You’re indeed one hundred % right! Crisp and clear perse based on the experience. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge and experience!🌸 I wish You A happy new year 2023 mate with more health and wealth!
Did my first successful cut during the fall before a BJJ competition, but bulked too hard after. Also didn't reach the leanness I desired. Going to start the new year off with new cut. This time even more successful and with a plan of sustainability to follow. A bit heavy at 90kg, 174 cm. Going to enjoy the easier time with chins and dips. Perfect timing Alex!
Started tracking this June at 185 pounds after a doctor check up, got there due to almost losing my life thanks to covid landing me on intubation and a week later ECMO life support for two months(used to be a marathon runner)Currently weighed at 149 clean this morning. Can vouch the tracking calories is a life changer. You dont realize how much junk the world/social media sells to you until you start reading labels and adding it all up. 😢 I was getting by entirely because I was doing too much exercise to notice 😂. But now my plan is to go to 141 pounds and just stay lean and work on toning my body here. Like I want to be stronger yes, but Im also 5”3😂. So i gotta adjust the “big and shredded” dream a little for my size. Got a step deck recently for the winter so i can keep doing my daily cardio, since my laptop broke i decided to raise it to 3 hours and yesterday that alone was over 1 thousand calories burned not counting maintance. Excited to keep that going for all of january to see if i can get to 141 in this month🤔. I just want to have my abs show and big arms/chest, i would say is my “goal” then start taking boxing classes for more stamina training. Yea its fucking hard btw,😂 eating the same fucking thing everyday , but it was so worth to lose almost 40 pounds , it feels so good. I dont go over 1500 calories unless I go outta my way with family/on sundays/etc. mon-friday are my no compromise days on that policy. Saturday/Sunday i stretch it to 1800/2000 Also its really easy once you take out normal soda and just use diet/zero sugar versions😂😂😂😂. Those mfkers got like 170+ cals and 40+grams of sugar and I used to drink like 3 A DAY. No wonder I needed to run so much to just look “okay”😂 but now im doing the cardio AND eating better. And losing at least a pound a week 👍 So as long as im eating less than what my maintance requires, and not eating junk. And doing the daily cardio, losing a pound a week, eventually Ill see the abs?
ooor... just maybe drink water instead of sugar free liquid desserts.. sort of the point of drinking is to maintain your hydration levels, not to run a quick dessert down your gullet
The final statement was awesome! I know why 10-12% is my lower minimum. Personally I'm on a cut right now and I will continue to cut(and re feed when I burn out in the gym) till I get where the entire 8 pack is visible (not popping) even if I don't have the perfect pose, which should be realistic since even now I sometimes have to force feed to don't get the deficit too high and I carry more fat in the lower body Also the point about the 🎙️ s is just SO important!
Once you reach that lean physique it is so hard to forget it, you made a point my guy! Despite the fact that i was looking bigger and leaner while heavier, see a old picture that im shredded just make me unhappy about my current physique, this is so insane. Thats the reason why i decided to cutting down again, because what seems ok or great to people out of fitness community, for me is fat, and i feel ashamed to take my tshirt off looking this way. Fun fact is that the same thing happened to my girlfriend, she putted the best physique of her life, lean and muscular( she has a fucking great genetic to gain muscle), and the goal was to looks good on a party and she did it. But, after the party, she gained a little bit of weigth, and for me she was looking so good this way, but in her mind she was worse, so she decided to cut down again. This virus affect everyone
I eat sushi and while pizza during my cuts regularly (at least once a week). Just not your typical take-away puzza/sushi. Neapolitana style margherita = ±900 kcal. Edomae style sushi = rice + fish + (sometimes) veggies. If I bake the pizza by myself, I can go down to 750 kcal per pizza reducing olive oil and dough weight. Of course I'm still hungry at times because I'm in a deficit, but it helps with my cravings A LOT. I don't do cheat meals at all. Calling it a cheat makes you feel guilty even if it's planned.
I went down the rabbit hole of getting extremely lean. I got hooked on the attention and wanted more. I went so low it got me body dysmorphia and ed. To this day I'm still checking my weight and mirror daily. Making sure those lower ab veins aren't gone. Not healthy at all
I'm sorry you had to deal with that Steven. I can relate and it's not good for mental health, but it does get better with time and that 10-12% compromise is honestly more than enough.
Truly fantastic video - it should be stickied for all of YT fitness. I know in the past you’ve talked about extended fasting (24 hours and beyond, up to about 72 hours). Have your thoughts on this evolved? You mentioned OMAD in the context of cheat meals, and 2MAD otherwise, but what of occasional longer fasts in a cut? I’m employing a weekly 36 atm with 1-3 meals on other days. What are your thoughts at the moment?
Pringle here, I did my cut from like 183 to 161lbs and being a vegetarian made the cut pretty workable, took me longer then usual due to alot of things in life but I did it pretty well and I didn't go back, just alot of stalling times, I did what I set out to achieve even if it took it a while. The power of tofu ain't no joke lol
Good tip can give some tip on how to build up rep on wide grip pull up as I am stuck on 5 rep with bw I have been doing heavy to help and eating right any advice would be much appreciated
from the one good cut i did a while ago I got down to 175 shredded at 17 years old/natty its time to do the same thing but this time down to 190 at 20 years old
I'm glad you mentioned the bland AF diets that many of these fools keep perpetuating. I'm a huge proponent of getting away from the bro diet nonsense. Such an easy way to reduce the mental stress is in what you're eating and whether you actually enjoy it. And no 10-15 cal of butter/oil and some spices per meal is not gonna screw you up, just subtract that from the meal size, dummy. Or just do a couple burpies; IDK what to tell some of these guys anymore.
Your CM in height to weight ratio is eye opening, it resonates. I'm closing in at high 180's with my bw goal. [Sub 15%]. I used to think I had bad genetics, turns out I just lacked discipline.
Beans and rice/oatmeal with plant protein powder and plant milk>chicken and rice. Hemp seeds are underrated too. Hemp and flax oil I think are actually healthy long as you don’t drown yourself it in them clogging up your lungs. One of the big issues with most oils is the bad omega 3 to 6 ratio but those aren’t a factor with these
@@RDS_Armwrestling Riiiight. If anything animal products are logically inferior for training because you get more energy from healthier whole plant foods
30:46 i would say that the best thing against a body dysmorphophobia perception is to have black and white numerical objectives. If the measurement is there then you made it. And stick to that.
When you say weigh yourself every day for 7 days do you mean add up all 7 days weigh ins and divide by 7? Like take the average .I’m a little confused on this one. Or like let’s say you start you week on Monday and end on Sunday , you just want to be less then monday? Thank you for an awesome video.
At 6’1”, I got to estimated 10% body fat with a body weight of 180 pounds. Working out was easy, but dieting and cycling carbs, fats, and proteins around my workout schedule was the hard part. My wife likes me lean at 180 to 185 as my abs and Adonis belt looked great. I am 205 lbs right now with fluffy muscle. Will I lean out again to 180 again ?That image of my abs and Adonis belt is indeed burned into my mind. I will likely go back on a cut and drop 25 pounds and start it within a week. I should have not watched this video. Dang it Alex you got me thinking get ripped again.
I find it really hard to lose weight/cut fat when lifting i don't know why. I'm trying to cut weight i weigh about 209 trying to go down to 190. Calisthenics have always helped me shed fat the most. When i lose the weight then i can continue lifting weights and bulking. How can someone lose fat while lifting weights? It's never worked for me in the past even with calorie restriction.
I’m stuck in between wanting to bulk or cut. I’m 5’7 weighing 163-165lbs right now at around ~20-21% body fat I’m assuming. Don’t have enough muscle mass to cut properly neither do I have the luxury to bulk properly as that’ll make me reach morbidly obese level of body fat. Some and any help would be appreciable!!
Explain to me why would someone "waste time" building strength... if your weight will be so equated to your maximum strength potential ? In other words if being ripped is so important why bother to worry about being "weak"..? Make sense ? High reps...low calorie lifestyle for someone who wants to be 10% all the time ? ✌️
I did a cut late 2018 early 2019. Dropped from close to 200 to around 160. I didn't have the muscle to support it so I looked really skinny. I'm currently around 178 with most of that being muscle with some fat gain obviously.
Impressive how much people complain about failing to either gain or lose weight when guys like you, Bald Omni Man, NH, GVS, etc. can diet and bulk any time they want with ease
I’m a natural female bodybuilder and man…You are SPOT on. This is golden. My last prep was 5.5 months and it “nearly ruined my life too” but in an elegant way that I think you can appreciate 😅 I wish I had incorporated diet breaks but I was coming off a building phase and ish was stubborn. You’re so so so right about diet fatigue And the backend bs. Anyhoo from the jump, it IS a science, you need to track your shit + hell yea you have more weight to lose. Everytime I assumed I only needed to drop 20LB…it was more like 30-35 to be stage lean. Bodybuilding is wild yo Thank you for this video
Once I am done with this cut, I am gonna go back and watch that "Don't Waste your Bulk" video to make sure my first gaining phase will not be a waste. Thank you for this motivational video Alex
hey dude i remember you saying in a cutting vid that you try to get the cut over asap, and that you'll regain the muscle in 3ish months anyways. in this video alex says not to do that and that it will take much longer to regain muscle if we rush the process. - 14:08 you don't quite "crash diet" but did i misunderstand you and do you not rush your cuts? i remember you saying you drop from 4500cal per day to 2200, sounds quite aggressive to me
@@H777ERO you might not be taking into natural vs enhanced as well. alex is saying its much harder to not only do but do in a semi healthy way as a natty. you can fluctuate easier on peds and maintain homeostasis easier.
I'm amazed by how honest he's been on all things related to diet, nutrition, related psychology, and the advice he gave to stay away from dark paths. The internet fitness world is full of toxic 'advice' that can destroy people lives. I'm glad there are a few good ones out there like Alex giving proper, caring advice. Keep it real, Alex!
It's like this man is reading my mind..Been bulking for a year and been planning to cut but scared because I might lose my strength and gains..But after this I have the absolute certainty to get shredded 💪 Thank you King
Comes with the territory dude but it gives you something awesome to look forward too. Changes, different sort of challenges, sure you'll lose strength but it will be like another game where you try to maintain your reps and strength.
So I’m about 176 cm (just under 5’10”)…currently sitting at 186 pounds….with a significant amount of vascularity….not bad for a 38 year old that weighed 268 pounds back in 2019….keep after it!!! 💪🏋️❤️
@@AlexLeonidas yup, your channel has been instrumental in helping me absolutely demolish my strength/hypertrophy goals! Fellow Canadian 🍁 too! I had someone ask me recently if I was on steroids haha 😂…( I’m 100% natty)… my favourite compliment. 💪❤️
Another tip I'd add is recognise which situations or activities cause you to overeat or binge. Keep an eye out for these triggers. For me it was starting a new TV series & everytime I'd end up binge eating. On a cut atm, so just wanna say amazing vid, it helps out a lot & keeps me on track ♥️
I feel this man. The habits are associated with one another. I have to cut the netflix or whatever completely, too hard to regulate that junky binge eating. Can binge youtube for hours tho.
I 100% agree with everything you've said here. Even the body dismophia thing. I'm at 14% right now and I feel fat. I made it to the single digits. It's legit man.
@@tonyf3100 gets in your head, just gotta remember that we are freaking elite monsters compared to the average slob. You're a freaking stud, remember that big dog 👍.
Really great stuff man, diet breaks/maintenance phases are super important. I used to be 335lbs at my heaviest and got down to about 240lbs (roughly 25-28%BF I am 6'2) but once I got back into dating and didn't really do a maintenance phase/break I regained a bunch of weight now I'm back at 280ish. I'm currenlty planning the macrocycle for next year to cut in Q1 and Q3 and do maintenance phases in Q2 and Q4 so I don't burn out and actually reach my goal for the year to get down to 220lbs around 20-22%BF roughly. Still a ways to go before I can get down to 12-15% which is end goal, but slow and steady wins the race.
Just as you've pointed out how weight loss assists calisthenic performance, the corollary is true at least for me. When I have focused on calisthenics, it has either made it easier for me to maintain weight loss efforts or kept me from bulking too much. There's a certain feedback where it seems like the body just knows it doesn't want to make things too difficult.
Facts!! I've experienced this as well. It's like your body wants to adapt to those activities, making your physique as efficient as possible. And with the leanness incentive being higher with calisthenics, this makes it even easier.
Alex you've gotten so eloquent at speaking you deliver your thoughts well. I'm trying to return to the fitness lifestyle since i stopped training for three years when I joined the workforce. Hopefully I get lean again with this tips since i'm too fat now.
I've just gotten back down to 174 for the first time in 2 years and a lot of these are spot on. I can't stress your last point enough; it was very hard to bulk back up after being lean. One thing that helped me was finding fun/junkier foods to eat during a bulk as a way to encourage me to keep going. After leg day I would eat cereal, I'd go to the gym with my girlfriend and then have a date meal out at a local hibachi or Mexican place, etc. Sometimes you have to look at your Improvement Season as the time to make social gains in addition to gym gains
I'm about intermidiate level of strength and never really done a proper cut, around 90kg at 5 "11 so I'm far from lean. Literally just started a cut and this video shows up in my notifications, perfect timing, cheers Alex. The best fitness content on this platform, as always!
@@simzblack1571 i feel so behind... im 21, 6ft, 85kg, and at a novice level for most lifts. i dont know how to calc BF, but id say im probably 25-30%. Finding it hard to cut weight atm, i do intermittent fasting and hiit in the form of cardio. i wanna get lean as for summer
Great video, bout to start a cut soon. When I first started lifting I was obese at 320, I have been fluctuating around 205-210 for about a year now and I've always had the goal of 190 in mind. What you said about losing water weight and looking really good early on resonates with me quite a bit. Many times I would start a cut, get down to like 200 really quickly and look really good and then kind of fall off the wagon underestimating what endeavor I'm going for. Still the leanest I've ever been but I want to take it to the next level
This video is absolutely perfect ! Spitting straight facts my man, even with peds these fundamentals need to be adhered to. As a long distance runner who moved into weight lifting I often tried to offset my eating with high amounts of cardio which drove up fatigue and made me more susceptible to injury. Tightening up the diet ,tracking properly and taking diet breaks was a much more stress free process. Great content brother 💪
Having been away from these fitness channels a while, I must say that you are one of the few that haven't shown much signs of aging; you still look very youthful.
Revisiting this video since I’m about to go on my first serious cut after three years of bulking. I told myself I’d cut after two, but I decided to keep it going since I just fell in love with training, with the addition of getting bigger and stronger. I made great progress in all aspects of training (all compounds plus weighted calisthenics went up) and so I was in a weird headspace where I was paranoid about cutting since I just kept wanting to get bigger and stronger. The way I see it, is that it’s not really a big deal if I lose strength during a cut since I’m not a competitive powerlifter. It’s also not be career to be strong or whatever, so having a small period of time spent getting lean will not detract from me. I also started to think in more positive ways of how I will come back bigger and stronger since I will be educating myself more about training in the meantime, and that I will definitely hit my lifelong strength goals in one of my next bulks. Cutting is a different type of beast in its own right, and there isn’t any shame at all in striving to be lean and see what you built up. Thanks Alex, I wish you further success in your training, as well as you channel!
Amazing video Alex! I’ll be cutting in February so this was really helpful. Something I’m wondering is, do you think there’s any benefit to doing more calisthenic work the further you progress with your cut? Thanks!
More so psychological and the fact that there's an incentive to stay lean. Not to mention, actually getting some PRs! Calisthenics + cardio are the two activities that improve when cutting, which is very rewarding.
Thanks for the reply Alex! Yeah in my mind, if strength losses are an inevitable part of the cutting process, then achieving PRs in calisthenics is a great way to shift the mindset away from “oh man my barbell numbers are going down” to “oh wow I just got a new pullup PR”. Appreciate the videos as always 👍
Great video Alex. It’s extremely inspiring to have followed your journey for most of the last decade. One thing I might add to this list is fasting, and not just intermittent fasting but doing so for 1-2 days at a time. In 2017 I went from 230 lbs to 190 lbs. Of course the water weight went easily, and I was continually cleaning up my diet, but I learned of the health benefits of fasting and gave it a try. I still fast to this day because of the other benefits it added to my life in terms of discipline. Learning to not only be okay with being hungry, but to let that hunger fuel me like a fire and attack my goals with unforeseen tenacity. I appreciate your contributions to the conversation and I hope this comment finds you and the community well!
Brother, the last point really resonated with me. I've been going through photos from exactly one year ago, I was 160lbs at 5'10 and looking lean with abs popping. Now I'm at 180lbs after going through 2 bulks and cuts over the past year. I looked great but at the same time a lot of bodyparts were so much smaller, especially my arms grew almost 2 inches(almost at 17' now) and forearms got much bigger too. We have to keep reminding ourselves of all the positives of the bulks. Can't have one without the other. At the same time I'm really excited for the next cut to properly see all the new gains and I'm hyped to see you competing, the last time you were shredded u looked insane and probably could've won a show. Great video and keep up the great work.
Your totally right about this being a double edge sword . I lost a ton of body weight but still can’t lose this last part of my stomach and it’s becoming so consuming over my life! I know what it is that’s holding me back and it 3 fold : I can’t eat consistently now because of my new job while making less money , I cannot afford to be weak physically and because I live in New York City it’s a food desert unless I prepare and bring food I won’t get good foods to eat and if I do I’m spending up to $60 a day. Something I realized when I was dieting was I was angry all the time and physically weak . Plus in order to do this time , money and rest must be on your side . Great content , you told the truth about this a lot of these guys on here won’t say this especially about cutting phases .
I totally agree about the dysmorphia issue. Last year I decided that I wanted to get rid of the fat and I succeeded. Then I fell well below the minimum for my height, just because I wanted to be more and more lean.. and the health problems started immediately. I had to gain a few kilos and now I feel totally lost and fat etc. wanting to reach this leaner version again, even though it's not healthy . So yeah the struggle is real 😕
Body dysmorphia. I actually found that I did not like how I looked on an average daily basis at single digits. Sure, I looked great without a shirt but honestly looked like any other skinny guy the rest of life (they frown on taking your shirt off at work, church, funerals, family gatherings, etc. Lol). So I was happier with my appearance when I was more able to fill out a t-shirt, which is what I wear 98% of the time.
personally over the last 2 years ive bulked for 9 months and then cut for 3 starting in late april so i look good for most of the summer time, been working for me and enjoying the process, its easier for me to lose than to gain weight, started very skinny. thanks for the tips Alex
Love this bro. I can relate to the dysmorphia. I went from 235 to 196 over 6 months. Now I’m at maintenance around 205 and I feel FAT. Gonna take a break and cut to ~185 in April.
I was on a huge bulk. 18 raws eggs a day and half a gallon of milk along with my normal meals. Was always the skinny one so I wanted to push it. I got strong and it was great. Until I realized I looked fat. I was 190 at 5 foot 10. Currently I'm 170 planning to get to 160lbs. Losing another 10 after that is a scary thought. I def lost strength but am enjoying calisthenics. Thanks for the motivation and keeping it real bro.
Easiest way to realistically know how much weight one needs to drop to be shredded is to know your lean body mass - Personal example ~ lean body mass = 153.2 x 175lbs of total ideal weight divided by 1 equals 12.4% body fat - Or ~ to be single digit > 153.2 lean body mass x 170lbs of total ideal weight divided by 1 equals 9.8% body fat .
Massive tip: be single. Cutting with a gf who’s not cutting herself is almost impossible.
So true!
my gf doesn't like to eat out
Man just have some discipline
False as fuck
Hey Alex, I think it's time you came out with a fresh updated non-Minimalist Beginner Workout routine, would love to start cutting to that!
I think it's time for a lot of new programs
I learned more then I expected from this video. Thx Alex
I'm happy you found this informative brother!
I'm going through a transformation of my own at the moment. Really enjoy watching your videos Alex! Straight to the point and truthful!
Speech pattern very reminiscent of old school Yo Elliot videos. Good stuff
Your informative videos save me from long binges, thanks bro!
Lesson 1. Don't cut.
You’re indeed one hundred % right! Crisp and clear perse based on the experience. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge and experience!🌸 I wish You A happy new year 2023 mate with more health and wealth!
Did my first successful cut during the fall before a BJJ competition, but bulked too hard after. Also didn't reach the leanness I desired. Going to start the new year off with new cut. This time even more successful and with a plan of sustainability to follow. A bit heavy at 90kg, 174 cm. Going to enjoy the easier time with chins and dips. Perfect timing Alex!
Started tracking this June at 185 pounds after a doctor check up, got there due to almost losing my life thanks to covid landing me on intubation and a week later ECMO life support for two months(used to be a marathon runner)Currently weighed at 149 clean this morning. Can vouch the tracking calories is a life changer. You dont realize how much junk the world/social media sells to you until you start reading labels and adding it all up. 😢 I was getting by entirely because I was doing too much exercise to notice 😂. But now my plan is to go to 141 pounds and just stay lean and work on toning my body here. Like I want to be stronger yes, but Im also 5”3😂. So i gotta adjust the “big and shredded” dream a little for my size. Got a step deck recently for the winter so i can keep doing my daily cardio, since my laptop broke i decided to raise it to 3 hours and yesterday that alone was over 1 thousand calories burned not counting maintance. Excited to keep that going for all of january to see if i can get to 141 in this month🤔. I just want to have my abs show and big arms/chest, i would say is my “goal” then start taking boxing classes for more stamina training.
Yea its fucking hard btw,😂 eating the same fucking thing everyday , but it was so worth to lose almost 40 pounds , it feels so good.
I dont go over 1500 calories unless I go outta my way with family/on sundays/etc.
mon-friday are my no compromise days on that policy. Saturday/Sunday i stretch it to 1800/2000
Also its really easy once you take out normal soda and just use diet/zero sugar versions😂😂😂😂. Those mfkers got like 170+ cals and 40+grams of sugar and I used to drink like 3 A DAY. No wonder I needed to run so much to just look “okay”😂 but now im doing the cardio AND eating better. And losing at least a pound a week 👍
So as long as im eating less than what my maintance requires, and not eating junk. And doing the daily cardio, losing a pound a week, eventually Ill see the abs?
ooor... just maybe drink water instead of sugar free liquid desserts.. sort of the point of drinking is to maintain your hydration levels, not to run a quick dessert down your gullet
Nice advice. Especially at the end
80lbs lost since March, 100lbs gone from my bench. It's a struggle just finding "the groove" with the leverage changes.
The final statement was awesome! I know why 10-12% is my lower minimum. Personally I'm on a cut right now and I will continue to cut(and re feed when I burn out in the gym) till I get where the entire 8 pack is visible (not popping) even if I don't have the perfect pose, which should be realistic since even now I sometimes have to force feed to don't get the deficit too high and I carry more fat in the lower body
Also the point about the 🎙️ s is just SO important!
Once you reach that lean physique it is so hard to forget it, you made a point my guy! Despite the fact that i was looking bigger and leaner while heavier, see a old picture that im shredded just make me unhappy about my current physique, this is so insane. Thats the reason why i decided to cutting down again, because what seems ok or great to people out of fitness community, for me is fat, and i feel ashamed to take my tshirt off looking this way.
Fun fact is that the same thing happened to my girlfriend, she putted the best physique of her life, lean and muscular( she has a fucking great genetic to gain muscle), and the goal was to looks good on a party and she did it. But, after the party, she gained a little bit of weigth, and for me she was looking so good this way, but in her mind she was worse, so she decided to cut down again.
This virus affect everyone
That happens when emotions win over reasoning
Woah dude, havent seen your channel in like 5 years. You're looking crazy now. 🤘
Love the video. Straight up facts.
I eat sushi and while pizza during my cuts regularly (at least once a week). Just not your typical take-away puzza/sushi. Neapolitana style margherita = ±900 kcal. Edomae style sushi = rice + fish + (sometimes) veggies. If I bake the pizza by myself, I can go down to 750 kcal per pizza reducing olive oil and dough weight.
Of course I'm still hungry at times because I'm in a deficit, but it helps with my cravings A LOT.
I don't do cheat meals at all. Calling it a cheat makes you feel guilty even if it's planned.
Some great tips and insightful comments 👌
I went down the rabbit hole of getting extremely lean. I got hooked on the attention and wanted more. I went so low it got me body dysmorphia and ed. To this day I'm still checking my weight and mirror daily. Making sure those lower ab veins aren't gone. Not healthy at all
I'm sorry you had to deal with that Steven. I can relate and it's not good for mental health, but it does get better with time and that 10-12% compromise is honestly more than enough.
@@AlexLeonidas once you see visual changes instead of scale changes you have to be mentally strong enough to know when to stop. I'm not unfortunately
Thanks for the chapters, I was easily able to find my place again after waking up
Truly fantastic video - it should be stickied for all of YT fitness.
I know in the past you’ve talked about extended fasting (24 hours and beyond, up to about 72 hours). Have your thoughts on this evolved? You mentioned OMAD in the context of cheat meals, and 2MAD otherwise, but what of occasional longer fasts in a cut?
I’m employing a weekly 36 atm with 1-3 meals on other days. What are your thoughts at the moment?
Pringle here, I did my cut from like 183 to 161lbs and being a vegetarian made the cut pretty workable, took me longer then usual due to alot of things in life but I did it pretty well and I didn't go back, just alot of stalling times, I did what I set out to achieve even if it took it a while. The power of tofu ain't no joke lol
Good tip can give some tip on how to build up rep on wide grip pull up as I am stuck on 5 rep with bw I have been doing heavy to help and eating right any advice would be much appreciated
from the one good cut i did a while ago I got down to 175 shredded at 17 years old/natty its time to do the same thing but this time down to 190 at 20 years old
I'm glad you mentioned the bland AF diets that many of these fools keep perpetuating. I'm a huge proponent of getting away from the bro diet nonsense. Such an easy way to reduce the mental stress is in what you're eating and whether you actually enjoy it. And no 10-15 cal of butter/oil and some spices per meal is not gonna screw you up, just subtract that from the meal size, dummy. Or just do a couple burpies; IDK what to tell some of these guys anymore.
You're the real OG!
Nice home Gym.
30:00 thanks for being a real
Thanks for being real and appreciating these videos
Your CM in height to weight ratio is eye opening, it resonates.
I'm closing in at high 180's with my bw goal. [Sub 15%].
I used to think I had bad genetics, turns out I just lacked discipline.
Beans and rice/oatmeal with plant protein powder and plant milk>chicken and rice. Hemp seeds are underrated too. Hemp and flax oil I think are actually healthy long as you don’t drown yourself it in them clogging up your lungs. One of the big issues with most oils is the bad omega 3 to 6 ratio but those aren’t a factor with these
The protein quality/availability of plant proteins will never surpass animal sources, but they're always a good addition for their other nutrients
@@RDS_Armwrestling Riiiight. If anything animal products are logically inferior for training because you get more energy from healthier whole plant foods
In the diet break periods am I supposed to go back to maintenance? What should I do during the month of diet breaking?
30:46 i would say that the best thing against a body dysmorphophobia perception is to have black and white numerical objectives. If the measurement is there then you made it. And stick to that.
When you say weigh yourself every day for 7 days do you mean add up all 7 days weigh ins and divide by 7? Like take the average .I’m a little confused on this one. Or like let’s say you start you week on Monday and end on Sunday , you just want to be less then monday? Thank you for an awesome video.
dude what is that drill you are doing in the video for cardio and where can I find more
I have a question for you Alex
Is there a muscle memory effect after a cut or do you get u lost muscle back faster then before?
Can you do full day of eating?
At 6’1”, I got to estimated 10% body fat with a body weight of 180 pounds. Working out was easy, but dieting and cycling carbs, fats, and proteins around my workout schedule was the hard part. My wife likes me lean at 180 to 185 as my abs and Adonis belt looked great. I am 205 lbs right now with fluffy muscle. Will I lean out again to 180 again ?That image of my abs and Adonis belt is indeed burned into my mind. I will likely go back on a cut and drop 25 pounds and start it within a week. I should have not watched this video. Dang it Alex you got me thinking get ripped again.
I find it really hard to lose weight/cut fat when lifting i don't know why. I'm trying to cut weight i weigh about 209 trying to go down to 190. Calisthenics have always helped me shed fat the most. When i lose the weight then i can continue lifting weights and bulking. How can someone lose fat while lifting weights? It's never worked for me in the past even with calorie restriction.
Hey Alex, do you consider your bench press grip to be narrower than most natty benchers? Is your current grip optimal for you in your opinion?
I’m stuck in between wanting to bulk or cut. I’m 5’7 weighing 163-165lbs right now at around ~20-21% body fat I’m assuming. Don’t have enough muscle mass to cut properly neither do I have the luxury to bulk properly as that’ll make me reach morbidly obese level of body fat. Some and any help would be appreciable!!
Would you do a video on video for obese people 5’11 275 have a good amount of muscle
Buy Greg duccets friggin cook book
Perfect video to watch at 1.5x speed
Was that a JM press with an SSB. Any unique benefits from that variation?
Yeah man it's the best variation I've ever done. See ua-cam.com/video/RO5KcSbYXho/v-deo.html&t
Explain to me why would someone "waste time" building strength... if your weight will be so equated to your maximum strength potential ? In other words if being ripped is so important why bother to worry about being "weak"..? Make sense ? High reps...low calorie lifestyle for someone who wants to be 10% all the time ? ✌️
so how much cardio ?
Alex, I'm 5'10" 315lbs or so, I'm no blob...but wanna cut...any quick advice bro I wanna be like 225lbs
Your palms are orange! Clearly the secret is Cheetos. Disclose it man.
I eat what there is because I don't always have other options. And I'm in great shape.
I did a cut late 2018 early 2019. Dropped from close to 200 to around 160. I didn't have the muscle to support it so I looked really skinny. I'm currently around 178 with most of that being muscle with some fat gain obviously.
W video bro
I feel this is one of your best videos. Very useful stuff, I’ll put it to good use 🫡🫡
Impressive how much people complain about failing to either gain or lose weight when guys like you, Bald Omni Man, NH, GVS, etc. can diet and bulk any time they want with ease
you just do the thing
When you know what you're doing and stay away from fads, that's how it should be!
Almost like people are very different and the brain is very powerful
Literally everyone can diet and bulk any time with ease
@@akalion213 that’s why it’s impressive
I’m a natural female bodybuilder and man…You are SPOT on. This is golden.
My last prep was 5.5 months and it “nearly ruined my life too” but in an elegant way that I think you can appreciate 😅 I wish I had incorporated diet breaks but I was coming off a building phase and ish was stubborn. You’re so so so right about diet fatigue And the backend bs.
Anyhoo from the jump, it IS a science, you need to track your shit + hell yea you have more weight to lose. Everytime I assumed I only needed to drop 20LB…it was more like 30-35 to be stage lean.
Bodybuilding is wild yo
Thank you for this video
This 30 min video legit gave a solution to every cutting problem thus saving people from months of mistakes! you deverse 1million subs already!
Thank you so much man, I'm happy you found lots of value in it!!
Once I am done with this cut, I am gonna go back and watch that "Don't Waste your Bulk" video to make sure my first gaining phase will not be a waste. Thank you for this motivational video Alex
I watched that video so many times during my last bulk!
@@thestonecirclesame 😂
Good idea
The last part about wanting to chase that leanest state was excellent - I appreciate the vulnerability there
hey dude i remember you saying in a cutting vid that you try to get the cut over asap, and that you'll regain the muscle in 3ish months anyways.
in this video alex says not to do that and that it will take much longer to regain muscle if we rush the process. - 14:08
you don't quite "crash diet" but did i misunderstand you and do you not rush your cuts? i remember you saying you drop from 4500cal per day to 2200, sounds quite aggressive to me
@@H777ERO you might not be taking into natural vs enhanced as well. alex is saying its much harder to not only do but do in a semi healthy way as a natty. you can fluctuate easier on peds and maintain homeostasis easier.
Let me give one more tip about fat loss...
GET YOUR ASS UP FROM THE COACH AND HIT THE GYM
Why was my ass sitting on my coach 👀
I'm amazed by how honest he's been on all things related to diet, nutrition, related psychology, and the advice he gave to stay away from dark paths. The internet fitness world is full of toxic 'advice' that can destroy people lives. I'm glad there are a few good ones out there like Alex giving proper, caring advice. Keep it real, Alex!
It's like this man is reading my mind..Been bulking for a year and been planning to cut but scared because I might lose my strength and gains..But after this I have the absolute certainty to get shredded 💪 Thank you King
You just to trust that return of your strength! Which will happen King, you got this 💪
@@AlexLeonidas Appreciate what you're doing for the natty community, Alex 🙌 You're the best man
It mindfcks the shit out of you
Look at it this way. Just because your wife leaves for work, doesn't mean she won't return. She may even want a romp in the sheets afterwards.
Comes with the territory dude but it gives you something awesome to look forward too. Changes, different sort of challenges, sure you'll lose strength but it will be like another game where you try to maintain your reps and strength.
I was like , who the hell is Alex Leonidas😅
So I’m about 176 cm (just under 5’10”)…currently sitting at 186 pounds….with a significant amount of vascularity….not bad for a 38 year old that weighed 268 pounds back in 2019….keep after it!!! 💪🏋️❤️
That's impressive my man!! Experienced natty representing 💪💯🔥
@@AlexLeonidas yup, your channel has been instrumental in helping me absolutely demolish my strength/hypertrophy goals! Fellow Canadian 🍁 too! I had someone ask me recently if I was on steroids haha 😂…( I’m 100% natty)… my favourite compliment. 💪❤️
@Marco Feldman awesome! I’m all about getting older AND stronger !! 💪💪
Old man strength is real 💪
@@SamSung-jn5fi it sure is!!! 💪💪💪💪
Another tip I'd add is recognise which situations or activities cause you to overeat or binge. Keep an eye out for these triggers. For me it was starting a new TV series & everytime I'd end up binge eating.
On a cut atm, so just wanna say amazing vid, it helps out a lot & keeps me on track ♥️
I don't have anything like that. I only eat what I'm supposed to eat.
I feel this man.
The habits are associated with one another.
I have to cut the netflix or whatever completely, too hard to regulate that junky binge eating.
Can binge youtube for hours tho.
I don't ever want to get shredded xD. Perma body dysmorphia sounds horrible, I'd rather stick to no less than about 12% bodyfat.
I 100% agree with everything you've said here.
Even the body dismophia thing.
I'm at 14% right now and I feel fat.
I made it to the single digits.
It's legit man.
Yeah same. My InBody results were 15.4% body fat at 188lbs, but looking in mirror I felt like I had tons of improvement to do.
@@tonyf3100 gets in your head, just gotta remember that we are freaking elite monsters compared to the average slob.
You're a freaking stud, remember that big dog 👍.
@@paulx7620 lol get a room
Really great stuff man, diet breaks/maintenance phases are super important. I used to be 335lbs at my heaviest and got down to about 240lbs (roughly 25-28%BF I am 6'2) but once I got back into dating and didn't really do a maintenance phase/break I regained a bunch of weight now I'm back at 280ish. I'm currenlty planning the macrocycle for next year to cut in Q1 and Q3 and do maintenance phases in Q2 and Q4 so I don't burn out and actually reach my goal for the year to get down to 220lbs around 20-22%BF roughly. Still a ways to go before I can get down to 12-15% which is end goal, but slow and steady wins the race.
Just as you've pointed out how weight loss assists calisthenic performance, the corollary is true at least for me. When I have focused on calisthenics, it has either made it easier for me to maintain weight loss efforts or kept me from bulking too much. There's a certain feedback where it seems like the body just knows it doesn't want to make things too difficult.
Facts!! I've experienced this as well. It's like your body wants to adapt to those activities, making your physique as efficient as possible. And with the leanness incentive being higher with calisthenics, this makes it even easier.
100% back this…it’s like magic
@@AlexLeonidas Alex do you have a callisthenics only orogram ?
Alex you've gotten so eloquent at speaking you deliver your thoughts well. I'm trying to return to the fitness lifestyle since i stopped training for three years when I joined the workforce. Hopefully I get lean again with this tips since i'm too fat now.
Remeber it´s a marathon brother
I've just gotten back down to 174 for the first time in 2 years and a lot of these are spot on. I can't stress your last point enough; it was very hard to bulk back up after being lean. One thing that helped me was finding fun/junkier foods to eat during a bulk as a way to encourage me to keep going. After leg day I would eat cereal, I'd go to the gym with my girlfriend and then have a date meal out at a local hibachi or Mexican place, etc. Sometimes you have to look at your Improvement Season as the time to make social gains in addition to gym gains
"most of you are carrying a TREMENDOUS amount of fat" 😂😂😂
This is so true though. Almost everyone is 5-10% BF fatter than they think.
This is one of the best, no-BS real-life natty bodybuilding videos i have seen. Subbed, love the wisdom. Cheers!
Welcome aboard brother, real recognize!
I'm about intermidiate level of strength and never really done a proper cut, around 90kg at 5 "11 so I'm far from lean. Literally just started a cut and this video shows up in my notifications, perfect timing, cheers Alex. The best fitness content on this platform, as always!
If you tell me that you are at 21% bf and do 40kg weighted pulls with a 50kg dip and are age 20 we will literally have the same stats and situation
@@simzblack1571 Hey that's me, just 6ft height and 21
@@mirkoperic1679 lol insane bro.
@@simzblack1571 i feel so behind... im 21, 6ft, 85kg, and at a novice level for most lifts. i dont know how to calc BF, but id say im probably 25-30%. Finding it hard to cut weight atm, i do intermittent fasting and hiit in the form of cardio. i wanna get lean as for summer
@@Seyiu. just trust the process and make sure your diet is dialled in.
Great video, bout to start a cut soon. When I first started lifting I was obese at 320, I have been fluctuating around 205-210 for about a year now and I've always had the goal of 190 in mind. What you said about losing water weight and looking really good early on resonates with me quite a bit. Many times I would start a cut, get down to like 200 really quickly and look really good and then kind of fall off the wagon underestimating what endeavor I'm going for. Still the leanest I've ever been but I want to take it to the next level
Hola desde España. Probably, the best video on UA-cam about cutting and lose weight. Congrants!
This video is absolutely perfect ! Spitting straight facts my man, even with peds these fundamentals need to be adhered to. As a long distance runner who moved into weight lifting I often tried to offset my eating with high amounts of cardio which drove up fatigue and made me more susceptible to injury. Tightening up the diet ,tracking properly and taking diet breaks was a much more stress free process. Great content brother 💪
this guy is spitting cold hard truths. 90% of lifters will never reach 180lb+ lean because of genetic lean mass potential
Having been away from these fitness channels a while, I must say that you are one of the few that haven't shown much signs of aging; you still look very youthful.
Revisiting this video since I’m about to go on my first serious cut after three years of bulking. I told myself I’d cut after two, but I decided to keep it going since I just fell in love with training, with the addition of getting bigger and stronger. I made great progress in all aspects of training (all compounds plus weighted calisthenics went up) and so I was in a weird headspace where I was paranoid about cutting since I just kept wanting to get bigger and stronger. The way I see it, is that it’s not really a big deal if I lose strength during a cut since I’m not a competitive powerlifter. It’s also not be career to be strong or whatever, so having a small period of time spent getting lean will not detract from me. I also started to think in more positive ways of how I will come back bigger and stronger since I will be educating myself more about training in the meantime, and that I will definitely hit my lifelong strength goals in one of my next bulks. Cutting is a different type of beast in its own right, and there isn’t any shame at all in striving to be lean and see what you built up. Thanks Alex, I wish you further success in your training, as well as you channel!
Amazing video Alex! I’ll be cutting in February so this was really helpful. Something I’m wondering is, do you think there’s any benefit to doing more calisthenic work the further you progress with your cut? Thanks!
More so psychological and the fact that there's an incentive to stay lean. Not to mention, actually getting some PRs! Calisthenics + cardio are the two activities that improve when cutting, which is very rewarding.
Thanks for the reply Alex! Yeah in my mind, if strength losses are an inevitable part of the cutting process, then achieving PRs in calisthenics is a great way to shift the mindset away from “oh man my barbell numbers are going down” to “oh wow I just got a new pullup PR”. Appreciate the videos as always 👍
Why not now? 😒
Great video Alex. It’s extremely inspiring to have followed your journey for most of the last decade. One thing I might add to this list is fasting, and not just intermittent fasting but doing so for 1-2 days at a time. In 2017 I went from 230 lbs to 190 lbs. Of course the water weight went easily, and I was continually cleaning up my diet, but I learned of the health benefits of fasting and gave it a try. I still fast to this day because of the other benefits it added to my life in terms of discipline. Learning to not only be okay with being hungry, but to let that hunger fuel me like a fire and attack my goals with unforeseen tenacity. I appreciate your contributions to the conversation and I hope this comment finds you and the community well!
Brother, the last point really resonated with me. I've been going through photos from exactly one year ago, I was 160lbs at 5'10 and looking lean with abs popping. Now I'm at 180lbs after going through 2 bulks and cuts over the past year. I looked great but at the same time a lot of bodyparts were so much smaller, especially my arms grew almost 2 inches(almost at 17' now) and forearms got much bigger too.
We have to keep reminding ourselves of all the positives of the bulks. Can't have one without the other. At the same time I'm really excited for the next cut to properly see all the new gains and I'm hyped to see you competing, the last time you were shredded u looked insane and probably could've won a show.
Great video and keep up the great work.
Your totally right about this being a double edge sword . I lost a ton of body weight but still can’t lose this last part of my stomach and it’s becoming so consuming over my life! I know what it is that’s holding me back and it 3 fold : I can’t eat consistently now because of my new job while making less money , I cannot afford to be weak physically and because I live in New York City it’s a food desert unless I prepare and bring food I won’t get good foods to eat and if I do I’m spending up to $60 a day.
Something I realized when I was dieting was I was angry all the time and physically weak . Plus in order to do this time , money and rest must be on your side .
Great content , you told the truth about this a lot of these guys on here won’t say this especially about cutting phases .
30:42 No, what you remember is how those bitches were choosin'... plus how you felt like crap!
Bro I remember when blalaha thought he was disrespecting you. What a clown. You look so good.
I totally agree about the dysmorphia issue. Last year I decided that I wanted to get rid of the fat and I succeeded. Then I fell well below the minimum for my height, just because I wanted to be more and more lean.. and the health problems started immediately. I had to gain a few kilos and now I feel totally lost and fat etc. wanting to reach this leaner version again, even though it's not healthy . So yeah the struggle is real 😕
Going through the same thing, I think the solution is just committing to one thing. In my case I’m cutting down to 200 and maintaining for awhile.
This came at the perfect time thanks man 😎
I don't poop daily how can i track weight 😂 i had Constipation
what is the purpose of hitting your stomach during a burpee?
Body dysmorphia. I actually found that I did not like how I looked on an average daily basis at single digits. Sure, I looked great without a shirt but honestly looked like any other skinny guy the rest of life (they frown on taking your shirt off at work, church, funerals, family gatherings, etc. Lol). So I was happier with my appearance when I was more able to fill out a t-shirt, which is what I wear 98% of the time.
The body dismorphia is off the charts. The only people who obsess over their weight more than teenage girls is body builders
You're not wrong
Like bald Omni man said me and my homies hate being shredded
personally over the last 2 years ive bulked for 9 months and then cut for 3 starting in late april so i look good for most of the summer time, been working for me and enjoying the process, its easier for me to lose than to gain weight, started very skinny. thanks for the tips Alex
Can you full day of eating videos while you cut.
This video came out at a perfect time for me as I'm in a middle of a cut. Keep it up Alex!
Love this bro. I can relate to the dysmorphia. I went from 235 to 196 over 6 months. Now I’m at maintenance around 205 and I feel FAT. Gonna take a break and cut to ~185 in April.
The first 30 seconds were the greatest casual flex. My boy said “100% success rate” 💪💪💪
No bullshit editing, straight facts, straight to the point. Thank you brother 👊
I was on a huge bulk. 18 raws eggs a day and half a gallon of milk along with my normal meals. Was always the skinny one so I wanted to push it. I got strong and it was great. Until I realized I looked fat. I was 190 at 5 foot 10. Currently I'm 170 planning to get to 160lbs. Losing another 10 after that is a scary thought. I def lost strength but am enjoying calisthenics. Thanks for the motivation and keeping it real bro.
18 raw eggs sounds retarded asf
Cook them
How can you measure your weight daily if there are some days you have a bowel movement in the morning and some days you don’t?
Easiest way to realistically know how much weight one needs to drop to be shredded is to know your lean body mass -
Personal example ~ lean body mass = 153.2 x 175lbs of total ideal weight divided by 1 equals 12.4% body fat -
Or ~ to be single digit > 153.2 lean body mass x 170lbs of total ideal weight divided by 1 equals 9.8% body fat .