at Southern Illinois University showed that as little as three, 11-minute intense strength training workouts a week led to an increase in fat burn at rest, and an increase in energy expenditure throughout the day.” Torching fat at rest, you say? Uhh…yes, please.
Jump Rope
“Newer is not always better,” says Josh Bryant, MFS, CSCS, PES, owner of JoshStrength.com and co-author of the Amazon No. 1 best-seller Jailhouse Strong. “Pugilists have reaped the benefits of jumping rope for centuries. Jumping rope can burn up to 1000 calories per hour, depending on your tempo, style and experience level, making it one of the most efficient fat-burning workouts available. Jumping rope is also easier on connective tissues and the central nervous system. It also optimizes conditioning and maximizes athletic skills by combining agility, coordination, timing, and endurance. Jump ropes are portable and inexpensive and can be purchased for less than $10. If you go on vacation, throw your jump rope in your bag and you have no excuse to not do your conditioning work.”
Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) Training
PHA training calls for you to train non-related bodyparts in order to keep moving and to keep your heart rate and lactic acid clearance high. Think of it as a circuit but with specific guidelines that allow you to continue moving at a high level for 15-20 minutes (or more for advanced trainers).
“The goal is to shunt blood up and down the body,” says Bryant. “This is extremely taxing on the cardiovascular system but it also improves metabolic rate and burns more bodyfat.”
It’s all in the ordering, Bryant says. Upper body to lower body is a good, basic approach. “Because each sequential body part covered in each sequence is getting adequate rest between each circuit, strength will be conserved allowing close to maximal strength to be exhibited on the sequential bout. Even though your heart will likely beat at over 150 beats per minute throughout the entire workout, this does not give you a license to lower weights!”
Train Your Whole Body
“For training I like doing four, full-body strength training sessions, instead of the usual bodybuilding split, per week,” Grinnell says. “Working more muscle at one time increases production of growth hormone, testosterone, and IGF-1 – all huge fat-burning hormones. You also increase the frequency of training for each muscle group, causing more muscle growth in the long run. Make sure to use all compound movements for the biggest payoff. I like using them in an upper/lower combo.”
And don’t succumb to the “light weight, high rep” trap. Grinnell says one way to go is to try a workout where you do four sets of eight on the squat, chin-up, dumbbell bench press and Romanian deadlift, moving from one exercise to the next without rest. “Stick to four sets or 35 total reps for each muscle group in each session to ensure proper recovery.”
Vary Your Cardio
“When it comes to fitness, people are notorious for being dichotomous,” says Opara. “It’s either whey or casein, machines or free weights. Cardio is no different. It’s either HIIT (high-intensity interval training) or LISS (low-intensity steady state). However, each offer an advantage the other doesn’t. One is better liberating triglycerides from fat cells (HIIT) while the other is better burning fat (LISS). Thus one of the best ways to lean out is to combine both forms of cardio concurrently. To really burn through stubborn bodyfat, try performing HIIT cardio for 15 minutes then follow it up with LISS for another 20-30 minutes.”
